CS990XD
7
8. 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-wasting if your search is hasty and erratic. To achieve
maximum results is important to decide on your approach to any particular site in advance of the actual search.
Tactics will be decided by the type of the 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. Many a beginner neglects the importance for pre-
planning and research before using his detector in the field, and patience and technique during the actual search.
A successful search should begin with research some time 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 of the choice of site is to think of people. Where have people 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 mystical treasure stories of crocks of gold. Rather, they are assuming places like footpaths
and ancient rights-of-way, old houses and so on.
When you have chosen your site, allocate a whole day from early in the 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 10cm 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 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 the 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 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.
The technique of getting the best out of your detector is not learnt overnight. You need to get as much experience as
possible so that you can recognise every kind of signal. Indeed, a good detector operator can often tell you what is being
detected before it is unearthed.
Search head position:
It is essential that the search head is kept as close and parallel to the ground as in B. Do not hold the search head too high
above the ground, or at an angle as in A, C and D as you may miss out on finds.
