Metal Detectors

[Elton]

About six years ago, I mentioned on here that I fancied getting a metal detector.

 

Well, as the wife and her family complain every year that they never know what to get me for Christmas*, I've decided that's what it's going to be.

 

I know a few farmers, so I'm really looking forward to getting out there.

 

I've been looking at a few different metal detectors online and think I'll see if I can get something mid-range-ish, around the £160-£180 mark. I've got some idea of the features I'd need.

 

Apart from the detector itself, what other 'essentials' are there? Would a trowel and a little bag be enough?

 

* Don't blame me. Blame Debenhams in Colchester - they had Christmas decorations out in August!

[Bobj]

About six years ago, I mentioned on here that I fancied getting a metal detector.

 

Well, as the wife and her family complain every year that they never know what to get me for Christmas*, I've decided that's what it's going to be.

 

I know a few farmers, so I'm really looking forward to getting out there.

 

I've been looking at a few different metal detectors online and think I'll see if I can get something mid-range-ish, around the £160-£180 mark. I've got some idea of the features I'd need.

 

Apart from the detector itself, what other 'essentials' are there? Would a trowel and a little bag be enough?

 

* Don't blame me. Blame Debenhams in Colchester - they had Christmas decorations out in August!

A nice story I heard many years ago: A bloke went into the hardware store in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, to buy a good metal detector. The salesman showed him a detector @ $750. Looked the goods, so he asked the salesman if he could "try" it out in the carpark at the back of the shop. The bloke switched it on, moved the 'coil' close to the ground and got a reading. They then dug a few inches and came up with a 10 oz nugget. It payed for itself in 5 minutes.

 

Suggest you take a small camping type spade for it.

[Elton]

I suggest you tell me where that shop is so that I can buy one from there

[Bobj]

I suggest you tell me where that shop is so that I can buy one from there

the hardware store in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, :P

[Elton]

Hmmm...how far's that from Mum, near Darwin?

[Guest sandpipper]

Hi elton ive got a army pick/shovel (needs new handle) your welcome to. and dont forget to put a two pence bit in your shoe so you can run the detector over it now and again so you can tell its still working ok (nothing worse than spending all day scanning a field to find you had a flat battery

[medwaygreen]

Sandpiper's army pick/shovel would be a good part of the kit, as well as a trowel get or obtain a long thin pointed tool, like a thin screwdriver with a sharp pointed end, these are great for probing the earth before you dig.

Also don't forget some bar towels and a bottle a water to wash and identify your finds on site, and just in case you unearth some great historical treasure a camera to record the scene.

Good luck its great fun, not sure how you are going to wait until Christmas.

[chesters1]

tools ,theirs specialist tools out there ,"army" shovels may be ok for some but your digging a huge hole for a small item ,a foot assisted trowel will dig in the hardest of soils.

forget ebays "professional" detectors they are just rubbish!! for a first timer i suggest a Cscope

http://www.csmetaldetectors.com/

i have always found them nicely balanced for general use between ease of use and technology ,you can get detectors several times the price which easily outclass them but in reality most finds are in the top 6" and the more serious machines are for fields already detected on in the past.

 

headphones are a must as is warm clothing ,walking slowly about swinging one arm isnt keeping you very warm.

 

the proper way to use them isnt as you see in the movies with geezers swinging them around 6" in the air you keep the coil on the ground (a coil cover is a good investment to save scratching the detector coil) and swing in an arc avoiding it coming of the ground at the end of the arc then move forward and do another slowly overlapping the first etc .a coin is a small target so is far easier to miss than hit.

 

the rest is patience and practice once you get a bit of practice in you can actually tell what some finds are before you start digging ,listening for a slight change of tone will get you more finds than a full on "beep"! enjoy.

i dod have an R1 cscopes top of the range machine but i sold it going back to my old 3300 as i could find more with it purely because i knew how it reacted in use to finds.

plus it has an armsaver so all the machinery is on a belt not on your arm

 

this is the best detector site i know of and they have second hand models so you can buy a better machine for the price of a new not so good version

http://www.metaldetectorshop.co.uk/used_detectors.htm#cscope

 

i dont favour these modern detectors with digital screens i find a flicker of a needle on a old style display is lost as the electronics react to slow to show it.

Edited September 23, 2008 by chesters1

[Paul_D]

forget ebays "professional" detectors they are just rubbish!!

 

Yep, I'll second that as one of the numpties who believed the sales pitch.

 

I've always fancied one myself since being a youngster. One day I'll take the plunge too and buy myself a decent one.

[chesters1]

i havnt found a farmer around here who welcomes detector users anymore unfortunately the museum had a huge anti detector campaign in the past (the usual lies and half truths etc) but we have plenty of verges but unfortunately having a huge army presence in the area finding bullets is not fun when its constant.

the farms i used to detect on are now empty as the farmers dont plow as its horsey country around here

 

fill your holes is the best advice and show the farmer what you find and let him have anything he wants after all its his stuff ,putting recovered bits of junk in a corner will also show him your removing stuff that could harm his machinery or stock keeping him sweet

Edited September 23, 2008 by chesters1