new machine fisher 1270 never hunted before

[nikonday]

i live in the mother lode country.im out in the hills all day.i was given a fisher 1270 today .any suggestions?i had a very low end white 30years ago.im kinda interested in old homesteads and old town sites where miners lived and played 100 years ago,but im at a loss as to what to do next.i mean i dont even know how to work this bad boy.theres a lot of dials and levers and a head phone jack.do i need headphones?can this guy detect gold?my white rang off on all metal.do i need a manual?come back,guys.i need some feed back

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

That's an ok, easy-to-learn, starter machine. Still current in the Fisher lineup, if I'm not mistaken. So you ought to simply be able to contact Fisher for a manual. As for headphones: yes, get headphones. Just simple radio-shack ones will do.

What part of the mother load are you in? There's a club near Sacramento:

http://www.sacramentovalleydetectingbuffs.com/

Perhaps if/when you attend there, you can find someone that uses that particular machine (or any of the 1200 series, which share similarities). They can show you some ropes perhaps. Because the manuals will, of course, be limited in what they can convey. Since metal detectors are "sound specific", there is no printed text, that can convey sounds. So oftentimes, the best bet is to go out with a proficient user, listen to the sounds he's looking for and honing in on. Watch the way he swings, etc.... Those are all things that printed text manuals can't convey.