Metal Detectors - A Brief Guide

Metal detectors are made up of an oscillator that produces an alternating current that passes through a coil, which creates an alternating magnetic field. This means that when an electronically conductive metal is near the detector, it creates eddies of air, which causes a change in the magnetic field, which enables the operator to see where the metal is. Handheld detectors are the most common, and are used in the majority of cases. Even land mines can be detected through the use of handheld devices. However, for really deep metals, ground penetrating radar is used in conjunction with the metal detector to unearth the hidden metal.

The metal detector has an interesting history. The first metal detectors were created in the late 19th century. The original inventors of the idea hoped to be able to create easier methods of finding ore for miners. One physicist, Heinrich Wilhelm Dove, invented the induction balance system in those days, but it took a hundred years for others to see the need for his idea. Early machines were difficult to use, and took a lot of battery power. In the 1930's, the modern metal detector format began to emerge. Gerhard Fisher is the first patented inventor of the metal detector. He discovered metal detecting quite by accident, when he found a discrepancy in his radio navigational methods. His model was used in WWII, yet afterwards, when there were surplus detectors lying around, the hobby of finding metal for entertainment was formed.

Metal detectors are a rather exciting tool. They are among some of the most useful and common tools used today. Most people have seen at least one in their life, and it is hard to imagine never coming into contact with one. The metal detector is considered part of the detector radar family, because many detectors use the ground penetrating radar system to find deeply hidden metals. The history of the metal detector is also an interesting subject, and is something to think about while standing in those long security checkpoint lines.