How to Metal Detect for the Beginner....

Now that you are ready to begin. You will need to figure out your budget and the amount you are willing, wanting or can spend on a machine/metal detector and gear.

Just like with any other hobby, like fishing, hunting, or golf... There are your low/mid/high priced items in each of the categories, so keep that in mind there are a lot of accessories that go with/come with or to acquire for metal detecting. 

​

Next area, before you buy, determine what do you want to hunt for? Coin Shooter at parks? At the beach? Relic hunt old home sites? Relic hunt farm fields or woods? These all will determine what machine to buy and what accessories to buy with it. Coils too need to be considered as they come in many sizes for different areas of metal detecting. It will also change the weight of the machine and how much you can stand swinging for hours a day. 

​

On our page we have links to vendors/makers of metal detectors. We have added a company KellyCO that sales all brands and many accessories. We also have a club discount code "WCMD" when shopping on the KellyCo.com website. Go check them out and shop away! 

As I stated in the beginning. You have a lot to choose from when selecting the right metal detector for yourself and the accessories that go along with that metal detector and gear needed in general.....

Here are some things you will need...
1. Metal Detector - Choose one to fit your searching expectations. We can help you with that decision. Weight can play a part 

2. Coil(s) - Additional coil/coils that go with the machine(s) you select. We can help you with decision as well.

3. Shovel - A good shovel predatortools.com makes a very good shovel and hand held shovel. We do not have a discount code for the club, but if you're military/Vet maybe first responders get a 10% discount if I am correct. 

4. Pinpointer - You will want to get a good waterproof pinpointer. These are hand held devices that assist with locating the target in the hole/plug after your initial dig.

5. Pouch - You will want a good digging pouch to carry your items in and trash out. Along with a finds box to protect your finds. 

6. Shoes/boots - Depending on your area, what type of hunting you do and where you do it will decide what proper footwear to purchase. Might need snake or muck boots. 
7. Clothing - Again depending on your area, climate, conditions of your area or season will determine this. Comfort, cool/warm and protection are key things to keep in mind when selecting clothing before a hunt. 

8. Other items - Here are some other items to keep in mind depending on the season or area. 

• First aid kit

• Spare batteries (both for the detector and pinpointer)

• Sunscreen

• Bug spray

• Gloves

• Handwarmers

• Battery charger (if you’re using rechargeable batteries)

• Pocket knife / multi-tool

• Delicate finds case (fish tackle container stuff with cotton balls)

Alright so you have a new machine, NOW WHAT!?!?! You're excited, motivated and driven to learn how to use it and start finding amazing things, RIGHT? Of coarse you are!! Who wouldn't!?! This hobby has lots of excitement attached to it. Well just like with anything new that is electronic, many settings or buttons to learn and to get accustom to knowing where they are. You may have to watch videos, read the manual or best way is to take your machine out after watching a "set up video" on your new machine and take some modern coins to test your machine and listen to the sounds and look at the screen for what VDI (visual discrimination indicator) number pops up. You will have a grunt/iron range - low tone/number - mid tone/number and a high tone/number. Each segment will have items that fall into that range of tones/numbers for you to decide if you would like to dig it or not. 

Start off with either an AIR TEST or ON SURFACE test. 

1. Air Test - place your metal detector horizonal with the coil flat facing out away from your machine. (NOT FACING DOWN or UP). Next take a coin and waive it in front of the coil to hear the tone and see the number. Do this repeatedly until you think you understand what the machine is telling you. 

​

2. Surface Test - First clear an area on the ground of any metal or find a spot with no sounds in the group and then lay items or coins on the ground and swing your machine flat as possible parallel over the target. You will want to go to the LEFT and RIGHT to hear it from both sides to get the repeating BEEP BEEP tone.

​

3. Repeating signals - My rule of digging is to "DIG IT ALL, SAVE SOME HISTORY/COINS/RINGS/RELICS" I dig most repeating signals. Some places I don't dig everything, but to find gold rings, you almost have to! You will learn gold is one of those hard to find and can fall into the LOW/MID and even almost to the high range depending on the size and "K" weight. 

​

4. Grunt tones - These are usually iron targets. Most newer machines will discriminate them out, but keep in mind bigger iron will sound like a mid to high tone. Plow points/axe heads will be two of your biggest iron targets that ring up really good. Some sites, like a civil war location, you may want to dig the iron targets. 

​

5. It's NOT the machine - Don't get discouraged and feel like your machine isn't working or good enough. Yes there are many different levels of machines that will go deeper or hit harder/better on copper/silver or gold than others, but overall it comes down to the user. You might be reading this and say to yourself, "HOW DARE HE SAY IT'S ME!" Well, here is why, it is nothing to be embarrassed about we all have gone through the "ROOKIE DIGGER STAGE". Some folks just think the next best thing is the ONLY way to go or they will never find anything good. While others use the same machine for over 10-15-20 years!!! Why? That is because they have taken the time to learn their machine and they know exactly what a target is or could be before they even dig the target. 

​

6. Listen to its language - What in the world am I referring to? When you were in school or college you had to take a foreign language in most cases. Well the language that a metal detector speaks to your ears is like a foreign language to you. Especially if this is the very first time you have ever heard the sounds that one makes.  To really know your machine, you have to really listen and learn what it is telling you. Here is a good quote to live by, "A MACHINE IS ONLY AS GOOD AS IT'S USER". What have you done to learn/interpret that language and translating it into understanding what the machine is actually telling you is in the ground? You will find yourself digging targets like a mid tone and find a silver Roosevelt (rosie) or Mercury dime (merc). How is that possible? Well recheck the hole/plug. I bet there is a V - nickel, buffalo, war nickel or normal nickel in there. What happens is when you have a mix of a mid/high tone and depending on the angle or the layer of the coins in the dirt, it will change the signal/tone you may hear. It will also change the normal VDI number. It is because you have other things around it causing it to not be a solid silver dime or a solid nickel signal. AGAIN that is why I say, "DIG IT ALL" it is the best way to learn your machine. In my experience, I have dug some crazy iffy/scratchy/faint targets and found some amazing things! Don't get me wrong and think I only dig good things. That farthest from the realty of metal detecting. I just dig more targets to put myself in a position to find more things. I dig about ten trash targets to my one good find. 

Now that you have been practicing and you feel you know your machine pretty well and you're wanting to spread your wings and venture out into the vast areas of opportunities in your area to see what other things you can find. You might wondering how to know what history or where can I detect in my area? What are the rules/laws/regulations? etc.... Every State, city, town, community, county or parish have their own set of rules/laws they go by. You will need to check your with local police department about city/county properties. You will need to check with some park directors to see what they allow or don't allow. Beaches are mostly a good to go area, but some are historically protected areas. 
 

1. Tools - One good tool is an APP called "LANDGLIDE" it is about $10 a month, but well worth it. It allows you to check a house for a year (IF POPLUALTED, SOME COUNTIES AREN'T) the owner and rather or not they live at that house or live at another house and just own the older home. You can drop a pin/flag on that location with 4 or 5 different color choices to mark if it is a spot you need to research, door knocked and got a YES or NO and you can add notes to the pin. There are a few others like this one, but I have chosen this one to use for myself. Onx Hunt and Gaia GPS are two others. 

2. Soil Surveys/Google maps - Most areas have a website that list the areas historical soil surveys from the turn of the early century in the 1900's. This is a great tool to see where old homes once were. You might be driving by a farm field and notice a nice little hill top and you want to know if there was ever a house on that hill. A soil survey could reveal that. You can use the soil survey and overlay it with a current map, like google maps, to get your locations as close as possible. Some soil surveys are about 100-200 yards off and some are spot on! It is a shot in the dark with others, but at least you have an idea of something in the area and now the fun begins with trying to find it. 

3. Word of mouth - Get to know your neighbors, your farmers, your local historian, friends and even family. Ask people for permission to metal detect. Be honest and upfront with what you are doing. Tell them you dig a 4x4x4 plug and get the item and put the lose dirt back in and then flip the plug back into the hole. Virtually leaving no trace you were even there. Make a deal with the property owner up front. Ask them if they would like to see anything/everything. Ask them if they would like to keep anything. You have to remember this is their property and many times this was they're historically family property. Don't get discouraged with giving something back to a home owner. It could lead to more permissions and better things you actually get to keep. You will come across people that want everything and some that want nothing and could care less what you dig as long as you don't leave holes and a mess. Always be friendly, smile and respectful. You might get a no for right then, but they could call you back up and change their mind, because their neighbor let you and you got a good report from them, so they give you a shot. 

​

4. Business cards/pamphlets/flyer - The more you do this hobby the more ways you come up with to try and present yourself to the community as a professional, respectful, honest and trustworthy individual. There is NO better way to do this than to use a business card, pamphlet or flyer. This small investment of a paper, color and print could be your greater chance of landing that sought after permission. It not only shows your invested, but you take this hobby serious. It gives the home/property owner a reference to refer back to if they need to call or email you with questions or a granting of a permission. It also, gives them a place to check your social media pages/platforms to see what you have dug in the past. It gives them a sense of security too. How is that? Well they know how to get in touch with you if something goes wrong or changes with the permission that you need to be made aware of. 

​

5. Social Media - Love it or hate it, it is here and it is vital tool with looking for friends to dig with, looking for permissions or seeing someone in need of someone with a metal detector to help them, after losing a ring, keys or phone. You can post on pages for help with questions about your machine(s). There are many pages on Facebook that are dedicated to a specific brand or brand and machine type. You can post a find and ask for help with ID'g it or how to clean/restore it. 

​

6. Display cases - Now that you are finding lots of coins, relics and jewelry and you want to organize them and keep them safe and secure, you might want to invest in some display cases. (IF YOU HAVE ROOM) You can get small ones that you can carry around to big ones that go from floor to ceiling and fancy lights with glass shelves. They sky is the limit when it comes to a display case for you finds. Amazon.com has some really good ones that you can order have in a few days. 

​

7. Library and books - Your local library should have some great reference material to history in your town/city or surrounding area. It is also a good place to find old maps. Diaries are a good things to read to find civil war camps and movements in your area. There are many books with detailed accounts of history/historical significant things that took place your area. In addition to the library or books. You could also get to know your local historian and ask to team up with saving history for you town/city/community. 

​

8. Never stop researching - This is a vital tool that all falls on your shoulders. Like learning your machine, you are ONLY as good at finding things as your research has been that led you to that site to begin with. You may not get the permission, but your research tells you there is something there. Always keep an eye on that property and check your other tools for when the property changes hands. This will give you a brand new door to knock and attempt to get the permission. 

​

9. Don't give up - I can't stress this enough, "DON'T GIVE UP". When you set out on a wonderful Saturday morning to attempt to door knock some older homes and get permissions. Stay positive, stay up beat, keep a smile on your face and a good attitude. People can sense if you're having a bad day or in a mood. Another example of my own experience... I set out to door knock one day. I had an area that I decided to just drive to and go house to house and ask for permission. I literally got 24 no's and 1 yes and the yes was to ONLY hunt a small section in the very back of the property behind a newly built garage. I was despite, so I agreed and found nothing but trash and modern coins.  But, I didn't let that day discourage me and make me give up trying another area. In fact that very next day, I scored 4 new permissions that 3 of 4 for virgin sites (NEVER HUNTED) and I found lots of things over the next several weeks. 

​

10. One shot - The old saying goes, "You only get one shot to make a first impression" this is so true. Some of the biggest things to keep in mind when trying to get a permission, again is to be organized, prepared to know what you are going to say. Use the person's last name (Sir/Ma'am or Mr./Mrs./Miss so and so) be nice, be polite, be positive, smile, make eye contact, thank them for their time even if it's a no, tell to have a great day even if it's a no and do your best to be presentable. Don't show up all dirty if you can help it. I know sometimes we do a lot of door knocking and sometimes its after we have dug one or two or five sites that day. Do your best to try and clean up after each hunt before going to the next house to door knock for permission. 

​

​

​

Before you knock on any door, take the time to go check out the "HOW TO DOOR KNOCK" blog under the "HOW TO" section. 

Before you dig a single hole, take the time to go read the "HOW TO DIG A HOLE" blog under the "HOW TO" section..