Tips for an intermediate

[clamport]

I've been metal detecting for several years now, but more so as a passing hobby. I've recently been getting more into it and had a couple questions that I've wondered about for a while.
A little history, I was given a Radioshack (forgot the model) detector when I was about 13. I purchased the Garrett 150 when I was 19, and recently invested in the Garrett 350.

My questions are:
What are the differences between searching in sand and dirt? Aside from the obvious roots and rocks, does dirt and sand show different depths even if the item is at, say 4 inches?
Does wet sand vs dry sand make a different sound?
How often do you more experienced users use the discrimination settings? I'm always cautious that I'm going to lose out on a good find because I didn't want to dig up some junk.
What are the best places to search for different types of objects? The obvious ones are the beach, but the beaches get scanned so often that I think I might have better luck at parks, but I'm not sure I'll find anything good.
How does soil from different geographic regions effect the detection signal? I live in New Hampshire where you can't dig for more than a couple inches without hitting some sort of rock. Is the signal from a valid object such as a penny going to display the same in NH as it would somewhere like Texas?

And finally, if anyone has any tips they would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all
Regards,
Chris

 

[mudpuppy]

Sand hunting teaches you a lot about dirt hunting signals, since they are so easy to "get them all" in the sand...sometimes wet sand can scramble a tone, or hit deeper signals, just depends if theres black sand at the waters edge...if you get good working that black sand line, you will find things others have missed...i use disc...but a low disc generally, and sometimes NO disc depending upon the area..I want to find lighters and knives..I travel different States with my detectors, and the signals stay pretty much the same. One tip I got when I started out was from a long time hunter, he said "dig 1000 tabs and dig 1000 pennies" it taught me a lot about people and travel patterns, how to get a target up very quickly, etc...after a while, you will settle into a style that best fits you and your area...it might be clad hunting...cool, its there, and so is jewelry...it will teach you a lot and then if you ever get a chance to hunt a private piece of ground loaded with old silver, you will be ready and capable to do it...also, look for construction sites and sidewalk tearouts, hunt those places hard and fast if you can...sometimes you only have a little window of opportunity to get in there...every object you find tells you some clue about the place or the people that were once there, if you get really good at target retrieval, you can get 200 targets per outing instead of 100, so you can get better faster just by getting quick on the target retrieval...learn how to get targets with a screwdriver and no trowel...get a light sandscoop, and work the high dry sand where most others never go...read as many of these Forums and posts that you can to get an idea of what the other hunters do...Good Luck!
Mud

 

[clamport]

Thank you very much for the tips. I went out last night to an old watchtower built in 1895 and I was able to find, what I believe, is a silver spoon, an old faucet and a couple of old bottles and some misc. things.
I was perusing the forums last night and used some of the tips I picked up while reading to make my searches a little easier.

 

[Power Guy]

I would say the biggest difference would be the salt content. it will make your detector act differently.