VLF? BFO? Discrimination Circuitry? Beating a Dead Horse???

[Kevinito]

All:

My family and I inadvertently moved to gold country in North Carolina (Union County to be exact - for job relocation). We just visited Reed Gold Mine, went panning and found some gold. Maps reveal primary gold deposits at our location. I have had more than a passing interest in gold panning and mining - so, I would like a personal opinion on a metal detector specifically for gold flake or possibly gold nugget location (it can be multi-purpose for other metals). Initially, I thought we lived on clay; however, according to an old NC map, we do live on metamorphic slates and schists, granite and other igneous rocks (this should give you a good idea if I need to ground balance).

I am receiving quite an education reading various professional essays on the subject - specifically, goldgold.com's metal detecting articles. My budget is up to around $250-$300 . . . I do not NEED the best, just something to last two to three years before I 'upgrade' and to keep the fun in the hobby.

VLF? BFO? Discrimination circuitry? Thoughts

Thanks!

Kevin

 

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[Terry Soloman]

All:

My family and I inadvertently moved to gold country in North Carolina (Union County to be exact - for job relocation). We just visited Reed Gold Mine, went panning and found some gold. Maps reveal primary gold deposits at our location. I have had more than a passing interest in gold panning and mining - so, I would like a personal opinion on a metal detector specifically for gold flake or possibly gold nugget location (it can be multi-purpose for other metals). Initially, I thought we lived on clay; however, according to an old NC map, we do live on metamorphic slates and schists, granite and other igneous rocks (this should give you a good idea if I need to ground balance).

I am receiving quite an education reading various professional essays on the subject - specifically, goldgold.com's metal detecting articles. My budget is up to around $250-$300 . . . I do not NEED the best, just something to last two to three years before I 'upgrade' and to keep the fun in the hobby.

VLF? BFO? Discrimination circuitry? Thoughts

Thanks!

Kevin

Hi Kevin! I run a gold prospecting school in Arizona, and I can tell you that metal detectors (VLF) that will actually find sub-gram gold are few and far between. They also cost more than $500.00 as well.

Fisher Goldbug

Tesoro Lobo Super Traq

Whites GMT

These are the three leading VLF gold finders. Then you move into pulse induction, and a Minelab GPX 5000 now runs about $7,000.00

 

[Kevinito]

Thanks for the info! I have looked at the Tesoro Vaquero, the Minelab X-terra 305 and the Garret Scorpion Gold Stinger (found these between $300 and $399) - are these a good option (especially considering the ground mineralization here in NC)?

Thanks again!

Kevin

 

[norbyx]

Thanks for the info! I have looked at the Tesoro Vaquero, the Minelab X-terra 305 and the Garret Scorpion Gold Stinger (found these between $300 and $399) - are these a good option (especially considering the ground mineralization here in NC)?

Thanks again!

Kevin

There is a user named dirt lizard in FMDF that is selling a Tesoro lobo. Can try contacting him.

Sent from my iPhone using TreasureNet

 

[woof!]

For the purchaser's sake I hope that's a Lobo Supertraq and not the 1980's Lobo which wasn't such a great machine even by 1980's standards.

Terry is right, for anything resembling serious gold prospecting, the list is short and starts at about $500 list price. For less than about $500, your option is basically to get a good buy on a used machine. In any case since you're new to metal detectors, get advice from someone who knows their stuff, otherwise you could wind up buying a metal detector that might be a good machine for someone else but not for you.

--Dave J.

 

[goldentruth]

I got my recent upgrade a Whites Goldmaster GMT. I likes how if cancels out the hot rocks and I can hit a picker on a hotrock with out the hot rock interfearing with the signal. It makes the "Hot rock" like invisible. For severe soils check out a used GMT on ebay. I got a hell of a deal for mine @ $500 with free shipping, and it is a rare "Chest mount model so All I do is swing the coil & rod! (It is reported the GMT can detect 19 grain Gold!) Check/google the Whites free videos on GMT at the internet, you will be glad you did, and I am not a salesman.)
I hopes this helps, Now I'm on my way to check some 1849 "Tailing Piles".

 

[Terry Soloman]

Thanks for the info! I have looked at the Tesoro Vaquero, the Minelab X-terra 305 and the Garret Scorpion Gold Stinger (found these between $300 and $399) - are these a good option (especially considering the ground mineralization here in NC)?

Thanks again!

Kevin

Absolutely NOT. You will be throwing away your money.

 

[Kevinito]

Absolutely NOT. You will be throwing away your money.

Gotcha. I will look into other options...

 

[Kevinito]

I got my recent upgrade a Whites Goldmaster GMT. I likes how if cancels out the hot rocks and I can hit a picker on a hotrock with out the hot rock interfearing with the signal. It makes the "Hot rock" like invisible. For severe soils check out a used GMT on ebay. I got a hell of a deal for mine @ $500 with free shipping, and it is a rare "Chest mount model so All I do is swing the coil & rod! (It is reported the GMT can detect 19 grain Gold!) Check/google the Whites free videos on GMT at the internet, you will be glad you did, and I am not a salesman.)
I hopes this helps, Now I'm on my way to check some 1849 "Tailing Piles".

Hi,

Still learning - what do you mean by "hot rock"?

 

[Kevinito]

For the purchaser's sake I hope that's a Lobo Supertraq and not the 1980's Lobo which wasn't such a great machine even by 1980's standards.

Terry is right, for anything resembling serious gold prospecting, the list is short and starts at about $500 list price. For less than about $500, your option is basically to get a good buy on a used machine. In any case since you're new to metal detectors, get advice from someone who knows their stuff, otherwise you could wind up buying a metal detector that might be a good machine for someone else but not for you.

--Dave J.

So, the Fisher Gold Bug is a good buy? What is the difference between the Gold Bug and the Gold Bug II?

 

[Kevinito]

Absolutely NOT. You will be throwing away your money.

Also, I saw the specs of the Gold Bug - what is the difference between the Gold Bug and the Gold Bug II?

 

[Kevinito]

Another quick question: is the Gold Bug or the Gold Bug II waterproof to a certain extent?

 

[woof!]

The original GB from the 1980's is no longer manufactured. It was good for its time but that was then.

The GB2 was introduced in 1995, and is still a big seller. Its forte is being able to find the tiniest stuff. Its limitations are the lack of computer assisted ground balancing (strictly manual) and no features to support any use other than gold prospecting.

The "new" GB/G2 platform is a couple years old now. It's easy to use, hot on small stuff, and has features that make it a good general purpose machine (not just a gold machine). The plain vanilla (lowest cost version) GB lacks manual balancing and there may be some other minor differences. Since you sound serious, the plain vanilla GB is probably the wrong one for you, you want a version that includes manual balancing. The ones (including the Tek G2) with manual balancing included are functionally all the same, they differ in mechanical construction, what searchcoils they come with, and (obviously) which distribution channel you're getting it through.

Like most metal detectors, the searchcoil can be used in water but the electronics housing is not waterproof. If you're thinking of using it at a saltwater beach, protect it from salt air by putting a plastic bag over the electronics housing.

The F75 and T2 are also good gold prospecting machines (the latter especially popular in Africa) but for use in the Appalachian gold belt the GB/G2 platform machines are a better choice.

I highly recommend that before buying a metal detector for gold prospecting, please read my book "Gold Prospecting with a VLF Metal Detector", available as a .pdf document on both the Fisher and Teknetics factory websites. Most people who buy a gold machine haven't the foggiest notion what to actually do with it, and this book was written for the purpose of fixing that problem. It's all the stuff you wish was in the user's manual, but isn't.

--Dave J.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Another quick question: is the Gold Bug or the Gold Bug II waterproof to a certain extent?

The coil, NOT the box.

 

[Ken~Digs]

#1 - For the purchaser's sake I hope that's a Lobo Supertraq and not the 1980's Lobo = Woof is Correct.

#2 ~ Pardon my ignorance but if a GMT can ignore Hot Rocks (my Finny LS / PI can pretty much ignore them) and Highly Mineralised Pockets, Than why do they make the TDI ?
for more depth Only ? . . . Ken~Digs

 

[Ken~Digs]

Kevinito ~ Hot rocks have enuf mineral conduction to send off the detector but are Usually undesirable - just Annoying. There are Ores that arent worthless that can sound off too. 1st priority would be ground balance (running smooth) before the Discing (+/or learning tones) that comes after the unit is Running good threshold + grd Bal. ken-Digs

 

[goldentruth]

A "Hot Rock" Is a rock that has a lot of high percentage of Iorn & other metals thru-out the rock and sometimes it has very fine dense particles of mineral/metals. Many are found in areas of high minerals which are thrown out by the miners into the "Tailing piles".

 

[goldentruth]

Mr. Ken-Digs The GMT was made with the quick "Grab" feature/button which the TDI does not have. The GMT can be set when you pump it up and down about 3 times the machine cancils out the harsh mineral soils, and easy as that it is set.(Ground balanced). The TDI can pick up deeper signals but you have to do the manual work like the earlier ones sold. The GMT can also show you a % possibility of Iorn and plus it can make a "Grunt" sound when it is Iorn or too close when ground balancing, the words will appear "Too Close", Hopes this helps. You can also "Google" and see the Whites GMT videos for your self. Good Luck.

 

[Frankn]

I use to have a gold bug II way back. I lost it in a fire. It was very sensitive to gold nuggets and found many but that was in AZ. If you got a signal you just raised your detector about 2". If it was a hot rock the signal got louder, if it was a nugget, it got lower. It was a light unit and today you could probably pick one up in your price range.