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This man has one of the most rewarding jobs in San Francisco

LeftHandSwinger

New Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2020
Messages
15
Location
San Carlos, Ca
Nice article on metal detecting in a local online news source today. The writer did a good job covering this man and his passion. The only thing that wasn't mentioned was the Metal Detecting Code of Ethics and the fact that the man is detecting on Ocean Beach in San Francisco which is in the federally protected Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA). I know people detect here all the time, without issue. But at least cover the Code of Ethics to give the new hobbyist some insight to follow.

https://www.sfgate.com/local/articl...each-16446438.php?IPID=SFGate-HP-CP-Spotlight
 
Nice article on metal detecting in a local online news source today. The writer did a good job covering this man and his passion. ...

Agreed. Fun article. Thanx for linking and sharing here.

.... The only thing that wasn't mentioned was the Metal Detecting Code of Ethics. ...

You lament that they didn't bring up the "code of ethics" ? There's a mixed bag of "gotchas", if the author were to have done that. Because, to immediately go assuring readers "they obey this and that law" will ... guess what .... serve to do ? It will only conjur up images of "oh wow, it's got restrictions and laws" (that perhaps no one thought of, nor cared about).

Ie.: to "defend oneself" from the outset merely presumes that we have something to dodge, or be guilty of, in the first place. Why even plant those images in people's minds ?

Instead, start with the assumption (for a "feel-good article " like this), that md'ing is benign, harmless, safe, etc..... To start listing all sorts of "code of ethics" stuff merely plants images of "oh my gosh" stuff. :roll: When in reality, the average reader of an article like that, it's simply not something they care or think about. And best to leave it that way.

... and the fact that the man is detecting on Ocean Beach in San Francisco which is in the federally protected Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA). I know people detect here all the time, without issue.....

Uhhh, interesting that you know that people are detecting there w/o issue. You're right. There's been md'rs (who perhaps simply didn't know any better), who went for ages, and no one ever said so much as "boo" to them. And if someone ever DID get something said to them, it was just a "scram", at worst.

And I also have a sneaking suspicion of how this rule came into print there, way back when. And how any rangers, who *did/do* boot people, became appraised of this rule. Care to take a guess ?

But , back to Ocean Beach : If someone has legitimately lost a ring there, and calls for a hoybbist's help, then .... No ranger is going to forbid you from looking for it. I would not hesitate, for a minute, to go look for someone's lost ring there. I'll tell the true story of this happening there in the next post :
 
Years ago, an md'ing buddy of mine , who lives in SF, spotted a long ring on-the-beach craigslist ad. Where a hefty reward was offered. He figured "what the heck, that sounds like a slam-dunk".

He contacted the gal through her ad, in order to find out what beach, where, when , etc.... Turns out that she'd lost it on (gasp) Ocean beach ! My friend began to fret and worry, because he, like you, had heard this "not allowed" rumor.

So he fretted himself silly that he should contact the fed's, for permission to look for the ring. But eventually, just decided to print out the ad, and take it with him. So that is any nosy-parker said anything, he could just show them the ad. Which wasn't contrived and was a very legitimate search.

As he prepared to do his hunt, several others of us joked that he should start his search patterns WAY OUTSIDE the exact beach blanket zone *just to be safe* , haha. In the end, despite being on the beach for hours, no one said so much as boo to him. (I forget if he found the ring).

And we wondered : "What's to stop us from running a "lost" ad, and printing it out, and simply going to the beach to look for it ? " :shrug: :laughing:
 
Great response Tom, I like the points that you mentioned.
I didn't mean I knew these people personally who detect Ocean Beach. I meant that I've seen people who detect there. I watch as many local videos as I can find and there are a few different videos of guys detecting the San Fran beaches. One guy seems to primarily hunt Ocean Beach as of late. It must not be an issue as he sure detects it often. I'm one who follows the rules. I researched this beach & found detecting it wasn't allowed so I've never been there. Must be a great spot if not many people are detecting it.
 
.... Must be a great spot if not many people are detecting it.

I dunno, since I'm ~ 2 hrs. south of there. My beach zones are Monterey and Santa County spots.

I knew some guys who, during some storms a few years back, worked the beach up towards Stinson (yes, still in the ....gasp ... GGNRA zone). They got into mother nature's pockets, and did well . Even were getting silver coins, etc..... No one said jack-squat to them.

But in all seriousness : Who else, besides a nut or two with a metal detector, is going to be out on the beach in a howling storm, in the first place ? They were the only ones out there. And besides, I think the low tide times were something crazy like 8pm, so ... quite frankly ... no one was there, to even care, in the first place.
 
I dunno, since I'm ~ 2 hrs. south of there. My beach zones are Monterey and Santa County spots.

I knew some guys who, during some storms a few years back, worked the beach up towards Stinson (yes, still in the ....gasp ... GGNRA zone). They got into mother nature's pockets, and did well . Even were getting silver coins, etc..... No one said jack-squat to them.

But in all seriousness : Who else, besides a nut or two with a metal detector, is going to be out on the beach in a howling storm, in the first place ? They were the only ones out there. And besides, I think the low tide times were something crazy like 8pm, so ... quite frankly ... no one was there, to even care, in the first place.
If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is there to see it fall or hear it fall, who even knows a tree fell? Same way with detecting. Leave no evidence of ever being there.
 
It's basically a yellow pages ad listing for yourself...

It's one thing to ask a business to pay to get listed in a directory. It's another to ask a hobbyist to do so.

I suppose some of these people listed will charge a fee that exceeds their actual costs to hunt?
 
.... It's another to ask a hobbyist to do so...

The fellow that put together that directory has overhead costs, of running the site. And perpetual guiding interested subscribers through their Q&A, blah blah. And to police it for parsing out zip codes, so that the users (persons who lost a ring) can navigate to whomever is closest to that zip code. And I'm sure there's some policing to make sure that un-reputable people aren't on there.

And the developer has worked hard to to the tech job of making sure that persons keyword searches (when they lose a ring) will make his site pop up at the top of the searches. This all took time and effort, for which .... if he makes a buck, good for him.

As far as the subscribers: They set their own rates. For me, I just do on a tip system. Others set their own rates.
 
And we wondered : "What's to stop us from running a "lost" ad, and printing it out, and simply going to the beach to look for it ? "

I love the way you think!!
 
The fellow that put together that directory has overhead costs, of running the site. And perpetual guiding interested subscribers through their Q&A, blah blah. And to police it for parsing out zip codes, so that the users (persons who lost a ring) can navigate to whomever is closest to that zip code. And I'm sure there's some policing to make sure that un-reputable people aren't on there.

And the developer has worked hard to to the tech job of making sure that persons keyword searches (when they lose a ring) will make his site pop up at the top of the searches. This all took time and effort, for which .... if he makes a buck, good for him.

As far as the subscribers: They set their own rates. For me, I just do on a tip system. Others set their own rates.

I get how the owner has overhead costs and there's time and effort involved to keep it running. But those costs exist for the owners of this site...and many other message boards. Yet they remain free.

I suppose he/she has considered using ads, but for some reason it didn't make financial sense. And charging customers (leaving that to the ring finder) is out of the question for some reason.
 
There offering a service. No reason it should be free.

The owners of this message board are offering a service. It's free.

Facebook is free...at least from a monetary perspective.

Twitter is free.

Craigslist is free.

Signing up and posting on many freelance job sites is free. You only pay a fee if you actually do business on those sites.

Listing items for sale on eBay is free.

Shall I go on?

I'm not saying that Ring Finders or a similar site should be free. I'm just surprised the fee is so high and that it's the detectorists that pay it.
 
I can't believe some are sniveling over $65 per zone , per year. RF's I know make 10 -100 fold of that. My one buddy recently got $80 and $100 just for TRYING to find a lost ring. Most are experienced hunters who are giving back in a strange way , do-gooders if you will. But they all look at it to make $ and bragging rights. There are a few who have been known scammers and thieves as well....
 
I can't believe some are sniveling over $65 per zone , per year. RF's I know make 10 -100 fold of that. My one buddy recently got $80 and $100 just for TRYING to find a lost ring. Most are experienced hunters who are giving back in a strange way , do-gooders if you will. But they all look at it to make $ and bragging rights. There are a few who have been known scammers and thieves as well....

Are you saying most people on Ring Finders do it for profit? In that case, I can see why the owner(s) of the site would charge $65 and I suppose it's a reasoanble price.

But I got the impression that most people who pay the $65 are just signing up b/c they love the hobby and want to help others at the same time. If this impression is correct, it seems kind of slimey to charge someone $65 per year to help others. It's like charging a restaurant money for the "privilege" of donating food to a local food bank.

But again, if most people on there are using the site to help build their ring finding business, then that's totally different.
 
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