DetectingWales.com

Sometime ago a detecting buddy of mine said that a lot of Detectorist were ex Anglers or still enjoy fishing, maybe its catching (or finding in our case) the unexpected, it got my thinking.

My love of History came from my Father, if youve ever seen the film "Nuts in May" Keith reminds me of my Dad lol.
Dectecting came later after meeting Tony Maz,s wife Elaine while she was out searching and asking her about the Hobby that was  30 years ago now, i did have an 7 year break in that time due to family stuff.

So i guess im asking................ How or Why did you Guys and Gals get into this crazy, annoying, time comsuming, bone chilling, Expensive, Frustrating,  pastime of ours ?

Thanks Phil, lovely idea for a thread. First of all, sorry about your dad being a Keith type. Keith is often mentioned by my daughter who loves 'Nuts in May'. Yes, I think there are similarities with fishing and many detectorists are ex-anglers or still angling.  A young woman in the 1920s, first day angling, caught a 70lb salmon that is still as far as I remember, the British record and in detecting there's always the hope that you will find that terrrific hoard that everyone dreams of.
                 Along with this there's the pleasure of being out in the countryside, the anticipation, wondering what might come up next, the patience and sheer doggedness in all weathers when everyone not smitten by the bug thinks you're mad, and the banter of good mates. What more could anyone ask for ?

I was brought up in a rough ex mining town and everyone thought id lost my mind when i bought a Detector, then came the........." Found a Hoard yet " and  "How much Money have you made"  .with Club and National and later internet rallies ive been to, club fee,s and the money ive spend on Dectectors and kit i recon im down £2000 £3000.
But for the pleasure of seeing places id never have seen and the friendships ive had and lost over the years and finding the odd goodie its money well spend ;0)

Hi Phil

Well for me it was always about a love of history but for years I was unable to take up the hobby due to work ( very long hours and being on call ) until a nasty knee injury which took nearly a year to get fully mobile again prompted me to take up this wonderful and frustrating hobby as I needed to exercise the knee that was 5 years ago and still going strong . fresh air exercise and history  what more do we need .

Ps. I've never been fishing .

Hi Neyland
I used to race Motorbikes when i was younger and had a few back injurys plus working in manual jobs, Detecting has kept me going over the years, Tramadol and Naproxen are my detecting buddys lol

I think if you come into Detecting because you want to "Find the big one"  your not going to stick at the hobbie long.
you can detect for 2/3 months never finding anything of any note, then something will fall into your hands, something you,ve saved from the ground, doesnt have to be of any value (only to yourself) makes you remember why you,ve walked aimlessly round in the cold and wet and keeps your interest going for another 2/3 months of finding nothing.......your right, frustrating !

Im shocked i thought everyone fished in Pembs ;0)
Im from Pederyn (Penderyn Whiskey, Gin,Vodka, liquior) everyone thinks i must be an alcoholic.

In my case, I pestered my parents for a detector when I was about 7 - and I got the Radioshack - 'Works better when switched off' detector......found various things in the back garden - a 1973 Cardiff city football token, clock-golf set, but nothing too exciting.....

Then nothing until the very late '90s, by which time my parents - or I should say my father - had stopped myself and my bother  and sister from becoming archaeologists - my parents had a private dig for 20 years on a roman site.

I got a secondhand C-Scope from somewhere in Swansea, was ready to ask permission, and then foot and mouth happened......

Eventually in 2007 my grandfather died and with some money from him I bought an SE-Pro - got permission on the farm that my parents had their dig on, which is still my main permission :)

I should say that I've also collected coins for a long time, and more than one of my coin friends also detect, so I joined some of the local clubs - so for me - perhaps it is a slight frustration at not being an archaeologist / historian (though sometimes I wear that type of hat) - partly that it's nice to find stuff rather than have to pay for it, and a general thirst for knowledge and a bit of exercise.

I'd love to one day actually find something on a beach though.....

The thrill of the chase, and putting my hand on something that the last person to have seen it was whoever had dropped / hidden it. That is the buzz for me. Then the hours researching the find to identify it.

I think all of us have to be used to disappointments, have a bloody great imagination as to what it might be  ;D


The biggest trait is patience and having a good sense of humour especially when your turning blue frozen solid and youve found the tenth shotie  ;D

I guess you got to play the cards you are delt, i would have loved to have gone to Uni and studied Archaeology / History, sounds like the start in life i should have had Probono.

Kids dont have real hobbies anymore like Model making, stamp and coin collecting, theres no mystery anymore, instead of looking at your coin or stamp collection and wondering what other parts of the world are like, it only takes a quick google search to know everything.

Detecting for me still has that sence of Wonder like Outlaw said, holding something in your hand that was last touched by our Ancestors, its magical.

Phil its never to late to to take up study, especially when there are so many ways it can be done. Archaeology it is indeed a huge and vast subject.
Go for it ! ;D

It started with me when my son was 14 years old he is now 56 years old when we were trying to think of something for him for Christmas. My wife happened to see a program on TV about a couple searching on Barry Island beach with a metal detector,they had a typewriter shop in Cardiff with detectors as a side line so a £50 CScope  IB 100 was our first detector in the family. We all ended up with one eventually and the beaches proved to be a good training ground and a large number of rings being found,some returned to owners over the years, thanks to using Pulse Induction machines.

Hi Pat

Before id bought a detector i seen an advert in a very old detecting mag about the shop in Cardiff, so went there for a look, the one i went too was at the top of Cowbridge road, near Cathedral road ?

I recently bought a PI as my main Beach machine, im loving the simplicity, plus im semi confident im not missing anything.

Still haven't found anything on a beach yet (well 25p in this country and 10 New Taiwan Dollars by eye in Taiwan, but you know what I mean)....

Ive detected in Devon, Somerset, South Wales and parts of West Wales, in fact im trying to get away for a few hours early tomorrow Down Aberavon.

My 2nd time detecting was on porthcawl beach, found some coins well happy, 1st time was Hendre'r Mynydd iron age village, ( i didnt know any better) only found a car exhaust, but cleaned up in the carpark near by ;0).

Hi Phil,
The shop I was referring to was the Greens typewriter shop in Crwys Rd. Glad to hear you are using a PI on the beach as far as I'm concerned it is the best machine for depth on wet sand as long as you don't use any discrimination . I wish you luck as I did very well over the years and I am sure there is plenty more old 22's if you can get the depth, I think I remember the shop you mentioned,

My father was a founder member of the Rhyl sub aqua club in the 1960s we as kids spent the day on the beach he then came back with treasure from wrecks well plates and port holes at 17 I started diving the wrecks of North Wales recovering and reporting finds then a family and less time to go diving so moved from history of ship wrecks to c ions and detecting not looked back at fantastic hobby