need help hunting gold nuggets

[Carson Coin Master]

So I was wondering if anyone here knows anything about detecting nuggets I have never done this before and I am not sure if my machine is even capable I have a garrett gtax550 and although its great at finding clad and other junk i do not know if it is capable to find nuggets. I know my location is not an issue I live in Mound House, NV which is between carson city and Dayton, NV and only 5 miles south of Virginia city, NV So my question is can my machine handle nuggets and where do i find them or go to look for them?

 

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[GibH]

The 550 isn't going to be your best choice for nugget shooting. VLF gold detectors usually have a much higher frequency, higher gain, and some kind of ground tracking. You might want to look for a nice used Lobo ST. Users report that it is also a decent multi-purpose detector as is the White's MXT.

 

[dtpost]

So I was wondering if anyone here knows anything about detecting nuggets I have never done this before and I am not sure if my machine is even capable I have a garrett gtax550 and although its great at finding clad and other junk i do not know if it is capable to find nuggets. I know my location is not an issue I live in Mound House, NV which is between carson city and Dayton, NV and only 5 miles south of Virginia city, NV So my question is can my machine handle nuggets and where do i find them or go to look for them?

By switching your coil you can sometimes, also switch the freq. of the detector. Your machine is set up for you to be able to switch your coil for better results in certain types of soil conditions and targets. If I were you I would call Garrett and see what they think about you using another coil for nugget shooting with that detector. Also call Coiltek they have a lot of coils set up just for that purpose. Don't ever let anyone sell you on the belief, that your machine won't shoot nuggets, it will!!!!!!!!!!!! You have auto ground balance on your machine and works great in nugget shooting soils, the MXT that I use to use would grunt when I would found gold. Lay out some copper (not a penny) and set your machine to it, this is the setting you will use for gold or if you have some gold lay it out too, you'll see what I'm saying after you do this.......Hope this helps

 

[Hemisteve]

I am in Tahoe and get to Carson City a few times a month. If you are interested in getting together for some nugget shooting maybe we can help each other. There are some places near Dayton I have been researching and would like to run them by a local to see if they are viable or not. I have a Goldmaster V/Sat that you could use if you want to try it out.

Lets talk offline about this or maybe meet for lunch
Send me a PM if you are interested
Steve

 

[goldseeker4000]

First of all dtposts comment on switching your coil to get a different freq., is not possible with any detector from any company exept Minelab, the X-terra class detectors. All the other, switching coils only allows you to reach deeper or be more sensitive with the existing freq. The x-terra class, freq is determined by switching coils low, medium and high. You can find gold with that Garrett but the nuggetts will need to be larger and fairly shallow. If you want to hunt nuggetts get a GOLD detector. You will be better off seriously looking at 1st choice Minelab, any of their gold detectors, 2nd choice Fisher goldbug series. Whites detectors are not the easiest to learn how to use. Do yourself a favor and stick with Minelab. You won't regreat it. you will have alot of fun detecting for nuggetts. Join a club in your area or region and talk with them and learn what they have to teach you. There are few things more frustrating than spending alot of money for a detector, one that you think will make do, and finding out you should have spent more money to get a high quality detector designed for hunting gold nuggets. you get what you pay for and one more thing. There is a reason Minelab is the industry leader in metal detecting. They reign supreme when it comes to detcting nuggets. I don't believe anyone else will ever catch up with them in terms of quality and results. Minelabs are very user friendly and you can be up and running fast.

 

[Frankn]

Goldseeker4000 is right about the coils, in fact you have to use a coil that matches the detector frequency. But as far as detectors I think He is stuck in an expensive Minelab groove. I like Whites because I think they are the most reliable detector, my two whites detectors are 10+ years old and still going strong. I am not bias because I choose the best detector for the job. I also have a Hays 2 Box and a Vibra-Tector.
Now let me say your detector will pick up nuggets, but not the very small ones that a Minelab can find. When prospecting I use my Whites XLT in prospect prog. or my whites surfmaster PI . They both find them with no problem.
I Use to use a Fisher Goldbug II but lost it in a fire. Frank

 

[dtpost]

First of all dtposts comment on switching your coil to get a different freq., is not possible with any detector from any company exept Minelab, the X-terra class detectors. All the other, switching coils only allows you to reach deeper or be more sensitive with the existing freq. The x-terra class, freq is determined by switching coils low, medium and high. You can find gold with that Garrett but the nuggetts will need to be larger and fairly shallow. If you want to hunt nuggetts get a GOLD detector. You will be better off seriously looking at 1st choice Minelab, any of their gold detectors, 2nd choice Fisher goldbug series. Whites detectors are not the easiest to learn how to use. Do yourself a favor and stick with Minelab. You won't regreat it. you will have alot of fun detecting for nuggetts. Join a club in your area or region and talk with them and learn what they have to teach you. There are few things more frustrating than spending alot of money for a detector, one that you think will make do, and finding out you should have spent more money to get a high quality detector designed for hunting gold nuggets. you get what you pay for and one more thing. There is a reason Minelab is the industry leader in metal detecting. They reign supreme when it comes to detcting nuggets. I don't believe anyone else will ever catch up with them in terms of quality and results. Minelabs are very user friendly and you can be up and running fast.

By swithing the coil on Whites MXT does change the freg. and an oscilloscope will prove it.........................

 

[woof!]

The MXT is crystal controlled and changing the coil does not change the frequency.

Nowadays there are a number of good gold machines from several manufacturers. The Minelab PI's mentioned by a couple of folks who posted have excellent performance, but they are very expensive and not user-friendly.


--Toto