Merry Christmas !!

Howdy everyone, I want to wish each and everyone a very Merry Christmas and I also want to thank all of my customers for their patronage to John's Detectors. God Bless you all ! I hope your Christmas stockings were full and there is plenty on the table too. 2009 will be gone soon but it wasn't all that bad considering what went on during the year nationwide. Ok I hope that Connie and I can always be of service to our regular customers and new ones also. Be safe everyone and enjoy the Holiday.

John & Connie
John's Detectors

The Mighty Etrac by Minelab

Howdy everyone, I must say the Etrac from Minelab is a great machine. The ID accuracy at depth is fantastic ! I think the new 11" DD coil added to the Etrac is a killer combo. I have great confidence in the Etrac to help find those very deep targets. I was using the Explorer SE before and without a doubt the Etrac is even better. I have a mild ground here so those in noisy ground probably will have a little different result. So definitely get an Etrac if you want to dig up really deep coins and relics ! I hope that someone will eventually come out with a third party program that is different from the stock one. There is not enough room here to write about all the advantages the Etrac will put at your fingertips. But be sure to give the Etrac some serious thought on being a part of your detecting arsenal. Good hunting and be safe everyone !

John Tomlinson,CET

John's Detectors

Badlands of West Texas

New White's Coinmaster

Hi everyone, well the new White's Coinmaster is here. I must admit when I took it out of the box I wasn't too sure about the machine. But it is featherlite and about as straightforward as on can get for a digital setup. This is really a great beginner outfit and is plug and play. What little I have used it so far it seems to be pretty accurate on the depth and Discrimination. It is a single tone but it is a very nice sounding tone. The unit uses 2-9volt batteries. It has a great Pinpointing function ! I noticed that it has a seperate icon for the nickel and pulltab. My first target showed as a nickel at 2 inches and by golly that's what it was. Pulltabs are very erratic so maybe this is going to be a good nickel detector. So if I come up with any tips I will post them for everyone. This is the ole Wirechief signing out for now and everyone be safe ok. Dah Dit Dah

John Tomlinson,CET

John's Detectors

Blackwell,Tx.

http://www.johnsmetaldetectors.com/

Minelab GPX 4500

Howdy all, this is an anouncement that the Minelab GPX 4500 is not in stock here at John's Detectors. Due to a run on this model it is not available until production catches up on the order's put in for them. I will say this also, I am not as a dealer for Minelab allowed to sell to anyone that is going to reship them abroad. So keep in mind if your a liason here in the USA buying the 4500 or even other Minelab models to ship abroad I am not allowed to sell to these liason's. This is a new ruling made by Minelab and I will adhere to it as a dealer for them. Many thanks everyone and good hunting.

John Tomlinson,CET
John's Detectors
Blackwell,Tx.

Tesoro Tiger Shark

Hi everyone, I wanted to let all of you know that the Tiger Shark by Tesoro is in short supply due to a problem they discovered on the housing. Also they are not able to get a part and are having to adjust for that too. I probably sold the last NIB Tiger Shark a few days ago myself. Please bare with Tesoro and us and I'm sure the problem will be taken care of soon. So good hunting to all and be safe.

John Tomlinson,CET
John's Detectors
Blackwell,Tx.

Minelab pricing on my website.

I was looking at the Minelab section on my website (http://www.johnsmetaldetectors.com/) and thought I had better mention that the pricing that is on the main page is MSRP. If you will go to the buy it now page then you will get the proper prices which are the absolute lowest any Minelab dealer can go. Thank you all for reading this and if you have questions please call and I will help you out. Since we are part time our hours are a bit odd. Weekkdays I am open from 3:00 PM CT to about 9:00 PM CT. Weekends are usually 9:00 AM CT to 9:00 PM CT. Please understand that I too have personal things to take care of. So if you get the message PLEASE leave a name and phone number so I can get back to you. Your business is very important to me. Thanks again and good hunting everyone !

John Tomlinson,CET

John's Detectors

325-282-2329

Five and a half years later.

Well here we are 5 1/2 years since I opened John's Detectors. Time does fly and I have enjoyed meeting all of the great people in metal detecting ! I opened the metal detector business to provide excellent service and quality products to the metal detecting masses. I do thank the many customers that have chosen John's Detectors for their detecting needs. It's not always easy to have everything in stock when customers need it most, but I thank you for your patronage everyday.

Rest assured that I will be here for another 5, 10, 15 or so years to meet the needs of those that come to John's Detectors for quality service and equipment. It is a great hobby and a learning experience to be sure ! With the down turn in our economy it has been tough but we will stay the course and may we all pray that things get better. But it seems we are getting better technology from the makers of our tools of the trade !

So everyone hang in there and it is going to be really interesting to see what the next 10 years will bring to us in metal detector technology ! Since I am a Certified Electronics Tech. I am always keeping an eye on the technology of this business. All the makers are very secretive of their technology and I understand this. There are some cool cats that really know their stuff and I hope we as the end users can rest assured of a lot more engineers coming into the metal detector designing business.

Well my friends I wish you all good finds and be safe while making those finds. We want to hear from you and not about you ! Ok I will be back soon with another posting and remember if John's Detectors can be of service be sure to call me, I'll be glad to have ya ! Coil to the soil !

John Tomlinson,CET

John's Detectors

Blackwell,Tx.

Gold Panning Contest

Hi everyone, it's been awhile since I last posted anything but I wanted to let anyone know that reads this blog that the Llano chapter GPAA will be having their 5th annual gold panning contest and get together this next weekend Sept. 26- 27th in or near Llano, Texas. W.C. Jameson will be there selling his many books authored by himself. He is an interesting fellow I'm sure and I carry some of his treasure story books also. If you go best of luck !

John Tomlinson,CET

John's Detectors

Hipstick

Just to let everyone know, John's Detectors is a duly authorized dealer for the Hipstick. This is listed under the Accessories header. It is a simple but yet effective device to take the strain away from the shoulder and arm while using your metal detector. Take a look at it, quite a neat little device ehh. Good hunting all and be safe!

John Tomlinson,CET
John's Detectors

Metal Detector Sensitivity

The subject of Sensitivity in metal detectors has been on my mind lately. Detector electronics is very interesting to me although I know little about them. I tend to try to compare them to radio electronics. But to get the ball rolling one must have a way to intercept the desired signal and get it amped to a usable level. But there is something that stands in the way of obtaining a great signal and that is noise. And some of this noise comes from inside the very instrument you are using and it is called thermal noise created by electron activity inside the components, namely resistors. This noise can be lowered by a cooling process that is expensive and impractical. So I suppose we have to live with it. So we have a signal/noise ratio to work with.

So in the first amp of a metal detector receiver it is best to find a device with the lowest noise figure and highest gain to help mask the high noise figure, am I on the right track? An EE may want to step in here to correct me. But if you try to amp it up too much you might have spurious noise also. but overall it is not good to use excessive gain and cause more problems.

I am hoping someone will step in here to tell me that my thought process is way off on Mars! I am always willing to learn and I suppose I just wanted to ramble a bit. Ok evryone is welcome to come by John's Detectors to get help for your needs and if I don't have it, most likely I can get it. Good hunting and be safe everyone!

John Tomlinson,CET

John's Detectors

Blackwell,Tx.

Maverick Gold Pan

Ok here is the Maverick gold pan for working your fine concentrates. I will try to get it and others on my website shortly. This is a pretty nifty square pan that works very well for small gold. the grit strip is a big plus! Ok I hope everyone finds the big one soon and do be safe while doing it! Thanks very much for looking.

John Tomlinson,CET

John's Detectors

325-282-2329

Prospecting Gear

I want to announce that John's Detectors is now a dealer for Angus MacKirk. I will be selling mostly the sluices and fine concentrates finishers. I can order many other items from them so if you need something let me know.

I am also taking on the Maverick finishing gold pan by Fossicker. This gold pan is used for very fine concentrates to separate very small gold from magnetite. I also hope to have the Pyramid Pro Pan by them soon. So as always be safe and good hunting all!

John Tomlinson,CET

John's Detectors

325-282-2329

Brands I Carry

In case anyone is curious I am a Whites metal detector dealer too. I also carry a lot of things not on my business website. I like to get your phone calls so that I can be sure you will get what you need for your situation. Also don't be afraid to log into my blog and ask questions. Metal detecting is a very rewarding hobby and it gets you in the outdoors. If you want to discuss a different type of treasure hunting feel free to do so. Ok I felt that I needed to let anyone know this. So good hunting or good prospecting or meteorite hunting and remember to always be safe.

John Tomlinson,CET

John's Detectors

Minelab Etrac and Gold Coins

In case anyone is curious I air tested a $10 gold coin and a $5 gold coin on the Minelab Etrac. The $10 gold coin read F 12- C 38. The $5 gold coin read F 12- C 30. Interesting, eh? This is using the 11" Pro coil. I really like the Etrac because it hits solid on the targets your looking for, coins, jewelry, relics and so on. I am a small coil guy but I have found the 11" Pro coil to be quite useful. I use it most of the time even on the Safari. The menu is very easy to navigate through also. It is my favorite detector. I recommend it even to a beginner because it is also a turn on and go machine. Ok fellow detectorists remember to keep your digger sharp and your coil cover clean because it's out there, go find it!

John Tomlinson,CET

John's Detectors

Setting Up The Sovereign GT

There seems to be some that have a little trouble setting the Minelab Sovereign GT for the Discrimination mode. I thought I would share how I set the controls on my Sov. GT. To begin turn on the machine and increase the volume full clockwise, then set Sensitivity to the Auto mode. Then set Threshold to an audible and stable level, be sure not to set it too high. Continue on to the Disc knob and set it full counterclockwise=off. Set the Notch also to full counterclockwise=off. Set the Threshold toggle switch to Threshold. For my area setting the Noise Cancel toggle switch to Band 2 works best. Next we need to Ground Balance the GT and set the All Metal toggle to All Metal Then set the Tracking toggle switch to Track. The machine is now set up for Ground Balancing. Find ground that is free of any metal targets first, this is a must. Listen to the Threshold tone and begin pumping the search coil up and down above the clear spot of ground. Usually just a few pumps and the Threshold levels out with no change in pitch of the tone. Once you have acheived this hold the coil still and switch the tracking toggle to fixed. Then switch your All Metal toggle to Disc. Setting it to Iron Mask is your choice. You are now ready to go detecting. If you have the DigiSearch digital readout module then put a quarter on the ground and sweep it making sure you are getting a good tone. Calibrate the readout to 180 for a quarter. Listening to the changes in pitch of the tone is very important. High conductors will give you a nice high pitch and low conductors will be a low pitch. The Sovereign GT takes some getting use to but with regular practice it will start to click. The DigiSearch readout helps if you have that too. Another very important point is to have a slower than normal coil swing. It isn't fast but the slow swing pays off because this is a good machine. It is a misunderstood machine but can get deep and find the good stuff. Again practice makes perfect. It will also do well at the beach if you are near one. The GT can be a bit heavy and so I would recommend a Swingy Thingy cord to help support it better. I hope this is helpful and gets some more finds for everyone. Oh one more thing I should say is that the GT doesn't track the ground in the Discrimination mode and so you might want to repeat the GB'ing if you move to another area. Good hunting and be safe all!

John Tomlinson,CET

John's Detectors

Meteorite Detecting

Another great aspect of metal detecting is hunting for meteorites. Meteorites can be very valuable. Again research is your friend in finding where recorded meteorite falls are located and also the strewn fields caused by them. Meteorites are made of nickel-iron, nickel-iron and stone, or just stone. Of course your metal detector will sense the ferrous meteorites but not stone types. Another simple but good tool is a quality magnet, if the meteorite is ferrous then the magnet will stick to it. Also knowing what they look like helps a great deal. I would recommend Robert Haag's book on meteorites because it has a wealth of pictures to help compare your possible meteorite find to. I recommend a website called www.skyrockcafe.com for getting help from fellow hunters. This is an excellent website to learn about meteorites, so be sure to check it out. So spacerocks are out there, do you have what it takes to find them? If not call me and I will help you out. Ok good hunting and as always be safe out there.

John Tomlinson,CET
John's Detectors

Research

You know the best thing anyone that metal detects can do is research. You want to find out where the good finds are being made. It might be in the oldest section of your town. If you have access to ghost towns they are a great place to try out. Maybe out at the local swimming hole or where there was a lot of people activity. Of course the Internet is a great place for getting the info you need about certain locations. Your local library and court house are always available too. It can be very frustrating if you just start detecting and dig just junk. Books on old treasure tales can be fun to read and who knows you might find the one treasure that everyone else has been looking for. But just stay with it and never give up! Tenacity and patience are great to have for this hobby. I really like to read W.C. Jameson's books on long lost treasures and I carry these and other books here at John's Detectors. So do some research and grab your detector and good hunting!

John Tomlinson,CET

John's Detectors

Snakebites!

I don't know about anyone else that metal detects but I'm in the middle of Diamondback country! So that means I need some kind of protection against these critters. I have been told that the average cost of a rattlesnake bite is 17,000.00 when all said and done if you survive! But there is protection available in the form of Snake Guardz lower leg armor. They are guaranteed against penetration and I wear them anytime I'm out roaming the badlands here in West Texas in search of relics and coins with my metal detector. They are comfortable and will help keep the cactus out of your shins too. I just wanted to make a note here that they are the best and are very cheap compared to an actual snakebite. I wonder if there is anyone else in this situation? Happy hunting everyone and be safe

John Tomlinson,CET

John's Detectors

Ground Balancing

Be sure to find a clear spot of ground with no metal targets. Put the detector in the All-Metal mode and hold the searchcoil about 4 to 6" above this spot. begin pumping the coil up and down continuously but don't let the coil touch the ground. If the detector threshold audio increases when going toward the ground then adjust the GB control knob more toward the + side. If the detector threshold audio increases when coming up from the ground then adjust the GB control more toward the - side. What you need to accomplish is no change in the threshold audio going up or down. With practice you will be a pro in no time at all. Give it a try and practice this on a regular basis. It is a very important setting but don't be afraid of it. So good hunting and be safe!

John Tomlinson,CET
John's Detectors

Ground Balancing Feature

Hi Everyone!, I may be getting ahead of things here a bit, but it seems a lot of metal detector users are having some difficulty with what is called Ground Balancing a metal detector. Not all detectors come with this user adjustable feature. These machines are said to be set by the factory in a fixed Ground Balance mode. The problem encountered when exposing the ground to a magnetic field from your search coil is that some soils have what is called mineralization and these minerals get energized by the field to the point they will cause a response from your detector. We call this falsing which of course is undesireable. We only want to hear and see a response from the desired objects we are seeking. Some machines come with a manually adjustable GB. What we want to do is adjust our machine to not be responsive to these minerals and to only hear or see a response from the good targets in the ground. We want to eliminate the ground noise as completely as possible. This will make your detecting experience much more enjoyable and you won't waste a lot of time digging nothing. Some of the new metal detectors are equipped with an Auto Ground Balance feature which is really nice. Ok I felt I needed to mention this subject and I will post again on what the procedure is to eliminate the ground responses on your metal detector. Thanks for reading this and good hunting everyone! Be safe and wear gloves when digging also.

John Tomlinson,CET
John's Detectors

Finds

Here are some items from a 107 year old house that I worked with my metal detector. This is from the front yard. I was using the Minelab Xterra 70 when I found the diamond watch and various coins. Good hunting!

John Tomlinson,CET

John's Detectors

Beginners

For the newbees, if you have never used a metal detector you will be very surprised at how easy the new machines are to operate. Most even high end units are turn on and go. They are very light and economical on batteries. With persistance by going to locations that have lots of people congregating there you can find lost change, jewelry and if the area has been in use for many many years you will find old coins too. Research really pays off in a big way also. Metal detectors are priced anywhere from about 150.00 to 4500.00 depending on the type of detecting you will want to do. For the newbee the 200.00 to 300.00 range would be a good start. There is always an experienced detectorist around willing to help the newbee with tips for the trade. So you can have fun and even end up with some profit too. It is not so unusual to be able to pay for your detector with the finds you dig up. I hope this will be some helpful info for those that are not sure about taking the plunge into a great hobby! Ok good luck and be sure to let us know if you got a new machine.

John Tomlinson,CET
John's Detectors

Hi everyone, my name is John and welcome to the John's Detectors Blog on metal detectors. I wanted to start a Blog on my website to hopefully be able to answer questions and chat about metal detectors. I look forward to meeting you all and chatting about finds with your metal detectors. So join in and glad to have you. Good hunting everyone!

John Tomlinson,CET
John's Detectors