Metal Detecting Tips
Learn Metal Detecting Tips To Help You Find Hidden Treasures
While everyone would love to have the absolute best metal detector available on the market, most people are just getting started or don't want to have to spend so much money or are simply limited by budget. If you spend the extra cash on a machine that goes deeper than the average detector, you will have an advantage over other hunters, but if you know what you are doing - it won't really matter. How can knowledge be more valuable than a top-ranked machine? If you do the research and study the history of your local region, you will be able to locate hunting spots that others in your area have never searched, with most treasures being located just under the surface. If you take the time to practice and can learn metal detecting tips and how to tell the various signals apart, you can move on to search areas that most hunters avoid due to high levels of trash or junk.
Tip #1 - Dig Up Everything
When you are just getting started, you should learn the basics out on a beach and dig up everything you hit so you can learn the various signals. Regardless of the detector you are using, most have some type of discriminating signal that will help you to discern nails, pull tabs and other junk items from good items. If you just let the machine discriminate an object and you move along, you will miss other items at a deeper depth. Let's say your machine signals that it found a nail and instead of digging it you just move on, missing the gold ring that is underneath the nail. You really need to explore every signal. When you are just learning the ropes be careful not to start in an area that has too many signals or you'll never learn. If you practice in an area that isn't filled with junk such as a field, beach or even your own backyard, you'll be able to learn without a lot of frustration.
Tip #2 - Try "Cleaned-out" Spots
Spots that are hunted regularly or "over-hunted" even should be checked again when the ground is soaking wet after a big rain or storm. You can find items that are a lot deeper when the ground is wet as it gives off more conductivity. The ground will even shift after it thaws following a hard winter, so you might find things that didn't come up on your detector before the snow. It's always a good idea to check old sites again even if you think there's nothing there.
Tip #3 - Show Respect
If you are out hunting on the beach, be sure to cover your holes back up again so joggers or beach walkers won't trip or fall in your holes. It is a good practice to always remove the trash you find rather than to just throw it down or rebury it again. It's not just good manners, but sometimes when you sort the trash later on at home - what you thought was junk might not be junk at all!
Tip #4 - Beware of Overload
One of the first things you'll learn is that an aluminum can gives the same signal as a coin. If your detector says that it is under 2 inches away and you push more than 2 inches of sand away and it still beeps... Think about it - that's probably not really a coin. If you dig it up you'll most likely discover that it is a can, but it's still a good idea to take the can and throw it away or recycle it at the end of the day. It's always a good idea to take along some extra trash bags with you so you can pick up all the trash that you dig up and find while you are hunting for treasures. You can even show the rangers all the trash you picked up during your hunt if you get stopped on the way out.
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