Spudz's Detecting World Musings, rants, raves, moans and all manner of goings on from the world of metal detecting......and my part in it.

I've hired an earthmover, brought 2 ton of dynamite, enlisted the services of a top demolition team and, just in case, have a battalion of tanks on standby.

Why, I hear you ask?

All to enable me to dig to a depth of at least 2 inches without breaking my shovel, pick axe and any other tools I might have at hand!

Due to a long, hot, dry summer, my stubble fields have compacted to form a concrete-like layer of hard earth which is hell to get through. We've had hardly any rain to speak of for 2 or 3 months and the ground is beginning to resemble that of a desert. When you do manage to break through the crust, you come across dry earth to a depth of around 6 to 8 inches in places....which plays havoc on the back!

Friends I've spoken to are having the same problems and they are also finding that the dryness is affecting signals?? To what extent I don't know but everyone is moaning about it.

Personally, I'd like the rain to stay away, or at least fall during the night and just enough to moisten the earth without turning it into mud, but we are in need of some.

Not sure what the farmer will think when he sees me blasting craters in the middle of his fields...best wait until he's gone home for the day!  Then blame it on the rabbits  :-)

Firstly, stop waving it around in the air as you'll never find anything above your head.....unless you're standing next to the fridge, in which case make yourself a cup of tea and continue reading.

Here in the UK, you have to gain permission from the landowner before attempting to detect on any land.  No permission and you could end up on the wrong side of the law and facing a charge of trespassing.  There are exceptions to this rule such as beaches (not privately owned or owned by the Queen), and some parkland (although it is best to seek out the groundsman or ask at the Council offices if their by-laws covering the park state no detecting).

Living next to a public beach, I was lucky to the extent where I could go out and get a feel for how my machine worked and what actually happened when I started swinging it back and forth like an enraged swordsman hacking his way through the Roman empire.  The beach was OK.....BUT!  I wanted land, proper land!  Muddy fields as far as the eye could see just waiting for me to dig them up.  All of my new metal detecting acquaintances had their land and I'm sure some took great delight in 'reminding' me on several occasions that I didn't.  They'd always manage to slip into the conversation, "have you been out recently.....oh no, I forgot, you don't have any land yet, do you!?"

Most farmers, although looking menacing sitting high up in their tractors, are generally a freindly breed and are quite approachable...if you pick your moment.  Don't expect a welcoming smile and warm greeting if you wander across their field and stand in front of the combine harvester causing them to swerve and dump half the crop on the field instead of in the following trailer!  Try and catch them when they are not too busy, obtain their phone number and call them at a respectable hour or send them a well written letter  stating your interest in detecting and any info you might have researched into the area.

There are no hard and fast rules for gaining permission....except one very, very important one.....DO NOT DETECT UNLESS YOU HAVE GAINED PERMISSION FROM THE LANDOWNER!!

Anyone who doesn't falls under the category 'Nighthawker'.  I'll post something about Nighthawkers at a later date.....if I can control my temper! :-)

Once you have your own land the hobby really opens itself up to you...plus, you can hold your own in conversations with other detectorists.  You can reply with "yes, I went out onto MY land at the weekend..." and feel good!