I was visiting Miami and decided to go dry sand metal detecting at Crandon beach park on the causeway to Key Biscayne. My girl friend and I were there Monday afternoon and I thought great the Monday after the holiday weekend. Well after zigzagging down the beach about a 100 yards and back, finding a few coins we see a storm coming our way so we pack up to leave. We go to the parking lot and surprise I dropped my car key somewhere ( with the remote). Panic sets in. I start doubling back with my detector trying to find my scoop drag marks. The storm is coming, the mosquitos are biting, my girlfriend has that look what a jerk, you know. Well no luck, she gets on the phone starts calling locksmiths, she gets abrupt with them and I say cool it they could leave us here for the mosquitos. I tell her hey I'm willing to pay cash! Two hours later a locksmith comes. He builds a key that opens the car door, that's pretty easy, scary easy. Next he builds a second key, a programmable key, he hooks up a laptop to the car's computer and in 12 minutes the car accepts the new key code. I give him $165 cash. (Note a key at a dealership is about $80, a remote probably another $50.) At this point I'm not complaining. We go to the hotel and I'm thinking. I'm hunting in all metal, I have a 13 inch ultimate coil with me and I don't really know what VDI number I am looking for.
So the next day (yesterday) we go back to the beach same spot. I put the newly built programmable key on the sand and check the VDI. I get a solid 55. OK I say that's a fairly unique VDI for beach hunting. Now the remote was with the lost key so how would that effect the VDI? I don't know, keep that in mind. I go the 100 yards zigzagging again looking for yesterday's scoop drag marks. No luck. Girlfriend still has that look on her face. It's sunnier and hotter today. I am a jerk. I grab a handful of raisins and gulp a bottle of water and go out about 40 yards backtracking, make 3 runs widening each run by 3 feet and on the third pass what do I get? A solid 57. Yup! Got it.( I guess the remote chip adds a little copper and raised the VDI?) I walk back to the blanket and go surprise. She don't believe it, no freaking way is the response. Two girls on a nearby blanket who heard the story go no way. So now I get a religious medal attached to my key chain. Has St. Anthony on it. Patron Saint of Lost causes and lost items and losers I guess. My response is let's make like a sheppard and get the flock out of here. Now I have to get the new VDI number for my key chain with the religious medal and remember that. I'm going to super glue a quarter to the medal to make it a unique VDI. Whatever it takes.
The moral of the story is:
When metal detecting wear cargo pants with lots of deep pockets. Bathing suits have shallow pockets.
Carry cash for emergencies! Triple AAA, prepaid services (in Miami?). Cash gets action.
Know the VDI of what you are searching for !!!
I'm logging VDI's for cell phones, bundles of keys, etc.
For the MX5
a nickel is a solid 20 all the time
pulltab dry sand is a 22
pulltab wet sand is a 24
penny is a 67
dime is a 77
quarter is a 84
24 inch 14K gold chain I found at another time was a 16 to 18 in dry sand.
Pics are key chain before and after religious medal.
ROBOCOP
So the next day (yesterday) we go back to the beach same spot. I put the newly built programmable key on the sand and check the VDI. I get a solid 55. OK I say that's a fairly unique VDI for beach hunting. Now the remote was with the lost key so how would that effect the VDI? I don't know, keep that in mind. I go the 100 yards zigzagging again looking for yesterday's scoop drag marks. No luck. Girlfriend still has that look on her face. It's sunnier and hotter today. I am a jerk. I grab a handful of raisins and gulp a bottle of water and go out about 40 yards backtracking, make 3 runs widening each run by 3 feet and on the third pass what do I get? A solid 57. Yup! Got it.( I guess the remote chip adds a little copper and raised the VDI?) I walk back to the blanket and go surprise. She don't believe it, no freaking way is the response. Two girls on a nearby blanket who heard the story go no way. So now I get a religious medal attached to my key chain. Has St. Anthony on it. Patron Saint of Lost causes and lost items and losers I guess. My response is let's make like a sheppard and get the flock out of here. Now I have to get the new VDI number for my key chain with the religious medal and remember that. I'm going to super glue a quarter to the medal to make it a unique VDI. Whatever it takes.
The moral of the story is:
When metal detecting wear cargo pants with lots of deep pockets. Bathing suits have shallow pockets.
Carry cash for emergencies! Triple AAA, prepaid services (in Miami?). Cash gets action.
Know the VDI of what you are searching for !!!
I'm logging VDI's for cell phones, bundles of keys, etc.
For the MX5
a nickel is a solid 20 all the time
pulltab dry sand is a 22
pulltab wet sand is a 24
penny is a 67
dime is a 77
quarter is a 84
24 inch 14K gold chain I found at another time was a 16 to 18 in dry sand.
Pics are key chain before and after religious medal.
ROBOCOP
Just sayin.. they guard those things like fort knox..