You have a 2200 and you can't find anything smaller than a quarter of an ounce? How long have you used it--how many hours? I'd be sending it back. I can't find anything much smaller than about matchhead size--but that's with a 2100, and the 2200 is supposed to be more sensitive. But, matchhead size is nowhere near a quarter of an ounce--a quarter of an ounce is a significantly bigger chunk of gold!!

This summer I hunted with a group of detectorists using Gold Bugs, and Goldmasters (Bug 2 and Master 4). They are fine machines--excellent for what they are designed for--some of the best VLF's I've seen. I was amazed at the tiny gold they were finding with them--it was incredibly small. I was finding nothing--lots of square nails, trash etc. They couldn't believe it because they'd been over the same ground before--their machines just wouldn't punch through the minerals to find the junk that deep, and this was not super hot ground, hot, but not super hot. I finally decided to head to an area by myself. After I was done, I had four nuggets. The smallest about matchhead size--the biggest about a third of an inch long. The place I hunted they avoided because it was a red bedrock--too hot for their machines. Where they were hunting--it had been hammered, but the minerals were more cooperative, so they could hunt. In fairness to the Vlf's, one fellow found a piece that was flat, and a little smaller than a matchead--he did a very generous thing--found the piece, reburied it, and set up a rookie to swing her coil over the spot. He set her up so she'd have a great first find--wonderfully unselfish guy. I've sure met some great people while hunting gold! At the end of the hunting (there was one other fellow that came with a 2100--he found a third of an ounce nugget in that hot bedrock) the VLFers had some nice little flakes (with the one exception) they had found in the well worked ground they could hunt in. True, the 2100's wouldn't find the tiny gold--but we could hunt where they couldn't, and we had some nice NUGGETS. So, the conditions determine the machine. If I want small gold, I'll use a VLF--they are impressive at finding it, and, in fairness again, I've seen some beautiful, chunky nuggets found with VLF's as well--but they won't run in super-hot ground. So they each have their place. But, I was more satisfied with my take of gold than what they were getting--true, no small stuff for me--but the quantity was far greater--but, that's because the hot ground wasn't hammered. The local nugget shooters unselfishly put me onto a whole section of hot, hot ground where the oldtimers had sluiced out megga nuggets. They can't hunt it at all with their VLF's. I was almost out of time, but had no trouble running the 2100 and instantly started to find all kinds of square nails before the day ended. If I can get it set up, I'd love to hit that ground hard again next summer as it gave up lots of chunky gold in the 1800's, and it hasn't been worked by the VLF's.

Everything in its place I guess. If I want to hunt super-hot ground, I'll use the 2100/2200 because there is no viable alternative. If I'm in ground that isn't too severe--a VLF would work wonderfully, and be considerably lighter and thus less tiring to use. So, you're right Tom, total BS (Business Sense). Terrible ground, 21/2200--good to hot ground--VLF's: they both find nuggets too!

Later,

Lanny in AB

• Re: Sorry for the stutter--new browser. N/T Lanny in AB 10:05:44 1/19/2000 (0)