DETECTING TECHNIQUES

Low & slow is probably the best advice when detecting in England. We have bench tested various metal detectors and have found that small targets such as hammered half pennies and cut quarters simply do not register with a fast sweep pattern. Not all detectors operate at the same sweep speed; some need a faster motion but most function at their best with a three second pass. The coil should be not tilted but parallel and as low to the ground as possible.Swinging your detector from right to left in an arc causes the search head to rise at the end of the swing, sometimes rising as much as a foot off the ground.

Try scrubbing the soil surface with the search coil, pushing down stubble rather than passing over the top of it. Using smaller steps and overlapping each sweep is the most effective technique. Hotspots on large fields can be found quicker by searching the length of a field, walking twenty paces down then do the next length of the field. This forms a wide grid over the field and is a good way of coming across a scattered cache of coins or an area of ancient occupation.

SOIL TYPES

Fields that have had activity on them for thousands of years build up ‘noise’ Signals on your detector may become erratic and pinpointing may prove difficult. Your machine will be reading a build up of thousands of years of trash signals such as hot rocks, iron fragments as well as soil mineralization. The faster you sweep the harder it is for your machine to analyze so many unwanted targets. Try raising the search head a little with a slower sweep. A busy area such as this could be a good indication of a hot spot especially when the rest of the field is quiet. Keep discrimination to a minimum and reduce sensitivity on junky sites but do the opposite on quiet fields.

Mineralization and soil types can change even on the same field. Heavy soil without many stones visible could mean that finds are deep whereas stony soil tends to hold stuff in place but not always. Clay and chalk soils build up on your search head and boots so bring a scraper to remove the build up of mud.

SIGNS

Our exciting England Detecting Tours are often on ancient occupation sites, perhaps once inhabited by Roman or Saxon folk. They will have left behind clues and evidence of their occupation and a successful outing often depends on how observant you are. After all, you may be the first person to make the discovery of the location of a forgotten Roman villa by spotting surface sherds of pottery. The lay of the land is important and features worth exploring are ridges and hollows. Footpaths crossing a field are worth following and lanes bordering a field are often ancient rights of way so the edges of fields are good. High ground could have been used as an observation point in Roman times and a water source such as a spring could lead you to an early occupation site. Most excitingly though, England Detecting Tour sites are often close to medieval villages so Tudor houses or a church near our field may indicate that medieval or Saxon finds are likely especially when near a market town.

Keep your eyes open and scan the surface of the ground for fragments of red or gray pottery, (Celtic or Roman) and for oyster shells, clay tobacco pipe bowls & stems (Medieval) The presence of small lead pips coated with a thick layer of white lead oxide is a very good indicator as too. Large pieces of cast bronze should be kept and take note of where they came from as you could be on to a Bronze Age founders hoard. Remove all trash from the field so that you don’t dig it up the next time you visit. Small broken bits of metal can sometimes be identified as part of a Roman brooch or a part of a Bronze Age axe Only discard your trash once we have checked it over!

EQUIPMENT

Most of you will know what equipment to bring on tour. See the check list on the ‘What should I bring?’ page.     In the event that you have forgotten something or equipment fails then our friendly staff can provide you with everything that you need from detectors, earphones and digging tools to batteries, gloves and finds bags.

Summer detecting can be hot so consider bringing lighter earphones on hot days and use a good sun block. Be prepared for wet weather though and bring waterproofs, rubber galoshes and if on a spring tour, warm clothing.

A typical hunt lasts the whole day so to continue searching in comfort, the use of a lightweight detector may prevent fatigue. Different sized search heads and a backup machine are good ideas as ground conditions may vary. The advantages of using a 15 inch search head apart from added depth means that you can cover ground a lot quicker and maybe locate a hot spot or occupation site much faster. You will however be at a disadvantage if you choose to search thick stubble or need to get in and out of closely planted rows like maize stalks and ‘chatter’ on trashy sites may mean it is better to change to a smaller coil.

Perhaps at some time you will experience a problem with your metal detector such as erratic and pulsing signals. Often the reason is simple; you may be close to overhead power lines, electric sheep fencing or even close to a detector that gives you interference. Your experienced hosts at England Detecting Tours will be on hand every day of your tour and will be only to glad to give assistance or give advice when asked. Don’t worry if you forget something or equipment breaks down as we always carry spare detectors, headphones, diggers and just about everything you might need whilst out detecting.

For further information or booking enquiries please e-mail Peter Welch in England  weekend.wanderer@btinternet.com