Hello, beginner here with two days experience with a BH Pioneer 202. One hour in the backyard yielded 3 pennies and a dime. Which leads to a few newbie questions. What is the best way to clean up these coins? I can see the pennies aren't wheat pennies but I can't tell any of the years. I've tried scrubbing them with an old toothbrush in hot water but that did not help much. Also, I used my hori hori(Japanese made weeding tool) to dig up these treasures. The holes were about 4" round and 6" deep. They still looked messy and lumpy after filling in the holes. Is this allowed in most city/county parks? My 3rd question is do you think the Pioneer 202 can be used at the beach? I live within a short drive to Santa Cruz and would love to check out the dry sand there. I do have a 10 year old Garrett Sea Hunter that I used once in a hare brained scheme to find my wedding ring at the Fishbowl in Maui. I used it once then threw it in my garage. I can't get the battery cover off of it otherwise I'd think it would be perfect for the beach. I've been reading this forum for a while and you guys are a treasure chest of info. Thanks for any replies. Happy hunting, Mike.
Find's Treasure Forums
Welcome to Find's Treasure Forums, Guests!
You are viewing this forums as a guest which limits you to read only status.
Only registered members may post stories, questions, classifieds, reply to other posts, contact other members using built in messaging and use many other features found on these forums.
Why not register and join us today? It's free! (We don't share your email addresses with anyone.) We keep email addresses of our users to protect them and others from bad people posting things they shouldn't.
Click here to register!
Need Support Help?
Cannot log in?, click here to have new password emailed to you
Changed email? Forgot to update your account with new email address? Need assistance with something else?, click here to go to Find's Support Form and fill out the form.
Hello!! A beginner here
- Thread starter Qballfc
- Start date
dirt jockey
Member
Qballfc, welcome to the forum and one of the best hobbies there is. My first detector was the Pioneer 202, and though it is my backup I can honestly say it is still my favorite. Practice, practice, practice, once you understand what it is telling you the fun never stops. The Pioneer 202 is essentially the same as the QuickDraw. A truly great machine. Ok, let's look at your questions. Cleaning coins. There are several ways to clean them up. Some diggers use vinegar, peroxide and salt. Others a tumbler, some olive oil, and still others use an electric process that works good. Do your homework and experiment till you find one you like. A quick word of caution: be very careful with older coins, the patena is what collectors find desirable.
Digging tools. I am not familiar with the "hori hori" but a popular digging tool is a six to eight inch narrow garden trowel sold at Home Depot or Lowes or a good hardware store. Practice pinpointing, this will enable you to dig a smaller and neater hole (plug). When you dig the plug try not tear it all apart, keep it in tact if possible it will help make a neater fill. Try to leave the plug with as little evidence of you being there as possible. With practice you can become very efficient retrieving targets with a screwdriver, it's called "popping coins". A good pin pointer will help locate the target faster and with less digging. A sloppy dig is very bad advertising for the hobby. Another word of caution, most city parks are friendly to detecting, however, some county parks have restrictions. State parks you must make inquiries, most will require a permit or be closed to detecting completely. Federal parks are almost always closed to detecting. Generally beaches are friendly to detecting between the surf and vegetation line.
Beach hunting. In dry sand the 202 will work great. Wet sand is more difficult because of mineralization. You will need to experiment with disc and sensitivity. For beach hunting a sand scoop is a must. You can get a good plastic scoop for about $10 or you can go with aluminum and stainless steel with short or long handles between $35 and $200. I hope you find some of this helpful. I've been detecting about fifteen years and learn something new every time I go out. I'm sure there are others on the forum who can help you out as well. You've got a very reliable machine, spend time with it. I actually nicknamed my 202 "George Washington" because once I learned what it was telling me, it never told a lie. Good luck and Happy Hunting.
Digging tools. I am not familiar with the "hori hori" but a popular digging tool is a six to eight inch narrow garden trowel sold at Home Depot or Lowes or a good hardware store. Practice pinpointing, this will enable you to dig a smaller and neater hole (plug). When you dig the plug try not tear it all apart, keep it in tact if possible it will help make a neater fill. Try to leave the plug with as little evidence of you being there as possible. With practice you can become very efficient retrieving targets with a screwdriver, it's called "popping coins". A good pin pointer will help locate the target faster and with less digging. A sloppy dig is very bad advertising for the hobby. Another word of caution, most city parks are friendly to detecting, however, some county parks have restrictions. State parks you must make inquiries, most will require a permit or be closed to detecting completely. Federal parks are almost always closed to detecting. Generally beaches are friendly to detecting between the surf and vegetation line.
Beach hunting. In dry sand the 202 will work great. Wet sand is more difficult because of mineralization. You will need to experiment with disc and sensitivity. For beach hunting a sand scoop is a must. You can get a good plastic scoop for about $10 or you can go with aluminum and stainless steel with short or long handles between $35 and $200. I hope you find some of this helpful. I've been detecting about fifteen years and learn something new every time I go out. I'm sure there are others on the forum who can help you out as well. You've got a very reliable machine, spend time with it. I actually nicknamed my 202 "George Washington" because once I learned what it was telling me, it never told a lie. Good luck and Happy Hunting.
