Beach hunting is one of my favorite things to do!  The problem is that I only get down to the coast once or twice a year.  Since my time is limited, I tend to take several pieces of metal detecting artillery with me!  This year one of those hunks of metal detecting weaponry was the new White’s Spectra V3.  The one I have is still called a “Vision” (complicated legal issue involving names!)…but it’s the same machine.  Now, the Spectra is one of those detectors that you look at and KNOW it will do some amazing things…be it inland on old coins or down in the wet sand.  The Spectra can utilize 3 separate frequencies simultaneously and comes stock with a 10 inch DD coil.  It also has a TON of stock pre-built “programs” or modes that you can select on the fly (Much, much easier than on the DFX I used to have) thanks to a quick “hot bar” arrangement along the bottom of the screen.  There’s also nearly UNLIMITED user adustable things under the hood…so many so that most new owners will “play it safe” with the stock programs for a while…and luckily, they work great!…not quite as conservative as I remember on the DFX.  For the “turn on and go” type hunters…no problem!  You only “play” with the advanced stuff if you want to…and luckily all the pre-made programs hard in uneraseble ROM…so a quick reset and you can “undo” whatever you did if something ends up out of whack.  In other words…don’t be afraid to “play”!

Unfortunately, low tide during vacation week was mid -afternoon (or EARLY in the morning!).  However, I love to hunt the “wet stuff” during waning tide, so off in the mid-day heat I went!  I was already familiar with the Spectra’s sand performance during a brief surf hunt earlier in the Summer…that short trip netted me a pocket full of clad and a ring!  My hopes were HIGH for this week!

When I started my hunt, I quickly picked the preconfigured “Salt Beach” mode.  It’s an exellent starting  point for salt drenched sand…and sets the cool color display to a mode that is highly visible in the bright daylight.  The 10 inch DD coil covers ground quickly and the presets of the “Salt Beach” mode seem to allow for fast hunting.  The only tweaks I made initially was bumping the gain…I found the area I was in allowed for a bit more “heat” while staying stable.  The balance of the “tried and true” White’s pole, display pod and electronics housing makes it easy to find a perfect balance.  I’m around 5′ 11″  (used to be taller before years of gravity got me!) and had no problem finding a notch on the  pole that allowed for that perfect compromise of maximum swing coverage, yet little “fatigue”.  I tend to opt for more swing coverage, using the momentum of my swing to help suspend the coil “just” off the surface of the sand.  One minor issue I had with the stock DD coil was a slight “falsing” when bumping the wet sand…I’ve heard this issue does not occur with other compatible coils though…and I adapted quickly to compensate.

One thing is for sure…other hobbyists are “intrigued” by the new Spectra!  I had quite a few folks (including some of the Carolina Beach area CRABS (Carolina Relic And Beach hunting Society…the “h” in hunting is silent! )  They are an awesome group of hunters who I thoroughly enjoy digging with every chance I get!  And…giving credit where credit is due, the big ol’ orange handled scoop you see me with in the photos was a loaner from the generous Carl Cladoff! (I forgot mine at home!)

One thing that INSTANTLY grabs attention is the wireless headphones!  It was almost bizaare hunting without a cord dangling by my noggin!  Especially when I stopped to dig the many targets…I usually have to do a little arm scoop motion to move the headphone cable so I don’t tangle it in my scoop as I dig.  In short…the wireless headphones ROCK!  Comfortable, wireless and plenty of volume.  There were a few unusual episodes of the audio having a left/right shift (kinda like when you adjust the balance on your car stereo) but nothing that was a problem at all.  I think I’ve seen on the forums that there’s a software update that prevents this.  However, I kind of like it!

My intial finds with the Spectra V3 were plentiful!  Plenty of targets were heard…at all sorts of depths.  The deepest I dug was over a foot on a quarter…and it was loud and clear.  The Spectra achieved PLENTY of depth on the Carolina Coast!  Sensitivity to gold was tested with my wedding band.  The Spectra hits HARD on gold rings…I just wasn’t luck enough to walk over one during the week.  However, the Spectra has scored two rings for me in the sand.  Neither was particularly valueable, but still fun to find!

Another thing the beach taught me about the V3…it’s pretty darned water resistant!  I was caught in SEVERAL downpours…with nowhere to go!  There was never a problem with moisture getting into the “innards”…see my earlier Spectra V3 Review (part 1) for a photo of the rubber seals around the display pod and the electronics housing.  I also noticed the V3 seems to handle a variety of temperature swings without an issue.  My Wife likes to keep the Condo COLD!  When coming from the frigid inside to the hot and humid outside, no problem…something else…See those buttons on the display?  They glow in the dark!  Nice touch!  I have to admit…when I first heard the V3 would have a color display, I was worried about visibility in bright daylight.  However, my concern was unfounded.  The display is excellent in both bright light and NO light.  The backlight (which is adjustable) works great when you want to get in some night hunting.

Another cool feature I learned to appreciate on this trip is the rechargeable battery pack.  It charges fast!  Great when you want to “top it off” after a hunt.  The reason I say “top it off” and not “recharge” is because the battery life was splendid!  It lasted much longer than I did!  Just in case though, there’s an extra battery pack that you can carry with standard AA batteries.

Digging one of the many coins heard by the Spectra V3!

When all is said and done, the White’s Spectra V3 is a great beach machine!  The default, out-of-the-box Beach Hunting program works well and there are more adjustments than the average hunter will ever explore!  However, it’s pretty cool knowing that flexibility and adjustability are available at your fingertips.  I think White’s has another hit on their hands with the Spectra V3!

Author digs another of MANY coins found with the Spectra V3!

Part 3 coming soon!

*Special thanks to Dave and Carl Cladoff for the use of their photos!*

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-Mark

Dave

There’s allot of different styles, some work better than others, some work one day and not the next, some just don’t work on certain beaches or for certain people but here’s mine.

This was how I did it today.

First I found my detector, then I found a beach.  not funny hu?, hooked up with Jay this morning.

Jay

Before I continue, I have to say I hip mount on an ammo belt. I have a hook on my left side to hook the handle of my scoop that drags in the sand, I can tell exactly where I have been that way.

I start at the dune line and work to the water, do this a few times and you should be able to tell where the target area is.

Looking for the hot spot...dune to water line

Today I hit the low line first, crappy pic but I hope you can see where the digs are and how I tightened up the grid and didn’t even check the middle area.

Grid pattern and dig holes

I did this pattern for just over half the time I had out there than turned to head back in the high area.

Last night there were some storms move through and you can see how the sand blew into drifts, exposing some holes where the shells were showing.

fluffy sand is too deep

The fluffy sand on top was way too deep to find much but the holes were OK.

On my way back I saw Jay hitting the water….er actually I saw the 18 inch rollers hitting him

Jay fighting the surf

He was persistent, he worked on that target for 15-20 minutes but he did get it.

His PI did what PI’s do best, a deep iron hook   to add to a couple of tent stakes.

PI find in the surf

We were out there just under two hours.

Here’s my goods

Dave's finds

The ring is stamped OGSY, what ever that means, than .925 and has one Peridot in the middle and 21 of 22, yup one missing   stones that Ping green. Cool real Nitro and not CZ.

Dave's ring find

The three P’s. Patients, Practice and Persistence.

Happy Hunting

-Dave

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Carl Cladoff

DetectorStuff Member Carl Cladoff recently responded to my inquiry about reading beach cuts…and how to find the goodies therein.  His response (originally seen HERE) give great insight into the awesome dynamics of surf and wind…and how they factor into whether you finish a hunt with treasure…or nothing!  Thanks for allowing me to publish this Carl!  -Mark

Yo Mark!  I usually refer to those ‘sand cliffs’ you see primarily in the fall and winter as a cut…terminology may vary depending on where you are…

This was September at Kitty Hawk:

Last fall at Kure Beach

Pine Island last winter

The sharper the edges and the steeper the drop…the fresher they are…ideal time is when they are being created by the surf but it can be the most hazardous to your own safety…not recommended…choose the calm after the storm…hunt from the bottom of the cut to the surf line.

Rip in background, some may call it a scallop…notice deep hole by the darker shade of water…excellent area for a water detector if current is weak:

Cut with rock exposure Dec'08:

Another view of erosion:

This was extracted from the rocks:

Get on high ground. Look for ‘rips’ and ‘ horseshoes’ by standing on a lifeguard stand, a hotel balcony, pier, or beach cam. Rips can be very subtle and hard to see or they can be an obvious ‘riptide’. Watch the sea foam, especially for the subtle current. Most of the water line will have foam oncoming…look where the foam seems to be outgoing. A riptide may have
seaweed that you can observe going out. Do not get in the riptide for safety’s sake. Ask any of the quaded
mobile lifeguards where the riptides are located. They can tell you the street locations.  I discovered this last year.

The horseshoes’ and horseshoe cuts are much more noticeable in the fall. Tracking them
from the center of the arc towards the water usually reveals a line of coins, followed by
pulltabs and lighter rings, progressing to fishing weights and heavier gold jewelery. All
sorts of similarly weighted objects can be in the mix.

The last 2 weeks have been very slow for me due to the mid summer sand build up.  I have noticed small pockets of targets, mostly coins where I have found black sand.  Water hunted this weekend for 4 plus hours at low tide covering a mile stretch of troughs and holes…2 targets…a quarter and a pair of sunglasses.  Many many Blue Crabs in the water and in the shallow surf this weekend…bring a chicken neck, some string, and a poled net…can fill a bushel basket in no time!

Good hunting! CC

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First, comes the choice of a detector. While the sand on most beaches looks innocent enough, the “wrong” type of detector can spell trouble for a beachcomber. Depending on ground mineral content, some detectors are practically worthless, others so-so, and yet others perfectly suited. A quality automated VLF detector with discrimination is the best choice. These instruments ignore iron magnetite (black sand) and salt minerals, and they permit discrimination to be adjusted.

This is good news for most hobbyists since the automated VLF detectors such as those in the Garrett Freedom and AT (all terrain) series are among today’s most popular models. High quality manual adjust VLF detectors such as the Garrett Master Hunters are equally suitable for beach hunting, especially when operated semi-automatically in their Discriminate Mode, which I will discuss shortly.

So named because they operate in the Very Low (radio) Frequency spectrum of 3 to 30 kilohertz, VLF detectors generally ignore minerals, including salt water. Some instruments have an internal switch that cuts out salt minerals. Automated models can be operated from zero discrimination through pull tab rejection.

Now, that doesn’t mean a hobbyist without an automatic VLF detector can’t search beaches effectively. Neither does it mean that a veteran treasure hunter has to leave at home that “Old Faithful” BFO or TR detector that has already found so many coins, rings or nuggets.

On iron mineral-free beaches such as those of Florida, a BFO, TR or most any of the later designs works well. When a BFO or TR features a discriminating mode, water-saturated sands can be worked easily. With discrimination control set near bottle cap rejection, salt minerals in the water are eliminated from detection.

Manual adjust VLF’s give good depth in most beach sands. Unless the circuits are “automated,” however, performance may be somewhat limited on beaches with heavy iron mineralization. A VLF with TR discriminating mode should be set at approximately the bottle cap setting. Of course, that setting imposes limitations, especially if the hobbyist decides to advance the setting to pull tab rejection and dig mostly coins. Many veteran beach hunters are probably aghast at that recommendation, since few of them use any discrimination unless the beach is a veritable “junk yard.” And, it is true that a hobbyist using discrimination is more likely to miss some valuable treasures than one who is “digging all targets.” That’s a fact of life; but, there are times when I believe that discrimination is needed.

Pulse induction models such as the Garrett Sea Hunter underwater detector operate nearly flawlessly on all beaches. Giving good depth, they are a pleasure to use. Generally, they are heavier because of extra battery requirements and the heavier case needed by submersible/land models. One shortcoming of pulse detectors is that small iron pieces, especially nails and hairpins, may not be rejected.

On beaches where black sand (iron magnetite) is present, the choice of detectors is narrowed considerably. BFOs and TRs are out of the question because they cannot cancel the effects of the natural iron. Pulse induction detectors ignore it as do both manual and automated VLF models.

They hobbyist who likes to hunt with a BFO or TR instrument should take it tot the beach and use it over wet sand with discrimination set near bottle cap rejection. If the detector’s audio cannot be “smoothed out,” black sand is probably the reason; another instrument may be required. I urge all beach hunters to consider purchasing one of the late model automated (sometimes called “motion”) discrimination detectors. Even better are the environmentally protected units which permit hunting in rain or splashing surf.

When a detector is not protected by its manufacturer against the environment, it is necessary to cover its control housing with a plastic bag. This will protect the detector from mist, rain and blowing sand, and offer less opportunities for ever-present beach sand to work its way into the electronic controls.

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