Are simple metal detectors worth the money?
Minelab Vanquish 560 Pro Skill School field test – Are simple metal detectors worth investing in?
It’s time to put it to the ultimate test
We finally got a chance to take the Minelab Vanquish 560 Pro on to a heavily iron contaminated Roman site.
Normally we would choose the Minelab Manticore or the Minelab Equinox 900, but this would have been too easy.
Sometimes metal detecting is not all about the bells and whistles, it is about being at one with your machine and fully understanding the features at hand and indeed the audio information being delivered from the targets.
Minelab Vanquish 560 set up
Out of the box this metal detector needs no encouragement, however when you get onto a difficult piece of ground such as a Roman field, it may be wise to lower the discrimination a little to help hear those small targets nestling between Iron.
Watch out for the low numbers
If you were searching a park, these low numbers would possibly be foil, this is not the case with an ancient site as some small Roman coins and artefacts can fall within the foil range.
Always dig the low target ID numbers !
Search coil choices
In order to maximize your performance, choose a search coil that compliments your site and desired targets.
The Minelab V8x coil is perfect for working the iron and the signals come through loud and clear.
Another advantage with using the V8x search coil is it make the Minelab Vanquish so lite and nimble.
The power of Multi-IQ
The Minelab Vanquish, although not a top end machine, still uses the renowned Minelab Multi-Frequency system, known as Multi-IQ.
Multi-IQ constantly scans the ground using multiple frequencies at once and constantly makes changes to the machine to maintain optimal performance on a wide range of ground conditions, it is like a metal detecting autopilot.
Fine adjustments can make a big difference!
As a default setting the Minelab Vanquish uses quite a heavy Iron rejection. I found by simply lowering the accept/reject to accept target ID of 0 upwards gave the machine a boost.
Fixed tones not my favourite
I really like using the Minelab Vanquish, in fact I find it really difficult to fault for the price.
There is just one feature I feel should have been addressed, and that is the fixed 5 tones….Great for searching parks, but I feel there should have been at least one other tone option, such as “All Tones”
The Minelab Vanquish 360 and 460 both have a fixed 3 tones, which may be the better choice for ancient sites.
A part of a Roman Brooch
A late Roman coin
Going back to my original question
Are simple metal detectors worth the money? The answer is 100% yes, providing you choose a metal detector from a reputable manufacturer such as Minelab.
If you want to see the full Skill School video review, please follow this thumbnail.
@lpdetecting
