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I've had along time hobby of metal detecting. You will have seen these people who are apparently sweeping the beach or the old school yard. Or maybe that old abandoned house over there. They are coin shooting.
A fascinating hobby that holds the potential for casual relaxation, and spiced up with the thrill of digging up a coin lost decades ago. Or maybe a ring or other piece of jewelry.

My first detector was a vlf/tr detector by garrett electronics. This was the groundhog model. No where near the top of the line..but adequate for someone willing to put in the time to learn what that audible signal meant.
The theory of operation of these devices is pretty straight forward. The disc loop at the end of the rod is a combination transmitter and receiving antenna. The electronics up in the box sends a radio signal at very low frequency and wattage through that loop. If there is a metal object underground, the signal is affected, and returned. The electronics produce a beep. Long time users will tell you that they can tell a good target from a bad target just by the sound they hear. And for the most part this is true.
These days there are detectors that will tell you what the target probably is before you dig it up. The machine will also tell you how deep the target is. These machines now have micro-processors that are pre-programmed to set the functionality of the device up in a number of different ways. My old vlf/tr model could do very well once I learned how to use it. The soil has more than just dirt in it you know. There are also minerals and trace elements that can have an adverse effect on the performance of the detector. The vlf mode of my machine was " all metals ". This was a good way to move through an area where there were only a few targets. It could see deeper into the ground than the TR mode. But..once a target was found..flipping over to TR mode would be able to tell you if the target was ferrous ( iron ) or non-ferrous. Which could be almost anything from a mercury dime to a pull tab. To defeat this problem the detector has a discriminator adjustment. You can set this as a sort of sensitivity control. A dime has more mass than a pull tab. And if you set the control to reject pull tabs you can be reasonably sure to bypass most of them. however, with this rather elderly model..it would also pass up nickles...or maybe small rings.
I will not go into all the finds I have uncovered. But coins,jewelry,old tools,horse shoes, and metal toys are a common finds.
If you wish to try this hobby, here are a few tips to help you along the way. A sturdy knife to cut through sod and dig your hole. A pocket knife will not do..get something with about a six inch blade. Always re-cover your hole ! Very important.
Always use headphones. Else wise you will find you have a young unwanted audience walking with you and asking questions a mile a minute. Respect the property and pocket any junk you dig up, again, cover the hole and be pleasant to anyone you meet.

One last thing, I would advise against going out and purchasing the latest technology available for detecting. Some of those gadgets can sell for well over a thousand dollars. A standard VLF/TR machine, with a meter, headphone jack in good condition will be all you need. I also strongly advise you get a model with an arm brace. Try Ebay! The high dollar models are for those with lots of experience and deep pockets.

Learn more about this author, A. Dean.
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