Excalibur II

My metal detecting year is basically divided into two seasons: winter, when I detect old parks and town sites looking for old coins and relics; and summer, when it’s time to hit the beach and water for jewellery and coins. I am fortunate that I live near the coast as well as having a large river system where people swim and partake in other water-based activities.

However, you don’t have to live near the coast to go water hunting. You can go to large inland lakes, old town sites located on rivers where there would have been trade and commerce along the river bank, or even smaller rivers and streams with a local swimming hole.  All are good places to search for lost jewellery, coins and relics.

Following on from my blog about settings and techniques for using the Minelab Excalibur II on SCUBA, I’d like to share one of the great dives I have enjoyed chasing treasure underwater.

Minelab’s Excalibur II metal detector is indisputably one of the best beach and water hunting detectors on the market. However, from the beginning this detector was designed for going underwater and finding treasure.  Being a keen SCUBA diver I couldn’t wait to take my Excalibur II for a dive when I bought it, and it didn’t disappoint! 

Having a fundamental understanding of sound analysis can be a great benefit in building your detecting skills. The first step is to break down the components of an individual sound. It is critically important to know concepts like, Attack, Sustain, Release and Tone.

This will train your ear in discerning what to listen for. But first you need to understand the concept of ‘vigilance’. Here is a great definition from Wikipedia:

"Should I sell my Excalibur II and buy a CTX 3030?" A friend had just called me and was asking me this question. For me the answer is easy....I keep my Excalibur and add the CTX 3030 to take advantage of its added features and benefits. I have a strong affinity for the Excalibur. I know the detector very well and when I turn it on it is like wearing an old pair of comfortable shoes and I know I am very good with it. But back to the conversation... I answered, "it depends what you want out of the detector?" I then asked "What were the three most important things for him to get out of the detector?" His answers were... 1.Waterproof, 2.Durable 3.Critically important to discriminate out selected coins.

As a former officer with an Army Infantry Unit I learned the Mantra, "keep it simple and waterproof". The Minelab Excalibur metal detector exemplifies this lesson and so I will cover the basic settings that will get the new detectorist up and running with this excellent machine.

Would you ever dream of taking your expensive top of the line metal detector into the water with you? Probably not…it would be a crazy thing to do. But, it wouldn’t be at all out of place if you owned an Excalibur II waterproof underwater metal detector.

I do it frequently…take my Excalibur into the water and enjoy a few hours water hunting and reach areas and things I can’t access on land or the beach for that matter! It’s an absolute great feeling to don the headphones and wade into water with an Excalibur ‘buzzing’ at your side, and best of all is drop the entire thing…yes, even the headphones into the water