I am pleased and happy to share the following guest post here on Stout Standards, and thank Michael Bernzweig for sending it along. I have known Michael, his brother Danny, and their parents Sondra and David for some time. We would run into each other at various events all over the country, and always had a lot of fun. Back then they were “Detector Electronics”, a.k.a. Depthmaster”. Sadly David passed away in 2006, and Sondra retired in 2008, leaving Michael and Danny to run the “shop”.
Over the past few years the shop has grown, and they are now MetalDetector.com, offering many makes and models of detectors. They are also the exclusive U.S. distributor and repair center for XP Deus. If you are interested in knowing more about MetalDetector.com click HERE!
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WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE A METAL DETECTOR WITH YOU WHEN HIKING
By Michael Bernzweig
Hittin’ the trails (hiking) is always a great way to spend the day (Or week!). Many enjoy activities like photography or painting while out hiking, but what about metal detecting? Hiking with a metal detector has a lot of advantages including simply being fun and exciting! Let me tell you more, and hopefully get you to find a place for your detector in that backpack….
The Benefits of Metal Detecting While Hiking
Probably the biggest benefit of metal detecting while out hiking is that hikers often lose valuables. Backpacks have a lot of pockets as do hiking pants and shorts. They’re usually great and keep everything safe, but, all too often, something gets out or maybe even left at a rest spot that a metal detector can find.
Also, consider how many metal detectorists you see along the trails. Not too many. As a result you can often be searching new territory or at least places searched only by a handful of other metal detectorists; as opposed to going to the beach for example where probably hundreds have searched before you.
You can also leave the trails better than you found them. Getting rid of all the trash you find is part of the unspoken code if you will among metal detectorists. While many trails are clean, others aren’t, and may even have some nice historic junk of value! Cleaning them up will help you, your fellow hikers, and the planet!
Which Trails are Best to Search
While metal detecting and hiking do go hand in hand, this is only true if you go on certain trails. I wouldn’t head out hiking “The Fourteeners” in Colorado with a metal detector in hand. But, a historic trail system with some private property would be an excellent example of a good place to go on a metal detecting hike. Just be sure to request permission from the landowner before starting your search.
Grassy areas make fairly easy terrain to hunt, and even if you don’t strike it rich, you’ll still get to see some beautiful places, and possibly find some amazing treasures. Probably best of all though is the fact that these are historic trails that have been in existence for years and used at first by only the elite. Some very interesting treasures could be unearthed on hiking trails like this.
What’s the Best Metal Detector to Take Hiking
First and foremost, you’ll want to select a lightweight model of metal detector to take out hiking with you. An option for a hip mounted harness would also be helpful in order to take the weight off your arm and put it onto your hips. These features will make your metal detecting hike more comfortable and as a result, you’ll be able to go farther, and have a more enjoyable hike overall.
In addition to these comfort features, you’ll want a fairly deep seeking metal detector with a medium to large search coil for hiking so you can get as deeply as possible for the best finds. You may also want to look for a waterproof metal detector so you can also search any lake shores or mountain streams you may come across on your hike.
Overall, the best metal detector is a personal thing. What constitutes the best metal detector for any type of excursion is often unique and personal to each individual metal detectorist. If you do your research though and look for these features I mentioned here you’re sure to find a model of metal detector within your budget that will be comfortable and enjoyable to hike with.
As you can now see there really are a lot of reasons why you ought to bring a metal detector along with you on your next hike. Just be sure you choose the right type of trail, and always get permission before you head out. Then, you’re sure to have an exciting, and maybe even profitable, hike.
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Michael Bernzweig
Biography….
About the author: Michael Bernzweig manages MetalDetector.com in Southborough, Massachusetts. He has written extensively on the subject of metal detecting since the mid 1980’s. He has traveled world-wide in his pursuit of educating, exploring and advising others in the proper use of metal detectors. Outside of the business he enjoys mentoring students, being involved in the community and spending time with his family….
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THE “STEP UP AND CLEAN UP” CONTEST
Let me remind you again about this challenge, and refer you to my posts of May 1st and 3rd. Your club could win a Coinmaster detector, compliments of White’s Electronics. All you have to do is help out your local community, and promote your club in the process. How? Simply by adopting a park or a stretch of highway and/or shoreline to clean up on a regular basis.
White’s Coinmaster
The guidelines….
Send a newspaper clipping or email a link to a television blurb about your club’s “Step Up and Clean Up” program. It must tell about or show your club actually at work, cleaning up your adopted area, and it must be dated after May 5th 2013. Send it to “Step Up and Clean Up”, White’s Electronics, Inc., 1011 Pleasant Valley Road, Sweet Home, Oregon 97386.
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THANKS TO THE SOUTH ALABAMA HISTORICAL RESEARCH & RECOVERY ASSOCIATION
Received the following message from Mike Smith, president of the above club and wanted to share it here. Hoping it might encourage other clubs to consider Donating.
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“The South Alabama Historical Research and Recovery Association of Mobile, Alabama held their meeting last night and we raised $100 to donate towards the cemetary restoration in Waynesboro, Georgia. I hope that other groups and individuals will raise funds for this worthy cause.”
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In case you have forgotten or are wondering what this all about, let me try to refresh your memory. It all started when I received this newspaper article from Scott Clark at Metal Detecting in the USA. Scott suggested we start a fund of sorts to help those who oversee the cemetery repair the damage.
That article was pretty damning, but as many had predicted, those responsible wound up being drug dealers, not relic hunters ( article here). After the news that the theives were identified the interest in the topic fell off, and it was then that Mike Smith volunteered to see if he could make contact with the American Legion post responsible for the upkeep of the cemetery. He did indeed hear from them, and together we asked you and others to consider sending along a donation to the AMERICAN LEGION POST 120, Post Office Box 91, Waynesboro, Georgia 30830.
In any case thank you again to the South Alabama Historical Research & Recovery Association for being the first club to contribute, and to Scott Clark for initially making everyone aware of the situation. Now how about all the other clubs out there….can you swing a few dollars to help a good cause, and in the process polish our image a little? If so be sure to notate “Old Church Restoration” on your check…
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NEW TV SERIES FOR CHICAGO RON
Ron Guinazzo
Just heard from Chicago Ron (as in Ron Guinazzo) that he has a new TV series starting June 12th, at 9pm, on the Travel Channel. The name of the new show is “Dig Wars“ and according to Ron you will laugh and learn. Be sure to mark it on your calendar….it should be a good one. Good luck with the new series Ron!
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The comments at the “Dig Wars” link are pretty funny – looks like the arkie community is coming down on Ron before the show even airs. “Looting” seems to be the operative word. I smell an organized campaign.
Yeah, pretty funny….looks like a setup if there ever was one. Someone is behind all that, and I think you are on the money.
Do we need yet another detector show? I just want to hunt in peace.
Joe, you may be right, but I will hold off on this one until I see it…..I have a lot of respect for Ron, and he told me earlier that this would be a legit show. Time will tell.
An organized campaign? Of course it is! It’s just a shame this hobby can’t rally the same level of support. Campaigning is the one area where the arkies thrash us completely and I’m sorry to admit, that currently, this hobby is no match for them. Note the deafening silence from FMDAC et al, ad nauseum! If the arkies win, and get the TV channel to shelve the programme, it will not have anything to do with the righteousness of thier cause/campaign (which it isn’t) but that we, as usual, sat back and did nothing.
I tried to post a comment there, but so far it’s not showing up….?
I might also add that the gentleman in Warsaw has visited here, saw the mention of the show, copied and pasted the comments on his blog indicating how upset everyone is about the show.
He knows damn well that they are an obvious attempt to discredit the show….sight unseen. It also seems to me he was complaining a while back about planted negative comments on his blog…. Then again he has absolutely nothing good to say about anyone using a detector, and he’s pissed that those that who do are discovering amazing things. Some things never change…..
If you do an ID check on some of the site’s commenters, it looks to me as though they are preachers looking for a religion! Never mind the Warsaw Wally, he’s inconsequential anyway, if he wasn’t, we’d all be on a chain-gang by now. Even most of his own side don’t take him seriously, apart from a few radicals! He’s harmless!
I just have to ad my 2 cents worth. The hater in question did share some of the posts but only the negative ones! This show is something different than anything that has been on. The three teams of detectorists have over 120 years of experience. All items on the show are real dug items, the focus is on history and love of the hunt. It is a competition so the appraiser does attach a value to the finds all based on collector value. We do have a lot of fun, but we also talk alot about the history of the sites we are hunting. All are on privately owned land.
I hope everyone will tune in, I really believe we have put out a realistic detecting show with interesting characters. We fought hard to make sure this show was based on history and reality.
Thanks
Ron
Best wishes for the success of the show. I guess that if you had Jesus Christ on the show some of the reptiles would still find something to whinge about! Can’t please ’em all.
Regards
John H