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Full Version: Our Hobby in 20 Years?
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Want to get opinions on what ya'll think our hobby will look like in 20 years. I'll kick it off...

I think the hobby will continue to grow, as new generations enter the pursuit, however, not at the fast pace which it is now. One of the reasons for the explosion of competition and publicity over the past few years has been the following; all of the treasure hunting TV shows, the sheer excess of detecting videos on YouTube & the headlines from overseas showcasing all the hoards being found. It's quite logical that all of this has lead to the exponential growth the hobby has seen, but I think it will peak eventually, and the newcomers will level off to more reasonable numbers.

In terms of the machines, I do see them becoming more accurate, with added depth & better abilities in iron, however, there has to be a limit, after a certain point. I mean, can anyone see a hobby detector being able to accurately i.d. a coin at 18 to 24"? I myself cannot, but given how fast technology is moving nowadays, I'd never completely rule it out. I do believe land hunting will only get tougher moving forward though, do to increased prohibitions/ordinances, and the limited amount of huntable spots versus the ever growing amount of detectorists. Also, remember, once a coin or relic is pulled from the ground, it's gone forever. No replacement. Which brings me to this...

I believe beach hunting to be the main niche that will endure within our hobby. If for no other reason than, the finds are CONSTANTLY replenished. No diminishing returns. People will lose stuff for us to find year in & year out. Additionally, there is tons of goodies that will always be washed ashore from storms, tidal movements, etc. So, if I had to put money on it...

I'd say beach hunting will be the strongest segment of this pursuit moving forward. Just my opinion, of course, and hope I'm proven wrong, but that's the way I'm calling it.

Joe
I do see machines reaching 2 foot depths with spot on ID in another 20 years.
which in itself will replenish all and any already "hunted out" locations.
(01-10-2015 06:04 PM)IndianaBones Wrote: [ -> ]I do see machines reaching 2 foot depths with spot on ID in another 20 years.
which in itself will replenish all and any already "hunted out" locations.

From your mouth to god's ears!!!

Joe
I agree with the beach hunting aspect as the history of some areas of the country only goes back so far and so deep. But realistically, even if we had a machine that could do as stated 20 years from now, imo there would be a very small percentage of people willing to dig that deep for it, as well as limitations put upon us by municipalities, park districts etc.... There have been countless times where I have found electric power conduit at 18". So I see the demographics of detecting going to the core areas of the country where history and population were there the longest. And the midsection eventually petering out beyond the 20 year line because of being thoroughly detected. Don't forget that our machines of today are bringing up stuff other people missed. What will we really miss for those people in the future to find? We'll just have to wait it out and see.
(01-10-2015 06:51 PM)Ohio Dirt Fisher Wrote: [ -> ]I agree with the beach hunting aspect as the history of some areas of the country only goes back so far and so deep. But realistically, even if we had a machine that could do as stated 20 years from now, imo there would be a very small percentage of people willing to dig that deep for it, as well as limitations put upon us by municipalities, park districts etc.... There have been countless times where I have found electric power conduit at 18". So I see the demographics of detecting going to the core areas of the country where history and population were there the longest. And the midsection eventually petering out beyond the 20 year line because of being thoroughly detected. Don't forget that our machines of today are bringing up stuff other people missed. What will we really miss for those people in the future to find? We'll just have to wait it out and see.

I obviously agree, Ed. Wish I didn't have to, and I can say I feel turf hunting will continue to be business as usual, but I just can't see that happening. Let me be clear...

I have ZERO qualms about digging down 20+ inches to retrieve a target, but, the powers that be are surely going to have their hands full, which is why I think park hunting will be hit the hardest. Woods hunters won't suffer too much, though, from the sinkage aspect alone, it's going to be tough. A coin or relic can fall awfully deep in 20 years. And that's on top of how far down they are now!

History never lies. If one were to look back at each decade of turf hunter, going from the 70's or so, EVERY old time detectorist will tell you they used to find pocket fulls of silver every hunt. This is not the norm nowadays. And the obvious reasons are; more competition, finds that are not replenished & fewer hunting spots.

This isn't meant as a complaint post. It's more observatory in nature. I love this hobby, and will dig until I physically cannot anymore. But the changes are a comin!

Joe
Maybe PI is the future of deeper machines. Every company has been working on VLF technology for a long time. How much further can they take it? The major manufacturers lately have been making advances in the PI technology. The GPX, the ATX, the TDI. They have made big strides with these machines. I think it can be taken much further. First Texas is working on one too. I'm glad I'm learning the PI side now. We will have to hunt private property in the future too. There are still good targets left in the parks and woods now, but how long will it last? Like you said the targets aren't replenished. Most of us don't have a shoreline nearby either.
(01-10-2015 08:36 PM)PittsburghWill Wrote: [ -> ]Maybe PI is the future of deeper machines. Every company has been working on VLF technology for a long time. How much further can they take it? The major manufacturers lately have been making advances in the PI technology. The GPX, the ATX, the TDI. They have made big strides with these machines. I think it can be taken much further. First Texas is working on one too. I'm glad I'm learning the PI side now. We will have to hunt private property in the future too. There are still good targets left in the parks and woods now, but how long will it last? Like you said the targets aren't replenished. Most of us don't have a shoreline nearby either.

You very well might be right. VLF, with some extraordinary exptions like the T2 & F75, just cannot cut it in the depth department, or in challenged soils, for that matter. I'm glad I'll have the opportunity to test mine out come spring Happy

Joe
Well for someone who has hunted for over 40 years, I have seen a lot of new machines, digging tool , pin pointer etc. With that said I think we will see better machine going deeper, better tones ID for items, color screens. But when I started I believed I had the best equipment at the time, over the years I would go back to a spot I hunted before with a new detector and still find more in the same spot just a little deeper. So I believe in the old saying "No spot is hunted out ".
(01-10-2015 09:02 PM)bulletbob Wrote: [ -> ]Well for someone who has hunted for over 40 years, I have seen a lot of new machines, digging tool , pin pointer etc. With that said I think we will see better machine going deeper, better tones ID for items, color screens. But when I started I believed I had the best equipment at the time, over the years I would go back to a spot I hunted before with a new detector and still find more in the same spot just a little deeper. So I believe in the old saying "No spot is hunted out ".

That right there is another excellent point. True, we'll always be able to go back and get some keepers, but, does the effort override the outcome eventually? Bob, you've been doing this a long time, longer than quite a few of us here. You do remember the 'good ol' days', yes? Would you honestly say that same action can be had currently? Sure, through heavy research or hiking out to hard-to-get-to, out of the way spots in the woods and such, it's still possible to clean up, but, outside of these types of areas, most of the action was 'gotten' a long time ago, IMO. NO place is ever hunted out. Period. But I think the heyday of casually getting in one's car, driving to a local place and pulling out 7 or 8 silvers, coppers, etc. on a routine basis is finito.

Joe
(01-10-2015 07:08 PM)NjNyDigger Wrote: [ -> ]History never lies. If one were to look back at each decade of turf hunter, going from the 70's or so, EVERY old time detectorist will tell you they used to find pocket fulls of silver every hunt. This is not the norm nowadays. And the obvious reasons are; more competition, finds that are not replenished & fewer hunting spots.

This isn't meant as a complaint post. It's more observatory in nature. I love this hobby, and will dig until I physically cannot anymore. But the changes are a comin!

Joe

I have to agree 1000% there Joe

I was there in the later 70s thru-out the 80s detecting when guys used to find handsful of silver/old coins every other hunt in the parks, schools, etc.

I myself was one of them although it was at the tail end of it by the time I became proficient with a decent machine and when you had to do a LOT of research to find virgin places that would give up the goods in quantity. Unfortunately for the 1st 8 yrs of my detecting career (1977 - 1985) they were spent "learning" and using old, cheap JUNKER machines that were outdated or just plain old cheapies because I couldn't afford anything better/new...

If we could take a Deus or CTX back to 1980 or 1977 = HOLY SCHIT man!!

The guys in the mid to later 80s really cleaned up on stuff (when the Whites 5900's) came out and from that point on). It's at a time when detecting really took off too with the masses (sorta like now and in how you've been talking about) but -- I remember the craziness of it all... It was during the "renaissance/revitalizing' period of many of our major cities after the 1st major recession when streets were being tore up in old sections of town/city after town/city and huge parks were being reconfigured/reconstructed... There was an all out war on finding old coins/relics by the masses -- I remember one park that got reconstructed in the town I lived in that was the oldest park in a tri city area and guys came from across the state just to detect for a day while the 2 month long project was going on. It made the news because it turned into an all out blood bath! Guys were knock down drag out fighting each other over the prime areas to hunt! lol The police were called in and everything! lol This crap went on for 2 solid weeks!

The down side to it all?

Not only did the overwhelming majority of public land sites get pounded to death/emptied out of coins/relics etc. during the 80s but this is where/when the start of all the "laws" as we now know them pertaining to detecting came from and it's only gotten & getting worse.

100s and 100s of guys across the country in every state were taking the new whites machines into the CW battlefields (in states where they exist) at night and robbing/cleaning them out and stockpiling 10s of $1000s of $$ worth of our national historical treasures in their garages/basements and doing it night after night after week after week after month after yr until it became a federal crime.

That was only 25/30 short yrs ago --- by 1990 when the 1st round of digital readout machines were hitting the market (Whites and Garretts) leading the way - public sites that once produced handfuls of silver/old coins & good old relics were a thing of the past with the exception of an occasional almost unheard of virgin site being found every now and then by some lucky bastard who would stop over just to show off his finds and make you drool!

Now we're ALL lucky to find a site once every 5 or 10 hunts that may produce 1 or 2 silvers (usually small dimes) and rarely anything more ---- I mean --- if a guy these days finds a site that produces more than 2 silvers - that's like a god send! lol

Use to be a time when you could walk away bitchin that you only found 10 silvers today (and more than just dimes)!
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