I would like to share my park hunting strategy. I am hoping that this will help new comers to coin and relic hunting to improve there finds rate and get more enjoyment from thier new hobby. I am not saying this is the only way to go about it, but i do believe a strategy is required if one wants the best use of there metal detecting time. This is based on coin and relic detectors with some form of notch discrimination and preferably tone and number identification.
The first thing to look at in a park is to see where people congrugated, this changes with what the park is mainly used for. This may include Markets, festivals, picnics, childrens play grounds, motorist stops, over night camp grounds etc. The main thing, does it get good traffic flow now and possibly in the past and was there a need for people to have money in thier pockets? Some parks are not used much now, but in the past they could have been a favourite park. So good research does pay off in this regard.
In order to improve your finds rate it pays to understand how people loss money and jewlery. This changes between Men, Women and children. Example, most men put their change in there pockets, sit in the car and the coins work there way to edge of their pockets and when they jump out of the car the change drops out on the ground. Action, always detect grassy or sandy car park areas. A good way is to talk to people, ask freinds have they lost jewelery before? How did it happen? You will find that there is a pattern there?
The first thing i like to do is concentrate on the high conductors first, i notch out any thing below a $1.00 coin and allow any thing above. I run the detector in a low sensitivity/gain setting this keeps detection depth low for easier and faster target retrieval and allows better target signals to come through and prevents small pieces of rubbish from over loading the detector causing excessive blanking. I like to keep the detection depth low so that all objects respond to the pro pointer allowing easy location and removal of target with screw driver or gasket scraper technique (coin popping). I like to use a slow steady sweep speed, this also allows good target separation. NOTE:Adjust gain of your detector according also to the type of grass in the area.
The reason for this is there is a lot of money to be detected in one and two dollar coins and this also allows most silver jewelry and coins in as well. There is more silver jewelry out there on average then Gold. Why, don't i dig all signals straight up? The reason for this is digging all signals is time consuming, we are going to dig all signals but in a systematic way that allows for more valuable finds in a time frame. Example, Joe Blow starts detecting a park and starts digging all signals, he is getting a few coins, but the junk is slowing him down and he has only covered a little area. Action, John Dowe comes in the park and sweeps through the park and covers all of it and walks away with $100 in one and two dollar coins and a silver ring. John Dowe will be back later to cover Medium and low conductors. Don't forget you are competing out there with other detectorists, make the best of your time.
Will continue with LOW and MEDIUM conductors if you require.
The first thing to look at in a park is to see where people congrugated, this changes with what the park is mainly used for. This may include Markets, festivals, picnics, childrens play grounds, motorist stops, over night camp grounds etc. The main thing, does it get good traffic flow now and possibly in the past and was there a need for people to have money in thier pockets? Some parks are not used much now, but in the past they could have been a favourite park. So good research does pay off in this regard.
In order to improve your finds rate it pays to understand how people loss money and jewlery. This changes between Men, Women and children. Example, most men put their change in there pockets, sit in the car and the coins work there way to edge of their pockets and when they jump out of the car the change drops out on the ground. Action, always detect grassy or sandy car park areas. A good way is to talk to people, ask freinds have they lost jewelery before? How did it happen? You will find that there is a pattern there?
The first thing i like to do is concentrate on the high conductors first, i notch out any thing below a $1.00 coin and allow any thing above. I run the detector in a low sensitivity/gain setting this keeps detection depth low for easier and faster target retrieval and allows better target signals to come through and prevents small pieces of rubbish from over loading the detector causing excessive blanking. I like to keep the detection depth low so that all objects respond to the pro pointer allowing easy location and removal of target with screw driver or gasket scraper technique (coin popping). I like to use a slow steady sweep speed, this also allows good target separation. NOTE:Adjust gain of your detector according also to the type of grass in the area.
The reason for this is there is a lot of money to be detected in one and two dollar coins and this also allows most silver jewelry and coins in as well. There is more silver jewelry out there on average then Gold. Why, don't i dig all signals straight up? The reason for this is digging all signals is time consuming, we are going to dig all signals but in a systematic way that allows for more valuable finds in a time frame. Example, Joe Blow starts detecting a park and starts digging all signals, he is getting a few coins, but the junk is slowing him down and he has only covered a little area. Action, John Dowe comes in the park and sweeps through the park and covers all of it and walks away with $100 in one and two dollar coins and a silver ring. John Dowe will be back later to cover Medium and low conductors. Don't forget you are competing out there with other detectorists, make the best of your time.
Will continue with LOW and MEDIUM conductors if you require.
