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Articles by Cutaplug Metal Detecting
www.cutaplug.com

How to gain an advantage over other detectorists in public areas

If you have a machine that lets you use interchangeable coils and if you have the budget for it, buy a larger and a smaller coil than the one that came with your metal detector. Many detectors come with a good mid-to-large-sized coil, generally anywhere from 8 to 11 inches. But smaller coils, while they don’t get the same amount of depth as larger coils, are a good tool to use when you’re detecting in trashy areas like heavily-traveled parks. They’ll help you obtain great target separation, which comes in handy when junk targets are lying right next to a coin. That junk signal won’t end up obscuring the signal you’re really after. Buying a large coil will allow you to hear those deeper signals other detectorists will miss if they’re using their standard-sized coil. Large coils are also great for covering large areas of ground like ball fields. If you take an average detector with an average coil (stock coil) you can be certain that many people have already done that before you in public areas like parks, schools, and churches. If you deviate from average and use a different size coil to adapt to the ground conditions you can gain an advantage over others and find targets that others have missed. GL and HH! - Cutaplug




Your metal detector settings could be costing you finds

Something I see a lot of detectorists do is seek out the best settings that the pros use and try to set up their machines the same way. In theory this seems like the smart thing to do but it can actually make you find less and become very frustrated very quickly. Let me explain…

If you’re new to your machine and use high sensitivity and low discrimination then you will hear a lot of signals and a lot of falsing. The constant barrage of audio tones and signals will actually desensitize your brain to ALL signals and you will likely pass up even the good targets while not even realizing it. This can also be known as brain fatigue.

A better method is to start with a sensitivity level that is just high enough to get a very occasional false while running relatively quiet. Also, decide what types of targets you want to find and use a discrimination setting that only allows those targets to produce an audio signal. Using this method you will hear less targets but the ones you do hear will have a better chance of being good targets that you want to dig.

With practice you’ll start to learn the good signals and then you can slowly start to increase sensitivity and let in some of the falsing and blips so you can start getting used to those. Your goal after several hundred if not thousands of hours is to be able to run a high sensitivity and hear lots of signals but your brain will be trained and have the ability to quickly decipher good signals from bad ones. The key here is practice and experience. Veteran detectorists have muscle memory in their brains that allows them to handle the massive amount of signals that would quickly drive newer detectorists to frustration and failure.

GL and HH!

- Cutaplug




The Magic of nitrile gloves
(reposted from Cutaplug Sept. email)

This is just a quick tip that has helped me a lot when land and water hunting. Before I discovered nitrile I was always fiddling with different gloves and they always seemed to be too bulky or they would soak up water and make my hands sopping wet and muddy. If the gloves were waterproof they would hold in moisture and not breathe well enough to stay dry. So I’d ended up with sweaty wet hands and that becomes uncomfortable very quickly.

I was in Home depot one day and noticed a pack of nitrile gloves and picked up a pair. The palm side of the glove is rubberized and the back side is a thin mesh. These gloves allow you to dig in damp grass and soil while keeping your hands dry and also allowing them to breathe with the mesh backing. In the spring when it’s raining a lot they are great. They are also thin enough that you can push buttons stuff without a problem so bulk isn’t a problem.

Another great use I’ve found for them is water hunting. Broken glass and sharp rocks can really do a number on your fingers and the nitrile gloves are extremely durable and help protect your hands. I’ve dug cracks and sifted through rocks and sand with them and I rarely wear a pair out. You can pick them up for about $10 for a pack of 10 at Home Depot and they’re well worth it.

GL and HH!

- Cutaplug

www.cutaplug.com


“Understanding Edge Changes”

Posted on January 3, 2018 by

Thought I would dig this illustration out of the new book and post it for those who want to sharpen their shoreline observational skills. These are the ways that a sidewall can change and when you know to watch for them it’s possible to predict strip-outs–when new targets are being exposed. One thing that’s missing here is the “king tide” pattern where you have a long sweeping waves which act to flatten out the edge altogether. This is usually not a very productive edge. It also helps to have some kind of “benchmark”–a structure on shore against which to gauge changes although with practice just the shoreline contour will be enough to alert you that areas are lowering. Another thing to watch for is scalloping or where you have long lead water inflow–indicating an area where there is stronger current. Then combine this visual information with what your detector tells you–the presence of newly exposed or corroded targets. Illustration from: “Water Hunting: Secrets of the Pros, Volume II” by Clive James Clynick
 




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