DJ's Detectors
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Happy New Year Everyone,
Well the website at DJ's Detectors celebrated
it's 1st birthday on the 10th of Jan. It has been a fun and interesting
learning experience for us to have developed and maintain the site. We would
like to thank each of you who have helped in the development of it by sending
photos, stories, cartoons, and other items for us to use on the site.
Update on Jarita and "DT". As of the writing of
this newsletter there is still no new baby. Both Jarita and the baby are doing
fine. The doctor this morning said if we are still pregnant in a week, come
back and see him. We want to thank all of you who entered the contest, and
will let the winner know as soon as I can after the baby is born. Seems we are
very close now, and both Jarita and I are very excited.
Links
KSRandy started a new website and forum this
last month. It is a very nice site so far. Stop by the link below if you get a
chance.
Gold prospectors be sure to check out this
site. Lots of very smart miners, and great ideas there.
For anyone looking for information on glaciers
that moved gold to the Midwestern states this sit might help you.
Ever wonder where to find pricing on coins? How
do I grade them? Here is a site that will answer most of those questions.
For past tips you can read our old newsletters
at
Detecting Tips
By Our Readers
With winter coming on it is a great
time to scout new sites for spring detecting. A light covering of snow, an
inch or so is best, will really bring out subtle contours in the terrain that
you might otherwise miss. I have seen it many times, a wide open pasture that
you know for a fact holds an old home site but you have never been able to
pinpoint the right spot. A little frosting of snow on the ground will make
that foundation or cellar hole depression stand out like a neon sign!! Try it
when the first snow flies.
Todd-OK
If you need some new places to
hunt, you may either contact a local historical society and ask to give a
metal detecting demonstration at their next meeting, or just join it, and let
them know about your hobby. They may have older "virgin" sites that become
available to you.
Along this same line, do this also at a genealogical society meeting. They may be able to get you onto properties that have been in the family for years, or know of other great new sites for you. Tom-IA
I use an older detector (White's
Coinmaster 6000D S2), and was getting frustrated because I couldn't detect any
deep old targets. After talking to White's about it, they let me know that I
really can't expect to find much below 4-5 inches. This is actually quite
liberating for me. I don't have to waste a lot of time with research, and I
can stick with areas where newer jewelry might be found.
Cory in ORy
When you ask permission to hunt on
someone's property, make it clear that you want to keep the finds, or split
them with the owner. This is a true lesson to learn, as it was told to me.
As far as another tip. I dig all beeps since I am new. It helps me get better with pinpointing since I am new, but it also tells me what my Eldorado can do.. Dave Dabney Dab-SD
Don't pass up those signals you
think are zinc. It could be a keeper!!!
Tim Something for new detectorists to realize and for us "oldies" to remember. "NEVER" consider "ANY" site hunted out. Because of variations in machines, soil conditions, people, there are seems to "ALWAYS" be targets to find. If someone tells me about a site, but there's nothing left, well, I guess I just have to find out for myself. Hehe! Greg SC Digger
And if you think it's worked out
then you are saying "I haven't gotten any better at detecting since I was
there years ago" ! St
Steve in AZ
When swinging, make sure to keep
the coil level and at the same height off the ground for the entire swing. I
have seen too many people swing the detector like a clock pendulum. This cuts
your effective detecting area when swinging like this. I would much rather
cover 5 feet with each swing as 1-2 feet with the pendulum swing..
HH Rusty in Tenn.
I went to a saddle shop, and had
them cut 2 pieces of 20x20 Nylon used to make bags for Gear! What makes it
more useful is to have a piece of gore tex sewn in between the 2 pieces of
nylon. When coin hunting I can use it to kneel on AND put the dirt on when
hunting lawns It will work as a funnel to put dirt back in hole and is better
than plastic! Then when deer and elk season starts, I put it in my pack so
when it is one of those days when every thing is wet from dew. I can sit down
and keep my backside dry!
Deathwind 1
Stick to the metal detector you
have because it takes a substantial time to learn your machine's language, and
be able to interpret it correctly. Each brand metal detector has its
advantages and disadvantages but there is no one outstanding machine, the
best, otherwise the rest of manufacturers would go out of business. The
successful detecting is not so much about the machine's capabilities, but
about one's ability to operate and understand the machine right. HH!
Sergei from Upstate(NY)
The term " repeat photography" is
something you may want to look into. It is where someone took pics of an area
one time, and about 40 years or so later, took another pic of the same exact
place and put them in a book. They have many sites in the books that show a
lot of change. People in vegetation studies are big on this. For us detector
operators it can be a picture that opens up all kinds of possibilities. Check
your library out on this one sometime.
Steve in so AZ
Overlap your swings by 50%. Your
outside ring on a spider coil transmits the signal in the ground, but your
inside ring receives it.
HH Cal G
When hunting large pastures and
plowed fields, hunt the "higher" ground. A rise as little as 6-8 inches can be
the site of a home or camp.
Use field glasses to look at the terrain. A very small increase in contour height looks 4 feet high through the glasses It will pay off. HH, Joe Bolton
Got the first rain since June 22
last Thursday. The ground has been hard as concrete and nearly impossible to
dig, So I resorted to "Surface Trolling." I installed my largest coil, reduced
the sensitivity to 2-3 and used my Vibra probe on all targets. The target has
to be within an inch for it to sound off. In just under 2 hours I picked up 58
coins and never dug over an inch.
An added benefit is that I have cleaned up this area so I can start picking up better targets when the rains resume. Jim Dannels
In addition to spray repellants, I
loosely wrap "large" dog tick and flea collars around my boots, when hunting
in infected areas. Works great in keeping those pesky seed ticks from getting
up your legs.
Jerry Balcer
It's been pretty hot here in
Alabama. Because of the heat, and because of work, I've been doing a lot of
night hunting, mostly at parks. Not only is it cooler, but there are also a
lot fewer people around. Maybe you'd enjoy the additional challenge of not
being able to see where you're digging, but I don't. I recommend getting one
of those head lamps for light, leaving your hands free to hunt. I prefer those
that use the LED lights. They cost a little more but the batteries last much
longer.
HH Eddie
To learn what your machine is
telling you, how to pinpoint and when to dig, take your machine to sand and
bark chip playgrounds. Dig every signal after checking where they discriminate
out. And soon you'll find you know what the discrimination does and where
things fit in on it, also exactly where the target is under your coil for
pinpointing. This will help you be ready to venture into other areas without
digging huge holes, or unnecessary holes. On top of which, you'll find lots of
fun stuff as playgrounds are always being replenished.
HH to you!
Scott F.
If you see someone watching you,
even though you have permission, introduce your self. Tell them who gave you
permission. Works for me.
HH. Harold N.S.
Treat yourself to a electronic
pinpointer. They cut your recovery time.
Mark
The Air Test Controversy By Jim Dannels
Air Testing seems to come up in conversation often when detectorists gather. There are two distinct opinions. One is that since we don’t detect in air, air tests are worthless and the other that air tests can be very useful. There is usually truth to both side of any disagreement and my opinion lies there. Why would anyone want to do air tests? To get some idea what response you can expect from various targets so you do not pass them over in the field. Or that your detector is functioning properly, those snowy or rainy days it is an excuse to play with your detector. A much more convincing endeavor than goofing around? What will an air test not tell you? An air test will not tell you what you will find on a given day. It will not consider soil conditions so any information you get is likely to be slightly inaccurate. If you are using a Target Identification Discrimination (Henceforth TID) detector depth readings and identification may be slightly skewed. It will not tell you that your detector is as good, or better than another. What should an air test not be used for? It should not be used as a comparative tool. Especially no two detectors of different make or model should be compared on basis of an air test! Design differences between makers will not allow this to even remotely accurate. In summary, here are a few cautions. Beware of any statistics quoted, as you have no idea how the tester made the tests. It is very easy to skew the results of a test to support your pre-conceived notions. Also be careful of slight of hand tricks used during testing. By this I mean a tester can stack targets and get results that you are likely to never see in the field and present them as conclusive proof that one detector is superior to another. Not necessarily true. I am not saying anyone would lie, but diligently consider what they present. Do I air test? You bet! But I am careful to take whatever I learn air testing, apply and proof it in real field experience. It can be a useful reference point, and like TID information is not conclusive. The only real and accurate ID is when you have the target in your hand. I will not claim to be an expert on this subject, just sharing my opinions. It is for you to consider what I have presented and decide for yourself.
Residual Placers
By Bill Anderson
This month's tip is a short and simple one. Be aware that there is a rather rare but potentially dandy gold placer called a residual placer. It results from precise conditions where gold exists in decomposing bedrock. The gold starts out, "in place" as hard rock type gold. The bedrock weathers or rots so to speak until it is rather earthlike. Next to happen is gentle erosion takes the dirt away, but is not forceful enough to remove the gold. The gold just drops to a lower horizon, but gets concentrated now due to the fact that it is mixed with less dirt. You must be aware that, being created in this fashion, residual placers can be anywhere and are not limited to places where deposits would be left by glacial movement or stream flow. Also the telltale gravel cobble is not necessarily there to earmark a placer. What gravel might be there is usually very angular or sub angular. Also the gold usually has a whole lot of character, not being scrubbed down to the jellybean shape. Residual placers are easy to miss, but that is advantage to you. They are still there to be found. Often though there is no gold left under the placer in the bedrock depending if the entire hard rock deposit of gold weathered out. A classic example of a residual placer is in Alaska in the Eureka district north and west of Fairbanks. It is called Shirley Bar, It tossed nuggets to 7 ounces to the lucky miners. Have fun and be safe.
Jarita and I would like to wish everyone a very happy and safe new year. It was a real pleasure to help serve your needs last year, and we are looking forward to doing so again in 2004. And thanks to all of you who stop in the chat room on a nightly basis to share your wisdom with the new people in our hobbies. For those of you who are interested in learning more about prospecting or detecting, be sure to stop by the chat room, and don't be shy. No matter what the conversation is going on, we are always happy to change it to treasure hunting. We chat most every evening between 7 and 10 Central time. Have a great month everyone and we are looking to talking with you all in the chat room. Also please continue to share your stories and pictures of your great adventures with us, and the others that read them on our site.
Happy Hunting in 2004,
Doug and Jarita Heidebrink
DJ's Detectors
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