Tom_in_CA
Gold Member
- Mar 23, 2007
- 13,837
- 10,360
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- Detector(s) used
- Explorer II, Compass 77b, Tesoro shadow X2
Does anyone remember this incident: Back in the early 1980s, Fisher used to have a periodical mailer. In it, they had a question and answer forum, where readers/customers would ask various things. Someone had written in a question asking if metal detecting was allowed in Mexico, as they were getting ready to vacation down there. The answer Fisher gave, was in a paragraph titled: "When traveling to Mexico, leave the detector at home". Their answer was that it was illegal, etc...
In the next issue of that same periodical, some others had written in to the author, taking exception with the Mexico answer, saying "since when?" and "where did you get this information?" Fisher's response to them, was that, when they had received the earlier inquiry, they merely went to a Mexican consolate lawyer person, and asked. (I mean, what better source to ask, than Mexico itself, eh?) They were merely passing on the answer they had received. But this was confusing for many of the readers, because they had detected there for years on their vacations. Detectors are a common site on all the tourist beaches. In fact, there are dealers in all the larger cities, including Fisher Dealers! (doh!)
All I can figure is, depending on how the question was phrased to that bureaucrat, they may have been thinking in terms of historic monuments, or shipwreck salvor type laws, pyramaid vandalism, or ....... who knows?
I know that I went to Mexico for land detecting, and went through the border at El Paso with detectors in full view of the border patrol. One of them even pointed at the detectors and said "what's that?", my interpretter just told him "pasatiempo" ("hobby" or "pastime"). The agent just shrugged his shoulders and waved our car through the checkpoint.
In the next issue of that same periodical, some others had written in to the author, taking exception with the Mexico answer, saying "since when?" and "where did you get this information?" Fisher's response to them, was that, when they had received the earlier inquiry, they merely went to a Mexican consolate lawyer person, and asked. (I mean, what better source to ask, than Mexico itself, eh?) They were merely passing on the answer they had received. But this was confusing for many of the readers, because they had detected there for years on their vacations. Detectors are a common site on all the tourist beaches. In fact, there are dealers in all the larger cities, including Fisher Dealers! (doh!)
All I can figure is, depending on how the question was phrased to that bureaucrat, they may have been thinking in terms of historic monuments, or shipwreck salvor type laws, pyramaid vandalism, or ....... who knows?
I know that I went to Mexico for land detecting, and went through the border at El Paso with detectors in full view of the border patrol. One of them even pointed at the detectors and said "what's that?", my interpretter just told him "pasatiempo" ("hobby" or "pastime"). The agent just shrugged his shoulders and waved our car through the checkpoint.
