What ideal/trick/mod/technique would you like to pass on?

There's some really sharp people on this site and I'm sure they have learned a lot in the years of detecting. I was wondering what single thing you have learned that has helped you so much that you would like to pass it along for others? It could be a technique of some sort, a mod you have done that you'd hate to be without, something peculiar to a detector you use, or maybe something you saw someone do that just made you wonder... "now that really makes sense".

Anything goes as long as it's something you would not really want to be without or know pertaining to metal detecting that you honestly think would help someone else.

Having started in this great hobby 42 yrs. ago & seen MANY changes in this hobby since then--the following is what I consider to be of utmost importance.-----When detecting (as much as possible), keep a low profile.----In many hunt sites/areas this is a highly visible hobby---conduct yourself so as not to put forth a negative image of the hobby.----"perception is everything" and it doesn't require "walking on egg shells"---but it does require some good old fashioned "common sense"!-----Leave your hunt sites looking as good as (or better) than it was before you arrived.-----All this is indeed "common sense---but if you don't think it is all important----consider all the good areas that are being closed to metal detecting by a careless few (literally as we speak).-------All the mods in the world & all the TOP equipment in the world aren't going to do us any good if we don't have any place to swing these wonderful time machines.-----------Del

Hunting after rain on fresh plowed fields. This open old places again. Second, old crossroads... even near of motorway... yes. Some technical road sides.

Low coil and mole speed technique.

And last most important. Always think outside of box.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/19/2017 02:50PM by Shelton.

Nice try ...however human nature not to share secrets in most cases.....common sense top of my list......

Mindset. If you aren't in the correct mindset, you are not going to succeed. I find myself "not in the mood" and suddenly I wasted an hour hearing signals and not listening to them.

Never Trust Nobody !!

Don't waste time with a detector you don't click with. Dump it and move on until you find the one you love to use. There is nothing in the world like swinging a metal detector that you truly enjoy using.

HH
Mike

Understand what you're saying there Dan-Pa, but not looking for "secrets" per se', but things that have made your metal detecting a lot easier. You helped me when I was trying to find what implement to use on the dry/wet sand when I went to the beach. If you remember, you recommended a floral shovel. Had never heard of it. I had tried several shovels/diggers/sifters but until I tried your floral shovel, I was struggling and loosing detector time. Now I use your method exclusively and it works beautifully for me. Might not be what other people need, but it sure was what I needed. I found anything short handled tiring on my back (old age), anything with a long handle was heavy and cumbersome. The floral shovel was long handled and very light plus strong. I don't go in the water, so didn't need a sifter even thou I tried one just to make sure. Now it's "detect the target, pull out a shovel full of sand, detect the hole, if it's still there pull out another shovel full of sand, detect the hole again doing this until the hole says the target is out. I know then that the target is in my shovel, so dump it, check it to make sure it's there with the detector, kick the sand pile with target in it around while looking and using detector to locate it each time until I can see the target visually." I bend over "once" to pick up my target and keep detecting, pulling the floral shovel behind me to mark the sand so I know where I've been.

This one technique has made my beach detecting a real joy instead of a burden, and I have to give you the credit for it. For that I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

This is what I had in mind when starting this post, something that has made detecting much more enjoyable by making it easier, what to look for, how to do something kind of thing. I have a different shovel that I love for dirt digging but I'll add that ideal later to keep my post short.

Guess I misread but glad the floral shovel worked for you...might add drill a hole thru end and add a rope and you can drag behind you letting you know where you have been.
Really like the answers you have been getting and thanks for the attaboy....Just remember several tips with a good mentor that knows a particular unit well is a good start for new unit...and my bad for the misread.

Proper sweep speed for unit in use..

Learn the proper speed your unit likes...there all different some are hugely different ..

Most modern VLF units are very close in performance in depth.and gaps can be closed more with the right sweep speed for your machine on the deepies.and its one of the reason one guy sees great depth and one guy sees poor depth on exact unit...

The biggest differences in VLFs unit Vs unit is ability to unmask..where as depth is close on Vlf's of all types. unmasking can be a deal breaker from unit to unit.

The best mod that can be done to a detector....??? Adding ground balances to about any unit that uses preset will have great performance increases in mineral.

Keith

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla

Heel-toe method (especially double D coils).

After you get a repeatable signal, move the coil backwards while sweeping. When the signal goes away the target is right above the "toe" of the coil. Works the same for the back end ("heel").

You can do this at 90 degrees and narrow down where the target is to about a 3" circle. Meaning you dig a smaller plug, disturb the ground less, and retrieve your target faster. All without even going into pinpoint mode.

Learn to swing proficiently with either hand, and change hands regularly where practical. As well as allowing you to detect longer before fatiguing, it's kinder to your body in general.

Pimento Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Learn to swing proficiently with either hand, and
> change hands regularly where practical. As well as
> allowing you to detect longer before fatiguing, it
> 's kinder to your body in general.

I do agree with you about changing hands and i am having too do this more and more due to a injury on my right wrist decades ago,but its taken a long time to master as although it seems a simple operation initially my swing with the left hand was all over the shop as the co-ordination just did not happen.But we have made alot of headway and can finally use both arms.

Sweep speed is very important,but learning the machine inside out is one of the main things and rather coming to a conclusion after just a few days on a machine i am still learning new things on my DFX even after 15 years,must admit the machine that i am currently try to tame and making alot of headway is the Nexus MP,the hardest machine by far to learn but the rewards will follow once it has been mastered.

No one machine can do it all,this is why i have a 'small' selection of detectors and coils for different sites scenarios.

Slow down and hunt with PATIENCE. Whether one mainly hunts for relic's or old coins, a lot of our hunting time is done in heavy trash. For one to be successful more often then not in this environment it takes more then just having the right detector and coil. It takes patience to just inch ones way along through a bed of trash investigating every little tic and pop. But patience can often be the difference between a good or not so good day afield. HH jim tn

"Always re-check a hole for a 2nd or more coin"

Learn to trust those gut feelings. My buddy and I talk about this all the time.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/2017 07:55PM by Dan(NM).

Get out and hunt as much as possible, it's the best way to increase finds no matter what detector you use. And you never know when the spots you have permission to hunt will come to an end. Most important thing is to have fun and enjoy it. There will be non productive days and there will be banner days you never know when you're gonna make that once in a lifetime find.

John

Understand that the detecting hobby is awash with mis-information, baloney, pseudo-scientific nonsense, fraudulent claims, exaggeration, misleading advertising and more.
Worse still, there's inexplicable brand/machine allegiance, so advice/comments etc from many detectorists is untrustworthy at best.

Pimento Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Understand that the detecting hobby is awash with
> mis-information, baloney, pseudo-scientific nonsen
> se, fraudulent claims, exaggeration, misleading ad
> vertising and more.
> Worse still, there's inexplicable brand/machine al
> legiance, so advice/comments etc from many detecto
> rists is untrustworthy at best.


Nice!

I would say researching for potentially good hunting spots is the best tip I could give.
For me the hardest part of MDing is staying motivated to get out and hunt. I want it to pay off, so I do lots of research or just plain driving around and keeping my eyes open in order to find sites that might produce interesting finds. Nothing is more satisfying to me then when research pays off. When I make a good find it keeps me interested and wanting to make more. So by default I get better with the machine I'm using because my interest is peeked. I find that I naturally slow down and listen more intently and investigate more iffy signals after making a decent find. So in my opinion, the best way to get better with any detector is to try and find the best spots to hunt, because once you make a decent find the rest takes care of itself.

HH
John

Beyonder-Pa Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mindset. If you aren't in the correct mindset, you
> are not going to succeed. I find myself "not in th
> e mood" and suddenly I wasted an hour hearing sign
> als and not listening to them.


Not in the mood to metal detect?

That's blasphemy round these parts, mister.

Be aware of your surroundings. There is some shady people out there looking to make a quick buck or that just are looking for trouble.

If your machine has an all metal mode, you better learn it. Disc mode lies to you all the time....because it isnt giving you the most accurate audio.

I have a couple of practical tips.

Ok, you have a car charger, but not a wall charger................

Get one of these






Set up looks like this......




Use any car charger as a wall charger
Can get you out of a jam, or save you a few bucks, or both.

Ok, slippage............

You have a coil, sometimes a bigger or heavier than average coil.
Or, it's past time you replace the rubber washers at the tip of your lower.

Or, you have a Compass machine, and the lower wants to keep rotating to the left or right.

Slippage


Simply put a small amount of powered rosin on your fingertip, and apply sparingly to what you want to stop slipping.









Easy fix, and you're off to the races.

Works like a house a-fire.