CompuServe Thread

John — I use a metal detector but only to look for gold. What you need depends on what kind of detecting you plan to do. There is a pretty long running metal detector thread in section 1 (general) of the Outdoors forum (Go Outdoors). Good Luck — Bill

Hi Sully, I'm interested in Meteoritics, among other things. One of the best metal detector commercially available is probably the top-of-the-line "Spectrum" metal detector made by White's Electronics (White's Electronics, Inc., Sweet Home, Oregon. Their models 5900 and 6000 DI have a long track-record of reliability, and can be tuned to reach two feet or more. Additionally, the newer "Spectrum" has a liquid metal display that gives a better idea of whether a signal is coming from a mineral source vs man-made debris. I haven't worked with detectors for years so I have no first-hand knowledge of these units mentioned above. One dealer that sells them is Ron Farell of Bethany Science, PO Box 3726, New Haven, CT 06525 ph(800) 525-1052. Their recent catalogs have not included metal detectors, but they're a lead for you. Good luck! -Joseph, Hawaii

Hi Sully, I'm interested in Meteoritics, among other things. One of the best metal detector commercially available is probably the top-of-the-line "Spectrum" metal detector made by White's Electronics (White's Electronics, Inc., Sweet Home, Oregon. Their models 5900 and 6000 DI have a long track-record of reliability, and can be tuned to reach two feet or more. Additionally, the newer "Spectrum" has a liquid crystal display that gives a better idea of whether a signal is coming from a mineral source vs man-made debris. I haven't worked with detectors for years so I have no first-hand knowledge of these units mentioned above. One dealer that sells them is Ron Farell of Bethany Science, PO Box 3726, New Haven, CT 06525 ph(800) 525-1052. Their recent catalogs have not included metal detectors, but they're a lead for you. Good luck! -Joseph, Hawaii

Hi, Sully > I am interested in gathering some opinion on what you feel is the best metal > detectors on the market. I see that Joe beat me to the punch in recommending White's. I know three people that own them, and they are all happy campers. I got to borrow one a few years ago and used it around an old gold mining ghost town. All I found was a few square nails, but what the hey… Regards, Guy P.S. I don't have White's 800 number handy, but if you would like to contact them directly I could look it up.

I am owner of a metal detecting shop among other things. It really depends on what you want to do as others have said. Of course, what you want to do now may not be what you want to do in a year. The machines made for gold nuggets may not be so good for other things. A versatile machine like the Whites Spectrum, 6000, 5900, etc may be a good general device but won't do some things as good as those specifically designed for that purpose. If you can define your needs a bit better, perhaps I can advise. We sell 18 brands from US, Aust, Germany, and UK and keep over 75 different models on display. As you can see there is a wide selection. There are also a lot of books on detectors, uses, selection, etc. There is a section on collection of meteorites, including detector use in the new book Rocks from Space ($20, I think, from me or whoever) plus there have been a few magazine articles. That book is good as it is not only theory but also stuff about collecting, locating, history, etc. Steve