First day out!

[abrakdabra]

I ordered a metal detector for 175.OO U.S. dollars and went out detecting! I felt like a complete jackass or astronaut and wondered whether to trust the detector and luckily I was in an isolated area with no-one about, and I did find an ancient coin (!) which made the four hours entirely worthwhile (!) but I must say that it was my first day and I had no idea what I was doing, haha! That said this is the hobby for me. The coin that came up was just under the sod, an inch or two under the surface. But I'd been getting beeps and digging and finding no metallic object and found the coin at the end of the afternoon, thank god. Otherwise I would have felt like a joker at the end of a tool! I had the discrimination off and was on 'all metal' mode. Hey! I love this hobby because I have a minor in anthropology/archaeology and love to zone out and then zone into ages/eons ago! I've heard detectorists say that the operator is as important as the machine, but hey, given the reliance on technology in detecting isn't that kind of ridiculous to say! Like hey, you newbies, pay your dues with an entry-level machine like I did, missing a lot! If you go 'new' into using a sensitive machine you walk into knowing a lot more, given the extra sensitivity! If I had a detector which told me what and how deep how happy I would be! If you can afford it avoid digging needlessly like an aardvaark! So now I'm looking to buy a top end detector, like a White's Explorer 2. If you care it can't be that difficult to operate! And if you want to find you care! I work with kids and see their potential to learn given whole input and what I mean to say is the more whole input you get, the more you got! So with a machine that has the ability to feed you information, you're in there. I don't know about the 'paying your dues' learning to use a simple machine before upgrading to a smarter machine theme that seems to be in the minds of vets looking back, while 'saying' 'go with the dunce machine like I did'. Good exercise, yeah! Maybe when you were young!, haha.

 

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[Lowbatts]

Welcome to the fever. Do you have pinpoint capability on your machine? If so or if not, go home and use some practice targets either under paper, cardboard and learn to pinpoint, don't dig all them holes for naught! there's something there that made the thing sound off!

Good luck and keep us posted with pics!

 

[scotty]

abrakdabra I hate to burst your bubble, but you can still buy one of those top end machines that tell you what it is and how deep it is and still dig down there and it won't be that deep and it won't be what it said it was. I guess the point being that many of us in this hobby have a simple dependable mid range machine without meters and such and still are able to pretty well know what it is and how deep before we dig, and we know where it is also, that kind of knowledge only comes from experience and "digging". There is no shortcut for experience. Welcome to a fun hobby. There has been many valuable items passed over by the detectors that tell what it is and how deep it is, because the operator was using too much discrimination, or it didn't say Gold Ring, or rare relic. So , no it isn't ridiculous, it still comes back to the thing between your ears to make a decision whether or not to dig, no matter what brand or model you have. If in doubt, dig, dig, dig. Learn to love to dig. Good Luck.

 

[abrakdabra]

Hey, I don't mind digging! I guess I 'haven't got used to the machine'. I tossed a coin onto the ground and 'detected it' to reassure myself that the machine works. Then why am I digging holes to find the 'target' moves. Or is just maybe 'mineralized soil'. Or maybe it's the electromagnetic interference of power lines nearby? Understanding how the machine works would be good. I downloaded an article on this; 'how metal detectors work'.