In everybody's opinion ?

Davers

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Jan 8, 2013
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eman1000

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Feb 24, 2016
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Elizabethtown, IN
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I would say so with the tv shows and major companies racing to put out the latest and greatest tech there must be a huge demand. I know in my town of 70k. I have run into 3 or 4 other Detectorist in just the last year all of which use the NOX.
 

ARC

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Aug 19, 2014
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Tarpon Springs
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Every time I leave to go detecting I hope I am the only one.

In my area anyway :P
 

BLK HOLE

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Aug 3, 2017
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I know there are hundreds of them where I live but only see them at the DIVs. Out and about at the parks and schools I have only seen two guys with detectors, it must be the camo???
 

smokeythecat

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Nov 22, 2012
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Some places close to the roads I just haven't bothered with as I don't want people crashing their cars into each other watching me!
 

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Treasureman25

Sr. Member
May 30, 2013
257
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Wisconsin
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I agree.. there’s always gonna be more people doing more of everything don’t ya think ? I mean earth’s population only gets bigger as time goes on.. :dontknow:
 

Georgivs

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May 16, 2018
992
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Athens Georgia
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Metal detectors have gotten so much more affordable than when I was a kid, also tons of youtubers and shows have helped its popularity. I think huge finds like the Staffordshire hoard and many others discovered by detectorists keep the hobby in the spotlight.
 

kingskid1611

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Feb 23, 2015
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Oklahoma
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There are a lot of metal detector owners but most do not use them since they bought them. I know several that were excited several years ago and bought one but then after a few times of not finding "the gold" the closeted them. I have had some opportunities to buy a few and have been given some too. Although some are the cheaper models its always nice to have extra machines.
 

RW

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Feb 7, 2007
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I see a guy weed whacking and I think he is detecting...
 

duggap

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Dec 11, 2007
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Chattanooga, TN
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Tosoro Bandido
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I think it may have a lot to do with you location. Here in Chattanooga so much of the civil war sites are now under concrete or buildings. Our club dropped so low in attendance that we closed it down last year. So many of those who detected for artifacts are gone. We do have young ones coming up, but not anywhere near as many as twenty years ago.
 

ecmo

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Feb 28, 2016
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Missouri
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macro racer 2, whites mx5, whites mx sport, trx pinpointer
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I personally knew two brothers who detected in my small hometown of a couple thousand in the late 70s through most of the 80s. They covered much of the rural area churches too within a 8 mile radius maybe. One brother passed and the other says he occasionally goes out yet.

I live about 35 miles north of that area with the Missouri river between us and seen 2 guys curb strip hunting one evening in the early 90s in the larger town where I worked daily for 27 years and even though retired I still go there almost daily and have never seen another detectotist. Than in 2001 I seen two guys hunting the yard of what appears th be a long abandoned brick school maybe 15 miles farther northeast of the previously mentioned town. Three years ago I got permission to hunt a rural country church 6 miles from my house. Fifteen minutes into the hunt a kid of 17 (I spoke with him) shows up with his ace 250. Turns out he was the son of one of the ladies who gave me permission and I think he was sent to keep an eye on me.[emoji3]

That's it for detectorists that I have seen in the past 35 years and not being married I run back roads, gravel roads, major highways and drive through and around over a dozen towns of anywhere from a few hundred souls to 10,000 in a say 60 mile radius of my house. Many is the time people saw me with my detectors and came to talk to me and would mention that they had detectors. When I questioned them further the machines have been in their closets for a number of years. I see virtually ( almost) no one out ever but when getting permission for a site many times have I been told ok go ahead but it's been hit before. When?
 

Trezurehunter

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Mar 22, 2003
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Illinois / Oklahoma
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Heck, I think there are a lot more people involved in this hobby today, than there were yesterday ! TV shows, infomercials, internet, books, etc. It has all placed an emphasis on the explosion of this hobby. So my short answer is yes !
 

Jason in Enid

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Oct 10, 2009
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No. The heyday was in the late 70s and early 80s when discrimination became widely available, the motion VLF detector was king, and most parks still had vast amounts of old coins left. There were hundreds if not thousands of detecting clubs around the country back then. Now you have a couple per state.

Detectors are far easier to get today, but we dont have near the numbers there used to be.
 

RGINN

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Oct 16, 2007
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Summit County, CO
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In 15 years here in Summit County, CO, I've only saw one other detectorist here in town. I saw two over by Leadville, but that spot got closed off. I haven't run into any out in the National Forests. I do see a lot of folks gold panning where possible. I know there's a few around, but not that many.
 

xcopperstax

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Sep 3, 2018
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Massachusetts
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I'd say there are probably more now but I wasn't even "around" in metal detecting 5 years ago! I think it's always going to be one of those things that people buy with big dreams and quickly give up on when they realize how hard it is. I can't even imagine the success people must have had in the early days.
 

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Davers

Davers

Gold Member
Jan 8, 2013
8,127
7,147
N.of , I-285...GA
Detector(s) used
Whites Spc xlt & Tesoro Tejon- Now back ...Fisher 1266-X. TRX Pointer. New .Teknetics G2 + . New AT Pro .
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I MUST AGREE.

I would say so with the tv shows and major companies racing to put out the latest and greatest tech there must be a huge demand. I know in my town of 70k. I have run into 3 or 4 other Detectorist in just the last year all of which use the NOX.

The NOX has made a big splash in my area , still thinking about getting one but I have a BNIB AT PRO (for 2 years now ) for water but I may make a trade when i'm ready to learn a new machine.
 

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Davers

Davers

Gold Member
Jan 8, 2013
8,127
7,147
N.of , I-285...GA
Detector(s) used
Whites Spc xlt & Tesoro Tejon- Now back ...Fisher 1266-X. TRX Pointer. New .Teknetics G2 + . New AT Pro .
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I know there are hundreds of them where I live but only see them at the DIVs. Out and about at the parks and schools I have only seen two guys with detectors, it must be the camo???

I hope to experience a DIV some day ( I said that in 1999 ), i'd likely rent a GPX Series machine but would love to put off the new truck I need & buy my own .
 

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