Hi good folks did there not used to be a part in the forum for metal detecting? I was at my Grand daughters Baptism last Sun and I met a fellow from Scotland that's into metal detecting he told me about every Sunday he can. He told me of some of his finds the best being a Gold Coin?? and of all the war memorable he finds. He asked me what detector I had and I was Blushing but told him all I could afford was a Chinese one that had 9 functions, LOL Then he told me what he had I can not remember but it was a very Very nice one, Anyways, he invited me to go metal detecting with him if I ever go over the pond and this summer he is gonna try to bring his metal detector back on a plane if allowed and he is gonna go on a quest with me on some old 1800's houses that are gone now but I know where the foundations are and possible an old 1800 saw mill if I can find it. This may not be anything to you folks but It sure is to me The reason I do not do more detecting other than my Moms yard from a house built in the 1800 is no one to go with? I just thought it was COOL to find the fellow and I can understand him when he talks also , LOL I am hoping because his family is suposed to be from Royalty that he will not be able to bring his detector on the plane and will buy a new one here and leave it for me.
I am not terribly understanding why if you are old enough for a granddaughter you need someone to go with you when metal detecting. Frankly when I wish to go, I just grab my detector, hop into a vehicle and go. The real requirement is the landowner's permission to enter, dig on and retrieve from his/her land and what is on it. This being both a French-Indian War and a Civil War battlefields area (outside of the Parks) there is a lot of local metal detector interest. Everything from Trade Musket fragments to live artillery rounds and lots of belt buckles and buttons is sometimes found. Supposedly buried, in an unknown place, gold from an ambushed Union Payroll convoy helps keep interest alive. Usually, if inclined to grant permission. the property owners claim a value portion of whatever is found with a written agreement to go along with that before entry to the land occurs. Some owners of the most intriguing places decline granting permission of course and do their own searching. The age of the house or field that is at a place now is much less important than what old land records and newspapers show used to be there. Agreed that new developments often scour several feet off the earth with the bulldozer process, but often fields nearby remain untouched. Likewise I am not aware of any reason that would bar a metal detector from going as luggage on a plane as long, as the batteries were out. If an X-Ray scan of the device picks up something wrong, possibly the passenger wouldn't get to come either. I wouldn't worry too much about the bells and whistles on a detector. I have looked side by side with folks having detectors in the 4 digit arena. We both got alerts on the same finds. My $100 detector just reads them different. Much more important than the bells and whistles is calibrating and testing your detector in the area you will be searching. Personally, I like doing the manual calibration then burying an old quarter and then a nail or a piece of old coat hanger (you wouldn't believe how many nails and coat hanger fragments I have dug up) and testing the detector. Different soils cause them to read differently. Regarding old coins and metal detecting, we get into corrosion issues with a lot of the coins. Summed up, many metals don't like being buried. Coin collectors don't like cleaned coins. So a problem exists regarding coins.
I would much rather have someone with me than to go alone its ok in the yard and public but when I am in the woods thats a dif story I am not afraid of the woods but am not sure what my old heart would do if I had on the ear phones and someone snuck up and tapped me on the shoulder they had better know CPR, LOL Plus having someone experienced would be nice I have read and looked at manuals but still do not know crap about discrimination and stuff. I guess its something I would rather share with a bud than do by myself unless I got into a hoard then I may not want a detecting buddy, ha Ha. I have been doing alot by myself for about 20 years and it sure would be nice to share it with someone with the passion I have at some times.
