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New to metal detecting

roemills

New Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2016
Messages
7
Hey guys and gals I'm new to metal detecting! I've just gotten the bh discovery 1100 off amazon and I've been not haveing much luck.😭 I search an old 1850 house and front lawn (although super forested) and found nearly nothing but scrap! I also searched a bit of a 1910 house just around it and found less scrap. I sometimes get hits and dig 10-14 inches or more and find nothing. I'm sort of sad right now. I just would really, really appreciate any advice you've got for me! Thanks!

Ps. I really would like to find coins!
 
Hey guys and gals I'm new to metal detecting! I've just gotten the bh discovery 1100 off amazon and I've been not haveing much luck.😭 I search an old 1850 house and front lawn (although super forested) and found nearly nothing but scrap! I also searched a bit of a 1910 house just around it and found less scrap. I sometimes get hits and dig 10-14 inches or more and find nothing. I'm sort of sad right now. I just would really, really appreciate any advice you've got for me! Thanks!

Ps. I really would like to find coins!

Keep swim and keep digging. That's the first tip, when you can't dig anymore junk at all and you are about to snap your detector shaft over your knee, look for a repeatable signal before you dig. So if it sounds good one way try swinging at 90 degrees and if the tone changes. 90+% of the time that will be falsing iron. But dig a few of those too.

And welcome from SW WI
 
My biggest and best advice for you is to be patient. The good stuff will come, but you first need to learn what your machine is telling you. DO NOT expect to dig up something good every time or you'll walk away from the hobby very disappointed. If it were that easy everybody would own a metal detector and everyone would have a terrible looking lawn :laughing:

Just hang in there.

Welcome to the hobby and to the forum from Ohio!
 
Thank you! I also have farmed land nearby, and the 1850 house is actually knocked down so I try not to run into the debris. Lots of tall grass all over and it's hard to detect in. Any advice on where to look for coins!?😀
 
:welcome2: from South Carolina!

I'm relatively new to the hobby so others could probably give more precise advice, but basic advice would be to look in spots where more people were likely to be and likely to drop more coins, old coins in old abandoned places will likely be more difficult (but worth it when you find some) than looking for modern clad in places where people go today.
 
Thanks, any advice for when I dig nothing up and it says there is something?
 
Start in totlots, playgrounds, schools, beaches and learn your machine first. Meanwhile do research and find out where people gathered/were in years past. Once MDing becomes a lifestyle, and you know your machine inside and out, the good stuff will come.

Like stated earlier, patience is a must. WELCOME to the forum and don't hesitate to ask questions.
 
Start in totlots, playgrounds, schools, beaches and learn your machine first. Meanwhile do research and find out where people gathered/were in years past. Once MDing becomes a lifestyle, and you know your machine inside and out, the good stuff will come.

Like stated earlier, patience is a must. WELCOME to the forum and don't hesitate to ask questions.

This here is great advice, start in tot lots (school playgrounds) or even athletic fields. The sidelines of football and soccer fields are usually good. Around the border of a basketball court is good also. Check under bleachers where the crowd would sit. There's always stuff under there, park benches and picnic areas too.
 
Thanks, any advice for when I dig nothing up and it says there is something?

Lower your sensitivity down to about 50-60% so you can get used to shallow targets. Any higher and you could be targeting the smallest of targets or falsing. Invest in a pinpointer of some sort to start out with. They will help you locate those targets that you can't see easily or have trouble locating.

:welcome2: from Texas!
 
Lower your sensitivity down to about 50-60% so you can get used to shallow targets. Any higher and you could be targeting the smallest of targets or falsing. Invest in a pinpointer of some sort to start out with. They will help you locate those targets that you can't see easily or have trouble locating.

Welcome from North Carolina.

I agree. Sensitivity way down at first. Some old paints and roof coatings had metallic particles in them. Sound like a coin and disappear once the soil is disturbed. Ran into this at a 50's site where an in-ground pool and bath house used to be. Pinpointer will speed up the recovery time too.
 
These guys are spot-on. Another vote for getting some clad by visiting local playgrounds, ball fields, etc. Get some "wins" under your belt, then start gaining permission to old sites and hunt those.

Another little trick is to carry a big (obvious) trash bag in public places and leave the area better than you found it. Generally speaking carrying a trash bag (and using it) tends to diffuse any concerned citizens or workers in the more public areas with what you're doing there. Dig discretely if you can and leave the area better than you found it.

As funny as it sounds, my trash bag is my scape goat, should I need it. Of course my 9 year-old works pretty well too. LOL
 
First I'll tell you that most of those here on the forum disagree with me. They will tell you to dig everything to get used to your detector. That's fine in the long run but it's also the best way to give up on the hobby. Turn your discrimination up so you won't dig as much trash. Sure you're probably not going to find any gold rings but you won't be digging pull tabs either. You will have a lot better chance of finding coins though. You can always dig everything later if you want to. It's one of the best hobbies you can have but over the years I have seen too many give it up because they weren't finding anything. Location has a lot to do with finding anything. The more people that were at a place increases your chances of finding coins. Stick with it and before long you will be posting finds here of what you've found. Good luck from Kansas.
 
Welcome from Kansas. This is only my opinion but something that helped me immensely is laying coins on top the ground. If need be go to the coin shop and buy some inexpensive "silver coins". Then go over them with your machine, changing settings, experimenting . Get used to "the tones". Once you hear the good stuff, repeatedly, it wont take you long to know when you are going to dig a coin. Again, IMHO, Headphones and pin pointer are a must have. Good Luck and Happy Hunting.
 
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