A pinpointer is a must-have when metal detecting.  In fact I would consider it the most important metal detecting accessory after a good digger.  Yep, even more important than good headphones if you ask me.

Why do you need a pinpointer?  Coins and such can be hard to see!  Not to mention they can be hiding in the wall of a hole while you’re digging to China.   Turn on the pinpointer, scan the hole or the clump of dirt, and beeeeeeep, you have your goodie in-hand in no time.

Here’s a roundup of some of the more popular metal detector pinpointers on the market today.

• SunRay In-Line

Some would consider the SunRay In-Line Probes to be the cream of the crop.  These pinpointers work as a secondary coil on your detector.  Flip a switch and the pinpointer is active rather than the main coil.  This gives you all the tones and readings that your detector would normally have, except with a tiny coil. Somewhat pricey compared to other pinpointers at around $170. More on Sunray at their website here: Sunray Detectors.

• Garrett Pocket Probe

The Garrett Pro-Pointer is a relative newcomer in the pinpointer market, although Garrett is one of the oldest names in metal detecting. This handheld probe is getting some excellent reviews.  The Garrett Pro-Pointer will run you about $140.  More info at Garrett’s Website.

• Automax Precision V4

The Automax V2/V4 has been on the market for a while.  Its long length allows the detectorist to really get into the hole to scan for elusive goodies.    Some users do report cumbersom ergonomics.  Available at Kellyco.

• DetectorPro Pistol Probe

Great reviews on this one.  The pulse induction DetectorPro Pistol Probe has a 6 1/2 probe length and opperates on two 9v batteries.  Kind of pricey at $189.  More at DetectorPro.

• DetectorPro UniProbe

The UniProbe is a more unusual pinpointer.  It comes paired with headphones and can be converted into a full size metal detector with the addition of a larger coil and rods.  DetectorPro reports 5-6 inches depth on coins in the hole with this PI pinpointer.  $350.  A must-see at DetectorPro.

• “Vibra” probes

Treasure Products offers the Vibra-Probe,  Vibra-Quatic, Vibra-Tector, and Vibra-Phone.  Fully submersible, these pinpointers are pulse-induction and give vibration and/or light feedback (depending on model).  They’re priced at around $150.  See the different models at Treasure Products.

• White’s Bullseye

A name as famous in metal detecting as White’s has to offer a top-notch pinpointer.  They do it with the Bullseye II.  This compact pinpointer opperates with sound or vibration and even has an LED to help you see your target.  Available from Whites HERE.  About $100.

• Bounty Hunter pinpointer / Fisher F-Point

This First Texas pinpointer is easy to use with good reported ergonomics.  One of the less expensive pinpointers, it runs about $50.  Interestingly they aren’t mentioned on Fisher’s or Bounty Hunter’s website.

So do you use a metal detector pinpointer?  Have I left any good ones out?  Which pinpointer would you recommend? Comments encouraged!

Another quickie post, but a good one.

In this post I’m going to show you how to find some good historic spots to metal detect using the Yale Peabody Museum website.

Here’s how:

1. Visit the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) page at Yale Peabody Museum.

2. You will be given the option to enter a search term in the box. If I’m searching for schools I put “school”, if I’m searching for parks…well, you guessed it: “park”. For this tutorial I entered “school”.

3. Select your state from the dop down menu.

4. Select what kind of feature you want to search. Select the same thing you put in the search box. Check out all the features you could search.

5. Enter your county.

6. Click “SUBMIT”.

The results page will give you a long list of schools (or parks, etc). Hopefully there will be some that you weren’t aware existed, even some designated “historic”. My search for “schools” in my county revealed 29 historic schools. Your search will give GPS coordinates for the location.

So now grab your GPS, or look up the coordinates on google earth, and have fun.

Comments welcome. Did you find any possible detecting spots? Many spots designated “historic”? Any other tips for using the Yale search?

If you metal detect, you’ve been there. Maybe it’s an old  home site, maybe a beach, maybe a civil war campsite. Could be the site of a former village or even a cellar hole.  Everything seems perfect for a day of great digs. Then you get there, swing for several hours, and have nothing to show for it.

I’ve been thinking about why this might happen, and have come up with a list.

Look it over, and let me know if you have anything to add.

• TOO MUCH TARGET MASKING/TRASH

I think this is one of the most likely reasons that goodies aren’t popping out of what should be a banner site.  What happens is that a good target is located too closely to an “undesired” metal object.  The metal detector “sees” the bad target and isn’t able to reset fast enough to indicate the presence of the good object.  You can see the result of masking by placing a coin and an iron nail next to each other on the ground.  Swing the detector over them and see how many “hits” you get.  If they’re close together you’ll likely only get one.  See how far you have to separate them, and how slow you have to swing before you can detect both objects.

Masking can sometimes be reduced by using a “faster” detector, a smaller search coil, reduced sensitivity, and/or different “tones” settings if your detector is capable.

• THE GOODIES ARE TOO DEEP

Sometimes it doesn’t matter how good your machine is, how “hot” you run the sensitivity, how low you have the discrimination, or  how big your coil is,  the good stuff might be down too far.  Just consider how grass, leaves, rain, mud, dirt, and footsteps can push a coin down into the ground as years (or centuries) march on.

• MINERALIZATION

There’s more than just “dirt” in your dirt.  Depending on where you live, there’s variable levels of iron and minerals in your ground as well.  To be effective the detector has to adjust to this ground mineralization and pick the good stuff out of these metallic-like ground conditions.  The higher the mineralization, the tougher it might be for the metal detector to weed out the good stuff, particularly at depth.

To compensate for this, use a detector that has manual or automatic ground balancing rather than a preset ground balance level.  Sometimes using less sensitivity is effective as higher sensitivity can be likened to using our bright-lights in the fog.  It just doesn’t go far.

• THERE’S NEVER BEEN ANYTHING GOOD THERE

I know, we don’t want to think of that. But consider “who” lived, worked, or played at your site in the past.  Are you at an old sharecropper house?  Not likely they dropped many silver dollars.  That would represent a month’s pay, and if a coin like that was discovered missing I’m sure they wouldn’t sleep till it was found.   Same with smaller denominations.  Money meant something to prior generations and it was guarded carefully.   If the folks didn’t have money, they didn’t lose any!

• OPERATOR ERROR

Yes, I had to go there.  Metal detectors are complicated machines and require PRACTICE! If you have a new detector or you are new to the hobby, LEARN your machine.  Read the manual, then read it again.  Set up a test garden and see how your machine responds to different items at different depths with different setting and different sweep speeds.  Reasons such as too fast sweep speed, sweeping too far off the ground, and arcing the coil are all reasons that good targets might be missed, and all can be corrected with practice and learning the machine.  Be sure to check the online forums, such as the ones listed in THIS POST , for help on using your detector.

• IT’S BEEN HUNTED OUT

No one likes to hear this one, and its usually not the case.  For the most part you can assume one or more of the above reasons has PREVENTED the site from being hunted out.  Still, a site that has been pounded to death by everyone with a metal detector is quite possible squeezed dry.

The remedy?  Do what other’s have been unwilling to do.  Go to the overgrown areas, swing the coil under the bushes.  Go to the part of the site that is “forgotten” about.  Or go somewhere else.

And if all else fails, find somewhere else to detect.

Hey folks,

I just added a blog roll to iDetectorist.com. Yeah, see it over there on the right and down some?

Well, if you have a blog and would like to swap links, just let me know and I’ll add it. Just respond with a comment. Of course, the key here is SWAP links, so I’d appreciate a return link.

w

I’m gonna show you a great way to find metal detecting spots, using my “other” outdoor hobby – geocaching.

You’ve probably heard of geocaching.  The gist with “caching” is to use a GPS to find containers that other folks have hidden.  It’s a blast, and I’ve found close to 800 caches to date.  Even hid several.  More on that later.

You’re asking yourself  “Self, I don’t care nothing about finding no tupperware in the woods”.  First of all, I hope you’re using better grammer when refering to yourself in such a manner, and second, you don’t have to find anything but good detecting spots.  Unless you want to be a geocacher too.  Your call.

The thing about geocaching is that people hide caches in “interesting” spots.  Well, these interesting spots are often historic and not known by the poplulation at large.

I see you’re paying attention now.

So here’s how to find the good spots.

1.  Go to http://www.geocaching.com and follow the “Create a Membership” link at the top right of their page.  It’s free for a basic membership.  That’s all you need.  I have a Premium Membership, but then again, I’m Mr. Big-Time blog writer and you aren’t.  Yes, I’m overcompensating for other issues.  My therapist says I’m making progress.  Anyway…Get your account, verify the email, yada yada yada.

2.  Now the fun begins.  Sign into your account and then select the option on the left side of the page “Hide and Seek a Cache”.

3.  Then you get to search by several variables.  I like to search by zip code.  So enter your zip in the spot provided.  For giggles I decided to search Topeka, KS.  You can also select a distance from that zip.  The default is 100 miles but you can change it.  Hit “Go” and see what pops up.

4.  The zip I entered was 66616.  After hitting “Go” the results showed 3220 caches within 100 miles.  Scroll down and check out the names of the geocaches.   Near the bottom of the first page I struck detecting gold.  Now I’m not familiar with Topeka, so everyone in the area may know the history here.  But many might NOT!  Check out Old Prairie Town at Historic Ward-Meade Site.
So there’s one.

And here’s another one, probably better than the first: Retired Roadside Rest. The description says “Placed in an interesting area on US Route 40. I’m sure many families once stopped at this roadside curve to rest, picnic and stretch their legs. Alas, all that is left is an old concrete pad.

And the trees…”

How ’bout that?  I wish that was near me!

5. You can even change your search by term instead of by zip. See what happens when you search for “old house” or “homestead”. You can’t search by location this way, but wow, there’s some great spots.

6. Be sure to check out any photo galleries on each cache page as well.

7. Go find the area. You may or may not need a GPS for this. The included maps on each cache page will get you in the general area, but if the area is really rural you might need other means to navigate. Check ebay for cheap GPS units. Garmin etracs and geckos are a cheap way to get started.

8. Believe me, this works. The site from the “The old home, with a view…” post below was found this way.  I was the FTF (first to find) for this geocache.  I’ve also hidden a geocache at a favorite spot of mine.

So there ya go.  Give it a shot.  You’ll thank me.

w

Hey folks…
I’d like to compile a list of some (other) good detecting sites on the web. If you have a couple favorites, please comment with the link.
A few of my favorites are:
Findmall – Great bunch of folks with good brand-specific boards, and an excellent classifieds.
Treasurenet – Has a nice geographical specific area, plus good general discussion.
and
MDParadise – Some of the friendliest folks around. Alot of guys from the original Bounty Hunter forum from years ago.

So if you have a favorite site or even your own blog, please post the link here.  Of course if it’s your own blog a return link would be aprreciated