Why Should I Join or Start a Metal Detecting Club?
By Lee Wiese

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You may be recently retired and looking for a new hobby or you may be a long time detectorist. In either case you may want to consider joining a metal detecting club. Metal detecting is a hobby that can be enjoyed without being involved with other detectorist, however, much can be gained by being an active part of the detecting community. The new hobbyist may want to learn about the hobby while the long time detectorist can bring his detecting skill and knowledge to a club.

What are the reasons for joining or starting a club?

1) Meet Other Detectorist. Getting involved with a club provides the opportunity to meet others in the hobby. A club represents a place where one can develop new relationships and enjoy fellowship. people that have a common interest which is metal detecting.

2) Learn the Necessary Skills. If you are a newbie, joining a club can provide many opportunities to develop your metal detecting skill. Most clubs have training programs on how to pin point, recover targets and the proper methods and equipment to use for detecting different terrains. You may also be able to learn the skills needed to detect different types of targets such as: relics, gold, coins, jewelry, and how to detect fresh and salt water beaches.

If you are an old timer at detecting but have never joined a club, your contribution to the club could be in transferring your skill and knowledge to others. This can be done by providing talks on different aspects of metal detecting. There can be a great sense of self-satisfaction in helping others achieve their goals by sharing one's knowledge.

3) Learn the Rules, Regulations and Ethics. Most clubs have an excellent knowledge base on the rules and regulations governing metal detecting for their locality, the state and on national lands. This knowledge can be very helpful to any detectorist; thereby keeping the detectorist lawful while in the field. One will also be introduced to the Metal Detecting Code of Ethics and how it plays a part in daily detecting activities.

4) Being a Member. Clubs can be a key component of the metal detecting community by ensuring that the hobby is not made illegal in their community and that detecting remains a recreational hobby available to all who want to participate. The larger the membership, the greater the voice in promoting the hobby and the more creditability the club can generate in the community.

5) Participate in Club Meeting. Club meetings provide an opportunity once a month to get together with fellow detectorist to review finds, visit with friends, enjoy some refreshments and win some great coin prizes from the club raffle. Most all clubs have family memberships, thus the whole family can be part of the metal detecting adventure.

6) Participate in Club Activities. Activities within any club will usually be centered around the hobby. These activities take the form of competition hunts (annual and monthly). In these detecting events there will be many great prizes and large numbers of coin targets for the detectorist to find. Other activities in the club may be centered around guest speakers or a club member presenting a specific topic.

7) Community Citizenship. Many clubs are also involved in activities that are directed toward helping the community (i.e.: metal detecting camp for disabled children and supporting families in need).

Clubs also support many local and national historical archaeological digs which help in defining a communities past.

A club may have developed the capability to help others locate lost valuables or to help law enforcement on crime scene searches.

8) Volunteer Your Skills. Clubs provide an avenue to volunteer your skills either directly or indirectly. As a detectorist you may have strong interest in being part of the club's executive board (officer or committee volunteer chairperson). Or you may have website maintenance skills, writing skills, computer based knowledge, effective communication skill, or knowledge about other related hobbies that would be of great benefit to the club's membership.

9) Keep up to Date on Changes in the Hobby. Attending the club meeting is one way to keep abreast of the hobby. There is usually information available on new metal detector releases, new detector accessories (pin-pointers, recovery tools, headphones, etc) . Club meetings are also the catalyst for learning about other club events in the surrounding area and other states. The rules and regulation governing the hobby are constantly changing and being part of club will provide information on the latest challenges for the hobby.

10) Have Fun. Finally, joining a club, participating in their events, developing new relationships, being part of the club's meetings and learning more about the hobby can be a great avenue for having more fun.

• Club Meetings are Fun.
• Club Social Activities are Fun.
• Club Projects are Fun.
• Being of Service to the Club is Fun.

What to Look for in a Club. Any club under consideration should have many of the following attributes as part of their club's charter and activities. The more of these attributes that a club has the more interesting your experience will be as a member.















In Summary. Metal detecting is an adventure each time you go into the field. Being with others that are experts can make your detecting adventure even more rewarding not just for the finds but also with the enhanced fellowship and bonding. Metal detecting is a very exciting hobby and the next target may be the find of a life time.

Here is a link on How to Start a Metal detecting Club

• 1906 American Antiquities Act
• 1966 National Historic Preservation Act As amended through 2000
• 1979 Archaeological Resources Protection Act
• 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
• 1996 American Battlefield Protection Act