Ahrps Forum

[KD8GIS]

 I hope you don't mind Steve.  How interesting to read Monte's history in detecting.  I started in 1980 with a A.H. Pro Electronics VLF/TR detector.  Quickly moved onto a 5000D series 2 Whites detector.  I expect my getting old I have forgot much.

 Those days of pockets full of coins, me with a flashlight to continue into the nights. I knew a guy who discriminated out nickels just to beat having to dig pull tabs. Recovered coins with a screwdriver, small trowel for the deeper ones. 

  I remember in the 60's and 70's the parks were full of people all weekend long.  By the 80's people didn't go to the parks like those older days. When I started you still had to to wait for the weekdays or nights to go out detecting, Kids were a pain in the neck.  Iron bottle caps were as bad as pull tabs if not worse. Time has rusted those away leaving little pockets of rusted iron. If you wanted to dig Indianhead's you had to dig those bottle caps. That Whites detector it seemed signals were dig or don't dig where today you have to do more investigating. Depending on how much time you want to spend digging.  That detector didn't have audio ID,  But when you went over silver, you knew it was silver. 

  Items I dug back then you don't see any more, not very often.  When was the last time you dug a "Church Key"  Brass pot pipes?  Many womens hem weights,  Boy scout neckerchiefs? a lot of pocket knives, sure dug a lot more gold and silver rings. 

 I had to learn the detector without anyone helping me. I really never learned it and all it actually was capable of.  There was no internet, got some help with the treasure magazines, Eastern and Western.  We didn't have pin pointers, Those old blue box White's were a ton of weight, 14 AA batteries lasting maybe 10-12 hours. The closest dealer to me was White's of Minneapolis, 50 miles away.   I knew only one other local person in my area who detected. He used a Bounty Hunter which at the time was a quality detector.  

 Reading Monte's history,  enough to write many books, Glad I can search thru them.  Detecting has been a very big part of my life. Well enough of my rambling on of the "Good ol days" 

 

  

[Rick N. MI]

Enjoyed reading your story. I started with a Compass 77b Professional. TR detector. 100 khz. It was strange, no discriminate but would not hit a nail. Easy to go thru and dig everything.