What do we do for you?

• We find a mentor among the Danish amateur archaeologists who will take you to some of the fields which he or she is allowed to search. The mentor will introduce you to the use of metal detectors and other gear and familiarize you with agreements with landowners. 
• You may be loaned a metal detector and a pin-pointer, which you are free to use as long as you participate in the program. At the end of the project, you will have the option to either return both or take them over for 2/3 of the purchase price.
• If we can't find a mentor in your area, or you need the program to be adapted to your circumstances, we can discuss other options.

What do you need to do and know?

The program is designed for veterans with PTSD or other post-deployment injuries. Whether you have a clinical diagnosis is not essential. You decide for yourself if you are part of this target group 

• Always comply with the DAA Code of Ethics for Amateur Archeologists
• Remember that your mentor is a volunteer and does not earn money from their mentoring role.
• Your mentor invites you to their good sites and you ONLY have access to them with or by agreement with your mentor. 
• As the program is part of a research and innovation project, you will be invited to participate in anonymous interviews. Participation is voluntary.
• We keep your contact information (name, email, address, phone number) as long as you participate in the program. We will only share your contact information with potential mentors or if you authorize us to do so in connection with participant events. 
• By participating in the project, you agree to the above.See more on Aarhus University's privacy policy

If you experience difficulties in connection with the project

• You can always contact the Veteranstøtte: Phone 80608030 (24 hours a day). Ask to get in touch with “Need help”. You can also write to: social@veteranstotten.dk, and provide your phone number etc. and you will be contacted as soon as possible.
• The VETEKTOR Buddy Program does not offer psychological help or psychological counseling.

Detector finds are usually from prehistoric or historic times and therefore part of our common cultural heritage. Special rules apply to finds of cultural-historical value from ancient and medieval times as well as Danefæ. These finds must always be registered and reported to the local museum responsible.

Rules:

• ALWAYS make sure you get permission to walk on the area you want from the owner of the land. If the owner is public, you should contact the relevant authority, such as a municipality's technical administration or the Nature Agency.
• You should hand over the found objects to the local museum if they may be of cultural-historical value.
• Always leave the field in the same condition as before you arrived (e.g. refill your holes)
• It's good practice to check with the landowner if there are other detectorists walking the fields. If this is the case, get in touch with them or find another location. Do not use your participation in the project to pressure other detectorists out of the fields.
• It is good practice to inform landowners of your findings. We recommend that you print a DIME find report for the landowner so they know what you find
• You are not allowed to walk with a detector on protected ancient monuments or closer than two meters from the conservation boundary. See if a monument is protected on the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces' database Finds and Ancient Monuments. 
• You are not allowed to excavate an area. Never dig deeper than the depth of the plow layer - even if there is a good signal.  
• See more here and here. 

Registration of finds and collaboration with local museums:

We recommend that you register on the DIME portal and use the DIME APP (available in Google store or APP store) for registrating finds. Your local museum probably has good advice on the use a metal detector. It is always a good idea to get in touch with them. You can find 'your' local museum on DIME. See more here. 

About the objects themselves and Danefæ

Detector finds of cultural-historical value from ancient and medieval times will be a part of museum collections - either at the National Museum of Denmark (Danefæ) or the local museum. Other finds, typically from more recent times, can be kept by the detectorist. Danefæ belongs to the state and must be handed over to the local museum/National Museum. If you are unsure whether what you have found could be Danefæ, contact the local museum or the National Museum, who can guide you on how to proceed. Find out more here. 

Metal detector finds and archaeological excavations

It is a common misconception that metal detector finds lead to museum excavations, which must be paid for by the owner of the land. This is not the case. The discovery of a metal detector in itself does NOT result in a landowner incurring costs for any subsequent archaeological excavation. Read more here and here.