This Could be Dynamite... If she can get them to co-operate

.
The research of Katherine Robbins has been touted by "Portable [Antiquities Scheme]" here, and now we learn from Rally UK

At our August Club meeting, N.A.R.C. had the pleasure of hearing Katherine Robbins talk to us about her studies and how she is interacting with the P.A.S. to analyse the spatial distribution of finds across certain regions. To assist in her studies, Katherine has published an on-line survey for metal detectorists that she hopes will give her an insight as to both how we detect and record our finds. The survey is totally ANONYMOUS and she would welcome as much feedback as we can give her. You don't have to be from the regions listed as there is room on the survey for you to identify the counties where you detect. If you can spare the time, why not take a look and participate if you can: http://www.isurvey.soton.ac.uk/896.

The website announces candidly:

The vast majority of the data recorded by the PAS are recovered by metal detectorists and therefore an understanding of your methods and interests is essential for an understanding of the PAS dataset. [...] This questionnaire aims to gather information on your choices of sites, detecting practices, interests and recording habits. The last page provides space for you to comment on any other aspects of your hobby that I haven’t covered here that you feel are important for me to consider. The questionnaire may take up to 30 minutes to complete if all questions are answered fully.[...] My aim is to understand those biases that might affect where artefacts are buried, where they survive, where they are recovered by members of the public and where they are recorded with the PAS.

Now I have been hammering on about the need to do this for years, so am glad that at last the PAS has pulled its finger out and is getting on with (getting somebody else to) doing the job. Frankly though I think asking detectorists how much detecting they do how and when is about as useful as the shopping surveys that ask families how much alcohol they drink and porn magazines they buy a month. What's the betting that she gets about the same pathetic response as Oxford Archaeology's Nighthawking Survey? Tekkies do not like people looking over their shoulders at the best of times (that's why their forums are all closed off to the likes of you and me).

But her survey webpage reveals the answer to another of my questions, which was the additional region she chose. "I am looking at the spatial distribution of finds recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme using Hampshire, Northamptonshire and the Isle of Wight as case studies". That is a shame, the work I did with Nigel Swift suggests that metal detecting in the UK falls into two zone which have a number of characteristics, one of which would affect the way recording with the PAS (and not only) is done. Sadly Ms Robbins' "test case" areas do not differentiate those two zones.

This is quite apart from the fact that these patterns are something the PAS should have been studying from its own data well before we passed the thirteen year mark. Ms Robbins should be building on and refining a model of detecting practice established soon after the PAS went "national" based on what was thrown up by ensuing discussion of it. After all fulfilling the (in)famous fifth aim of the Scheme required possession of that knowledge. I really do not know how they could triumphantly announce a couple of years back that they had "achieved" it without having that information. Its just another one of those mysteries about the PAS - more "transparency" is needed!

.