Please post your suggestions and comments!

[Marc]

Post your comments here.

 

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[CRUSADER]

Just think how much information you guys could have recorded on your CW battle fields (the ones your allowed to hunt).
If you had GPSed every Bullet, Plate, & significant artifact (Relic), then you would have more knowledge than the historians & Archaeologists put together.

I think it should be encouraged in those big hunts I see, Digging in Virginia (or something similar). If you had GPS plots & feed them into a central pool then you would have a greater understanding of the site.

I can say for sure, that if I had not GPSed every Roman Coin off my recent site, then I would have missed at least 150 coins!

 

[Marc]

I agree. Creating a GPS database here at TNet is on my short list of things to do! I WILL get to work on it! Thanks for the encouragement AND inspiration!

 

[Carson Coin Master]

this is a good idea but what do you suggest? buy a GPS and walk around with it while you are metal detecting?

 

[CRUSADER]

this is a good idea but what do you suggest? buy a GPS and walk around with it while you are metal detecting?

Yes, but you only need to turn it on when you have a find to plot. (plus they are only about $50)

 

[Detectingfreak]

How about....When making a discovery on gold, silver, or any type of awesome relic please mail them to Detectingfreak!

 

[RELICDUDE07]

I think that the archaeologist that have accounts on here should have a page for hunters to ask them questions about their finds and they should have a Arch symbol on the avatar and maybe it would help both parties?Give a proper I.D on the artifact if rare the hunter could share more about the site with them if they wish ....

 

[Silver Searcher]

This is a very grey area in the UK,metal detectorists have revealed sites to Archaeologists only to be banned from further searching of the site

 

[RELICDUDE07]

Most in the U.S. would think the same also,but the truth is i think only about 1%-5% of the relics posted from the U.S. would be of any interrest to them.

 

[lostcauses]

Also the problem of GPS on private property in the US, is the land owner may not what that. I could understand there desires for privacy.

 

[ModernMiner]

"Thou shall not poach a private property secured by a fellow member or friend."

It happened to me and I've always wanted to see this added to the code of ethics.
Needless to say I no longer MD with that member.
Thanks,
MM

 

[Tnmountains]

OK so we GPS our favorite civil war camp on private property and keep a log of the finds. Now who was it we are doing this for? I know where the spot is. Is that not enough? You all are not seriously thinking of sharing coordinates of our finds are you? lol Maybe I missed something?


TnMountains

 

[bill-USA]

Clause three, the use of "significant archeological" is much to ambiguous for us to determine without more cultural knowledge than most of us individually have available.

Perhaps "human produced item, unusual for our search area".

It is also clear to me that you are NOT calling for the finder to report the facts logged. (At least in the verbiage I see so far).

Is that intentional? If a clause can be made more descriptive by the use of a simple example, it would help to identify the intent behind the clause. With a clearly understood intent, it might be possible for more of us to add relevant suggestions.

In the final form, these simple examples might be listed as footnote items and printed to insure the non-detecting public could also interpret the intent.

Or perhaps the examples should immediately follow the appropriate clause (most folks skip footnotes I think).

 

[Tom_in_CA]

The problem with all this is, that archaeology can consider EVERYTHING to be of paramount interest. You and I may pitch a piece of lead, a square nail, a rivot, etc... But an arichie might consider that very telling. If you've ever gone out and worked side by side with an archie, you'll know that when you get a signal, you can't just say "sounds like a pulltab on the surface, lemme see". They'll say "no, flag it, and we'll come back with tweezers and brushes later". This is no joke! I worked with an archie at the site of an old Chinese fishing village. They had several pits going here and there, and the idea was "to see what a metal detector could find, how it could aid, etc...". The problem was, this whole site had been a modern boat yard up till the 1960s, so it was littered with slag, modern junk, etc.... The archie would simply hear nothing of individually digging up targets, without extensive flagging and recording of each one. After marking about a dozen signals, and getting continued signals no matter where we swung, it became clear to each of us that this was not going to work out. He thanked me for marking a dozen targets (in just a few minutes), and told us it would take the rest of the day to dig those up.

Now be honest: With this kind of mindset, how in the heck do you think your GPS stuff is going to bring you in to a love affair with archies? They would have a hissy fit when you chucked that first rotten mason jar lid, lantern part, etc... To them, those can be "significant finds", because it tells them something about the inhabitants, blah blah blah.

 

[Likely Guy]

The problem with all this is, that archaeology can consider EVERYTHING to be of paramount interest. You and I may pitch a piece of lead, a square nail, a rivot, etc... But an arichie might consider that very telling. If you've ever gone out and worked side by side with an archie, you'll know that when you get a signal, you can't just say "sounds like a pulltab on the surface, lemme see". They'll say "no, flag it, and we'll come back with tweezers and brushes later". This is no joke! I worked with an archie at the site of an old Chinese fishing village. They had several pits going here and there, and the idea was "to see what a metal detector could find, how it could aid, etc...". The problem was, this whole site had been a modern boat yard up till the 1960s, so it was littered with slag, modern junk, etc.... The archie would simply hear nothing of individually digging up targets, without extensive flagging and recording of each one. After marking about a dozen signals, and getting continued signals no matter where we swung, it became clear to each of us that this was not going to work out. He thanked me for marking a dozen targets (in just a few minutes), and told us it would take the rest of the day to dig those up.

Now be honest: With this kind of mindset, how in the heck do you think your GPS stuff is going to bring you in to a love affair with archies? They would have a hissy fit when you chucked that first rotten mason jar lid, lantern part, etc... To them, those can be "significant finds", because it tells them something about the inhabitants, blah blah blah.

This all is too very true. But what Crusader suggested was that while working 'significant' sites (battlefields in this case) what one individual may find could (and properly recorded), change history.

Blindly going about on a significant historical site, doing what you want, to an archaeologist seems like rampant disregard for the historical record.

To me, and most of you, a public park or picnic site will only reveal to future generations that people lost their change, drank beer, ate chicken, etc., etc. (The same as we always have.)

Somewhere, somehow, there is a happy balance.

 

[teverly]

So according to what i have read so far,this means that all of us are going to start asking permission before hunting parks,curb areas ect>>>??I have had several discussion on here over the years that some people consider dont ask and you cant get told no as an acceptable way to detect.
This is a hobby to me and i follow all the code of ethics that are written for us now.The minute that you start putting this stuff in writing and talking about reporting finds i think you are just going to be asking for more trouble than its worth.
And who will determine what is a "significant" find??Is it a place where i find 10 pieces of silve in a day?or 81 wheat pennies and some jewelry in a yard
And as far as putting gps stuff on here or anywhere,as much as we would all like to believe that everyone is honest,but in reality there are people who would just use that info to site jump.....

 

[lobsterman]

I don't think this site should be professing any type or set of ethics, because what seems ok to one persons sensabilities may be offensive to anothers.

ethics, morals, and values, are highly subjective and it should not be up to anyone on here to try to impose on others their own views or opinions, by some type of code of ethics.

as an example... i like to hunt derelict obscure graveyards and the properties that surround them, most of them are on private property ( and yes, i get permission first ), some people may have a problem with others hunting cemetaries or old graveyards or even shipwreck sites where lives have been lost, i feel that if they have been abandoned, they are fair game for everyone. besides i never find much of anything, but i do enjoy cleaning up the areas, and making them look nice again. also on three different occasions, using old maps, i have found some friends families old forgotten family graveyards that they didn't even know that they existed,

as another example of something others may object to is... that i do most of my MD'ing under the cover of darkness, for several reasons, the foremost being is that it is my only available time to do it. Secondly i prefer to be left alone when i am searching, i have no desire to be entertainment for onlookers and i have no desire to be an embassador for the hobby (if they get bit by the treasure bug it's not going to be my fault) .

 

[lobsterman]

also if property is owned by the... town, city, state, or federal govenment ( thus owned by the taxpayers ) and it is open to other forms of recreation or public access, then it is fair game for MD'ing (unless there are specific regulations or laws against doing it on that specific propery) such as national or state parks or historical sites.

and there is no way in heck, that i would ever tell the specific locations of where i made my finds and i don't care if it may be a find of historical signifigance, if i chose to keep my finds or there locations private that is my business and i would not be compelled to report anything because of some code of ethics that is being encouraged within the hobby, in fact i'd be more inclined to send them on a wild goose chase before i'd disclose the actual find locations.

again... I don't think this site should be professing any type or set of ethics, because what seems ok to one persons sensabilities may be offensive to anothers.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

The problem with this is the local authorities will decide willy nilly what is and isn't a historical or natural resource A spoon marked Woolworth's, a 1959 Lone Ranger Badge, a 1931 U.S. Naval Airforce ring could all be declared "historical", a gold nugget is a natural resource. The more you put in writting the more rights we lose as it becomes the local authorities job to interpert what it means. "Barney Fife" type personalities will be making the calls many times............

The more rules you write, the more rights you lose...............

Make it simple, not vague...

I will obey all laws.
I will not disturb burial remains.
I will treat private property with respect.
I will cover all holes and leave the land as undisturbed as possible.
I will remove all trash I have dug up.

 

[hogge]

Why can't some people just let sleeping dogs lie ? Or why do some people feel compelled to poke hornets nests ? When I was a kid I hated this one kid who every time he saw a bee or wasp nest he'd have to prove something by disturbing it either by poking it with sticks or throwing stones. We'd all laugh at him as he got stung time and again, at least until we found ourselves fighting off the onslaught of bee's or wasps. Who are these people who are so presumptuous as to feel they can or should speak for me and my Hobby. Was there an election for which I wasn't aware of ? Did I accidentally stumble into a club meeting for which I did not join ? Give me and MDing a break and butt out. You guys have no right to mess with my rights.

I AGREE WITH THIS! What the heck are you guys trying to do?!? It's almost like an engineer trying to fix or tweek something that doesn't NEED TO BE FIXED!!