2/5/15 Report - National Geographic State of the Detecting Hobby Overview. More On Pinpointing. One Method Illustrated.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.BlogSpot.com.


Here is a good general article on the state of the metal detecting hobby and the opposition.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/diggers/articles/metal-detecting-101/

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I talked about using pinpointers not too long ago.  I almost never use a pinpointer but some people do.  A pinpointer can help.   Some pinpointers are inexpensive and not very good while others cost nearly as much as a basic metal detector and are very powerful.  Some can even be used submerged.

You can use a screwdriver to pop coins and other small items out of the ground without any digging, but if you use a screwdriver, you need to be able to pinpoint well.   That is a very helpful skill in any case.

Second. if you use a screw driver, you might want to file down any sharp edges to minimize scratching in case you do make a mistake and hit the object.

In addition to the screw driver, you might also use a probe.  An old antique car radio antennae with the little chrome ball on the end will work.  If you use a probe carefully, you can touch and locate the coin without scratching it.  That method doesn't work well in rocky ground though.

Sand can be sifted quickly, so you won't need a pinpointer on a beach, but you can improve your pinpointing skills by learning to use your detector better.  

There are the obvious things you can do, such as switch to all-metals, non-motion, or pinpoint mode.

Additional methods include cutting down sensitivity or detuning or raising the coil higher to diminish the area that produces a signal.

Another technique you can use in a hole, involves putting the coil at something like a 45 degree angle from the ground and rotating the coil around the edge of the hole to locate where the target lies relative to the hole. (See illustration.)

I often find this method useful, especially when the target is deep and you have to scoop more than once.  This method will quickly tell you if the object is to one side of the center of the hole. 

Some elongated objects can be difficult.  The signal, depending upon the angle of the sweep, can appear to be at the end of the object rather than over the center.  In that case your first scoop might be off-center.  This method illustrated below can quickly tell you if that is the case.

Another technique that can help is to set the coil at a 45 degree angle next to the hole and facing the hole so any movement of the target is detected as you move sand or dirt.  To use that method you should be using a non-metallic trowel or digger.

Also setting the coil by the hole as dirt is dug or thrown towards the coil or onto the coil will tell you when the target has been moved.

In sand I often use my hand to feel for a target when I am getting close rather than continuing to scoop. 

Of course a handful of dirt swung over or onto the coil will also tell you if the target is in your hand.

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We have a small surf on the Treasure Coast today.  The wind is from the South, but will switch around this afternoon and be coming from the North, continuing into tomorrow.  The prediction for tomorrow is for a four to six foot surf.  That might create a few cuts, but probably not produce really old stuff.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net

1/8/12 Report - Using Probes for Scouting Around

Written by the Treasureguide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Bottle Found by Daniel B.

Daniel says, I have always liked finding old bottles. This one I found in an old grove today, wrapped up with a bunch of oyster shells with what looked like carpet. The rim of the bottle looks to be hand blown and one of the oysters broke off in transportation. A good hint is, if hunting with your detector is bad, use your eyes and just walk.

You might find something interesting in a bottle like that.

I chose Daniel's submission today because it goes right along with what I was going to talk about anyhow.

I often mention scouting around, especially when conditions aren't very good. You can check out some new areas and maybe find some good new spots to hunt when doing that.

You don't always have to swing your detector. There are times when you might just want to check out a lot of area. You can always come back with your detector when you find a promising spot.

When hunting dry land, one of the first clues you'll usually see on the surface is broken glass or rusty junk. The glass might help you get an idea of when the area was in use.

But not everything will be on top of the ground. A probe can help.

Probes can vary widely. Bottle hunters often use probes, but they can be used by detectorists too when looking for new sites to hunt.

Probes come in many forms but usually are composed of a steel rod with a wood handle for pushing the rod into the ground. It is also nice to have a little cone shaped device hooked to the rod that will show some of the lower layers of earth or sand when it is withdrawn.

Some people used to use probes a lot in the Indian River around historic areas like the old forts to locate buried bottles.

Not only can you use probes to locate buried bottles, wood, tin etc, but you can also use a probe to identify areas where the earth or sand has been disturbed. Areas like that will often be less compact. You can feel that when using a probe.

You can also use a probe on the beach or in the water to locate layers of shell or rock.

When you find an area with items on the surface a probe can help you determine how far out and how deep other buried items might be.

I use different types of probes depending upon the situation and what I am tyring to do. Sometimes nothing more than a light aluminum rod is needed. At other times you might want a steel rod with a lip attached that will pull up some of the subsurface material so you can see what might be down there. Rust, black or different types of sand or other material might be revealed that way.



The monthly meeting of the St. Lucie Metal Detecting Club will be January 14th at Duffy's Sports Grill in Jensen Beach @ 6pm and the monthly hunt will be at Bathtub Beach to the St Lucie inlet on January 21st. Contact Bernie at twiprod001@att.net for more information.

Probably tomorrow I'll give you the answer to the cob that I showed yesterday. At least one person already got the answers.

The wind is from the northeast this morning. Seas are down around two feet and the waves are rolling in slow.

It is not bad for water hunting. Don't fight the waves. I've gone over this before, but it is a lot easier if you just learn to go with them.

I'm not expecting any change in conditions for the next few days.

Check out the low tide areas, or maybe do some scouting around.


Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net