New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

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How long does a Metal Detector last ?

East-Auck-Fossicker		Posted : Thursday, 16 October 2014 9:05:07 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Nugget Groups: Registered Joined: 12/06/2011(UTC) Posts: 84 Location: Auckland Thanks: 10 times Was thanked: 21 time(s) in 11 post(s)		How long does a metal detector last ? I 'am picking about 2 years or about 1oo hours. Can a detector be fixed or retuned or are they like every thing else these days and a throw away item. I have a Garrett GTAx 1250 and a Garrett At pro.
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1864hatter		Posted : Thursday, 16 October 2014 12:09:30 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 4/08/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,007 Location: Auckland.... Thanks: 49 times Was thanked: 566 time(s) in 269 post(s)		200ish outings and counting
		And now....On sandy beaches and muddy soil, rings and coins await my coil!

sycotoad		Posted : Thursday, 16 October 2014 2:40:08 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 9/08/2012(UTC) Posts: 569 Location: downunder Thanks: 120 times Was thanked: 126 time(s) in 97 post(s)		Originally Posted by: East-Auck-Fossicker How long does a metal detector last ? That depends on how the detector is treated - I owned a Garrett Deepseeker that was abolutely mint & worked like new & it was over 30 years old - A couple of things I have noticed not only here but abroad is that most people in this hobby really look after their gear - Of course there are the exceptions, whereas you just cant help knock the gear around a bit especially if prospecting - Another point I should mention is how well metal detectors hold their value, especially for an electronic device - Originally Posted by: East-Auck-Fossicker I 'am picking about 2 years or about 1oo hours. Again, down to how hard it is being used or if the individual takes pride in their gear Originally Posted by: East-Auck-Fossicker Can a detector be fixed or retuned or are they like every thing else these days and a throw away item. I have a Garrett GTAx 1250 and a Garrett At pro. Garrett USA has a great service dept - If you look them up on the net either email/phone their customer support - You can get you equipment serviced there, however, it may not be feesible to ship because of the shipping costs - I am unsure if the NZ Garrett Dealers are setup to fully service Garrett metal detectors or not - Best bet IMO is to contact Garrett USA - then decide what to do - As for metal detectors being a 'throw away' after a few years - These things as I have said before, hold their value well, if you buy the right gear from the start & I see you have :) Hope you made sense of my burbling :)
		Makro - Nokta - deteknix - GoldFinder
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Guardian		Posted : Saturday, 18 October 2014 7:45:54 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 30/10/2011(UTC) Posts: 716 Location: Dunedin Thanks: 42 times Was thanked: 222 time(s) in 185 post(s)		As far as my wife needs to know they last pretty much 2 years to the day ahemmmmmm. Strangely I would have to say that my ATPRO and ATGOLD started playing up at very similar times and they haven't been abused to badly at all. Depending on what your atpro is doing I'd check out the coil sockets first as they seem to condensate in there and get grit past the o-ring eventually. esy enough to pump some compressed air in there and leave it to completely dry out, you can also gently push the pins in to a rubber to clean them. Worth a shot.

creamer		Posted : Saturday, 18 October 2014 9:05:55 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 19/06/2011(UTC) Posts: 2,022 Location: Bay of Islands Thanks: 2289 times Was thanked: 525 time(s) in 391 post(s)		G'day East Auck's My Ace 350 is approx 3 years old and has about 180 plus trips under it's belt. I fear the day it ever breaks down, especially after a long trip to a hunting spot... Here's hoping not. Suppose i should get me a wee spare to take along on trips just in case. HH .
		Garrett Ace 350 Xpointer www.nzfossickers.co.nz
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rgmcbrid		Posted : Sunday, 19 October 2014 7:36:37 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 3/06/2010(UTC) Posts: 583 Location: Southland Thanks: 23 times Was thanked: 180 time(s) in 140 post(s)		Fisher has a 5 year warranty, so apparently think they will last at least 5 years. Coils only have a 2 year warranty. Modern detectors consist of a circuit board or two, a display screen, a few knobs and buttons. So fixing them is usually a simple remove and replace job. I would suspect that technology will advance to the point that people want an upgrade before a well cared for detector stops working.
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