Advanced Metal Detector Techniques for Beginners

Finding buried treasure can be exciting, but it’s difficult for beginners. Here, we’ll cover a few metal detector techniques you can use to take things to the next level. For many people, metal detecting is a fun and lucrative hobby. However, getting your technique down can take a bit of work. Taking the time to hone your skills will make it easier to discover a big find. Use these advanced metal-detecting techniques to improve your hunt.

Choosing the Right Metal Detector

Your first big decision will be choosing a metal detector, and there are tons of options out there, from basic models to high-tech machines. As a beginner, you’ll want to look for something user-friendly and versatile.

Many detectorists start with hobby metal detectors that offer a good balance of features and affordability; these metal detector techniques are designed to be easy to use while still providing enough capabilities to grow with you as you gain experience.

Understanding the settings

Most modern metal detector techniques provide important configuration controls via physical analog dials or digital setting screens that alter detection depth, accuracy, and filtering:

Sensitivity level. The sensitivity setting determines amplification power applied to faint return signals for tracing smaller objects deeper underground. However, pushing gain too high also amplifies ambient electromagnetic noise, resulting in excessive false positive target signals. Finding the optimal balance point for each location is key.
Ground balance tuning. Since various types of soil mineralization generate interfering frequencies complicating target identification, the ground balance control allows tuning the transmission frequency to better match the surrounding environment’s specific mineralization conductivity. This filtering eliminates false positives so genuine buried metals stand out clearly. Ground balance requires occasional resetting when changing detection sites.
Discrimination or target ID notching. By analyzing returned signal patterns and display readings, operators can manually discriminate out trash items of certain materials with identifiable conductivity ranges. However, the tradeoff is that filtering too broadly can inadvertently eliminate subtle signals from more valuable finds if their properties overlap too closely with junk signatures. Discrimination requires balanced adjustment guided by experience.

In addition to these main settings, high-end detectors offer advanced options like dual simultaneous frequencies, adjustable transmit pulse timing, conductive ground compensation, and more. Getting familiar with available controls allows properly configuring any metal detector techniques to the immediate conditions. Combined with refined sweep technique, mastering metal detector techniques settings enables confidently pursuing the full range of hidden treasures across wildly varying soil environments.

Maintain Coil Discipline

Coil discipline is the art of keeping the coil at the right angle and distance from the ground. Learning to keep the equipment steady and pointed in the correct direction is essential if you’re ever going to find anything. The coil has a cover on it, so you don’t need to be squirmy about getting your coil dirty–this is metal detecting we’re talking about, and if you don’t like digging this hobby ain’t for you!

“Scrub” the grass with your coil. Don’t push it down, but don’t lift it up. Just let the weight of the detector (and gravity) do the work, and your coil will ‘feel’ its way across the ground. Do NOT lift your coil edges when you swing to the sides. Usually people do this because they’re keeping their body too stiff. Instead, allow your body to twist left and right and you will find you get much better ground coverage without your coil edges lifting at the end of your swing. Large coils will cover more ground, and go deeper, while smaller coils tend to be more sensitive, have better maneuverability, and better target separation in trashy areas.

Overlap Your Swings

Another good technique to learn is overlapping your swings during your search. It’s easy to miss small bits of ground if you’re swinging too short. Your metal detector’s coil searches in a two-dimensional cone shape, so it’s essential to get some overlap to be sure you’ve covered the entire space. The deeper and smaller the target, the more you need to overlap to make sure you hear it.

Beyond simply overlapping your swings, you may also want to use gridding to ensure you’ve covered an entire area. Gridding is the process of marking off squares, allowing you to strategically search through each space without missing anything or going over an area twice. Setting up a grid makes hunting through a particularly large site easier.

Purchase a Pinpointer

Once you’ve detected a target, finding its exact location with a full-sized metal detector can be difficult. Pinpointers make it easy to find smaller buried objects, especially when they are coated in dirt and impossible to see.

Pinpointers are smaller handheld devices that you can employ to get the precise location of an object. They often come with a sensitivity setting that you can adjust. If the ground is highly mineralized, like the beach for instance, it is important to turn the sensitivity down, and ground balance the pinpointer by turning it on while touching it to the ground (not over your target!).

Once your main rig has identified something in the ground, you can switch over to your pinpointer to thoroughly review the area. Rather than digging randomly, you can turn the sensitivity up on the pinpointer and run it over the top of the grass to see if the target is closer to the surface or not. This technique is great for avoiding digging larger plugs.

Choose Your Hunting Ground

Choosing the right location to start metal detecting for beginners is crucial. Different environments can yield various finds, from historical artifacts to modern valuables. Popular hunting grounds include:

Beaches: Beaches are great for finding lost jewelry, coins, and relics, especially around popular swimming areas or places where people congregate.
Parks and Playgrounds: Public parks and playgrounds can be fruitful areas, especially older parks that might have historical items buried.
Old Homesteads: Sites of old homes or settlements can be rich in historical artifacts, but ensure you have permission to detect them.
Fields and Farmlands: Open fields, especially those with a history of gatherings or markets, can yield a variety of finds.
Historical Trails and Pathways: Trails and pathways that have been in use for centuries are ideal for finding older, potentially more valuable items.

Operating the Metal Detector

Once you thoroughly understand your machine and have acquired the necessary metal detecting gear, you’re ready to power up and start searching. Proper operation and swinging techniques will give you the best chance to find those buried treasures.

Powering Up and Configuring Gear

When first powering on at a new site, following careful startup steps optimizes stability:

Install fully charged batteries. For detectors accepting external battery packs, slide fresh premium cells into the bay after ensuring contacts are clean. For integrated battery models, briefly charge via AC outlet before heading out if low on displayed power.
Attach and adjust the shaft. Next, securely fasten the search coil onto the connector end of the crossbar shaft, carefully aligning all locking collars and threaded gaskets to prevent loosening later. Adjust collapsed shaft segments to comfortable upright arm length or other preferred ergonomic detecting positions.
Power on and allow initialization. With gear assembled, toggle the master power button found on most control boxes and wait as the device runs automatic calibration sequences lasting 30–60 seconds. Avoid movement during this initialization.
Wave test target to confirm. As a final readiness check before searching, slowly wave a sample coin or bullet in front of the stationary coil face to test signal reception. Confirm tones are clear, and sensitivity levels react smoothly to the introduced target as distance changes.

Adapting Controls to Surroundings

To optimize settings for current field conditions:

Set lower initial sensitivity: when beginning a session, sensitivity can be kept moderately low to help initially stabilize gear operation after power-on in highly mineralized soils.
Notch discriminate if needed: if loud junk signals overwhelm the sound space, judiciously increase conductivity discrimination to reduce iron trash chatter. But take care not to over-discriminate and mute good finds.
Reset Ground Balance: before detecting, always run the automatic ground balancing cycle forcing the detector to tune transmission to the immediate soil and interferring mineralization levels, filtering them out as noise.

Pro Metal Detector Techniques Tips

Experienced detectorists use various professional strategies to improve success rates and handle difficult scenarios encountered in the field:

Analyzing soil and mineralization — The composition of soils impact what finds are possible and how deep targets may be. For example, acidic soils corrode items quickly whereas alkaline soils preserve many metals. Mineral-rich soils also complicate detecting with confusing pings. Understanding your site’s soil profile will help assess detecting conditions. Adjust machine settings accordingly and set depth expectations.
Wet sand and underwater hunting — Beaches and riverbeds allow you to hunt in otherwise unsearchable places but require waterproof detectors and proper technique. Carefully sweep the search coil in overlapping passes, slowly lifting out of the water, while listening for mid-tone pings. Scoop finds quickly before waves or current shift sands.
Discriminating trash signals — Urban sites usually contain much metallic trash, generating false pings. Learn the sound signatures and visual ID’s for common junk like foil, pull-tabs or nails to ignore them. Dig only consistent mid and higher tone signals which have the best odds of being worthwhile relics.
Hunting public areas — Research past land use before visiting crowded public parks or tourist beaches. Learn if any major historical events occurred there. Site conditions and odds of undisturbed finds inform where to detect. Arrive early, move methodically in a grid pattern, and dig efficiently to gain an edge over weekend warriors in trafficked zones.

Following these advanced strategies separates novice from expert detectorists in mastering the hobby.

Metal Detector Techniques Caring for Your Metal Detector

Investing in a quality metal detector represents a significant upfront cost. Following proper maintenance and care procedures will keep it performing like new for years of future discoveries:

Regular cleaning and storage

Proper cleaning after each use and careful storage is essential for protecting your detector.

Fully remove all dirt, sand and moisture after every detecting session.
Use non-abrasive cloths and cleaning solutions to gently wipe down the coils, shafts and control boxes without scratching them.
Then insert the bundled protective coverings before gently placing in storage.
Avoid dropping or compressing components.

Battery care tips

For detectors with rechargeable batteries, monitoring usage and replacement is key for longevity.

For detectors with removable rechargeable battery packs, carefully monitor charging cycles and performance runtime.
Fully drain and recharge packs every few months to condition batteries and prevent premature failure.
Replace rechargeable packs approximately every 2-3 years or 500 charge cycles as needed.

Long term maintenance

Over many years of use, components wear out and require replacement or servicing.

Over time, wear items like handgrips and search coils require replacement as they become damaged through extensive use.
Bolts and gaskets may also loosen over years of vibration.
Annually inspect components and order affordable replacement parts to keep your metal detector techniques as good as new.
Consider periodic professional tune-ups as well.

By properly cleaning after use, monitoring consumable components, and testing for things like software updates, your metal detector techniques can deliver reliable performance season after season. Protecting electronics from dust and moisture is also advised. Invest just a little regular care and detectors produce years of finds.