Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurbeachesreport.blogspot.com.
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| Taken Shortly After Matthew Passed Photo by Joe D. |
A1A at Flagler Beach was washed out too.
I expect to be receiving some photos of cobs reported found to the north of us.
If you,ve been following the blog poll as results come in, at least three people have reported finding treasure coins on the Treasure Coast after Matthew, and the poll has just started.
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I haven't talked about strategy much lately, but strategy is an extremely important topic. That is actually more true for experienced and advanced detectorists than beginners. Beginners simply don't have enough experience and knowledge to be very strategic about their detecting.
When I began this blog there were detectorists that didn't think I should be giving so much information. They said others should have to pay their dues and put in the time learning like they did. I understand that, but how much a person benefits from information depends upon how well they understand it. A beginner doesn't jump from beginner to expert just because you tell them something, It might help them advance a little more quickly, but they still have to actually apply it and see it in the practice before they really get it. I believe that some people who say that they already knew what you told them actually benefit more even though they don't realize it. They might think, "Of course I already knew that." but they really get it in a more complete way when it is expressed in a very precise way.
As Peter H, said in his email the other day, think before you detect. Form a plan. But beginners don't have enough information to create a very effective plan. Some level of experience and knowledge is required. You're depending totally on luck if you think you can get a detector and go out to the beach and find treasure coins right away. You might be very lucky and hit one real quick, but that is unusual. More often you will have to invest time in learning the beaches and how to use your detector, Reading can help a lot. but you still need to go out there and put in your time.
One thing I recommend for beginners is experimenting with your detector. Experiment with test targets, especially the types of targets that you are interested in finding. If you don't have an example, get the closest thing you can to experiment with,
I know there are people spending time in the field using detector settings that would not detect a small half reale if they put their coil right over it. The same goes for small pieces of gold.
It is necessary to understand your detector. One thing I have recommended in the past if you don't have a small cob to experiment with, is get a silver dime, cut it in fourths, and use one piece as a test target, If you can detect that piece of a silver dime you can detect most half reales if you are not holding your coil too high and swinging it too fast. People do that, and that is something you can learn through experimenting. Put the test test target on the ground and adjust your detector settings and your swing until you get the best signal. I recommend more experimenting than that, but that would be a start.
You might want to experiment in dry sand and wet sand for example, or experiment with other types of test targets and trash, All of that will help you learn to understand your detector better and keep you from wasting a lot of time in the field.
I should have some find pictures ready soon.
Happy hunting,
TreassureGuide@comcast.net