Velleman CS5MXP Notice D'emploi page 11

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RIGHT APPROACH
Treasure hunting can be a profitable and rewarding hobby, if approached in a patient and diligent manner. Time
spent researching to locate a worthwhile site for a search can be time wasted if your search is hasty and erratic. To
achieve maximum results, it is important then to decide on your approach to any particular site in advance of the
actual search.
Tactics will be decided by the type of site - it is more profitable to scan a small area thoroughly, than to conduct a
haphazard search of the total site. However, when the site is too far away for you to make several return visits a
plan should be adopted which gives maximum site coverage, at the same time as indicating the most likely area for
detailed search.
Your detector alone is not a guarantee of successful treasure hunting. Any detector needs an operator and for the
best results the operator needs the right approach, attitude and technique. Too many beginners neglect the
importance of pre-planning and research before using their detector in the field, and patience and technique during
the actual search.
A successful search should begin with research sometime before the day of the actual search. The extent and
thoroughness of your research will be one of the major factors in the success of your detecting. You should aim to
get as complete an understanding as possible of the local history and geography.
The key to the choice of the site is to think of people, where they congregated over the past few hundred years.
What were their customs and pursuits? Where did they spend money? Where did they carry money? The answers
are not Roman sites, nor are they associated with mystic treasure stories of crocks of gold. Rather, they are
unassuming, undramatic places, like public footpaths and ancient rights of way, old houses and so on.
When you have chosen your site, allocate a whole day from early morning to early evening for the search. Make
sure that you have all the equipment you are likely to need. Your detector should be checked before starting out,
and you should always carry a spare set of batteries. You will also need a strong, sharp trowel. It is also a good
idea to have a set of lines and pins so that you can lay out your search area scientifically.
Most beginners make the mistake of rushing about hoping to chance upon a rare find. If for example there
happened to be a valuable ring that was buried 41 deep on the site you were searching, it you rushed about
haphazardly and quickly on the site, the odds would be very much against you finding it. On the other hand, it you
pegged out the area scientifically and searched slowly and thoroughly, the odds of finding the ring would be much
more in your favour.
Remember, BE PATIENT and WORK SLOWLY. Do not try to cover too large an area. Restrict yourself to a small
area and work through it thoroughly. Make a note of the position and extent of the area, and then when you return
you can start again further on without missing any ground or covering the same area twice.
It is also important to keep the detector head as close to the ground as possible. Ideally, you should "iron" the
ground with the search head of the detector, so that you do not lose any detection range. Similarly, if you work
slowly and carefully you should be able to distinguish the faint signals as well as the clear-cut signals and further
increase your finds.
CS5MXP - 11 - VELLEMAN