Another Newbie looking for advice and help starting

[phoenix1967]

Hi all,
I am from across the water on Irelands West Coast and am looking to purchase a good second hand detector -- easier said than done ! MD's are not as welcome or appreciated over here.
I WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE A MINELAB SOVEREIGN ELITE OR GT SECOND HAND IF POSSIBLE FOR AROUND 300 POUNDS. I have a lot of beaches in my area that I am looking to search. I bought a cheap Maitlin detecor to start but cant get depth or signal on wet sand. I have spent months on E-BAY looking and trying to purchase but all of the auctions are UK only and I cant bid on the ones I wanted.
I would appreciate any help or advice and if any of you have contacts in Northern Ireland that have and would be willing to sell a detector.
I would pay by lodgement and organise a courier to collect -- any thing to make the process easier and get me out detecting- Its like eating pringles "ONCE YOU START YOU CANT STOP" but it is fraustrating when you havent the right equipment   

[Chef Geoff]

Hi Phoenix and welcome to the forum.
Unfortunately at this time of year detector prices are strong and you are unlikely to get either an Elite or GT for £300 as currently they tend to be fetching £400 and £500 respectively.
You should be able to get an XS-2a for around that money though. If you do find one on ebay that you would like to bid on, let me know and I can bid on it for you, I have an Irish bank account so we can sort out payment easily.
What County are you in?

[Mike]

didnt ysbytymike have an xs 2a for sale a while ago 

[phoenix1967]

Hi Phoenix and welcome to the forum.
Unfortunately at this time of year detector prices are strong and you are unlikely to get either an Elite or GT for £300 as currently they tend to be fetching £400 and £500 respectively.
You should be able to get an XS-2a for around that money though. If you do find one on ebay that you would like to bid on, let me know and I can bid on it for you, I have an Irish bank account so we can sort out payment easily.
What County are you in?

Thanks for the quick reply  -- I live in a village outside Sligo town Co. Sligo
I would really like to get my hands on a second hand Sovereign so I could probably get the extra cash together in the next few weeks -- I would really appreciate the help with E-bay or if a member known to you through the forum/club was looking to sell .
Would an XS 2a be as good, seeing that I'm NEW to this I thought the GT would be best as it has all the bells along with BBS i.e. accu trak etc-- maybe Im too picky and should get the simplest BBS DETECTOR.
What do you suggest

[Chef Geoff]

I used to live in Co. Donegal and the better half used to drag me to Sligo to go shopping, god knows why, we were only 20 mins from Derry Women?
Anyway the GT is obviously the newest and because of that is the more user friendly but as far as performance and depth etc is concerned all the Sovs are identical.
If you can get the cash together then the newer model will probably give you more "peace of mind" though.

[phoenix1967]

Its a small world when I get talking to a Donegal man in Wales about metal detecting. You probably know the coastline around here as well as myself. I was also talking to another Donegal man a few weeks ago who had an XS 2a for sale for 350pounds on Preloved he was also living in Wales. The detector is still on the site but I (rightly or wrongly ) thought it was just a little dear. Your not the one and same are you.
His detector had been purchased fron some shop called PEPSI ?
I think I will try to get the cash together and try for a good deal on a second hand GT but the waiting is driving me nuts as I am eager to get out on the beaches.
You wouldn't have a spare one in the shed by any chance.
Will it really be OK if I get you to bid on one on E-bay if necessary. I caould send you my e-mail address to confirm details etc or I could ring you .
Whatever suits you 

[dances with badgers]

plenty of time to hit the beaches mate,get the best you can afford.one good 22ct ring will pay for it.when winds whip up the beaches theres plenty of goodies to pay for your initial outlay.
 good luck,let us know you get on.
  mike

[phoenix1967]

plenty of time to hit the beaches mate,get the best you can afford.one good 22ct ring will pay for it.when winds whip up the beaches theres plenty of goodies to pay for your initial outlay.
 good luck,let us know you get on.
  mike

Good advice and which I will follow. I am biting at the bit though as there arent too many MD's around these parts. I have only met one who was down from Northern Ireland.

[dances with badgers]

when i started i had an ace 250 and i was rearing to hit the beaches because my cousin goldquest was getting 3 rings a day at one time
 it took me 8 months of going to aberaon,porthcawl,caswell bay langland bay,rhossilli before i realised about the tides,storms and lunar cycles were all involved in the gold finding as well as lot of luck.
 i hit the beaches at least 5 times a week,i collect all the copper,brass,gun metal,fishing weights and bullets,every so often you will get a gold ring then maybe 3 in a day and nothing for a month.wierd hobby.
 you cant beat getting gold ,for me its a rush like a drug (i know all about that ) lol
 i have had a chequered past but the beaches are now my new habit.
 keep at it and the goodies will come.you must have faith in your machine and your ability.
 the gold is out there,hundreds of years worth of it .
 good luck mike