Should I get a book to start?

[Bigoledude]

First post here. I know nothing about metal detecting other than watching videos showing guys sweeping beaches and corn fields. And, it looks like fun!

As I watch the YouTube video they talk about coins I've never even heard of. They warn each other not to rub real hard on the coins. They are able to recognize copper from silver from sterling. How? Is there a place online or a book that will take me step-by-step through metal detecting 101 so-to-speak?

My grandchildren are sitting on go waiting for me to take-off.

 

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[XLTer]

Welcome to the site Bigoledude . You found one of the best . Lots of very knowlegable detectorists are here to help. I would say that your best bet is to find a reputable Detector Dealer near you . They can show you ( hands on ) how the detectors work and which would be the best for you . There are also detector sponcers on this site that can give you great deals once you've decided which detector you want . I'm sure there are a couple members from your area on here that can point you in the right direction . Good luck and again welcome to T-Net .

 

[fella]

Is there a place online or a book that will take me step-by-step through metal detecting 101 so-to-speak?

You don't need a book. You have TNet, that's really the only source you'll need!

Just go out and get yourself a detector and go. Entry level detectors are really easy to understand and use but stick to one or the major brands. Fisher, Garrett, Teknetics, Tesoro & Whites all make good entry level detectors. Don't over think the selection process any one of em will be fine.

 

[jmoller99]

Nothing beats working with someone, hands on, that can teach you about detecting. If you work with a dealer and they are helping you, please buy your detector from them (they deserve that for the effort they put in). Buying books on the detecting topics that you are interested in is a good idea. You'll learn that all metal detector designs are compromises targeted at specific use/results. There is no single 'best' detector for everything you might want to try to find. A general purpose detector is usually the best first detector to start with, however depending on where you plan to hunt, and what you are hunting for may dictate a different model. You'll be able to find and talk to people in a detector club (and may end up with a search partner - that helps keep up the desire to get out and hunt). Clubs also get access to areas that you normally can't get anywhere near.

You might want to see if there is a metal detecting club near you, and attend a few meetings:

Metal Detecting Clubs | Louisiana

Once you get your first detector, dig everything it sounds off on and learn to recognise what it is telling you - you'll find that if it has a visual display screen that tries to guess what the item is - it's just a guess based on conductivity, and it often guesses wrong - this is because combinations of junk in the ground can mimic the things the detector guesses that you have found. get some good headphones. Some people like to use pin pointers to help them locate targets while they are digging them up - however depending on what you are looking for, they may not work all that well (prospecting for Gold is one area that they tend to work poorly in, but alas, you would not be using a general purpose detector if you were seriously detecting for naturally occurring gold).

If you decide to discriminate aluminum pull tabs, you will likely never find any gold rings (their conductivity is almost identical as far as the detector is concerned).

Take the time to learn what your detector is telling you. If all you find is trash, maybe that is all that is there where you are looking. Many out of the way sites may have be detected many times prior to you coming to the site, even sites that people tell you 'have never been detected'. A lot of people give up after a while, or blame their detector, when the reality is that the detectorists expectations were not realistic. Many times it's because they did not understand how thier detectors really work (motion detectors seem to confuse many people who never seem to understand how to pin-point a target).

Personally, I don't intentionally coin hunt anymore, but that does not mean I don't find them. The last gold ring I found was when looking for relics at an old cabin's outhouse location (early 1900's site) - keep in mind that you have to develop an eye for where to look at a site, you get this from experience (often, when you are detecting with other people, you get to leverage their experience as well). There is a lot of good information here as well.