What is your top detecting Tip? Checklist

[earthmansurfer]

Hello all,

Curious what your top tip would be. I envision this thread as a sort of checklist, but not quite. If you have what you think is a good tip or two, then put it in here. Ok, here goes, preceding technique...

MINDSET - I have found that the better and more positive my mindset the better I hunt, the more intuitive I am to know where to hunt, the better I listen and focus, etc. Now, we can't always have the best of mindsets and sometimes we detect to get away from things but we clearly can still affect it. Just drinking a coffee seems to pick me up mentally. :interesting: Planning the night before sort of pumps me up. :sleepy: ehehe You get the point.

FOCUS - This relates to Mindset. When I am swinging I listen and hunt better if my mind is focused or at least just open and relaxed as opposed to thinking of a problem, Hey, is that a cop?, something else, etc. If you are 100% with what you are doing, very little is going to pass you by. But if you are only partially there, well then that speaks for itself. We can't expect the machine to do all the work. So, imagine you are a surgeon as a lot is riding on you! :stretcher:

EMS

[Full Metal Digger]

Welcome to the forum

[CyberSage]

Hey EMS!
Great to see you posting on American Detectorist. Thanks for checking us out. I look forward to your post. OK, now to the question at hand. A few things that make for a good hunt...

Research - Know the history of the area your hunting. An old picture of the park is worth more than a thousand words, it's worth some Silver as well! Talk with the old timers in the area. Visit the local museums and history archives. Look at your surroundings as you hunt, and use your imagination.

Time - Try and plan for adequate hunting time for a given area. Move deliberately and at a slow pace. Don't hurry your hunts. Focus on small areas instead of the whole site. Go back and hunt instead of trying to cover to much ground. It's quality of time, not quantity that makes for good finds.

Jack

[Fire Fighter 43]

Research, research,research I always have plan before I leave the house which means good research. I make sure it is a site that has potential for old coins and I have my permission granted before I leave to hunt. That way my time is spent hunting and not driving around looking for a site and then winding up in a park somewhere digging clad. I would rather dig one quality find during a hunt than a pile of clad.

[Epi-hunter]

MINDSET - .... is absolutely everything.

My state of mind is everything. I need to be challenged. I love detecting with someone who challenges me. No matter how hard I try when on my own... when I am with someone who challenges me, I will go the extra mile for better results.

FOCUS - Like you said, it involves being able to focus AWAY from someone bothering you. That means you need permission to be at the site, reassurance of such, and being comfortable of that on your own. I like private sites (in public areas) and I can be in a better state of mind when I am not having to worry about others' thoughts.

That is hard to accomplish in public parks, where I do most of my detecting.

[Dimeman]

The most important thing in metal detecting is

[size=1:crazy:t]KNOW YOUR DETECTOR

Learn the controls of your detector and what they do. Learn to adjust ( if the controls are adjustable) the controls to the different ground conditions and type of area ( trashy or iron items all over or beach...etc...) Learn the ID/VDI ( if your detector has those) and the sounds your detector makes on different targets. Learning how to search in loads of trash areas, on the beach, in and around tight quarters-------Knowing how to operate your detector at its maximum potential in many different settings will have your finds increase no matter where you are searching.

Research, Mindset, Focus and Time are important...but without excellent knowledge of how to maximize your detectors operations, in any situation, you will be missing targets.

[anotherpulltap]

The most important thing is have fun.

[Moxie]

Dig anything that makes a sound close to what your hunting I have found silver next to nails with my Excalibur II that sounded like a small blip.

[Relicminer]

Great tips for all of us newbies!! |:confused:)

[starman2]

This is my first full season detecting. I think one thing I have learned is. You can't hunt good, if you are tired. I get to the point. Where my arm doesn't even want to swing the coil anymore. If you get tired. Stop for a while and take a break. Have a drink, or a snack. Let your body rest. Figure out your next stratagy. Then go at it again! At the end of the day. You'll be glad that you rested.

[milco]

Research, research.....Know your machine, focus & patience,.....oh, and did I mention research!

[two_bit_digger]

The most important thing is have fun.


so true!!! |:cheering:



Have the desire to learn, the patience and willingness to dig a lot of worthless trash for every one good find, and understand that you could go home empty handed after a long day of MDing.

[Jason in Enid]

research - know your targets and go to where they should be
permission - public grounds can give up a few targets, but you need to be on private property to find the goods!
know your detector - if you don't understand it WELL, you will only dig the shallow, easy things.

[JTGOLD]

RESEARCH ::::: KNOW WHAT YOUR DETECTOR IS TELLING YOU :::: AND DOUBLE CHECK YOUR HOLES .....

[RaZR]

Take a wet washcloth in a ziplock bag to clean off your hands when you're done.
Also take along a small squirt or spray bottle of water to clean off the silver coins so you can tell what you have without scratching them. And most important......
JUST GET OUT MORE OFTEN!!!!!!!!

[Zip Zip]

#1 Coil getting too heavy? shorten the rod a notch,it makes a difference.
#2 if possible,put all of your detecting stuff in a back pack.so when you leave home,you haven't forgotten anything. (Us old farts are allowed to forget stuff,,,hence the back pack LOL) .

[kurt]

Never get dejected. I have come home with zero[0] coins. Yet I am just as excited to go out the next time because I am convinced that at the bottom of the next plug I dig will be a worthwhile coin.

[Vito]

#1 - Be sure that thing is switched on!

OK. May be #2 right after Zip Zip's #2. lol

[BOWSER]

no flies on you zip zip good advice thumbsup01

[elkameno59]

Get permission 1st. And not trying to cover the entire site. Domain awareness, knowing where you are. Looking up the area in maps and old papers, Talking to the area residents and getting ideas from them. It usually is not the first time someone has asked them about where to start looking. I've had clues to where I should look talking to folks in the parking lots of stores and golf courses. Many times I look at the parks around the town central squares and ball parks. Since I don't usually have more that 2-3 hours for a hunt I draw a map and go back several times to make sure I didn't miss much. Sometimes I get the idea that a area has been hunted many many times - I don't really care ! These areas are still hiding something for me.... I was at a old park near a old bandstand and two other MD'ers were right there in the same park. One of them told me that this place is empty I shrugged my head and proceeded to pull out a 1922 Peace dollar right in the same path he just got done searching. (thanks ace 350) - and most important of all NEVER give up....... :yes:

[CODY]

As others have said, know your machine. &quot:beerbuddy:ecome one with your machine, and the force will be with you!

Above All...... Have Fun

[steve in so az]

If you are looking for gold jewelry - go where they wear it the most. And this is not the rich people's area. Steve in so az

[CyberSage]

&quot:beerbuddy:ecome one with your machine, and the force will be with you!


[attachimg=1]

Yes, The force is strong with this one.


Give yourself the best opportunity to find the gold. Use the right equipment, in the right places.

[Cheap Thrills]

Always be aware of what's going on in your surroundings .

[earthmansurfer]

Headphones - It's getting hot here and I often hunt with my headphones off when people aren't around. Boy do the speakers miss the nuances and cheap headphones (I've had) are nothing like a good pair of headphones. Some hit the highs better in my experience (like Gray Ghosts - nice for E-Tracs/FBS machines imo) and some hit the low conductors better (here in Europe Chef Phones seem so).

Pinpointer - Not an advertisement, but if you haven't tried a Garrett Pro Pointer you are missing out. They really increase the speed of retrieval and perhaps more importantly can make it such that you don't scratch the coin!

Trash Bag - I put all my trash in a free bag I got from kellyco years ago. It has a mesh bottom and goes for 20ish bucks. Have to say I've stuck with it. Coins go in my pocket and things more worthy in my wallet or somewhere else.

Digging Tool - I've used a few and the Lesche thus far is the best. I put a bicycle grip on the handle after taking off the old one and it is much more grippy now. They DO NOT BREAK. If you can use a shovel I have found that narrower ones (like 5 cut the soil easier - nice on dry days). To keep the grass from dying (at least when things are drier) it seems that 3 sided plugs folded over are best (not completely removed) Having some roots still attached seems to help in recovery. Also, deep plugs with shovels, again, if allowed, seem to recovery best, due to the roots going down deeper I guess.

Albert

[freemindstuck]

Hi,

1. When looking for a ghost house, try to find a high point and study the topography of the land. Even when there are no foundation stones sometimes there is an artificial flat spot where the yard was, and look for concave holes where wells or root cellars were.

2. Often the only clues to a ghost house are the perrenial plants that they planted. Like Rhubarb, Hosta, Flax, Day Lilies, and Peonies, at least in the Midwest. Usually in Iowa at least, they would plant White Pine on the north sides of their houses. This is always a give away because it is not a native tree.

It amazes me that the only thing left, at least above ground, of our houses in the centuries to come may be the plants we planted in our yards. It just goes to show that the things we build do not last, yet Gods creations, or natures creations, depending on your belief system, are much more permanent. It kinda of puts a different spin on gardening.

Good luck!
Adrian

[CyberSage]

Hi,

1. When looking for a ghost house, try to find a high point and study the topography of the land. Even when there are no foundation stones sometimes there is an artificial flat spot where the yard was, and look for concave holes where wells or root cellars were.


Great tip! You should also hunt the high point as well. It is very likely that the folks who used to live at the location spent time at the high point looking over their spread. Maybe a picnic or two happened at that location.

[Lowjiber]

I once lived in the mountains of northern California...giant redwood forests and everything else.


Many of the cellar holes (old homesites) up in the mountains were seemingly impossible to find. Then I stumbled across the old Easter Lilly Trick.


Often Easter Lilies were planted around old homesites. While the home and everything else may be gone, the lilies shine like diamonds against the darkness of a forest floor. They bloom every spring and have helped me a lot.

[CyberSage]

Very interesting technique. It's the same with Lilac Bushes here in Colorado. They were often planted around outhouses.

[ssserena]

was the peace dollar hiddin with a lot of nails surrounding it?

[freemindstuck]

Often Easter Lilies were planted around old homesites. While the home and everything else may be gone, the lilies shine like diamonds against the darkness of a forest floor. They bloom every spring and have helped me a lot.


Very picturesque prose and a good tip if you live out in California. Thanks



Very interesting technique. It's the same with Lilac Bushes here in Colorado. They were often planted around outhouses.


Yes this is the same idea, and seemingly practical use of Lilacs. lol

[elkameno59]

Everything everyone else said plus: adjust your machine so you are not stooped over and bent at the neck. This will give you a sore neck, back, shoulders very quickly and you'll have a lousy time. Posture is very important for us old dudes ( and those who want to be old someday ) -- I've taken my machine inside Macy's to look in a mirror to see how I'm standing - What I thought was good posture walking was not so correct so I drilled out my machine pole and adjusted it about a inch for better positioning I'd say right in between settings - . Just my tip.. :yes:

[Mort]

Ground balance

[foiler]

Patients.

[kickit]

These are all great tips and I agree with each of you...but to me the most important thing is to know your machine, plant a coin garden or go to a local park and practice listening to those tones over and over. Once you think you are comfortable a good practice is to start calling every find before you dig. I have had very good detectors but didn't take the time to actually learn them before hunting and ended up being discouraged so I'm sure others have done the same.

[Pona]

One thing I never go detecting without is a little note pad and pen....Lots of times when i'm detecting I see people out walking dogs and people just out for a walk, Its human nature for curiosity to get the better of most of them and invariably they will come across and ask if I've found anything??
I always make a point of showing them what I have found and during the conversation I ask them if they know any of the local land owners, most of them being local do, so I ask them for the farmers/landowners names and also what their names are. When I visit the farmer/landowner to ask permission I then add I have been talking to/know Mr whoever and I find this goes a long way in gaining the farmer/landowners trust :)
Not sure how relevant this is to any of you but i have gained most of my permissions in this way :)

[Tony Two-Cent]

One thing I never go detecting without is a little note pad and pen....Lots of times when i'm detecting I see people out walking dogs and people just out for a walk, Its human nature for curiosity to get the better of most of them and invariably they will come across and ask if I've found anything??
I always make a point of showing them what I have found and during the conversation I ask them if they know any of the local land owners, most of them being local do, so I ask them for the farmers/landowners names and also what their names are. When I visit the farmer/landowner to ask permission I then add I have been talking to/know Mr whoever and I find this goes a long way in gaining the farmer/landowners trust :)
Not sure how relevant this is to any of you but i have gained most of my permissions in this way :)


This is a great tip! Thanks for sharing! :yes:

[swamp yankee]

Hello all,

Curious what your top tip would be. I envision this thread as a sort of checklist, but not quite. If you have what you think is a good tip or two, then put it in here. Ok, here goes, preceding technique...

MINDSET - I have found that the better and more positive my mindset the better I hunt, the more intuitive I am to know where to hunt, the better I listen and focus, etc. Now, we can't always have the best of mindsets and sometimes we detect to get away from things but we clearly can still affect it. Just drinking a coffee seems to pick me up mentally. :interesting: Planning the night before sort of pumps me up. :sleepy: ehehe You get the point.

FOCUS - This relates to Mindset. When I am swinging I listen and hunt better if my mind is focused or at least just open and relaxed as opposed to thinking of a problem, Hey, is that a cop?, something else, etc. If you are 100% with what you are doing, very little is going to pass you by. But if you are only partially there, well then that speaks for itself. We can't expect the machine to do all the work. So, imagine you are a surgeon as a lot is riding on you! :stretcher:
EMS


To all fellow detectorists, Bring a small plastic wide mouth bottle w/ distilled water in it (about half full) to drop the goods in to keep from scratching them by wiping to see the date.I cringe seeing people sandpapering nice old goodies to see the date.

[Pona]

Good call Swamp Yankee, I have a small spray bottle with diluted water in it which i use to remove some of the dirt on site...enough to hopefully id the coin.

I cringe seeing people sandpapering nice old goodies to see the date.
lol yep same here, I see it loads of times and it kills me to watch someone do it lol Another one is when someone comes up to you to ask you want you think the coin is and they remove the contents of their days searching from their pockets and and somewhere in between all the scrap metal and other bits and pieces is the coin they want you to look at..its been sat in the ground for hundreds of years going about its own business only for someone to try and destroy it getting brushed up against bits of scrap bronze etc in their pocket or finds pouch. :hairpulling:
So i also keep a load of small self seal bags so they can keep it in a better enviroment...I'm sure some of my mates do this on purpose because they all know how much its gets to me :cheesysmile: :cheesysmile: :cheesysmile:

[chief5709]

Take off your steel toe shoes when detecting at lunch or right after work. >:{

[Dick Stout]

While I have changed my methods because of age, I think you need to:

1. Determine what it is you are after, and the best way to find it.
2. Learn your detector, it's features, , it's audio signals, it's readouts and it's nuances.
3. ONLY search those sites that offer what it is you are looking for.
4. If you are detecting a very old site dig ALL marginal signals (questionable ones).
5. Don't give up on a site that you have researched well just because your first search was not all that profitable.

[del]

While I have changed my methods because of age, I think you need to:

1. Determine what it is you are after, and the best way to find it.
2. Learn your detector, it's features, , it's audio signals, it's readouts and it's nuances.
3. ONLY search those sites that offer what it is you are looking for.
4. If you are detecting a very old site dig ALL marginal signals (questionable ones).
5. Don't give up on a site that you have researched well just because your first search was not all that profitable.


those are great tips Dick , those of us that have some years into this hobby can agree to those keys of success.

[lcoutback]

I hope everyone new to this hobby (and those who aren't) read each and every line of this thread. :interesting:

Great information... :yes: Thanks to all for your insight, now maybe this ol' relic will have better success finding relics! |:cheering:

[ChrisinCT]

When I hunt old parks, I try to envision what it looked like back then and ask myself if I was here back then and nature called where would I go?

Ill look for an old tree or someplace from public view.

I also look for trees that have grown more sideway than straight up.
This could indicate that someone had bent and sat on it when it was a sapling.

I haven't found my dream silver spill as of yet but I have found a couple Mercs and wheats this way.

[Willems]

Never wear shoe's with the steel nose.
Put your ring off your finger.
And never give up.

[Caretaker]

an old timer told me this years ago and Bill Revis told me it too, SLOW DOWN

[Cheap Thrills]

I would agree with go slow and overlap your sweeps . I think the most important one today though is to be aware of your surroundings and whatever hazards may be around .

[Full Metal Digger]

I'm sticking with my original input: Always know where the nearest bathroom is! (seriously) Ask anyone who detects with me and they will confirm that! LOL.

[Cheap Thrills]

I'm sticking with my original input: Always know where the nearest bathroom is! (seriously) Ask anyone who detects with me and they will confirm that! LOL.

Wow , if Daddy Digger hadn't made his comment about sticking to his original input I wouldn't have realized this was an old thread that I had previously commented on over 5 1/2 years ago . Seems I was a bit concerned about my surroundings back then too . Since then a few of my old places have been the scenes of beatings , muggings and even a few murders .
I no longer hunt these places being old age and a worn out body has forced me to know my limitations (as Dirty Harry would say ).I agree with Daddy Digger on the fact that one not being able to relieve themselves comprises cruel and unusual punishment . It's happened more than once , that when I was about to water the plants that I had to keep the floodgates closed because of women or children unexpectedly showing up on the scene, such is life , Merry Christmas all .

[Ken C]

So, my best tip to have a "successful" hunt would be to define what you want to accomplish on your hunt before you go.

Things that go into defining my goals are:
- time I have to detect
- what I'm tying to find
- where I am detecting

Examples:
- is it a short hunt in a park? If so, I will normally just dig high tones to maximize my chance to finding a coin.
- is it a long hunt on an old 1700s/1800s farm field? If so, I would dig everything. I've spent 8+ hours on fields before and have dug amazing coins or military buttons that had really iffy signals or odd VDIs.

[mylastnerve.rw]

Hello all,

Curious what your top tip would be. I envision this thread as a sort of checklist, but not quite. If you have what you think is a good tip or two, then put it in here. Ok, here goes, preceding technique...

MINDSET - I have found that the better and more positive my mindset the better I hunt, the more intuitive I am to know where to hunt, the better I listen and focus, etc. Now, we can't always have the best of mindsets and sometimes we detect to get away from things but we clearly can still affect it. Just drinking a coffee seems to pick me up mentally. :interesting: Planning the night before sort of pumps me up. :sleepy: ehehe You get the point.

FOCUS - This relates to Mindset. When I am swinging I listen and hunt better if my mind is focused or at least just open and relaxed as opposed to thinking of a problem, Hey, is that a cop?, something else, etc. If you are 100% with what you are doing, very little is going to pass you by. But if you are only partially there, well then that speaks for itself. We can't expect the machine to do all the work. So, imagine you are a surgeon as a lot is riding on you! :stretcher:

EMSI find that having an extra metal detector around is a plus instead of selling it so if you have a family member or friend visiting they can accompany you on your venture and it just makes it more fun when there's someone else around to share in the excitement when you find a new little treasure!

Sent from my SM-J737A using Tapatalk

[mylastnerve.rw]

Good call Swamp Yankee, I have a small spray bottle with diluted water in it which i use to remove some of the dirt on site...enough to hopefully id the coin.

I cringe seeing people sandpapering nice old goodies to see the date.
lol yep same here, I see it loads of times and it kills me to watch someone do it lol Another one is when someone comes up to you to ask you want you think the coin is and they remove the contents of their days searching from their pockets and and somewhere in between all the scrap metal and other bits and pieces is the coin they want you to look at..its been sat in the ground for hundreds of years going about its own business only for someone to try and destroy it getting brushed up against bits of scrap bronze etc in their pocket or finds pouch. :hairpulling:
So i also keep a load of small self seal bags so they can keep it in a better enviroment...I'm sure some of my mates do this on purpose because they all know how much its gets to me :cheesysmile: :cheesysmile: :cheesysmile:It's hard to imagine they just being in the same bag with other trinkets can harm anything in just a few minutes of carrying them. I guess I don't understand it's not like you're scrubbing them with coarse steel wool?

Sent from my SM-J737A using Tapatalk

[mylastnerve.rw]

I hope everyone new to this hobby (and those who aren't) read each and every line of this thread. :interesting:

Great information... :yes: Thanks to all for your insight, now maybe this ol' relic will have better success finding relics! |:cheering:Not everyone has an extra metal detector however some people do when their spouse accompanies them or they've upgraded and just haven't sold their old one. I recommend hanging on to it and taking your buddies with you when they're visiting. Sure they may not know as much as you and it's a lot more fun when you find something wonderful to holler out hey come over here and look what I found! Instead of being all alone.

Sent from my SM-J737A using Tapatalk

[BOWSER]

Ask around before buying large coils, they end up wearing your arm out after a very short time,always have a back up detector that runs batteries. If you are digging a hole with a digging tool dig 4 inches the first time and always check the sides of the hole