What is the best metal locator for the urban/suburban environment where you have lots of fences near the corners? I currently have CST MagnaTrac 100 and it it just about useless near a fence. I have noticed that some locators like the Chrisnik Hound Dog have fence ignoring function and some CST have an erase function. How well do these locators work around fences? And does Schonstedt have a similar function?
We just got one of the SSI ML-1M units which has a digital meter thats lets you see the positive or negative polarity. If it wasn't for the "whinny" sound, it would be perfect over the old Schonstedt I was use to.
I was leaning towards getting one the Hound Dogs, but the repair guy at the equipment dealer we use suggested the SSI over the Hound Dog; which he described as having a "prototype looking" board. He also mentioned that SSI was started by guys that worked at Schonstedt...
Its pretty neat looking at the meter because if there is say a pin under the surface next to a metal fence post, the top of the pin shows up positive, while the post negative at grade (since I'm in the northern hemisphere...).
http://www.ssilocators.com/magnetic-locators/magnetic-locator-1m.php
I have had a schondstedt for over 2o years. Much of its use depends on experience and a discerning ear. Different metals (magnetic fields) just sound different. It depends on the strength of the magnetic field, and the size and depth of the object. Adjacent metal fences produce somewhat constant sounds, and a separate but different magnetic field nearby will produce a different "sound in a sound." In my opinion, "it's not the pencil, but how you write your name!"B-)
I have a pistol-style schonstedt with that function but I never knew what it was for. I'll have to start paying more attention to it. Thanks!
I like for a metal detector to have an earphone jack.
Need to take out background noise to hear past a loud engine or train or traffic.
Meters are ok if you can look at more than one thing at a time. It is hard to read the meter and notice critters coming out of the bushes.
0.02
Just about all locators (coil or flux) have some type of "fence adjustment" . Actually,
it's more likely a decrease in sensitivity at that point. If more iron than the fence is
found, the alarm goes off.
I've tried some of the others but schonstedt is the only one I'm comfortable with. The others just seem to miss things. Searching near fences with the schonstedt is done by holding is horizontal on the ground. Underground metal will beep along the length of the unit rather than at the tip. Never had one with a meter; sounds like the meter with pos/neg mentioned below is a nice feature.
Same answer as Harold, except replace "20" with "34+"... 😉
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you...
Ditto the SSI. Great detector.
It's all in the user. My schonstedt might be older than I am, but I can consistently locate pins near/under all types of fences. It's so old it doesn't have the sensitivity notches, it's just a smooth knob like the volume. Is it weird that I take a lot of pride in my ability to find pins?
I prefer the Magnawand/Houndog
(they are basically the same)