I only get out to do some metal detecting twice per year – really get out – meaning, that I go to a beach in Thailand for 2-3 weeks and hunt everyday – sometimes twice per day for hours on end.

Yes, I do get out metal detecting at a local reservoir in Khon Kaen Province occasionally, but, that is not quite the same as spending time on a Thai beach metal detecting.

Metal Detecting Beach Map

I spend quite a bit of time doing my metal detecting research, looking at maps, and in the case of this trip with a new metal detector, research on the settings for the new detector.

I also hang out at metal detecting forums to read the latest info and to see the results of the latest hunts.  Lots of detectorists posts photos and videos of their hunts and finds and this does provide motivation for me – seeing gold and silver, coins and trash, gets my metal detecting juices flowing and I am ready to grab my metal detector and fly out the door.

Along with being motivation, seeing other metal detectorists hunting daily and find gold and silver and platinum, it is frustrating that I can’t be out there hunting also.  No, actually, it is pure torture for me.

Seeing the beaches of Virginia, California, Guam, wherever and being a 45-minute flight and another 2-hour drive to a beach, makes me want to cry.  I want to hunt!

I know.  I only have one more week and a wake-up to go and I will be on the beach with my detector searching for money and jewelry and maybe even find something that dates back to the early 1900′s when King Rama VI built a summer palace at the beach I am going to.

I will get over the agony and torture and use the forums for motivation and learning and soon be able to post my finds there too.  And, I may wind up torturing those that cannot get to a beach or live in an area where the beaches close on Labor Day.  I know, when I was in Hawaii and used to hunt during the Mainland winter months, I used to piss people off (in a nice way) by being able to hunt year round.

But, as it is, I am only able to really get out and go metal detecting twice a year, so I will just have to make best of it and find all the goodies I can.

Incoming search terms:

• unusual metal detector finds

by Michael Bernzweig

If you’re thinking about taking the plunge and investing in a metal detector that you can use at the beach, here are some tips that can help you choose from among the best beach metal detectors.  There are several conditions unique to a beach setting, which means that the best metal detector for beach excursions is one that is designed especially for metal detecting on beaches. Here are some tips for Beep Dig readers from industry veteran Michael Bernzweig of MetalDetector.com.

Besides the salt water, metal detecting beaches often involves dealing with so-called “hot rocks.”  What happens is that the ground minerals cause chatter in many land-based detectors.  These false signals are amplified by the salt water.  Fortunately, there is a way to deal with this frustration.

If the best beach metal detector you can afford is a low-budget model, a good choice is a Very Low Frequency metal detector with a ground adjust control feature.  This ground balance feature allows you to tune out the mineralization when you’re metal detecting beaches.

The top-of-the-line metal detectors for beaches have circuitry which uses either Broad Band Spectrum or Pulse Indication technologies.  These more expensive units give you the luxury of picking up the detector and searching for hidden treasure, with no noisy false signals.

A couple of examples of introductory metal detectors for beaches are the Bounty Hunter Platinum and the Garrett Ace 350.

There are several different premium metal detectors to choose from, including the XP DEUS, the Garrett AT Pro, and the Fisher CZ-21. From hunting in the shallow water, to diving in the ocean, select the best model and you can do it all.

Beach hunting for treasures with under water metal detectors.

With the right equipment, beach metal detecting can be not only a fun hobby but a lucrative undertaking.  The value of precious metals has increased significantly in recent years.  The value of gold alone has increased at an incredible pace, and here is the really good news:  It’s not unusual to find lost jewelry at the beach.  Every day people lose valuables such as rings, necklaces, and earrings.  With a metal detector, you can claim the lost items as your own or return them to the original owner.

Now that you know what to look for, you can be sure to get one of the best beach metal detectors.  It is worth taking the time to read articles on selecting beach detectors and underwater metal detectors. Who knows what kinds of valuables you may find beneath the sand?

About the author:

Michael Bernzweig manages MetalDetector.com in Southborough, MA. He is a hobbyist and has written extensively on the subject of metal detecting since the mid 1980’s. He has traveled world-wide in his pursuit of educating, exploring and advising others in the proper use of metal detectors. Outside of the business he enjoys mentoring students, being involved in the community and spending time with his family.

by Michael Bernzweig

Here are some coin hunting tips and an interesting treasure hunting story for Beep Dig readers from industry veteran Michael Bernzweig of MetalDetector.com.

Since I was a boy, my dad started bringing me along for treasure hunting expeditions, and oftentimes we went to the beach.  Metal detecting coins was the objective, but enjoyment of breezes off of the water and the fun of sinking our toes into the sand weren’t pleasures that were lost on us.  The highlight truly was, however, finding coins.  I could compare the experience to digging for treasure because it’s possible to find rare coins, especially if you have one of the best metal detectors for coins, as my dad always did.

Author Michael Bernzweig of MetalDetector.com digging for coins and treasure with the XP DEUS Metal Detector.

Through the years I’ve followed dad’s footsteps.  I also have one of the best metal detectors for coins that you can buy, the XP DEUS.  I’ve been motivated to pursue this hobby because of our many finds, including rare and interesting coins.  In 1976, dad and I actually found an 1876 silver quarter, which was pretty incredible, since it was the U.S.A.’s bicentennial when we unearthed it.  There are rare coins that, if found, could be worth upwards of $1,000, such as a 1916D silver dime.  Many old pennies are worth a quarter; it’s not a lot, but it’s still like finding treasure to locate a wheat-backed penny, which is quite outdated.

I like to tell people how much fun metal detecting coins is.  And it helps to share information about the type of metal detector to look for.  As far as metal detecting for coins on the beach aside from your detector, be sure to pick out a quality sand scoop.  These scoops are available with a long or short handle, and they makes it easy to collect the treasure you find.  Besides your detector, you also want headphones, which will ensure that no one else is aware about where you’ve located a treasure cache of buried coins in the sand.  And who knows?  The coins could be the lost booty of long-ago pirates!

About the author:

Michael Bernzweig manages MetalDetector.com in Southborough, MA. He is a hobbyist and has written extensively on the subject of metal detecting since the mid 1980’s. He has traveled world-wide in his pursuit of educating, exploring and advising others in the proper use of metal detectors. Outside of the business he enjoys mentoring students, being involved in the community and spending time with his family.

For my upcoming 3-week beach hunt, I did some research and I initially planned to go to Ao Manao (Lemon/Lime Bay) as it is a beautiful U-shaped bay that was the scene of a battle on December 8th, 1941.

I had distant hopes that there may be a relic or two at the beach along with coins and jewelry and I also learned how hard it is to conduct research in Thailand when one only speaks, reads, and writes English.

Kai Luang Bangtalu Palace Haad Chao Samran

During my research, I could only find a little info on the battle at Ao Manao and most web sites had the same information copied and pasted.  I then found out that I couldn’t stay at the hotel on the Air Force base for an extended period, and a nearby hotel was booked solid, so I had to find another place to hunt.

Weather is a consideration at this time of year as monsoons can be a problem, so during my research, I looked for somewhere on the Gulf of Siam and avoided seeking out islands further south.  The islands can wait until March/April of 2013.

I found a stretch of beach south of Bangkok and closer than Ao Manao.  It looked promising on one hand that it is about 4 kilometers long and has another beach north, (Hat Laem Luang (หาดแหลมหลวง)), and one more south – Hat Puek Tian (หาดปึกเตียน) – both short taxi rides away.  On the other hand, these beaches are frequented primarily by local Thais, so I am not sure if there will anything of real value lost on the beaches.

The beach that I will be staying at is called Hat/Haad Chao Samran (หาดเจ้าสำราญ) which. according to my research, translates to any of the following:

• Beach to Please Kings
• Beach of Royal Leisure
• Royal Leisure Beach
• Happy King Beach
• Happy Kings Beach
• Master of Relaxation Beach

You can see that the translations are similar, but still different.  This is part of the problem when doing research in English when the subject is primarily Thai.

First off – the name of the beach.  It can called any of the following combinations:

Haad, Haat, Had, Hat

Chao Samran, Chaosamran, Jao Samran, Jaosamran

Then, when you research with Google, Yahoo, or Bing, all you find are hotel listings, real estate “for sale” listings, or the same info copied and pasted over and over and over.

Legend says that King Naresuan the Great and King Eka Thotsarot made several royal visits here and highly appreciated its beauty. The villagers thus rendered it a name “Hat Chao Samran”, which means “Beach of Royal Leisure”.

I have done my research and read these couple sentences over and over and also variations on the same.  I have also seen poor Google translations of the same.  I have looked for news, images, videos, blog posts and the most information I have been able to find about this beach comes from two sources – bird watchers and cyclists.

During research, I have found a couple blog posts that included photos and gave fairly good descriptions of the area, lodging and food.  But, what I was looking for was information that came from numerous sites that said the following:

During the reign of King Rama VI, in 1918, a beach palace was built at Tambon Bangtalu, called ‘Kai Luang Bangtalu’, later changed to ‘Kai Luang Chao Samran’, that the king visited to recuperate from rheumatism. Later, King Rama VI spent several private holidays here before moving to Phra Ratchaniwet Marukataiyawan with its better supply of fresh water. Today, no traces of the beach palace remain.

There are numerous photos and information about the Marukataiyawan Palace, with its beautiful teak wood design.  There is hardly anything about the original palace at Haad Chao Samran.  My quest was to try to find out where the old palace was actually located.

I asked my wife for assistance, but that didn’t go far.  She googled it and told me what I already knew – that the original Palace was at Haad Chao Samran.  I tried to explain that there could be old relics from the original palace, even though it was only there 4-5 years, but my wife doubts that anything could be found.  I explained that people in America find relics from the Civil War and that in Europe they still find Roman coins, but I was fighting a losing battle.  I will have to get lucky and find something and then win the argument.

I then went to Facebook and posted a general question to my wall and then posted the same question to the Discover Thailand (Tourism Authority of Thailand English speaking Facebook page) and also to the TAT Petchaburi wall.  Discover Thailand actually sent me a reply:

Discover Thailand We tried researching from Thai articles and found that Route 3177 was once a rail track, running from Phra Ram Ratchanivate to Chao Samran Royal Camp. So there’s a possibility that where the road (or a former rail track) ended might be the location of the original palace. If we find a more accurate information we’ll update you again ka.

They also provided a link to this Google Map.

I also received a reply from Chan Holland from Canary Travel in Bangkok and she pointed me to the picture above of the old palace.

The photo above definitely shows that the old Palace was on the beach.  What I don’t know is if the shoreline has receded or if there are any other changes to it.

The Google Map that I am using of the area shows some man-made rock formations that look like break walls, so I will not really know what the beach situation is until I get there (2 more weeks).  The area that Discover Thailand mentioned is a little north of the map I am using – still within walking distance to Highway 3177.  If nothing else, it gives me something to dream about and hope for.

I am hoping that I get some more research information before I go but if not, then I will just have to hunt and hunt where I think the Palace may have been and see if I get lucky.

Going to the beach is easy, right?  Grab your swimsuit and towel and head out the door.  Not so easy for me when I go metal detecting for 3 weeks.

I will be heading out to the beach in about 3 1/2 weeks and I have already started preparations for the upcoming metal detecting hunt.

Tesoro Sand Shark out of the box

I dragged out my suitcase a couple days ago and started tossing in beach items that I will not need here day-to-day and did some preliminary battery charging.

I also got a brand spanking new metal detector a couple of days ago from MetalDetector.com and had to do some prep work on it.

Now, clothes are a given – I will bring shorts, T-shirts and underwear.  I also have a couple pair of socks that I wear with boots when I hunt. my finds pouch, and a couple of baseball hats.  Other than that, not much in the clothes department.

Now, electronics – that is a completely different story.

I will be bringing two metal detectors – Minelab Excal II and my new Tesoro Sand Shark.  The Excal has a battery charger, unfortunately rated at 110V, so I have to bring a step-up/down converter with me.  I also pack a spare battery for the Excal.

The Tesoro runs on 8-AA batteries, so I have two chargers that hold 4 batteries apiece for that detector.

I will be bringing my Canon Rebel camera and its charger and computer USB connector.

Along with a still camera, I will have  a video cam too with its docking station/charger.

I also bring along a very small MP3 player, mainly for the plane ride, and it connects directly to the computer via USB for charging.

Cellphone, of course, with a plug-in charger and a computer connection.

Laptop will be with me with its electrical cord and I have a 4-outlet power strip with a 3-prong to 2-prong adapter.

For metal detecting spares/emergencies, I have extra knobs for the Excal, spare O-ring and lube for the Sand Shark, wrench, pliers, and Swiss Army knife.  I also have a small set of screw drivers, extra bolts for my scoop, and a spare battery holder for the Tesoro.

The scoop is stainless steel and has a 4-foot, wooden handle.  It is heavy, but it cuts down on digging time as I usually get my target in one or two scoops.  I just picked up some magnets from my father-in-law to attach to the scoop to keep those small items from slipping through the scoop – like hair pins and small junk.

I wear boots when I hunt as I don’t like stepping on nasty things like rusty nails and broken glass that can be found on beaches anywhere.  And, I protect my skin with sun block.  Water and Gatorade are a must for me and easy to find at any 7-11 in Thailand.  I recently had to mend my boots. They were re-glued at the seams twice since I have owned them but I give them a rough work-out and the tend to separate at the seams.  I also added a light coat of silicon to the seams.

I siliconed the coil cover I ordered to the Tesoro Sand Shark and also added a light coat of silicon to the Excal coil/cover.

Tesoro Sand Shark

I have already booked my 45-minute flight to Bangkok and also booked my 1 1/2 hour ride to the beach.  My bungalow is reserved and should be spitting distance to the beach.

The hard part is the waiting.  All I can do is continue to prepare for the trip, little by little, and read the Friendly Metal Detecting Forum and watch videos of others hunting. I also keep in contact with my buddy, Paul, the guy that re-shipped my Tesoro Sand Shark to me.  His emails detailing his hunts in Hawaii, along with photos of gold rings, keeps my motivation up.

So, all I need to do is charge some batteries (later), and then pack all my gear.

I am ready to go and find some gold at the beach with my new Tesoro Sand Shark Metal Detector.