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TEKNETICS
Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting
Detecting Activities (continued)
Cache Hunting
A cache (pronounced “cash”) is an accumulation of money, jewelry, gold, or other valuables,
which someone has hidden. When people bury a cache, they usually put it in a strongbox or in a
jar. To search for a cache, you first need a reason to believe the cache may exist. This means
doing research. Some caches have been the subject of many stories you can read about in
print, but you need to be able to sort fact from fiction. If you can get copies of old newspaper
stories about the circumstances surrounding the hiding of the cache, you may find discrepancies
which help you to judge the reliability of the information available. Often the best information on
an old cache is to be learned from old timers who live in the area where the cache is thought to
be. In the case of newer caches, often the only information is what can be obtained from family
and acquaintances of the person who is believed to have hidden the cache.
The ownership of a cache is not always clear. Sometimes it belongs to the person or heirs of
the person who hid it, sometimes it belongs to the owner of the property on which it is located,
and sometimes it belongs to the person who finds it — or some combination of the above. If
the contents of the cache were stolen, this fact can also complicate the question of ownership.
Find out what laws apply to the cache in question, and always make sure that the issue of
ownership is resolved prior to recovering a cache.
Compared to a coin, a cache is usually large and deep. Searching in All Metal mode is
recommended. However, for a really deep cache, it may be advantageous to search in
Pinpoint, frequently releasing the trigger momentarily to maximize sensitivity.
Shallow Water Hunting
All First Texas Products searchcoils are waterproof, allowing you to search in shallow water
about two feet deep. If searching around water, be careful not to get the electronics housing
wet. Avoid salt spray, as it will work its way into the control housing and damage the
electronics — such damage is not covered by the warranty.
Both fresh and salt water beaches are popular places for metal detecting. Vacationers lose money
and jewelry playing in the sand and in the water. It is usually easy to dig in a beach environment,
and metal detecting is permitted on most beaches. Occasionally you may be able to help someone
recover a piece of jewelry they have lost minutes before, this is a gratifying experience.
When searching on a beach, it is best to either search in All Metal mode, or to search with the
discrimination level set just high enough to eliminate iron, because the value of beach finds is
largely in the jewelry rather than in the coins. You will dig a lot of aluminum trash, but the
digging is easy, and you can tell people that you are helping to clean up the beach and make
it safer for people’s feet. We recommend the use of special sand scoop for recovering
valuables from the sand quickly — most metal detector dealers sell these.
The electrical conductivity of the water itself can pose some challenges. You may get false
signals when going into and coming out of the water, making it necessary to pay careful
attention to keep the coil either in or out of the water, but not to touch the surface. This effect
may be observed in either fresh or salt water.
