Initial Impressions - Nokta FoRs Gold Pro Pack

[DizzyDigger]

FedEx delivered my new Nokta FoRs Gold Pro Pack this morning,
and since then I've taken my time going through each and every
item included.

This is some piece of kit....

I'm very impressed with the manner in which it all was packed
into the case, and all the components fit neatly into their respective
compartments. Not sure if I'll ever backpack the detector, but the
case includes backpack straps, and after walking around the yard
with it on I found the pack to be very comfortable.

The fit and finish on all components is excellent.

I'll take some pics tomorrow as I assemble it, and then plan to
try it out in my driveway, as I'm sure there's at least some junk
to be found. I can also make a test field with coins, etc. to see
how it reacts at various depths. Would like to go for visit to
the local high school and do some coin shooting, but it is supposed
to be over 90F. [again] here tomorrow.

Think I'll spend the rest of the day planning that trip down to
the Mother Lode country...

 

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[HMiller]

I'd be curious on your thoughts after using it a while comparing it to your experience with the gold bug pro. Looks like a nice machine.

 

[QNCrazy]

Dizz, what part of the Motherlode were you planning on visiting? Maybe we can meet up and put these new machines of ours to the test.

 

[DizzyDigger]

Dizz, what part of the Motherlode were you planning on visiting?
Maybe we can meet up and put these new machines of ours to the test.

Sounds like a winner to me!

Trying to plan this for mid-late October as I'd like to avoid as much
of the hot weather as possible. I do plan to spend a couple days
around Crescent City with Jeff (95531), then head down the coast
to Arcata and take 299 back over to Redding.

Would also like to get together with NeoTokyo and a few others down
there, but have no idea how close y'all are to one another. Biggest issue
I have is where to stay in that area, as I'd planned to camp, and motels
are too damn expensive.

I'll have plenty of time, and the rest is just logistics, so you bet, let's
plan on getting together for a day or 2 of nugget shooting...

 

[DizzyDigger]

Yesterday evening I assembled the detector according to the instructions
in the manual. Didn't really need it to put the unit together, but I'm one of
those odd types that actually reads the instructions..

All of the components were well packed in the case and in perfect condition.
With the double-boxing that is typical of products manufactured in other
countries, a shipping company would really have to beat the crap out of the
package in order to damage the contents.

Assembly was very simple using the supplied parts (no tools required), and
they even included a second set of coil attachment hardware.

Once assembled, I picked it up to see how it felt in-hand, and I immediately
noticed how the forearm cuff was scraping against the inside arm of my elbow.
I re-adjusted the cuff to the most forward position, and after checking again
the edge of the cuff was still too far from the grip to be comfortable swinging
it:



This is probably no big issue for 90% of the users, but unfortunately I was
not blessed with long arms..

Also noticed that the back end of the control box was sticking out a bit further
than I would like. This too is more a personal preference, as with my balance
issues I'm prone to banging into things, so I try to be proactive and protect
stuff in advance.



My solution was one of two things: A) Request that Nokta send me a new S-shaft
that has a 5th hole so I can move the cuff mount more forward; or B) simply add the
hole myself. I chose "B", as it's pretty hard to screw up drilling a hole when you have
a template mounted to the shaft.

Had to check first to make sure there was clearance for the control box, and did find
that it was right up against the shaft, but just barely. Mounted the cuff using the back
hole, and then just drilled through the shaft.

Note in the results pic, below, that the cuff is now forward enough to be comfortable
swinging it all day.



It also got the control box moved forward enough to be much better protected
from my clumsiness:



Hope you all understand that in no way am I saying there is a defect in the
design, I moved the cuff forward to accommodate my own wishes. Also,
the scratches you see on the screen are only on the protective plastic
covering it. The screen is spotless.

Using the smaller 5" coil, I tested it out on my gravel driveway today. This driveway
consists of gravel from numerous locations, so being able to ground balance on
it is critical. The Nokta handled it like a champ..

Had a thunderstorm coming in, so didn't have but about 15 minutes to poke around,
but I did come up with three interesting targets:



For reference, that split-shot is 5/16th of an inch at it's widest point. Found it down
about 5", the little bit of metal was down about 3", and that small jewelry part was
down maybe an inch.

Tried it using just the external speaker, and also speaker/vibrate. The vibration
works excellent, but I have no doubt it will impact battery life. The sound through
the external speaker was very good, and I had no trouble hearing the tones.

Hoping that tomorrow afternoon it'll be cool enough that I can give it a try
at the local high school.

 

[QNCrazy]

Well I live in the Sonora area if you happen to get down this far. I will be hunting in the Alturas area the 10-18. If I fill my tag, maybe I'll jump on 299 and head to Redding myself.

Looks like you've got that thing together and are ready to go. I read on of Steve's reviews where he indicated the control box can also be adjusted by loosening and sliding the mounting bracket on the top of the control box.

Mine was in Arizona last night and should make it to Modesto today for delivery tomorrow. I can't wait.

Looking forward to hearing and seeing more of your results.

Mike

 

[trinityau]

Hello Mike, I am in Redding and I would be glad to meet up with you for a day hunt. I just have to wait till it is a bit closer as I have so much going on. You can contact me either by PM here on the forum or through my website, TRINITYAU.COM Thanks,TRINITYAU/RAYMILLS

 

[Armchair prospector]

I have only used the standard coil on mine. I need to check the other 2. Just to lazy to change. The targets are deep and very small. No gold yet.

 

[NeoTokyo]

Nice mod!
My forearm is too large to fit in the strap so I just use the strap as a pad and let my arm sit ontop of it.
I never noticed the problem because of how I use it, but when I was setting it up I did move it furthest forward because I felt that it was too far back.

Also a great way to keep that screen nice after the original plastic comes off, pick up some smart phone screen protectors from the dollar store.

One of the few design elements that I would like to see on the next generation is a waterproof quick disconnect on the cable about 8" off the coil to make switching coils super fast and easy.
I also found that the plastic cable hold downs popped off easily, especially swinging in the brush.
I use Velcro cable ties that you can get at WalMart or Best Buy.

I cant wait till you come down and we can head out on a hunt, that's awesome that Ray is up for it too, I hope that we can get a couple other guys together and have a good group hunt.

 

[QNCrazy]

Well Dizz, You get a chance to work that thing yet?

 

[DizzyDigger]

Hello Mike, I am in Redding and I would be glad to meet up with you for a day hunt.
I just have to wait till it is a bit closer as I have so much going on. You can contact me either by PM here on the
forum or through my website, TRINITYAU.COM Thanks,TRINITYAU/RAYMILLS

Ray, I will most definitely be looking forward to it, and will
get in touch once I get some dates settled. I plan to spend
several days in the Redding area, so if needed we can work
around your schedule.

Nice mod!
My forearm is too large to fit in the strap so I just use the strap as a pad
and let my arm sit ontop of it. I never noticed the problem because of how
I use it, but when I was setting it up I did move it furthest forward because
I felt that it was too far back.
Also a great way to keep that screen nice after the original plastic comes off,
pick up some smart phone screen protectors from the dollar store.

One of the few design elements that I would like to see on the next generation is
a waterproof quick disconnect on the cable about 8" off the coil to make switching
coils super fast and easy.I also found that the plastic cable hold downs popped off
easily, especially swinging in the brush.I use Velcro cable ties that you can get at
WalMart or Best Buy.
I cant wait till you come down and we can head out on a hunt, that's awesome that
Ray is up for it too, I hope that we can get a couple other guys together and have a
good group hunt.

Great idea on the cell phone screens. I've still got a dumb phone,
but my wife has had every iteration of "smart" phone out there,
and no doubt she's got a dozen of those screen covers. I've
already added the velcro wraps, as the last thing I want is a cable
moving around.

Not sure if the idea of adding a waterproof QD connector in the
coil cable is a good idea. Additional connectors in an antenna (coil)
line can be a source of antenna impedance mismatch, and also it
would create another location where EMI can possibly enter the line.
Great idea though!

BTW, I'm thrilled as hell about being able to get down there and not
only meet you all, but to get to spend a day or two out nugget shooting
is the frosting on the cake. My cat got sick of listening to me, so now
I'm driving my wife nuts about it....

My plan (at the moment) is to leave home about the 17th of Oct.,
spend a couple days in Crescent City, then run down 101 to
Arcata and across 299 to Redding.

Can you get away on a weekday, or should I adjust the schedule
so that I'm getting there on a Friday?

Well Dizz, You get a chance to work that thing yet?

Nope. Had a sky full of stars last night till about midnight, then we had
some big thunderstorms move in, and they've been camping out here in
the valley all day; it's still pissing down rain. We need it, bad, so
not a worry at all. If it dries out tomorrow I'll try to get over to the
local HS and see how the machine does on coins and jewelry.

Did receive the Apex Badger Lt pick yesterday...what a digging
tool!

 

[NeoTokyo]

Weekends work great, knowing a week or two in advance helps a lot.

 

[DizzyDigger]

Took the machine out on it's maiden adventure today. Weather finally
settled late this morning, and temp was a very nice 70F.

Didn't get over to the local HS till about 6pm, and immediately went
to work detecting a grassy area that is a popular spot for students
to sit, or eat lunch.

Used the 5" Double-D as mucho trash was expected.

Set it on DI3, sensitivity at about 80% and ID mask at 20.
Haven't read the ground balancing part in the manual yet,
so just manually ground balanced, which seemed to do fine.

Did notice that when you press the button for manual balancing
that the machine switches itself to all-metal mode for balancing, and
then resets back to the DI3 mode. There is a slight delay before
that reset takes place, so as I balanced again I just hit the trigger
and it immediately reset back to the DI3 mode..no delay.
(and yes, I'll read the rest of the manual tonight...)

I did notice, right off, that the detector has an extremely fast reset
time when in the area of multiple targets, and using the small coil it
was not difficult to distinguish targets that were within an inch of
each other. Pinpointing is very accurate, and I have little doubt that
this detector will locate coins that are rather deep.

Dug targets at depths from surface to several inches, and in each
case the ID was quite accurate. I've definitely got the numerical ID
for zincoln's down pat!

Spent about 90 minutes overall, and ended up with 15 zincolns,
2 dimes, a nickel and 2 quarters, one of which was at least 6" down
but still gave a very strong signal.

Did not use headphones. Tried the vibration feature out and found
it rather bothersome with the multitude of junk targets, but in all
honesty the external speaker was plenty loud enough for me to
hear all signals.

 

[QNCrazy]

Sounds like your working it out. I went out to my claim today and found a couple of copper bullets and lead bullets. However, busting through the trees, I lost my battery cover somewhere. Already emailed Nokta and Kellyco to see how they can help me. Time will tell.

 

[63bkpkr]

Diz,
The Nickel is a good sign as most detectors lump gold and nickels with a similar signal. I would suggest you try the nickel (record any settings/signals the machine offers) and then put some small gold object down and compare settings/signals to see if they are similar.

Best of Success with the new "TOY/TOOL".........................63bkpkr

 

[californiagold]

Dizzy if your using d3 mode you can crank it up to 100 sens. It will handle the soil just fine. Also more depth. Its a little bump sensitive at 100. Which is common for any detector cranked way up.
Targets id's are based on size more then anything. So if you find a piece of gold the size of a nickel then the id will be somewhere around the nickel id. If you hunting nonferrous metals including gold, you need to dig everything over 40 id. Small gold is usually 40's and birdshot. Little bigger gold dwt or so 50's and bigger gold 60's - 80's depends on how big. Same for all other nonferrous metals like lead. Copper usually goes off little higher then gold. So if they were same size copper will be alittle higher. Of course silver is higher yet. Nonferrous targets with a uniform size will tend for the target id's to be close together or same each swing. Like a coin , 22 empty, pellet gun pellets. Etc. Most gold is erratic shaped so the id will jump around alittle bit.
Good luck

 

[Jim Hemmingway]

Good stuff Dizz... hope you're happy with the new unit. Seems that everyone gives good reviews and pretty impressive performance by all accounts. Been tempted to get one just to have something different for a change over here. Good luck and we'll be looking forward to seeing your first Gold Fors nugget!!!

Jim.

 

[DizzyDigger]

Edited this post, as I've identified the issue, and don't want to
leave incorrect info which could sway others decisions.

 

[QNCrazy]

Man Dizz sorry to hear that. I'm sure Kellyco will take care of you. Even though I found my battery cover, the replacement hasn't arrive.

 

[QNCrazy]

So this was in all modes? What about your threshold and id mask settings, were those out of whack? Just some thoughts trying to help.