Metal Detecting Safety Essentials

I was in Perth a couple of days ago and decided to do a bit of Metal Detecting gear shopping, I put a deposit on a Polaris 6×6 Big Boss, and on the way back I stopped at a Prospecting and Metal Detecting Shop in Midland, it is the Prospectors Patch, a great little metal detecting shop.

While I was in there I decided to buy myself a new GPS, and I went for a Garmin Oregon 200.

It is a pretty amazing tool, I have not used it out bush yet, but I have used it driving my car around the district and it is absolutely spot on as it should be.

It cost me $400 and I have actually just seen the same one on Ebay going for close to $600, so I actually saved some money, usually it is cheaper to buy stuff off ebay.

Garmin Oregon 200 GPS

I have some bought myself some great tools for my metal detecting adventures, I would like to offer any readers some essential safety equipment you should invest in, if you are planning on going out to the wilderness either metal detecting, hiking, camping or in the 4wd.

This is my safety equipment I have invested in and may one day save my life when I am metal detecting in isolated areas:

Billy’s Metal Detecting Safety Essentials for isolated and long metal detecting trips

1. Uniden Hand Held Radio x 1
2. Uniden Walkie Talkies x 2
3. Boat Flares
4. Smoke Flares
5. Glow Sticks
6. Yellow Fluorescent Workers Vest
7. Garmin GPS
8. Mobile Phone which has Next G
9. Knife
10. Matches / Lighter
11. Binoculars
12. Signaling Mirror
13. First Aid Kit and Snake Bite Kit
14. Torch and Batteries
15. Radio
16. Small Sidchrome Tool Kit
17. Puncture Repair Kit
18. EPIRB

If I was allowed to get these, such as you are in the USA, I would also invest in

1. Tazer
2. Pepper Spray
3. Hand Gun or a Small .22 Rifle
4. Night Vision (Can’t afford these)

These could be useful if you encounter either a dangerous animal or a dangerous person …. trust me, USA Metal Detectorists swear by them.

Remember, if you are heading out bush or to an isolated area, don’t forget to notify the right authorities of your planned trip, when you expect to return … use your common sense!

Get in touch with the great outdoors with Oregon 200. This next-generation handheld features a rugged, touchscreen along with a built-in basemap, a high-sensitivity receiver, microSD™ card slot, picture viewer and more. Touch and Go Oregon 200 leads the way with a tough, 3-inch diagonal, sunlight-readable, color, touchscreen display. Its easy-to-use interface means you’ll spend more time enjoying the outdoors and less time searching for information. Both durable and waterproof, Oregon 200 is built to withstand the elements. Bumps, dust, dirt, humidity and water are no match for this rugged navigator. Find Fun Oregon 200 supports Geocaching.com GPX files for downloading geocaches and details straight to your unit. No more manually entering coordinates and paper print outs! Simply upload the GPX file to your unit and start hunting for caches. Show off photos of your excursions with Oregon’s picture viewer. Slim and lightweight, Oregon is the perfect companion for all your outdoor pursuits. Keep Your Fix With its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver and HotFix™ satellite prediction, Oregon 200 locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons. The advantage is clear — whether you’re in deep woods or just near tall buildings and trees, you can count on Oregon to help you find your way when you need it the most. Add Maps Conveniently plug in optional preloaded microSD cards for all your outdoor activities on land or water (see maps tab for compatible maps). Just insert a MapSource® card with detailed street maps, and Oregon provides turn-by-turn directions to your destination. Add select topographic maps to take advantage of Oregon’s 3-D map view which gives you a better perspective of your elevation. With BlueChart® g2 Vision, you’ll get everything you need for a great day on the water including depth contours, navaids and harbors. The card slot is located inside the waterproof battery compartment, so you don’t have to worry about getting it wet. Oregon 200: Touch the great outdoors. What’s in the Box: Oregon 200 Lanyard USB cable Owner’s manual on disk Quick start guide Physical & Performance: Unit dimensions, WxHxD: 2.3″ x 4.5″ x 1.4″ (5.8 x 11.4 x 3.5 cm) Display size, WxH: 1.53″W x 2.55″H (3.8 x 6.3 cm); 3″ diag (7.6 cm) Display resolution, WxH: 240 x 400 pixels Display type: Transflective color TFT touchscreen Weight: 6.8 oz (192.7 g) with batteries Battery: 2 AA batteries (not included); NiMH or Lithium recommended Battery life: 16 hours Waterproof: yes (IPX7) Floats: no High-sensitivity receiver: yes Interface: USB RoHS version available: yes Maps & Memory: Basemap: yes Preloaded maps: no Ability to add maps: yes Built-in memory: 24 MB Accepts data cards: microSD™ card (not included) Waypoints/favorites/locations: 1000 Routes: 50 Track log: 10,000 points, 20 saved tracks Features: Automatic routing (turn by turn routing on roads): yes (with optional mapping for detailed roads) Electronic compass: no Barometric altimeter: no Geocaching-friendly: yes (paperless) Outdoor GPS games: yes Hunt/fish calendar: yes Sun and moon information: yes Tide tables: yes Area calculation: yes Custom POIs (ability to add additional points of interest): yes Unit-to-unit transfer (shares data wirelessly with similar units): no Picture viewer: yes Additional: Touchscreen: yes