Calico Jack
Jr. Member
The following is a recount of my first day detecting. Kinda long. Sorry.
This forum got me hooked not long ago. I linked here while looking for pictures of shipwrecks.
When I was younger, my folks got me a cheap metal detector from Radio Shack. I explored the yard, looking for the pirate gold or old jar of cash I was certain was buried there. I didn't find anything. I sold the detector at a garage sale years later.
After seeing the stuff found by people here, my interest was rekindled. I ordered an ACE 250, and it showed up on Wednesday. I decided that Thursday morning would be a fine time to try it out.
I woke up at 5am. Not bad for a guy who works until 11pm. I got in the car, and headed out of my LA apartment toward Santa Monica and the beaches there. When I got there, it was still awfully dark and there were multitudes of homeless wandering about. I decided to continue to another site. I drove north on Pacific Coast Highway until I found my way into Malibu. The air smelled like smoke, no doubt from the 20,000 acre Topanga fire not far away. Across from Pepperdine University, I found a park with a little league baseball diamond and a grassy field. There was also a dirt area with picnic tables. Bingo.
As the sun started to rise, I began my search in the picnic area. I went about 3" before my detector started dinging like a Vegas slot machine. I discovered that my shoes have metal in them. Careful to keep the detector farther away, I started to move around the first table. Found about 6 spots that looked like winners in about one minute. I marked them with my shoe and put the detector away. I approached the first spot, and readied my digging tool. What would I find? Coins? Jewelry? Atlantis? I began my first hopeful plunge of my tool, and I found that the ground was too hard to dig. I got about an inch down, and could get no further without a matlock. I did not have a matlock, and was not ready to destroy this park anyway. The grass was being sprinkled, and the well-tended baseball diamond didn't look like something I should mess with, so I gave up on the park.
While looking around this park, I had found that it has a nice overlook. Below, some houses and a beach. I resolved to find a way to that beach. I headed back to the car and drove back a few blocks, and entered a residential area. At the end of a long road, I found a lifeguard tower that I had seen from the park, and found a place to park the car. I headed down a sand trail to the beach, and found it deserted, save for two people watching dolphins about 30 yards offshore. Pretty neat.
I walked a ways down the beach, then assembled my ACE for round 2. The following are my finds, while beachcombing and detecting:
1. Gum wrapper.
2. deceased jellyfish
3. hambone
4. Tonka truck
5. unusually large seaweed bulb thing
6. Labrador Retriever with tennis ball (well, he actually found me)
After about an hour with only two signals prompting me to dig (nothing and nothing), I decided to pack it up. I thoroughly filled my holes, and discovered on the way back to the car that the dog did not share that practice.
I drove home and took a nap before work.
All in all, not what I expected. I have developed a great respect for those of you who find things on a regular basis. My arm is sore.
I saw a bunch of beach volleyball courts on the way back, and should probably hit those. More likely, I will head out to a ghost town on my day off, and try there.
Not a wasted morning. I saw dolphins, a sunrise, and got to play with a beach dog.
This forum got me hooked not long ago. I linked here while looking for pictures of shipwrecks.
When I was younger, my folks got me a cheap metal detector from Radio Shack. I explored the yard, looking for the pirate gold or old jar of cash I was certain was buried there. I didn't find anything. I sold the detector at a garage sale years later.
After seeing the stuff found by people here, my interest was rekindled. I ordered an ACE 250, and it showed up on Wednesday. I decided that Thursday morning would be a fine time to try it out.
I woke up at 5am. Not bad for a guy who works until 11pm. I got in the car, and headed out of my LA apartment toward Santa Monica and the beaches there. When I got there, it was still awfully dark and there were multitudes of homeless wandering about. I decided to continue to another site. I drove north on Pacific Coast Highway until I found my way into Malibu. The air smelled like smoke, no doubt from the 20,000 acre Topanga fire not far away. Across from Pepperdine University, I found a park with a little league baseball diamond and a grassy field. There was also a dirt area with picnic tables. Bingo.
As the sun started to rise, I began my search in the picnic area. I went about 3" before my detector started dinging like a Vegas slot machine. I discovered that my shoes have metal in them. Careful to keep the detector farther away, I started to move around the first table. Found about 6 spots that looked like winners in about one minute. I marked them with my shoe and put the detector away. I approached the first spot, and readied my digging tool. What would I find? Coins? Jewelry? Atlantis? I began my first hopeful plunge of my tool, and I found that the ground was too hard to dig. I got about an inch down, and could get no further without a matlock. I did not have a matlock, and was not ready to destroy this park anyway. The grass was being sprinkled, and the well-tended baseball diamond didn't look like something I should mess with, so I gave up on the park.
While looking around this park, I had found that it has a nice overlook. Below, some houses and a beach. I resolved to find a way to that beach. I headed back to the car and drove back a few blocks, and entered a residential area. At the end of a long road, I found a lifeguard tower that I had seen from the park, and found a place to park the car. I headed down a sand trail to the beach, and found it deserted, save for two people watching dolphins about 30 yards offshore. Pretty neat.
I walked a ways down the beach, then assembled my ACE for round 2. The following are my finds, while beachcombing and detecting:
1. Gum wrapper.
2. deceased jellyfish
3. hambone
4. Tonka truck
5. unusually large seaweed bulb thing
6. Labrador Retriever with tennis ball (well, he actually found me)
After about an hour with only two signals prompting me to dig (nothing and nothing), I decided to pack it up. I thoroughly filled my holes, and discovered on the way back to the car that the dog did not share that practice.
I drove home and took a nap before work.
All in all, not what I expected. I have developed a great respect for those of you who find things on a regular basis. My arm is sore.
I saw a bunch of beach volleyball courts on the way back, and should probably hit those. More likely, I will head out to a ghost town on my day off, and try there.
Not a wasted morning. I saw dolphins, a sunrise, and got to play with a beach dog.
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O well, life went on and took me a while to find my way back to Hwy 1. Anyway, Don't give up on the hobby!Practace makes perfect and its all about resurch and luck. It is a very fun hobby and also relaxing to get out iof the house.Remember!Don't give up and welcome! 
and practically skipped home. I myself am finding that partice makes perfect and patience is key. By the way, anyone else in here use a Whites Treasuremaster PI 1000? I know the model is as old as dirt but I love this machine it works very well but I have never used another water detector to compare it with.
