Our Hobby and Opinions

[ScubaDetector]

I have been on forums long enough to see first hand how some people get bent out of shape over opinions of others. People form judgemental attitudes and feelings get hurt. I have seen it come and go on every forum I have been on.

Lets say a new comer wants advice on a new machine. He will get three different responses.

1. From people that have an agenda. They are dealers with a certain brand and want to cram that brand down everyone's throat in an attempt to make a sale.

2. From people that have had only one machine and do not believe there are any out there that will work better. They try to help but their experience is limited.

3. From people that really want to help. Ones that have heard and seen pro's and con's of all the machines that might fit their needs and will actually listen to the poster and give them sound advice.

We have people coming here to ask opinions about their finds. What they are and might be. A lot of broken rusty iron is absolutely impossible to even guess. The same for melted lead, pieces of arrow heads, glass shards, meteorites, gold, and just about everything else.

I saw a beautiful ring that one person said it looked gold plated. It was a Cartier 18K beauty. The OP didn't show that in his first picture. I saw another ring that the OP thought was gold and people were congratulating them on it, when seriously I highly doubt it was gold. Pictures were not going to convince me either way. It needed to be tested. However, that is what I said and left it.

We have people coming here to ask public opinion as to what they should do in a certain situation. Give a ring back, keep something that was accidentally mailed back, hunt private property without permission, hunt graveyards.

WHY some do that, I wish I knew. My advice to all is follow your heart and do NOT look back. I have returned 37 gold class rings and 2 ID bracelets. Some of my friends are absolute pirates. They keep everything they find no matter what. Who is right?? NOBODY. I don't ridicule them and they don't me. We all have our morals and beliefs. The key is RESPECT. I respect their choice and they respect mine. You don't get a lot of respect on a forum in some cases.

When you come to a forum with a question on laws and morals, be prepared. You will get more opinions than you might want to hear. Don't leave your morals and your feelings up for debate. Do what YOU feel is right and be happy with your decision. Posting a moral question on a forum is akin to talking about religion and politics.

We all have one life to live. We live it the way WE feel is right. Don't let opinions of others and judgements of others rule your life. If you want advice, ask it. Just be prepared for the good, bad, and ugly and pick through it carefully. If you have decided to go hunt a graveyard, do it and keep quiet about it. Same with private property and other illegal areas. Some will side with you, others will feel you are detrimental to our hobby. If you get caught and your gear is all confiscated. Well when I was raising my children as a cop I had a saying I always used. If you can't do the time, DON'T do the crime.

 

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[stefen]

Good topic.

And you will find that there are numerous other elements that can be added to the ethical or moral list as well.

What about the person making a post asking for opinions, advice or simply an identification...then argues defensively with each contributor...(happens frequently)

Or the first time post of a new member claiming to have found an object, coin or historic relic that most members aspire too in their lifetime...(Again happens frequently to form a pattern)

Or a member pre-names or titles a post asking for an identification and defends it to his death even when its wrong.

 

[Sandman]

Then there are those that just like to stir the pot.

 

[ScubaDetector]

Then there are those that just like to stir the pot.

And that is why the saying, the good, bad and UGLY. I think the last term describes pot stirrers.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Scuba, happy easter ! You are very respected on forum inputs now. And your finds and experiences are great to read about. And as a past cop: You know all-too-well not to let cross-words and negative feedback affect you. Because you most certainly had to learn to have a tough skin, to be in that line of work !

So likewise: If someone on any other forum deleted a post of yours, then likewise don't let it bother you. We have enjoyed your posts very much. So don't let a single deleted post bother you. Last I saw, all your others are there and generating great food for thought on the various aspects of the hobby.

 

[Alex Burke]

This forum is a coin/ring/artifacts shooting forum if you think about it. When the guy posted the other day about seeking treasure hunters for a reality show the thread went to urban treasure hunting pretty fast and nobody really talked about the other elements of treasure hunting until far later in the thread. I don't think this is bad, people like to detect urban areas and talk about their finds, I support it and enjoy the finds and discussions here.

 

[lastleg]

We have older members who saw first hand the beginning of this hobby. Before internet or social media.
Now we have evolved into a hybrid twitter of corroded items up for inspection and comment. Sorry you
missed the age of abundant targets worth discussion but for most new detectorists the dew is off the
proverbial rose. Unless you enjoy subjects like the history of mankind, the great western expansion and
the frailty of the human character.

For people under the ago of 60 thereabouts you won't miss the decline of culture in the US as you live
in a land of regulation of what you can say out loud and what you must not. You don't miss the freedom
of being rewarded for a life of labor to fuel your yearning to explore what is left of the great wilderness
and relive the struggles of the pioneers and the tidbits or that era left in the ground.

When I hear someone post 'What's it Worth?' I remember the Dylan tune 'It's all over now, Baby Blue.'

 

[lastleg]

What's a VCR?

 

[ScubaDetector]

Scuba, happy easter ! You are very respected on forum inputs now. And your finds and experiences are great to read about. And as a past cop: You know all-too-well not to let cross-words and negative feedback affect you. Because you most certainly had to learn to have a tough skin, to be in that line of work !

So likewise: If someone on any other forum deleted a post of yours, then likewise don't let it bother you. We have enjoyed your posts very much. So don't let a single deleted post bother you. Last I saw, all your others are there and generating great food for thought on the various aspects of the hobby.

Tom, it was way more than you think. I will send you a PM. I don't want to bring any drama here. Thanks for the kind words.

 

[T.C.]

I have been on forums long enough to see first hand how some people get bent out of shape over opinions of others. People form judgemental attitudes and feelings get hurt. I have seen it come and go on every forum I have been on.

Lets say a new comer wants advice on a new machine. He will get three different responses.

1. From people that have an agenda. They are dealers with a certain brand and want to cram that brand down everyone's throat in an attempt to make a sale.

2. From people that have had only one machine and do not believe there are any out there that will work better. They try to help but their experience is limited.

3. From people that really want to help. Ones that have heard and seen pro's and con's of all the machines that might fit their needs and will actually listen to the poster and give them sound advice.

We have people coming here to ask opinions about their finds. What they are and might be. A lot of broken rusty iron is absolutely impossible to even guess. The same for melted lead, pieces of arrow heads, glass shards, meteorites, gold, and just about everything else.

I saw a beautiful ring that one person said it looked gold plated. It was a Cartier 18K beauty. The OP didn't show that in his first picture. I saw another ring that the OP thought was gold and people were congratulating them on it, when seriously I highly doubt it was gold. Pictures were not going to convince me either way. It needed to be tested. However, that is what I said and left it.

We have people coming here to ask public opinion as to what they should do in a certain situation. Give a ring back, keep something that was accidentally mailed back, hunt private property without permission, hunt graveyards.

WHY some do that, I wish I knew. My advice to all is follow your heart and do NOT look back. I have returned 37 gold class rings and 2 ID bracelets. Some of my friends are absolute pirates. They keep everything they find no matter what. Who is right?? NOBODY. I don't ridicule them and they don't me. We all have our morals and beliefs. The key is RESPECT. I respect their choice and they respect mine. You don't get a lot of respect on a forum in some cases.

When you come to a forum with a question on laws and morals, be prepared. You will get more opinions than you might want to hear. Don't leave your morals and your feelings up for debate. Do what YOU feel is right and be happy with your decision. Posting a moral question on a forum is akin to talking about religion and politics.

We all have one life to live. We live it the way WE feel is right. Don't let opinions of others and judgements of others rule your life. If you want advice, ask it. Just be prepared for the good, bad, and ugly and pick through it carefully. If you have decided to go hunt a graveyard, do it and keep quiet about it. Same with private property and other illegal areas. Some will side with you, others will feel you are detrimental to our hobby. If you get caught and your gear is all confiscated. Well when I was raising my children as a cop I had a saying I always used. If you can't do the time, DON'T do the crime.

Awesome post Scuba.....words to live by

 

[Tnmountains]

T-net has seen its trials and errors. I have not been around as long as some. But imagine hosting everyones dreams thoughts and ideas and then defend those from attacks from others or defending the whole from one who is mad and trying to stir the pot. It as if there is a storm on the horizon and you see it coming. Who knows the other mods may delete my post and I am man enough to get over it.
As far as other forums all that matter here is ​this one. We actually have had other forums want to advertise their forums here,,lol imagine that!
Usually a title will tell us which way a thread will go.

 

[GA_Boy]

What's a VCR?

In all honesty, it's the electronic box that just this morning I had my SIL help get my GBII tape un-hung from. I have a VCR tape of fish in an aquarium with soft elevator music playing and I play it in my shop when I'm out there working alone.
Marvin
PS, I was relic hunting long before the internet was popular.

 

[Keppy]

Lastleg, you also forgot to mention the good part of the passing of the times... For example, none of us have VCRs regularly in use any more, which means that stupid blinking clock is gone. Progress isn't all bad.

I have a VCR , DVD , Combo player recorder for years and i just got a new one ..

 

[lastleg]

My record player works fine but the records are getting scarce.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

I collected vinyl records up until the early 1990's. I held out on buying CD's until scarce vinyl was available on CD. "Straight Up" and "No Dice" by Badfinger and "It's a Beautiful Day" (with White Bird) were the key CD's that convinced me to go over to CD's and sell my record collection.

 

[RustyGold]

I'm a member at an RC forum (I like to fly aircraft) and I can honestly say that no other forums I've been on shows the same level of respect, care and advice that I see and get on TNet.
The wisdom, intellect, experience and sharing of finds with pics show why TNet is number one.
At TNet you are part of large family and will (like a family) get advice from everyone. It shows they care even if it's the good, bad or ugly.

 

[ARC]

There are those that feel they are entitled to "do what they want regardless of others or laws"...
IMO...
These being the only real problem / stigma with the metal detecting community.

Please... out of respect for others...
Do not dig on someone else's land without permission... Have some respect.
I wonder how you would feel if you looked out and saw some A-hole digging in your back yard.

And as far as "digging graves"...
IF the cops don't get ya...
I hope the spirits do.

HAVE SOME RESPECT !
For the dead...
For others peoples properties...
AND FOR...
The other detectorists that do follow the laws... EVEN if we don't agree with them.
Sheesh.

For some...
MDing is a joke to them...
For some its a hobby...
For others its a pastime...
And some fruitcakes it is now called a sport.
AND,,,
For the REAL ones... It is a way of life.

Regardless of where you "fit" into this...

IF you are not part of the solution...
You ARE part of the problem.

If you currently do not regard others and their property...
I suggest you turn over a new leaf.

Tis never too late to "do the right thing".

 

[Gold Maven]

This is a great forum, there are some that would rather argue than anything else, but it seems like a small minority here.

It always amazes me how the same bit of advice can be taken several different ways.

The only thing that upsets me here, is fake posters claiming grand results with unproven technology, with the sole purpose of fleecing the innocent. The trick is to expose them, in a kind, friendly way. 'nough said.

 

[ARC]

Yes Skippy...
If you long to detect... even when you just got done detecting...
Regardless of your finds...
Regardless if of the spots..

You have "the bug"...
And...
It has now become ...
"a way of life" for you.

Welcome to "the tribe".
You are now an official member of the "fugisit" tribe...

You know...
Tribe members got there name from being seen with metal detectors in the wild digging in dirt saying to themselves...
"Where the fug is it".

 

[RustyGold]

This is a great forum, there are some that would rather argue than anything else, but it seems like a small minority here.

It always amazes me how the same bit of advice can be taken several different ways.

The only thing that upsets me here, is fake posters claiming grand results with unproven technology, with the sole purpose of fleecing the innocent. The trick is to expose them, in a kind, friendly way. 'nough said.

Ah but we learn from those arguments and fake posters. I wonder what Socrates would of thought about these forums?