In Memoriam - GTA 1000

It is with a heavy heart that I report the loss of my beloved first detector, the GTA 1000 lovingly known as "pegleg".  Bought used on a whim during a beach vacation back in 2005, the trusty green machine paid for itself within the second day with my first gold ring (shown here with a big silver ring, also found with the GTA).  This fun day at the beach would turn into a lifelong hobby and, dare I say, obsession.

When a bad coil was replaced, the lower was inadvertently tossed (oops!), so to keep on running I replaced it with a bit of wood from the back barn.  Even though it wasn't the prettiest setup, we still managed some great finds, including Civil War and Revolutionary War relics, old coins, and precious jewelry.  Of course my finds skyrocketed with new equipment, and my trash finds decreased, but I got a sold foundation with this little trooper.

The new coil's ears were recently snapped off during a tragic moving accident, and I have finally decided to retire the old fellow for good.  Rest in piece, GTA.  We had a good run!