Metal detecting is a perfect hobby for those willing to discover old artifacts, or for those who prefer simply being outdoors and always ending the day knowing something new. It offers you exercise, history, and the thrill of hunting for something totally unexpected. This whole guide is designed to provide you knowledge needed to commence a treasure hunt and know your tools.
The metal detector is the primary significant treasure hunting tool among the numerous others out there. Contemporary detectors appear sophisticated with their various knobs and dials, but if you understand the fundamentals then you can get started confidently. First of all, consider your detector as your friend conversing with you; it informs you about what is on the ground.
The Basic Metal Detector
Your detector has a search coil that sends signals into the ground and listens for replies from metal objects. Different types of metal react in different ways, which helps your detector tell targets apart. Most modern detectors have a screen that helps explain these signals, but experienced hunters usually pay more attention to sound than to what they see.
Essential Accessories
You can begin with just a detector, but some accessories can greatly help you find more items.
Headphones do not only serve for utility but additionally are very conducive if you want to catch very low sounds that speakers might not render you, letting your detector’s battery last for some extra hours. Choose a comfortable pair that allows you to remain alert to your surroundings.
A good digging tool or trowel is essential for retrieving finds. For parks and fields, you may prefer a specially designed metal-detecting tool with which you can cut neat, replaceable plugs. Beachcombers may prefer a sand scoop so that they can retrieve finds more speedily.
While not a critical necessity for beginners, a pinpointer can save much time locating targets inside your dig hole. Think of it as a miniature metal detector that can help fine-tune the exact location of your find.
Mastering the Basics
Critical Detector Settings
Success in metal detecting often comes down to understanding and properly adjusting three key settings:
Sensitivity is the degree to which your detector can locate targets, but higher settings might not always be the best. Set to around 70% of max power. In urban environments, full sensitivity will usually lead to false signals from power lines, WiFi signals, and so on.
Discrimination enables you to filter out the things you don’t want. On the first several hunts, set the discrimination level just below the dime. This really helps to eliminate common junk like iron and aluminum foil while still finding the valuables. Remember that, in getting the hang of basic hunting, you’ll want to bring down your discrimination to not miss these valuable finds—because, after all, gold rings often show up in the same range as pull tabs.
Ground balance enables your detector to cancel the effects of minerals naturally found in the ground. Detectors have either pre-set ground balance or can be tuned by your self. If your detector has a manual ground balance, be sure to set it—failure to do so will handicap the effectiveness of your detection and cause false signals.
Technique
All metal detecting success relies on good technique and patience. You have to keep the search coil level with the ground and just above it. If you lift it while swinging, you are going to receive false signals. Move slowly, overlapping each swing by about 30% to cover the area fully.
When you receive a signal, don’t dig immediately. Instead, scan the target from various angles to locate its specific position. A good signal should be apparent from every direction.
Selecting and Researching Locations
The top detectorists know that the location is crucial. Some of the optimum locations to search are:
- Parks, especially the ones that have a lot of big old trees where people have been meeting for many years. Look at the places near benches, picnic tables, and playgrounds.
- Beaches can be really good, for things near swimming spots and entrances. The sand is always changing, so new items are often found, and usually the lost things are collected in tidal pools.
- Historic sites can have great discoveries, but they will require research and the proper permissions. The historic section of your local library can be full of information on old meeting places, past fairgrounds, and long-lost homesteads.
Field Practices and Ethics
The future of metal detecting is in doing right. Always get permission before detecting private property, and research local rules on public land. Some places like government land and archaeological sites are not allowed for detecting.
Make clean plugs when you dig so they will go back without hurting the grass. Put any loose dirt on a ground cloth and after you get what you want put all the dirt back and step on the plug. Also always pick up any trash – the better relationship you have with a property owner the more access you usually get.
Building Experience
Before you head out in search of actual treasure, consider creating a “test garden” in your backyard. Bury different kinds of metal objects at different depths, then practice finding them. The practice is in this safe space, which gives you a feel for how your detector reacts to diverse targets.
Remember that coins which have been in the ground for some months or several years often send stronger signals than new coins just buried. This is due to something called the “halo effect”. Most metals, with the exception of pure gold, will change in the ground through time making a larger target for your detector to find.
Remember, it is as much about the experience as in the treasures that you take back. Do not feel bad if during a few of your first trips you have more bottle caps than silver dollars. Every great detectorist started just like you, learning one signal at a time. Take note of improvements in your technique and getting to know your detector—learning those small differences between “good” and “trash” signals.
If you are patient, practice often, and keep trying, chances are you’ll find things others have not. Consider joining a local metal detecting club to learn from the experienced hunters and share your finds. Most of the metal detecting community is friendly with newcomers in this hobby who are willing to learn and detect responsibly. So, get out there and unleash the seeker of history in you: it is just beneath the surface.
