Learn more about the fascinating hobby of using metal detectors

Searching among the palm fronds on a beach for hidden treasure is one way to spend some colorful daydreaming, but even in a fantasy, you won?t be able to find anything of value unless it?s sticking up out of the sand without knowing how to use a metal detector. Buying a metal detector is a solid investment because they are used to find coins, jewelry and other valuables and are a fast-growing hobby. If you wish to embark on a treasure hunt, your first few steps in the process involve buying and learning how to use a metal detector.

Famed telephone inventor, Alexander Graham Bell, created the metal detector in 1881, Called an ?induction balance machine,? this first device was used as President James Garfield lay dying of an assassin’s bullet. Bell invented the electro-magnetic device in an unsuccessful attempt to locate the fatal slug. In the modern world, metal detector technology is a huge part of our lives, with a wide spectrum of uses that include everything from leisure to work to safety.

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How does a metal detector work?

Simply put, metal detectors locate metal via an antenna or search coil. The device makes an audible sound when something metallic comes in contact with it. One thing you will really have to master when learning how to use a metal detector is to learn the difference in the sounds the device makes. If something is scrap metal it has a sound diverse than other types of metal (gold, silver, pirates, etc) Learning the different signals will save you time and energy.

What should you know about buying a metal detector?

One thing you should know about metal detectors is that there are various types and price ranges. Carrying cases are extra, and you should select the one for you very carefully. Some metal detectors are made exclusively for water searching. Most can find items at a depth of 8 to 12 inches below the surface. More expensive metal detectors are more versatile and their technology enables them to detect items deeper underground.

How can you best use your metal detector?

After you unwrap the package containing your new metal detector (or maybe before you even buy one) consider these time-saving and helpful tips:

1- Research your area to go hunting for treasures

Go online and find out more about your town or city by searching for old mining camps, rivers and lakes.

2- Visit the beach

The dynamic nature of the ocean makes it the perfect place to learn how to use a metal detector. Things constantly wash up on shore and who knows what you may find? Go either at dusk or dawn when there are fewer people, and it will be easier to comb the shoreline with no one save the gulls and the all-knowing tide as witnesses. Get a tide chart and plan to search at low tide. People tend to lose things in shallow water.

3- Turn on the machine and begin your search

Move the detector slowly over the desired search area. Concentrate and keep track of where you have searched so that you do not waste time and effort. This is not a task you can do while listening to your favorite music, as you must be totally cognizant of the sounds your detector makes to alert you of nearby items.

4-Join a metal detecting club

If you can?t find a local club, there are many online that welcome new members and offer tips and information on the best locations to search. Fellow treasure hunters also exchange information on which metal detectors are best.

Learning how to use a metal detector is a fascinating hobby because it embraces so many fantasies. Research the different types, buy a detector and get out there. Treasures from galleons laden with precious cargo are washing up on shore every day (along with a lot of junk, of course).

It?s all waiting just for you and your metal detector to find.

Get cracking!