Easy treasure hunting with the GO-FIND 66 from Minelab

A big thank you to Minelab for getting us back treasure hunting by sending the GO-FIND 66. Read on to see why we love it so.

Our treasure hunting days were almost over, but they have been revivved thanks to Minelab metal detectors. After meeting with the Minelab team at CES, I knew I had found the solution to all of our treasure hunting woes of the past with the new GO-FIND 66. I’ll get into all the cool features and why we love it, but I need to give you a bit of backstory.

The “treasure” hunting that almost broke us

A few years ago we bought our first metal detector as a family, and we were so incredibly excited. We headed down to a local park and beach to hunt for treasures, and all of us were crazy excited. We had everything we could think of to make our hunt easier: headphones so we could hear the beeping better, a plastic shovel so it wouldn’t cause the detector to go off accidentally, and a bucket for anything we collected.

Even after the first few dozen “treasures” we dug up were really only junk cans, nails, and screws, we still persisted. When that bucket was almost full of rubbish and garbage, we started to get tired of hunting. But, we learned some important things.

1) So. Many. Rusty. Nails. We couldn’t figure out why – There were no structures nearby or construction in the past few years, so the only thing that makes sense is people bringing in pallet wood for bonfires and such. 2). Wear shoes. Always. Whatever the reason for all the rusty nails, I learned I will never walk around parks without shoes again, and I will even try and wear shoes at the beach. 3) People are slobs. There are garbage cans all over the park, but instead of walking the few feet to a bin, apparently everyone just buries it in the sand and dirt. Yuck. 

Even after our first few trips, we thought maybe it was just this park and beach. But, the same thing rang true at all the local parks, and treasure hunting turned out to be a whole lot less fun than we had hoped. In the course of a few weeks the amount of junk we dug up could fill garbage cans. So, we hung up the detector and only used it for very specific cases, like a case of missing keys, a lost necklace, etc.

And, we thought our treasure hunting days were over. That is, until we found Minelab’s GO-FIND 66 metal detector.

What makes the GO-FIND 66 metal detector different

Work smarter, not harder.

When we first gave up treasure hunting, the thing we kept saying was how much time we wasted digging up essentially junk – nails, screws, pop tops, and literal trash. Imagine if the metal detector was more like a fish finder where you could see what’s underground before actually digging it up. Wishful thinking, right? Not with the new GO-FIND 66 it’s not.

Get red LEDs flashing, and you’ve most likely found a nail or a key. Get green LEDs flashing and you’ve found coins or jewelry, so start digging.  The GO-FIND 66 even has an awesome “Treasure View” screen that flashes to alert you to what’s most likely underground. But wait! Treasure hunting gets even better because you can even *exclude* items you aren’t interested in digging up right on the GO-FIND unit.

As you see on our GO-FIND 66 screen, we have excluded the category of nails, screws and bolts from our hunting, so we will no longer get a beep every time we pass over one and have to figure out what is beeping. Instead, we can just act like that entire category just doesn’t exist and that people really do pick up their garbage and building materials when they use our beautiful public spaces.

Now I can be blissfully unaware that I am walking on top of massive amounts of rusty nails, garbage, and random pieces of metal while we treasure hunt. We used to stop for any beep on the machine and dig up the ground to hopefully find actual treasure. But, now we can simply focus on types of treasure that we’re really looking for and only start digging when one of the treasure categories we have selected starts alerting. 

The GO-FIND 66 also includes something they call “Easy-Trak Automatic” that auto tracks the ground. This reduces noise interference and maximizes target signals so you can find even more treasure in a bigger area.

Adventure-ready treasure hunting with the GO-FIND 66 from Minelab

Not only does the GO-FIND 66 weigh a mere 2.3lbs, it also folds up compactly so it can go anywhere with you. The main handle telescopes so anyone from kids up to tall adults can use it comfortably, but that doesn’t mean it’s a beast to transport. Once it’s collapsed to its smallest size, you can fold the coil and screen onto the handle so it’s extremely small and portable. Setting it up again is super quick and since there’s no parts that disconnect, there’s no worry of missing a piece or leaving part of your unit behind.

Accessories and more for treasure hunting with the GO-FIND 66 from Minelab

The GO-FIND 66 also includes an armband to securely hold your phone for treasure finding, earbuds so you can better hear the sounds of the unit, and an awesome digging tool that is way better than the plastic shovel we used before. I loved that it was a complete kit ready for treasure hunting, just add batteries and you’re all ready to go.

You can add a carry case to transport everything in {which I definitely recommend} as well as the amazing PRO-FIND 35 for even more fun. The PRO-FIND is a waterproof pinpointer to help you hone in your search area and find the exact spot to dig after your GO-FIND alerts. It has Ferrous Tone ID, adjustable sensitivity, audio and vibrate target indication, and comes with a holster so you can keep it handy on your belt. Since we treasure hunt as a family, it made sense to give each kid a job and have them rotate through them as we search. This way one can have the GO-FIND metal detector, one mans the PRO-FIND pinpointer, and one handles the shovel duty.

The GO-FIND app

The GO-FIND app keeps you connected when you’re in full-on detecting mode. The app allows you to listen to your favorite music as you hunt, share your finds online, and more. The new app is the future of treasure hunting in the palm of your hand, helping you find more treasure while having fun doing it.  There is the Standard App {free for GO-FIND 44 users}, and the Pro App {free for GO-FIND 66 users}.

Ready to start treasure hunting? You can find the GO-FIND and PRO-FIND at many outdoor retailers, including Sportsman’s Warehouse, Cabela’s and more. 

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