Perquimans
Forum Supporter
Is there a national organization that promotes the interests of those who metal detect? I know there are local and possibly state organizations. Seems like that would be a great way to have our voices heard!
I guess I’m still wondering why they don’t have members everywhere??
Didnt even get to see any brownies, Dan??????????????My guess is that your typical really-serious-about-it treasure hunter is a loner, unlikely to join any group. There's a large amount of secrecy attached to this hobby for a lot of practitioners, and they'd just as soon not be noticed at all. Leave 'em alone and they're happy.
For the hobbyist coinhunters, there just aren't enough of them in most communities to form a club. I've seen maybe 5 people metal detecting my town in the 31 years I've lived here. (And they may all have been the same guy.)
As for FDMAC, I'm not sure what they offer an individual. They have a link to their forum on their website, but the link is dead. Dead links on home pages are not good.
They don't run contests or give away prizes, they don't publish a magazine - they just want your dues. (I quit Cub Scouts because I had to pay a dime dues fee every week and never saw a return on that investment.)
Didnt even get to see any brownies, Dan??????????????
we seem to be losing one park, one city, one state at a time. if we do not stand up and be heard, our hobby is doomed. i would pay dues for the voice of our hobby to be heard. mostly it is letting folks know what we are about, not what they think [ boom baby]. HH blev
My guess is that your typical really-serious-about-it treasure hunter is a loner, unlikely to join any group. There's a large amount of secrecy attached to this hobby for a lot of practitioners, and they'd just as soon not be noticed at all. Leave 'em alone and they're happy.
For the hobbyist coinhunters, there just aren't enough of them in most communities to form a club. I've seen maybe 5 people metal detecting my town in the 31 years I've lived here. (And they may all have been the same guy.)
As for FDMAC, I'm not sure what they offer an individual. They have a link to their forum on their website, but the link is dead. Dead links on home pages are not good.
They don't run contests or give away prizes, they don't publish a magazine - they just want your dues. (I quit Cub Scouts because I had to pay a dime dues fee every week and never saw a return on that investment.)
I want a meaningful, nationally-recognized certification program that allows skilled, thoughtful and ethical detectorists to leverage the group's credibility when they are practicing their hobby.
If the government is banning detecting based on the removal of say, Indian artifacts by the irresponsible few, isn't it reasonable to insist on training and signing an agreement on how to treat those sites and report them to regain access to those lands?
Either way we have two options that PS alluded to, we organize and standardize metal detecting, or the hobby dies.
Waiting until we have no place to go and people are frustrated and giving up is a bad time to try achieving solidarity. It's better to start when there is high interest, numbers, and we are already communicating.
The government doesn't want us to remove Indian artifacts, but it was the same government that authorized the slaughter of millions of Indians. Such a happy hypocrisy we live in. I also love the argument that we destroy the soil. That one always makes me chuckle. You mean I'm "destroying" dirt, or grass that grows back, but it's OK for kids to play football on the same soil and turn it into a patch of mud, since that's "OK"? Seems legit. o_O
I think it would be good to have one group as Pocketspill mentions. Where do you start though? In my mind manufacturers should take the lead. I teach motorcycle safety classes for the MSF. The MSF is sponsored by all the major motorcycle companies and work towards educating the masses as well as work with governments on all levels. It seems to work well. I think you could have a board of directors that steered the group and then a group that acts on behalf of the organization representing the members. If everyone pitched in either financially or by sweat work we could have a powerful group who could probably change the perception that the general public has about MDers.