Detecting Tips

[The Beep Goes On]

** I've added a few and the folks at Dirt Journal have submitted a lot **

I started a page on my site where I can add detecting tips. Here's what I came up so far (text in blue are suggestions from posters, or added at a later date by myself). If you see a problem with any of these tips, please let me know. I am looking for short, general tips that could apply to anyone.

I know many of you can provide some gems of wisdom...

• Read and adhere to the Code of Ethics, especially the part about filling your holes and the law
• Overlap your sweeps - for concentric coils overlap by 20-50% - for DD coils overlap by 10-30%
• Keep your coil close to the ground and level throughout the entire swing
• Always re-check the hole after retrieving the target
• Do your research - location is the single most important parameter regarding the quality and quantity of finds
• Know your detector - a knowledgeable detectorist with a low-end detector can outperform his better equipped fellows
• Do not get disappointed or impatient - finds are generally proportional to time spent in the field
• Use the right coil for the conditions - small for trashy areas, stock or larger coils for deep targets when there is not a lot of trash or obstructions
• If an area is too trashy to hunt but has potential, concentrate on a small area and clean it out
• Have spare batteries on hand
• Bring some backup equipment if available
• Use headphones - you can hear the signals more clearly and you will not cause undue attention to yourself
• A pinpointer, especially a Sunray, can save you a lot of time and reduce the size of the holes you dig
• Discriminate as little as possible - gold rings and chains show up as pulltabs and foil
• Re-balance your detector when soil conditions change or when you change your settings
• Wear gloves to protect your hands from sharp objects
• Attach an extra pouch (plastic grocery bag works) on your belt for trash
• For modern sites, like the beach, visit when the crowds are there and observe their behavior
• Keep tabs on the weather up until you leave for the hunt
• Check the tide tables when planning a beach hunt
• Have a backup plan in case your site is inaccessible for some reason or the weather intervenes
• For longer hunts, bring a backpack with food, water and other essentials
• A small camera is an excellent way to document your hunt and finds
• Use a probe or screwdriver to retrieve shallow targets
• Never show anyone your finds...just say "nothin' much" - tell the truth when hunting private lands
• In potentially unsafe locations go with a partner and look around often
• You might consider bringing along some form of self-protection depending on the hunt location
• Having a cellphone is a good idea
• Bring some test targets with you to ascertain your detector's performance at the hunt location
• When hunting in the wilderness it is a good idea to bring a map and compass and/or a GPS if available
• Using a cover for the control box and display and a coil cover keeps your detector in good shape and can increase its resale value
• Create a test garden to familiarize yourself with your detector's settings and responses under various conditions
• Search an area using a grid pattern - first two patterns at right angles to eachother - another pattern at a 45 degree angle to the first two
• Check a target by sweeping over it at different angles
• For DD coils pinpoint a target by pinpointing twice - the second time at a 90 degree angle to the first
• Wearing a kneepad or two can make digging more comfortable
• Having a rag hanging off your belt can help keep you, your probe and your detector clean
• If a kit is available, hip-mount your detector's control box to reduce weight
• Protection from the elements - hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, bug repellant, rainjacket
• Bring a variety of digging tools to hunt an unfamiliar location - you'll have a choice and can pick the best one for the soil conditions
• When hunting with a partner a pair of walkie-talkies can keep you from losing one another - cell phones work too
• Prepare for a hunt by using Google Earth or other satellite imagery software to familiarize yourself with the lay of the land and find interesting spots
• Go to the library and search old maps and newspapers to find out where old buildings were and where people used to gather
• If heading into the wilderness bring items to create a fire like lighter, matches and tinder
• On manicured lawns, place your dirt on a towel or a piece of plastic so you can get it all back into the hole - no one should be able to tell you dug a hole
• To help identify deep, large targets that you may want to avoid lift your coil six inches off the ground and sweep to see if the response diminishes
• Always be aware of your surroundings, don't get too focused on your coil
• Take a break every once in a while - give your arm, ears and brain a rest - improves focus when you resume
• A multi tool, like a Leatherman, can come in handy
• A large plastic trash bag can make a good rain coat
• An old brush for sand and dirt removal can help clean up when putting things back in the car
• An old Frisbee can be used to put the finds into at the car
• If at the the beach, a dry pair of shoes and socks in the car can make the drive home more comfortable
• A large jug of water at the car can help clean up you and your equipment
• Keep special finds in a different place - your pocket or another compartment in your clothing or backpack - you may consider putting them in a pill bottle or small plastic box - lining the container with cotton can reduce scratches
• Rings will generally give a response based on the thinnest part of the band
• Chains with large enough links will "chatter" as the detector responds to each individual link
• Think outside the box - put yourself in the minds of the people of the past and hunt where others may not have thought to hunt

I also have two additional sections on the page for DFX and SE specific tips...

http://www.thebeepgoeson.com/display.asp?page=Detecting_Tips

Gratefully,
TBGO

 

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[IndianaSmith]

I did notice you're mention regarding the code of ethics, which (if I recall without reading them again) mentions respecting private property.....you might mention the importance of it in the event it's missed by a reader.

So you might mention knowing who the property legally belongs to, be it private or public, and gaining permission to MD it (if required). Might even suggest some methods of finding-out who does own it (records, city, etc.). Also, if someone is kind enough to grant permission, go out of your way to pick alittle extra trash, not just that you dig (I'm not saying every scrap laying around, just what's handy/close-by, make a visible difference). That landowner may have friends..........and respect of anothers property is a definate plus.

Looks like you've got alot of good info.

Smitty

 

[The Beep Goes On]

Thanks Indy. On the site, the text "Code of Ethics" is a link to the info below.

The Code of Ethics according to FMDAC...

• I WILL ALWAYS CHECK FEDERAL, STATE, COUNTY AND LOCAL LAWS BEFORE SEARCHING. IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO “ KNOW THE LAW “
• I WILL RESPECT PRIVATE PROPERTY AND WILL NOT ENTER PRIVATE PROPERTY WITHOUT THE OWNER’S PERMISSION. WHERE POSSIBLE, SUCH PERMISSION WILL BE IN WRITING.
• I WILL TAKE CARE TO REFILL ALL HOLES AND TRY NOT TO LEAVE ANY DAMAGE.
• I WILL REMOVE AND DISPOSE OF ANY AND ALL TRASH AND LITTER THAT I FIND.
• I WILL APPRECIATE AND PROTECT OUR INHERITANCE OF NATURAL RESOURCES, WILDLIFE AND PRIVATE PROPERTY.
• I WILL AS AN AMBASSADOR FOR THE HOBBY, USE THOUGHTFULNESS, CONSIDERATION AND COURTESY AT ALL TIMES.
• I WILL WORK TO HELP BRING UNITY TO OUR HOBBY BY WORKING WITH ANY ORGANIZATION OF ANY GEOGRAPHIC AREA THAT MAY HAVE PROBLEMS THAT WILL LIMIT THEIR ABILITY TO PEACEFULLY PURSUE THE HOBBY.
• I WILL LEAVE GATES AS FOUND.
• I WILL BUILD FIRES IN DESIGNATED OR SAFE PLACES ONLY.
• I WILL REPORT TO THE PROPER AUTHORITIES ANY INDIVIDUALS WHO ENTER AND OR REMOVE ARTIFACTS FROM FEDERAL PARKS OR STATE PRESERVES.

I figured a link to the info was sufficient and the tips, as I envision them, should concern detecting or the hunt specifically. I know the code applies, but I'm thinking in more practical terms instead of the principles we should hunt by. Mainly, the how/what/when/where of detecting (the "why" would need too much description). I do agree that tips concerning respecting property, picking up trash, asking permission, etc. do fit this definition if applied loosely.

HH!
TBGO

 

[EasyMoney]

Did I miss "DON'T LIE"?

NEVER say "all I found is junk". People are a lot wiser than that, and when someone lies it really angers people. That could get you kicked off for sure, especially if they had been privately watching you before they approached you.

I went hunting fairly recently with an individual who when responding to a security guard said; "Oh, we are only digging in the dirt here, not the grass". WRONG! We were probing the dirt but we had been cutting U shaped plugs too. I could tell that the statement really annoyed the security guard, but he was kind enough to not say anything about it.

Don't lie about your plans and intentions, or what you are doing with your digger or your detector. Respect others and don't try to deceive them. A lie is a sin and in many cases it's a violation of a law or a rule too, and it's also certainly a violation of trust. The terms "this and that", or "not much" are not lies, but saying that you only found junk when you have found coins, etc. is not the truth. Don't try to BS people.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

has anyone ever read closely the first point in the code of ethics? It doesn't say "ask permission for public lands", it just says "know the law". There is a difference. A person can look it up on their own, to see if there's any prohibitions or not.

 

[The Beep Goes On]

Did I miss "DON'T LIE"?

NEVER say "all I found is junk". People are a lot wiser than that, and when someone lies it really angers people. That could get you kicked off for sure, especially if they had been privately watching you before they approached you.

I see your point, however I was thinking of public places, like the beach or the woods. I would never lie, or advocate lying, to anyone about anything when hunting private lands with permission. I agree that saying "nothin' much" would be a better choice instead of saying "just junk" unless you had, indeed, only found junk.

I included this tip because some folks have been known to say "hey, that's my ring I just lost" when a detectorist shows them a find. It does happen.

HH!
TBGO

 

[EasyMoney]

Good point Beep. And I just wanted to let people know what troubles we can get into if we aren't careful.

Personally, I NEVER let people know how much money I have or what I'm worth, and I normally dress quite appropriately with old jeans and a flannel shirt, so that they don't. It's none of their business anyway. I had a kid try to claim a folding pocket knife I found under about three inches of packed turf once. He was about age 13. I asked him to leave. He did.
A friend of mine though (she) was approached by a real scarey-looking man once while she was metal detecting. She knew he was up to no good because she was alone and he came right straight at her at a fast clip. She wielded her detector and told him to back off. Luckily for her he did. I'm big enough that it might get somebody hurt if they did that to me, and so far they usually approach me very carefully and never from the rear. A real good idea since I'm 6'1", bearded, tough and tough-looking, and at 210 pounds, and don't take aggressive people lightly in my life, in fact I don't allow them at all. .

In spite of times when I was accused of being a "scrounge" by a young woman who was a prostitute (a garden tool?) and that I needed to "get a job", and of the poor morons who actually think I'm trying to earn a living by spending $50 on a tank of gas and driving 20 miles to find $1.03 in change, buy thousands of dollars in detectors, to find a handfull of pulltabs and an old dog tag plus some chump change, I still have fun at it though and I wonder just how slow people are, believing those demeaning White's TV ads anyway? No wonder people think we are scrounges and bums. And no wonder that we have to watch over our shoulders while we enjoy our hobby too, because of all the "money" we find, as one nun thought I doing one day.

And we think we are at the top of the "food chain". Maybe not.

You have a good one too Beep

EasyMoney

 

[Nana40]

That just about covers everything I can think of Beep...and then some! Very nice!
I think this one is VERY important!.....

Do not get disappointed or impatient - finds are generally proportional to time spent in the field.

Enjoyed your post to EM!

Nana

 

[The Beep Goes On]

In spite of times when I was accused of being a "scrounge" by a young woman who was a prostitute (a garden tool?) and that I needed to "get a job", and of the poor morons who actually think I'm trying to earn a living by spending $50 on a tank of gas and driving 20 miles to find $1.03 in change, buy thousands of dollars in detectors, to find a handfull of pulltabs and an old dog tag plus some chump change, I still have fun at it though and I wonder just how slow people are, believing those demeaning White's TV ads anyway? No wonder people think we are scrounges and bums. And no wonder that we have to watch over our shoulders while we enjoy our hobby too, because of all the "money" we find, as one nun thought I doing one day.

Thanks EM - Yes, we are an enigmatic lot to most folks.

That just about covers everything I can think of Beep...and then some! Very nice!
I think this one is VERY important!.....

Do not get disappointed or impatient - finds are generally proportional to time spent in the field.

Enjoyed your post too EM!

Nana

Thanks Nana!

HH!
TBGO

 

[EasyMoney]

This was a good post Beep and my thanks to all who contributed. There may be hope for mankind after all and there is a lot of very useful info given here too. .

I may have not read it anywhere here, but in Oregon if you go into the woods alone without a gun and a way to keep warm (matches, tender, etc) you could easily die of hypothermia if you hurt yourself and/or got too damp from sweat or rain, because it's a real mean SOB at night OR day, even in the summer sometimes. Remember the dude from Japan who went for help after he and his family took the wrong road? That guy didn't even make it til morning. He left the wife and kids at the car and got sweaty and when his body temperature got too cold he tore all his clothes off, fell right on his face, and eventually died from too cold of body temperature and rigid muscles. When we get that cold we feel too hot and peel it all off, making it even worse. I grew up in the woods around here and in the next State (Washington) and cold damp weather is nothing to play around with, it's worse than sub-zero weather and will kill you quicker. The gun works real well to signal three shots with (SOS) but there are big cats in these woods here, Washington, Idaho, Montana and also in California and other neighboring States too. The cougars like us because we taste a lot like chicken, real BIG chicken, and we are soooo tender....

 

[The Beep Goes On]

Thanks EM...added fire tip...good one.

HH!
TBGO

 

[IndianaSmith]

I (quickly) re-read this post, so I hope I'm not duplating previously provided info. Something I started using shortly after getting my MD was a "ground cloth". Mine is about a 12" X 12" piece of black plastic sheeting (visqueen). This makes a huge difference by catching all the "crumbs" of dirt that can be placed back into the hole, as opposed to them laying on the contrasting colored green grass (if that be the case). It really helps "hide" the fact you were there.

Something else I do is to be sure to explain my respect of their property to the land-owner regarding their property (I know the matter of respecting it is mentioned already, but be sure the land-owner is aware of it as well as yourself).

Also, I smoke, and field-strip my butts, and put them in my trash pouch. I don't stomp them into the ground. or bury them. They leave with me.

Smitty

 

[MD Dog]

Always think outside the box. I just love the find someone posted recently as he was testing out a new detector he'd just purchased. Hunting in a park that was really well known by all the local metal detectorists and had been hit long and hard ever since the seventies and was "Cleaned Out". So this guy just starts looking around by the front entrance gate a place that most of us very rarely ever search, but it made sense to this fellow who remembered how often his parents would pick him up by the entrance to his childhood park. Well apparently allot of parents have done the same thing at this park since the 30s. I believe the titled his post his best day yet and I think he walk away when it turned to dark to hunt anymore with more than 20 silver in one day. So think back to what happened when you were a kid think about where everone else would look and then look elswhere.

 

[The Beep Goes On]

I (quickly) re-read this post, so I hope I'm not duplating previously provided info. Something I started using shortly after getting my MD was a "ground cloth". Mine is about a 12" X 12" piece of black plastic sheeting (visqueen). This makes a huge difference by catching all the "crumbs" of dirt that can be placed back into the hole, as opposed to them laying on the contrasting colored green grass (if that be the case). It really helps "hide" the fact you were there.

Something else I do is to be sure to explain my respect of their property to the land-owner regarding their property (I know the matter of respecting it is mentioned already, but be sure the land-owner is aware of it as well as yourself).

Also, I smoke, and field-strip my butts, and put them in my trash pouch. I don't stomp them into the ground. or bury them. They leave with me.

Smitty

Thanks Smitty...there is a similar one, but I will modify it...

• On manicured lawns, place your dirt on a towel so you can get it all back into the hole

...changed to...

• On manicured lawns, place your dirt on a towel or a piece of plastic so you can get it all back into the hole - no one should be able to tell you dug a hole

HH!
TBGO

 

[The Beep Goes On]

Always think outside the box. I just love the find someone posted recently as he was testing out a new detector he'd just purchased. Hunting in a park that was really well known by all the local metal detectorists and had been hit long and hard ever since the seventies and was "Cleaned Out". So this guy just starts looking around by the front entrance gate a place that most of us very rarely ever search, but it made sense to this fellow who remembered how often his parents would pick him up by the entrance to his childhood park. Well apparently allot of parents have done the same thing at this park since the 30s. I believe the titled his post his best day yet and I think he walk away when it turned to dark to hunt anymore with more than 20 silver in one day. So think back to what happened when you were a kid think about where everone else would look and then look elswhere.

I like that Scrooge...added

HH!
TBGO