This page is dedicated to the knowledge I have learned from metal detecting which may help others interested in the hobby. The bottom line is that most of it is down to shear luck, what we need to do is get luck on our side. We must have a positive attitude towards research. We need to think and ask ourselves how people would have behaved in the past? Where they would have walked, where they would have settled and what they would have been doing? We need to find the right places to search which will in time give us a better chance of success.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT DETECTOR

Choosing the right detector is very important and is a mater of trial and error. You should always try the machine in question out for yourself before buying. Pretty much everyone I know seems to run C-Scope down but when I tried one I thought it was great. Since then my Newforce R1 has found many of the items featured on this website. I get on with this detector very well being simple to use and having excellent features at the press of a button. Familiarizing myself with the controls was easy and I found the machine had excellent target ID and discrimination functions. After a while using the Newforce another detector took to my liking, the then new Whites MXT. I heard lots of reports saying it was very noisy but when I tried it I thought great! I even went out and found a hammered within one week of buying it. Luck maybe, but I still think there is a lot to be said about trying something out before you buy it especially when choosing a new detector.

My much loved C-Scope Newforce R1 This machine has 3 standard programs to choose from Coin inland, Coin Beach and All Metal Mode. It also has two extra spaces for custom programs designed for more advanced users. The ID display gives values from 0 to 20 as targets increase in conductivity. This machine also has disc edit, learn accept and learn reject features. Audio discrimination is also available in both motion and pinpoint modes.   0 = Ground. (Always discriminated.) 4-8 = Iron / very corroded non-ferrous and foil. 8-15 = Foil / copper nickel / gold rings / small silver coins. (Hammered coins, milled sixpences, three pence, shillings and modern pound coin. Also small buttons, buckles and musket balls.) 16 = Foil / small silver and copper coins. (Decimal penny, milled sixpences, three pence and shillings.) 17-18 = Larger highly conductive copper/bronze/silver objects. (Pre-decimal penny, buckles, large buttons.) 19-20 = Large highly conductive silver, copper, bronze objects and coins. (Pre-decimal penny, decimal 2P, silver half crown, crown, large buckles.)

Trying a detector is one step towards your goal of finding a perfect partner, but you can never underestimate the value of knowledge gained through the experience of others. Before going into a deal arm yourself with a little prior knowledge. Most seasoned detectorists will know about the pros and cons of different detector models and will be able to guide you in the right direction. For example I have found that my Newforce likes finding bronze and copper targets whereas my MXT likes foil and silver. There will in most cases be a reason why a detectorist chooses a particular machine and it couldn't hurt to ask them could it?

At the end of the day it is simply trying to find the right machine for you! Asking people who have experience and testing out detectors for yourself is probably the best way of achieving this goal.

My White's MXT This is a great switch on and go detector, it has three modes Coin Jewellery, Relic and Prospecting for all you gold diggers! I have found the discrim, sensitivity and depth on this machine to be excellent. Perfect for rallies and club digs where you don't get much time to setup. There is an easy to read digital LCD display with target ID and depth indication in the pinpoint mode. This machine loves silver which also makes it well suited for finding hammered coins.   -95 to -30 = Iron. -29 to -5 = Iron, very corroded non-ferrous and foil. -5 to +10 = Foil, buttons and shotgun cartridges. +11 to +40 = Hammered and milled silver coins, small bronze and copper coins, buttons, shotgun cartridges and musket balls. +41 to +60 = Larger buttons, copper, bronze, silver coins and small buckles. +61 to +95 = Large buckles, Roman bronze coins and non-ferrous artefacts.

When you become a more advanced user you might want to consider upgrading to a top notch machine like the White’s DFX. It has so many features you'll hardly believe you eyes! This is the ultimate in programmable metal detecting and boy am I glad I’ve got one. This machine is very complex so not in my opinion for newbies. Even with my experience it has taken over a year to get fully acquainted with the controls.

My White's DFX The White's DFX comes equipped with a dual frequency coil and is able to operate at 3 kHz, 15 kHz or both simultaneously for better performance. Being fully programmable you are able to save your settings and create custom programs dedicated to your preference. There is a good sized screen which is easy to read and can be back lit when in poor visibility conditions. Highly sensitive and accurate pinpointing, well balanced, well made and great fun. Comes with standard programs, Coin, Coin & Jewellery, Jewellery & Beach, Relic and Prospecting, also EEPROM DP-Silver, EEPROM HI-Trash, EEPROM Demo, EEPROM HI-Pro. In Dual Frequency Best Data Mode -95 to -30 = Iron. -29 to -5 = Iron, very corroded non-ferrous and foil. -5 to +10 = Foil, buttons, small hammered silver coins and shotgun cartridges. +11 to +40 = Hammered and milled silver coins, small bronze and copper coins, buttons, shotgun cartridges, musket balls and Lead bullets. +41 to +60 = Larger buttons, milled copper, bronze, silver coins, hammered silver coins, small buckles and copper bullets. +61 to +94 = Large buckles, Roman bronze coins and non-ferrous artefacts. +95 = Hot rocks, Hot Rock Reject

CLICK ON IMAGE TO VISIT DETECNICKS TREASURE HUNTING EQUIPMENT AND ACCESSORIES

AFTERMARKET COILS

My 14in White's DFX/MXT Deep Seeking Excelerator Coil.

A wide range of aftermarket coils have arrived for the detecting fraternity recently so when buying a new detector it might be worth checking out. Most manufacturers produce standard coils for their machines for best all-round performance, however, there may be some situations where you may feel you could do better with a different coil. To give an example there have been many occasions where I wish I could scan deeper and make finds on some of my hunted out sites. Well I am very lucky to be one of the first in the UK to own a 14 inch Excelerator coil. This coil should be able to send me to depths never heard of before with White's machines. Aside the benefits of extra depth the increase in coil size should also lead to better ground coverage and hence the possibility of faster and more efficient searching. Let's hope it brings up the goods as I can't wait to try the 12.5 and 18 inch versions! Of course there are some situations where smaller coils are needed, particularly so when searching stubble fields such as barley, wheat, rye, rapeseed and sweet corn. In this scenario larger coils struggle at best to wade through what can be described as an almost impervious carpet of crop leftovers. However do not despair, the smaller coil is able navigate its way through this irritating layer of stalks much more easily and although you loose some depth there are more advantages than disadvantages. Smaller coils are lighter, have better target separation and are more manoeuvrable, perfect for tight and awkward places where large coils fail to deliver. Remember as a general rule the closer your coil is to the ground the better your detecting capabilities.

What I think of the 14DD Excelerator Coil for the DFX/MXT

Initially I was full of enthusiasm about the concept of using a bigger coil for better depth, and I still am! But as I have learned things are not always as rosy as some people say they are. Okay using the MXT and based on a few rough calculations I predicted that I would get a maximum depth increase of roughly 60% over the stock 950 coil supplied by White’s. The theoretical sounds very impressive and certainly looks good on paper, a coin found at maximum depth 10ins with the 950 could be found at a whopping 16ins with the 14DD Excelerator. However, in practice it turned out to be a very different story. Fitting to the MXT was quite a struggle and it took some time to slowly wriggle the shaft of the detector between the anchors of the coil. When all was said and done I was pleasantly surprised to find the coil well balanced and fairly easy to keep level due to its tight fitment on the detector. With everything looking good and having replaced my old batteries I was confident that I was going to have a good days detecting. So far so good, it is from here that everything starts to go wrong. Out in the field I found it almost impossible to get stability, the thing would be giving me false signals all over the place. It was almost like some kind of constant interference. Thinking that it might have something to do with the overhead power lines I moved several fields away and guess what? Exactly the same thing happened! No matter where I went from one of my own sites to a club site nearly forty miles away the same or similar behaviour occurred. The only way I could use this coil was to turn the sensitivity right down on the detector and as far as I am concerned when talking about depth that completely defeats the object of using a large coil in the first place. So a pretty damming report? Well no not entirely, this coil is still very good for giving better ground coverage. As the size of the area being detected was much larger than with the White’s 950 I was able to process significantly more land in a quicker time. Hence I think this coil is very good for surveying new sites as and when I get them. But from my experience so far the Excelerator 14DD doesn’t offer any extra depth over the stock coil what so ever, shame! I will have to see how it performs on the DFX.

Okay this time I took the 14DD out with the DFX. The site was in short stubble and the soil conditions very wet, but most notably there were no overhead power lines. Switching on the DFX and going into Relic Mode I was met with the same false signalling that plagued my outing with the MXT. Detuning AC Sensitivity stopped the detector going off just like it did with the MXT so no surprises there. Now having gained some stability I played with the AC sensitivity until I found an optimum setting, AC Sensitivity 40. Bingo! It was time to detect. While going along I found setting Track Offset to +2 and increasing SAT speed to 7 gave better stability as did increasing ground filters from 3 to 5. Also the ground was giving me some feedback, probably due to wet conditions, so setting Hot Rock Reject to 20 helped to counter the effect. Swing the coil much slower than normal also helped but there was still a lot of chatter. Brushing the top of the barley stubble also caused a lot of false signals as did the action of suddenly lifting and lowering the detector. So keeping the coil level above the ground was critical and I must say extremely difficult on barley stubble. In the end I was able to detect using the 14DD but after about an hour of slow tedious work I decided to quit and go back to my stock coil. When I got home I stared to wonder if the coil might be faulty and after searching on the web I found a forum where someone had similar problem, constant chattering and false signals. I am now going to send the coil off and get it tested hopefully then I can get an answer. If the coil turns out to be faulty then it doesn’t say much about their quality having already replaced it twice before for two other completely unrelated incidents. As for larger coils in general I can’t really say many people use them and report good success, some people like me have only ever had bad experiences so I’ll let you be the final judge.

DIGGING TOOLS

The type of digging tool you use will almost certainly be dictated by the soil conditions of the sites you search. The market in metal detecting accessories has grown steadily over the past few years and most spades and shovels can be obtained from local detector dealers. However, if you are like me and don't like what is already available then you can always buy a standard shovel and modify it to suit your needs. Make sure you choose something light, strong and practical because if don't then you will quickly get tired of carrying it around.

I decided to trim down a standard flat bladed shovel in order to create something with a sharp point at the cutting end. This simple modification made an excellent digging tool, great for excavating deep holes and perfect for a whole days detecting.

A good digging tool is essential if you plan to go for long digs.

OTHER DETECTING AIDS

Sherlock DTS Pro detector probe

Another essential is to obtain a small detector probe. These little probes come in particularly handy when trying to find really small targets that are often difficult to locate. I nearly discarded a hammered coin once because I couldn't find out where it was, only after about five minutes of clearing and scratching at the hay stubble did the coin finally reveal itself. Oh boy that experience taught me a lesson! I finally realized the importance of having a little detector probe. Since then I have always carried one with me to help uncover those smaller more elusive targets.

A good finds pouch is another must! Again remember, like a detector it's a matter of finding the right one for you. I have chosen a pouch which has lots of individual pockets, I have adequate space to separate and store my finds without sacrificing the ability to carry other essentials such as drinks and my mobile phone. One thing I also insure is the presence of at least one zippable pocket so if I find something good I can always store it with extra added safety. When going on a dig it is also a good idea to carry some small plastic self sealable bags with you. If you store finds in these bags this will prevent them from rubbing together with other items in your pouch. Believe me you don’t want to damage things once you’ve found them, you’ll be kicking yourself if you do.

This finds pouch has plenty of pockets and zipped compartments. Perfect for storing a days clutter!

GPS Units and Recording Finds

The cutting edge of technology finally reaches detecting and may I say what a useful tool GPS is. Looking around the web to see what would be best for me I found several devices that particularly took my interest. Ever on the side of caution and with all things new I was unsure they would have all the features I required, that is until I stumbled across a page from the Portable Antiquities Scheme that described the procedure for recording finds with a handheld unit from Garmin (Etrex). This unit was small and compact with a good sized viewable screen and what’s more it looked easy to use. When purchasing I opted for the top of the range model (Etrex Vista C) so it was quite expensive, but hey you get what you pay for! I also purchased a car dashboard mounting kit and some additional mapping software which gave me better detail. As I am reasonably tech savvy, programming the unit with the extra cartography proved to be easy and before long I had tailored the unit to the exact specification I wanted. In the field the GPS unit proved to be an absolutely essential tool for recording my finds and after some weeks of use I was able relocate finds spots and more importantly identify those areas I had accidentally missed. But that’s not the end of it, because I had purchased a car kit I was able to use the navigation functions of the unit to direct me to new sites that I had not been to before. So no more getting lost when it came to new organised club events which is something I am always worried about. The most important point about GPS for us detectorists of course is that archaeologists welcome and recommend the recording of our finds and I think GPS has really helped me to record my local heritage. I was able to give exact locations (3m accuracy) of everything that they were interested in and that's got to be good for the integrity of our hobby, hasn’t it?

My Garmin GPS Unit. CLICK HERE to see additional mapping software.

SUITABLE CLOTHING

If you live in England like me then you will know it is important to consider the weather. We have quite a varied climate on this little island ranging from warm and scorching summers, to wet, windy and sometimes bitterly cold winters. So use your common sense! Rap up warm in the winter and don't tempt Jack Frost, equally on the other end of the spectrum, make sure you don't get burnt in the summer by the sun. Use sun lotion on exposed areas of skin and wear a hat to shade your head and neck. I almost became ill from sun stroke in August 2003 when I went out on the hottest day of the year. The morning was fine but it got progressively hotter and hotter as the day went on. I had water but even this was not enough as the temperature soared above 30ºC in the early afternoon. I had just returned to the car around 2pm when I started to feel dizzy and sick. Luckily there was some shade nearby for me to lay down and cool off otherwise I would have probably been a gonna!

Aside the weather another thing that you should consider investing in is a good strong pair of shoes or boots. Remember that the soles of your footwear are going to take quite considerable punishment from all your digging and walking, so buy a pair of shoes with good strong soles. Waterproofs are another must especially for your detector if it's not fully waterproof. You can now buy many battery and control box covers from your local detector dealer as aftermarket accessories which are specially designed to protect your detector from the rain. Oh and while on the subject of rain, being in the middle of a wide open field when a thunderstorm strikes is definitely not a good idea! If storms has been forecast for your area you should take this into consideration before planning an outing.

RESEARCH

Sometimes it is good to do a little research of the area you want to hunt and the best way I have found to do this is by asking the landowner if he or she knows the history of the area. In many cases you would be surprised how much people do know about their land and what went on there in the past. Another thing that I have found particularly useful is to obtain an old map of the area. It will show you where all the old footpaths used to be and if your really lucky perhaps where an old building once stood. Arial photos are also helpful and can indicate interesting markings on the ground that could be evidence of human activity sometime in the past. Sometimes a little research at your local reference library can reveal sites where perhaps there used to be an old market, fair or place of public gathering that is no longer used, or well known. Some books could give you information on the history of the village or town near the area you want to search. These clues might help you to determine the sorts of objects you might find and from what period in history they are likely to belong. For example, a village which is known to go back to the early medieval period would most likely reveal good sites for finding medieval artefacts and hammered coins, whereas towns or villages that are younger in date might not be worth searching at all. At the end of the day it is up to you, you could go somewhere do no research and still be surprised at what you find. However a little research will help increase the odds in your favour and will help you find a higher proportion of the older and more desirable finds.

PLACES TO SEARCH

FARMLAND

Detecting on farmland offers much scope and before long you should find all sorts of goodies, that is, if you are hunting in the right areas. I have found that fields near towns and villages with well known Roman and medieval history often turn up Roman, Saxon and hammered coins as well as other important historical artefacts from every day functional items to more desirable finds such as brooches, buckles and jewellery. If you are like me, a coin collector with a passion for medieval history then fields near the village church are often a good bet for turning up hammered coins. You can just picture people in the old days looking for spiritual advice or in attendance of religious mass, just imagine how many of those people may have lost the odd coin as he or she walks a shortcut across the fields on their way to church.

PARKLAND

Depending on where you live you may, or may not have access to public or parkland. If like me, you are from the UK then in most cases parkland will be out of bounds unless you are lucky enough to get permission from the local authorities. I have applied for permission to search council parkland but I have nearly always been refused however, on a few lucky occasions I have been able to go over such sites. Turn up your discrim because there's going to be plenty of trash out there and I don't mean a little, I mean a lot! Usually what I do is to make sure that I don't pick up any iron targets by placing a small rusty nail under the search coil and turning up the discrimination until there is no audible signal. I also like to use my disc edit feature to learn reject small paper foil targets because these can also be a real pain. If you don't have a disc edit or a block edit feature on your detector then I am afraid you are in for a hard time and you will get quite a lot of foil, but it is worth it in the end. Usually public land will yield you plenty of modern coins, buttons and the occasional buckle. However sometimes you might be lucky enough to find the odd gold or silver ring or chain. The best places to look in my experience are around swings, slides, climbing frames and park benches. These are the places where people are mostly likely to go when they are out for a walk. Maybe they go and sit down for a rest on the park bench and something falls out of their pocket. Maybe parents take their children to the swings and they lose some loose change. Either way these lost items will be waiting there for you to find them. All you have to do is go slowly, be patient and be prepared to do a lot of digging before you find something really worth while.

FOOTPATHS

Footpaths can be quite good areas to search especially if they have been is use for many years. Once again coins will be high on the finds list and will range in age from a few years to a few hundred years. I have found that searching the edges of footpaths seems to be the most productive. Why this is I do not fully understand yet but I think it may have something to do with the fact that prolonged rain tends to make footpaths very muddy. For this reason I can imagine people walking along the edges of the path instead of the middle to try and avoid the worst of the mud. Even with mud the ground below it will be very compacted having seen plenty of traffic so you should get a little better depth response than you would on ploughed soil. But be warned, I think a road drill is probably the order of the day! The soil is very hard and it will take a lot of effort to dig even a few inches, so be prepared for lots of exercise when you come to dig a good target. Oh and remember you are on a public footpath make sure you fill your holes in properly. You don't want to end up with anyone tripping over and hurting themselves as a result of your activities.

ORGANISATIONS, CLUBS, RALLIES AND EVENTS

From my own personal experience I would say "definitely join your local metal detecting club or society." You will find lots of other people there who will share your interests not to mention land which you will be able to go on as a result of becoming a member. Most clubs have weekly digs which are well organised and on land which produces many finds. Of course you can still go away with nothing which I have done on several occasions, but it is nice to get out in the country and enjoy the day. You will always be able to pick up good tips and tricks from others and its great for keeping up to date with all the latest news.

Another good tip would be to join a metal detecting regulatory or support organisation who year after year fight for you rights as a detectorist. Here in the UK there a two main organisation you can join, FID, the Federation of Independent Detectorists of whom I am a member, or the National Council for Metal Detecting NCMD. Both are good well established organisations who help the cause and image of metal detecting as a respected and responsible pas' time. By joining these organisations you will be expected to follow the rules of good conduct which help preserve the future of the hobby. You will also receive news letters and regular updates of what is going on in the metal detecting community not to mention news of rallies and other forthcoming events.

CLICK ON THE LINK ABOVE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT DETECTORISTS

CLICK ON THE LINK ABOVE TO GO TO THE WEEKEND WANDERERS DETECTING CLUB

DETECTOR SETTINGS

Newforce R1

One thing I have not seen on the web as of yet are any useful tips for Newforce R1 owners therefore I have decided to share some of the things I have found out about the Newforce since I got one a few years ago.

The Coin Inland Program is great for most sites you might come across however after using it for a few months I thought that it could do with little spicing up. To use my custom program choose the Coin Inland program and go into audio tune and increase to 65, also make sure audio discrim is turned off. Next go to disc edit in the discrimination menu and reduce the discrimination from 3 to 2. This will allow Iron to give a spit signal so even though it is heard you can still distinguish the difference from low conductive non-ferrous which won't give the same signal. Now go to the Pinpoint Sensitivity and reduce it to 9, this will help you to pinpoint more accurately. Whilst you are in this menu just check that the Motion Sensitivity is set to 14. That's it, less discrimination and increased background threshold tone will increase your machines sensitivity and depth and should increase your finds rate of the deeper older finds.

White's MXT

I am still finding out this detectors potential but I would like to share with you what I have found so far.

This as I said before is more of a switch on and go detector and I have found that there is a very definite limit to which you can push this machine. Relic mode goes the deepest, however I don't like the two tone discrimination which can cause problems in distinguishing the good from the bad signals. This is especially so when the target is right on the borderline, suddenly the audio gets very confusing. I don't like Prospecting mode either this is mostly used to find gold targets and it kind of makes me wonder about all the other signals I could have missed. For that reason I like to use Coin & Jewellery mode for most sites. In Coin & Jewellery mode set the discrimination to just below the recommended setting of 3, about 2½ to 2¾. Set the threshold hum so that you can just hear it running in the background, this for me is about halfway between the maximum and minimum setting. (White indicator mark on dial knob points directly downwards.) Now turn the machine on (gain Knob) with right hand bottom switch set to ground for soil, or salt for sand and rotate the gain to the small white arrow on the detector. This is the standard setting suggested by the owners manual which I think is somewhere near 9 or 10. Pump the search coil until the ground no longer responds, if there is a lot of iron present on your site be sure to set the ground switch to LOCK. Now gradually increase the gain into the +1,+2 and +3 settings until the machine becomes unstable (Sounds like an erratic threshold hum). Now back off the gain until the machine become stable again. Repeat this a few more times and fine tune the gain to the threshold. Now the gain should be in the + settings above the recommended in the owners manual. I usually end up with a gain setting of +1 to +1½ on most sites with the machine still being stable, or if I'm very lucky I might get +2 or +2¼. Your machine should now be running at maximum depth and sensitivity, this together with low discrimination should mean that you will be able to get almost anything that you go over. I was amazed at the extra depth I got using this method over my Newforce, nearly an extra 2½ inches. I can now pick up a small 5p coin over 8 ins down. When I went out on a dig in Surrey recently I even managed to get a George V shilling at 11 ins using this method for tuning the MXT and that was with the standard coil. I can't believe how deep this machine goes!

GOOD BOOKS

Here is a list of books that might be of interest to you, I have certainly found them to be most helpful when it comes to identifying finds that I am not so sure about.