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How to use a Metal Detector

Before you actually buy a metal detector, I suggest you join a metal detecting/Treasure hunting Club near your home
There are to great advantages to this.
First the social side where you will be able to go to sites where you have a much greater chance of finding coins and other hidden treasures and the camaraderie of other people with a similar interest.
The second advantage is advice.
This is not just advice on which metal detector to buy (you will be flooded with suggestions – most of which come from owners of that specific metal detector) but also on likely locations to search and hints and tips on using your new detector.
There are three types of metal detector:
Motion Detectors
If you plan to hunt for treasure on land in in fresh water then this may be your best first detector choice.
Pulse Detectors
This is the kind you need for detecting in salt water estuaries or in the sea.
Mullti Frequency Detectors
These can detect in either fresh or salt water or on land but they do tend to be more expensive.
Good names in metal detectors are Bouny Hunter,Garret and National Geographic but there are other good makes.

Basically - in Metal Detectors you get what you pay for.

A cheap metal detector will pick up lots of metal … like ring –pulls off soda cans or secret hoards of beer cans !
It will usually only find coins and rings if they are near the surface.
If you swing your detect around fast then you will probably miss the faint signals.
The Technique I use is to mark out the area I am going to search with string and nylon knitting needles (so they will not affect the detector) I make little alleyways like this.
I then move slowly down each alleyway slowly swinging about ½ an inch from the surface from side to side. I then double up to sear the same area the opposite way (I’m not sure why but my metal detector seems to work better in one direction than the other. I have a medium price range detector .

When I get a good sounding Ping/Beep then I probe the earth with a plastic knife and if I do not find the signal source I try again over the material I have excavated. I t hen dig again with the knife until I find my little piece of treasure.

Be sure you are on Public land which does not have restrictions on metal detecting or get the landowners written permission (promise him in writing to share any treasure/coins you find.

Some metal detectors are purpose built for underwater hunting of for specific metals like Gold or silver.
Most will detect easily up to a foot deep so be prepared for some digging !

Things you can expect to find :
Beside roads or on footpaths and on the site of racecourses/fairs : coins,jewelry
Look particularly on sloping areas where people may have fallen.

Under hedges (the older the better)
Hoards of coins, single coins and jewelry where peopl may have fallen from a horse

Local not famous) Battle Sites – weapons,buttons,medals

Beaches : Sandhills – coins, keys ,jewelry
In Surf : gold or silver from shipwrecks
Jewelry from swimmers
Please avoid archaeological sites or you will get into trouble with the law.