BBC radio 4 are doing a piece on metal detecting this evening

[trowelmonkey]

Costing the Earth is doing a piece on metal detecting this evening called Digging Up Britain at 9. Costing the Earth is usually pretty good, so I reckon it's worth a listen:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00yjcp4

[Stephen Jack]

Costing the Earth is doing a piece on metal detecting this evening called Digging Up Britain at 9. Costing the Earth is usually pretty good, so I reckon it's worth a listen:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00yjcp4

This is from the link you gave

"The growing popularity of metal detectors has meant big finds in the past few years but a new detector has been produced which triples the depth at which small objects can be detected."

I thought the Daily Sport was a newspaper not a radio program.

[geo]

Another unsubstantiated claim to add to the myths and legends.

[BAJR]

Which ones?

Having listened to it. I can't hear anything that is unsubstantiated

The Trevor Austin piece was slightly disingenuous given that they are very aware there are Nighthawks in Clubs. I agree that they are not real hobby detectorists. They are however disguised as detectorists.

I have always always say... and have said since Water Newton. get the sites recorded. Battlefields are the most fragile - and so any non recorded items is a lost item.

It also needs Nighthawks to be vilified... they are site burglars. not swash buckling heroes.

[geo]

Particularly the unsubstantiated claim of" triple depth" for a particular detector. This is the "claim" of those with a vested interest in selling that particular detector from which they would benefit financially.The manufacturers of this particular machine have not made the claims yet to publically deny it would be bad for sales. However such nonsense plays into the hands of those who would like to believe it and use these unsubstantiated claims in order to attack the detecting hobby again. Reason - probably an easy target to divert attention or enquiry from the shortcomings that archaeology is very keen not to have aired in the public arena.

As you suggest there may well be nigthhawks hiding in clubs ,but the members soon work out who they are and freeze them out. Nighthawking is a direct contavention of the NCMD Code of Conduct which is a condition of membership. However unless there is publically available evidence of an individuals criminal activities with respect to nighthawking the NCMD cannot refuse membership. If anyone can supply the names of individuals concerned and publically available details of their nighthawking case i can ensure that they will never be able to join the NCMD - cant say that for another detecting organisation though

As for the subject of recording - well we are all aware that detectorists are unable to or wish not to record all their finds for many reasons good ,bad and indifferent and the constant attacks on the hobby which seem to be the norm recently especially following EH and their press release on heritage crime, always have a direct affect on recording levels. By all mean hammer the nighthawks all day long ,but dont confuse the ownership and use of a detector by hobbyists as being the same. Lets not be drawn into the tar brush arena.

[Stephen Jack]

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[Stephen Jack]

The Daily Sport ceased trading yesterday.

Is 'Costing the Earth' an indication of unexpected changes and consequences at the BBC. In this new media age of reducing costs, employing an archaeologists instead of journalists may be cheaper, but at what cost and to what hidden agenda?

No longer do you need to buy the Daily Sport to find WW2 bomer found on the moon, you just need to listen or read Costing the Earth on the BBC, "a new detector has been produced which triples the depth at which small objects can be detected."

The origin of this claim is interesting as there is only one source that matches, and as it is such a massive exaggeration with the same flaw, I am sure it is the source.The flaw is depth, it is not the improvement in depth that is the technolgical advance, it is the identification of the target, ID.

Example, a few years ago I tunned a CZ20 manufactured in 1995 to a point where it could detect a 2p copper coin at 42 inches in an air test. In the ground I would reduce this distance by one third so that would be 28 inches. So my 1995 detector is already 10 inches deeper than the Costing the Earth triple depth revelation. To actually identify this to a high degree of accuracy I would have to half that depth to 14 inches in a low mineralized soil.

If one looks at a Nexus detector which was firsted manufactured around 2004, this machine can ID small targets at 18 inches. http://www.nexusdetectors.com/Testsmetal...rison.html

Established technology rarely makes advances of 300 percent its usually an incremental 5 to 10 percent if your lucky.

The source of the claim is Heritage Action.

http://heritageaction.wordpress.com/2010...l-advance/

This was not mentioned in the program nor was any associations with this group. Is the archaeologist that presented the program a member? I noted a reference to Hertiage Action on the Barford website, thanking Heriage Action for advance notice of the program.

The end of the Costing the Earth program showed Ireland as the way to go, banning detecting. The problem with Ireland is that a country which has had such a highly level of secrecy built in to the fabric of the communities during the era of the IRA is hardly going to provide the level of data required to draw any conclusions.

There are real issues here but once again we have a facade of a program that fails badly.

For the record I was banned from Minelaowners forum 3 years ago for starting a thread on plough depth, I only wrote one paragraph, it was something like this.

"Is it in the interests of the detecting hobby for Minelab to develop detectors which ID targets ever deeper, going beyond the plough layer?"

The detector Heritage Action quote is made by Minelab.

[geo]

Whilst it is topical again perhaps the programme presenters should try digging a few 18 inch deep holes and time themselves in the process. I would suggest that the unfit and any smokers take care when doing this. It could be called experimental archaeology.

[BAJR]

ah... Heritage action.

a welling meaning if small group that seems to spend too much time (percentage wise) on metal detecting hand wringing rather than other topics. THer are lots of other issues that require more attention.

speaking as a smoker 18" pa! nothing! :face-approve:

The thing to do is not go below ploughsoil... and of course record within the ploughsoil.

[geo]

Take it your up for the challenge ?