UK METAL DETECTING

Gary uk · Joined: 08 May 2007 Posts: 73 Location: Buckinghamshire

I have just read the Bosses e mail at the top of the page under the welcome section, it makes very interesting reading.

UK Brian · Joined: 08 May 2007 Posts: 431 Location: Wales

To true Gary.
I've been trying to rake up a few people to post on this forum but there seems to be a backlash against forums so many just skim for news of a new machine or similar but won't bother to post.
Magazine sales must also be suffering. I now know more detectorists who don't buy any magazine than those that do. When my subscription for Treasure Hunting runs out thats it for me and I've every copy back to the pilot issue.

austin · Joined: 30 Jun 2007 Posts: 65

Craig · Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 4:26 pm Post subject:

I tend to blame the forums, or rather some of the posts. There is no doubt forums are a superb medium for information but unpoliced much of it ends up like a playground squabble. Easy to see why many don't want to be involved. And it is hardly sends the right message to beginners about what the hobby is all about.
Hopefully this one can be different.

As for the mags they can get a bit stale and same old but in their defence they rely on contributions from the likes of us deterctorists. Why not rummage through your finds boxes and put pen to paper about the memories it provokes. Both mags are crying out for interesting articles to print.
You love this hobby for a reason! - Tell the world about it!

Gary uk · Joined: 08 May 2007 Posts: 73 Location: Buckinghamshire

I dont agree Craig
I have sent articles to the Magzines and they have not punblished them, they apear to be heavily censored and have the same people writing under different names.

Craig · Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 5:07 pm Post subject:

Intersting Gary,
I have not noticed this. In my experience if the content is good enough it goes in. True they do rely on certain authors at times but that i believe is for no other reason than lack of input from elsewhere, which is why I made the statement about having a go. The mags genuinely have nothing to gain from using the same old, they need fresh exciting stuff to boost sales figures.

UK Brian · Joined: 08 May 2007 Posts: 431 Location: Wales

I go with Gary on this one. When John Lynn published his series of 'Sucessful Detecting' articles I ended up with six A4 pages that either disagreed with his statements or illustrated ways round the problems he had outlined.
Nothing got published but then at that time I didn't know there was a joint publishing effort going on between him and the editor (?) of Treasure Hunting in producing a follow up book.

I would rather people used their own names both in the magazines and on the internet. One person who posts regularly on the web has eleven different names that I know of. He even responds to his own posts, under a different name, saying that what he has said in the first post is correct. Can be funny at times but not if someone is being persuaded to part with hundreds of pounds for a detector that may well not be suitable for their needs.

I appreciate the magazines are in a difficult situation in that they could cut their own throats if they slated a product from a major advertiser but 'Metal Detecting' or was it 'Detector User' had three reports each month by detector owners (even dealers, if they declared an interest).
Performance figures never came near those the manufacturers claimed and you never suffered the 'I didn't get time to test the machine on the beach' which is normally a sign that thats the particular detectors weak point.
Thinking about it, if you went back fifteen or twenty years then Fisher, Whites etc all published air test details on each detector. This did at least allow you to set up a new detector on its pre sets and find out if it was up to spec. straight out of the box. We don't even get that anymore which leads to many forum rows where people are accused of favouring another make or being incapable of operating the machine in question, when in fact its a problem with machine or coil.

Craig · Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 11:12 am Post subject:

My point here was about aticles about detecting and finding and less so about detectors. I was trying to get the point across that we are the people to 'sell the dream' and virtues of detecting to others like ourselves. Something I am sure we are all capable of. Everyone has a good detecing related story and many would make an interesting read.
When I read a mag or a forum thread I want to be inspired to get out there! not to worry about whether my detector is bigger than yours.

On the subject of the mags
The consensus of opinion seems to be that the mags are terrified of upsetting the dealers/manufacturers in case they loose revenue. It is worth remembering that dealers need the mags as much as mags need dealers. A stalemate exists. The mags are the most important advertising media and it would be commercial suicide to pull out of a mag. Dealers simply do not have the clout you think.

Gary uk · Joined: 08 May 2007 Posts: 73 Location: Buckinghamshire

Very true Craig I can remember the old days when I read articles over and over again, even before I owned a machine, we all need inspiration.

With regards to dealers having no clout I agree again, its a hard business to be involved in especially with the politics... but let's not confuse dealers with importers.

G

ground hog · Joined: 10 Aug 2007 Posts: 31 Location: doncaster

to many forums are full of the political correct brigade, although this one so far seems clean of them, thank god.

ground hog