New To Detecting? "trigger Time" Vs. Gear Acquisition Syndrome

[F350Platinum]

I'm putting this out here mostly for the new folks to this hobby, I'm new myself but not so new now. 😀

"Trigger time" is a military phrase which is a measure of how long you have spent firing/using your weapon.

"Gear Acquisition Syndrome" is a joke phrase among photographers. It is a measure of your interest in the profession vs just having the latest and greatest gear that you will probably never use.

I've yet to see a phrase come out for detectorists that buy gear but don't really learn it and go off to the newest machine in what amounts to an endless and expensive search. In two years here (I joined in 2020) I've been on the forum almost every day. I'm not on any other forum, preferring this to all of them. This may have been discussed before but I'm seeing a need for it at the moment, and it'll go right to the top. 😀 Maybe a phrase will evolve from this discussion, maybe I missed something.

Here's a scenario: you got out detecting as a noob with your buddies, you might have an entry level machine, you may even have jumped right in on a high level one, but they are absolutely destroying you in the same field, they're finding all sorts of great stuff and you're getting nails and pull tabs. It's not always that way but for the most part it's going to happen even if you have the same machine they do. As a matter of fact It's almost a certainty.

Instead of getting mad and throwing your detector in the nearest pond like a poor golfer throws his clubs, think about it. Ask yourself how long your buddies have been doing this, and compare it to your time spent. Yeah you have a great detector, but it detects metal. All metal. Did you take the time to learn the tool you have?

How much have you been out there vs. them? That's "Trigger time". Someone who has their Bounty Hunter that they've had for 10 years could slay you if you've only spent 40 hours on your whiz-bang "Zulfiqar". I didn't use Excalibur because it is a detector name. 😀 Look it up. 

Someone who has spent a lot of time using their machine is going to beat you every time. You may get lucky, but that's just luck. If they've been in this particular spot more than you, they know where to look and where not to. That's learned by assimilation.

Now we get to Gear Acquisition Syndrome, an affliction that affects many. It's a problem in every hobby that involves using tools, from cameras to detectors to guns. People generally search for the tool that will give them the most acceptance among their peers, and will "guarantee" success, instead of what is practical for their environment, and physical capabilities.

Having the latest detector with even more functions than the others will not help you succeed, exactly the opposite. You will have to spend more time learning it and find lots more junk. Acquiring gear and talking about it but not using it is pointless.

There are no tools out there that will guarantee success, success is achieved by practice, test scenarios, and "hardcore" trial and error. A good tool helps, but only to a point. If you see people that are "hardcore" it means they do whatever it was a lot more than you, and have learned by all of the above. If you have a fabulously complex machine or tool with all the accessories, you will find out you won't use all of it after a while.

You can go out and get the latest and greatest, spend thousands, and not find anything good in the few times you get out. You have to get out there a lot with whatever you have. You have to try things and take advice, and even a few beatings 🙄

When you feel you have learned all there is to know, then you probably could move on to a new machine. You have earned your promotion. 🙂

There is a lot of great advice on this forum, beware of the "gear heads". Look for the "hardcore". Follow the folks who post finds and take the time to do tests. Get your "Trigger time" and ask questions here if you don't understand something. Here, the hardcore folks will eventually answer you. Other places they won't.

Sometimes I'll even post a "shoe" comment to "see if it fits". Kinda like this one! 😀 I find that if I've been beaten with my own shoes, I've learned something.

Good luck and get out there with whatever you can afford. The "hardcore" have your back. 🙂 Merry Christmas.

[strick]

Me thinks your trying to talk yourself out of a new machine 😁 but a nice write up and it does apply to new users..Learn what you got. But buy the best you can afford and just be happy with it as if you put in the time and effort you will get great stuff. 

strick

[Rattlehead]

Good post. I’ve definitely seen a lot of folks with G.A.S… Some of them buy a new detector, use it for a couple of weeks and then sell it. Then, you’ll see these same folks badmouthing said detector on the forums as if their two weeks of use made them some kind of expert on what it can or cannot do. I’m sorry, but it takes a LOT more than a few hunts to properly learn any of these flagship detectors.

I love getting the latest greatest machine as much as anyone, but once I spend my $$$ on it, I instantly feel the need to get a ton of “trigger time” so that I can learn it’s language and try to understand all of its features/capabilities. Otherwise I’d feel like I’ve wasted my $$$. I enjoy the learning process about as much as finding stuff.

[F350Platinum]

9 minutes ago, strick said:

Me thinks your trying to talk yourself out of a new machine 😁 but a nice write up and it does apply to new users..Learn what you got. But buy the best you can afford and just be happy with it as if you put in the time and effort you will get great stuff. 

strick

I'm only laughing at the part about talking myself out of a new detector. 🤣 I might upgrade to the 900 next year, but I haven't earned my "stripes" on the D2 at present so to speak. I'm sure there's a lot more to learn, and I'm still waiting for stuff.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post! Honestly only a handful of people in this forum can be both hardcore and afford the newest gear. 😀 I'm not one of them. Personally I put the most faith in and follow those that post some results and discuss gear with results, like you. 👍

[F350Platinum]

24 minutes ago, Rattlehead said:

Good post. I’ve definitely seen a lot of folks with G.A.S… Some of them buy a new detector, use it for a couple of weeks and then sell it. Then, you’ll see these same folks badmouthing said detector on the forums as if their two weeks of use made them some kind of expert on what it can or cannot do. I’m sorry, but it takes a LOT more than a few hunts to properly learn any of these flagship detectors.

I love getting the latest greatest machine as much as anyone, but once I spend my $$$ on it, I instantly feel the need to get a ton of “trigger time” so that I can learn it’s language and try to understand all of its features/capabilities. Otherwise I’d feel like I’ve wasted my $$$. I enjoy the learning process about as much as finding stuff.

Thanks! 

I miss the simplicity of my 600 sometimes, but I'm out 2-3 times a week using the D2 to see what I can get out of it. I'm pretty comfortable with the 600. An update to the D2 at this point could probably put us all back to square 1 😀 That's a scary thought, and enough drama for me at this point 😁

[strick]

9 hours ago, F350Platinum said:

Thanks for taking the time to read my post! Honestly only a handful of people in this forum can be both hardcore and afford the newest gear. 😀 I'm not one of them. Personally I put the most faith in and follow those that post some results and discuss gear with results, like you. 👍

I'm not retired yet...so as long as I'm working I figure that I can afford it lol...but that being said I'm slowing down with working and hope to get into full time detecting at some point soon. 😄 @klunker are you listening?

strick

[geof_junk]

F350Platinum 

As usual a lot of good foresight in this opening post of yours. Way back in 1979 the wife wanted to try detecting, but my choice was dredging. Anyway she got her way so we were given a Whites Coinmaster 5000 to try out at Wedderburn Vic 350 mile away. Carol was hooked so I had to go along with her detecting. The pro detectorists said the Whites or Garretts were the best for chasing gold. As the Garrett ADS Deepseeker was the newest, that what I got her. It required a lot of effort to learn and was not her cup of tea. So guess what, I inherit the Garretts and I had to get a Whites Coinmaster 6000 for her. As it was a lot easier to master I had a happy wife, and my dredging took second place to detecting. As my job was in a Power Station Control Room fiddling all the controls I took to the Garretts like a house on fire. When Minelab came on the scene I was not impressed. When ML went from VLF to PI my brother in-law got a SD2000. He had little chance of getting more gold than Carol or Me at the time as the gold size was small and he did not have the "trigger time" or knowledge of using it to it best advantage. It took 10 years for me to up grade to ML PI (brought 2 of the lastest PI then) even those I had built my own PI a few years before ML SD 2000 hit the market.

Trigger time Hours or should I say Days, Weeks or Years spent at it.

Location is more important than the best/newest detector. That is not flogged, appropriate to your equipment (depth and size of target) or finding virgin patches.

Choosing Terrain which comes from experience of finding targets in many spots.

So as usual F350Platinium you are on the ball again. Detecting is for fun, the hourly rate in dollars is usually low, so justifying a new detector has to be based on the FUN and love of TECHNOLOGY and the only thing money is good for is spending. 

 

   

[F350Platinum]

6 hours ago, geof_junk said:

Detecting is for fun, the hourly rate in dollars is usually low, so justifying a new detector has to be based on the FUN and love of TECHNOLOGY and the only thing money is good for is spending. 

Thanks Geof.

I live in a part of the US that has early history, so I have the location. To my surprise, the first time I went into my backyard over two years ago to try out my new Garrett Ace, I dug a brass service button. Then I dug a few very old buttons, and a musket ball. It took quite a while to cover the acre and a half! 😀

After I was pretty satisfied I found everything I was going to find in my yard (many hours over many days), I ran into the farmer that owns the field out front (he had just purchased all the land ending a potential community), and he said "Sure! Keep everything you find!" I went a few hundred feet from my house and dug my first Spanish Pistareen from 1721...

I joined this forum two years ago tomorrow(🥳), and have been annoying y'all with posts since 😀 My wife got me an Equinox 600 for Christmas (well we split the cost), Chase came down to help, and it's been quite a ride for me since.

I'm not so much in love with the technology, having been in that industry for 40 years and retired. 😀 I set up computer systems from punch cards to mainframes to Windows networks. 😵 Early in the industry when a product came to the market it was fully proven and tested, later the users became the R&D, so new tech is more of a pain than a promise now. 😁

I'm sure there are some who make a living at this, but I don't ever expect to. My detectors have paid me back in fun, good health, and appreciation of history so far. I haven't been sick in years, but do get poison ivy and tick bites 🤣 If I get lucky and hit something valuable someday, great, but low expectations=greater satisfaction in my life. 🙂 

I can't thank the members of this forum more than trying to give back what I've learned from y'all, and I'm in a sense practicing my writing skills and photography for a purpose. 🤔

I get out anywhere from 2-5 days a week, my wife is happy with some jewelry here and there. We love RV camping, so we travel to some beaches, and of course I get experience there.

I've had days where I spent hours looking and didn't find much of anything, but over time I've learned that if you do some research, look at some maps and other resources like the new lidar mapping, you can turn what seems a barren wasteland into a treasure trove. It might just be history, but that's worth as much to me. 👍