Newbie here...needs help and suggestions

Broevol · Apr 25, 2012

After receiving my new fisher F2 in the mail today, I quickly unpacked it, attached the 8" coil and started to hunt. I live on an old 3 acre farm that was build in 1860, so I was expecting to find some real goodies my first time out. After 3 hours of hunting, I have a pile full of junk: scrap iron, parts off combines, tractors, license plates, bridal bits...the list goes on...and not one single coin.... So the question is....either I have no idea what I'm doing or this farm has already been picked over. I spent most of my hunting using the nickel and up settings....but after getting frustrated I moved to dime and quarter only....and I was still digging up junk. I did notice not a single one of my hits was shallow, everyone registering full bars of depth, and everything i dug up was deep...6 plus inches. Will coins be this deep as well? Do I need the 11" coil? Should I switch to the 4" because I have a lot of trash? thanks,
Darin

Treasure_Hunter · Apr 25, 2012

Welcome to treasurenet and to the world of metal detecting.....

Guess what, you got your first lesson today and it was..............You don't always find the good stuff.

When you see people posting nice finds here you only get to see the good stuff they found, you dont see all the trash dug..... Your not always going to find good stuff, right now you should just concentrate on learning your detector and not on the fact "I didnt find any old silver"...... It takes time to learn this hobby...

Good luck and good hunting....

Sandman · Apr 26, 2012

Your detector would have found coins if the coil went over them. Your coil is deepest in the center so over lap your sweeps by 50%. You also must think maybe not many coins were lost there. Search near the house and garden. Changing the detector to dimes and quarters only disc out pennies and all below. Order Garrett's book, Successful Coin Hunting.

StoneWhisper · Apr 26, 2012

I guess my suggestion here would be.. Never trust what a machines tells you.. often "things" can better be spotters with your eyes.. here is what I'm saying.. trust in your own judgements.. and trust in your gut feeling.. you may have to dig deeper.. or find a new location.. nothing comes easy.. and never expect to find anything of great value right off the bat.. lastly.. when your mind set to find coins or gold etc.. best open your mind to include other things and new ideas.. cause I'm sure going to find things you never thought possible.

Bart@Big Boys Hobbies · Apr 26, 2012

Treasure_Hunter said:
Welcome to treasurenet and to the world of metal detecting.....

Guess what, you got your first lesson today and it was..............You don't always find the good stuff.

When you see people posting nice finds here you only get to see the good stuff they found, you dont see all the trash dug..... Your not always going to find good stuff, right now you should just concentrate on learning your detector and not on the fact "I didnt find any old silver"...... It takes time to learn this hobby...

Good luck and good hunting....

Great post!!

Metal Detecting Stuff · Apr 26, 2012

Sometimes you have to clear out the trash to get below to the good signals. You also need to realize that there will be fewer coins at a home site than at a park or school. The small coil will separate the trash better, but you will lose some depth. It also will only cover a small footprint with each swing.