Metal Detectors

[Gondor]

Do you own one of these? I think it would be interesting to see what lies under the ground. Who knows what you might find and where.

 

[cabinfever]

Mostly people's trash, to be honest. It is fun, though, as you never know what might turn up. I have one that I use mainly at the beach. I figure that I don't often find anything more than change for valuables, but I'm helping to clean up the beach since I take everything I find. I just carry a bag to put all the junk in.

 

[Grandpa]

Yeah, I just can't wait to get one and go find all that lost Spanish gold.:tinysmile_twink_t2:

Actually, I would like to have one. I think it would be fun and I might even find some of my tools the kids have lost over the years.

 

[ponderosa]

There's a trail I really like that runs through the canyon of the main fork of the Salmon River in central Idaho. There is oogles of interesting history in that area. Just walking around I've found some pretty interesting items. I've thought it would be fun to poke around that place with a detector.

 

[JeepThrills]

I use to have one, but it wasn't very powerful. I would love to own one now. We live where the Confederate war was fought and a lot of people find musket balls and shirt buttons.

 

[Johnny]

I use to have one, but it wasn't very powerful. I would love to own one now. We live where the Confederate war was fought and a lot of people find musket balls and shirt buttons.

I think there is the catch. You first need to investigate where can be found what and then do the search. You could do it anywhere though but this is way more interesting when you know what you might find.

 

[GA_gal]

We don't have a metal detector, but I've always thought it would be cool to own one, especially since we live within driving distance of several historical Civil War sites. Like cabinfever said though, I'd probably just end up finding trash. =/

 

[woodsman]

Nop, they always seemed like a waste of time and money. If I wanted to find bottle caps I'd just need to look in the trash can.

 

[Gondor]

Actually how deep can they scan into the ground? I think that anything less than 2-3 inches is a waste of time. Do you know what are the standards on this?

 

[Grandpa]

What little I have researched says you have to pay a lot more to get beyond a few inches. However, the size and density of the object will alter the depth that any unit can go. Also, with earphones, you can pick up signals deeper than regular audio.

Admission of guilt here. I made a crack above about finding Spanish Gold but there is a range not far from here where the Spaniards mined a lot of gold over a 300 year period. On numerous occasions, the miners would eventually upset the natives and get themselves killed with their gold buried or thrown into the lakes. Quite a bit of both gold and silver ingots have been found as well as bags of high grade ore. So yes, one of the son-in-laws and I have been considering "goin diggin".:tinysmile_twink_t2:

 

[EmberMike]

I think there is the catch. You first need to investigate where can be found what and then do the search. You could do it anywhere though but this is way more interesting when you know what you might find.

Yep, I get the impression that knowing your location is key. There's a show on tv about 2 guys that go hunting for stuff with metal detectors and they always turn up awesome stuff, but it's because they are given access to private property that has never been searched before, and it's property with historic significance.

You can search the beach, parks, or public land, but it's all probably been searched before by someone else. The trick is to get access to areas that have yet to be checked.

 

[oldsarge]

During my high school days I had a couple of friends who went halves on a metal detector.
They would go to carnival grounds after it moved out and make a killing on loose change. They didn't do too awful bad at the beach either. They picked up a lot of lost jewelry, of course a lot of beer tabs too.

 

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


For several years I've thought about getting one...buy I think I finally decided not to believe the propoganda put out by the Companys making and selling them.

Aren't many sandy beaches gone over with them every day by 'prospectors'?

A battleground area may result in some historical finds...or not.

Best of luck to those who do use them though.

 

[oldsarge]

I also used them in Alaska for finding gold.

 

[CampfireCowboy]

My brother has a Bounty Hunter Pioneer 505. He finds all kinds of neat stuff. Were hoping for the payload soon though hahah.

 

[Birddog]

I have a Garrett ace 250 which is a good detector,I got mine on a special that kelleyco in Orlando sold me a package with shovel and accessories for about $212 which is a good deal.if you find that it's not for you,it's not hard to get your money back at that price selling it because their usually about $250. I haven't got out as much as I'd like with mine yet,but it's very easy to use and I still would like to buy a Garrett pinpointer for the hole digging which runs around $125 but makes finding in the hole a lot easier.lots of forums to help on the net and a Garrett 250 is a popular detector.In Florida,you can't use in any state park so check your local regulations.

 

[Laffeet]

Birddog, have you used your Garrett 250 much yet? Just wondering how you like it so far. I live near a busy tourist beach and I've seen the guys out there finding everything from coins to gold rings and chains. I'd like to try it but I don't want to spend a fortune on a new hobby starting out.

 

[Birddog]

No I haven't gotten out much still with mine,been busy collecting and fixing up some old coleman one burner 502 stoves just to keep my mind on something different than my job.I'm not sorry I bought it,i have too many hobbies and don't spend enough time at any of them.I got on a lot of metal detecting forums when I first started,and the Garrett Ace 250 seems to be a good starter machine,and many who have detected for years say it's all you ever need.I think kelleyco is still running that offer for $212 with a lot of accessories included.Good Luck let me know how you do out there.I'm down around Sarasota area,alot of beaches here to do detecting.

 

[Theosus]

The used to be really popular on beaches in the morning when I was smaller. Free coins and jewelry from tourists the day before. I don't see them as much now.

 

[ppine]

A great way to get started in historical archaeology. It makes sense to do some checking of the history of an area before heading out. There is a ton of stuff out there to look at. Just make sure you have permission on private land and know the laws regarding public land.