Haha, yeah that Micronta seemed like a raw deal. Thanks for all the help guys! I'm trying to play around with it and get to know it but...it detects the tile on the floor of my apartment? Is that possible? Or is there maybe a giant metal sheet underneath my entire floor? Doesn't matter how I set the discrimination, unless I set it ridiculously high. It doesn't do this anywhere else, just the ground in my apartment.
There are nails in your floor, your walls and pretty much everywhere indoors, not to mention wires, pipes, etc.
Take it outside. If you haven't read the manual yet you need to. I'm sure you can download it online easily. READ the manual and do whatever air tests it may tell you so you learn how the machine responds to different targets. Once you have a basic understanding you'll be digging targets in no time.
This is a great hobby and to be honest, extremely addicting once you start digging up some cool stuff. Good luck and if you have any questions, you've definitely come to the right place. There is a wealth of information on this site. When I started two years ago I knew NOTHING. What I've learned here would have taken a very long time by trial and error and everyone here has always been more than helpful answering my "dumb" questions; not to mention patient.
I hope you have some beginner's luck and hit something really cool on your first hunt. It happens. I dug a 10K band in the first hour of my first hunt (with my first "real" detector after ditching the Micronta) and I've been hooked ever since. Had I not dug that ring I would have still been hooked because this is such a cool hobby. The clad alone that I dug up would have paid off the 30 bucks I spent on my detector in no time.
I also found gold and silver jewelry as well as multiple silver coins with that 30 dollar machine. It wasn't the best detector in the world by a long shot but it was mine and it detected metal. That's all that's required to get started.
I also realized that there is literally treasure of some kind almost everywhere. When I say "treasure" it may just be modern clad coins or some kind of cool old relics but they all add up. You can also convert those modern coins to silver coins (or even gold if you find enough) by saving them up and spending them on collectible coins that you like (or whatever else). And once you dig up a nice piece of silver or gold jewelry you're gonna love it.
There's just something about freeing and old hidden object and bringing it back out into the light; especially when you find something that's been buried for a century or two. It's like it's been there waiting for you to come along and pick it up.
But you just need to get out and practice, practice practice and you'll find that you know what that machine is telling you in no time. And remember, the more you dig the "luckier" you'll get. If you're digging lots of trash (which you WILL because there's way more trash than treasure in the ground) don't sweat it for a minute. It's just part of the hobby and sometimes that "trash" is gold or some other treasure. Sooner or later there's always another surprise. Oh and remember, location is everything. Choose your sites wisely and you'll do well in the long run. You can start in your own back yard and go from there.
And again, I'm REALLY glad you didn't buy that Micronta. It could have soured you on the hobby before you even got started.
Good luck out there and HH...
