Myownwings
08-04-2010, 09:15 PM
How I got started in Metal Detecting:
I was at a flyin in West Virginia in 2003. (I fly Powered Paragliders). During the afternoon it was too windy to fly and a pilot friend of mine from Virginia, said Heh, wanna go Metal Detecting for some Civil War stuff? I said sure. Well, after humping up and down mountains we came to a spot I would never, ever suspect was a site. He had researched the area and he was right on the money. He detected and I dug, then I detected and he dug. We both ended up with a bunch of bullets, buttons and buckles. He had a Whites XLT. When I got back home to PA, I did some research and purchased a DFX, Lesche digging tool, Jeff's book and a 120 mm pinpointer. I hit the school adjacent to my development and got a ton of clad using the stock programs. Well, I kept getting promoted at work and I was soon traveling around the US, Canada, and the UK at least 60% of the time. Metal Detecting was completely forgotten and my DFX sat for 6 years. My company got bought out by some investment bankers and I ended up with a extremely generous severance package, providing I agree to take no job in my field for one year. Well, that was great for a while but I soon was going crazy with all the free time. Then, around May, I stumbled across my old DFX...and thought, cool, I'll get back into that. I first had to buy a replacement battery pack (corrosion from leaving the AAA batteries in for 6 years), but it gave me time to do some research. I knew an old church and grove near my home and located the woman who could give me permission. She was great and I was off detecting once I got the new battery pack from Whites. Very first day I found a 1892 Silver Barber Quarter, and about 6 mercury dimes, a bunch of pennies and clad quarters, dimes and nickels. I don't believe I had ever seen a Barber Quarter or a Mercury dime. I thought they were absolutely beautiful and had so much more character than our current coinage. Then I decided I would hunt for even older stuff so I went to one of the oldest areas in my area.
I figured the road between two really old towns would be a good place so I started detecting along the sides of the road. Then some guy pulls up alongside me and asks me what I'm doing. I tell him I'm searching for old coins and he laughs and says I live in that house right over this hill and it was built in 1776. If you can find my wife's grandmother's wedding ring that she lost 35 years ago you can hunt my place anytime you want and I'll buy you a beer to boot. I said sure and followed him to his home. Well, I became obscessed with finding this ring, but the ground was full of iron and I soon realized just how tough this was going to be. I bought a 6x10dd and a bullesye 5.3 to help me. After six weeks of on and off hunting I found the ring. The entire family was over the top happy, and so was I. They were so happy they gave me a lead to a mansion built in 1802 and it was less than 1/3 mile from my house. They personally knew the owner and introduced me. Well, this fantastic new site has been nothing but a source of frustration for me. Tons of iron and very high emi problems. Anyway, that's my story and my current situation. I know I found a Cybersage program on another site and loaded into my DFX and it truly is quiet and a pleasure to use when I get to a new place. When I found out that he was a key member of this forum, I immediately joined.
I was at a flyin in West Virginia in 2003. (I fly Powered Paragliders). During the afternoon it was too windy to fly and a pilot friend of mine from Virginia, said Heh, wanna go Metal Detecting for some Civil War stuff? I said sure. Well, after humping up and down mountains we came to a spot I would never, ever suspect was a site. He had researched the area and he was right on the money. He detected and I dug, then I detected and he dug. We both ended up with a bunch of bullets, buttons and buckles. He had a Whites XLT. When I got back home to PA, I did some research and purchased a DFX, Lesche digging tool, Jeff's book and a 120 mm pinpointer. I hit the school adjacent to my development and got a ton of clad using the stock programs. Well, I kept getting promoted at work and I was soon traveling around the US, Canada, and the UK at least 60% of the time. Metal Detecting was completely forgotten and my DFX sat for 6 years. My company got bought out by some investment bankers and I ended up with a extremely generous severance package, providing I agree to take no job in my field for one year. Well, that was great for a while but I soon was going crazy with all the free time. Then, around May, I stumbled across my old DFX...and thought, cool, I'll get back into that. I first had to buy a replacement battery pack (corrosion from leaving the AAA batteries in for 6 years), but it gave me time to do some research. I knew an old church and grove near my home and located the woman who could give me permission. She was great and I was off detecting once I got the new battery pack from Whites. Very first day I found a 1892 Silver Barber Quarter, and about 6 mercury dimes, a bunch of pennies and clad quarters, dimes and nickels. I don't believe I had ever seen a Barber Quarter or a Mercury dime. I thought they were absolutely beautiful and had so much more character than our current coinage. Then I decided I would hunt for even older stuff so I went to one of the oldest areas in my area.
I figured the road between two really old towns would be a good place so I started detecting along the sides of the road. Then some guy pulls up alongside me and asks me what I'm doing. I tell him I'm searching for old coins and he laughs and says I live in that house right over this hill and it was built in 1776. If you can find my wife's grandmother's wedding ring that she lost 35 years ago you can hunt my place anytime you want and I'll buy you a beer to boot. I said sure and followed him to his home. Well, I became obscessed with finding this ring, but the ground was full of iron and I soon realized just how tough this was going to be. I bought a 6x10dd and a bullesye 5.3 to help me. After six weeks of on and off hunting I found the ring. The entire family was over the top happy, and so was I. They were so happy they gave me a lead to a mansion built in 1802 and it was less than 1/3 mile from my house. They personally knew the owner and introduced me. Well, this fantastic new site has been nothing but a source of frustration for me. Tons of iron and very high emi problems. Anyway, that's my story and my current situation. I know I found a Cybersage program on another site and loaded into my DFX and it truly is quiet and a pleasure to use when I get to a new place. When I found out that he was a key member of this forum, I immediately joined.