DetectingWales.com

this have may have come up before on here  ??? ,but as there is a lot of new members not long started it will be in interesting to see how long all have been detecting. ;)

Been detecting since 1962 lol so almost 50 years Kev :o

50 years  :o :o :o :o

didnt realise they made tectors that long ago

Made by a radio ham friend of mine from Blackwood out of a design for a very basic
BFO detector out of the practical wireless magazine very heath robinson,,,lol
No faraday shielding and every time you brushed it against grass it sounded off,
in the wet the moisture as you moved it set it off.
Maximum depth on pre decimal pennies was two inches lol
So moved on a bit since then

I am genuinely interested Paul in the early days of detecting - what sort of finds were you making and at what sort of depth?

I know a few people made an absolute fortune off the beaches in the late 70's as at that point they were virtually untouched.

Interesting topic

cheers
Neil

History of the Metal Detector
Alexander Graham Bell invented the first crude metal detector in 1881
By Mary Bellis, About.com Guide
See More About:metal detectoralexander graham bellforensicIn 1925, Gerhard Fischar invented a portable metal detector.

Inventors
In 1881, Alexander Graham Bell invented the first metal detector. As President James Garfield lay dying of an assassin's bullet, Alexander Graham Bell hurriedly invented a crude metal detector in an unsuccessful attempt to locate the fatal slug. Bell's metal detector was an electromagnetic device he called the induction balance

Gerhard Fischar - Portable Metal Detector
In 1925, Gerhard Fischar invented a portable metal detector. Fischar's model was first sold commercially in 1931 and Gerhard Fischar was behind the first large-scale production of metal detectors.
According to the experts at A&S Company: "In the late 1920's, Dr. Gerhard Fisher, the founder of Fisher Research Laboratory was commissioned as a research engineer with the Federal Telegraph Co. and Western Air Express to develop airborne direction finding equipment. He was awarded some of the first patents issued in the field of airborne direction finding by means of radio. In the course of his work, he encountered some strange errors and once he solved these problems, he had the foresight to apply the solution to a completely unrelated field, that of metal and mineral detection.
Further Developments
The modern metal detector is not Fisher's version. Over the years, people have been developing the technology, as metal detectors have been used for treasure hunting and other various purposes. During World War II, there came a need for land mine detectors. In turn, the government instructed manufacturers to conduct more research for this technology to be used effectively. During the war, a large number of these units were bought.
When the war finally came to an end, the surplus manufactured was sold to the public and was used to hunt for buried gold and silver.

After the War
During the 1980s, the metal detector's accuracy was developed along with its ability to identify types of metals detected by its transmitting field. As time went by, the size of the metal detector shrunk considerably, making them even more user-friendly and portable.
Modern metal detectors now have the ability to pinpoint their targets, measure the depth of the metal's location, and even inform the user on the nature of the metal. Further developments have been made to make the technology more sophisticated, thus increasing its possibilities of application.



Read more: History of the Metal Detector | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5068709_history-metal-detector.html#ixzz1c66DKMsr (http://www.ehow.com/about_5068709_history-metal-detector.html#ixzz1c66DKMsr)

 (http://0.tqn.com/d/inventors/1/G/E/T/metal_detector.jpg)
In 1925, Gerhard Fischar invented a portable metal detector.

Oh well I feel like a veritable newby in comparison to Paul :D it was 33 years 1978 that I bought a Whites Beachcomber from  ???Gwyns bring and buy ??? in Newport. Obviously predecimal was the common find and pennies were all over the place (only had decimal 7 years), Weston beach was awash with silver 6d and 3d with rings being just as difficult to find though. Some things never change as back then the must have detector was an Arado 120. Ahhhh halcyon days ;)

Was it a 50Th Birthday pressie Geoff lol  ;D ;D ;D