Beginners Guide

SOME GUIDELINES FOR THE NOVICE DETECTOR
Let’s start with the metal detector itself and have a look at the way it works: A metal detector has three main constituents; the coil, the control box and the handle/spine on which the coil and box are mounted.

The coil is the plastic circular head at the base of the spine which contains two elements, one for transmission and one for receiving.

The control box contains the microprocessors which interpret the signal passed on by the receiver and relay the information to the operator.

In addition to the detector, you will require a number of other items, some more important than others. The following are listed in a rough order of priority:

Earphones

Whilst you can use a metal detector without earphones it is recommended that you invest in a pair as it is much easier to hear and interpret signals.

Trowel
Naturally, when you have pinpointed a target below ground you will need to dig it up. The tried and tested tool for this job is the humble trowel. There are a number of trowels for sale aimed specifically at the treasure hunter and if one takes your fancy by all means buy it. However, a good gardening implement of the right design will suffice. Indeed, the precise nature of the tool is far less important than the way you use it. Please see the detectors code.

Scuff cover
Some protection for the coil on your detector is a good idea given the importance of the job it does and the fact that it is operating very much at the sharp end. These covers are readily available at low cost and are also available for the control box, offering additional waterproofing.

Clothing
This may seem a little obvious. After all, you are unlikely to treasure hunt in the nude. Not for very long, anyway. However, the point we are making here is that treasure hunting is a year round hobby and therefore you will need some good quality clothing that will keep you warm and dry or cool and dry. It cannot be overemphasised that being comfortable is at the heart of successful long detecting sessions. When the metal detector is in use the transmitter in the coil sends out a magnetic field which penetrates the ground. When this field encounters a metal object, that object itself becomes magnetically charged.

The magnetic field of the newly magnetised object is detected by the sensitive receiver in the coil which in turn sends a signal to the control box..