Just ordered my first detector! Any advice for a rookie?

[Swade2K]

My Garrett AT Pro should arrive Tuesday, and I'm very excited to learn as much as I can and have some fun. I'm going to be dirtfishing in the Midwest looking for mostly jewelry and silver coins. Where should I start my quest to become a master MDer??

 

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[norbyx]

My Garrett AT Pro should arrive Tuesday, and I'm very excited to learn as much as I can and have some fun. I'm going to be dirtfishing in the Midwest looking for mostly jewelry and silver coins. Where should I start my quest to become a master MDer??

In the library!!! Try to find out the historical places around you, investigate. Than go out detecting.

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[Terry Soloman]

Welcome from White Plains, New York! Norbyx offers GOOD advice. One of the important factors is location - where are you hunting? If you are looking in local playgrounds or parks, you are looking in the same place as everybody else since 1980. You need to research places people gathered in the PAST (1870 - 1950), thinking outside the box. Be prepared to do a little work with your head, not just your machine. Good Luck!

A Few Sites to Get You Started:

1) Old Schools
2) City/Town Parks
3) Circus/Fair Sites
4) Old Churches
5) Old Homestead Sites
6) Swimming Holes and Areas
7) Picnic Groves
8) Athletic Fields
9) Scout Camps
10) Rodeo Arenas
11) Campgrounds
12) Ghost Towns
13) Beaches
14) Old Taverns
15) Roadside Rest Stops
16) Sidewalk Grassy Strips
17) Amusement Parks
18) Rural Mailboxes
19) Reunion Areas
20) Revival sites
21) Fort Sites
22) Winter Sledding Areas
23) Lookout/Overlook Sites
24) Church Supper Groves
25) Fishing Spots
26) Fishing Camps
27) Resorts
28) Old Barns and Outbuildings
29) Battle Sites
30) Band Shells
31) Racetracks
32) Rural Boundary Walls
33) Roadside Fruit and Vegetable Stands
34) Under Seaside Boardwalks
35) Flea Market Areas
36) Ski Slopes
37) Drive Ins
38) Canal Paths
39) Vacant Lots
40) Motels
41) College Campuses
42) Farmer Market Areas
43) Town Squares
44) Urban Yards and Backyards
45) Disaster Sites
46) Areas Around Skating Ponds
47) Hunting Lodges and Camps
48) Mining Camps
49) Railroad Grades, Stations and Junctions
50) Hiking Trails
51) Waterfalls
52) Rural Dance Sites
53) Lover's Lanes
54) Areas Adjacent to Historical Markers
55) Old Gas Stations and General Stores
56) Fence Posts
57) Chicken Houses
58) Bridges and Fords
59) Flower Beds
60) Playgrounds
61) Old Garbage Dumps
62) Cloth Lines
63) Military Camp and Cantonment Sites
64) Wells and Outhouses
65) Abandoned Houses and Structures
66) Areas where Old Trails Cross County or State Boundaries
67) Piles of Scraped Soil at Construction Sites
68) Old Stone Quarries
69) Areas Around Old Abandoned Cemeteries in the Forest
70) Junctions of Abandoned Roads (crossroads)

 

[LandRanger]

Where at in the midwest? I swing some all around the mid western area.

 

[gleaner1]

Terry, awesome list, you know I love it. Please promise, never spoil it by adding Libraries to the list. Thanks in advance. Regards, gleaner1

 

[kayden]

Research for older spots!

 

[Swade2K]

Where at in the midwest? I swing some all around the mid western area.

South central Indiana. I live in an older city with some great history so I hope to have some good luck!

 

[Swade2K]

Thanks everyone! I have an old swimming hole and possibly an old mill site to check out. I'm definitely excited to get in the water with my AT pro

 

[Swade2K]

Do you guys have any trouble MDing in state parks? I'm wondering if digging would be prohibited

 

[Terry Soloman]

Do you guys have any trouble MDing in state parks? I'm wondering if digging would be prohibited

Here in New York, you need a State issued permit. There are several, ranging from Free (NYC permit), to $40 a year (Long Island beaches and State parks). Do yourself a favor and Google your State Park regulations. Never use a shovel in a park - as a rule - always use a hand digger like a Lesche.

 

[shawngrey16]

If your going to dig most the beaches no permit is required for that

 

[gleaner1]

NYS permit for the 1000 Islands sector of parks is fifteen bucks per year, water and sand beach only, no digging grass or vegetation allowed. Tecting not allowed if lifeguards are on duty. Always check the rules for state parks. Local parks should be okay. Just keep a low profile and do not damage the turf. Learn recovery techniques. Learn to pinpoint accurately.

 

[Swade2K]

I didn't order a pinpointer yet. Do you think it's a necessity or a luxury?

 

[cudamark]

You won't need it at the beach but you will everywhere else. If you've hunted both with and without one, you'll wonder how you ever got along without one.

 

[norbyx]

Pinpointer takes your searching for the item time down at least 70%

Sent from my iPhone using TreasureNet

 

[TerryC]

Start in your back yard. Learn to make that plug SMALL before going to others' areas. And ALWAYS take out the trash, even for no other reason than you'll have less trash to dig if you return to the same spot. TTC

 

[dougofpa]

I didn't order a pinpointer yet. Do you think it's a necessity or a luxury?

It is a NECESSITY....some of those small targets will drive you nuts...Pinpointer zero's in on your target for faster recovery....My advise....Garrett Pro Pointer.....BELIEVE me, you will become very frustrated without it.

 

[dougofpa]

Check out: historicalmapworks.com

excellent source of info.

 

[Terry Soloman]

I didn't order a pinpointer yet. Do you think it's a necessity or a luxury?

I've never owned one. Itried one a couple times. It just slowed me down.

 

[gleaner1]

OP, I dont think they are a luxury, I never used one but from what I read, they are very helpful, a great tool. I say hold off on a pin pointer for now. Force yourself to learn how to pp and recover with the actual metal detector, this has to be learned anyway simply because it is a rudimentary part of the sport. After you recover say fifty coins, then spring for the hand held pp. I think a comfortable, quality set of tectin headphones is more important than a pinpointer.