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jamiepearce
January 17, 2024, 07:59:51 PM
 Evening.been out the picture for a few years.is there any weekenders coming up this year?
rookypair
January 04, 2024, 09:57:08 AM
 I think everyone has dispersed in all directions. Good to see some of the original peeps posting to 
rjm
January 03, 2024, 11:26:38 PM
 This site is pretty dead now! 
TOMTOM
January 03, 2024, 05:38:50 PM
 HI IM HERE ANY RALLYS
dances with badgers
December 28, 2023, 09:40:42 AM
 the dreaded social media lol
DEADLOCK
December 27, 2023, 08:26:38 AM
 Still going social media plays a big part 
dances with badgers
December 26, 2023, 10:41:07 PM
 This site used to be amazing, where has everybody gone? 

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proconsul
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« Reply #30 on: January 31, 2013, 01:54:51 PM »

With all due respect, Chef, I would dispute your figure of 12,000 metal detectorists in the UK. DetectingWales and DetectingScotland have about 3,000 members between them and by your figures this would be a quarter of the total detecting population. As popular as DW and DS undoubtedly are I think it unlikely that our membership covers such a large proportion of the total detectorists in the UK.

It's pretty much impossible to give a completely accurate figure for the number of detectorists in the UK but I would say it would be nearer 50,000 than 12,000. And the number has been rising strongly over the last couple of years with all the publicity surrounding high profile metal detecting finds such as the Staffordshire hoard.

I would not characterise metal detecting as a 'micro hobby'. It is a pastime indulged in by a respectable chunk of the population and is one of the few hobbies that actually makes a decent contribution to human knowledge. To back this up I would point once more to the Staffordshire hoard - The most significant archaeological discovery of recent times in the UK - made by a metal detectorist.

Geoff
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« Reply #31 on: January 31, 2013, 02:57:51 PM »

Geoff you have missed the important term "regular" those who detect over twice a month. Yes hundreds come in to the hobby each year and there are just as many leaving, there are probably thousands of machines lying about in attics, garages etc.
As to the figures of DW and DS membership, 80% of those are non contributory, many were probably those who had the idea of starting detecting because of the hoards you have mentioned but it passed as a whim and they never did anything about it, if you were able to check how many registered members are "active" participants of the hobby then I think you'll find from the figure of 3000 you would soon be look as a sobering figure of a few hundred.
These are estimated figures by the retail trade not a number I conjured up by the way.
You may not characterise it as a "micro hobby" but even if your number of 50,000 was close it would still be way short of bell ringers and model aeroplane enthusiasts and would still be a micro hobby.
To correct you slightly, metal detecting "CAN" contribute to human knowledge, unfortunately if you view the PASS statistics regular contributors by county run in the hundreds not thousands, so lets hope it's only around 12000 or we are eradicating more knowledge  than we are adding.
And on a final note, the Staffordshire hoard was the most significant "treasure find" not archaeological find, as it has added very very little to the knowledge of the Anglo-Saxon period.
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galoshers
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« Reply #32 on: January 31, 2013, 03:05:00 PM »

i can think of quite a few gents with machines but nowhere to use them even though they are old hunters of many years experience  ,if a good site comes their way they would be off like a shot .they pursue other hobbies in the meantime.
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Chef Geoff
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« Reply #33 on: January 31, 2013, 03:13:25 PM »

i can think of quite a few gents with machines but nowhere to use them even though they are old hunters of many years experience  ,if a good site comes their way they would be off like a shot .they pursue other hobbies in the meantime.

Exactly Galoshes, there must be thousands.
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proconsul
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« Reply #34 on: January 31, 2013, 05:15:07 PM »

Quote
I think you'll find from the figure of 3000 you would soon be look as a sobering figure of a few hundred

Getting on for half a million page views per month for the two sites would tend to dispute this. If people are interested enough to read the sites, even if they don't post, there's a good chance they get out and do a bit of metal detecting when they can. In my view that makes them active metal detectorists.

According to your 'twice a month' test I am apparently not a regular detectorist. I'll tell my wife she wasted her money buying me that Etrac for Christmas...
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Chef Geoff
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« Reply #35 on: January 31, 2013, 05:43:08 PM »

lol...no nor am I Grin and like me yes you probably have waisted money as if you only detect once a month, that's 36 times before your guarantee runs out, just think if your car only allowed you to use it 36 times before the warranty ran out Grin
Lies, damn lies and statistics half a million a month can be done quite easily by 300 members without trying to break any records, do the math. I have an auto reloader on my browser which will give you 14000 hits per month without me looking at anything other than the main page.
« Last Edit: January 31, 2013, 05:47:08 PM by Chef Geoff » Logged
proconsul
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« Reply #36 on: January 31, 2013, 06:10:34 PM »

lol... Ring up HMV and Jessops and let them know they're saved - Internet traffic has been discovered to be nothing more than a few dozen people sitting in their rooms with auto reloaders... Grin
« Last Edit: January 31, 2013, 06:12:07 PM by proconsul » Logged
Val Beechey
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« Reply #37 on: January 31, 2013, 07:30:06 PM »

Got to add my 2p worth here.  A few weeks ago I noticed the Member figure at 1999 and jumped at the chance of welcoming no.2000.  He aint been on since he joined. 
A couple of weeks ago there was another new member 'Douglas' asking for advice on where and how. Waiting for his detector to arrive and doing some home work in advance.
Totally disheartened when he realised you couldn't just buy one and go (wherever you want) he said he wasn't going to bother and would put it straight on EBay when it arrived.
I can think of a few others as well. All excited till they had a go, found nothing and then gave up.
I don't think the number of detectors sold has much to do with the number of detectorists. Apart from which, how many of you lot have got 2, if not 3 machines.??  I've got 3  Embarrassed

Val
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anthonyjay
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« Reply #38 on: January 31, 2013, 07:53:26 PM »

I have 1 and that has been for 14 years and I'm very happy with it. (can't afford another anyway if I wanted to.)
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« Reply #39 on: February 01, 2013, 05:21:44 AM »

theres a lot more people with detectors than you think who go out at night hawking with the night vision gogs on.i have met a few who openly admit it.they are not in clubs or forums
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« Reply #40 on: February 01, 2013, 10:28:27 AM »

Well in response to Val - we've got 4 detectors in the house at the moment.

I've had a metal-detector of one sort or another for 30 years, but for the first 20 I only ever detected in my parents' back garden.

Then, I bought a C-Scope and foot and mouth turned up, just as i was going to ask a farmer for permission.

It took me another 8 years before I then bought another detector and asked for permission.

I found almost nothing for 2 years - there were plenty of times I almost gave up - now I realise that a lot of me not finding things was because I was useless at it! - for instance trying to detect in a field with knee-high grass, swinging the machine wildly, having a machine that was too complicated sound-wise for me as someone new to the hobby.

It was by joining a club, going on a few rallies, getting advice from some good friends, being persistent (it at least got me outside of the house) that kept me going (plus a previous and current interest in coins).

It was only a year and a half ago that I found my first hammered coin - on a rally, and three years ago I found my first roman. Last year I managed 20 hammereds, about 40 romans including some silvers - I've found about 15 romans already this year, so I'm hooked for a long time now Smiley

I still get dispirited - there are times I go out and find nothing - I'm not confident in asking farmers for permission so I don't have many sites (although the number is slowly growing), and I've had a few rejections of farmers, which then puts me off apporaching others - and I can cetainly understand the frustration of people getting interested in the hobby - my son things you can dig a random hole in a field and find a hoard....he gets bored after 10 minutes.

On another note - I know many, many people who have tried detecting - and some who were quite serious about it years ago, and still have a detector in their attic, but don't detect anymore - usually because of children / family reasons. I know that some will eventually return to the hobby, but if it stops becoming a regular thing, other activities get in the way.
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« Reply #41 on: February 01, 2013, 10:49:24 AM »

If Val actually gave 2p for everytime she gave her 2p worth we could actually save timeteam Cheesy
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« Reply #42 on: February 01, 2013, 10:59:32 AM »

lol  Smiley
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galoshers
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« Reply #43 on: February 01, 2013, 01:17:25 PM »

newbies must get disheartened by the pull tabs and foil and beer cans of which theres tons out there even in places so off the beaten track you can figure out how it got there..
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Val Beechey
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« Reply #44 on: February 01, 2013, 02:16:17 PM »

Cheeky whatnot Nobby. Cheesy
On a more serious note. If Time Team producers were to step back a bit they could rejuvenate the show. I have a few sites that would bear much closer inspection but the funds are not available. How many more could other members add.
Between us  I'm sure we could keep them going for at least another two series. It could open up a lot of history for Wales that is only hinted at and increase knowlege of Englands history as well.
For a long time though they've only been interested in the 'big digs' what a shame.

Val
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