Technique & Mastering Detecting

If there is one thing I would highly recommend is to read your manual. They are often available on the intenet and are a great way of familiarising yourself with what will become your partner for long periods of time.

Get to grips with the ground balance and how it should be set up for the site conditions and levels of mineralisation.

Once you detemine your goto setup, dont be afraid to try different setting for different site conditions as you will become a better detectorist for it.

Field systems undulations, earthworks, depressions and elevations in the ground are all good indicators of activities from bygone times. Ideal sites if you can find them.

I like to absorb a site before I commit to one route or another. I tend to track a field boundary and observe as much as I can see.

This approach allows you to spot prominent features that you may not see from your entry point. Google Maps will help you but once you are physically on the site it is always remarkably different than you imagined.

Stunted growth on pasture 'can' mean there are old footings or compaction from humun activity, great indicators.

A fantastic resource that should never be overlooked. For me this is the core of my hunt for great sites. I use old and current overlaye maps to review potential sites. Old maps have features that have often have dwindelled into memory and are some of the best locations to search. From old footpaths to desserted villages they offer the most productive search areas. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/

Lidar is my next best friend. This data offers some of the most visually responsive information and is freely available from the enviromental agency. There are some areas of the UK that have yet to be surveyed but if your lucky enough to be in the capturement area you can discover new features that have not been discovered. 

Detecting is a highly sensorary experience and you should take in as much information from your detector and surroundings as you can. First and foremost is the audio feedback. I personally run no discrimination, meaning I get to hear 'all metal' responses. This is because I want to understand the levels and context of human activity from our past which primarily means Iron. Although you do not want to dig every iron signal it provides great awareness to your search for those more appealling yet elusive items such as hammered medieval coins.