Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeaches report blogspot.com.
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| Two Possible Patterns of Coil Coverage As You Metal Detect. |
When you metal detect you walk ahead while swinging your coil from side to side. You might think that you are getting complete coverage, as shown by the illustration on the right. There might even be some overlap on each sweep. That gives you more complete ground coverage, and since your coil sensitivity might be greater near the center of your coil, overlap can help you get greater overall depth.
If you are walking ahead at a quicker pace, your actual coverage might be more like that shown on the left, which leaves some ground uncovered. That pattern leaves more uncovered ground near the end of each sweep.
Some detectorists, when they see that the footprints of another detectorist are far apart, will go over the same ground figuring that the first detectorist will have missed things.
The first time I learned how much I was missing was not too long after I began detecting. Someone on the beach asked if I could detect their watch. I said yes, and they told me to turn around and they buried the watch on the beach. I then started detecting and passed over it without detecting it. I was shocked to learn that I missed it. It was not my detector's fault, it was my fault. My pattern was like that shown above on the left and I was skipping more area than I realized.
After that experience, I would occasionally check myself. At the beach I would throw a coin out in front of me without looking. I would then detect in the direction that I threw the coin and detect exactly as before but without looking at the ground so I would not see where the coin landed. If I missed it or if the signal was not very good, I knew some changes were in order. That self-test is good for checking your sweep pattern and also your sweep speed. If your coil passes over the object but you don't get a good signal, it could be because of your settings or sweep speed.
You might want to repeat the self-test several times.
It is not always necessary to use a good tight pattern. There can be times when you are doing a quick scan and just want to sample some ground, but you should be aware that you are skipping ground and find that acceptable. Be aware, and be strategic.
It is easy to get in a hurry and just think about covering ground without realizing what you could be missing.
If you want to get maximum depth and are using a coil that is more sensitive near the center of the coil, you might want to overlap your sweeps more to get that maximum depth.
I recommend testing yourself occasionally. It is important that you do not know where the target is and do not look. If you know where the target is, the results will not tell you much because you will alter your technique unconsciously very subtly but significantly. Try to keep your sweep pattern and rhythm normal.
I also advise testing your coil so you know where the sweet spot is and how the sensitivity varies under different areas of the coil.
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Roberto S. saw the notice of the Marx lecture in my blog and decided to go. Here is what he said about it.
I just wanted to say thank you for posting information about the lecture given by Sir Robert Marx. He provided interesting information and specially personal experiences ...
Enjoyed the lecture very much and also the return to the school where I received my associates degree in Oceanographic Technology in 1973, that was very special, although I never practiced the field and went on to a different career.
Glad you enjoyed the lecture Alberto. Thanks for the report.
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The adage "one man's trash is another man's treasure" was especially true at Garden of the Gods Thursday morning as archaeologists dug for remnants that were tossed out of the estate of Colorado Springs Founder Gen. William Jackson Palmer.
Yes, there was an archaeological dig underway inside the park for trash from more than 100 years ago...
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The adage "one man's trash is another man's treasure" was especially true at Garden of the Gods Thursday morning as archaeologists dug for remnants that were tossed out of the estate of Colorado Springs Founder Gen. William Jackson Palmer.
Yes, there was an archaeological dig underway inside the park for trash from more than 100 years ago...
Here is the link.
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We might get some nice post-turkey surf on the Treasure Coast.
The weather this year made it seem like we went from 90 degree August weather right into the holiday season. Seemed really quick.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
We might get some nice post-turkey surf on the Treasure Coast.
The weather this year made it seem like we went from 90 degree August weather right into the holiday season. Seemed really quick.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
