Low Cost Detector help

[mountainman22]

Ive been lurking around her for a long time and finally joined! I want to thank you all for help from the past and future prospecting help! I caught gold fever and looks like ill be under the fever for good! I have been running a sluice and pan for a few weeks with hardly any luck(besides four flour flakes). I was on a claim working my butt off all day and got nothing! Meanwhile a 17 year old kid comes right next to me with a detector and pulls out a 4 oz. nugget! I am seriously limited to under $240 for a detector and have scoured for information. I know the good nugget/placer detectors are usually around $600 plus, but have read some good finds with a cheap detector. I am looking at getting a bounty hunter tracker IV and buying their gold nugget coil all for around$150. However I heard that a whites gm2 is under $300 but it seems impossible to find. Can anyone please shed some new light and help a new prospector out? Thanks so much in advance. MM

 

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[Lanny in AB]

Does anyone still rent metal detectors? I did that years ago before I invested any serious coin in a gold detecting machine. If you're short of cash, that may be a way for you to try it out without having to cough up all of the cash.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[nuggetshooter323]

Check Ebay. I'm always finding GM 2's, GM 3's, and the occasional GM 4 for under $300 all the time. I just got a Tesoro Diablo II for $190, and no one else even bid on it.You might have to watch 20 or 30 auctions, but you'll eventually get one for the price you want. The only good thing about getting a new Bounty Hunter is it's new and under warranty. I felt comfortable getting the used Tesoro because if there was anything seriously wrong I know Tesoro would be reasonably priced, much to my surprise, they checked out the unit and realinged the coil for free along with a few extra freebies. They were awesome.

 

[Rawhide]

The bounty hunter gold coil does not really find gold. I pretty much had to rub a gold ring on my small coil to get it to sound off. Hunt coins with it. Or get better at prospecting. Took me almost 2 years to get my F75, and it really isnt a gold machine. Gold bug 2 dude if you gonna hunt that way.

 

[NeoTokyo]

nuggetshooter is 100% correct, just gotta bid at the last minute, put your highest possible bid in at the last 10 seconds and let it ride.

Also, why not just keep prospecting for now and try to raise money that way for a more expensive gold unit?

Lots of options, just take your time and things will come together.

 

[midnightmoon]

... I was on a claim working my butt off all day and got nothing! Meanwhile a 17 year old kid comes right next to me with a detector and pulls out a 4 oz. nugget! MM

Did the kid have a big bandaid on his finger? I think maybe you had a 'Parker' sighting.

Getting back on subject ... great advice from all the guys above.
Another possibility ... are there any clubs in your area? Great place for beginners; and beginners often don't have equiptment yet. Many members have more than 1 detector, and will gladly let you swing. How are you going to know which one suits you without trying a few out?

 

[mountainman22]

Thank you all so much. I suspected I'd need something better. I suppose I will just have to be patient in finding a good detector. Hey NeoTokyo, I live about 110 miles away from any claim that I can prospect, so gas is a huge killer(especially when the most I've found is about 4 flour flakes with $100 spent). I am about to join the GPAA so hopefully I can meet some good friends that can show me the ropes. Sad thing here in Colorado, I cant find a rental shop let alone anywhere that sells detectors.

 

[John-K]

Where are you in Colorado? Lots of activity for front range area.

 

[mountainman22]

Where are you in Colorado? Lots of activity for front range area.

I live in Canon City. No luck at Point Bar whatsoever, and I don't know of any other public places. I am hoping to find people with claims that will let me pay them like a "fee" to prospect their land.

 

[Goodyguy]

Ive been lurking around her for a long time and finally joined! I want to thank you all for help from the past and future prospecting help! I caught gold fever and looks like ill be under the fever for good! I have been running a sluice and pan for a few weeks with hardly any luck(besides four flour flakes). I was on a claim working my butt off all day and got nothing! Meanwhile a 17 year old kid comes right next to me with a detector and pulls out a 4 oz. nugget! I am seriously limited to under $240 for a detector and have scoured for information. I know the good nugget/placer detectors are usually around $600 plus, but have read some good finds with a cheap detector. I am looking at getting a bounty hunter tracker IV and buying their gold nugget coil all for around$150. However I heard that a whites gm2 is under $300 but it seems impossible to find. Can anyone please shed some new light and help a new prospector out? Thanks so much in advance. MM

WOW! a 4oz nugget! Even a Bounty Hunter with the stock coil should sound off on one of those.

However, I can tell you as a Bounty Hunter tracker IV owner for many years that it is not a gold nugget detector by any means no matter which coil you use. You really need to save up and get a bona fide nugget detector or you will be wasting your time and money trying to locate nuggets with anything less.

Most nuggets found with detectors are about a gram or less and there is no way that a Bounty Hunter can find one of those.

The cheapest good nugget detector that I know of would be the Fischer Gold Bug, sells new for $499 with acc. at kellyco

GG~

 

[mountainman22]

Thanks Goodguy! So would this Gold Bug Be the best in the $500 price range? I saw a bunch on Whites Goldmaster II being good for nuggets, and sells around $250-$350. Is this true or would the Fisher Gold Bug be best for the lowest price?

 

[Goodyguy]

Thanks Goodguy! So would this Gold Bug Be the best in the $500 price range? I saw a bunch on Whites Goldmaster II being good for nuggets, and sells around $250-$350. Is this true or would the Fisher Gold Bug be best for the lowest price?

A Whites Goldmaster II ? Must be used then since they haven't been in production since the 1990's
If you can get a barely used one for $250-$350 then ok. Same with the GMT $250- $350 for a barely used one would be a great deal.

Nowadays a new Whites GMT retails around $800 and that is what I use. and it compares in price to the Gold Bug II and Gold Bug Pro
And you may also want to check out the Tesoro Lobo as well, Retails for about $700. These are suggested retail prices and I'm sure you can find them much cheaper by surfing the net.

I would say that the Gold Bug (GB) for $499 is the best gold detector in it's price range. The GB2 has a higher frequency for detecting even tinyer pieces of gold but costs $300 more than the GB

 

[trinityau]

The GB Pro will sell from $595.00 and up and will find tiny pieces of gold just as well as GBII. With the new software on the market all this talk about frequencies really does not amount to much. The GBII is high frequency whereas the GB Pro is low frequency. Both will find pieces so small that it would take ten to make a grain. Just my opinions, TRINITYAU/RAYMILLS

 

[nuggetshooter323]

Ok Mountainman let's just back up here a minute...........are you saying that some kid found a 4oz'er at Point Bar or somewhere thereabouts? If you take me with you to that area, I'll bring all of my gold detectors and some other equipment, and you can try them all and see what you like. That way you can try out machines just for finding gold, and we might be able to score some sweet nuggets.PM me if your intrested. By the way, I work in Canon City, so I'm there five days a week.

 

[mountainman22]

Ok Mountainman let's just back up here a minute...........are you saying that some kid found a 4oz'er at Point Bar or somewhere thereabouts? If you take me with you to that area, I'll bring all of my gold detectors and some other equipment, and you can try them all and see what you like. That way you can try out machines just for finding gold, and we might be able to score some sweet nuggets.PM me if your intrested. By the way, I work in Canon City, so I'm there five days a week.

Sorry everybody!! Just saw this guy again and I misunderstood. It was a 4 gram nugget! Huge difference I guess

 

[nuggetshooter323]

Not only is that a great size, but where there's one there can be more.

 

[NeoTokyo]

4 ounces? 4 Grams?
HELL I would love to find either.

 

[james231]

For a low cost detector you have to find good dealer who provide you cheap detector and guide you about machine setup and give you all the advice needed to get started.If you have questions about, what does the discrimination do on a metal detector, what is the difference between a concentric and a wide-scan coil, or how deep will a metal detector detect, so remember you need to ask these questions to the person selling you the machine.

 

[signal_line]

Here's my take. You are in a gold producing area. I don't know how much you value your time, but if you figure $100 per day then how many skunked days with a cheap detector will it take to break even on a real gold detector? Two? Three? Four days?

 

[John-K]

I noticed mention of the Tesoro Lobo. When I read some of the reviews they seem to agree it does not do so well with smaller/fine gold. Is it more for "nugget"?