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When swinging a metal detector, proper technique is essential. if you hold the coil too high above the ground depth is lost. If you swing the coil to quickly, you may miss a valuable target. And if you walk too quickly, you may pass over a target.
I like to think of the coil as a paint roller. Pretend that your coil is loaded with paint, and that you're trying to paint the ground that you're walking across. As you slowly sweep the coil back-and-forth across the ground imagine paint being applied. You're trying to paint the entire area you were trying to cover. If you can imagine the paint, you should be able to cover the entire area without missing a single spot.
As far as the height above the ground goes, you want to hold the coil as close to the ground as possible. Obviously, if you're working in tall grass you're maybe 3 or 4 in. above the ground. On the other hand, on a smooth flat beach surface, you can easily skim the coil right over the sand. Remember, the higher the coil is above the surface the more depth you will lose. If they've got a old coin that is 6 in. below the surface, and your detector can detect 8 in., and the coil is 3 in. above the ground, you will miss that target. If the coil had been directly upon the ground you would be able to detect that target.
For walking speed, remember the paint rollerr analogy above. As long as you are painting the entire surface of the ground and not missing any spots, you are not walking too quickly. However, if you find that your imaginary paint is missing areas, you need to slow down your pace.
I have used this technique successfully to find lots of gold coins, valuable jewelry, and other rare finds. The hope you find this technique improves your success rate.
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Find more of Mr. Novosat's writings on his own blog at http://www.novosat.us/wp
About the Author
Dean Novosat is an avid treasure hunting and can often be found metal detecting the beaches of the mid-Atlantic United States. He is the webmaster of http://www.treasure-metal-detecting.com and http://www.metal-detector-info.com.
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