Nugget Detectors - Your Opionon & Experiences are Valued!

Jeffro

Silver Member
Dec 6, 2005
4,095
143
Eugene, Oregon
Detector(s) used
Fisher CZ5, White's GM VSat
Re: Nugget Detectors - Your Opionon & Experiences are Valued!

I like my old Whites Goldmaster 2 VSAT pretty good. Very sensitive and easy to operate. They go for cheap nowadays as they have upgraded the model several times. Forget about using it at the park, however.... it'll blow your ears off, even with volume controlled headphones. TOO many signals in trashy areas.

It'll pick up a single strand of copper wire from a speaker cord about an eighth of an inch long at a couple inches, a grain of gold at three or four, and a whopper at a foot or more.

Rugged and well built, you can probably find one used for a couple hundred, or get lucky and see one at a garage sale for less.
 

Monty

Gold Member
Jan 26, 2005
10,746
166
Sand Springs, OK
Detector(s) used
ACE 250, Garrett
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Re: Nugget Detectors - Your Opionon & Experiences are Valued!

I haven't ever hunted nuggets or gold but I read every article I find on the use of metal detectors. Which begs toquestion of what importance is frequency in a gold hunting detector? I was just reading a Tesoro mag they put out and they claim that contrary to popular belief, the higher frequency bands don't necessarily make a better gold detector although dedicated gold machines tend to be tuned to the higher frequency bands. I've probably added confusion to your choice tucker, but it's something you might want to check out while you are looking. Monty
 

Willy

Hero Member
Re: Nugget Detectors - Your Opionon & Experiences are Valued!

I've found tiny gold with both really high freq. detectors and reasonably low freq. ones. The main requirement is to have a true all-metal mode and some sort of adjustable GB. While up in N. Ak. (highly mineralised) I was finding 1/3 grain nuggets with the MXT and 5x10" DD coil. The GMT could have found smaller stuff, but would be handicapped by a greater sensitivity to ground mineralisation. Personally, I think that the best all-round frequency "band" is between 12-30 KHz. The lower freqs. would probably require a higher sensitivity setting to get the small stuff, but that is offset by a lower sensitivity to magnetite and such. One other little tip re. small nugget hunting is to swing sloowwwwly. Doing so can almost seem to be the equivalent of jacking up the sensitivity. I've seen quite a few people swinging away as if they're chasing snakes.. with little success in finding the small stuff. ..Willy.
 

Jeffro

Silver Member
Dec 6, 2005
4,095
143
Eugene, Oregon
Detector(s) used
Fisher CZ5, White's GM VSat
Re: Nugget Detectors - Your Opionon & Experiences are Valued!

You are listening for "whispers" when it comes to smaller gold, which is what most of us here in the states will find most freqently. More of a threshold change than an actual signal.... sweeping slowly DEFINATELY is the way to go.

The whippers will cover more ground looking for big nuggets, but they will miss the whispers too. Whispers add up.
 

Hoser John

Gold Member
Mar 22, 2003
5,854
6,722
Redding,Calif.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Re: Nugget Detectors - Your Opionon & Experiences are Valued!

Nugget detectors are like women,1 mans pleasure is anothers pain. I've been detecting nearly 50 years and I throw my hat in the ring for the goold old reliable Gold Bug 2 and the Tesoro Lobo Super Traq-GREAT MACHINES!!! I have the smaller coils too and the GB2 will get'r done down to a gnats ear. The TLS ,not quite so small BUT in trashy,hunted areas(lousy lead/copper/steel shot) it's great.Can't beat the disc to smooth things out and retuning is a flick a a switch.I can own any thing I want and have owned everything there is and I'll stick with my 2. By the way Gold Strike has been dumped by FISHER-John
 

nebraskadad

Sr. Member
Jan 8, 2005
287
9
Re: Nugget Detectors - Your Opionon & Experiences are Valued!

Wish I had the money for a Minelab GP3500 and lived in nuggetland!! :-\
 

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