What detector for Gold?For coins,for general use?

[roadrunner]

Hello,this is my first post after joining.I am new to this.I have built a sluice,and have been panning.Just started 2 weeks ago.
I am from Arizona.We have lots of minerals,and copper,ect in our ground.I have read through the MD models forums.
My question,what would be a good or decent MD to start with that would work with my ground,primarily for gold.

Next,is there a big difference between MD for gold,and coins.Say for instance i was searching primarily for gold,but came across an old abandoned farm house.Would the same MD work for coins,and relics.

There is a person who has an older Whits coinmaster 6000 DI series 2,hip mount.The guy says it works,but the needle is not working corectly.I am going to call whites and see if it is fixable first.But could get it for $30.00.

So,any ideas on a basic first time user MD.I have checked amazon,ebay,ect.I also saw someone state to use a VLF in this forum.Amazon has a VLF,Bounty HUnter,but it does not have an headphone jack.

I am also planning on building a drywasher.I have my own construction company,can weld,have a lathe,ect.
I bought the book Finding Gold in the desert by Otto Lynch.
And Gold panning is easy by Roy Lagal.

 

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[goldentruth]

My oppinion: Google The Whites Goldmaster GMT. It is one of the easiest to use for gold and ground balancing, You canbe up and running in a few minutes with the factory pre set markings! You can select & cancil out "hot Rocks" and the Iron & salt soils while your setting can only follow/hit a Gold signal. The Whites site has a live video by White's Guest "Jimmy Sierra" Who shows how and what he found too! A minelab may be the most expensive with the most depth but it can not tell you what you are digging. One person spent 2 hours digging 2 feet to only recover a tin can! It was dicey on a quartz/gold rock. With the GMT you wont pass up Quartz/Gold infused items. Jimmy shows one like the size of a small fist and some pulse machines have been known to pass quartz/with Gold veins. One great feature is the "Grab Botton" It resets the ground and it can "Follow the pay streak"! I am into nugget shooting on bank sides of streams, Luvual Gold in Stream "Benches" as well as double checking old 1849 mine & Hydrollic tailing areas,(Much fun & adventure).This morning I phoned "kellyco" Sales person "raul", will go down from $799 to $750.00 Free Shipping, including a free $70.00 Value "Bonus Pack" with extras. It also works good for coins too. Good luck.

 

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[roadrunner]

@ leatherneck.-Thanks for the reply.I have been looking at auto ground balance.For the simplicity.I have a lot of minerals in my ground here.

@ Goldseeker4000-Ckecked them out,but they are out of my range right now.Unless i get enough back from my income tax refund.

@ goldentruth--Same with the minelab here,i just can not seem to get enough for a new machine,especially with a high price.Still checking Craigslist and ebay.Thanks for the info.This is the second or third time whites has been mentioned.Goldmaster II also.

 

[goldentruth]

I have had my eye on a Whites Goldmaster GMT. A friend who has a MD Shop tells me he can't keep enough Fisher's Gold Bug Pro in his store. He quoted me as about $670 with a longer than most warantee is about ( 5 years) Whites is a good company the offer a 2 year warantee. Do be carefull about some used Metal detectors on ebay, with out a warrantee I see right now I saw 2 MD's close to full price after shipping.( I found a local dealer for only $109.00 more I can buy a new Whites Goldmaster GMT with a 2 year warantee plus the dealer with over 29 years selling whites (Whom is retired) After I buy (@ $700) he is offering me a hands on demo, taking it out and showing how simple to ground ballance it out. How can you get a better deal.
To me it is a wise investment which I am sure to spend many hours and enjoying my MD.
By the way, I know many friends who have 3 & 4 Metal detectors, some they bought at a low price and are not too good and are hard to sell & may not ever get their money out of them thru trial & error and wished they would have bought a good MD Machine to start out with, So it is better to get the info! What works for what you are looking for and what you intend to spend.
Check out youtube and see the detectors in action in the field being used and many show finds and where on the video. Good luck to you friend.
(Note update: Just scored on ebay: a Whites goldmaster GMT $500 + Free shipping! Like 50% off. 3/10/2012
I'm a happy camper now, right in my budget too!)

 

[stringmo]

Don't be in a rush to buy! Take your time to check out all the options that these folks are giving you. One size does not all fit all! I have seen older guys with older machines outperform some of the best machines out there today, because they truly know how to use them. Good luck!!

 

[minerjoe]

I'll warn you here, do not spend anything less than a grand for most vlf detectors, if you want a good detector. You cant do worth a crap without the right tools. Just buying a detector is not your only purchase. A pick, and top dollar headphones are a must. as 4000 said, the 705 is a great detector, and would be fine for what you want. I know guys that swear by them, but i smoke em with my t2. Thats not to say that 4000 couldn't smoke me.... You see, its how well you learn the detector. Thats it, but if you want my opinion, if you live in gold country, and this purchase is too big, go buy a a52 sluice box and shovel into it.... a few times out and you got your detector!

 

[goldseeker4000]

Roadrunner, here are a few more tips to help a new guy out with gold prospecting/coin hunting. The Minelab X-terra705 is the most technologically advanced VLF detector on the market and has been since 2009. With the 705 you have the ability to switch coils and at the same time switch frequencies. 3.5 Khz, for silver and copper. It is killer on deep silver, as well as copper. The 7.5 Khz is the medium frequency coil, good for all around detecting. 17.75 Khz coil is for gold nuggets, and hunting in high trash areas. It will give you excellent target separation. It comes in DD (double d). The 705 is automatic ground balance, manual ground balance, ground balance tracking, ground balance tracking offset and beach mode. It is the best adventure detector and is an advanced nugget detector, coin hunter, beach detector or relic hunter. It will find nuggets just under 1 grain is weight same as the gold bugs, but the 705 will find it deeper. The ground balance offset is for mineralized ground, hotrocks and wet beach sand detecting. If you have alot of hotrocks where you hunt like iron stone, you can offset the ground balance to either a negative or positive value. This is very important because it will keep you from alot of hotrocks. It makes most of them go away. You have two modes to hunt in, coin/treasure and prospecting mode. You will not be able to find a nugget in coin mode unless it is large. The prospecting mode is like having a completely different detector. It is so powerful it will pick up the salt content in your body just like the goldbug. I have owned and operated many detectors over the years as far back as 1980 and I assure you that no detectors compare to minelab. Garretts are good detectors but you will not find as tiny of gold with them as you will with minelab. White's, well alot of people like them and have good luck with them, but truth of the matter is they are bulky, difficult to learn(learning curve) and their lcd screens are complicated and busy. White's are heavy and after awhile you will get tired of wielding them around. Better to get a light machine that you can wield all day if you want to. Their customer service on repairs is not to be desired. They have been using the same design, metal box for decades. the club I belong too in North west Montana, some members had them, could not figure them out really well and all of them sold them and bought minelabs or goldbugs. You will want a detector that has auto ground balance and auto tracking. This is very very important when looking for gold nuggets, because most areas you will be looking for gold will be highly mineralized ground with various types of hotrocks. No othe manufacturermakes a detector in which you can change frequencies by changing the coil. This makes your detector a valueble and versatle machine. Go to finds treasure mall and go into the X-terra forum and ask them some hard questions on how x-terra owners like them and what they have found as well as x-terras ease of operating. Don't be fooled into buying a used inexpensive or older detector to hunt nuggets and coins with till you can get a better one. You will be wasteing you money. I did just that three times in a row before I descovered minelab and eventually the 705. You will never out grow the capabilities of the 705. It is easy to use and a joy to learn all of its features. I found gold nuggets the very first day I bought mine. You are better off and be ahead of the game to saveyour money and buy the 705 for around $600-$700. Get a high frequency coil and a low frequency coil. You will need a good quality detector pick that you can pick up at Arizona Outback. Get the long handle pick. It will be easier on your back and help you dig faster holes. Tesoro detectors are very specific use detectors. They dont make one that is very good for gold nuggets as well as coins and relics. You will need a plastic scoop for when you are hunting for nuggets. Pick up a camelback hydration bladder/backpack to keep you hydrated. Especially in Arizona. I have been detecting for coins and gold nuggets since 1980 and I have done it all damn near from detecting, panning,sluicing,sniping, dredging and booming.It is all fun but unless you have a very good spot you wont find lots of gold. detecting will be the most rewarding of all ways to mine. Sometimes you wont find anything for days detecting, but when you do it usually is more rewarding for the amount of work and money you invest. One more thing, I would give up detecting before I would ever waste my money on a white's detector! Sorry if that offends others out there that own them, but to me quality, the most technologically advanced detectors, customer service, weight, ease of use, ease of learning the machine matter to me in order to be successful. you get what you pay for. Those that owned other detectors and then bought minelabs know these are the best on the market and have been for years. I hope this has been helpful roadrunner. I would really like you to become successful at detecting. It will change and enrich your life forever. Good luck - Goldseeker4000

 

[woof!]

Everyone's got their own preferences, but be wary of the opinions of partisans who think they need to knock everything else out there.

--Dave J.

 

[Terry Soloman]

...Tesoro detectors are very specific use detectors. They dont make one that is very good for gold nuggets as well as coins and relics. ...

Tesoro Lobo Super Traq, is a great all-around machine. 17.9Khz and kills on sub-gram nuggets as well as coins and relics - Great Machine! Also available at Arizona Outback!

 

[roadrunner]

Goldseeker4000-Thanks for the long reply.
I own a construction company and work all summer in the heat here.I know what you are talking about.
AZ can be brutal to some.

Been doing some sluicing,but nothing yet.All black sand,and lots of it.I mean lots.I have a small plastic jar that holds those cake decorations.2lbs in the jar out of 3- 5 gal buckets of material.
Screened to 1/4 inch before sluicing.

And i just found out i get no money back from the IRS this year.
Have to wait now.But i am going to AZ outback the next time i am in AJ.
Thanks Terry.I may have to join your organization.To bad i cant go out in the summer.

Thanks for everyone and there response.I am taking it all in.
I will have to keep my eyes on ebay for a while.

 

[goldentruth]

My oppinion: Google The Whites Goldmaster GMT. It is one of the easiest to use for gold and ground balancing, You canbe up and running in a few minutes with the factory pre set markings! You can select & cancil out "hot Rocks" and the Iron & salt soils while your setting can only follow/hit a Gold signal. The Whites site has a live video by White's Guest "Jimmy Sierra" Who shows how and what he found too! A minelab may be the most expensive with the most depth but it can not tell you what you are digging. One person spent 2 hours digging 2 feet to only recover a tin can! It was dicey on a quartz/gold rock. With the GMT you wont pass up Quartz/Gold infused items. Jimmy shows one like the size of a small fist and some pulse machines have been known to pass quartz/with Gold veins. One great feature is the "Grab Botton" It resets the ground and it can "Follow the pay streak"! I am into nugget shooting on bank sides of streams, Luvual Gold in Stream "Benches" as well as double checking old 1849 mine & Hydrollic tailing areas,(Much fun & adventure).This morning I phoned "kellyco" Sales person "raul", will go down from $799 to $750.00 Free Shipping, including a free $70.00 Value "Bonus Pack" with extras. It also works good for coins too. Good luck.

With all the info here by our friends here, the time to research is like a learning treasure. Do your self a favor and Google the Whites Site and check out the Video by the famous "Jimmy Sierra" who demos the whites Goldmaster GMT. He shows right there expert to the point use. It's real cool. Good luck Updated added 3/13/2012

 

[roadrunner]

I have not posted in a while but i wanted to say thanks to all that responded to my thread.
I still have not found a job yet,and i have to work on my truck,but thats another story.

So,i went to a persons house that collects junk,cleans out empty houses, ect, Looking for a swamp cooler motor.
Out of the corner of my eye i spot a Green looking box,made of metal.I was thinking to my self,no way.
But,yes way,an almost mint, Garrett,ADS,Vlf/Tr Groundhog. The Master Hunter.
This is the one that has the Auto/Manual ground balance on the lower left corner.
Has the switch in the handle,instead of the button.
The plastic lens over the meter is in pristine shape.Looks right out of the box.Battery tray is in the same condition.Shiny and new.
Put in 4 new batteries,works perfect.
This is the one that came with the armrest as a special.

Ok,enough of that.I have been practicing in my backyard on different objects,and depths to get to know the unit.
Have downloaded the manual,and also went to the Treasurelinx site to download the 1978 sales brochure and copied pages 6-10.
So,thanks to all again for the help.
Now i need to find enough items to buy one of the newer,more expensive ones,Maybe.
But,i will always keep this one.
Since some of the newer MD are using the same circuits from what i read on here.
Oh,paid $10 for it.
It still is a used machine.

 

[TerryC]

Posting after the FINE posts above is purely redundant, but I will anyway. I own the GB2 and GMT. BOTH are dynamite on small gold nuggets. The basic diff between the two is.... do you want AUTO ground balance or MANUAL gb. I like the manual ground balance of the GB2. I have tested both and found I can find a .04 gram nugget at 2 inches. That is FOUR HUNDRETHS of a gram. Terry Soloman can describe his experience with other gold machines. As for me, I suggest the GB2 or GMT. TTC

 

[roadrunner]

Thanks terry, everybody's voice is welcome,and I check out every thing posted.
I have looked at a couple used GB,not the 2.
I could afford one of those used in a while.