Saw a guy using his detector using a new search pattern today

Sandman

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Aug 6, 2005
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Today I saw a guy detecting a rather large dry sand beach with a unique search pattern. He looked like he was using a Whites thingy but he was just walking along dragging the coil behind him. He would stop about every 30 feet and check what made a noise then take off again in a straight line. Soon he would come back the other way. I thought he has to be told the right way, till I wondered if we were doing it the "right way."

He was covering a lot of ground, he followed his coil drag marks and kept the coil on the ground for max depth. I jsut thought it looked weird. :icon_scratch:
 

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bootybay

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Aug 9, 2007
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well did ya see him find anything? lol...the dead giveaway here on newbies is two things, a spoon from the kitchen to dig, and the best one is the spaghetti colander..LMAO
 

utah hunter

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Jul 30, 2007
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Bootybay said:
well did ya see him find anything? lol...the dead giveaway here on newbies is two things, a spoon from the kitchen to dig, and the best one is the spaghetti colander..LMAO

Are you guys making fun of me? My wife is still complaining about gritty sand in the spaghetti, she just doesn't understand!
 

SwampHunter

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Mar 6, 2007
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I push the coil along the ground alot of times when I am working agri fields with the large coil. Often the stubble is too high to swing the coil the "normal" way so this works better. Two things about you are right on the ground for maximum depth and you don't get near as tired. Yep it's different but very effective.
 

bootybay

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utah hunter said:
Bootybay said:
well did ya see him find anything? lol...the dead giveaway here on newbies is two things, a spoon from the kitchen to dig, and the best one is the spaghetti colander..LMAO

Are you guys making fun of me? My wife is still complaining about gritty sand in the spaghetti, she just doesn't understand!

omg almost spit on that one..lmaooooooo
 

JOe L

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Aug 24, 2007
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not really sure that kinda of search technique is right for me, no I am sure, its not, but, don't see why it couldn't be effective :icon_cheers:
 

Monty

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When I am hot, tired and ready to call it quits for the day I have a habit of just pushing the coil along the top of the grass on the way back to the car. Darn if I don't usually find something worth digging many times. Maybe we have it all wrong. How about plastic wheels epoxied on the bottom of the coil about 2" tall? Hmmm, I wonder........M ??? nty
 

sniffer

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Dec 31, 2006
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let me ask this.

Have you ever tried to push a chain?

maybe that guy has it right
 

finderzzs

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May 2, 2007
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You know what they say Sandman... Even a blind dog finds a bone now and then :laughing7: :laughing7: :laughing7: Wow and those are the kind of people who don't want to hear a thing from you as they know it all. Oh well if it works for him ??????
 

JoeSWFla

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Jun 15, 2007
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Have seen methods like that used.Some have used skids and a handle like a lawnmower of
sorts.Some with wheels for grass.On the sand it would make sure you covered every inch
by overlapping your pattern slightly.Have seen people push or pull a coil and come back on
the next pass overlapping a little,until the area is completely covered.A sure method,but kind
of tedious.And you better have coil covers for that method.Probably go through a lot of them.
To each his own, and whatever works is the right way for them.HH Joe
 

Dixie Digger

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my 1st scoop i made from a 1 lb Folgers coffee can.shot it full of holes with a 22 and a broom Handel bolted on the back.lasted about 30 min.LOL!
 

utah hunter

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Dixie Digger said:
my 1st scoop i made from a 1 lb Folgers coffee can.shot it full of holes with a 22 and a broom Handel bolted on the back.lasted about 30 min.LOL!

Now that would be a cool picture

Mumszie, thanks for the admission, that is classic.

The closest I have come to beach hunting is a vollyball court.
 

willie d

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Jul 13, 2005
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mumszie said:
OK ok I confess. I've used a spagetti colander before when I first started out and didn't have the money for a scoop. ::)
So did I, wife was not happy :violent1:

I like the guy who walks down the beach swinging his detector like he is practicing his golf swing. I haven't seen that guy in a while though. Can't imagine why :icon_scratch:
 

COTTON

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Apr 28, 2008
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Sandman , I had a uncle that was stationed at Ft Benninng Ga, That made his own detector , He dragged it behind him but it was a 4 ft long pvc pipe or some kind of plastic i do not think that they had pvc in the 60s.But any way they use the detector to look for mines .He just converted it . My dad said it work really good , I was thinking of making something like that , My uncle didnt come home , So i cant ask him. Cotton
 

Treasure_Hunter

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In front of high price condos on the beach many times I do pattern searches like others do. I use the Sov GT with the WOT coil so I am able to cover a wide sweep. I drag my scoop to mark my path and make sure each new pass touches the previous pass.

I have about a 3 ft sweep to the right and 1.5 foot to the left (I'm right handed) so when I turn to my right for my next pass I move over 6 feet and sweep 3 foot back towards the last pass. I am able to cover approx 6 foot on my right side and when i am coming up on my left side I move over only about 2 foot. I can cover a large area of beach this way fairly quickly, but I am using the WOT coil and that really helps....
 

RCMoonPie

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Sep 6, 2005
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KnoxVegas
Okay....
I see you guys just laughing it up about these things. :P

So tell me.....(new to the hobby here)

What is the proper height off the ground?
What is a good swing technique?
Would a spaghetti strainer NOT work?

Is there a thread for such things?
 

jopher

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Jul 20, 2003
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So if you have a nine inch coil and you overlap your passes that would be ....hmmmm....about 750 passes at my local beach??
Think Ill stick to old school.
 

rmptr

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Dec 25, 2007
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RC,

Proper heigth is about an inch to two inches off the sand.
...That would mean you're probably gonna be clipping the top off some little ridges regularly.
Coil functions best when kept level with surface, and same heigth at ends of your sweep.
Good swing technique is a bit dependent upon your particular machines response, as far as speed goes,
yet as stated above, a semi-circle favoring your dominant side of about 120 to 140 degrees.
Generally complete, side to side sweeps, unless a target is indicated.
Always re-check something in question. Perhaps from a different angle.
Overlap should be as if you were painting with a brush, but we tend to fudge a bit.

Holes in a colander are usually much too small.
3/8 to 1/2" is probably best, but will give you fits with smallest jewelry. ;D

Best
 

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