UK
Recording Finds with the Portable Antiquities Scheme
What the PAS is, why recording your finds is worth doing even though it is voluntary, what a Finds Liaison Officer needs from you, and how the process works.
The DetectingLog Blog
Field-tested guides for smarter hunts and more keepers. Page 2 of 3.
Beaches
Beach Metal Detecting: Tides, Salt, and Settings
Beaches hide gold but punish the unprepared. How to read tides and sand zones, stop salt from wrecking your signals, and protect your gear from corrosion.
Finds
How to Clean Metal Detecting Finds Without Ruining Them
Most damaged finds are damaged by their finder, not the soil. What is safe to clean, what to leave alone, and the methods that quietly destroy value.
Gear
Choosing Your First Metal Detector: An Honest Buying Guide
What actually matters in a first metal detector, which specs are marketing noise, and why the accessories you skip cost you more finds than the machine you pick.
Finds
How to Identify an Old Coin You Have Just Dug
A repeatable method for identifying dug coins — measure, read the metal, decode the inscription, and search properly. Plus where to get expert help free.
Permissions
Metal Detecting in Australia: Permits, Parks, and State Rules
Detecting rules in Australia are set state by state. Here is how Miner's Rights, fossicking licences, heritage law, and park bans fit together.
Permissions
Metal Detecting in the UK: Law, Treasure, and the Code
Permission, the Treasure Act, PAS recording, and why Scotland and Northern Ireland are different. A practical orientation for detecting legally in the UK.
Logbook
Metal Detecting Data: Spot Patterns Across Your Hunts
Finds per hunt, keeper rate, top locations, VDI distribution, depth bands — here is how simple stats reveal patterns your memory would miss.
Permissions
Private by Default: Be Careful Sharing Detecting Locations
Why detectorists should keep their sites private — landowner trust, site preservation, theft risk — and how local-first logging protects your spots.
Logbook
How to Document Finds with Photos, Notes, and Context
Good find records are worth more than the finds. Here is how to photograph, note, and contextualise your detecting finds — and why not to over-clean them.
Planning
Planning a Better Metal Detecting Hunt
Weather, soil, tides, access, and safety — plan your hunt before you leave home to waste fewer trips and dig more. A practical pre-hunt checklist.
Signals
Trash vs Treasure: Improve Your Keeper Rate Over Time
Digging junk is part of detecting — but patterns can cut the wasted digging. Here is how to raise your keeper rate without missing the good finds.