Newbie on the beach.

[Duncanmagoo]

So I’m lucky enough to live close to the beach.....

I decided to get a detector as a survey, in the states, said that if you have a mental illness metal detecting is good. You don’t think about anything other than your next good tone.
I have really bad bipolar amongst other things and any help is better than none. So I sold loads of rubbish from my garage.....no a bad thing as I can now see the door at the other end.

Two days ago my brand new, shiny, cs4pi arrived. Then a quick trip to the garden centre for essentials....a trowel and gloves.

This morning we were up to see the sunrise on the beach, so today is ground zero.

Started without thinking about every bit of advice I’d read. Top of the beach. I like the idea of being solitary so was dismayed when a lady said.....have you found treasure yet.....fake smile nooooo. Then she says.....you know all this sand is replenished from the sandbanks. Doh moment. I’ve lived here for 3 or 4 years and every year they suck the sand from the sandbanks off shore and pipe it up to the top of the beach. All three foot deep of it. Bless her and gone was the fake smile with a genuine thank you.

Lucky enough I had got advice to go on the hard stuff that the preceding tide had chucked up. Got a coin, whoop whoop so excited. The size of a penny and definitely copper. An hour later a top of a pop tin can. Sharp edges so happy to get that off the beach. So two hours later a shell casing. Very happy crappy.

So the learning curve.

Have all detectorists got arms like Popeye? My god not even ten minutes and I’m changing arms.....over and over again. Result, hunted out an old strimmer harness from the garage.
Got to get a finds bag....ok so not many finds but found shells and stones for my garden lol. All that sand in my pockets was a pain to get out. Also on the sand subject....must wear wellies as sand inside socks between toes is horrid.
Wasn’t sure about a scoop and now I’m sold. Trying to find that coin was a pain. About three inches down and so small. Result, start saving but in the meantime drill holes in a plastic food scoop. Sorted.
Save for a pinpointer. The shell casing took a while to find as well as the coin. Didn’t think I would but I now understand.

So I know, only two hours into my new hobby, but I’m feeling good about it. I’m glad I found this forum as it’s nice to be able to talk like this to/with people who understand.
The paper I read that said it would be good for mental health could be right. Ok so I found the extended silence a little disturbing but I did find I wasn’t thinking about bad stuff. Great result. I have ordered a pair of proper headphone as the little earplug things I had are great for music but pants on the beach detecting.

Bad bits.....like a plank I ordered the wrong size coil cover.......lol....gutted.

So......thank you guys and gals for having me on your forum.

A few questions:-

Do you find batteries to run out quick. Is there a rechargeable alternative for the cs4pi? Or do you use ordinary rechargables?
Have you used stem covers or tape? Any good or a waste of time?
Have you made you own kit bag? Have you made your own cover for the/a control case? Do you have any hints or tricks?
I found that at the end of my reach I’m finding that I get a false positive sound. I’m not sure if I’m jerking the detector back to quick or maybe tilting the coil? Is this normal?
I wanted to put a picture up of my shell casing. Do you have to host and upload it somewhere else to post here? Or am I missing something?
Music...do you listen to music in one ear and the detector in the other? Is that actually a thing?

And last but not least......have you any tips for me. I promise to read them all and then forget them for a while in the excitement of the hunt....well if today was anything to go by, then the first hour doh.

If you have got this far I congratulate you for your tenacity and staying power. Thank you.

Warmest regards and please stay safe.

Duncan

[Venger]

A few questions:-

Do you find batteries to run out quick. Is there a rechargeable alternative for the cs4pi? Or do you use ordinary rechargables?
Have you used stem covers or tape? Any good or a waste of time?
Have you made you own kit bag? Have you made your own cover for the/a control case? Do you have any hints or tricks?
I found that at the end of my reach I’m finding that I get a false positive sound. I’m not sure if I’m jerking the detector back to quick or maybe tilting the coil? Is this normal?
I wanted to put a picture up of my shell casing. Do you have to host and upload it somewhere else to post here? Or am I missing something?
Music...do you listen to music in one ear and the detector in the other? Is that actually a thing?

And last but not least......have you any tips for me. I promise to read them all and then forget them for a while in the excitement of the hunt....well if today was anything to go by, then the first hour doh.

If you have got this far I congratulate you for your tenacity and staying power. Thank you.

Warmest regards and please stay safe.

Duncan

I'll try to answer a few questions as an owner of a CS4Pi myself.

On the subject of batteries, I use rechargeable ones. To be fair, although the CS4Pi needs 8 batteries, they tend to last about 30 hours or so between charges so you needn't worry about them running out, even on a prolonged session, if they're fully charged before you leave the house.

I haven't used stem covers or tape since I bought the machine about 7 years ago. I haven't really thought about it to be honest. I bought the largest kit bag that I could find in Sports Direct so that I can carry my spade and the metal detector (with the stem disassembled), along with some other extras like a sand scoop (I only have a plastic, hand-held one for the soft sand) and a small finds bag. I just use a travel bag that you get in deodorant/toiletries sets for Christmas for a finds bag (not ideal but it serves the purpose well enough). I bought a cover for box and it cost about a tenner.

You shouldn't be getting a false positive at the end of the swing unless you're maybe a bit rough. You can set it off (as with most detectors) by accidentally hitting the surface. The only other thing I can think of is if you're setting the sensitivity a bit high. Ideally, both dials should be set in the green zone. Some like them set so that they can hear a tiny bit of background chatter but I set mine so that there's nothing to hear until you get a target. I know a lot of people say that they set the first dial to the 12 o'clock position and the second dial to the 3 o'clock position. Personally I'm more 11 o'clock and 2 o'clock but this can also depend on the beach.

I don't listen to music when I detect and I've never heard of anyone else that does. You need to be able to hear the signals properly and any other noises will obviously interfere with this. With other detectors you need to be able to hear the subtle difference between the tones (not so much with this one but you may miss faint signals while listening to music) so I can't see anyone else recommending listening to anything other than the detector signals.

I can't give you that many tips; I'm very much a novice myself. You'll gain experience every time you go out. I've learnt that anything that gives a short "double beep" is very likely to be either a nail or a piece of wire. Any long signal is something big (which goes without saying) and probably not worth digging (although I sometimes still do). People say that with a pulse induction machine you'll dig everything. I don't 100% agree with this as you do learn over time what's likely to be something big and not worth digging. You may also find that you'll get a signal, and after digging for a while, hit a rock. These are termed "hot rocks" and they give off signals as they contain traces of metal. Pulse induction machines can go ridiculously deep and sometimes I've dug down about 2 feet and still not hit the target. These targets are likely to be big chunks of deep iron and I usually abandon them as a bad job.

That's about as much as I can give you. Take care and happy hunting!

[Resurgam]

The CS4Pi is a superb detector for detecting on a clean beach and unlike many detectors it is unfazed by wet saline beach sand and can detect the smallest of metal objects at reasonable depths. I used one for a couple of years but because my regular beach was used as WWII air to ground target range I found my self digging for the Olympics!

What beach are you presently detecting on?

[Duncanmagoo]

Today it was Woolley bank as the old phots show a couple of houses on the beach that are not normally there......got a horse shoe, several dreaded tent pegs, a barbecue a nearly three feet. Three bottle caps, a few rusty old nails and three pieces of a three pin plug a foot t apart?
Two old Stella can, helpfully burried, and a few older bits of older cans.

My thoughts are that at least no one if gonna catch there feet on it.

Stay safe.

[Resurgam]

I'm guessing that the barby and the Stella can gave long farty type signals and the the bottle tops were a little more short and staccato. Closer to the low tide line you will possibly find less scrap and maybe win your self a ring, or two; as swimmers exit the water and shake the water off their hands they sometimes will lose a ring without knowing it.

Don't forget that valuables should be handed in and registered with the nearest police station but if unclaimed you will get them back; we have to be careful not to be charged with stealing by finding.

How's the manic depression coming along?

[Duncanmagoo]

I'm guessing that the barby and the Stella can gave long farty type signals and the the bottle tops were a little more short and staccato. Closer to the low tide line you will possibly find less scrap and maybe win your self a ring, or two; as swimmers exit the water and shake the water off their hands they sometimes will lose a ring without knowing it.

Don't forget that valuables should be handed in and registered with the nearest police station but if unclaimed you will get them back; we have to be careful not to be charged with stealing by finding.

How's the manic depression coming along?

Yea I went to the hard oak as the tide goes out and out. That’s where I got the bottle tops. I’d be chuffed to find a ring and it has come up on this forum a couple of times about taking them to the police. It’s good to be reminded though.
I don’t really mind getting tent pegs, pins, screws ragged tins etc as in my mind it stops kids like my grandchildren stepping on them with bare feet.

Thanks for asking about the bipolar. It’s still early days but I am finding I loose time when out scouring the beaches. Waiting for the tones is all and everything and I’m definitely not thinking about anything else. It’s a little hard to get motivated but once out there it’s cool. I’m really surprised how many people are genuinely interested. I’m thinking of getting a child’s version for when the grandchildren come over after lockdown. Even my wife has taken a passing interest. From a third party perspective, the missus, says I’m much happier when I’ve been out but I do love the beach as well. Win win.

[Resurgam]

Not been out swinging the Safari, or the Quest Q40, for months and months now but am looking forward to the lifting of the lockdown, so I will be able to get out and motor down to North Wales and rework my regular beach.

Depending on tide times and weather I normally start my beach detecting at the crack of dawn, when all the trouble makers are still abed and there are only the sounds of the wind, waves, and sea birds to provide company.

PS the next inquisitive person who stops to enquire about what you are doing may just be a farmer, who would be prepared to give you permission to detect his/her land; or perhaps a person who lost a sentimental piece of jewellery in their garden forty years ago and would love to be able to find it again.

Stay safe, stay well, and keep swinging

Chris

[Duncanmagoo]

That’s the thing isn’t t....you just never know who your talking to......pays to be nice all the time. As the old adage goes au costs nothing to be nice’.

[DaveyB]

It's actually quite affirming that people seem to take a genuine interest in what you are doing. I've only been out 4 times on my new hobby, but it's great to get the thumbs up and smiles, along with the odd chat - let's face it, everyone's going through a bit of a rough time at the moment, so if we can make it a bit better place...

[Resurgam]

Well over a year ago I was Detecting Talacre Sands, Flintshire, North East Wales, when an attractive young woman stopped to enquire what it was I was doing, why, and what had I managed to find. We chatted for quite a while and she was really interested and yes she was a farmer.

Just my luck though; she farmed in New Zeeland! After what I learned about her farm I am convinced that she probably got herself a detector when she got back home.

Here's to next time

[Duncanmagoo]

Well over a year ago I was Detecting Talacre Sands, Flintshire, North East Wales, when an attractive young woman stopped to enquire what it was I was doing, why, and what had I managed to find. We chatted for quite a while and she was really interested and yes she was a farmer.

Just my luck though; she farmed in New Zeeland! After what I learned about her farm I am convinced that she probably got herself a detector when she got back home.

Here's to next time

Awesome.....

[cobbslane]

Hi Duncan
Thanks for a great post - and best of luck with your detecting.
A simple tip from me would be to record all finds - even the crappiest ones. Simple date, location (in your own words), settings and description will do as you might soon see patterns emerging that can guide you in the future.
As you might have read on here from others you don't find brilliant artifacts every time you go out as suggested by many Youtube videos, in fact it's quite the reverse. Having a simple record will remind you of those successes. Believe me they will soon build up.
Also spend the time learning your new machine, taking advice and trying different settings too.
But most of all enjoy it. I find that other than fishing there's little else that can create that sense of calm whilst detecting - until you find that occasional hoard that is!!
Best of luck
Gerry

[Resurgam]

The other thing that I would add is start photographing your finds and learn how to post decent pics on the forum. OK, your early finds may be crappy but you will be getting the practice ready for when you start getting some gold; whenever that may be.

[J.DILLOWAY]

Hello welcome to the forum, new to this game myself I did mabelthorpe beach the other day I thought it was odd, no shells, every signal was down at max, then I saw the dredger offshore, yes they had pumped a load of new sand up, no wonder I was having to dig so far down,mainly for junk! anyway if your new hobby is helping with a problem it do's not matter what you find you are still going to win, so good luck glad it help's you.

[Brad85]

If you go out on the wet sand at low tide, watch your step. I wasn't that far out this morning when my left foot suddenly sank down past the ankle. There was nothing to suggest that bit of ground was softer than the surrounding area.