SageGrouse
Elite Member
OK, I have a real problem, a real question.
As many of you know, I am, at best, a poor detectorist. Either that or I just cannot find the places y'all do.
Routinely, I see posts about folks finding silver coins. "Wowm, pulled two Barber Dines!" "I got a Standing Liberty!" "Four silver day!" et cetera. Some people have silver counts for lifetime totals up in the thousands, or hundreds at least.
I have found ONE Walking Liberty half dollar. In forty years of detecting.
Routinely I see posts about finding Indian Head pennies. I have never found one at all. I don't even find Wheaties! I read about folks finding Buffalo nickels. Never found one, myself. Not one.
Folks on here find silver chains. I never have. Fionding gold? Nope. Not me.
I have run several metal detectors. The first one (and most successful) was the Radio Shack Micronta. THAT is what I found the Walker with! AND a sterling silver salt shaker.
I ran a Tesoro Silver Saber and found ONE beautiful sterling silver ring. So I know it's possible. I have swung Bounty Hunter Tracker IVs and a MineLab X-Terra. So yes, I have tried out four different brands by four makers...
I have hunted parks, curb strips, yards, vacant lots, pathways, totlots, schools, wherever I could walk to. I've hunted mostly in suburbs and city/. I hunted Golden Gate Park in san Francisco.
But my question, and it's serious, is this: Is it me? I go "low and slow", I practice (as far as I know) good coil technique. I dig ALL signals, even the scratchy ones, if I can POSSIBLY locate them... I run in "all metal" mode almost all of the time.
I have watched videos, taken steps to learn the machines, and to emulate the methods used by detectorists in the videos...
so, is it me? OR is it the machines? WOULD a MineLab Equinox help me, or would it not?
I am reading such finds. Yes, I am "content" with my level of detecting IF I know it's just me... I'm visually impaired... but damn... I should THINK that since this sport DEPENDS on good hearing, that I OUGHT to be at the top of the game! Why am I not?
Sad fact is... I've NEVER had a guide. I have almost never detected WITH ANYONE... or even *seen* anyone else with a detector. almost ALL my forty years have been ALONE. So I cannot know if I am "doing it right". I did detect ONCE with someone on here, and we seemed to have identical techniques...
Reading manuals is great, and yes, I have read EVERY manual my detectors came with... meaning all of them. Because (except for the Xterra) I've never HAD a previously used machine. Even the Xterra came with a manual and I devoured it. So why are my results so poor?
Would a Nox help? If folks on here think it would... I am willing to TRY to save enough to get one. If, as I believe, it's not the machine, it's the detectorist... then I will continue as I am and just figure that, as I always say "gold is for other folks." Is there anyone on here with similar difficulties? I mean... a dry spell can be expected... but forty years? Moses was in the Wilderness that long!
Any ideas?
Sage(NOT giving up!!)Grouse
As many of you know, I am, at best, a poor detectorist. Either that or I just cannot find the places y'all do.
Routinely, I see posts about folks finding silver coins. "Wowm, pulled two Barber Dines!" "I got a Standing Liberty!" "Four silver day!" et cetera. Some people have silver counts for lifetime totals up in the thousands, or hundreds at least.
I have found ONE Walking Liberty half dollar. In forty years of detecting.
Routinely I see posts about finding Indian Head pennies. I have never found one at all. I don't even find Wheaties! I read about folks finding Buffalo nickels. Never found one, myself. Not one.
Folks on here find silver chains. I never have. Fionding gold? Nope. Not me.
I have run several metal detectors. The first one (and most successful) was the Radio Shack Micronta. THAT is what I found the Walker with! AND a sterling silver salt shaker.
I ran a Tesoro Silver Saber and found ONE beautiful sterling silver ring. So I know it's possible. I have swung Bounty Hunter Tracker IVs and a MineLab X-Terra. So yes, I have tried out four different brands by four makers...
I have hunted parks, curb strips, yards, vacant lots, pathways, totlots, schools, wherever I could walk to. I've hunted mostly in suburbs and city/. I hunted Golden Gate Park in san Francisco.
But my question, and it's serious, is this: Is it me? I go "low and slow", I practice (as far as I know) good coil technique. I dig ALL signals, even the scratchy ones, if I can POSSIBLY locate them... I run in "all metal" mode almost all of the time.
I have watched videos, taken steps to learn the machines, and to emulate the methods used by detectorists in the videos...
so, is it me? OR is it the machines? WOULD a MineLab Equinox help me, or would it not?
I am reading such finds. Yes, I am "content" with my level of detecting IF I know it's just me... I'm visually impaired... but damn... I should THINK that since this sport DEPENDS on good hearing, that I OUGHT to be at the top of the game! Why am I not?
Sad fact is... I've NEVER had a guide. I have almost never detected WITH ANYONE... or even *seen* anyone else with a detector. almost ALL my forty years have been ALONE. So I cannot know if I am "doing it right". I did detect ONCE with someone on here, and we seemed to have identical techniques...
Reading manuals is great, and yes, I have read EVERY manual my detectors came with... meaning all of them. Because (except for the Xterra) I've never HAD a previously used machine. Even the Xterra came with a manual and I devoured it. So why are my results so poor?
Would a Nox help? If folks on here think it would... I am willing to TRY to save enough to get one. If, as I believe, it's not the machine, it's the detectorist... then I will continue as I am and just figure that, as I always say "gold is for other folks." Is there anyone on here with similar difficulties? I mean... a dry spell can be expected... but forty years? Moses was in the Wilderness that long!
Any ideas?
Sage(NOT giving up!!)Grouse