Hobbyists can actually program their equipment to look for specific items; gold, rare coins, jewelry, meteorites etc. And these days, digging up just one of these items can literally recover the purchase price of the detector! What other hobby can make that claim? We encourage you to give metal detecting a try. Whatever brand or model you choose, we hope you will join the crowd in the enjoyment of this great outdoor activity.
Getting Started
The first step in beginning anything new is purchasing the right equipment. Fortunately, other than the detector and a digging tool, all you need is a good pair of walking shoes and a place to hunt for buried treasure. Purchasing your first metal detector is little different than buying your first fishing rod or set of golf clubs. In general, the more you spend, the more quality, reliability and features you can expect. Generally speaking, metal detectors can be put in three basic categories:
Toys
These are the machines sold mostly by national chains and "big-box" retailers at very low prices. For the casual amateur or first time buyer they may appear to be an attractive choice. However few people are satisfied with this type of machine for very long.
Entry-level detectors
Most legitimate manufacturers of metal detectors build reliable, high quality equipment. Prices begin around $200.00 and can go into the thousands. What you are paying for is overall quality, sophistication, engineering expertise, and the ability to discriminate between "'junk" and targets of real value.
Serious Equipment
These machines are designed and built for the serious hobbyist and professional treasure hunter. They contain the very intense research and development. (in the past 20 years, most major advances in metal detection technology have come from Minelab!) These detectors will work effectively over many types of ground: beach, parks, etc., discriminate metal more accurately and find targets many inches deeper in varying soil conditions.
Accurate discrimination between various types of targets means you don't spend your time digging up bottle caps, pop-tops and other unwanted "junk". In some cases, the detectors can even be programmed to find or reject specific types of targets that you want to find or not find.
The very best detectors have highly sophisticated circuitry that send multiple signals into the ground and this are able to find targets lesser machines ignore. They can also be adjusted to work in various types of soil. The different elements and minerals in the ground have a tremendous effect on one's ability to find something of value. (in industry parlance, "mineralization.") Basic detectors cannot cope well with ground conditions often found in the USA. Serious hobbyists use this class of machine almost exclusively. They have little patience for the toy category and have outgrown the mid-level products. That's where Minelab comes in.
Much of our technology comes directly from the design of sophisticated mine detection equipment. Armed forces around the world, including the US Army, use Minelab mine detection technology. No other company can make this claim. Metal and/or treasure detecting is a fun family activity. It provides plenty of low impact exercise and is the only hobby that can actually pay you back! The small investment in a quality metal detector is well worth the potential rewards. Good Hunting!