How To Get the Most Out of Your Metal Detector

Updated on February 2, 2023
How To Get the Most Out of Your Metal Detector

Taking a walk with a metal detector is a great excuse to spend time outdoors and get some gentle exercise. Why not pick up this unique and engaging hobby in your retirement? By practicing these tips, you’ll learn how to get the most out of your metal detector and gain mastery over your new pastime.

Learn About Local History

While beaches are a common spot for metal detecting enthusiasts, you can also detect in a variety of settings, like campgrounds and historic churches. Before you go out with your detector, though, you’ll need to ensure you’re allowed to detect there and keep the treasures you find.

As you research historic sites in your area, you’ll get a better idea of which places are likely to have old coins and other relics buried in the dirt.

Invest in a High-Quality Detector

As with many other investments in life, you get what you pay for when buying a metal detector. Choose the best-quality detector in your price range instead of going for the cheapest option. Before you buy, make sure the detector has essential settings like ground balancing and iron discrimination so you don’t just detect garbage all day.

Pro Tip:

When you go out detecting, keep the owner’s manual with you and learn how to troubleshoot minor problems you may encounter.

Create a Test Garden

If you’re still getting used to how your metal detector works, test its settings by creating a treasure garden in your backyard. Grab a few small metal objects—coins, bottle caps, and old screws work well—and bury them at a variety of depths from one to six inches. If it helps, draw a basic map of where and how deep the objects are buried.

Once everything is set, slowly sweep your metal detector over the garden as you play around with the settings. The “All Metal” setting will detect everything buried there, so try turning it off. As you detect in your test garden, you’ll get a better idea of your detector’s sensitivity.

Metal detecting is a fun and potentially lucrative hobby to take up in your retirement. When you know how to get the most out of a metal detector, you’ll quickly grow accustomed to your detector’s settings and how you can use them to your advantage.

+ posts