Day 1 of new hobby

[Gabby1]

Hello All,
This is day one of my son and I w/ metal detecting. Have been browsing the net to find a unit that I think would get us off and running but not be a beginner model - so when I finally got my Cabelas $100 coupon I went down and picked up an AT Pro.
The next step for me with any new adventure is to join a forum and get educated - so here we are....

I'll have more ??'s I am sure but wanted to ask what kind of rock this is (going to try and attach a photo).

We back up to an old amusement park that he city folk used to come to visit it by train so I see a lot of what I call Coke Ash. There is an area behind our house that is basically all these little rocks and not much dirt.

Just to get out and hear the machine beep a little I tried in this area but soon found out that there are all kinds of beep going on.

To my question - what is this. I did get a high number (thinking 85 ish) and my ProPointer goes off just like it's metal.
It is very light in weight and it floats.
I looked up Pumis rock but the photos of pumis seem to all show more/larger pores.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

DR.ÖTEK Metal Detector, Waterproof Gold Detector, Pinpoint & Terrain Modes, Professional Metal Detector - Grab it through Amazon!

[DW Dirt Whisperer]

Welcome to the hobby. I hope you and your son have years of fun like my boy and i do. You have chosen a good machine to start you new expeditions of diggin in the dirt. As far as the rock i have no idea but there are plenty of knowledgeable and good people on this website. good luck and happy hunting.

 

[Aussie]

Looks like burnt coal with iron content, makes sense if you are finding coke ash.
You've got yourself a great machine and can't wait to see your first silver merc post! Hoping its a good one!

 

[UnderMiner]

Most likely incinerator waste from long ago. A burnt conglomeration of light weight metal oxides, carbonized organic material, melted glass, bits of iron, etc.

Welcome to the club!

 

[Ahab8]

Welcome aboard and congrats for choosing such an educational and healthy hobby to share. It's a great opportunity to learn a lot about local history and share some exciting moments. I would recommend keeping a journal of all of your hunts and take great pics. Good luck out there

 

[beez0404]

I would suggest the two of you visit a local school yard or ball field and spend some time there learning your new machine. The area where that rock came from will drive you crazy. Bring a notebook to the school with you. Take turns after every recovered target. Dig everything and make notes in your notebook what you found and what TID (target ID) number the machine gave you for that item. It won't take long for you to start recognizing the good tones from the bad.

Welcome to Treasure Net and this addicting hobby we all love so much. Look forward to your first good finds.

 

[g-olden years]

Glad you & your son are now on t-net! I'm sure as you explore your area you'll both dig great surprises! Have Fun! Andi

 

[K1DDO1979]

Looks like burnt coal with iron content, makes sense if you are finding coke ash.
You've got yourself a great machine and can't wait to see your first silver merc post! Hoping its a good one!

I agree with the burnt coal. I detected coal more than once. I think it was in wet ground after a rain every time.

 

[Beepbeep13]

Welcome to T-Net!

You made a very smart move buying a nice machine off the start. the more you use it, the more enjoyable it will be!!
Good luck out there and we are excited for you and your son to share your outings with us

 

[Gabby1]

THanks all for the reply's. We do have a school in our neighborhood which will be our next venture with the detector.

 

[Gabby1]

I would say the "actual" first day wasn't a real attempt due to ground being full of whatever as I stated above.

 

[Gabby1]

So I will say - today - is our first day. We went to a local school yard with the school not being old so not expecting any wow finds. Considering we have about 2 hours with machine I think we did pretty good. All finds were within about a 15' radius around a tree. It was pretty neat to hear so many objects, spend the time to hone it on the exact spot, dig and it was there. Might not been a good find for 2 hour beginners I think the key was that it was there....
So starting the process of knowing the sound/number to the find. What coolest thing was my son knowing that a certain sound was/might going to produce something a little more neat than a bottle cap but I think we have a long way to go.
So this two hours produced: 1 nail, 2 bottle caps, a pull tab of which my son thinks it's antique as he has never seen one, 2 pencil erasers, a neat rock he liked while digging, 6 pennies, 1 nickel and 1 ring - I am guessing gold or I will at least tell my son it is to keep up excitement. It's very small and fragile. I cleaned up nicely but again so small no weight/value. But never the less, all treasure will go into our designated treasure chest and we'll just keep detecting when time allows. Photo attached of today's bounty....

 

[gldnbrew]

I agree with the burnt coal. I detected coal more than once. I think it was in wet ground after a rain every time.

I agree I was hunting around my son's yard last year and I thought it was loaded with silver (those nice high tones on the AT you like to hear), turned out to be just coal ash, so much so I gave up. Seems like my whole village was filled with coal ash.

 

[sgt tee]

Now you will find out who your good friends are after asking permission to hunt their lawn. Hunting back yards is by far the best place for a beginner to go, after you learn to pin point and retrieve your target without any damage. When you leave a area, no matter where its at, you should not be able to tell if you have been there. Plenty of you-tube videos to show you how to retrieve a target in a grassy lawn or where ever you are. I take pride in digging my holes and I play a game with myself to see how well I can cover up my holes. The best time to detect a lawn is right after a good rain, not only does it make the targets sound easier to hear and pop out, it makes for covering the hole back up with no damage done. its great you have your son with you. Best of Days......Pete