Part I - Metal Detecting at the Swedish Tavern Site, page 29
No Site is Ever "Hunted Out"!
While washing the dirt off the coin, I continued thinking about further improvements in the metal detecting technology. ...It will certainly achieve a new level and present new opportunities to detectorists in the future as usual. This means, there will be more coins and relics found at the same detecting sites which we are now "pounding" to the "last signal" - an expression which reflects only the technological LIMITS of our CURRENT metal detectors... Aha, I suddenly heard a signal in my headphones and dug up one more coin!
My Coin-Find #10 - Another 1/6 Öre
My coin find #10 was followed by a relic find - a copper harness rosette, which is the most common relic find at any old metal detecting site in Eurasia.
Copper Harness Rosette, ca. 16th-19th Centuries
...Before I got the E-Trac, I considered the Explorers (XS and II Pro) the best detectors that were capable of getting the most coins from any hunt site. Back in 2001, I thought the same about the White's XLT (predecessor of the DFX) before switching to the Explorer XS. Every time I switched to a detector of more advanced technology, I went back to my favorite sites and recovered more coins and relics.
And the same scenario was happening now! The site was assumed to be empty of good targets (in reality, it was just empty of the good signals) which were "picked up" by the Explorer, and now even more coins had been recovered with E-Trac at the very same spots!.. Another copper surfaced!
My Coin-Find #11 - Another Swedish Copper
Swedish 1666 1/6 Öre Coin after Being Cleaned and Conditioned
...Now I was positive that even with E-Trac, but because of its limitations that would not be indicated yet for a while, I was still leaving many coins - the ones that are fully covered by rusty nails, in the ground. No doubt I will find those coins when the time comes - it solely depends on when the technology makes another leap forward.
Before that happens, we still have some time to unearth more coins again at our favorite detecting sites. When the new and more advanced E-Trac II PRO or White's TotalVision³ or Tesoro iCortes or Teknetics nano-T or Garrett MightyEye-2020 - all, of course, are imaginary names, comes out of the electronics lab, we will be prepared.
With the outcome of a field-test, I came to the following happy conclusions:
1) No site is ever "hunted out"! - it has been successfully proven again!
2) There will never be the end to metal detecting! - especially if you think that there are still more coins buried underground than in circulation!
3) Minelab E-Trac passed the most challenging field-test - this metal detector IS a breakthrough and does open new doors to the hobby enthusiasts.
Suddenly my "happy train of thoughts and ideas" came to a halt along with our metal detecting activity as the downpour hit the ground from the thick cloud above us. In seconds, we were running for cover.
Sudden Change in Weather for the Worst
We had to call it a day. And it was a great metal detecting day. These were the results: Minelab E-Trac - 11 coins, White's DFX - 2 coins + a beautiful silver signet ring.