Poll - How long have you been detecting?

[lonewolfe]

Let's take a poll on:

1: how long you've been detecting.

2: what was your 1st machine you can remember using (doesn't have to be the 1st you bought).

3: Most silver coins in one day of detecting (and if you're as old as I am or older and been detecting as long or longer) you'll remember the days when you could swing a $49.95 detector and find 30 to 40 silver coins at a park/school in one day with no problem, finding most coins at 1 to 2 inches (and do it time and time again)!

I'll start (and I know there's some who are older and been detecting longer, and this is going to reveal some ages here!)

Me = 1977 (14/15 yrs old).

One of Garrett's best for the time (Garrett A.D.S Metal Detector) it was a VLF/TR detector.

Most silver coins in one day = (and I'm working from memory here!) 15+ mercury dimes, 25+ silver roosevelt dimes, 3 st. liberty 1/4s, 7 or 8 silver washingtons, 2 walking lib 1/2s< never forget those!.. Found at one school and a HUGE park that was used since before the civil war..

Soon afterwards (early/mid 80s) these kind of finds in 1 day or even one week or even one month became a thing of the past and, it's only gotten worse since then. Now, you're lucky to find this in one to 2 yrs or more, searching dozens of parks, schools, etc. etc..

 

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[TOWcritter]

Re: Pole - How long have you been detecting?

A little over 6 weeks.
Whites MXT
I've got the bug really, really bad.
No silver yet, just a bunch of clad.
Still getting used to the machine.

 

[zommbee]

Re: Pole - How long have you been detecting?

My first detector was a Heathkit GD-1250 TR VLF.? My brother built it, but lost interest
so gave it to me (I was 12).? I found TONS of coins with it at virgin parks back then
(God, my holes must have been a sight!!)? Probably found a ton of silver, but had no
idea what the difference was - I know I bought a lot of candy that summer with
change! That was in 1973

Next was my venerable Whites 4000d that I found at a garage sale for $75 with
an extra coil and battery pack.? VERY cool machine, and I used it throughout the
1990s with pretty good success.

Just received my XLT and LOVE IT!!!!!? No sliver yet - West Coast, new areas,
all that... but I hope to change my luck soon?

Dave
Zommbee

 

[thompy]

Re: Pole - How long have you been detecting?

ive been detecting about a year, started about 1980 when my dad also built a heathkit, i think the only thing it was good for was pulltabs, but it spiked my intrests all these years, finally got into it last year. just ordered my fourth machine in the last year the qxt. sold the rest, wish i could of held onto the classic III though. my wife isn't real understanding of the need for more than one unit. dont figure

 

[greenswinger]

Re: Pole - How long have you been detecting?

seven months have found lots of clad $12.80 from in front of snow cone stand ! very few silver. 5 watches....junk 8 rings 1 gold with 3 stones....1 silver necklace lots of keys and lots of what is it , have garrett gtax 750 do not not see a lot of posts about this particular md . Too much rain right now . have yet to see another person with md ! so far , everywhere i go ..have it to myself .

 

[stoney56]

Re: Pole - How long have you been detecting?

1) Late 70's
2) Garrett Groundhog and Fisher 550
3) Small handful-don't remember the denomination. Was mainly dimes at football field concession area.

 

[spotz]

Re: Pole - How long have you been detecting?

A little over two years. My dad got me interested in the early 60's but never had my own machine until two years ago last July. Whites QXT first machine. DFX now! Have found some relics, a lot of clad & a handful of silver. Oldest silver in the 30's. Some gold jewlery, rings, etc but no gold coins. Spotz

 

[Jim Cal]

Re: Pole - How long have you been detecting?

1. Late 60's
2. Garrett BFO
3. 2 Diamond rings found at a lakeside swimming beach when the water was very low

I now hunt with a DFX but have owned pretty much every type of detector over the years.

 

[dave-enc]

Re: Pole - How long have you been detecting?

1. 32 years

2. Bounty Hunter III

3. 12 Silver coins in side yard of school

hh

 

[slow sweeper]

Used a friends Bounty hunter, I think it was a bounty hunter, in '72 or '73. Then he upgraded to a White's. Had a blue box. Don't know the model. Used it a few times. l Didn't buy one until 1984. Some plastic piece of garbage. Almost immediatly upgraded to a Whites 5900Di Pro SL. Loved it!!! Then moved to Seattle and it got stolen. Could only afford a Whites Coinmaster Classic III. That's the one I'm still using. Was going to upgrade to a IDX Pro but decided to save a little longer for the MXT.
First silver was actually with the plastic Damark, Dymark? mail order machine. Most silver was with the 5900. Two quarters, two dimes. From late 50's and early 60's.
An MXT, an MXT, My kingdom for an MXT.

 

[Monty]

My dad let me play with his Radio Shack detector he bought for about $40.00 back in the late 50's. I found a few coins as a teenager and never forgot the fun I had. Asked Santa for a detector this past Christmas and wound up with a BH Land Ranger. Have been at it for about a month and am having a ball. Still learning my machine and find mostly clad so far. Joined a local detecting club last week and hope to meet some pros willing to work with a novice and improve my skills. Right now my eyes are wide with wonder and everything that lights up my machine is a treasure to me!

 

[spotz]

How long have I been detecting? I just got back from lunch at my in-laws place. They pointed out to me that they bought it three & a half years ago & I started out with my QXT there when they bought it. Guess my dead brain doesn't keep good records of time. I guess I have three & a half years experience. Obviously not all successful. The first two years were with the QXT & the last year & a half with the DFX. Spotz

 

[bigrig40]

been huntin for about 2and a 1/2 years
pioneer505
last year during road costruction at our fairgrounds here found about 4 mercs 2 s quarters 15 rosies.

bigrig

 

[Darod]

1. 2 months
2. Fisher 1280X,....I've already upgraded to the Fisher CZ-20 and I also picked up a Garrett Ace 250 for my sons which I intend to try out of course

3. Never found a silver coin yet, still looking

Rod

 

[whiskers]

I bought my first detector, a World War II mine detector, in 1959, and right away drove some 150 miles to the Gold Rush country, all excited. I remember three things about the trip.

1 - The mine detector was a big loop job with a huge battery pack that weighed plenty. To carry it on your back you had to climb into a special harness. Anyway, some place or other I got an enormous indication, so I spent time removing the harness, carefully setting the set down and getting my Army folding shovel out of it's case and opening it up. Then I stuck the shovel in the ground - or rather, in a 2 foot by 3 foot piece of sheet metal lying on top of the ground just under a layer of dead grass. I didn't bring it home with me.

2 - One night I splurged and plunked down $3.00 [sic] for a room for the night in a decent little inn. But three bucks was three bucks and I only stayed that one night as a special treat.

3 - The next night, after dark, I drove down a secluded dirt road to the end, where I parked and went to sleep in the back seat, my Shooting Iron by my side. The next morning I found I had spent the night parked at the end of the runway at the local airport.

And I'm no smarter today.

Thanks for bringing up the memories.

-Jim Lyons

 

[slow sweeper]

Whiskers, that's just plain funny!!!

 

[whiskers]

Slow Sweeper - I was hoping it would be more funny than stupid. Here's one I posted last night to the "Do You Set Goals?" thread. Hopefully it too is more funny than stupid, though it might be closer to the line: "Goal #2 - Not to run my pick through the top of my shoe.? (I did that once about 35 years ago, sitting in a hole chopping away at a dirt wall.? There was a rock in that dirt wall and the pick glanced off the rock and went right through the top of my shoe and between my toes.? I had a couple of sore toes for a few days but at least I didn't lose one.? My "keeper" for that day was a shoe with a hole in it.? Still have it.)"

-Jim Lyons

 

[slow sweeper]

I bet you ran with scissors when you were a kid too.

 

[Beach_hunter]

First metal detecting was in 1969. My first detector was a Compass BFO. It had two dials and no meter, but worked great. You needed to get used to the continuous growl from the speaker.

No one was detecting back then so the pickings were good. My uncle and I worked as a team searching old rough rider camp sites. Teddy and his troops trained in Tampa before leaving for Cuba. The camp sites in Port Tampa were virgin turf. We donated many of our finds to the Hillsborough County Historical Society.

Now back in the hobby using a White's Prizm IV and Surf PI. Making lots of new friends and having a great time.

 

[treasurekidd]

Been detecting a whole 6 months, only 3 of which I have been able to actually detect before winter set it. I have a BH Pioneer 101, and although it works just fine, I upgraded to a Garrett ACE250, which I just ordered today! Now all I need is some detecting weather, and I'm off the the silver and gold, and clad, and relics, and rusty nails, pulltabs, etc, lol! HH ALL!