Very First Outing

[monkster]

Took my metal detector out today for the first time. After intensive research I came up with some good ideas for places to go. Went over to a nearby lake near the boat ramp and swimming hole. The water level was very low so I thought it would be a good place to start. I made the fatal mistake of taking my wife along. Of course after 15 mins she was ready to go so I didn't a chance to spend nearly as much time as I wanted. My biggest find was a 1996 nickel that was buried about 6 inches in the sand. I need more practice. I was digging up WAY too many bottle caps and pull tabs. But the main thing was that I had a good time! Can't wait to go again!

[RingDancer]

Congrats on the nickel!!! You will get it in time!!! When ya hit that gold ring...Your wife will be sending ya back for more!!!

Keep on diggin!!!
RingDancer

[EPC Guy]

Ditto to what Ring Dancer said...a nice piece of gold makes all the difference!

[EBCIII]

Congrats on the nickle! Keep digging the pulltabs, one may be a ring, Beale.

[JCWhite]

you're doing good. JC

[KellycoChick]

That looks pretty much like my first time out! Good job and keep up the excitement!!

[anne]

Well done on your first time out.
Keep on enjoying yourself and the good things will come.

[johnj45586]

You have found treasure, you are hooked forever!
Although you may not realize it, a nickel is one of the hardest things to find. It doesn't show up as treasure and has odd effects on a lot of coils.
Don't ignore the pull tabs, they can be rings. The best approach is to dig everything. A lot of times you can't do that in one hunt. Keep returning to the same grid until you have it clean.
It is a hard discipline to follow. All those nails, bits of cans, pull tabs and bottle caps sure slow down a hunt. But the investment pays off.
Happy hunting!

[pris]

Hey Monkster! Congrats on the finds Nickels can be hard to find, so that just tells me that you're going to be WAY successful! Keep gettin' out there and trust me, once you find a ring, your wife will be wanting her own MD.

[portraitartist]

Originally Posted by johnj45586

The best approach is to dig everything. A lot of times you can't do that in one hunt. Keep returning to the same grid until you have it clean.

Or, you can use my approach, which is kinda like this but in reverse: "cherry pick" to begin with, and as the good finds drop off, turn back the discrimination to accept more foil/aluminum signals... that way, you will still have a bigger ratio of "positive" targets, but also have the chance at gold...