Gold Detector Questions

[El Dorado Seeker]

Hi,

I'm aware of the fact that there are various metal detectors out there, but I'm unsure if there is anything specifically for gold - also at a cheap price.

Are there any "gold detectors" - detectors that only beep/signal when they find gold in the ground?

I would like to know if there is such a thing... a detector that doesn't get set off above a single lost nail of nickel...

I'd also like to know: how deep can these hand-held machines detect?

Thanks in advance,

 

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[enamel7]

As a quick response, the answer is "no".

 

[nuggetshooter323]

That about sums it up.

As a quick response, the answer is "no".

 

[NeoTokyo]

Your going to dig a lot of trash before you dig gold (In most cases) the detector is detecting a range and many things fall into that range.
You can learn the sound of your detector and read the bars and graph to get get a finer idea of what might be gold but in the end you can still dig far more trash items than gold.

Depending on the detector and the coil it can go a couple inches to around 18" or so.

I run a Gold Bug Pro and the deepest target I have hit so far was about 12" with my 5" coil.

 

[signal_line]

There are higher frequency machines out there that sound off better on gold than on silver, but they also sound off on iron. Some have discrimination but these mostly will eliminate the small gold at the same time. The Garrett AT Gold in all metal mode can check for iron without losing any depth, but you will still pick up all other metals.

The only thing I know of that is even close to what you want is an LRL (Long Range Locator).

 

[Terry Soloman]

Hi,

I'm aware of the fact that there are various metal detectors out there, but I'm unsure if there is anything specifically for gold - also at a cheap price.

Are there any "gold detectors" - detectors that only beep/signal when they find gold in the ground?

I would like to know if there is such a thing... a detector that doesn't get set off above a single lost nail of nickel...

I'd also like to know: how deep can these hand-held machines detect?

Thanks in advance,

No, there are no "cheap" gold specific metal detectors. No, they do not just pick up gold.

"Gold" metal detectors start around $700.00 and go up to around $6,500.00. All of them hunt in "All Metal." Once you discriminate out aluminum and nickel, you also lose gold. Here is a list og GOOD gold nugget metal detectors:

Tesoro Lobo Super Traq
Whites GMT
Fisher Goldbug II
Teknetics G2
Minelab Xterra 705
Minelab GPX 4000; GPX 5000

A Minelab GPX 5000 can hit a 1/4oz gold nugget at 21"+ and I have watched as a 2.7oz nugget was dug at 32" deep.

 

[El Dorado Seeker]

Thanks to all who gave detailed advice...

I know that there are some machines that based on density can detect non-gold inlays in gold bullion bars. I know some professionals are using them to see whether a gold bar is really made up of gold inside as well.
Probably you hear about the famous tungsten-filled gold bars. Outside gold, inside tungsten. Some can actually detect that. So the machine shows different layers of different density metals inside.

I thought there's something like this for detecting gold in the ground.

There are geologists who claim there's gold in the ground in certain areas. Some claim they can detect from satellites "what's under the ground". Recently I hear about a gold mine opening in a mountainous area where they claim there are tons of gold in the ground...

It's sounds strange to hear there's nothing to detect it from "up close"...

I wonder if airport security scans can detect gold - distinguishing it from other metals?

 

[Goodyguy]

Thanks to all who gave detailed advice...

I know that there are some machines that based on density can detect non-gold inlays in gold bullion bars. I know some professionals are using them to see whether a gold bar is really made up of gold inside as well.
Probably you hear about the famous tungsten-filled gold bars. Outside gold, inside tungsten. Some can actually detect that. So the machine shows different layers of different density metals inside.

I thought there's something like this for detecting gold in the ground.

There are geologists who claim there's gold in the ground in certain areas. Some claim they can detect from satellites "what's under the ground". Recently I hear about a gold mine opening in a mountainous area where they claim there are tons of gold in the ground...

It's sounds strange to hear there's nothing to detect it from "up close"...

I wonder if airport security scans can detect gold - distinguishing it from other metals?

First off, the tungsten filled gold bars were only a rumor.
The speed of sound thru tungsten is different from that with gold and would be detectible with any ultrasound scanner.

Also gold has a specific gravity of 19.32 and tungsten of 19.25. So precision measuring and weighing devices which are now available all over the world, could measure a bar and easily calculate its exact volume and weight, thus determining whether the bar was pure gold or not.

Airport metal detectors are not designed to distinguish metals..

If you do find a detector that only sounds off on gold and no other metals, Please let us know!

* don't believe everything you read on the internet... even though I am a French model....

Bonjour,
GG~

 

[Lanny in AB]

As others have told you, gold detectors are metal detectors. Gold is a metal, so is silver, so is aluminum. The problem with gold detecting in the outdoors is that gold is rarely found in mild soil Usually the soil is mild to hot electronically, which means that not only do you need a metal detector, but you need one with circuitry that will handle the background mineralization in the soil so that you can "hear" a piece of gold, or other conductive metal, and separate that sound from the background clutter of mineralization.

So, gold detectors are metal detectors with highly specialized circuitry designed to cut out as much ground mineralization as possible so that your detector can receive the signal from a piece of conductive metal in a goldfield. Some detectors have a readout that approximates the value or signature of the metal under the coil, but discrimination and signature circuitry for extreme conditions where some of the best gold is to be found has not been perfected yet. I hear good things about the Gold Bug Pro with its discrimination circuit, but I don't believe it excels in extreme ground, and once again, it does not specifically detect only gold.

Good luck, and I think everyone (including Goodguy, etc.) that seriously hunts gold nuggets is anxiously waiting for the day that someone invents a "gold only" detector. It would sure simplify things.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[NeoTokyo]

I met GoodGuy once, took his pic.

Awesome guy.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Those French models all look the same..

 

[Lanny in AB]

Those French models all look the same..

Ha, ha. They certainly do.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[El Dorado Seeker]

First off, the tungsten filled gold bars were only a rumor.
The speed of sound thru tungsten is different from that with gold and would be detectible with any ultrasound scanner.

Also gold has a specific gravity of 19.32 and tungsten of 19.25. So precision measuring and weighing devices which are now available all over the world, could measure a bar and easily calculate its exact volume and weight, thus determining whether the bar was pure gold or not.

Airport metal detectors are not designed to distinguish metals..

If you do find a detector that only sounds off on gold and no other metals, Please let us know!

* don't believe everything you read on the internet... even though I am a French model....

Bonjour,
GG~

Oh no, I didn't read anything, just thinking - perhaps there is a gold detector. But it seems like we can send men to the Moon and space, but we cannot create metal distinguishing detectors.

As for the tungsten-filled bars: what rumor? It's true. It's practiced very often. Certain clients reported being scammed by dealers. I've seen several shows of cut bars with tungsten in them.

I don't think it's just a rumor. This one is unfortunately true. Especially with large bars...

 

[Goodyguy]

Oh no, I didn't read anything, just thinking - perhaps there is a gold detector. But it seems like we can send men to the Moon and space, but we cannot create metal distinguishing detectors.

As for the tungsten-filled bars: what rumor? It's true. It's practiced very often. Certain clients reported being scammed by dealers. I've seen several shows of cut bars with tungsten in them.

I don't think it's just a rumor. This one is unfortunately true. Especially with large bars...

Sorry..... I was having a little fun.

Yes it's sad but true..... there have been and will continue to be instances where gold bars are faked.

I agree with you that with all the latest advances in technology that it seems there should be a gold specific detector available. Especially now with the price of gold being so high, that type of detector would sell like crazy worldwide!

Sure would save a lot of time from digging non gold targets.
The way it's going, in a few years it just might even be a phone app.

GG~

 

[Hoser John]

LRL is soooo much bs it's a real industry joke. No post here even mentions the 1 and ONLY detector that will do what ya seek and a few folks are smart enough to cash in. Since 1985 Tesoro--lifetime guarantee-has made the Golden Sabre model with the notch discriminator that will both REJECT OR ACCEPT ONLY MODES. What you have is a dual stacked pots that feed the first dics signal to the 2nd notch pot to accapt or reject a refined signal. I bought one of the first units for my store to demo at the beach as the absolute worst trashy areas on the planet. 1st disc is set to dump normal iron and junk,and 2nd disc is set to accept gold/silver only. Who wants to waste time with pennies,nickles and dimes-I WANT THE GOLD AND SILVER. It has been MUCH refined with a micro processor and lighter even though my ol'relic(just rebuilt and all new coils for free-god bless Tesoro ) is belt mountable built in. It is a vlf machine with auto GB and used to get chattery in high mineralization. THEN Tesoro came out with the double stacked DD coil and viola a better than average gold machine. Some folks only want the trophies,hahahaha, as the dics do lose the smaller gold but some lazy folks don't like digging. Many better units--GB 2-GB Pro,Tesoro TSL ifn ya wanna work and get it ALL but remember any/every machine be it bfo/tr/vlf/pulse is ONLY as good as the operator and that is the real problem.. So yes you CAN go for gold/silver only if you seek the knowledge and expertise to test EACH AND EVERY UNIT MADE as like women, one mans nirvana is yet anothers purgatory--John

 

[Goodyguy]

Wouldn't take much of an operator if there was a detector that only sounded off when it passed over gold.

While we're dreaming, it should also detect fly speck gold at a foot or more and nuggets up to 3 feet deep.

 

[Hoser John]

Whats this dreamn bs?? Fact for almost 30 years,educate and learn,pontification through ignorance gets no one nowhere--Proven in the goldfields with dozens of witness from the local yokel club outing as I found a 1+ oz white quartz matrix/gold nugget under a trash pile ,on a disguarded cobbles mound in French Gulch and won find a the month. I much prefer my GB2/TLST though as I want it all. Specialized units for almost any circumstance rocks my world as I invest my time and enery to learn how to wring out every bit of performance from any/all machines I've used/sold and repped for many years. Same club I set up detector comparison tests with and Tesoro utilized my written comparisons in the annual detector book for 3 years on my Gold Demon/Lobo precurser testing for them-John

 

[Goodyguy]

Whats this dreamn bs?? Fact for almost 30 years,educate and learn,pontification through ignorance gets no one nowhere--Proven in the goldfields with dozens of witness from the local yokel club outing as I found a 1+ oz white quartz matrix/gold nugget under a trash pile ,on a disguarded cobbles mound in French Gulch and won find a the month. I much prefer my GB2/TLST though as I want it all. Specialized units for almost any circumstance rocks my world as I invest my time and enery to learn how to wring out every bit of performance from any/all machines I've used/sold and repped for many years. Same club I set up detector comparison tests with and Tesoro utilized my written comparisons in the annual detector book for 3 years on my Gold Demon/Lobo precurser testing for them-John

 

[Hoser John]

Great ol'unit rebuilt for yet another 27 years a trashy fun--John PS-Sorry to come off a mite hostile but have 2 idjets blazing all posts and about to fix that problem for good.. I can even make a ol'school TR unit sing like a angel with reverse discrimination but BFO nope hahahaha--again sorry if short--at 5'6" always so---John

 

[Goodyguy]