Hi from Iowa

[Desi]

Hi everyone! My name is Desiree and I live in Iowa. I am new to MD and by chance found this forum. I am not sure where to start or what I need. So if any of you can point me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it. Like I said I am new to this and any supplies or equipment that you can suggest for a newbie would be very much appreciated.

On a side note alitte about me. I am 23 years old, married, and I have a step-daughter. I am a Support Professional for a local company. I have two cats that are very much loved and spoiled.

Thanks for any and all help. It is very much appreciated and I look forward to getting to know all of you!

[TerryETex]

Welcome to the forum. Have you got a detector yet? If not stay with the major brands. Whites, Fisher, Garrett, Minelab, Teknetics, etc.

[Dustyloins]

Welcome and a Rocky Mountain "HI" from Colorado!!

Dusty

[Mike1961]

Welcome from Illinois. What part if Iowa you in?

[Hoze513]

A good digger ( lesche digger), great pinpointer (Garret pro pointer). But some people can get by without using a propointer. A propointer will help you recover a item faster. Also there are sponsor on here that will help you out and give deals to forum members. My favorite sponsor is Bart from Bigboys hobbies. He is a independent dealer. Super nice and super quick service. Welcome to the forum from Joliet, ILL.

[Terry Soloman]

Hello and welcome from White Plains, NY!

[Desi]

I currently do not have any equipment for it. I wanted to do the research first before I went out and bought a bunch of stuff I didnt need. I want to make sure I get the most for my money.

I will look into the brands and equipment you suggested. Is there anyway you could tell me what each piece of equipment is used for?

I live in western Iowa right on the boarder.

Hi to all of you! Very nice to meet you!

[pastorals]

Hi Desi, and welcome to the forums...
from E. Tennessee.

I'm also a newbie to MD'ing and am going through some of the same angst that you are going through! The best thing I can tell you is to read through as many of the threads on these forums as you can. Ask questions! You will find people who are very happy to help.
Secondly I would suggest you visit any local metal detector stores in your area. Again, ask questions and be patient...don't allow yourself to be "sweet talked" into any deals.
There are many good dealers who are supporters of, and who participate in our forums Contact them and ask questions.
Side note: I am in the process of buying my first detector. I searched many places and finally settled on a dealer who was more interested in my ideas of what kind of detecting I wanted to do - coins, relics, jewelry etc. He made no effort to sell me anything but was more interested in seeing how he could best meet my needs. Long story short, I ended up buying the detector that I had researched and decided was best for me. When I contacted him again, he agreed it was a good choice and gave me a price that was more than $100.00 lower than the advertised price.
That dealer is Woodland detectors. The owners name is Mike
Contact him, tell him I recommended him to you and ....ask questions!!
www.Woodlanddetectors.com

[JamieG.]

Welcome from Georgia, A lot of good information on the forum and everyone is always willing to help...HH

[fogcity]

Welcome to the forum from Houston Texas !!!

[007tallguy]

Originally Posted by Desi

I currently do not have any equipment for it. I wanted to do the research first before I went out and bought a bunch of stuff I didnt need. I want to make sure I get the most for my money.

I will look into the brands and equipment you suggested. Is there anyway you could tell me what each piece of equipment is used for?

I live in western Iowa right on the boarder.

Hi to all of you! Very nice to meet you!

welcome to the forum from Nova Scotia!

as for the equipment:
-your metal detector. (i think that ones' obvious, lol) some models have a "pin point" feature built into them, some don't. it's a nice feature, but not 100% essential. but it does help you to narrow down where to dig for your target.
-a digging tool of some sort, usually something like a garden knife. after you've found and pin-pointed on where your target is, you just cut a "V" or "U" shaped cut in the sod, leaving a hinge on it, flip it up and start looking for the item.
-pinpointer is a small hand held metal detector that you wave around in the hold you just dug (or in the grass you just removed) and it'll really help you to zoom in on your target.
-a bag or a pouch of some sort to put your goodies into!
-gloves! sharp metal and broken glass will give you some nice cuts. i won't dig without 'em.

that's pretty much the very basic stuff. there are numerous makes/models of all of the above and choosing "inexpensive" isn't always the best way to go.
if you were to have a $500 detector and a $2 digging tool, chances are that your day of detecting will be cut short due to a broken digger. a good detector is no good to you if you can't dig a hole, lol.

there are some great equipment reviews on here, check out the accessories forum, the "how to" part. if you get lost, try the "search" feature up there near the top of the page. and of course, don't be scared to ask questions.

Pete

[edgarlild]

Hello Desiree, Welcome from new york.

[Desi]

All of you have been so helpful! Thank you so much! I will be looking tonight at differant detectors but oh my there are so many! Its almost like shoping for a car.

And trust me I wont be afraid to ask questions

[Mike1961]

Originally Posted by Desi

I currently do not have any equipment for it. I wanted to do the research first before I went out and bought a bunch of stuff I didnt need. I want to make sure I get the most for my money.

I will look into the brands and equipment you suggested. Is there anyway you could tell me what each piece of equipment is used for?

I live in western Iowa right on the boarder.

Hi to all of you! Very nice to meet you!

I'm about 30 miles from Clinton Iowa. We go there often for the casino. Should be some good hunting spots there, some of those old towns along the river.

[TmONEy2108]

Hi Desi, welcome from Freeport, IL and HH.

[new jersey andy]

Welcome from New Jersey... HH, Andy

[snowdak]

from North Dakota.

[lowbred]

hello from Osceola county iowa! I am also new to mding. had a couple of cheap generic detectors in the past, but got my garett ace 250 a couple weeks ago and finding lots 'o clad coins. I've found potential "virgin" sites in my area by researching www.historicmapworks.com . Good luck!

[Cessna Dude]

Welcome from San Antonio. Best of luck and keep us posted!