First Metal Detector - About 50 years ago

[Cruffler]

Can't remember how I found it, probably some magazine. Can't remember many details about it
but the things I remember are: Mail order, like I said probably from some magazine. Made out
of wood. The coil consisted of a wire you had to thread thru a piece of black plastic tubing. The
coil had a wood box attached that had a circuit board in that the wires attached to. Had a piece
of wood (basically a stick) as the shaft. At the end of the shaft the handle was a bicycle grip.
Didn't have a speaker, had to tune an AM radio to a specific channel and the signal was heard
thru the radio. Had to carry the radio on your belt. Don't recall finding anything with it, but it did
have a signal if you put the coil up to a large piece of metal. Anyone else remember seeing this
back then?

 

[Dan-Pa.]

Heck your talking about when cars had wooden wheels( just kidding) Had no interest in the hobby then but remember seeing them and make your own advertised.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I recall Monte, from Oregon, posting about this particular type detector. He's a md'ing technology evolution expert, having detected since the early to mid 1960s @ the ghost towns of Utah, for example. And he tells that one of his earliest detectors had to have an am radio tuned , to act as the radio speaker function. If I'm not mistaken, it was sensitive enough to find individual coins (albeit perhaps only an inch deep?). Because Monte did find coins with his, If I recall.

If you find where he posts/reads (on various forums), he can probably answer this question for you.

 

[C.J.M.]

I got it beat first detector I had ----WAS A BOOM STICK AND LARGE MAGNET AND HAD NO DEPTH

 

[vinman]

I built one from an ad I saw in a treasure mag selling the schematic in the early 70's. It actually worked .. got a penny at about an inch or so. Forgot what frequency (station number) I got the best response from.. sure it can be google'd now.

 

[scrounger]

My first machine was a relco.it had a pie plate style coil not
Wood.some type of ridgid plastic.bottom was hard fiber board
Held on by a single screw in the center I believe. Electronics were
Housed in a black plastic box mounted directly on top of the coil.
And did use the separate am radio. Vacuum sweeper like handle
Fixed straight up .came in kit form. I can still remember how
Excited I was when dad found a wiring mistake I made and got
It working.can't remember the model.there better model was the frontiersman .it worked just well enuf to find scattered parts
To an old treadle sewing machine and a boot sole complete
With nails. About 1969 maybe.

 

[scrounger]

I remember a relco detector like this. Came in kit form and used the am radio.