Whites gmt gold detector or fishers gold bug 2?

reno775

Tenderfoot
Sep 4, 2012
8
2
Hi I would appreciate any feedback from people who's had experience with both gold detectors. I live in Reno Nevada and I've just recently purchased a whites gmt gold detector and I would like to know if it was the right choice because I've been hearing really good things about the gold bug 2 and since they are both in the same price range I would like to know which will be better in the northern areas of Nevada. I would really appreciate the help thanks.
 

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63bkpkr

Silver Member
Aug 9, 2007
4,069
4,618
Southern California
Detector(s) used
XLT, GMT, 6000D Coinmaster
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Well, I'm kinda getting tired of looking at these pictures but will put them up again.

I own/use a Whites GMT and have all three coils offered for it but would only recommend the two smaller ones unless you have an entire desert to detect and it is really nice and flat and free of obstructions then the biggest one would be useful.

It took me a good bit of time to finally put my detector over gold though I likely walked right past a lot without knowing it. Anyway, the GMT finds small (like tiny) pieces of gold as well as larger 'nuggets'. The important thing with either of the two detectors your are looking at is YOU MUST Practice, Practice, Practice to learn either machine. Build a test garden with various bits of lead at various depths down to 8" or even try 10" to 12" for larger pieces. The lead will detect just like gold but also put in a couple of nickels in your garden as the detector should think they are gold also.

During your practice you can start with the preset positions. After a week or so start adjusting one thing at a time to learn how it changes the machines reaction to your targets. After you've learned what one change at a time does start making two changes at once and so on till you've exhausted all combinations as well as yourself with all of this testing. All the time you spend testing will be well spent as once you are out where you want to prospect you will be ready.

Now, read about an area like you will be detecting to understand where gold "usually" is found. Like along rivers it drops on the back side/down river side of boulders, etc.

191_9174.JPG This gold was found under "solid bedrock"! Actually the bedrock was cracked though they could not be readily seen. I was using the 4 x 6 DD coil during this searching. This gold and lead shot is on a dime.

The gold 'nuggets' on top of this half dollar were dug from the down river side of a large boulder. Lots of rocks to move and lots of dirt to go through. The area was tough to swing the coil due to all the rocks so I would test each bucket full of dirt to see if it set the detector off (I poured the dirt out on the ground to detect it). When the coil was waved over a pile of dirt and the machine did not react to it, I put no further effort into that pile. BUT when the machine went zip-zip that pile of dirt went into the pan or the sluice box. Lots of work but a great experience.

The best of luck with your choices, I own the GMT but both machines find gold..........63bkpkr
 

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reno775

reno775

Tenderfoot
Sep 4, 2012
8
2
Well, I'm kinda getting tired of looking at these pictures but will put them up again.

I own/use a Whites GMT and have all three coils offered for it but would only recommend the two smaller ones unless you have an entire desert to detect and it is really nice and flat and free of obstructions then the biggest one would be useful.

It took me a good bit of time to finally put my detector over gold though I likely walked right past a lot without knowing it. Anyway, the GMT finds small (like tiny) pieces of gold as well as larger 'nuggets'. The important thing with either of the two detectors your are looking at is YOU MUST Practice, Practice, Practice to learn either machine. Build a test garden with various bits of lead at various depths down to 8" or even try 10" to 12" for larger pieces. The lead will detect just like gold but also put in a couple of nickels in your garden as the detector should think they are gold also.

During your practice you can start with the preset positions. After a week or so start adjusting one thing at a time to learn how it changes the machines reaction to your targets. After you've learned what one change at a time does start making two changes at once and so on till you've exhausted all combinations as well as yourself with all of this testing. All the time you spend testing will be well spent as once you are out where you want to prospect you will be ready.

Now, read about an area like you will be detecting to understand where gold "usually" is found. Like along rivers it drops on the back side/down river side of boulders, etc.

<img src="http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=749243"/> This gold was found under "solid bedrock"! Actually the bedrock was cracked though they could not be readily seen. I was using the 4 x 6 DD coil during this searching. This gold and lead shot is on a dime.

The gold 'nuggets' on top of this half dollar were dug from the down river side of a large boulder. Lots of rocks to move and lots of dirt to go through. The area was tough to swing the coil due to all the rocks so I would test each bucket full of dirt to see if it set the detector off (I poured the dirt out on the ground to detect it). When the coil was waved over a pile of dirt and the machine did not react to it, I put no further effort into that pile. BUT when the machine went zip-zip that pile of dirt went into the pan or the sluice box. Lots of work but a great experience.

The best of luck with your choices, I own the GMT but both machines find gold..........63bkpkr

Thanks 63bkpkr I appreciate the info.
 

Jim in Idaho

Silver Member
Jul 21, 2012
3,320
4,698
Blackfoot, Idaho
Detector(s) used
White's GM2, GM3, DFX, Coinmaster, TDI-SL, GM24K, Falcon MD20, old Garrett Masterhunter BFO
'Way Too Cool' dual 18 Watt UV light
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Hi I would appreciate any feedback from people who's had experience with both gold detectors. I live in Reno Nevada and I've just recently purchased a whites gmt gold detector and I would like to know if it was the right choice because I've been hearing really good things about the gold bug 2 and since they are both in the same price range I would like to know which will be better in the northern areas of Nevada. I would really appreciate the help thanks.
Read this....scan down to find the model you're interested in:
Steve's Guide to Gold Nugget Detectors
 

Jim Hemmingway

Hero Member
Jan 26, 2008
790
1,621
Canada
Detector(s) used
F-75, Infinium LS, MXT, GoldBug2, TDI Pro, 1280X Aquanaut, Garrett ProPointer
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Well, I'm kinda getting tired of looking at these pictures but will put them up again.

Herb... that's alright... you just keep using those photos because they make a fine illustration of what the GMT can do over small gold.

Reno... either of these units will hit on tiny gold as Herb has indicated. The Goldbug2 will hit the tiny stuff a bit cleaner but may not go quite as deep as the GMT on larger nuggets as ground mineralization increases.

Both are very capable units, despite that there are differences in how they operate. I prefer the GMT's ground balance choices... there are places where autotracking is useful although I normally prefer manual ground balance. The GRAB feature is quick, easy and accurate... and saves fiddling with the manual option if you find manual ground-balancing a chore.

Both units offer a feature to identify or eliminate signals from unwanted shallow targets in the iron range, but do it differently. I like the GMT's visual readouts, full ground balance range, and the variable SAT feature.

On the other hand, I'm fine with the GB2's manual ground balance, don't really trust any target ID or discrimination except over very shallow iron, and the GB2 is a lightweight unit that can be hip-mounted if you prefer it even lighter. It offers three ground mineral selections to be used according to the ground mineral conditions encountered for optimal performance.

Six of this and a half-dozen of the other... you made a good choice. :icon_thumleft:

Jim.
 

OP
OP
reno775

reno775

Tenderfoot
Sep 4, 2012
8
2
Herb... that's alright... you just keep using those photos because they make a fine illustration of what the GMT can do over small gold.

Reno... either of these units will hit on tiny gold as Herb has indicated. The Goldbug2 will hit the tiny stuff a bit cleaner but may not go quite as deep as the GMT on larger nuggets as ground mineralization increases.

Both are very capable units, despite that there are differences in how they operate. I prefer the GMT's ground balance choices... there are places where autotracking is useful although I normally prefer manual ground balance. The GRAB feature is quick, easy and accurate... and saves fiddling with the manual option if you find manual ground-balancing a chore.

Both units offer a feature to identify or eliminate signals from unwanted shallow targets in the iron range, but do it differently. I like the GMT's visual readouts, full ground balance range, and the variable SAT feature.

On the other hand, I'm fine with the GB2's manual ground balance, don't really trust any target ID or discrimination except over very shallow iron, and the GB2 is a lightweight unit that can be hip-mounted if you prefer it even lighter. It offers three ground mineral selections to be used according to the ground mineral conditions encountered for optimal performance.

Six of this and a half-dozen of the other... you made a good choice. :icon_thumleft:

Jim.

Thank you Jim I'm glad to hear that I've made a good choice.
 

Lanny in AB

Gold Member
Apr 2, 2003
5,660
6,357
Alberta
Detector(s) used
Various Minelabs(5000, 2100, X-Terra 705, Equinox 800, Gold Monster), Falcon MD20, Tesoro Sand Shark, Gold Bug Pro, Makro Gold Racer.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Steve's a straight shooter, if you've checked out his link that was provided for you. He really, really knows his business when he talks about detectors.

All the best,

Lanny
 

nuggetshooter323

Hero Member
Jul 22, 2005
963
870
Colorado Springs
Detector(s) used
The Legend, Anfibio Equinox 900, Gold Kruzer, XP Deus, ORX, Tesoro Tejon, Whites GMT, Falcon MD20, XP MI-6, Fisher F-Pulse, Pulse Dive, Vibra Probe, UniProbe.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
The GBP has manual and the Ground Grab button as the choices for ground balancing. The GMT has manual, GG, and auto tracking. One of the features that make the GMT a really choice is the VSAT feature. It allows you tailor your GMT's automatic retune to the minerlization in the soil, hyperfast, fast, slow or anywhere in between. The slower the VSAT the deeper you hear, the faster the VSAT the quicker it recovers and is less likely to miss a target. Thers's a mine I detect that has an area that is covered in coke. It looks like a volcanic rock that porus and black, every piece sounds off like a hotrock. I never see another nuggethunter in that area ever, it's way too rough for most VLF's. I set my GMT up into a "Hyper VSAT" setting like Larry Sallee describes in "Zip, Zip", and I'm able to pick up copper and silver specimens so far. I haven't hit gold yet, but nobody else really hits that area, so I'll get one eventually.
 

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