A new found appreciation for you long time hunters...

[Garbagebill]

After putting together and playing around in my backyard for about 4 hours with my new gamma 6000 I have found A new found appreciation for you who have done this for years and those of you who consistently find new silver or other great finds. As I learned today, I could dig every 6 inches if I wanted too. I've got a lot to learn! There is SO much to metal detecting that I never knew until today and that's just TODAY! To dig or not to dig, to locate the item, was that reading from that item or is that a second or third items or even a fourth item? Or is it one huge item? I'm not sure how anyone could do this without a pointer! To think of those of you who have done this hobby for years and years and in the beginning when there was no such thing as a pro pointer. I tip my hat to all of you!! I look forward to mastering my little machine the best I can. And maybe one day being able to post a pic of a nice 200 year old coin (hell I'd be happy right now with a 2013 cent piece hahahaha. Happy hunting all, again I tip my hat to you who have already put in your time and paid your dues. Bill

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A History of Mining on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska - Grab it through Amazon!

[DiggerGal]

Bill,

I too am new to this hobby. I have spent more time on my own property than anywhere else! Lol
I rent and finally after finding so much trash buried deep beneath my feet, including car parts, I google earthed my address and holy crap!!! There must have been 50 old cars all over this place!
So today I braved my first park. Found some clad and a Honda key (that must have been a disaster for someone). But none the less, it was fun and there is a whole lot more to find out there!
Good luck with your new machine and HH!!

 

[Garbagebill]

It's really a kick in the rump! I haven't ventured outside my backyard yet but I live about 2 block from an elementary school and a huge connected city park. I'll have to check my cities ordinance about it but if it's a go I may venture out next weekend. It still stuns me how excited I get while doing it, like I truly have no idea what I might dig up! This is a hobby I'm so sorry I didn't start 30 years ago or more. HH take care, Bill

 

[Alan Applegate]

I used relish wine, women and song (well I never really got into song), metal detecting, and amateur radio. Since age has done more for me than religion ever could have, I got rid of the first three (er two), and kept the last two. I haven't been sorry!

 

[christo000]

Thats all it is my friend just take ur time go slow theres no race in learning ur Machine its the best thing you can do learn the tones cuz that visual id can & will be off so its good for a general idea but dont rely watch youtube vids,practice,& reasearch the places you go befor you go that will give you a heads up on what may be there good luck to u its a very fun relaxing hobby, but it can get expensive like all hobbies

 

[Garbagebill]

@Alan hahaha I literally laughed out loud reading your post!

Christo000, thanks for the tips, I actually have learned quite a bit off YouTube, and a few magazines at the library, and yes, it can get up there in $$$ I'm in about $1000.00 when you add up pointer, gloves, lesche knife, DIGGERS POUCH, hell, I even bought a set of three LOUPE magnifiers just in case I were to find an old coin lol but I did go extreme and buy the hard rifle case that someone had posted on here a while back. It's really an awesome idea, keeps your MD safe. So I'm sure that's just the beginning of my spending but hey, I've worked hard for it so it's ok to spend it! HH!!

 

[cudamark]

Thanks for the "tip of the hat"! Over 43 years of detecting and going strong! Yeah, back when I started there weren't any pin pointers or any good water machines for that matter. The land machines were pretty crude and didn't have much depth, especially in mineralized ground. Tone/Target I.D.? Forget it! If it beeped, you dug it. Wait 'till you start using a state-of-the-art detector......you'll never look back.

 

[CladGrabber]

Thanks for the "tip of the hat"! Over 43 years of detecting and going strong! Yeah, back when I started there weren't any pin pointers or any good water machines for that matter. The land machines were pretty crude and didn't have much depth, especially in mineralized ground. Tone/Target I.D.? Forget it! If it beeped, you dug it. Wait 'till you start using a state-of-the-art detector......you'll never look back.

Cuda tell us how cool it was back in the day when all the coins were good ones.

 

[CASPER-2]

Thanks for the "tip of the hat"! Over 43 years of detecting and going strong! Yeah, back when I started there weren't any pin pointers or any good water machines for that matter. The land machines were pretty crude and didn't have much depth, especially in mineralized ground. Tone/Target I.D.? Forget it! If it beeped, you dug it. Wait 'till you start using a state-of-the-art detector......you'll never look back.

I started at age 12 in 1975 - Compass 94B - never knew what a discriminator was til like 1980
partners had them - I still used an all metal machine - didnt use a true discrim machine till my XLT
(I still hunt all metal in the waterwith my CZ21 - it sounds like my old compass in all metal- thats why I like it)
My first year as a kid hunter was aweful - no one would help me - had to learn the hard way
luckily my 2nd yr - 1976 - moved into a house that was from the 40s and was loaded with coins - I pulled alot of silver from my own yard
and every time I thought I had it all - Id increase my back ground hum and go slower and still pull up silver dimes down deep
I'd learned that machine so well that I could tell you 9 out of 10 times what i had before digging
so if you enjoy the hobby - stick with it - it can be rewarding in many ways

 

[cudamark]

Cuda tell us how cool it was back in the day when all the coins were good ones.

They weren't all good.....just half of them! Seriously, 50% were either silver or wheats when I first started. But you didn't find just coins. With a beep and dig machine, you had to dig every sound. There was tons of junk back then too you know! Coins were only a part of what you dug.

 

[CladGrabber]

They weren't all good.....just half of them! Seriously, 50% were either silver or wheats when I first started. But you didn't find just coins. With a beep and dig machine, you had to dig every sound. There was tons of junk back then too you know! Coins were only a part of what you dug.

Ya but silver and virgin ground.Ah the good ol days

 

[TNGUNS]

The virgin ground is few and far between but still there if you do the research. I really enjoy finding the early home sites. The particular ones I have been in aren't giving up coins but lots of early 1800's relics and some Civil War stuff. Got a couple of Andrew Jackson Victory buttons (1829 campaign) last week and will admit got as big a thrill from them as any coins I can remember. Once you start getting the hang of the research it is a blast. Have had some great map and document leads from some of our members here lately. VENTURE OUT. All the coil swinging in the yard is good practice but not gonna give you the experience a productive site will. Don't get sucked into the hype that the latest and greatest detector will put you on the good stuff. Any descent detector will find coins etc. if you pass your coil over them. Will admit on some of the beat to death sites that the DEEP detectors may find what was out of range for other detectors but in the vast majority of cases the good stuff isn't that deep. More people get into it and then out of it because they aren't productive. You have to find productive places to hunt so don't hesitate to ask the old hands how to do the research. Don't be afraid to knock a door and be prepared to do so before you go. You will get a few "No's" but you will also get permission in a few. One really good productive site and you will be ruined. Best of luck.