DetectingWales.com

Further to the BBC Documentary on nighthawking Please vote on the poll above. Feel free to comment on your choice or other threat you think there may be.

I suppose we could say that the first four are all interlinked, but I think it would be interesting to know what each other of us perceive as the biggest threat to our hobby. That way we may be able confront the problem before it confronts us.

in my opinion it's the nighthawkers that will bring about the future goverment legislation..byron

i agree with byron

i think a bit of most of them taff (but the goverment and do gooders are the biggist threat  :-\

I think you will find ladies and gents that within the next 10 years or so this will all become academic as it will already have happened. Theres been a not so hidden agenda for a number of years now, and I fear it will soon come to a head. Unfortunately the recent great hoard finds that have sparked a lot of media interest, will also sit in the favour of the archies and the how many haven't been declared brigade!

I dont mean to be the prophet of doom, but I do fear our days are numbered.

All that will happen then though is that it will be driven underground. We'll all probably still detect, just I guess it will be outside the law - same as a friend does in Italy and people do in Spain, Ireland, France etc.

Be a real shame
Neil

Cheers Neil,   e-bay here we come ;D

Maybe I am looking at it differently but I don't see the finding of the Staffordshire hoard as a negative, it is a definite plus for the hobby. Look at the interest that find has received, this country and others all became involved and interested and brought the hobby to the fore in a positive way.
How many times did you hear that the Staffordshire find changed the way that archaeologists thought of the history of that period?
The hoard has brought visitors into this country , how many people have employment through the finding of the hoard?
What a great find for metal detecting, archaeology and Great Britain!

Metal detecting has created employment, there are a number of FLO'S who rely on it for their livelihood so I feel sure that they for one would not wish to see the demise of responsible metal detecting.
I did say in a previous post that I think metal detecting and archaeology are inextricably linked and maybe if the archaeologists wanted a ban then they would be cutting their noses off to spite their faces.

I don't see how a metal detecting ban can benefit anyone now. There are so many votes that the MP's will lose if the go down that road.Hunting can't be policed and may be reinstated,can you imagine the resources it would take to police a metal detecting ban?

Im with Neil on this

I was for many years involved to with The Acu (Auto cycle union) South wales Centre.
The governing body for motor sport in wales and legislation has killed Motorcross and Enduro raceing  so ive no doubt that Detecting will go the same way in time so its a case of enjoy the good times Fella,s before its to late

Maybe we are going to be casualty of our own success
if the papers and the telly didnt make us all out to be millionaires we wouldnt be in this mess.
As it is the general public think we are all robbers and grave diggers and they only think that because we report our finds.
A non detecting friend of mine said once ...you must be able to make a living out of your detector Mate !

How wrong peoples perseptions about detecting must be !

regards
Phil Jones
FIGHT THE POWER !


 

Nighthawkers are Not metal detectorists, they are simply Thieves who buy a metal detector just to steal from other people. simple as that.

I don't understand the doom and gloom part without a clearer explanation  ??? What is the benefit to archaeologists, FLO's , museums etc; if they want to ban responsible metal detecting?

Its good to see what detectorists percieve as a possible threat to our hobby, and I think we're at a tipping point. Yes we have got the anti detecting group out there and obviously the pro- detecting buch   ...namely us lot. But I do see there being the moderate in-betweeners and I personally think there in lie our allies. Its up to detectorists not ally ourselves with these people. Speak out against Nighthawkers (DW against Nighthawking springs to mind) work with the Achaeologist via the F.L.O's and P.A.S. At the end of the day If we give them no reason to complain how can they.

That said, I've only been doing this hobby for under a year and am still learning, but I dont think you need to be a hugely experienced detectorist to see what path we need to take. I think whatever box you tick above has the potential to turn out right. I would say its up to us to pro-actively protect our hobby.

personally at this moment i dont think our hobby is under any threat from being band (i may be wrong and time will tell ).
i fist started detecting 30 years ago but seriously for the last 20 and in that time have seen and heard a lot about the threat to the hobby , from the full on attack of the 70s with archaeology posting propaganda to every farm , then there was all the worry about the treasure bill and ppol thought that that would be the end of detecting , i think that where we are today with detecting is about as good as its ever been and i thing cooperating with f l o has a lot to do with that .
i just don't think public opinion would call for it to be band ether . i never come across negative opinion when ppol find out that I'm a detectorist only fascination and intrigue .
however i do think the future is in our hands and it how we conduct ourselves that will deside(particularly now it all happens on line for the world to see and use how ever they will ).
 :)

i think theres a bits in all the comments made, one about the hoards and the one night hawkers,but people like tony robison and some archeoligist who have the finances(from govermont) and plenty of access to the media could be the worst,now that you need a permit for the beach they now have you on file,lets hope the majority of archeoligist  will support us because, without our finds they won't know where to look and they won't have a job.(viv)

I hope it doesnt get banned and i think archeologists and museums would lose a lot of information from us detectorists.After all if we were banned all the stuff in the ground would just rot and a lot of our history would be lost forever which would be a great shame.Also i would like to give a message to all those NIGHTHAWKERS out there who venture on to these scheduled sites you are nothing but a load of low lifes with no morals whatsoever so from all of us P*SS O** and leave the detecting to real detectorists that can find things without going on a scheduled site WALLYS >:(

bump

If you own a fishing rod it doesn't automatically make you a poacher so why should detecting be any different? The majority of places we search are never going to be funded for an archaelogical dig or probably of no real interest so any artefacts are just gonna be decimated by either farm machinery or chemicals anyway.Why not let someone with a common interest in history save them from destruction.
If there is a ban then museums will see a decrease in new artefacts on display and a lesser insight into our ancestry.
Let everyone know your a detectorist and that you don't agree with nighthawking,that way at least we might be able to stop the negative propaganda.

i totally agree benny  :)thats what i think is the best way to safeguard our great hobby.

Very good comments Benny,    I reckon that a national database with all metal detectorists that belong to clubs throughout the UK should be a member,  It wont stop the nighthawks but at least we will have an insight to how many and where the members are from,  and you must have to earn your membership via a recognised detector club,   I am willing to start this Database up if people think its a good idea,   maybe it has been tried before but failed,  any ideas let me know.
Terry

The biggest threat to our hobby is (OURSELVES)  >:( the old biblical sins are still relevent today ( ENVY GREED  ETC ) when metal detectorists argue  over mainly petty matters (WHICH ) I,ve noticed a lot of these past months  :( we don,nt need any other enemies we,re doing a grand Job ourselves :o rember the old trade union motto (UNITED WE STAND DIVIDED WE FALL) ;)

yes mole you are right . sure fed up with the in fighting thats going on   >:(
grow up or log off springs to mind . your not helping the hobby

 i agree with a lot that as been said, its right so say that we can only blame ourselfs if metal detecting gets band.
1' if we know someone who nighthawks i think we should maybe tell them to stop.if not report them. In my own case if someone nicks my bike or car or my football it affects me and family and my fun and i'll do something about it and its  the same with my /Our hobby.
 so if your a nighthawker look out i am movin BACK TO WALES NEXT WEEK

Just out of curiosity how do they do it ? I mean its pitch dark middle of the field and i pressume they would have headphones on. How would they find say a minim without struggling ? Not only that but imagine in the dark headphones on i would be tonning it. If you caught poaching (fishing) then the law has the power to take everything you have on you including your car and impound it . Plus a big fine, is the law to soft with nighthawkers?

Dunno how they do it to be honest. I struggle trying to find my tarhets in the broad daylight  ???

one of the problems seems to be lack of knowledge by the general public about what we actually do, I.e spending hours walking about and digging up ringpulls in muddy fields. The only contact they ever have with the hobby is the negative publicity from the media, ie nighthawks, The flip side of that is they think we are digging up hoards all the time and keeping it secret,,, i mean why else would we do it!

I have had people think im (not jokeing) looking for moles, trying to find underground water supplys, and digging for bones. Pretty much sums up the publics knowledge.....

the fact that its banned in many public places also says something to the public... it must be bad.


Vive the revolution!

It would be nice if we could educate the general public. I always chat to passers by and expalin/show what I've found as I'm sure most of us do. Al the Pasfinder put on a cracking display that prove to be very popular in Pontypridd. And Handyman Alun, recently gave a talk in Swansea which again went down a storm.

More of the above we need guys. I think its up to all of us to paint this Hobby in as positive light as possible, but I really think we need to take the 'fight' to the public instead of just bleating when we get bad press    - we need to be pro-active , rather than reactive.

i would have to agree with you on that taff. but how to do it? thats he question.

Well thats where  DW comes in. Its a gathering of mostly like minded people. We start thinking and come up with ideas.

i had a idea last night, it may sound a bit silly, but would proberbly work. You will proberbly groan but here goes.

TV is desperate for cheap programs, hence all the reallity rubbish on at the moment due to too many channels and not enough talent.

someone with time, could contact one of the newer channels on freeview and offer to do a short series , "the life of a detectorist" or some other such name,
It could cover, machines, reasearch, the negative side of it(night hawks) and how it affects us. Follow a cuple of guys or a club round a muddy feild for hours and hours, and show Everything they dig up over a month, including all the rubbish(and show them recycling the lead) all the "Green" stuff, Fresh air, exerscise,  have interviews with the like of bill wyman. The treasue prossess, gaining permmision to get on land, they could go to a couple of club digs and rallys etc, etc. Electolosis, cleaning finds, preserving finds, collecting, reporting finds, following a item through the treasure prosses, FID, etc etc,
It would only need a small camera crew so would be extreamly cheap to produce. i bet the likes of BBC 15 would lap it up.
It would have to be well balenced
We dont want it to look to good though!!!

i try to engage the general public when ever possible , any event that you think you could do a display of your finds , i find most ppol are more then willing to give you a platform to promote our hobby . the wi are one , Church events another,most villagers have a parish mag that you can wright an article for . most of the time its easyer to do as a club but we can all do our bit  :) as a spin off from doing any of these you can gain lots of land to search from land owners who you get to talk to , double bonus ;D ;D