Texas Heat and Texas Tedium…

Nothing at all going on here in Texas other than the same ole oppressive summer heat and a few more senior ailments.  That unfortutnately translates to another throwback from 2017.

“Is It The Dector or is it You” is the most viewed and most shared blog post in the twelve years I’ve been writing Stout Standards. It’s also appropriate given the unveiling of the new Garrett “Vortex” line.

I’m not going to personally comment on the new Garrett machine because all I know is what I’ve seen and read online though you can count on a gazillion “I have one” reviews in the coming days. From a purely aesthetical viewpoint I’m underwhelmed….

IS IT THE DETECTOR OR IS IT YOU?

If you have to ask if it’s too early to drink wine, we can’t be friends…..

I’m always amused at those YouTube videos with a tekkie opening the box of their brand new detector. Not putting it together or using it mind you…just a grand opening of the carton. Sort of a “voila…. lookie what I got”. Don’t get me wrong I am thrilled too when I get a new detector but I want to keep that emotional, poignant and deeply moving unboxing moment to myself.Now a TV, refrigerator or freezer, hell yeah bring it on!!

Okay, all the above aside isn’t it true that every new detector you ever purchased was “always better” than the last? It found more, had great depth  and killed it at that site you assumed was hunted out.  Okay, okay, so that’s what you told your wife.  Well here’s my take as if you give a rat’s ass…..

**********

Like most other electronic/computerized products you buy today there’s usually a learning curve involved in order to use it and enjoy it. There are new features, controls, programs, and techniques required to get comfortable with it and a metal detector is no different. You have to make friends with it and learn its nuances and its quirks. It will only offer the end result you seek if you set it up to work at peak efficiency and this takes time and patience.

Next I’m willing to bet that after you did the Cecile B. Demille thing with opening the box you took your new detector to that hammered site to see if it would turn up any new goodies. Well unbeknownst to you, while there you became so engrossed in learning your new machine that you were oblivious to just how slow you were going.  You weren’t interested in speed and as a result you were inadvertently giving that old site new life. Giving it time to show you what it’s been hiding.

I also have a hunch that while you were at that hunted out site you dug every signal simply because you wanted to see if that readout on the screen was accurate and as a result you came home with a few decent finds.

So what am I saying? Well we all know “you have to walk over it to find it” and because you were enthralled with your new detector you were not interested in covering a lot of ground. As a result you were rewarded with a keeper or two…. New machine or not, speed is a bad recipe for the detectorist, especially at a site that’s been hunted numerous times.

Last but not least is the power of positive thinking. I mean come on, you spent a ton of money on that detector and you know it just has to be better than your old one and that automatically adds to your success (IMO).  Of course on the flip side taking that new detector out for a test run right after you and your wife had a battle royal over how much it cost will guarantee that it sucks. Always remember

“If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy”….

I’ve field tested, reviewed and used a lot of detectors over the years, and the best finds usually came during the learning period….

Finally if the new finds keep on coming after the first week or so you’ve got a real gem of a detector. If by chance they slow down think about those first few attempts at learning it, how you went about it and what you found. Just maybe a lot of that success was your thought process and technique and not so much the detector.

 Well that’s sure to piss off a few manufacturers…..

So next time you venture out just pretend your detector is a brand spanking new, knock your socks off, killer of a machine. Look at the controls and various settings as though you’ve never seen them before, experiment with them and go ever so slow. Cover a very small area of that hammered site and report back to me. Willing to bet you come home with a keeper or two. If by chance you don’t, screw it….get rid of that detector, buy another and tell somebody else….

Here’s an old tip for your old detector from an old fart:

Go back to that favorite site of yours and shorten your stem one notch, or until the coil is literally at your feet. It will absolutely force you to slow down.  Ground balance, use all metal, set your depth/sensitivity as high as possible without erratic chatter.

Next make sure you have a slight threshold hum (without that you will never hear those deeper targets).  Go slow, listen for the whispers and if those whispers don’t offer a steady “readout” take your threshold “just barely” into the quiet zone, turn your sensitivity/depth up (even if there’s chatter) and see if you can coax a decent numerical readout. If that doesn’t work dig that whisper….there’s a good chance it’s a keeper.

________________

*****