Find out what your missing

I often spend time testing metal detecting equipment at the beach, an hour spent testing at the beach may save you from wasting many more hours at the beach.

For example, using the wrong type of metal detector settings, search coil or sweep speed.

If you are serious about beach hunting, it is wise to know what your beach hunting equipment is capable of doing and what your equipment is not capable of doing. 

You also have to know what is the optimum sweep speed for the best combination of target depth and sensitivity to a wide variety of targets.

Your sweep speed and even the search coil size can make the difference between success and failure at the beach. 

I look at metal detecting equipment as helping me detect what I'm searching for, so I need to know what it can and cannot do.

I need to know I am not going to walk over stuff I am searching for at the beach.

My love of testing metal detecting equipment is for one purpose only, trying to discover anything I can use to my advantage on future beach or water hunts.

I search a lot of heavily hunted sites with people using the same type of metal detecting equipment, I know settings and search coils can make a huge difference.

Now that's the real advantage of testing to see what your metal detector or search coil can and cannot do at heavily hunted beaches, knowing what the competitions equipment is capable of.

I often see wow moments from long time beach hunters on metal detecting forums and social media sites. 

My first thoughts are always the same, what took you so long and imagine if you found out sooner? 

Almost always the eye opening moment is equipment related, which is the point of today's blog.

If you test and know the capabilities of your equipment, you won't have to wait so long to find out what your missing.

Learn to squeeze every last bit of sensitivity and depth from your equipment, they will get you closer to what you are searching for. 

I started off a metal detector lesson this weekend by telling the person I am going to show you what you don't need to use.

Information from hours spent testing metal detecting equipment at the beach helping someone get ahead of the learning curve.

Another advantage to testing, knowing what you don't really need to use at the beach to be successful. 
This 18K ladies ring with a 2 carat ruby found a new home many moons ago, but it is still one of my favorite ring recoveries because of where and how it was found, using knowledge gathered from testing small search coils at iron infested beach sites.