Nugget locator that works.

[phishisgroovin]

Today i was in Monroe washington at the gold show.

I took all my bitty nuggets in my little nugget containers to see what metal detector would pick them up and sound off.

Stopped on the first nugget, the smallest one i brought with me.

Whites Goldmaster GMT, i am determined to save up the capitol and get me this one. it sounded off before the nugget got 6 inches from the small coil. i was very pleased.

 

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[woof!]

Kentman, beware "dealer tricks", or worse yet seeing something happen that's actually for real, but you don't understand what it was. (I'm not accusing the dealer of anything, just encouraging you to engage in a bit of skepticism. I've seen "dealer tricks" myself at gold shows.

I'm not knocking the GMT (I designed it) nor am I telling what to buy (even though I work for FTP-Fisher). Just sayin', you wouldn't buy a car just because you liked the way the engine sounds. If you're having to save a few bucks before you can buy a machine, you have time to do a bit of research and decide what to buy based on a whole lot more than what you saw happen at one booth at a trade show.

Since you have a few hours between now and the time you plunk down your money, I recommend you read my book "Gold Prospecting with a VLF Metal Detector", available as a .pdf file on both the Fisher and Teknetics websites. No matter what machine you wind up buying (even if it's a PI rather than a VLF, and we don't even make PI's), it will prove to be a valuable resource.

FTP-Fisher offers several machines which are competent gold prospecting machines. In our lineup, if you're a beginner, my recommendation is the Gold Bug Pro or the Teknetics G2 with the 5 inch searchcoil. Same guts, different externals. We have machines that will find tinier stuff (GB2) and deeper stuff (T2SE) but they are harder to learn how to use effectively as well as usually being more expensive. Again, that money thing, you're saving up for it. We aren't all so rich that we can see-and-buy something and figure out later if it was what we really wanted.

Steve Herschbach's website has an excellent essay comparing various gold machines. And he's just about as unbiased as it gets. For anyone contemplating buying a gold machine, it's a very good read. Sorry, don't remember the URL but it's not hard to find.

Wishing you the best whatever it is that you get,

--Dave J.

 

[LinkHylian]

That's about as an Official an answer as it can get!! Listen to the woof!

 

[DizzyDigger]

Today i was in Monroe Washington at the gold show.

Rats! I've watching for this show and didn't see it advertised anywhere...

 

[TerryC]

Kentman, beware "dealer tricks", or worse yet seeing something happen that's actually for real, but you don't understand what it was. (I'm not accusing the dealer of anything, just encouraging you to engage in a bit of skepticism. I've seen "dealer tricks" myself at gold shows.

I'm not knocking the GMT (I designed it) nor am I telling what to buy (even though I work for FTP-Fisher). Just sayin', you wouldn't buy a car just because you liked the way the engine sounds. If you're having to save a few bucks before you can buy a machine, you have time to do a bit of research and decide what to buy based on a whole lot more than what you saw happen at one booth at a trade show.

Since you have a few hours between now and the time you plunk down your money, I recommend you read my book "Gold Prospecting with a VLF Metal Detector", available as a .pdf file on both the Fisher and Teknetics websites. No matter what machine you wind up buying (even if it's a PI rather than a VLF, and we don't even make PI's), it will prove to be a valuable resource.

FTP-Fisher offers several machines which are competent gold prospecting machines. In our lineup, if you're a beginner, my recommendation is the Gold Bug Pro or the Teknetics G2 with the 5 inch searchcoil. Same guts, different externals. We have machines that will find tinier stuff (GB2) and deeper stuff (T2SE) but they are harder to learn how to use effectively as well as usually being more expensive. Again, that money thing, you're saving up for it. We aren't all so rich that we can see-and-buy something and figure out later if it was what we really wanted.

Steve Herschbach's website has an excellent essay comparing various gold machines. And he's just about as unbiased as it gets. For anyone contemplating buying a gold machine, it's a very good read. Sorry, don't remember the URL but it's not hard to find.

Wishing you the best whatever it is that you get,

--Dave J.

Dave, Some of the new guys may need a refresher.... where can they find your "book" again.... ? Tnx again. TTC

 

[DizzyDigger]

Terry: Just finished reading it, and it was well worth the time spent (even for an experienced hunter).

Here's a link: http://www.fisherlab.com/hobby/davejohnson/Dave'sGoldbook-printer.pdf

 

[Terry Soloman]

A superb resource, and kudos to Fisher for putting it up free of charge! http://www.fisherlab.com/hobby/davejohnson/Dave%27sGoldbook-printer.pdf Thanks Dave for reminding us about this. I'm going to post the link on our AGA Facebook page!

 

[Steve Herschbach]

Here is a great "dealer trick" with the GMT and Gold Bug 2. The detectors will pick up your bare hand, that is how hot they are! So I grasp your bitty little gold in my fist and wave my fist under the coil with the machine jacked to the max.

The vial could be empty and you are going to see a good signal at several inches. Especially if you are measuring in your mind from where that vial is instead of the back of my fist.

and thanks Dave... Big kudo coming from you. Here is that link Steve's Guide to Gold Nugget Detectors

Steve Herschbach

 

[AzViper]

Anyone have a printable copy of the Fisher Lab PDF file? I selected to print both sides to make a book and its all screwed up pages backwards etc. I have printed printed many PDF's and never have had this problem printing both side.

 

[phishisgroovin]

wow, Bare hand? he is a local retailer too so i will go bust his nuts in front of other customers now lol!

 

[jmoller99]

Keep in mind that air tests (ie. where you are holding your sample some distance from the detector coils - waving it around) are not really the same as searching thru mineralized ground. Some ground is easy to search in, others are next to impossible.

Try to find someone near you that works the gold in your area to try to help you understand what you are up against & maybe you will be able to determine what will work for you.

 

[Steve Herschbach]

The Goldmaster series, including the GMT, and the Gold Bug 2 are a few of the only detectors so hot that they detect the human body. We do conduct electricity but very poorly, so poorly most detectors will not sound off on the human body. The GMT and Gold Bug 2 will, and that tells you just how hot they are on small gold.

It is also why they are of limited usefullness searching for bullets in animal bodies and other weird applications I have been involved in. Root wads or thick roots also can signal with these machines.

 

[woodstock]

I still would be beware of dealer tricks . I was duped into buying a crappy detector (name will not be mentioned) back in the early 80's . But the guy used a "shill" like in a auction . He came running into the little shop all excited with a nugget he claimed to just have found using the same brand .
Later I found out it was his business partner and he scammed many buyers this way . He is no longer in business . And most any detector can be set off due to mineral content of the soil . HH , Woodstock

 

[Jim Hemmingway]

DJ’s suggestion is simply that you do some research on various gold-capable units currently available, and not make a decision based on one questionable exposure to one unit in a showroom scenario.

Keep in mind that the dealer could have made an honest oversight by detecting his hand… with whatever commotion was going on around the booth at that particular moment. I’ve done it myself without thinking when company is in the house. But… regardless of whether or not the dealer employed trickery… there is absolutely no trickery about the GMT.

The GMT strictly as a nugget hunter is an excellent choice with a proven track record. The dedicated high frequency gold units… GMT and Goldbug2… see the very tiniest sub-grain pieces. Each unit has advantages and disadvantages… it is up to you to research them.

For example… the GMT has a full ground balance range …with a visual readout, and three ground-balance options that in concert with the variable SAT control will cover just about every ground mineral scenario you will encounter… short of using a suitable ground-balancing PI unit over tough magnetic susceptible ground. It has an audio / visual iron ID for shallow ferrous trash, adjustable threshold, and a visual black sand (magnetic susceptibility) indicator.

Compare these features to other models when researching… and consider how each unit will handle high magnetic susceptible ground minerals, hotrocks, iron trash, and to what size gold it will respond.

If you haven’t seen the GMT in action, preview the video below and take note that Gerry McMullen is using preset control settings including the gain, and is using the stock 10” elliptical DD. Nonetheless, listen to the signal produced over that small piece…



Metal detection technology has improved sufficiently that some modern mid-range frequency units… especially those equipped with small “shooter” coils… have good sensitivity to shallow sub-grain nuggets and offer an advantage over the high frequency units on deeper larger pieces. These mid-range units offer additional relic / coin versatility as a part of the package… if those pursuits interest you.

Jim.

 

[TerryC]

Here is a great "dealer trick" with the GMT and Gold Bug 2. The detectors will pick up your bare hand, that is how hot they are! So I grasp your bitty little gold in my fist and wave my fist under the coil with the machine jacked to the max.

The vial could be empty and you are going to see a good signal at several inches. Especially if you are measuring in your mind from where that vial is instead of the back of my fist.

and thanks Dave... Big kudo coming from you. Here is that link Steve's Guide to Gold Nugget Detectors

Steve Herschbach

Steve, I've been to your page(s) more than once. One of this hobby's LEADERS for sure! Tnx. TTC

 

[nuggetshooter323]

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, is the GMT and the MXT the only nugget detectors with VSAT? I know the PI's have speed control, but I can't think of any other VLF that has something like VSAT, and if they do it's might be just a two position switch. This was one of the features that sold me on the GMT.

 

[Steve Herschbach]

V/SAT is nice. White's has it on the Goldmaster V/SAT, Goldmaster 3, Goldmaster 4/B, GMT, and MXT plus Eagle, XLT, DFX, and V3i. The Gold Bug 2 lets you vary the autotune rate via the Mineralization switch, but as you note it is a three position control. Basically fast, medium, and slow, but it also changes the gain at the same time.

You may be right in that only White's seems to have a variable autotune rate. Other detectors have various controls that vary the number of filters which indirectly affects the sweep speed, or the ground tracking speed (Minelab) but I do not recall any other brands as having a Variable Self Adjusting Threshold (V/SAT) in the form of a variable control. If anybody thinks of any I would like to hear about it.

 

[magnetorque]

Woof,
What is the difference between TI and VLF? I am saving up to buy a Whites TDI, I have used several metal detectors, including the gmt, the xlt and the mxt, as well as an older garrett. I feel i need a detector that can hone in on ore rather then coins, that is why I'm hoping for a TDI. What do you suggest?

 

[AzViper]

If anyone would like a copy of Gold Prospecting with a VLF Metal Detector in Microsoft Word let me know. I have enlarged the text and when printed its on full sheets. I had trouble printing the PDF to make a booklet. From page to page the pages were out of order and text was up side down. This copy is much easier to read. I can send it as MS Word or PDF.

 

[woof!]

Woof,
What is the difference between TI and VLF? I am saving up to buy a Whites TDI, I have used several metal detectors, including the gmt, the xlt and the mxt, as well as an older garrett. I feel i need a detector that can hone in on ore rather then coins, that is why I'm hoping for a TDI. What do you suggest?

Guess I don't understand your question. The TDI isn't VLF, it's Pulse Induction. If after reading Steve's Guide to Nugget Detectors and my Gold Prospecting with a VLF and getting advice from people who do gold prospecting in your area you decide you'd like a TDI, go ahead and get it.

--Dave J.