Detecting A Bright Future

[BAJR Host]

Units be on the cough mixture and meths again! Youv'e been told not to mix them before.!

Don't worry, I will make sure I never call you an archaeologist

"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu

[Austin Ainsworth]

Unit, thanks for the laugh, subversion with a sense of humour

All I want for Christmas is a Dukla Prague away kit. Half Man Half Biscuit

[garybrun]

Some badger baiting going onhere I think



Website for responsible Metal Detecting
http://www.ukdfd.co.uk
Recording Our Heritage For Future Generations.

[Unitof1]

But will you call me a detectorist... It seems to me that I should be a detectorist, democracy and all that. But like with my illustrious career in archaeology I am not totally sure what it is to be a detectorist. I am trying to pin it down, to try and get it right. I don?t understand this argument regarding "finders reward".

Some of the definitions might be negative like things that you don?t do. (I might also have to do something that will definitely make sure that I am not an archaeologist. Is there something that I could do once a week for instance or a once only- fully guaranteed get out of archaeology/become a detectorist free card.

So definitions, show me the way: dos and don?ts of the detectorist

[garybrun]

If you no longer want to be an archaeologist you could sell your own finds on ebay and record with the UKDFD.
You could also arrange a Water Newton Rally

[BAJR Host]

Now that is soemthing I would love to see...

Unit of 1 would be much better at me at confounding the opposition [:p]

"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu

[Unitof1]

might be onto something here- but not sure that selling my own finds would automatically get me off the archaeologist tag, Selling someone else?s might, how does that square with becoming a detectorist, I am presuming that it would not make me one either.

[Unitof1]

On the 500 metres from Dovidodum, Water Newton idea, I have been thinking about the best way to go at it- should I charge for an access fee, go purely for a percentage of the finds or a combination of both. On the principle of bird in the hand I should go for an access fee. I have a slight problem that I don?t own any land but I will have to work on that.

There are insurances, public liabilities. I can get from this page.

http://fid.newbury.net/diary.htm

that detectorists are willing to pay about ?15 a day although I cant work out the numbers that attend ?acceptable detector density.

I am wondering what my unique selling point would be. I have the suspicion that being an archaeologist (ha ha) might be a hindrance. Have detector rallieists considered salting the land so as to give guaranteed results. A bag of fifty roman coins ebay ?30, the price of two punters. I could put three or four coins in a pot and get a hoard frenzy going. I could bring in a few exotics. Mongolian silk trade. Its noticeable that these rallies seem to be held on the weekend. Maybe I could do weekday ones. Possibly I should offer to do the metal detecting for them, carrying the spade or do the digging. Detector caddying. ?oh this is a tricky but fascinating little signal that you have there?.

Thinking about my tax expenses

Land rent fees
Administration
motor
Materials
entertainment

Then there is the politics, quangos and charities,

Some archies seem already to be trying to tie up this field and have lottery backing, working weekends cant be cheap. Do they organise insurance?

http://finds.org.uk/counties/lincolnshire/

I am starting to think that I might have to follow some archaeological standards and I will be back to square one, is there no escape. Back to trying to settle specs whilst in competition with the authorities.

[BAJR Host]

You don't have to work with standards... they are only guidance after all

"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu

[Unitof1]

Hence the the very handy adjective ?archaeological-