Is a Tracker 4 an upgrade over a Gold Digger?

[hallsgator]

So I found a Gold Digger for $32 at a local store that sells Amazon returns. I've read reviews and played with it a bit and like it. However, I could get a Tracker 4 for $65.99 from Hobby Lobby with a coupon and was wondering if it was a decent upgrade worth the extra money. I don't care to spend the money, that's no problem, but just curious if it's that more of an upgrade for someone new vs a Gold Digger.

Any opinions much welcomed, thanks!

 

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[Phantasman]

A little. The 8" Tracker coil gives an extra inch or so depth over the 7" GD coil.

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[TheHunterGT]

I think it is worth the upgrade if you don't mind spending it.

Phantasman is correct you will only gain 1 inch in disc mode...but depth is not everything and should be your last buying point unless you live in soft soil area. I am unsure about TN soil where you guys live.

What IMO makes it worth the purchase is that is has 2 extra "modes" over the Gold Digger. An all metal mode....and a 2 tone mode.

The all metal mode should give you a good 2 inches over the Gold Digger but will not give you a broken souind over iron or two separate tones like the 2 tone mode would. All metal means all metal....same tones for all of it.

The 2 tone mode is great since it goes off the 12 oclock position of the disc knob....anything left of 12 will be low tone...anything right will be high tone. A cool feature on a $65 detector. Simply turn the knob until your trash point is at 12 oclock and dig all high tones.

Best of luck...keep us posted!

 

[hallsgator]

I think it is worth the upgrade if you don't mind spending it.

Phantasman is correct you will only gain 1 inch in disc mode...but depth is not everything and should be your last buying point unless you live in soft soil area. I am unsure about TN soil where you guys live.

What IMO makes it worth the purchase is that is has 2 extra "modes" over the Gold Digger. An all metal mode....and a 2 tone mode.

The all metal mode should give you a good 2 inches over the Gold Digger but will not give you a broken souind over iron or two separate tones like the 2 tone mode would. All metal means all metal....same tones for all of it.

The 2 tone mode is great since it goes off the 12 oclock position of the disc knob....anything left of 12 will be low tone...anything right will be high tone. A cool feature on a $65 detector. Simply turn the knob until your trash point is at 12 oclock and dig all high tones.

Best of luck...keep us posted!

Awesome, thank you for the detailed answer, it helps a lot. Think I'll get the 4 and return the GD.

I also appreciate your Youtube videos, you were the first videos I watched when I got the Gold Digger.

 

[TheHunterGT]

Awesome, thank you for the detailed answer, it helps a lot. Think I'll get the 4 and return the GD.

I also appreciate your Youtube videos, you were the first videos I watched when I got the Gold Digger.

My pleasure. Thanks for watching!

 

[tjarrett]

Listen to these guys, they know what they're talking about..

 

[hallsgator]

Decided to check Amazon first, they had a "Like New" Tracker 4 for $64 after tax and Prime shipping from their Warehouse Deals. Even better price than HL.

Excited to try it out!

 

[ivan salis]

the tracker 4 --for a sounds type machine is a solid little machine at cheap price ... once you get the disc set right in disc mode you will get a crackly tone for most pull tabs and a solid "ping' for gold .. and by listening carefully you will be able to tell the difference ... modern high dollar machines often have issues sorting gold from pull tabs ,,some times the older analong tech isn't as bad as some folks think...but the depth is a bit limited -say 8 to 10 inch (about all I want to dig these days)

 

[Phantasman]

The Tracker IV is a no frills detector. It follows the same type hunting style as most Tesoro's, except Tesoro has a much more defined signal processor.

The difference in Tesoro style hunting and digital TID hunting can be compared to Mr. Spock using a TriCorder to get info or having to use the mind meld method to extract information. It takes more to bond with a Tesoro or Tracker IV than letting the TID (info screen) do it for you.

 

[Garrett424]

First off, welcome to T'Net. This is a really great place to learn about finding treasure and pretty much everyone here will be more than happy to help you out if and when you need it.

So I agree with pretty much all of the above regarding the T4.
The Tracker IV was my first "real" metal detector (I had a really crappy Radio Shack machine back in the 80's but it was so bad it almost doesn't count). IMO it's a fantastic little detector for the money. It's not a depth monster but it will definitely do what it's designed to do.

I used to run mine primarily in disc mode with the disc set around 11-12:00 and the sensitivity as high as possible without the machine becoming unstable and chattery. I would dig pretty much everything above iron. The manual says you can knock out pull tabs and still pick up gold but that's a VERY fine line. Most of the gold I've dug hit in the pull tab range. My theory is to dig those pull tabs anyway because once in a while there may be some gold hiding there.

Oh and yes, I did dig some gold with my Tracker IV, a 10k band (on my very first hunt) and a really really nice two toned 14K wedding band. I also dug a few silver Washington Quarters and Rosies with it as well. In fact, I've actually dug more silver COINS with my Tracker IV than any of my other detectors (as of this writing but that's beginning to change since my latest upgrade). It definitely LOVES coins. Of course, location had everything to do with that fact but regardless, the Tracker IV located the goods and rang up loud and clear. You'll dig coins all day with it; including silver ones if they're there.

I would also highly recommend first that you READ the manual thoroughly and do the air tests exactly like it tells you. That'll give you a good, basic understanding of what's it's telling you. Then take it out and really practice with it and learn those tones. Don't waste your time looking at the meter. It's useless. With the Tracker IV you learn to hunt by tones and that will serve you well if and when you decide to upgrade.

Once you fully understand it's language you'll begin to intuitively know what it's telling you and you'll find it to be a very effective detector. Eventually you'll know what to dig and what to pass on. Yes, you'll dig tons of trash but that's just part of the hobby.


I took a little 7 year old girl hunting back in the fall. I hadn't used the T4 in almost a year but I broke it out for her to use. She found an 1895 Liberty Head V nickel in a spot I had swung over many times and completely missed. So don't let anyone ever tell you that the Tracker IV isn't up to the job. You may not dig up targets at 9 or 10 inches but it WILL find treasure if you put in the time to learn how to use it and do the work.

If you have any questions feel free to ask. If I'm not here someone else will be.

And remember, the more you practice and the more you dig, the luckier you'll get. It's a numbers game. Plus, location is everything.
Good luck and Happy Hunting......