Hunting for precious metals at a beach can be productive because of the dozens of materials that get washed to the shore. You can find gold coins dating back to the 16th century that finds their way to your favorite beach from the bottom of the sea.
However, you might get frustrated or even catch insignificant metal objects and old tins if you are familiar with treasure hunting. Today, we have written a piece that answers four main questions that can ensure you get the best metal detector for beach.
1. Why is Saltwater/Beach So Challenging?
You find lots of hot rocks and saltwater at the beach. That seawater boosts the impact of ground minerals, making the land metal detectors to pick up false signals.
It is a significant problem for detectors, especially those with pre-determined ground balance. They often come with a factory ground balance setting that takes care of the common minerals on the land.
Such a metal detector might be useful in other locations but a pool door in saltwater with thousands of minerals. It is impossible to find treasures with these Virtual Fault Locator (VFL) devices, no matter what you do.
For instance, if you lower the sensitivity of the machine, the chatter might also reduce and lead to a limited depth. And if you decided to dig whenever you get a signal, you might end up wasting lots of time.
Due to that, you need a system that can ignore the amplifying impact of ocean water. A device that can allow you to hunt on wet sand, saltwater, or in the sea.
The next three questions explain what should look for in a metal detector for beach hunting.
2. What is the Best Metal Detector Coil Size for the Beach?
A Smaller Coil is more sensitive to small metals. It is easier to use when pinpointing, offers better target separation, and is lighter.
Such a coil is recommended for beaches with lots of trash that can hide the treasure.
A Bigger Coil is ineffective when separating target and is more cumbersome. It is hard to swing for an extended duration in water, as it has a higher resistance because of the vast surface area.
A larger coil, however, has some benefits that you cannot get if you use a smaller one. For example, it gives you more depth that can allow you to find more treasures.
Such a coil also covers a broader area at a go.
Tips When Choosing the Coil
- Most brands provide coils that are neither small nor large (in the middle of the two). Consider opting for such a metal detector.
- Serious metal hunters should also consider getting more than one coil to ensure they have a machine for every occasion.
- Also, there is no “best” coil – you need to consider your target when buying these systems.
- A smaller coil might be ideal for hunters with physical challenges.
3. Which is the Best Detector Technology?
We have already stated that you should not buy a VFL detector if you intend to search for the precious metal at the beaches. More expensive machines have a manual and automatic ground balance that makes them more useful.
That is a critical feature if you wish to hunt and get precious metals at the beach. You can easily adjust the ground balance to tune the device and ignore the high level of mineralization of seawater.
But should you go for just an Automatic Ground Balance? It depends on the gadget you choose because some models struggle when working undersea conditions.
That does not mean you get the VFL product with just the Manual Ground Balance, but they can give you a better chance of spotting valuable metals. They are great all-rounders that are cost-effective and offer perfect discrimination options.
But if they are not the best for beach hunting, then what should you get? That would be Pulse Induction (PI) detectors.
These devices ignore the ground minerals instead of tuning the balance to reduce mineralization interference. They focus on the treasure without providing false signals because of saltwater.
Another benefit of the pulse induction detectors is they are sensitive to small treasures and provide excellent depth. They are specialist gadgets that help to hunt for gold.
There is a fourth technology that is worth mentioning, the Multi-Frequency Detector. They use the same VLF technology, but you can adjust them to different frequencies.
These are quite expensive and give you versatile applications. They can ensure you spot the different metals at the beach with ease.
Tips When Choosing the Technology
- Get the pulse induction detector if you want to spend time at the beach.
- Choose a VLF or multi-frequency model if the beach has lots of iron trash.
- The VLF model is ideal for wet sand and land.
4. Should You Go for Waterproof, Submersible, or Weatherproof Design?
A submersible metal detector is 100% waterproof. You can use it under the water without damaging it, although the depth might vary.
A machine with a submersible coil might not be completely waterproof. Most metal detectors offer this feature, but their control box is often prone to water damage.
That means if you find a product with weatherproof (water-resistance) design and waterproof coil, you cannot submerge it entirely in water. You might not require a waterproof device when hunting in shallow waters.
However, you might need it for the beach – you never know when a huge wave might splash water on your machine. You might even slip when looking for these treasures and get the device submersed.
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Final Verdict
Having the metal detector for beach can deliver the best outcome, whether you are an expert or a beginner. It can boost your confidence just for offering promising results.
The above piece has looked at some of the things that can ensure you find the perfect metal detector. There are other features that you should consider, including headphones, spade, shovel, chest harness, mesh pouch, and pinpointer.