total novice wanting help

[owen]

been wanting to go detecting for many years now but never got around to it.now i lost my job a month ago i got some time on my hands till the fishing season starts next year,anyway,i borrowed my stepsons machine today,a real cheapie that he was given to him years ago,he never used it so,went down the beach to take the dogs for a walk.while they were running around like mad,i got to work with the machine.anyway,cut a long story short,i ended up with £4.26,1 fishing weight and lost count of tent pegs!!!! i spoke to another gentleman who was down there with his machine(looked very proffesional with all the gadgets and gizmoz)and he advised me to come on here for advice,id like to get a better machine one that works on the beach.basicaly a cheapish good one,second hand and not to complicated.any help please ? thanks in advance

[Mike]

most machines will work ok on the dry sand ( top of beach ) but on the wet sand most wont due to the high mineralization .

most minelabs  , whites dfx  will handle the wet sand no problem , but they are not cheap used explorer xs around £300 and a bit complicated at 1st but will do the job you want , cheaper machines like garrett 250 , c -scope etc will do ok on the top of the beach and can be had for around £120 - £150 used , hope this helps and good luck , oh and welcome to the forum mate 

[Dryland]

Welcome to the D W forum Owen, what part of the world are you from ?

[owen]

many thanks for your reply.i can go to around £250 i was supprised that the one i used today picked up a few thing on the wet sand.its called a bounty hunter.although it only picked up the bigger items and did go off now and again without cause.the gent i spoke to mentioned a minelab ? he said they were good for wet sand.do you also know of any shops that deal with metal detectors and accessories or a magazine that can be bought ?

[owen]

hi,im from llanelli,near swansea.

[dances with badgers]

alright owen if you want to borrow a beach machine and come with me when i do pembrey next gimmie a pm,i am laid off soon so will be reliyng on gold hunting to pay the bills over chrimbo like i have the last couple of years .
 mike from ammanford
p.s better to have a go before u rush out and spend money on a hobby u might not like

[owen]

hi mike,that be great,i can save you the walk down the beach.got a 4x4 and a permit to drive on to cefn sidan.

[dances with badgers]

ooh sounds good .are you a cockler?

[owen]

done a bit in the past but fishing is my game.

[dances with badgers]

good you will know the tides then thats a big advantage for gold hunters,you will never have to buy weights again bud ,i get at least ten everytime im out,i scrap worst ones but give or sell newer ones to mates who fish.if you buy a beach machine the fishing weights alone will pay for it in time without the gold rings and coins that show up.its a good hobby ,you never know what you find,army badges,daggers etc.
 but be warned you have to dig a lot of shite too

[owen]

had alot of shite today down ther but was good to get out.have noticed that there are 4 more wrecks uncoverd down there so think it may be worth a look around them on the next set of big tides.would a barracuda pulse detector be any good down there ?

[dances with badgers]

yes it would owen,thats one beach where a pulse machine excells cos black sand is not very deep,black sand traps gold and heavier drops..vlf machines have trouble penetrating black sand but pulse machines dont have a problem and punch through it.
 the problem is pulse machines can hit fish hooks at 14'' and hairclips at 18 ''.they are hard machines too learn but once you do they can pay off bigtime.personally i would get a sovereign and use it in all metal mode at pembrey.i get pliers,daggers ,pen knives and too much lead to carry.had rings there too,chains,bangles ,

i use an etrac,sovereign elite and surfmaster pulse when i get a chance.
 some beaches like aberavon have so much junk on that u cant use a pulse machine on but pembrey is o.k

[owen]

was just a thought as i just seen 1 on auction site.

[dances with badgers]

if u get a machine that does fields also get it.beaches dont always produce much but when they do its awsome

[Bling (mark)]

Hi Owen I'm from loughor other side of the bridge Staffordshire detectors sells second hand detectors comes with  a warranty.check out his site very nice man to deal with on the phone.