I remember as a teenager moping around the gold-rush era ghost towns of the Outback while my father prospected for gold and relics. Thanks to termites, there’s no feels-like-the-people-just-left-yesterday vibe in this part of the world, instead the occasional wagon wheel rim or stone kerb is all that hints there was once a bustling town here. We never did find that monster gold nugget or hoard of coins that every metal-detectorist dreams of; I won’t say it was wasted time however. The odd silver watch back or rare shilling, a few tictac sized gold bits, and of course all the nails and horseshoes you could ever want. Oh and an abiding love for the countryside, archaeology, and family.
There’s more tech in a modern metal detector than you’d think. Detecting metal is relatively easy. Discriminating the coke cans, gum wrappers and other C20 detritus from precious metals is what separates a toy from a real detector.
The oldster who brought their detector in for repair was pleased to encounter someone who knew what it was and how it works. The corrosion made it beyond repair, alas. Alkaline batteries are a curse, don’t leave cells in your precious artifacts, friends.
This encounter got me thinking, the analog detectors of the last century were clever, but RF voodoo is not really my forte. What would a modern detector look like? Ground penetrating radar (you know this if you’re a Time Team fan)
is an obvious possibility. Solid state Neutrino-avalanche diodes would give an old time prospector a gold fever flare-up to beat the band.
I tested my prototype at the scrapyard on different metals. Way in the back I found something rabbit-sized that’s black, twice as dense as gold, and scorched from atmospheric reentry. I cranked the radar power all the way up to see if I could discern any structure. No signal, it just absorbed everything. Then it lifted off the ground and hovered in front of me.
#Tootfic #MicroFiction #PowerOnStoryToot #Title_Detective