Just a thought....... right ? wrong ? Decision has been made.

[Elton]

I have seen my finds diminish over the years to just a few pieces of Silver on a hunt..My thoughts are..OK that's pretty simple..Not a lot of Silver left..But then again I see others digging Silver no matter where they go, schools, parks, homes, churches..you name it. Lately I have found no Silver..zip zero..

I have found very little Silver in the past Year or so...I ask myself why ????

I think I have figured it out...I have kept records so I sorta know what I am talking about here.....

For years I used one brand detectors....Different models to be sure. The basics were all the same though..minor transition for learning the new model.
About a year or so ago I started switching detectors..Brands and Models..............Sure I had some good results, and maybe one or two great results..But..they were inconsistent results.

I also found myself switching detector, to detector, because I just wasn't comfortable with the detector I was using... Not a good thing !! If every time I go out and I am learning a new detector I am not going to do well.I could not be expected to do well, and so far I haven't been wrong in my expectations. I have done lousy..lousy, lousy,

It's reached the point for me that I do not really like detecting any more..and believe me when I say "I LOVED DETECTING"..............all machines are not created equal..I did really like one of the new models I used..and still do kinda..thought it was the perfect detector for me...well not the new one I bought isn't..it's totally different from a prior same model detector I purchased ( SEE what I mean.. Traded.not happy)..seems like a different animal...........In fact I think about going out detecting and I find excuses not to go... Well I decided to do something about that.........I found someone who would trade me a "What I know, liked, and enjoyed detector brand, (It's a new model for me).."but basics are the same" for the new one I just bought...Notice I am not naming names, or anything negative..this is about me..not about the detectors I tried..Their good detectors............

This is about what I learned over the years, what I know how to use best, and what I remember as what I liked best... I am going "Home".and back to enjoying my hobby again..So what if I don't go 15" on a dime, two feet on a quarter..I will be doing what I used to Love, and doing it with a machine that works well ,gets respectable depth, and I know it inside and out...........I am putting the joy back in the hobby for'" Me".not what I can post on the forum, not the best find, not the most coins..just a few good finds, and maybe a little Silver....Using a detector brand that's been like a second nature to me.............See you all on the forum..and I know I will be a happier person when you read my good, or not so good finds..but I will be doing my thing.. a fun hobby..and I just bet..back to basics will improve my finds.New detector (OLD BRAND) should be here tomorrow..and I can't wait........I'm happier than I have been for near two years just thinking about geting it...
So if you find yourselves in the same frame of mind..look back...find, and fix the problem.

 

[RLOH]

Elton, I am with you on your thoughts. Detecting should be fun and if you are not having fun, it's time to quit. I retired a year and a half ago and I hunt every day that the weather permits. A couple of years back, I figured that I found 8 to 9 wheats for every silver coin. The last year or so, that ratio has changed to 20 or more wheats to each silver. I like you have used every high end detector made and I know how to use them based on what I used to find. I currently use a SE Pro and a modified IDX Pro and as much as I like the Minelab, I seem to be finding as much with my Whites. I have ten spots that I hunt and to be honest, I think I have them pretty well cleaned out. It is frustrating to hunt for 4 or 5 hours at a spot that has produced for you in the past and come away with two or three wheats and no silver. I hate to admit this, but I am really liking my simple to use IDX. I have found silver and wheats four out of the last five hunts and it is an easy, fun detector. If anyone has an IDX Pro, I highly recommend Mr. Bill's mods. Yesterday I was finding wheaties at 7 to 8 inches with the 5.3 coil. Don't get me wrong. I think any Explorer is still the most accurate deep detector out there, but sometimes simple can be alot more fun. You got to have fun or it is not worth doing. I think when I take a relatively inexpensive detector out hunting, my expectations are not as high as hunting with a thousand dollar detector. I am like you when I come home silverless, but you have to remember "if it isn't there, you can't find it" Do whatever it takes to enjoy the hobby. Several times over the last 5 or 6 years, I got burned out, but the addiction is too poweful for me to quit. I use to think that muliple silver coins meant a successful hunt, but my expectations are now much lower. Enjoying a nice day in the field and having a chance to find an older coin makes for a great day for me. R.L.

 

[Roscue2]

Not to say that believing in finding silver is a waste of time or anything, but when I hunt I usually don't let silver pass into my mind a lot. Maybe because I've never found silver before? I enjoy finding almost any type of coin, as long as its not a corroded penny. Every time I dig a common date quarter I feel pretty good. I just wonder if when I finally find my fist silver coin what will happen. Will my hopes for finding silver go up or stay the same? Personally, when I do find silver I hope that my expectations for finding silver will stay the same.

 

[gear box]

AMEN MY FREIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's exactly how I feel. I couldn't of said it better. I only own one detector at a time and I try to know it well. I like simplicity and the relaxing aspect of the hobby. I don't feel the need nor the desire to own a half dozen detector's. It just seem's to take away sommething.
Good luck with your new machine and have fun, Gary

 

[Elton]

n/t

 

[Elton]

I guess the more you do it( detect) the more you desire to find the better finds.........I hope you always just want to detect no matter what you find..Thats the better attitude of the two..Mine & Yours.......Thats why I am going back to the basics..Just to enjoy detecting again.........

 

[GRAY GHOST]

hi, el. you must remember that even the greatest of writers occasionally have writer's block, and the funniest of clowns aren't always funny! i've disciplined myself to hit the field with no expectations of finding anything at all; that way, when the day goes south on me, then i didn't really lose anything, and had a great time doing it. at the end of the hunt, i know that i benefitted in some way. i usually find more pulltabs than anything else. that doesn't deter me in the least. silver?! what's that? yeah, i used to find oodles of it. i think the proliferation of the hobby has caught up with us. lots of people are doing it now [ you know, now that's it cool to do it.] ultimately, changing times will demand change in the way we think and do our hobby if we are to be successful and happy with it.
i'm glad you will continue your detecting quest. we need more people like yourself in the hobby. there's still plenty of stuff to find out there - if your're willing to get away from your old stomping grounds a bit. vary your searches. go somewhere you've never been. push the boundaries. run all metal. instead of the old boring up - and - down - the - field approach, try angling your search path [right corner to left corner] yeah, you'll be surprised at what you DIDN'T pick up the first time around! ....and you'll find stuff that you didn't find with different machines! it's still better to know one machine very well than only half - know a half dozen. i'm still of the opinion that every one of us should own two machines - one will find what the other doesn't. strange, yes, but true.
i still get that giddy feeling every time i go out. i couldn't imagine life without it. i live for the weekends. recovering history, holding it in my hands, and getting the chance to unfold a true story is just incredible. an old man once told me, " son, no matter how technically advanced we could ever be, we'll always need to go back to the basics." no truer words were ever spoken. so, let's all have fun with our chosen hobby, and not let things get us down. yes, the silver finds are diminishing, but it's still out there in small pockets and honey holes.
you've made a wise choice, el. the gods of detecting will surely smile on you. thanks, and hh!

 

[echostar61]

Hi EL , I am glad you are getting a detector that you love , and I hope
that you find joy in detecting again . I have several detectors and have used
many brands and models in the past. I have a favorite and that is the one I
always go back to , its just comfortable to me .
I love detecting and finding anything , I have only found 2 decent finds this year ,
a silver quarter and an IH , but Ive had lots of FUN. Some folks like to hunt parks ,
some folks like me are happy in a huge open field . I went today and took a friend,
he wasnt impressed with our finds so we ended up in a park . I can dig all day long
with the chance of finding an old silver coin or LC and still be happy if I dont . Today
I dug all hits and even found the kitchen sink (well faucet)

Good Luck with your new detector EL and HAVE FUN

Terri

 

[Beale]

Hey Elton I wish you good luck with the new MD. I do understand your reasoning. I really only use one of my detectors. It is the one I like and enjoy. Have fun and enjoy the hunting, Beale.

 

[jim tn]

El, I hate to see you do away with the 75, but more importantly, I am glad you are happy and looking again to the bright side. You and I have been at this ole hobby a good long time and both realize there is much more to it then simply finding silver each time we go afield. Good luck my friend. HH jim tn

 

[Elton]

Just wasn't doing it for me Jim.....more of an effort than a fun thing using it.

It worked well but just wasn't where I wanted to be in the sites I hunt.

 

[Elton]

n/t

 

[Elton]

Thanks My lady appreciate the kind words.. remember if your having fun..it does not matter what ,or the quantity of finds it's all about the enjoyment.

I am going back to the pure pleasure of detecting..

 

[Uncle Willy]

One should always stick with the detector that suits them best, that they know and understand the best, that works the best for them. Constantly switching detectors never accomplishes anything. There is no magic detector out there that will find what others can't seem to find.. I know guys who are still hunting with 30 year old detectors and if you go hunting with them expect to get your butt thumped - because they know their detectors inside out.

Silver is scarce and it will get much worse since none has been minted since 1964 and none of it will be replaced once it is recovered. When I started in this hobby over 44 years ago you could practically scoop it up with a shovel - but who cared at that time as silver was the standard coinage in this country and only worth face value.

So go out and enjoy the hobby for what it is " a hobby." If you find a little silver - fine. If not that is also fine. You will be doing what you enjoy and what brings you pleasure and that's worth a whole lot of silver. Welcome home bud.

Bill

 

[Elton]

This was not an overnight decision..Silver isn't the problem finding or not finding..I wasn't enjoying this great hobby anymore..I was fighting it..always trying to learn a new machine..And let me tell you..even us old dogs suffer when constantly switching from one to another machine....I just want to enjoy the hobby like I always had before..Know what I am using, know what it tells me is somewhat correct..( Not always) but I was constantly second guessing, and got to the point I dreaded going out..and that's a bad thing..so back to the basics and using what I know and enjoy is the order of the day Thanks GG your always a great support.

 

[Elton]

n/t

 

[Elton]

n/t

 

[tab-nabit]

Doesn't matter right or wrong. You do what you feel is right. I see nothing wrong with it myself.
I'll agree that the silver coins sure isn't like it used to be, so now silver and anything else good is a bonus. As long as we enjoy doing it. And during the dry periods where something nice comes up once in awhile keeps the thrill factor.
I like some things the new bells and whistle machines offer and I like grabbing the simple no frills older style machine at times. It's whatever I feel like swinging at the time.
I have the Explorer, F-75, a few others, and just nabbed the newest I believe, the Vision. But I will also grab more often than not the little simplistic machines with no bells and whistles i.e. Compadre, Silver uMax etc.
It kind of touches a little to remind me of some of the machines I used years back - some I wish I had kept.
What's offered now and what's comes up on classifieds brings us a wide variety of choices. That variety fits a variety of folks for a variety of needs/wants. So there is a fairly good choice.

 

[Boris]

It is kinda like friends, you tend to spend the spare time that you do have with the one or ones that make you comfortable.I love the machine that I use and will keep using it especially after reading this thread, I never want my detecting thrills to wain.Sometimes I think that life has way to many choices and we kinda get lost chasing the greener grass.

 

[Elton]

There isn't a detector I tried that I would not sell any of you with a clear thought it functioned like it was supposed too.

This was about me, and what I enjoyed....not the detectors.