Metal Detecting 101

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Uncle Vinny's Workshop

Metal Detecting 101
A guide for beginners

Key concepts
Buying a detector
Improving technique

Welcome
- to the wonderful world of metal detecting!

This is an adventure-filled hobby ranging from diving in a tropical ocean, to uncovering Civil War relics, to prospecting for gold in Alaska. It goes by various names – treasure hunting, dirt fishing, or coinshooting. You’ll have loads of fun, even if you only visit your local park. This site is dedicated to advancing you from novice to journeyman in the sport of metal detecting.

Check out the News page for recent events

If you are new to the hobby, be sure to read the Tips & Techniques page to help you understand the basic concepts of metal detecting. Before you buy a detector, you will need to know what some the the key terms are, such as Discrimination, Target ID, sensitivity, and Ground Balance.

Learn by watching great Videos.

See Links to other sites, forums, manufacturers and suppliers

Finally, if you want helpful information for the coinshooting hobbyist, check out the Order page for "Metal Detecting for the Beginner."
Now 20% off.

^ To STOP video, press the "II" icon lower left.

Video of a typical metal detecting hunt.

See PHOTOS of metal detecting adventures.
Click this link. Below: Gold panning near Fiddletown, California

Hot Links

Best Forum: http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php
Best metal detector

Contact: UncleVinnys@aol.com

You can order the book "Metal Detecting for the Beginner" by visiting the Order page. Now 20% off.
The Table of Contents for the book is listed below.

Metal Detecting
for the Beginner

Vince Migliore

Table of Contents

The book is published now, and contains 108 pages, 20 photos and diagrams, and a table to help you in choosing a detector.

1. Introduction
A. Welcome
B. The metal detector
C. Code of ethics

2. What a Typical Hunt Feels Like
A. Metal detecting equipment
B. Choosing a location
C. The people you meet
D. Metal detecting techniques
E. Science and skills
F. Sorting and saving your finds
G. Gold and prospecting
H. Growing into the hobby
I. Other resources

3. How to Select a Metal Detector
A. Before you buy
B. Detecting possibilities in your geographic location
     1. On-land coins and relics
     2. Beach, surf, and underwater detecting
     3. Prospecting for gold, silver, or other metals
C. The basic technologies
     1. First-generation technology
     2. Very-low frequency (VLF) technology
     3. Pulse induction (PI) technology
D. Crucial Concepts in Detector Operation
     1. Discrimination and notch filtering
     2. Target identification (TID)
     3. Sensitivity
     4. Search depth
     5. Ground balance
     6. Detector operating frequency

E. Detector Choices
     1. The major manufacturers
     2. Your check-list
     3. Comparing models
     4. A used detector
F. Related equipment
     1. Coils
     2. Pin-pointers
     3. Digging tools and probes
     4. Clothing
     5. Headphones
     6. Peripherals

4. How to Choose a Place to Hunt
A. General guidelines
     1. Go where people walk.
     2. Talk to the man (or woman)
B. If this is your first hunt.
     1. The user manual.
     2. An easy search.
C. Using Maps
     1. Working with maps.
     2. A personal experience with maps
D. Working the Internet
E. Historic research
     1. Sources
     2. Where people congregated
     3. Trails and ghost towns
     4. The Civil War
     5. Buried treasure
F. Unusual places
     1. Hiding spots
     2. Discards
G. Unusual methods
     1. Dowsing
     2. Coin roll hunting.
     3. Magnetics

5. Who Else Can Help You
A. When you’re hunting alone
B. Owners – getting permission
C. Working with partners
D. Metal detecting clubs
     1. Joining a local club.
     2. National clubs
E. Club hunts

6. How to Improve Your Technique
A. Site selection
     1. Go where the coins are
     2. A note on the “virgin site”
B. Site evaluation
C. Equipment and settings
D. Grids and micro-site selection
E. Digging
F. When to give up
G. Field storage

7. Science and Your Hobby
A. Archeology
B. Geology
C. Biology
D. Meteorology
E. Electronics
F. Physical fitness

8. Your Treasures and Caring for Them
A. Coins
     1. Rough cleaning
     2. Major cleaning
     3. Recording and cataloging
B. Relics
     1. The fun of relic hunting
     2. Common Relics
     3. Identifying what you’ve found

9. Gold Prospecting
A. Gold prospecting overview
B. Silver
C. Gold-locating equipment

10. Becoming a Journeyman
A. Contributing and participating
B. Online forums and reviews
C. Review your early choices

11. Where to Find Other Resources
A. The big players
     1. TreasureNet
     2. Lost Treasure
     3. Gold Prospector’s Association
B. Magazines
C. Online Resources
D. Clubs
     1. National Clubs
     2. Lists of local clubs
E. Further reading
     1. Books on metal detecting
     2. Handy reference books
F. Friends and neighbors

Appendix A: How a VLF Detector Works
A. VLF Technology

Appendix B: Manufacturers and Suppliers
A. Major Brands
B. Suppliers

Appendix C: Check-list Comparison Chart

Index

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