Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
The Kellyco People's Choice Awards results are in. Kellyco allowed detectorists to vote on their favorite detectors. There were five categories. Today I'll comment on one category - the top water detectors.
When the voting was concluded, Minelab Excalibur II was the top choice, followed by the Fisher CZ-21, with the Garrett Infinium LS coming in third.
The only one of the three that I have used extensively is the Excalibur. The first thing I will say is that unless you have used a detector a lot, and I do mean a lot, you are not in a good position to judge it. It takes a while to learn to use a detector well. You can use a detector a lot and still not use it well. I don't see how you can say detector X is better than detector Y without having used both extensively. Still, the results do tell you something.
As you probably know, Excalibur detectors are popular on the Treasure Coast. You'll see a lot of them out there. They are fairly rugged and reliable. It is a fine detector. At about $1500, the cost is about the same as the CZ-21, but nearly $500 more than the Infinium.
I almost always used my Excalibur with maximum sensitivity and minimum discrimination. I used it in pinpoint rather than discrimination mode. I'll comment more on that some other time.
As you probably know, Excalibur detectors are popular on the Treasure Coast. You'll see a lot of them out there. They are fairly rugged and reliable. It is a fine detector. At about $1500, the cost is about the same as the CZ-21, but nearly $500 more than the Infinium.
I almost always used my Excalibur with maximum sensitivity and minimum discrimination. I used it in pinpoint rather than discrimination mode. I'll comment more on that some other time.
The Fisher CZ-21 I have not used. It looks like it has the same casing as the old Fisher 1280, which I have used a lot.. I once failed to properly screw on the cover after changing batteries, and it got water in it. That was not much of a problem though because the battery compartment was sealed off from the electronics. That is a good feature.
I'm sure you could do well with any of these three detectors. I have extensively used detectors from all three of these companies.
I am sure there will be people that will argue that any one of these is the best. It makes a big difference how the computer matches up with your own personal style of detecting, but learning to use your detector optimally is critical. If you don't learn to use a detector very well, you really can't judge the detector fairly.
Some people judge a detector after using it once or twice. That is not a fair judgment.
Generally speaking, I'd say that a skilled detectorist will find more with a less powerful detector than an unskilled detectorist will find with a much better detector.
When you detect in the water, one important skill is knowing where to look. Because of the sifting and sorting done by the water, there will be places with nothing but good targets, and places with only junk, and places with varying mixtures. The real skill is to find the places with the highest good target density, and if you do that, you do not need much discrimination, because you will be hunting where there is very little junk. And as I've said in the past, you will want to know where the junk is because the junk will also provide information that can point you to the better areas.
The Excalibur is easy to adjust and use. It can be very effective. I'm sure the others are effective too.
I'll post comments on the other categories in the future.
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A thousand-year-old settlement was discovered by archaeologists. Here is an excerpt from that story.
http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/M74-upgrade-unearths-medieval-settlement-23a5.aspx
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The lead styli that I showed yesterday from the Battle of Brownstown Creek were identified as styli by archaeologists. Maybe that is right or wrong. I'm not absolutely sure. Captain Jonah says they find a couple of those every year during salvage operations.
I can see how it would be possible, or even likely, that they are styli. Modern day pencils were not available back then, and in a wet environment, such as on board ship or on a beach, especially after a hurricane, pen and ink and other materials for writing might be very scarce or difficult to find and use, yet recording would be very necessary. The styli, if that is what they are, would be very durable and easy to make out of any available lead. I'd think that pencils, or the rough equivalent, would be common finds. They could have also been multi-purpose, no doubt.
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On the Treasure Coast we have a smooth surf again. There are some pretty big tides. That will open up some good spots in the shallow water when the high tide moves the mush.
The wind will be from the south.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
I'm sure you could do well with any of these three detectors. I have extensively used detectors from all three of these companies.
I am sure there will be people that will argue that any one of these is the best. It makes a big difference how the computer matches up with your own personal style of detecting, but learning to use your detector optimally is critical. If you don't learn to use a detector very well, you really can't judge the detector fairly.
Some people judge a detector after using it once or twice. That is not a fair judgment.
Generally speaking, I'd say that a skilled detectorist will find more with a less powerful detector than an unskilled detectorist will find with a much better detector.
When you detect in the water, one important skill is knowing where to look. Because of the sifting and sorting done by the water, there will be places with nothing but good targets, and places with only junk, and places with varying mixtures. The real skill is to find the places with the highest good target density, and if you do that, you do not need much discrimination, because you will be hunting where there is very little junk. And as I've said in the past, you will want to know where the junk is because the junk will also provide information that can point you to the better areas.
The Excalibur is easy to adjust and use. It can be very effective. I'm sure the others are effective too.
I'll post comments on the other categories in the future.
---
A thousand-year-old settlement was discovered by archaeologists. Here is an excerpt from that story.
...During the archaeological dig the team found nine medieval coins, fragments of animal bone, clay smoking-pipe fragments and more than 200 shards of glazed medieval pottery that could date to the 1400’s or earlier.
Mr Mooney added: “It is very unusual to find so many coins in one place. We think it’s possible that people thought it lucky to leave a coin at the religious shrine.
“We’ve also discovered two gaming pieces, one carved of stone and the other a circle of green-glazed medieval pottery, which could have been used in a medieval game of some sort. This provides us with an all too rare glimpse into the past, shedding light on the medieval beginnings of Hamilton.”
The team also found a lead pistol shot in the floor of one of the structures, possible evidence that an officer involved in the Battle of Bothwell Bridge (1679) may have taken cover in the, then ruins, of the buildings at Netherton....
Here is the link if you want to read the rest of the story.http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/M74-upgrade-unearths-medieval-settlement-23a5.aspx
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The lead styli that I showed yesterday from the Battle of Brownstown Creek were identified as styli by archaeologists. Maybe that is right or wrong. I'm not absolutely sure. Captain Jonah says they find a couple of those every year during salvage operations.
I can see how it would be possible, or even likely, that they are styli. Modern day pencils were not available back then, and in a wet environment, such as on board ship or on a beach, especially after a hurricane, pen and ink and other materials for writing might be very scarce or difficult to find and use, yet recording would be very necessary. The styli, if that is what they are, would be very durable and easy to make out of any available lead. I'd think that pencils, or the rough equivalent, would be common finds. They could have also been multi-purpose, no doubt.
---
On the Treasure Coast we have a smooth surf again. There are some pretty big tides. That will open up some good spots in the shallow water when the high tide moves the mush.
The wind will be from the south.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
