So it Begins Again - Welcome to Metal Detecting!

 I was going to pen this in a slightly glib manner, but after a bit of re-thinking, I figured that was the easy way out. And I am not known for taking the easy way out, ever! Tomorrow, when 2024 surfaces like a damaged U-boat, it will mark my 60th anniversary in the metal detecting hobby. I built my own primitive, feeble, beat frequency oscillator detector (BFO) out of spare parts in 1964 when I was little more than 13-years old. It was the best machine for finding flattened beer cans ever made and I've been beeping ever since. So, I feel I have a little skin in the game, enough to offer advice and criticism thereof. Just to set a baseline here, "So it begins again..." refers to the real fears long-time detectorists harbor as they realize thousands of metal detectors will soon be gifted to thousands of would-be hobbyists on December 25th. Their fears are usually borne out as the Social Media Metal Detecting Groups feel the surge immediately, as membership suddenly swells the day after Christmas and will keep on for several weeks after. Comments like "I always wanted to do this!" and "I'm NEW to the hobby and would like to learn more about it!" and hundreds of variations of this theme pour into the membership request slots for Administrators to ponder.

The really best comments that fill me with hope are from new users that want to learn more about the hobby, presumably and figuratively, and learn the best way to practice it. I salute those who are here on a mission of ethical and moral exploits in a hobby that has a dearth of both. The most important ethical point I can possibly make, from Matthew, in the Bible, "All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them" Basically treat everyone with respect, and respect is doing what is right. Metal detecting in itself has the potential, like anything else, to do great good (returning lost items for folks) or great evil (damaging property, leaving holes and dug garbage everywhere) and you are the deciding factor!

As far as your new hobby goes it can be as simple as hunting a beach or park or as complex as hunting for battlefield relics or lost treasure at sea; And, like Doc says in "Back to the Future," it's whatever you want to make of it! The technical specs, operating procedures, additional tools and best practices can be found most anywhere on the world-wide web, as well as the worst practices, like disturbing war graves, or digging up a cemetery! This brings me to the greatest benefit you could take advantage of as a new player in this awesome hobby which would be to join a local metal detecting club. There you will find fast friends who share your interests, can help you "learn the ropes" hands-on, and mentor you through a hobby that will bring you years of health and enjoyment. Just remember, ethics come first, detecting second!

Good luck and happy hunting to you all!

Treasure Hunting & The Way of Research

The modern metal detectorists (treasure hunters) seem oddly uninterested in finding treasure: "I know I'm never gonna' get rich!" or "We're not really going to find anything," they all say, quite modestly. I hear it all the time. My question has always been, WHY NOT?? When I started treasure hunting (with a metal detector) almost 60-years ago, we literally thought anything was possible. An old cache of buried confederate rifles, maybe even some of that civil war gold hidden somewhere near Gainsville by the fleeing Confederate soldiers. Scuba diving for sunken treasure still trapped aboard fleets of sunken Spanish Galleons, covered in sand. Literally nothing was off the table...and it was always GO time! 

Treasure, fresh off the Atocha in 1987 - We got a free Preview!

Our equipment was not the most advanced, our gear was not top-of-the-line, but we had something you cannot buy; a spirit of adventure and we were not afraid of hard work. And treasure hunting is hard work! And some of the hardest work is research. No computers in the 1960's 1970's or a good part of the 1980's and 90's. Back then it was visiting archives and libraries and museums, sitting in a chair for hours reviewing endless loops of microfilm, flipping thru coffee-table sized books of 19th century hand-drawn maps and charts. Reading first-hand, historic accounts and unpublished papers. And even today, that skill may still be needed!

One project I accidentally stumbled upon was the result of reading an old hardcover book published in, I think, 1920 or so, about Florida's 19th century "cracker" cowboys. The name derived from the whips they cracked while herding cattle from Arcadia down to the cattle yards at Punta Rassa on the Gulf of Mexico. The rub was this: they were selling the cattle to Cuba and were paid in gold double-eagles, otherwise known as 20-dollar gold pieces. Once they were paid, the cowhands filled saddlebag after saddlebag with gold specie, went to the local bars and saloons, got drunk, beat each other up, then in the early morning light (with cuts, bruises and a pounding headache) headed back northward upon the Caloosahatchee trail toward home. 

It took several days, and the cowboys made camp several times on the journey north. With leather saddlebags heavy with gold, they would have removed them at night while the animals grazed and slept. Who is to say, but a few coins may have jolted out when the bags hit the ground, or spilled out, unnoticed when they were slung back over the horses' backs? The book went on to say when the cowhands reached Arcadia, they dropped the saddlebags on the ranch house porch. The account went further to say that a couple of gold eagles were dropped into a cracker tin as a toy for the younger kids. They said the gold coins colliding in the box made "a singular ringing sound" that the children liked. A gold baby rattle! Now that is where I left the project years ago. I contracted several forms of cancer, endured chemotherapy, underwent cancer surgery, got diabetes along with covid-induced heart problems. My elaborate treasure hunting expedition days are over. But maybe yours are not!

Several of those gold coins would be worth a pretty penny with gold prices as they are, in addition to the collector's value of a key date double eagle. You pick up the trail from here. You would need to research where the exact route of the Caloosahatchee trail lay in relation to today's current geological layout here in 21st Century Florida. They would usually camp near water, so estimating by researching how far they could travel without cattle in a day, would give you some idea of where they made camp. Check maps for lakes, streams, rivers, etc. Get GPS coordinates of key landmarks on Google maps. Second, start researching the location of some of the original cattle ranch houses in Arcadia, Florida. The front porches would probably have gaps in the floor and coins could easily slip thru, especially if the kids had removed them from the tin box. Or they may still be in the tin box, now buried and forgotten near the house. And first and foremost, keep your mouth closed concerning your ongoing project!

See how this sleuthing thing works? One question begats another and another. Make a folder, collect documents, photographs, maps, scans, notes, calculations and write down more questions that need answering! When you have answered them all, it is time for your hand-held GPS and your metal detector to join the hunt. Good luck and happy hunting!

Metal Detecting Security - Defend Yourself

Our country is becoming more dangerous every day, and regardless of your politics, it probably affects you and your hobby more disproportionally (big word there) than most people. The reason being, of course, you are out and about a lot, and more exposed to those interested in doing you dirty, or doing you in. The common citizen's biggest security threat is themselves; head down and locked 85 to 95 percent of the time, head stuck in their little plastic screens. Situational awareness is out the window. A large gorilla with a ball bat could easily sneak up on them. Metal detectorists have a similar problem; head down and locked attentive to their VDI panel, their sweeping coil, or on their knees, head down and digging the target, and not paying attention to the world around them. This may be their last mistake. 

As a treasure hunter you drag around thousands of dollars' worth of expensive, high-tech equipment. And nobody notices anything "expensive" more than a criminal. And for some reason I have not been able to fathom, Florida recently invited every criminal, thug and Ne'er-do-well to join us here in paradise so chances are good this will get worse before it gets better. I can relate a true story from several years ago. A woman went for a late afternoon water hunt at a public beach that had been cleared after a sudden thunderstorm. Very few people anywhere, but she still waded out and was hip-deep metal detecting. She was water hunting intently, then suddenly noticed some guy pacing her on the beach. No one else for miles. He yelled a few things at her, but the waves drowned out his speech. She was getting nervous, and started wading back to her car, but the man kept pace with her, as she struggled against the current with her gear. 

1.59-ounce pressurized pepper spray

She was getting desperate, and cold, and it was getting dark. The guy stood stock still and just stared at her. Her phone was back in the car, a quarter mile away, while the man just silently glared at her, glancing left and right once in a while. Suddenly a grumbling noise came bouncing up the deserted, darkening beach, the bright headlights illuminating the sand. The man quickly jogged away as the beach patrol pulled up with two lifeguards aboard. They asked her if she was okay and loaded her and her gear aboard. They took her back to the parking lot and her car. She told them about the man, and they looked for him on the way back, but he must have raced up one of the beach access points, because he was nowhere to be seen. She was safe and sound and LUCKY because who knows what might have happened if the lifeguards had not arrived? 

Lesson one, don't hunt a deserted beach alone, especially at night. Unless you have a buddy with you. And carry your cellphone in a waterproof case on a lanyard. And even with a buddy, have lethal or non-lethal defensive weapons with you for protection if you feel you may need them. Unlike most of the states in the Union, who do their level best to make it illegal to defend yourself, Florida allows citizens to legally carry, concealed or unconcealed, a pepper spray or pepper jell as long it does not exceed 2 oz. You can pick one up for around $14 or so. Learn how to use it online, many videos show you how. And PRACTICE using it on a target, as most will shoot 15 to 20 feet. 

My ex-policeman friend says draw a face on a paper plate, stick on a post or a fence and practice spraying a chemical-loaded figure 8 across the eyes, nose and mouth. Do it again, if necessary, especially in the mouth!  Another handy deterrent is an eight-ounce portable air horn. It fits in your pocket and will actually hurt your ears when you press the button! And that's with it pointing AWAY from you! Imagine the effect in FRONT of the horn? And it will get quick attention. You can pick one of these little noisemakers for about $7 at any sporting goods store. Recently, Florida passed a law allowing anyone (with certain exceptions) to carry a concealed firearm without a permit. Of course, it's a good idea to get a CCW permit anyway, take firearm training, go to a range to practice and know what you are doing and what the law is.

An air horn will blow the ears off of an attacker and get attention real quick.

Last but not least is set up a routine while you are hunting, by making it a habit to keep your situational awareness updated frequently by keeping you head on a swivel. If a situation seems to be developing, or you see something sketchy, LEAVE IMMEDIATELY!  It would be, in my opinion, in your best interest to remove yourself from any situation that may force you to use deterrents of any kind. Being thrown in jail for unprovoked assault is not going to be pleasant. These same practices will work also in parks and fields unless there is a posted sign restricting these types of deterrents. You must comply with all laws and regulations when using these devices, and this is simply information on devices useful for defending yourself in metal detecting situations. I am not a lawyer, and it is your responsibility to use this information legally and responsibly! Stay safe and stay aware!

The Coil Cover Game - A Revew

I have watched this phenomenon for a very long time in the metal detecting hobby, and I still occasionally go off a cliff over it. My wife says "Let it be..." but I can't! Coil covers drive me crazy!!! Especially nowadays when they are pretty much akin to useless but are still recommended by those who theoretically are in the know; especially on social media (is there any other nowadays??) platforms.

Now I am sure there will be those who would strongly disagree with me, but that's because they have been subliminally subdued into accepting the logical-sounding argument that coil covers act as a needed barrier between the outer world and your EXPENSIVE and easily damaged coil! And that actually WAS the case many, many years ago! Back then, in the 1970's and 1980's, we used co-planar coils that looked like fat serving dishes, we slang-termed them "dinner plate coils" which were made of thin injection molded polyethylene or polypropylene. 

The skin was very thin and easily worn through, especially if you were beach hunting in areas that had a rocky, gravel- strewn beach, like England, California, Oregon or Washington. Very tough on coils bottoms! The plastic coil covers were really a necessity back then...which were also easy to wear through, and you'd go through at least one or two a year if you were a prolific hunter. But time moves on. Here is 2023 our technology has advanced as quickly as our society has declined, and today's coils are made of practically miraculous materials that renders the coil's physicality almost indestructible! 

The coil's electrical / electromagnetic infrastructure is imbedded in an epoxy resin matrix. This material is hard...very hard! Here are some of its properties: 

• High tensile strength ranging from 90 to 120 MPa
• High tensile modulus ranging from 3100 to 3800 MPa
• High glass transition temperatures (Tg) ranging from 150 to 220 °C
• High compression, resilience, flexion, and tensile strength
• High resistance to degradation over time

The tensile strength of epoxy runs from 90 to 120 Megapascals, which means a PSI factor (covert pressure) at its highest is over 17,000 pounds per square inch! And at the lowest end of the range, tensile strength is running around a little over 13,000 pounds per square inch! I ran my 11" coil on my Minelab E-Trac continuously on the beach, in parks, at construction sites and everywhere in between without a coil cover for 7-years with little to no wear on the coil. Here is a picture of the actual wear the epoxy resin incurred on the bottom of the coil.

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Unprotected 11" coil bottom after 7-years use in all environments

And of course, I'm talking every day intended use here. Thus, there is really very little need for a troublesome coil cover any more, and of course this is from my perspective, while you may disagree.

Now, my opinion of course, of the whys and wherefores of the continued recommendation for using them? Despite the fact they fill up with water, sand, things you don't wanna' know about, they become loose quickly, fall off, cause target falsing and are miserable to clean, as well as reinstall? Money, pure and simple. Cash on the barrelhead. Moola and mucho denero! A coil cover can cost you anywhere from $15 up to $40 and whoever thought of this is a bona fide genius! 

I was a plastics engineer for a number of years and I can tell you they cost almost nothing to make and are pure profit all the way! I don't begrudge anyone using one, and as a recent case in point over the last few years, something that really does not do anything and is a royal pain in the keister, yet makes certain folk feel safe, then so be it. Everyone has the freedom to choose, I'm just trying to point out the man standing behind the curtain. Cheers!

  

Detecting Dishonor - An Ill Wind A 'blowing

As usual, I gotta get something off my chest about this expanding, but morally declining, hobby. There is a saying that postulates "Man carries the seeds of his own destruction" which is not dissimilar in the way the metal detecting hobby also carries the same seeds of its own destruction. Worst of all in my book, is the out and out theft of jewelry that is reported missing, usually in desperation, by an individual who put too much faith, I'm sorry to say, in the honor of a certain class of detectorists.  

Social Media's involvement in this enterprise is a double-edged sword.  One side offering hope and assistance to the owner, while the other has turned to sabotaging the same, using the location knowledge as an advantage to thrust the criminal agenda of thieves, and crooks forward. A sweet song of easy money, metal detecting predators are always hiding in the digital shadows, looking for a quick, easy score of gold in any form. Once the Social Media word is out, they are already in motion, even while the would-be recovery team is still discussing among themselves, online, plans for recovery. Detecting predators love this kind of advanced intel which sometimes will dictate their own plans for a quick dust-off and departure with the goods. According to my good friend and detectorist John Howland in sunny England, it is illegal to dig and keep a piece of jewelry, rings and whatnot. They must be turned in to the police who holds the item for 30 days, and if no one claims it, it is relinquished to the finder. Keeping a jewelry find is considered theft in England, and there have been many cases of detectorists failing to properly notify the authorities and have landed in jail charged with theft!

On the other side, many detectorists promote the hobby of metal detecting by unselfishly spending a good deal of their own time, using their own expensive high-tech gear while drawing on years of experience in the field, all the while making a herculean effort at doing good. And asking for nothing in return. And others follow their lead, because doing good and helping those that need our expertise feels good and shows the world most of us are not modern-day pirates or lowly thieves. And in a world where many things are so far out of our personal control, it's a privilege to wield the power to set things right once in a while. To bend the probabilities, if for only a second, toward the slim chance of returning it to its rightful owner. Just one look in their eyes when you hand them that gold ring inscribed with their grandfather's initials they thought was lost forever is enough compensation. Those who knowingly recover, then privately profit from a ring they found with information provided by the true owner, well, we are all in this together...except for you.

I Lost It Over There - I Think...

One of the best things we do as metal detectorists is return property, and usually very valuable property at that. Although sometimes the value is not monetary, but sentimental. One of the first questions a member of the Detecting Guild almost always asks, mentally if not verbally, is why you would take such a rare and precious piece of your soul into harm's way? There is never any real answer to this question, other than the obvious. Where else would you keep such an important reminder of lost love, loved people or long-gone technicolor memories? Right there on your finger or on a precious metal chain looped protectively around your neck. 

What we face, as detectorists, though, that the realities of human memory and perception are not always accurate, especially when clouded with emotion from the loss. I have been in the metal detecting hobby since 1965, yes, a bit over 60 years, and I have seen some things, as Hans Solo used to say. 

I think it may have slipped off my finger about here...

People sometimes don't even know when they lost it, let alone where they lost it. Recently talking with a good friend of mine, Bryan, he was telling me of a person who was seeking a lost ring in their yard. They just noticed it gone one day. He and several other detectorists made a valiant effort in Florida's knock-down-drag-out summer heat to find the piece without success. A short time later it was found at the bottom of the homeowner's pool. 

For years my wife and I have recovered a good deal of lost jewelry and possessions for folks and have faced a good many obstacles they unknowingly placed in our way. Usually it's the old "It's NOT over there, it's got to be around here someplace!!"  When you are not finding anything, and this is the continued response from the homeowner excuse yourself from the recovery and drive away. Don't forget in most cases you are DONATING your valuable time to this project and more than once during our work, the homeowner somehow got the impression we were her employees. Put an end to that sort of thing quickly. 

Number one in recovering lost items, especially small jewelry, you need to understand your machine and the tools, (i.e. search coils) it uses. Shallow recently lost small jewelry in a grassy yard (especially gold chains) need a small (6" to 4") concentric coil as the search tool, (your sensitivity turned way down to prevent sub-surface trash interference), as it is the most sensitive coil you can get. Sometimes jewelry is so small, even a pin-pointer won't pick it up. If you know your search technology, you'll realize a pin-pointer uses pulse tech, but you need VLF tech to get the goods in cases like this! Heavy gold rings and pendants can be recovered easily using 6" to 11" DD coils with little loss of sensitivity. 

It is always good to have a "physiology officer" along (in my case, my wife, as she is much easier to talk to, and more understanding than myself) Patti: "Let's take a walk around the area you think you lost it...we have a very high recovery rate if we get some good clues!" Me: "Why on earth would you take a 300-year-old, one-of-a-kind, rare gold pendent on a trampoline in the middle of an alligator infested pond...are you daft!?!?!"

Use your judgement, and know the capability of your recovery tools, when determining if a project is worth your time and the chance of recovery is possible within your own limitations. Never put yourself in danger (trying to scuba dive a toxic lake, detecting near a snake-infested area, detecting in a closed pasture where a "friendly" bull resides, hunting in extreme heat or cold) for any reason at all. Nothing is worth your ruining your good health or risking your life! 

And thanks to all those who do take the time to research and make a great effort to return someone's sentimental piece of the past, you bring immense good will to the hobby and boy do we need it now more than ever! Cheers!

Sweep and Pattern Failure - Missing the point and everything else

 I was casually watching a YouTube video the other day on my shiny new computer tablet, following a big-name treasure media guy. You know, guys with names like Pirate Rick, or Backhoe Bosco, Silver Sherry...you know the drill. Internet "stars" (with a small s) chasing the spotlight. His GoPro was recording the hi-speed passage of the beach below with his huge tramping feet, in and out of frame, as he talked, rapid-fire, a lot smack; we are gonna' find silver! and "The adventure begins!" as the color graphics swell with "GOLD! GOLD! GOLD!" and music fades for commercial.

We are back!! Once again, the treasure dance continues along the sandy shore, coil sweeping, incessant talking, and an occasional jerk to a stop as we DIG A COIN; and a clad one at that! Exciting stuff indeed! But wait...something is wrong. I stare at the 4K screen and try to figure out what. Something very basic, even primal, is going off the rails here. Suddenly I realize what's wrong, and it's because he's missing every other sweep by stepping forward instead of doing a reverse sweep before he moves!  This is equivalent to metal detecting a football stadium and literally missing half the field with your scans! What's going on here? Why is he in a big hurry? This guys a media treasure star, a YouTube darling in metal detecting circles! And here lies the problem: A person new to the hobby watches these channels, examines the detectorists' every move, then clones the same techniques when they are out in the field themselves. And missing half the targets.

Social media metal detecting and real world metal detecting occasionally diverge due to the fact that anyone can start a media channel and call themselves a treasure hunter . And many times they really don't know any more about the hobby than the tyro's watching the show. However, that YouTube money is sweet, one of the reasons this happens more than anyone realizes; mistaking entertainment as expertise. Maybe this was just one instance, but no. Time and again I watch videos where the detectorist is practically running up the beach or across the park...and missing targets by the barge-load!

This technique is called out by Gary Drayton, one guy who really knows his stuff, as low and slow, move ahead one step, sweep, coil level, to the right (or left) then, one coil width forward, sweep in the opposite direction. Step forward again and do the same. This assures your search pattern covers ALL the ground. Continual walking forward while swinging the coil almost assures you only cover half the ground you are scanning! Paraphrasing Mr. Drayton, "It's not how much ground you cover, it's how you cover the ground!" This technique along with stable coil control (keep it level!) will assure your targets, as Jim Fielding says, "...will be found, if they are in the ground!" There are only so many slices of metal detecting pie left, and with more and more people entering the hobby, those slices are getting slimmer by the day. Get your slice, using good technique, before someone else does!