Swing Technique Question

[skyblast]

So I've got a buddy of mine that has been metal detecting now with an E-trac for about 6 months. He is about 2 inches taller than me but has his shaft adjusted to about 1-2 inches shorter than my set-up. The reason his shaft is shorter is because he has a tendency to swing about one inch off of the ground which sometimes...as I have observed can't help but cause a slight smilie face type motion.

I on the other hand brush my coil across the ground as if I am sweeping the grass. Why do I do this?

1) I feel as though it is critical to get as close as possbile to any potential target.
2) Making contact with the ground is important for getting the clearest..and strongest signal. For example if trying to listen to someone talk in the other room it would be best to place ones ear on the wall rather than one inch from the wall.
3) Making contact with the surface also allows one to not have to always carry the full weight of the detector. I would say 80/20? Eighty carried by me and twenty by the ground. This would allow one to detect for longer periods of time.

So is this all in my head? Is brushing the coil directly across the ground all that necessary? I've been wanting to politely say something to him but I'm not sure if I am full of it on this idea. If it were me and I were relatively new I'd want someone to tell me. The other part of me thinks that we all swing differently and that is ok too. Keep my mouth shut.

 

[Goes4ever]

I brush my coil on the ground as well, keep it close as possible

 

[Sailorman]

You're in good company. Closer is deeper. It's not like listening to something in the next room really as we're talking electrical fields not acoustic pressure waves but yeah, closer is better. Often times when working out a good target in trash I just rest it on the ground and do the wiggle.

 

[Raven69]

Yep, keep the coil low and slow.





HH

 

[NebTrac]

On grass I do exactly like you, and, you're correct. A little weight is transferred. I do hunt some unworked fields that cause you to "hover"... BUT, always as close to the ground as you can get. As for saying anything. That's up to you. I probably wouldn't, just let him ask you or notice how low you're swinging it. By the way I've got another coil cover, but after 400+ hours of use, I can't see that I'm anywhere close to wearing the original through.

NebTrac

 

[khouse]

I glide the coil on the grass itself but keep it just off the dirt where there is no grass. I have never slid my coil on the dirt itself while sweeping. But do so when pinpointing only.

 

[Damar2003]

I brush the groung also, might as well keep it as close as possible. I have a buddy who swings his ace 350 really fast like a pendulum and I swear the coil ends up 4 inches off the ground at the end of the swing. I do not know how he finds anything.

 

[grouser]

i scrub also,,,,, the E does'nt like air between the coil and the ground

 

[badjim]

i would sagest to him to try it and see if it help him. a true friend will listen to your advice and not be mad.and i would also get him onto this forum there's alot of great advise on here.

 

[gjedda63]

I swing as low as I can and as relaxed as I can. Have learnt to use both arm and have no problems swinging with big coils all day.

 

[MHirschmann]

I sweep the surface as well and have found the best results with this method, just as you and others have said. I would tell my friend if I noticed he could do something better as I would want to be told if a hunting buddy saw me doing something "wrong." I am always looking to improve my hunting and sometimes some of the best tips or tricks we use come from others. If this was not the case we wouldn't be here on the forum. If I were you, I would let him know and if he is a friend, he will understand that you are trying to help him out. If he thinks your are trying to sabotage his hunting style, just tell him to take a look at this thread. HH -Marc

 

[skyblast]

I sweep the surface as well and have found the best results with this method, just as you and others have said. I would tell my friend if I noticed he could do something better as I would want to be told if a hunting buddy saw me doing something "wrong." I am always looking to improve my hunting and sometimes some of the best tips or tricks we use come from others. If this was not the case we wouldn't be here on the forum. If I were you, I would let him know and if he is a friend, he will understand that you are trying to help him out. If he thinks your are trying to sabotage his hunting style, just tell him to take a look at this thread. HH -Marc

Dude I LOLed a bit when I read your post. True, very true. If he completely freaks on me I will tell him to check this post.