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Metal Detecting for fun or profit can be one of the most exciting and
rewarding of hobbies. A metal detector can cost very little, as low as
$50 or higher that $400 for a top of the line model. This is one hobby
where you really do get what you pay for, because the more expensive
top of the line detectors use the most advanced technology and they
have the best features available.
Metal Detectors use one of three types of technology:
BFO (Beat Frequency Oscillation) - Metal Detectors using BFO technology
have two coils of wire, one large coil is located in the search coil of
the detector, the other small coil of wire is located within the System
Control Pack. Each coil of wire is connected to an oscillator that
produces pulses of current. These pulses of current pass through the
coils generating radio waves. A receiver housed within the System
Control Pack receives the radio waves and makes a series of tones based
upon the frequencies of the radio waves. When the detector search coil
passes over a coin or other metal item a magnetic field is created
around the coin or metal item, this magnetic field causes interference
with the frequency of the radio waves generated by the search coil. And
changes the tone produced by the reciever.
Metal Detectors using BFO technology are the ones your likely to get
when paying under $100 for, that's right, the cheapies. The BFO
technology is the easiest and cheapest to make, thus the prices of the
detectors are cheap. The only problem is, BFO technology is very
limited when compared to PI and BFO detectors, and the ability to
distinguish between junk metals and silver or other coins is very poor.
PI (Pulse Induction) - Metal Detectors using PI technology sometimes
use a single coil or a series of coils working together as a
transmitter and receiver. Short bursts of electrical current are send
through a coil of wire, causing a magnetic field. When the burst of
electrical current ends the magnetic field reverses polarity. A sharp
electrical spike is created, then more pulses are created, the whole
process repeats and works like a series of echoes, giving a different
report or echo depending upon the metal it encounters. This type of
metal detector is not very good for discrimination between different
types of metals or coins, but it is good to use where some other types
of metal detectors have trouble working, such as in salt-water, and
metals can be detected much deeper with this technology than the
others.
VLF (Very Low Frequency) - Metal Detectors using this technology have
two search coils. One coil called the 'transmitter coil' transmits
electricity rapidly many times per second, first in one direction
around the coil, then in the other direction. The other coil called the
'Receiver Coil' acts just like the name implies it receives frequencies
or data that come or 'bounce' back from the objects the transmitter
coil detects in the search area. This type of Metal Detector is great
for it's ability for being able to distinguish between different types
of metals.
The first metal detector my wife and I bought together cost about
$69.00 it was one of them cheap ones that used the 'BFO' technology.
This was one of them metal detectors you see in the magazines that sell
other household items, etc. You can buy cheap metal detectors like
these at most Radio Shack stores, and some K Marts and Wal Marts. The
first day we took the metal detector outside we started finding some
neet things and my wife and I were hooked. We did find our share of
junk items in the yard, like aluminum foil, nails and the usual pull
tabs and junk metal. But we also found 7 old diecast cars in great
condition. They were all different and were 'TOOTSIE' diecast vehicles.
I looked on eBay and the bunch was worth around $15 or more. We also
found a 1961 silver Roosevelt dime in fine condition, in our yard, plus
the usual pennies.
After reading about how the 3 different types of Metal Detector
technologies work and differ from each other, you must decide how or
what you will be mostly using your metal detector for. Will you be
hunting for small objects like coins, jewelry and gold nuggets, or
searching for a large cache or object. The things you may want to use
your detector for, play one of the most important factors besides
pricing in deciding what type of detector to buy. Most folks want a
detector that is great at finding coins, gold nuggets, and jewelry on
the land and in small creeks and streams, this would be a detector
using 'VLF' technology. Almost all of the modern detectors have a
waterproof search coil which make searching in shallow creeks and
streams possible.
There is Computer Software that is made just for the hobby of Metal
Detecting. The software is called: Metal Detector - Treasure Hunter
Professional, and may be seen at this website address:
http://www.rb59.com/md/meal.html
You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter on your web site
as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and without modification
except for formatting needs or grammar corrections.
Robert W. Benjamin has been in the software business on the internet
for over 5 years, and has been producing low-cost software for the past
25+ years. He first released
products on the AMIGA and C64 computer systems in the late 1970's-80's.
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Article added to SearchWarp.com on Tuesday, November 15, 2005 View other articles written by Robert Benjamin(1,364)
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