Newb needs some guidance from you pros out there.

[BornOnFire]

I'm a newb in MD'ing and on TNet as well. I purchased a Bounty Hunter Tracker IV after using it for about two months now, I feel pretty comfortable on it. I have detected tot-lots and parks for coins (with good success) and also searched relic sites in the hills around Southern AZ-which is where I reside. I'm pretty sure that this is going to be a hobby that I'll stick with. The feeling I get in my gut when that detector rings up is full of fire. Even if I am diggin' up old nuts and bolts, I still get the thrill over and over again. That is what it's all about for me- oh, and the valuable treasure is a nice bonus too! I can't wait for the day when I start finding the good stuff. I joined the local Gold Diggers Club so that I can hunt on some local claims. Maybe that's where I'll find my first nugget. Then again, maybe not. Who knows? One thing I do know is that my chances will get better with the right equipment.
With that in mind, here is where I need some guidance. My question is regarding my next step forward from where I am now. I have been searching Google Earth and referring to some local historic maps to scout out some old pioneer mining and prospector camps from the late 1800 and early 1900's. I have located some pretty nice sites and I want to go check them out. (Of course, only if I can get legal access and permissions.) My Tracker 4 is a great machine and I am definitely a believer, however, I am also aware that it is not much of a Gold Detector as far as depth and Ground Balancing goes. Here in Southern, AZ the ground is very mineral-rich and some of these sites that I plan on searching are located within obvious mineral deposits. (Prospectors were not dumb when it came to finding where to dig). With this in mind, I have decided that it's time to get another detector to add to the Tracker 4. I want to stay around $500.00 and possibly buy used to get more machine for the money. This is where I need help from the pros. I suppose I just need a good push in the right direction as far as a machine that can do what I need it to. Some units I am considering are the Tesoro Lobo, Fischer Gold Bug II, or the Garret AT Pro. With these machines in mind, am I actually headed the right direction or should I save and buy the Cadillac? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, I am unworthy.....

 

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[Smudge]

The only one on your list I wouldn't get for nugget hunting is the AT Pro. I think you will want a more dedicated gold hunter for that.

The Lobo or the Gold Bug should do just fine.

 

[Sandman]

Smudge is right. When they say the AT Pro can find nuggets, they must mean ones about 2 LB.

 

[Keppy]

The only one on your list I wouldn't get for nugget hunting is the AT Pro. I think you will want a more dedicated gold hunter for that.

The Lobo or the Gold Bug should do just fine.

Smudge & Sandman are right for gold you want the Lobo or Gold Bug........

 

[BornOnFire]

Those can't be the only two choices out there? My heart says go for the Lobo. It's made in my home state and comes with a lifetime guarantee but my brain says Gold Bug. Mainly because from what I read, it sure seems that the Gold Bug II finds all the deep gold out there! That would work well for me because most of the Placer gold here in AZ has been sniffed out already. I need a machine that can find the deep stuff and handle the ground balancing required.

 

[extractor]

I've hunted AZ a lot . The Tesoro Lobo, Fischer Gold Bug II are good choices. The other detectors that Ive seen produce nugetts are the , Whites GMZ , Fisher GB and GB3, and the MINELAB 3500 , 4000 and 5000.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

You need to decide what your budget is, decide what the max your budget is..... There is a big price difference in some of the gold detectors......... I would love to have the Minelab 5000 as I plan on hunting Az myself for gold and silver in some of the old mining areas next year durring a vacation, but I can't retire for 3 more years so I can't justify the cost of the 5000 now.......

 

[BornOnFire]

The Minelabs 35k, 4k and 5k are the way out of my league at this point. Don't get me wrong, I would love to learn how to own and operate any one of them but I am not worthy yet. Ha Ha.....I need to get some more "beepin' and diggin'" under my belt first. I reckon I'll get out there this weekend to walk some of these sites I mentioned earlier but I know that deep down, I'll be wondering if the tracker is missing the mark that a nicer machine could find. Anybody have any info on the Tek G2? Thanks for all of the reply's so far.

 

[BornOnFire]

After some searching, I am really looking at the Fisher Gold Bug DP. It looks like a newer model but I'm curious how other folks like it's performance. Also, there is an older Fisher "Coin Strike" for sale locally for $150.00. My research tells me it was a great detector in its day but it's about 10 years old now. Nonetheless, $150 is well below my budget. This situation is brain racking and a hell on my nerves. I want to make the right choice but, man, there are so many! Lord help me!

 

[Keppy]

After some searching, I am really looking at the Fisher Gold Bug DP. It looks like a newer model but I'm curious how other folks like it's performance. Also, there is an older Fisher "Coin Strike" for sale locally for $150.00. My research tells me it was a great detector in its day but it's about 10 years old now. Nonetheless, $150 is well below my budget. This situation is brain racking and a hell on my nerves. I want to make the right choice but, man, there are so many! Lord help me!

Well if you get the new Gold Bug DP or Pro they are very good detectors ... for Gold and coins ........ The Coinstrike i don't know much about.........

 

[Sandman]

Stick with the dedicated gold detectors. This is not the time to go cheap cause you want a new detector. The Coin Strike is not good for gold nuggets or pickers. It doesn't have the gain necessary.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Stick with the dedicated gold detectors. This is not the time to go cheap cause you want a new detector. The Coin Strike is not good for gold nuggets or pickers. It doesn't have the gain necessary.

The coin strike was okay for coins in its day, as Sandman says it is not a gold detector, if you want to search for gold get a gold detector..... Buying the Coin Strike to hunt for gold is like buying a cane pole to go deepsea fishing.......

 

[Bart@Big Boys Hobbies]

Born on Fire,
I would go with Gold Bug II since it will hit the smallest nuggets the best. Then The Gold Bug Pro since it will hit small nuggets and coins as well. Call me if you have any questions or need better pricing. Love to help explain them to you. Thanks, bart

 

[Frankn]

Well, several years back I had a gold bug II. It was a great nugget detector. It paid for itself on a few claims in Quartzsite. I am a member of GPAA. If you are serious about nugget hunting, join it. You get a phonebook size listing of claims you can work. I lost the gold bug II in a fire,still miss it
but I am mainly a cache hunter now so my equipment needs have shifted. Frank

 

[BornOnFire]

Gold Bug II looks like the deal for me but I have been looking at the Gold Bug DP. The options seem the same from first glance but why the price difference? Name only?

 

[BornOnFire]

....or maybe just the Double D coil??

 

[Frankn]

When you buy a car ,if it is new or a couple of years old, they both do the same thing, that is take you from point A to point B. The newer one always cost more ! Frank

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Born on Fire,
I would go with Gold Bug II since it will hit the smallest nuggets the best. Then The Gold Bug Pro since it will hit small nuggets and coins as well. Call me if you have any questions or need better pricing. Love to help explain them to you. Thanks, bart

You should define "small nuggets" IMO the lower end gold machine will not hit the smaller more realistic size nuggets that commonly lay beneath the surface. In my opinion the Minelab Eureka gold is the better of lower end gold machines for the money. I used mine quite often in the Mineral belt of Colorado finding the smaller more realistic gold nuggets. With a coil change, it isn't a bad relic machine either. The Gold Bug is a fine machine as well, and can be used for relic hunting too.

I have been selling many of these Minelab Eureka Gold, and Fisher Gold Bug Pro's lately.

Give me a call Toll free at 855-966-3563 for any more advice and great pricing!

Mike

 

[Frankn]

If it will hit small nuggets, it will hit coins ! Frank

 

[woof!]

The Gold Bug II is hot on the tiniest nuggets, but is not an easy machine to become proficient with, pretty useless for anything other than gold prospecting. If what you want is a multipurpose machine that's got the kind of performance associated with a dedicated gold machine, you need an operating frequency in the 12 to 20 kHz range, and a phase ground balanced autotune (first derivative) search mode.

The Fisher GB Pro (just about same as the Tek G2) is my latest gold machine platform, following on the GBII, the Tek T2 and its Fisher F75/F70 descendants, the original 1980's GB, the Lobo ST, the Diablo uMax, the Troy X5, the GMT, and the MXT. We added a darn good discriminator (adapted from the Omega) so the machine could be general purpose. The 5 inch searchcoil is a lot hotter than you might expect for its size, and its small size allows you to get under bushes and between rocks to get closer to the gold than the 11 inch coil does. In discrimination mode, the 5 incher also delivers better target separation which means greater ability to find the good stuff on sites where there's gobs of iron trash. But you'll probably want the 11 incher as well for sites where you're basically trying to cover a lot of ground for larger deeper stuff.

--Dave J.