20
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RIGHT
APPROACH
Treasure hunting can be a profitable and rewarding hobby, if approached in a patient and
diligent manner. Time spent researching to locate a worthwhile site for a search can be time
wasted if your search is hasty and erratic. To achieve maximum results it is important then,
to decide on your approach to any particular site in advance of the actual search.
Tactics will be decided by the type of site - it is more profitable to scan a small area
thoroughly than to conduct a haphazard search of the total site. However, when the site is
too far away for you to make several return visits, a plan should be adopted which gives
maximum coverage, at the same time as indicating the most likely area for detailed search.
Your detector alone is not a guarantee of successful treasure hunting. Any detector needs
an operator and for the best results the operator needs the right approach, attitude and
technique. Too many beginners neglect the importance of pre-planning and research before
using their detector in the field, and patience and technique during the actual search.
Your detecting should begin with some background work before the day of the actual
search. The extent and thoroughness of your research will be one of the major factors in the
success of your detecting. You should aim to get as complete an understanding as possible
of the local history and geography.
The key to the choice of site is to think of people, where they congregated over the past few
hundred years. What were their customs and pursuits? Where did they spend money?
Where did they carry money? The answers are not Roman sites, nor are they associated
with mystic treasure stories of crocks of gold. Rather, they are unassuming, undramatic
places, like public footpaths and ancient rights of way, old houses and so on.
When you have chosen your site, allocate a whole day from early morning to early evening
for the search. Make sure you have all the equipment you are likely to need. Your detector
should be checked before starting out, and you should always carry a spare set of batteries.
You will also need a strong, sharp trowel. It is also a good idea to have a set of lines and
pins so that you can lay out your search area scientifically.
Most beginners make the mistake of rushing about hoping to chance upon a rare find. If for
example there happened to be a valuable ring that was buried 15cm deep on the site you
were searching, if you rushed about haphazardly and quickly on the site, the odds would be
very much against you finding it. On the other hand, if you pegged out the area scientifically
and searched slowly and thoroughly, the odds of finding the ring would be very much more
in your favour.
Remember,
BE PATIENT
and
WORK SLOWLY
. Do not try to cover too large an area,
restrict yourself to a small area and work through it thoroughly. Make a note of the position
and the extent of the area, and then when you return you can start again further on without
missing any ground or covering the same area twice.
It is also important to keep the detector head as close to the ground as possible. Ideally, you
should 'iron' the ground with the search head of the detector, so that you do not lose any
detection range. Similarly, if you work slowly and carefully you should be able to distinguish
the faint signals as well as the clear-cut signals and further increase your finds.
Summary of Contents for Newforce R1
Page 1: ...R1 OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS NEWFORCE by...
Page 26: ......
