For a beginner detector, what would be the top three mistakes?

[Alan Applegate]

I have one more. Don't go cheap!

Free giveaways are just that, free. There are a lot of examples, but I'll give you one—the digging knife.

When I supplemented my really old Garrett coin hunter (better known as the battery eater!), I bought an Ace 250 from KellyCo. They're a fine company, and apparently do a land-office business. Good for them! But that free digger knife I got with the package was nearly worthless! At the slightest whim, it bent! The one my digging buddy uses (about $50 worth), was almost too hard as he told me he's broken a few of them when prying too hard. Aught to be a better solution. I took the knife to a friend who owns a welding shop, and he tempered it for me to the point that it no longer bends like a pretzel!

The point here is simple. Use quality tools! That goes for gloves, flashlights, shovels, you name it. You won't be sorry!

 

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[Oldxr]

I found that a longer serrated steak knife works great. I usually go to Thrift stores and buy them for a dollar or less.

 

[Produce Guy]

Remember when all else fails ,take your detector to a tot-lot and start finding coins.

 

[I Dig Jesus]

Im just gonna give a quick story, my wifes in to this as much as I am, her daughter bought her an entry level machine for about 250.00. It wasnt a season before she out grew it. Shes now the proud owner of a 700.00 machine. I could of and should of avoided this by pitching in, and getting her the better machine up front. (Also, I did get her machine on ebay from a dealer for 450.oo) not a scratch on it, never used. But I could of gone in with her daughter, and only spent 225.00, just sonething to consider, used machines can save you big money, just saying!!!

 

[RushinPA]

1.00 A bad day detecting is way better than an excellent day of Honey Do'ing

 

[Rustic]

Here's something I noticed that I hope will help someone else: when detecting in the woods, especially in Fall, be aware of any insects nosing in on you while you dig. I've discovered that yellow-jackets are drawn to the vibrations of scraping and shoveling and the roots popping of metal detecting-- they think you are a predator of their underground nest.

Foxes, bears and skunks are always looking for yellow-jacket nests and digging them up to eat the larvae (ouch!). So even if you are not close to the yellow-jacket nest, the digging sounds upsets them and they will come over to investigate, and if you don't pay your respects by leaving that spot, they will start stinging... Guess how I know, lol.

 

[RustyGold]

Thanks for the great tips Rustic!

 

[Houmadigs]

I'll give you a few more than 3 lol

Do read your manual
Do read your manual again
Do read your manual once again.
Do go in your back yard with your detector and read your manual again.
Do cut plugs. Don't dig "holes"
Do sweep all the dirt you can back into your plug hole.
Do replace your plug.
Do your best to leave the area looking as if you were never there.
Do fill in your holes if you do dig one. Holes are ok to dig on the beach or in the woods where you don't have to worry about digging a hole, but ALWAYS fill in your holes.
Do swing parallel to the ground.
Do swing slow.
Do dig every target because I've had rings come up as pulltabs, nickles, quarters and even pennies. I've also had deeper signals change when you get some dirt out of the plug hole.
Do take your findings even if they are trash. Just throw the trash away.
Do look at old maps of the areas you want to hunt.
Do show land owners what you find if you get permission to hunt on their land. It's not worth it to hide the "good" stuff. You may lose out on a hunting spot if you do.
Do offer said land owner their pick of the findings and don't be upset if they take the "good" stuff.
Do be happy that you could find it in the first place.
Do try to return any items that you can if possible. You'll find that returning a ring will make you feel a LOT better than keeping or selling it.
Do get a sturdy digging tool. I use a small 30" shovel with a 6" head and I love it. I paid $7 for it at home depot.
And the most important Do there is.... DO POST YOUR FINDINGS ON TNET!

Don't wear steel toe boots. You'll be chasing signals all day.

Don't arch your swing.
Don't get frustrated. You will most likely get frustrated at times. Swing through it and remember that you can't find "good" stuff every time you hunt.
Don't just wander onto people's land withought asking permission.
Don't let idiots get to you. You will have kids reaching in your holes, they are just either curious excited kids. You will have people harassing you about digging in the parks or taunting you about beeing poor. They are just idiots that don't have a clue. Ignore it and keep on swinging.
Don't forget that it's a hoby and not a job. Have fun with it.

HH

Talk about being a newb!! LMAO @ myself. I went on my first md'ing trip Saturday and was confused as to why I was getting these weird signals that wouldn't repeat. DUH, finally figured it was my steel toes!! I laughed so hard at myself, people were staring. Lesson learned, extended shaft and reach= no more steel-toe beeps. I also figured that md'ing here in south Louisiana for me is "mosquito detecting".

 

[jharhed]

Yep, those mosquitoes will be giving us a break for a little while though

 

[can]

Buy the best gear and machine you can afford the first time. Then you dont have to buy a second time.

 

[Joe(TX)]

...and no matter what you read, if "good stuff" ain't there, you ain't gonna find it!! HH

........................But no one know if any thing is good in there unless you try and do your best! Many good finds have come out of so called hunted out sites or very trashy sites! Persistance is good! But if you hunt for an hour or more with no good finds then it is probably best to move on to the next site!

 

[Joe(TX)]

I like to cut a plug in the shape of a square....only cut 3 sides leaving one side as a hinge! Cut deep enough to keep the roots intact and when through re-place all of the dirt back in the hole and tap down the plug with your shoe! This should be done so good that no sign of the dig is visible! If your plug is visible then you need to practise even if this means digging plugs in your back yard!

 

[Jacza]

Don't try to find big treasures, start with little successes like coins and buttons. That means don't dig too deep holes.

Don't give up if you are finding only rubbish. Always be patient and believe in your next big find.

Try to explore as much places as you can. Your first experiences with the detector are the most important. Document your findings and note the GPS coordinates. Later you can come back and search the area around. A random find in the wilderness not uncommonly means another ten finds in the surrounding.

Be courageously in detecting new places. A field next to a busy street or under a high-voltage line is not as bad as you think.

Celebrate your first successes. You will later never rejoice over what you have found in your first days.

Don't throw away findings when you not exactly know it's rubbish. Be carefully if it's bent or it consists of more than one piece. If you are not sure take it home in the state you have found it, some things can be very fragile.

Jacza

 

[Chizzy]

I read this thread last year before starting my mding adventures. The advice here was priceless then and even better now after a year+ of practical experience.........thanks to everyone who contributed. It has certainly helped my learning curve.............

 

[trooper531]

Thank you for that information! I am new to this and that is the best advice yet!

 

[victhedog]

I'll give you a few more than 3 lol

Do read your manual
Do read your manual again
Do read your manual once again.
Do go in your back yard with your detector and read your manual again.
Do cut plugs. Don't dig "holes"
Do sweep all the dirt you can back into your plug hole.
Do replace your plug.
Do your best to leave the area looking as if you were never there.
Do fill in your holes if you do dig one. Holes are ok to dig on the beach or in the woods where you don't have to worry about digging a hole, but ALWAYS fill in your holes.
Do swing parallel to the ground.
Do swing slow.
Do dig every target because I've had rings come up as pulltabs, nickles, quarters and even pennies. I've also had deeper signals change when you get some dirt out of the plug hole.
Do take your findings even if they are trash. Just throw the trash away.
Do look at old maps of the areas you want to hunt.
Do show land owners what you find if you get permission to hunt on their land. It's not worth it to hide the "good" stuff. You may lose out on a hunting spot if you do.
Do offer said land owner their pick of the findings and don't be upset if they take the "good" stuff.
Do be happy that you could find it in the first place.
Do try to return any items that you can if possible. You'll find that returning a ring will make you feel a LOT better than keeping or selling it.
Do get a sturdy digging tool. I use a small 30" shovel with a 6" head and I love it. I paid $7 for it at home depot.
And the most important Do there is.... DO POST YOUR FINDINGS ON TNET!

Don't wear steel toe boots. You'll be chasing signals all day.
Don't arch your swing.
Don't get frustrated. You will most likely get frustrated at times. Swing through it and remember that you can't find "good" stuff every time you hunt.
Don't just wander onto people's land withought asking permission.
Don't let idiots get to you. You will have kids reaching in your holes, they are just either curious excited kids. You will have people harassing you about digging in the parks or taunting you about beeing poor. They are just idiots that don't have a clue. Ignore it and keep on swinging.
Don't forget that it's a hoby and not a job. Have fun with it.

HH

YEP

sound like a good start

 

[Silvertip1958]

Pre-Internet- I thought all metal detectors did the same thing; find metal. My first detector was a cheap radio shack model. I used it a few times and eventually threw it away because all I found was junk. A few years later I walked into a store that sold White's and I discovered that discrimination isn't such a bad thing when it comes to metal detectors. One trick I learned that worked well for me was to find all the coins in an area first, then go back with less discrimination. And never Assume, dig it! I was detecting an old house once and the lady owner was watching. I found a copper reading that was about 8" long. I assumed it was a piece of copper pipe. With limited time, I skipped it and moved on to look for better targets. The owner got a shovel and dug the previous target that I skipped. She rolled out around 25 old wheat pennies and one mercury dime that were spread across the 8" span. I suppose someone once layed there and their money rolled out of their pocket unaware.

 

[sprailroad]

Just read this thread thru "Active Topics", and it being 6yrs old, is still a very good one to have re-surfaced, being that there have been so many new members new to the hobby. Good thread, with really good advice given. Well done.

 

[K3sn3r]

I'll give you a few more than 3 lol

Do read your manual
Do read your manual again
Do read your manual once again.
Do go in your back yard with your detector and read your manual again.
Do cut plugs. Don't dig "holes"
Do sweep all the dirt you can back into your plug hole.
Do replace your plug.
Do your best to leave the area looking as if you were never there.
Do fill in your holes if you do dig one. Holes are ok to dig on the beach or in the woods where you don't have to worry about digging a hole, but ALWAYS fill in your holes.
Do swing parallel to the ground.
Do swing slow.
Do dig every target because I've had rings come up as pulltabs, nickles, quarters and even pennies. I've also had deeper signals change when you get some dirt out of the plug hole.
Do take your findings even if they are trash. Just throw the trash away.
Do look at old maps of the areas you want to hunt.
Do show land owners what you find if you get permission to hunt on their land. It's not worth it to hide the "good" stuff. You may lose out on a hunting spot if you do.
Do offer said land owner their pick of the findings and don't be upset if they take the "good" stuff.
Do be happy that you could find it in the first place.
Do try to return any items that you can if possible. You'll find that returning a ring will make you feel a LOT better than keeping or selling it.
Do get a sturdy digging tool. I use a small 30" shovel with a 6" head and I love it. I paid $7 for it at home depot.
And the most important Do there is.... DO POST YOUR FINDINGS ON TNET! [emoji106]

Don't wear steel toe boots. You'll be chasing signals all day.
Don't arch your swing.
Don't get frustrated. You will most likely get frustrated at times. Swing through it and remember that you can't find "good" stuff every time you hunt.
Don't just wander onto people's land withought asking permission.
Don't let idiots get to you. You will have kids reaching in your holes, they are just either curious excited kids. You will have people harassing you about digging in the parks or taunting you about beeing poor. They are just idiots that don't have a clue. Ignore it and keep on swinging.
Don't forget that it's a hoby and not a job. Have fun with it.

HH

Didn't wear steel toe boots but learned quickly mine had metal eyelets (never paid attention till I detected them)

 

[toddbbq]

I only see one thing missing from SeaninNH post and that is research the city,county and state laws for the parks and beaches you plan to detect in. I know a few of us here have been confronted by law enforcement who did not even know the law they were trying to enforce. I keep a folder in my car with all of the laws associated with where I hunt and have pulled them out a time or two to prove them wrong.