Why you Shouldn't Start Metal Detecting

Hey, everybody. Welcome to episode 142 of the Metal Detecting Show podcast. My name is Kiran and I have been metal detecting for the last 30 years. This week we chat about why you shouldn't get into the hobby of metal detecting. So let's get on with the show. Yes, you heard it right. I'm talking about why you shouldn't get into hobby of metal detecting. Let's start with cost. Metal detecting is pretty unique when it comes to cost to entry as a hobby. There is no doubt in my mind that you can't get into metal detecting for less than a few hundred bucks. Now, I'm not getting into how you can do it for cheap, but to be successful, I don't believe you can get into the hobby for less than a few hundred bucks. This compared to several other hobbies. For example, photography. You can get into photography using your mobile phone or saying you have a mobile phone. I'm disregarding the cost of the mobile phone, but you can get into photography using your mobile phone. You can also use your mobile phone to start a podcast, for example. A lot of people do start their podcasts with mobile phones. Now you can get into scuba diving by renting equipment in order is a cost, but initial outlay for metal detecting can be significant on a really depends to what level you want to take that first step. So that's one of the first barriers to metal detecting. So if you're thinking about getting involved in metal detecting, remember that it can cost a few hundred bucks to get involved. The next barrier to entry to metal detecting may be the law of the land or the law of the country that you're in, like Ireland. It's pretty prohibitive here in Ireland. You know, we can detect on land that we have permission on as provided there is no archeological detail there. But generally in the main, people stick to beaches and fields that they have permission on and maybe some parks and stuff. But that could be a huge step for you to overcome when you're starting a hobby of metal detecting. So if you're about to start a hobby, check the law of the land in your country may not even be allowed to own a metal detector there. So that's why you won't want to get into the hobby of metal detecting, because you're simply not allowed to do it in your country. Another reason you might not want to get into the hobby of metal detecting is public perception. If you've listened to the podcast long enough, you would have heard me talk about archeologists and sometimes about the public's perception of a metal detectorist. There is no doubt when you go hunting on a beach or a populated area that there is eyes upon you and you do caught the public's attention when you're out hunting. That's why a lot of metal detectorists go out early in the morning when there's nobody about. And you may want to do that yourself. God forbid you incur the wrath of a passing by archeologist that has an old style view of metal detecting because potentially you will be a victim of a public tirade from somebody like that. I have been there myself, and maybe you're not comfortable with that when starting out. Metal detecting, but if you are, you need to prepare yourself for the fact that that may happen to you. So you may feel the public is against you a little bit. So your rush off to join the community of metal detectorists online only to find that there can be an element in certain communities online and I'm not going to name any, but there is a few minefields out there that you need to skirt around. One I will always recommend somebody to start with is the friendly metal detecting form. It's in the name, but the community of metal detectors are no different. And I'm no different, I suppose, than your public in that we're very loyal to certain brands. We like to argue the point of those brands, and in certain quarters there are certain people who have been doing it for so long that they can be quite abrupt and abrasive towards new people coming online, sharing their latest find or even sharing the first find and asking what it is only to be greeted with. That's trash trodden in the. Now, if everybody just took a moment to realize and to understand and to go back to when they first started out and they did not in order ask from the elbow and everything you dug up out of the ground was what is this? Is this important? Is this worth anything? Should I be careful with this? Maybe this is something that's tied to some local history, even though all it is is a bit of iron slag or something like that. I've been there myself. I posted up pictures and only to be greeted by. So that's trash. Or even like that story I told previously where I was doing an experiment around using a laser to clean a modern, well, a decimal coin. Pre-euro decimal coin only to be greeted with. Sure, you might as well have taken a grinder to that. You know, this sort of attitude, that's something that you may witness as a new person coming into the hobby in metal detecting. And because of this, you may not want to join the hobby of metal detecting. And realistically, if you ask me, that's just another form of bullying online and people need to cop themselves. On if they feel so aggrieved by somebody. Pictures online and God forbid you ask somebody what's the best brand of metal detector to buy or that is a spicy meatball for you to throw into a forum and watch. It implored upon itself as hundreds and hundreds of people will pile in like zombies in a zombie movie saying, Oh, I bought this one. So this one must be best when in fact every detector should be picked to be best suited for what type of detecting you are doing. Don't just pick a detector because everybody else has one and stick by your guns. And that logic, the next major factor that you may need to consider when metal detecting is expected station. When you first start out digging, you are going out full of jazz and excitement around the fact on going to find my weight and gold only to be greeted with the disappointment of your first hundred holes being in the majority. Aluminum are bits of iron or mu tubes or whatever it is that's common on your field. Ring poles. As the Mandalorian would say, This is the way. So you have to wade through that disappointment of expectation around finding gold around or this time next year, Rodney were going to be millionaires. You really do need to set your expectation for those first three, maybe six months that you are not going to find anything to fully learn your detector unless you get super lucky and unless you're one of those people that we all hate to hear and the headline we all Hate to see. Metal Detectorists Finds Gold Hoard on First Outing with No metal Detector Are Driving you crazy. The next and final point I'll ruminate on and why you shouldn't start a hobby of metal detecting is it is fucking boring. Metal detecting is fucking boring. Excuse my language. I know I am not having a nervous breakdown here, but in the main metal detecting is and can be boring because it is so broad, it is wide in the things you can find and that can be a problem. And what I mean here is you have Dan down the local club who loves fabulous what the fuck's a footballer and is who loves fabulous and all. Don wants to talk about and find is fabulous. Oh, all I want to do is go beach detecting, and there's no history in that. Now I am dipping into the history side of things, but you know, it is a niche hobby, but it is so broad in its range of what you can do in the hobby. And what you may find interesting in hunting for, I can guarantee nine out of ten other detectorists will find boring. And that's what I mean. It it can be boring to get stuck in a corner talking to someone who all ever want to talk about is boring poles or pipe stems or, you know, Celtic coins or stuff like this. You know, it is what it is, you know. And I think one of the main things that you start out as a metal detectorists needs to understand is you are not going to be interested in any of this stuff. Can you find one yourself? And when you find one, all those problems disappear. It is the best feeling in the world, even with your first find. If your first find is a to p a pre decimal to p or a half shilling or even, God forbid, a silver coin or a hammered coin, you will be hocked from that moment on. For all its failings and all its faults, metal detecting can be the most rewarding and educational of hobbies out there. You can travel the world with us. You can investigate history from 3500 B.C. all the way to the present day. You can get rich from us. It can be a hobby that pays for itself. And ultimately it is absolutely 100% a super beneficial and healthy hobby for you to get involved. And you know, I see a lot of videos online of people telling you all why you should get into this and why you should do this. But, you know, I wanted to sort of call out the ways you shouldn't get into metal detecting, but ultimately the why you should, because none of that stuff matters in the end of the day, because it all gets wiped away by a tidal wave of passion and enthusiasm once you get that first find. But the journey to that first find is absolutely torturous. So that's it for this week. Guys like and subscribe. Check us out on all social media platforms. We don't like how I sound. You can always have a look at me on YouTube. And if you're on YouTube watching me and you don't like how I look, you can always go over to the podcast directory of your choice and check me out there and listen to my dulcet tones as I sweet talk you from the microphone. And that's it. Guys. Talk to you all next week. Get out there. Good luck and happy hunting.