Keep a record of the area searched and what the detector setting were. It helps to know were you have been and what you found along with the method and settings used to find it.

Make sure the coil wire, where it comes out of the coil, is wound over the top of the shaft. This keeps the strain off the wire. The wire, when wound around the shaft, could also be held in place with a rubber band.

Place a plastic bag over the detector when using it in the rain. Make sure the bottom of the bag is open so that moisture can escape.

Always carry spare batteries. The most accurate reading would be to have the detector on for five to ten minutes before checking batteries in the machine.

Carry small plastic bags to keep special finds in. Pieces rubbing together in a pocket could do some damage to each other.

The more trash that you pick up the less trash you will find the next time you look in that spot.

When looking along a curb or sidewalk move the coil parallel to the edge.

Quarters and half dollars are more likely to be found in tall grass.

Keep the coil flat and parallel to the ground. It should also be as close to the ground as possible. Use smooth even swings.

Listen for sharp short duration signals. Fuzzy and broad signals are caused by trash 99 percent of the time. Coins (especially deep ones) cause short duration signals as the coil is swept across them. Trash, especially iron items cause a signal to appear across the whole width of the search coil. A signal causing a double note in quick succession is usually an old nail or other elongated iron object.

If a signal is loud and very wide sounding, the target could be very near the surface. If this occurs, lift the coil a short distance off the ground and re-sweep the area. If the signal still sounds extremely wide it is probably trash. If , instead, it sounds more narrow and sharp like a good target, when the coil is swept higher off the surface, it could very possibly be a large coin lying almost on top of the ground.

A good signal should sound the same when all parts of the coil are passed over the object. If the signal sounds broken or rough and ragged under the front half or back half of the coil and good under the center, then it is probably a bad target.

Chances are that all coins in a given area will be at the same depth or close to it.

Run the sensitivity or depth as high as you can without a lot of chatter.

Always fill in all the holes that you dig.

Make the hole as small as you can with as little damage, to the grass around it, as possible. If the grass is damaged then it will die and leave a mark that could be seen. The best hole is one that can't be detected when you are done.
 
The tools to use are probe, dandelion digger, knife, small shovel, plug cutter, or a screwdriver.

Make sure that the tip of the coin probe is round and not sharpened by wear. Sharp probes can mark up the face of a coin thus lowering the value.

Push the probe in at the point of the find until you feel something solid. When something solid is felt then place the dandelion digger or a screwdriver about two inches away from the probe and push down to the level of the object. Then carefully pry it up.

Always check the hole for another signal before refilling it.
 

1. Once you find the hot spots are at your favorite beach, get there three hours before low tide and search for a good five hours.
2. Beach hunting is not a race down the shore,  SLOW DOWN and take your time.
3. Zig-zag between the high and low tide lines. Once you locate a target, turn around and walk backwards, away from the target. Scrub the sand in 3-foot arcs until you run out of signals, then  move over 2 feet and work your way back to the first target. Repeat this procedure until you've worked the entire area. Walking backwards does two things:  first, it slows you down, forcing you to cover more area with your coil. And secondly, by keeping your eye on a previously dug hole, you can stay in a straight line, so you're not wandering all over the place.
4. Do all your digging with a short handled shovel. Three shovelfuls and you'll bring up 2 feet of sand before the sides of the hole cave in. Then run your coil over the excavated sand and use your scoop to recover the target.
5. Never leave anything in the hole or on the beach. Everything goes into your pouch - trash, coins, whatever. And fill your holes - even on parts of the beach which may be underwater in a few hours.
6. BE CAREFUL ABOUT SHARP OBJECTS!!!  There can often be a lot of broken glass, jagged metal, syringes, etc. hiding beneath the sand of the nicest beaches.  Make sure you have your tetanus shot up to date.  Dig with your shovel and scoop - not your hands!

1. Be sure to get out there and search during the low tide following a storm.
2. Use the largest loop available.
3. Listen for faint signals. Set your machine at zero discrimination. Very deep gold may ID as iron. Not so deep 14K rings will usually read out as foil, and 10K rings as tabs. Don't worry about target ID when you're looking for gold - dig everything.
4. Here's an odd one: Gold rings tend to travel together. When you find one, search every square inch of the surrounding area.