Finding metal is nothing easier: a review of metal detectors

The article describes the various types of metal detectors (hand, arch, soil) and the principles of their work. Their advantages and disadvantages are considered.

Very often during repair and construction work it is necessary to determine the exact location of the fittings, wiring in the walls and floor. After all, it is almost impossible to drill fittings in the wall, and damage to the electrical wiring threatens at best a serious accident, or even electric shock. When excavating, there is the same problem - to find out the exact location of the laying of various underground utilities. The same cables or pipelines. Here you can’t do without special equipment.

Hand held metal detectors help you cope with the first task. With the help of such a device, it is not difficult to find a metal object, and the metal detector will indicate its location with fairly high accuracy. In general, the sensitivity of the device is such that it can easily detect a 1 ruble coin at a distance of 15 cm.

Hand-held metal detectors are very easy to operate, small in size. Depending on the conditions in which the device is used (increased illumination or noise), sound or light indications may be used. If necessary, you can use the vibrating alert.

Maintenance consists only in changing batteries, and a metal detector will notify you of a low battery. Hand-held metal detectors are small in size, easily fit on a belt or in a breast pocket, and have a small weight.

The scope of hand-held metal detectors is certainly not limited to the search for hidden communications. Such devices are widely used by many services. Customs inspection at airports for the presence of knives and firearms, inspection at clubs, enterprises, at concerts. They have found application even in various competitions and quizzes.

The only drawback of hand-held metal detectors is their low throughput. It takes several minutes to search one person. Therefore, if you need to watch a large number of people in a short period of time, it will be more convenient to use arched metal detector. Such a metal detector is able to "inspect" up to 3,000 people per hour. Moreover, some models may indicate the exact location of a metal object on the body being inspected.

Such metal detectors are widely used at airports and special enterprises. After all, you can search not only iron, but also any metal. In gold mines, it can be gold, which they try to take out of the zone illegally.

But back to the search for underground utilities. It will be difficult to handle a hand-held metal detector with the search for hidden cables and pipes. To do this, it is better to use the so-called ground metal detectors.

These devices are specifically designed to search for metal objects under a layer of soil. Currently, there are many models of soil metal detectors. Simple models have not very wide possibilities. They can detect large enough objects at shallow depths and nothing more. But they have a low cost and do not require a highly qualified operator.

If you just need to find a cable or gas pipeline before excavation, then such a metal detector is quite suitable for you and there is no point in wasting money on a more complex and, therefore, more expensive device. But if you are a geologist, archaeologist (or maybe a treasure hunter), then you can not do such a metal detector.

In this case, you are more suitable metal detector with integrated microprocessor and interchangeable search coils. It costs, of course, more expensive, but if you want to succeed, there is no other way. Such a metal detector can easily find an object the size of a tin can at a depth of up to half a meter. The processor can even calculate the approximate size of the object and the depth.

Well, if you are engaged in an in-depth search, then an ordinary electromagnetic device is not your assistant. Is needed here ultrasonic metal detector. Devices of this class allow you to find a coin at a depth of up to a meter, and all the same tin can - at a depth of up to 3 meters. In addition, the ultrasonic metal detector with fairly high accuracy will determine the size of the object, its exact location and depth. Its only drawback is its high cost.

As you have seen, the range of existing metal detectors is quite wide. From simple and inexpensive models to professional ones. So the choice of a metal detector depends only on your needs and financial capabilities.