Detecting Gold with a Cheap Detector

[desertgolddigger]

I own an old Bounty Hunter Time Ranger detector. At the time I purchased it, it was considered a very good all around machine.

It came with two coils, a large one for general detecting, and a 4 inch coil for gold detecting. I doubt this gold coil setup can detect small things very far down (4 inches is my guess), but I'm hoping I can beep the pea gravel I'm toting home. I plan on finding a spot on my property that has no metal buried, then lay down a sheet of plywood. I will then cover the plywood with a single layer of the gravel, and beep it.

Does this sound reasonable for such a limited metal detector? If not, can anyone suggest a detector that costs no more than $500. It, preferably would be purpose built to detect gold only, if there is such a thing.

 

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[minerjosh]

It should be pretty good at small gold with the small coil. I’ve researched this detector and almost bought it because it is very capable and cheap!

 

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[minerjosh]

It should be pretty good at small gold with the small coil. I’ve researched this detector and almost bought it because it is very capable and cheap!

 

[desertgolddigger]

Today I am just taking a day off from prospecting/digging for gold.

I decided to finally try to figure out my circa early 2000's Bounty Hunter Time Ranger, and how to set it up for gold prospecting. After 30 minutes of reading instructions, and watching videos, I have come to the conclusion this detector has a problem. It doesn't react to the button pushing when I try to set it up for gold. It barely detects anything in any mode, unless it is the size of a man hole cover.

So I guess I will have to purchase a new detector, and just give this one to my club. Maybe some member will figure it out. It might actually be working, but I'm possibly too dumb to figure it out.

I need something that is dumb proof, if there is such a gold detector on the market that requires only a couple of button pushes to get going.

Needless to say I am super frustrated, as I was going to use the detector to see if any gold is in my pea gravel pile. Sigh!!!

 

[augoldminer]

Why take a chance of missing some dirty gold. I held a 1 ounce nugget said to have come off a commercial dry washing pile by Goler gulch near Ransburg ca.

I have found a number of nuggets on dry washing piles in goler and the summit digging
back in the days when i ran a dry washer, i raked my piles and detected them.
Then I found a rock type that was a source of a lot if the gold in the area. (gold rides a iron horse, but you have to know what the iron horse looks like)
When i ran hard rock in northern Calif i would run the detector over my high grade shots looking for specimens

 

[desertgolddigger]

augoldminer, I would love to have a gold only dedicated metal detector. I just don't have the money, even for something like the Gold Bug Pro..

I'm almost sure there's a few pieces of gold in the pea gravel pile at the end of my property. I'm allowed to take two full buckets of material on each of my mining sessions, and I've got a cubic yard or so to eventually go through.

I'm not sure what you mean by a iron horse, but if it id the black material, I've already found one piece of gold attached to the black material. It's only about 1/16 inches in diameter, but it has that gold rider.

For now I just have to be happy with my drywashing, until I pay off my debt. I'd rather pay cash than use a credit card.

 

[Lanny in AB]

augoldminer, I would love to have a gold only dedicated metal detector. I just don't have the money, even for something like the Gold Bug Pro..

I'm almost sure there's a few pieces of gold in the pea gravel pile at the end of my property. I'm allowed to take two full buckets of material on each of my mining sessions, and I've got a cubic yard or so to eventually go through.

I'm not sure what you mean by a iron horse, but if it id the black material, I've already found one piece of gold attached to the black material. It's only about 1/16 inches in diameter, but it has that gold rider.

For now I just have to be happy with my drywashing, until I pay off my debt. I'd rather pay cash than use a credit card.

 

[Lanny in AB]

Augoldminer, hope you don't mind me jumping in here to answer the question about "gold riding an iron horse".

Desertgpolddigger, I believe this is an expression used by the Old-Timers (feel free to correct me Augoldminer is this is not what you meant) and used by many miners to refer to the fact that where there is iron, there is often gold in association.

So, look for iron while out prospecting, and you may find gold.

The Old-Timers used to say that you'd never find gold without finding iron, but you could in fact find iron without finding gold.

All the best,

Lanny