What Keeps People Away From Metal Detecting?

[Ricardo_NY1]

Like me, I think it was a while for many of us from the time we thought of metal detecting to the actual time we got started, so what was the reason for the delay? I think there's alot of people out there who'd like to go out there and metal detect, but have not gotten to it.

 

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[Farmercal]

Nothing kept me starting. I bought a radio shack detector and when that wouldn't pick things up very well I bought a Fisher 1220. It wasn't top of the line but respectable and more in my budget. I just bought what I could afford at the time and upgraded when I felt I could. It far easier to get into the hobby today with great low-end detectors available like the ACE 250 and some of the Tesoros available.

 

[U.K. Brian]

In large areas of the U.K. now its impossible to get on land. There's big money to be made and thousands detecting. One farmer I spoke to last year had seven different people turning up over one weekend wanting to detect his fields. If you owned land would you want strangers tramping over it ?
Many make arrangements with an individual or a club to have access to the land. All others are barred. The next stage is more join a club in the hope of getting access to good sites. The clubs then have to restrict membership as it puts off landowners if forty or fifty turn up in the farmyard on a Sunday morning.
The less honest become 'nighthawks' and work any field that looks promising in the middle of the night risking prosecution and almost guaranteeing that no one will ever get on that ground again legally when the farmer spots that his newly rolled field now looks like the surface of the moon.
Word goes round and the reputation of all detector users is ruined and the hobby gets regarded as rather unsavoury.

 

[Sandman]

Many are interested in detecting, but there is really not much in the way of stores where knowledgeable staff can share know how. People aren't exposed to it much unless they see someone doing it on a beach or park. The cost of detectors keeps some away or they buy the cheap jobbies and become discouraged at the junk they find. Some are ashamed to tell friends about their hobby till they find a nice ring too.

I knew one guy that wouldn't buy a Western & Eastern Treasures magazine because he said it would take away from his "profit." What a Maroon!

 

[Born2Dtect]

What keeps me from metal detecting is bad people skills. I don,t like asking for permission to hunt other peoples property. I cannot go up to a perfect stranger and ask them for permission to detect. I know I was a real shy kid, but now I don,t think I am now. I am a technical rep. and salesman in electronics by trade. I deal with all types of people all day. But the thought of being one no one with property owner does not thrill me. I am pretty sure it is all in my head, I take "NO" way too personal. By the way once I get talking I can go for an hour, its just getting started.

Ed D.

 

[gregl01]

Wow, I too am like Ed. I really don't like to ask a landowner, but I have plenty of sites to keep me busy for awhile!!!
Greg

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Most people I talk to can't understand why I put so much effort into finding pennies and nickels. 95,000 cents to be able to find 5,000 cents or so per year is a 19 year payback. Not to mention digging holes in the hot sun in order to find a bit of change. They say I'd have to find 25¢/minute to justify the effort.

I think it has to be a calling. It's not a financial decision.

 

[jglunt]

Pure entertainment and a way to pass some time away from the tube. I have no expectations other than enjoying the outdoors and exploring new places. If I find a penny...I consider it a bonus.

There is, however, a part of my psyche that hears a certain tone and says...hey, this could be the big one. It rarely is, but what the H*ll.

 

[DFX-SE Gregg]

Lets face it...I don't care what people say it can be tiring and i often end up with sore stiff shoulders, back and so on. Also I think some people just do not realize digging and pinpointing takes a little time and effort. Also i thing if you are going to detect get yourself a half decent detector and get out there...if you don't hunt obviously your finds are>>>0

 

[Jonesin]

Just reached a point in my life that I have some time to do what I want (a long time comming, he-he). I MD'd when I was a kid ( it had a hand crank on the side to get it started) My kids thought I lost my mind when they found out.

 

[MEinWV]

I agree Charlie P. ! It was a natural calling for me. It started for me when I was about 10, when I eyeballed a byzantine coin and dug up a crusaders grave. That was in 1967. It wasn't until 1974 that my first summer job earned me my first detector. I had always seen the adds in the comic books and popular mechanics, and just knew that someday I would have one. I have always been a history buff and that may be true for the majority of detectorists, though I'm sure some of us became history buffs as a result of detecting. Either way, detecting has contributed greatly to an increased knowledge of history by not only the hunter, but their families and friends as well.

The other type of hunter is one I call the "Detectourist". A tourist is one who visits but doesn't stay. The possibility of wealth or the romanticism of this hobby attracts the detectourist, but the natural drive may be lacking.

My biggest problem lately has been time. Oh well!............HH

 

[stoney56]

I'd say time more than the others. There are those that think about it but don't follow through because they're in their own little world trying to make a living and do all the things their life entails. A lot of them put it off, probably thinking they'll pick up the hobby after they retire.

 

[MD Dog]

most people think in terms of clad, they don't realize the variety nor value of the items that can be found MDing

 

[MUD(S.W.A.T)]

Screw them all, I LOVE THIS STUFF!!

Can I say Screw ? Oh well I did. (Sorry if it offends anyone. No harm intended.)
Keep @ it and HH!!

 

[gold fish]

Can I say Screw ? Oh well I did. (Sorry if it offends anyone. No harm intended.)

Of course you can say screw, but I think you'll find "nail" to be a far more common find.

 

[Montana Jim]

The same thing that keep people from fishing, camping, hunting, football, knitting, boating, skydiving, running, weight lifting, sewing, and whatever else...

They simply don't give a damn about the hobby.

 

[CoinSniper]

For me, I won't detect private land/government property without having written permission from the owner/property manager and that takes time, but could be worth the trouble.

 

[Stacylee926]

I voted for 'other' because I think it is not a hobby that is not easy to find out about. Some stores may have a dectector or 2 but the sales people are not knowledgable about them. The stores devoted to MD'ing are few and far between and casual shoppers would not stop there.

Personally, I have always loved history and finally asked DH for a MD at Christmas. I gave him no info because I didn't research at the time. He walked to Radio Shack, bought a decent model and that was that. After I tried it the first time I was hooked. 6 weeks later I upgraded because I knew I had found a hobby that was not just a passing phase. My 15 year old son thought I was geeky - mom in her knee pads and headphones stealing money from children (I usually hunt tot-lots). This past weekend we went on a group hunt with our Virginia group and he was hooked!!! Now I need to buy another ACE250 for him!

 

[DFX-SE Gregg]

For me, I won't detect private land/government property without having written permission from the owner/property manager and that takes time, but could be worth the trouble.

Did I miss something here Was this part of the question

 

[gold fish]

I just threaten people at gunpoint not to pick up an MD, that way, I have all the yummy spots to myself. Oh, you meant voluntarily ?? Who knows, it's a great pasttime.