Need advice for gold detectors!! Help!

[natashmik]

Hello all, this is my first thread and I am glad to have found this community!! I am very interested in beginning to gold prospect, I live in Bakersfield, CA and want to try to sluice and metal detect the Kern River. I detect parks about twice a week with my Bounty Hunter elite 2200. I am going to buy a better machine, and i am committed to detecting, but I am definitely in the under $750.00 price range. I am a mother, student, and full time waitress so i don't have a lot of free time! My questions are:

1- what I the best gold machine in that price range? Should I just keep my BH for park hunting?

1-Are there any good gold detectors that can be used at parks for coin hunting as well?

2-Would I be better off going with a midrange machine like Garrett Ace 350 because the majority of the time I will be going to parks to coin hunt?

3-Is a gold detector necessary, or could I use a cheaper machine with a sniper coil?

Thanks for your help!!

 

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[Steve Herschbach]

Same basic question asked and answered at http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/m...-best-vlf-gold-detector-mineralized-soil.html

 

[natashmik]

Thanks Steve! I have already read a lot of your threads and found them to be very helpful! I guess I can't decide if I will like prospecting enough to invest in an only gold machine!?

 

[TerryC]

Nat, welcome to the Net! The Gold Bug 2 would be my suggestion for gold. And that is because I have one and know, fairly well, its capabilities. I also have the GMT. Both are dynamite machines but I like manual ground balance. A brand new GB2 is pushing your "bank" to the limit but gives you a very good shot at nuggets in some of the harshest soils around B-field or Mohave and the rest of the high deserts. A "combo" machine is like a jack-of-all-trades and master of none. Relegate the BH to the parks and a GB2 or GMT to the desert. TTC

 

[Terry Soloman]

I would suggest the new Fisher Goldbug Pro Fisher Gold Bug Pro Metal Detector for Sale - Hollands Brook Metal Detectors at $649.00 you can hunt gold - and Coinshoot!

 

[natashmik]

Thank you Terry C and Terry S, I will definitely check out the gold bug and the pro!! This forum is great, I'm sure I'll have many more questions!!

 

[DizzyDigger]

Howdy Nata,

Did the same research recently for myself, and you'll find there are many options
to choose from in your price range. The article by Steve Hershbach is superb, and
lots of good info there.

I looked at the Garrett AT Gold, Minelab Xterra 705, Whites GMT and Fisher Gold Bug Pro.
Each has it's own, unique features, and all are within the price range you've specified.

The Gold Bug Pro was the machine I chose, mostly due to it's excellent small gold sensitivity,
and it also can serve as a decent coin and relic machine.

If I was mostly doing relic hunting with the occasional adventure for nuggets, I might
have gone with the Xterra 705 as there are many coils available, and with that
machine the coil is what sets the operating freq.

Can't give you first-hand knowledge of the Gold Bug Pro's performance..yet. I'm leaving
at 'O Dark-thirty and heading for Calif. and Nev. for a couple weeks. Will definitely be
posting some reports on the trip (and machine) when I return.

The GBPro also has optional coils, but at the moment the "2-coil combo" is not
available, however the standard GBPro with the 5" Double-D coil is in stock with
most of the detector shops.

You can get ahold of Bart (BigBoysHobbies) where I bought mine, and I'm sure he'll
give you the best of both pricing and service.

 

[Steve Herschbach]

The dual coil package is available if you call around. I think the 10" x 5" coil should be the stock coil myself. Hard to go wrong with a Gold Bug Pro.

 

[Jim Hemmingway]

Yes Steve I agree with the comment about the larger coil. In fact well-regarded relic / coin hunter Keith Southern has commented quite favorably on this unit for relic hunting in iron-infested environs over on NASA Tom's forum. He likes the expanded iron ID range... and also gave the 10" elliptical coil a good recommendation as well. With good sensitivity to small gold, discrimination / target ID, full range ground balance plus the GroundGrab feature, one nine volt battery power source, a lightweight package at a very reasonable price... this unit is a good choice to address both gold and coin / relic hunting pursuits.

Jim.

 

[Ausgoldhunter]

AT Gold.. or AT Pro.

 

[natashmik]

Thanks for all the great advice everyone!! I think I have finally settled on a AT PRO or AT GOLD, still having issues spending that much, so tempted to just settle for the ACE 350, I will definitely let you all know what I decide! Thanks again, I think I realized that prospecting is probably just a pipe dream!

 

[Terry Soloman]

Take a look at the Tesoro Vaquero is money is tight! $450.00

 

[H-2 CHARLIE]

I did my research on the same , went with the best deal / $598 OTD gold bug pro and will buy the 11 inch coil later down the line . I did use the GMT this weekend and was happy with it , thanks pat keene for loaning me his unit to try out in goler wash .

 

[natashmik]

Just wanted to give you all an update. Thank you for all of the advice! I realized that for the prospecting I will be doing in the river, I am better off panning. I plan on purchasing the Pyramid Pro Pan and Maverick Finishing Pan ASAP, in the national forest only a shovel and pan are allowed from what I hear? Have any of you heard positive/negative things about this system? It looks great, but pricey! To hunt relics, and possibly find a little gold I purchased the Garrett AT Pro. I know it is not a gold machine, but it had everything and more than I need for parks. I will follow up when I receive the machine. Thanks again for helping me decide! Ashley