Fisher Gold Bug II or Whites

[gtxkid]

Fisher Gold Bug II or White's

I want to purchase my first metal detector and do not know what to do.
I have a budget of up to 2 grand but would like to find one new or hopefully used in the 400.00 to 850.00 range.
I will be working it in the Colorado mountains. Ruff terrain i guess.

I really like the Gold Bug II and found one for 500.00 used was a little high i thought for a used one but seam to have high reviews.
I notice they sell for 300.00 to 550.00 used from a few days of internet shopping.

White's has 5 units TDI pro 1,800.00
TDI SL 7.5/12$1,250.00
GMZ $500.00
TDI $1,699.00
GMT $800.00
Problem is i have no idea on how to choose one.
Thanks

 

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[H-2 CHARLIE]

im still looking and i want to nugget hunt as well as coin and rings ,,, mxt pro , gmt or gold bug pro are on the table .

 

[63bkpkr]

GMT is strictly for prospecting but you could try to use it for coins but it will find everything with no discrimination to guide you. The GMZ I believe is a no threshold sound operating Gold detector. I own a GMT and I would not want to go backward with the GMZ. I've found some very small gold with my GMT and it was down some six inches under solid rock.


On Tnet we also have a 'Brands' section, I would go there and post on each brand and ask questions about the model and the area of the country you want to work in. The TDI's are pulse machines and detect deeper than most VLF's(GMT, Gold Bug and the like). One really needs to know the country you will be hunting in as either VLF or TDI machines have ground or conditions that they will not allow them to work in. Ground conditions could be a geological iron crust or cap that kills VLF machine signals, I forget what it is that messes with the TDI units. I can use some help here!

Best of luck with your choices and your finds...............63bkpkr

 

[jmoller99]

I use a GMT in Colorado. If you use the smaller coil (4X6 DD) for it, the differences between the Gold Bug II and GMT are minimized. The GBII will find smaller gold, but you have to spend a lot of time learning how to ground balance it. In the Case of the GMT, you can either let it automatically ground balance, or (like I do) do a ground grab (which captures ground balance information), then operate it in manual ground balance mode. Keep in mind that the same person was behind the design in both the GBII and GMT (and, for that matter, the Tesoro Lobo ST and the New Gold Bug Pro), so while each has some differences in operating parameters and functionality, they are all exceptionally capable at finding gold.

My only gripe with the GMT is that it is heavy, and it will tire you out after a while. However, I also have a Goldmaster VSat, which, while older, it has a detachable control unit that you can wear (making it much lighter) and the coils are interchangable with GMT's coils (VSat has manual ground balance like the GBII).

I am looking to buy a TDI SL sometime in the future - I think its good to have VLF and PI detectors - each serves a different need. While I would love a Minelab PI, its not cost effective for me where I hunt.

 

[gtxkid]

Question:
What to use for deeper ground other than the flake's on top.
I am confused on this.

 

[H-2 CHARLIE]

look , just for gold go with GMT or GOLD BUG PRO .. or coin and gold hunter go with MXT Pro .

 

[jmoller99]

You won't be find gold flakes deep down with any detector that I am aware of. You can get up to 6 inches or so (depending on how mineralized the soil is with a VLF Detector (GBII, GMT, Tesoro Lobo ST, Gold Bug Pro, MXT). A PI unit won't find tiny gold, but it can find bigger nuggets down deep (they will have to be large if they are down deep).

If you have never hunted for gold with a detector, I highly recommend that you get with someone who does detect for gold and have them show you what you are in for. Gold is much harder to detect for than any other target - added to the fact that detectors that are highly optimized for finding gold tend to be harder to use than a general purpose detector (which usually won't find any native gold less than 3 or 4 grams in size; which means you'll miss 99% of what is in Colorado) .

If you have never detected at all before, I would strongly suggest that you get, and learn to use, a general purpose Coin hunting metal detector - you need to learn how it operates/targets where you will actually find some valuable targets.

If you are anywhere near Colorado Springs, PM me.

 

[Vance in AK]

For smaller gold (that which is most common EVERYWHERE) in normal ground it is just about impossible to beat the GBII. I found manual ground balancing to be very easy to do. I believe they have quit making the GBII now (may have been a rumopr) so the price on nice used ones will only go up. If something happened to my current GBII & I had to buy another detector, I would be looking for another GBII in a heartbeat. Easy to run, dependable, fiinds unbelievably small pieces, & trust me it won't miss the big ones either. the other machines all work, & some work well but hands down it's my favorite VLF machine. If I lived somewhere with VERY high minerialzation I would look into a PI machine.

You might find this interesting. I'd say Steve is one of the top nuggetshooters anywhere & his opinions are worth considering.
http://www.detectorprospector.com/gold-prospecting-guides/steve-guide-gold-nugget-detectors.htm

 

[gtxkid]

Looks like a gold bug 2 is what i will look for a deal on.
And if i do not find a deal on one i will look at the GMT
And thanks to you guys advice i will get a small coil also.

 

[nuggetshooter323]

If your looking at either a GB II or a GMT for your first detector, the GMT will serve you better while your learning. You can set-up the GMT just like they show on the DVD, it takes 1 minute to do and your done. You can leave it those inital settings with auto-tracking GB, for as long as you need, days, weeks, or months. You can spend that time learning the sounds, how to deal with terrain, how to dig and pin point nuggets. If you spread the learning over longer time period, your less likely to get so frustrated and just sell your equipment. Why do you think there are so many barely use gold detectors on ebay? They thought they were going to go out and find nuggets on their first weekend. It doesn't really happen that way, it might though, you never know.

 

[gtxkid]

There is the deciding point that i did not know.
Thanks nuggetshooter323

And not normal ground from what i hear.
So thanks for that Vance in AK

And thanks for such great input jmoller99

 

[Vance in AK]

Maybe I'm strange, but the manual ground balance on my machines was never a problem for me. Read Larry Salle's stuff & groundbalancing seemed simple. Maybe it's bacause I grew up in the era where TVs still had that knob you turned to select one of thirteen channels. Everything was manual!
It was the time spent learning to notice the subtle tones that took me a while.

 

[Steve Herschbach]

True story having sold many Gold Bug 2s and GMTs over the years and getting customer feedback. Ground balancing is very simple, but it is also the number one thing that messes people up. They for whatever reason just do not learn to do it right. You can show them how simple it is all you want and it still gets them messed up and frustrates them. Not everybody but enough to surprise you. That is why Minelab tends to recommend that on the X-Terra 705 for instance that the automatic ground balance be left on at all times. The rationale is most people just do not stay on top of it even if they do know how to do it and auto in the long run is the safe choice. The Lobo you do not even get the option for manual and believe me that is not a bad thing for some people. So although I use and am a huge Gold Bug 2 fan I tend to recommend people towards a GMT if they are new, just because they can use the automatic ground balance or better yet the Grab button and only go to pure manual if and when they are ready. Kind of like having training wheels. But then again in bad mixed cobbles it really does help tone the machine down so I like having the option - my choice.

My Gold Bug 2 is a super sniper but I know for a fact a GMT will smoke it for depth in bad ground on pennyweight plus nuggets.

Why oh why oh why will White's not put the GMT in a smaller box?! Ooops - they are selling tons of them as is. Never mind.

 

[nuggetshooter323]

I've been wanting to get a Gold Bug II for years, because our gold is small here in Colorado I think it would be great to have for a area that doesn't have a bunch of iron trash from mining. Because of the weight of the GMT, I don't take it up the really steep mine tailings. I usually use my LST with the 5 /34" DD because is so light in that configuration, especially if I have to use my Paleo Pick in one hand to pull myself up the mine tailing.

 

[Steve Herschbach]

I like my Gold Bug 2 so much I have two. I worry about them going out of production, and good as a GMT is the Bug with 6" coil has the edge on the tiny stuff. Probably my favorite all time detector in no small part due to the light, compact design. The iron id helps sort those iron trash areas out just fine though it gets tricked. It leans conservative and will call ferrous stuff good when cranked up to max sensitivity but that is better than missing gold. Too bad the iron disc in not variable but fixed at the factory. I would think it would be a great detector to have in Colorado.

If I can't find any gold scraping around with a Gold Bug 2 it is time to give up detecting and get out the gold pan.

 

[nuggetshooter323]

I've been thinking that since the Gold Bug Pro is doing so well, the GB II is vulnerable to downsizing. I think that I'll need to convince my wife that I need to get a GB II this summer.

 

[Steve Herschbach]

The Gold Bug 2 is selling better now than it ever has. The problem is the analog design. Key components are getting very hard to source. Or at least that is the story.

 

[gtxkid]

I took jmoller99 advice and did what he said.
Find someone and go see them, so i did exactly that.
I WENT TO SEE HIM.
Today in Colorado springs.
By far the best thing i ever did.
WHOOOO talk about knowledge, he has it. And what a great guy to boot. GPAA guy also.
He hate's to see people buy the wrong detector.
He is not a sale's guy and does not sell anything, just a guy with a passion for gold.

I recommend nuggetshooter323 hook up with him. You do not want to buy one till you go check them out.
I did and now i changed my mind, i am going with MXT Pro with a 4x6 and a 6x10 and of coarse the new Pro Star head phone's.
We are going to my house out in pueblo county sat and your invited to come and play around and learn a lot if you want.
Going to be fun. And who knows what we will find around the old place.

I owe many thanks to Steve and also jmoller99
Great people helping other's to share a dream.
Also thanks to other's for taking the time for sharing.

 

[nuggetshooter323]

I'm glad you figured out what the detector that you wanted. Here's a link for an information page for the Gold Prospectors of Colorado, on the sidebar is a link called "MXT". This is a set-up for the MXT that uses the "Coin & Jewelry" mode and it's VDI for nugget huntinghttp://hookedongold.com/gpocinformation.html. It was developed for use here in Colorado, it looks like a pretty good set-up.

 

[gtxkid]

Going to wait for the release of the two new units White's is coming out with.
Hoping it is an under water MXT Pro.