New, Story, and Questions :whites:

[djflan]

Hey Everyone....I am the proud owner of a MXT-300 and a 5.3 eclipse coil purchased from another member of this forum. This is my first md and I am excited.

My father got me interested from an early age, he used to take an old Tesoro on family vacations and we would hunt the beach, but usually found nothing more that about 50 cents. My grandfather also owns property that was once a known confederate camp site.

I've decided to test the detector in the yard first, I never expected to find much since the house was built in 1995. In 2 days i've managed to break 2 trowels and 1 shovel...

Day one:

I start a few feet from the house...First VDI reading:foil, cap...my first find is an old beer screw cap...(nothing old enough to be remotely interesting). I continue around the yard to find mostly iron targets. The next two targets I try to dig are DEEP....deep enough that I get tired of digging for whatever the MXT is finding, the holes I dig are about a foot deep and half a foot in diameter. I finally break the shovel i'm using and find a trowel in the garage. My last find is a Pepsi can from around 1995....at a foot ...the trowel I'm using breaks at this point and I buy another one.

Day two:

I continue around the yard and cover a few holes that I dug in futile. I did managed to find a small bit of foil in one...I am surprised the detector is so sensitive. I get a VDI reading in the back of the yard that keeps jumping from -20 to 47 and decide to dig. I dig about 2" into the ground only to find a nasty root blocking and further attempts...no worries...I'll just pull it up with the trowel .... SNAP! ...i've broken the new trowel and have nothing left to dig with. I decide to get the hedge trimmers, clip the root, and continue digging. I finally find a small piece of barbwire about an inch down which upon multiple passes now registers as iron.

I had fun..I'm going to the beach in a couple weeks which should be another good opportunity.

Questions:

1. I need a good digging tool...but everything i've found looks like I knife...I want something I could take to the beach or parks, any recommendations?

2. The VDI seems to jump on some objects...is this something that happens often with old, decaying targets?

3. Where can I md??? I know this sounds funny...but I doubt I could go digging up the local parks here in White House, TN

4. Any other advice anyone can give is appreciated

 

[Rob (IL)]

Questions:

1. I need a good digging tool...but everything I've found looks like I knife...I want something I could take to the beach or parks, any recommendations?

I think the Lesche or Predator are the most used digger they look some what like a knife. I've never been questioned about it at a school, park, or other public place. They tools are strong and don't break. At a beach any digger would be useless. At the beach you need a scoop.

2. The VDI seems to jump on some objects...is this something that happens often with old, decaying targets?

The MXT doesn't average it's readings. You get a new reading on each pass of the coil over the target. Therefore the reading can be a little jumpy and change a little in each direction. Readings that jump from one end of the scale to the other should indicated junk.

3. Where can I md??? I know this sounds funny...but I doubt I could go digging up the local parks here in White House, TN

Anywhere you can get permission or where there is no restrictions against detecting. Much of my hunting is in parks. If you learn to recover targets correctly, and correctly cover your holes there should be no problem. It's the people who do this improperly that cause the problem.

4. Any other advice anyone can give is appreciated

Read all the old posts on the forum and use the search option. I think most questions have been answered several times. There is a wealth of knowledge recorded, some by guys who have been hunting since the hobby began.

Rob

 

[Nancy-IL]

Thanks Rob, you said it all... again!

I use a trowel type digger from White's. It's lightweight, yet very sturdy and will cut a very nice plug. As for beach hunting, I use this "woman" inspired tool that I've put together. I've sold a few and Larry even uses one. Great for volleyball courts too! [attachment 130754 SandScoop.jpg]

There is a LOT of information and it's well worth the "search" in past posts.
Welcome to the great world of metal detecting. It's a blast!
HH to all,
Nancy