Lost your keys or phone?
A metal detector can help locate lost keys, keychains, and mobile phones. In winter, they can easily disappear into snow or fall into water, making them hard to find without the right tools.
The chances of recovery improve the sooner the search begins and the smaller the area can be narrowed down.
TIP!
Attach a tag to your keychain that says "REWARD IF FOUND" and your friend's phone number. That way, thieves can't trace your real address through the number. Your friend can answer the call, thank the finder, and avoid revealing who the keys actually belong to.
Phone on a frozen lake
This phone was retrieved from under the snow on a frozen lake in Härmälänranta. It had slipped from a pocket during New Year's fireworks. Despite several people searching, it wasn't found. I went out with the owner and used metal detectors to scan the area. We got a signal from a promising spot—and there it was, buried in the snow. It would've been impossible to spot without tools. The battery was dead, but otherwise it had survived the cold just fine.
Keys lost in snowy forest
These keys were lost during a deer hunt in Terälahti, Tampere. We searched the next day, following footprints and using metal detectors. About 300 meters in, we got several signals—some from deeper underground—but one hit the jackpot. The keys were nestled in soft snow beside a trail, hidden under undergrowth. Without a detector, they'd have been impossible to find.
Car keys in a snowbank
These car keys were found in a snowdrift in Tampere. They'd gone missing on a 100-meter walk between a parking lot and a workplace. The owner had jumped over a snowbank from the road to the sidewalk and searched the area without success. Using a Google Maps route he'd drawn, I headed straight to the jump spot with my detector. A strong signal came from the snowbank—and there they were, hidden inside. The owner was thrilled, as replacing the keys would've been very expensive.
House keys in front of an apartment building
These keys had fallen from a pocket during some playful snow-jumping in front of an apartment building. The search area was a narrow strip between stairwells, usually grass in summer. It had been trampled during earlier search attempts, leaving no clear tracks. I started scanning near the stairs and within five minutes got a promising signal. I dug through the compacted snow and found the keys—they'd been pressed deeper by previous searchers. The owner was relieved not to have to rekey the locks!
Keychain thrown into a snowbank
I got a call one evening about a child who had angrily thrown their mother's keys into a snowbank in Kaukajärvi. The location was a store parking lot with a snow pile at the edge. The mother had searched in vain. When I arrived, I could see where she'd already looked. I swept the area with my detector and soon got a strong signal. I dug out the keys from the snow :)
Keys in the snow—no detector needed
In this case, no metal detector was required. I was asked to search for keys lost along a 100-meter snowy road. They'd been missing for about a week. Since there was a hotel nearby, I first checked if anyone had turned them in. I described the keychain based on the info I had—and there they were, waiting to be claimed!
Always check nearby shops or businesses if you lose something—they might have it!