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Fisher Gold Bug 2 Pinpointer Conversion


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  • 2 months later...

Steve, I am curious to know why you sold your Silver U-max and use your GBII as your mini discriminator. Did you opt for increased small gold detection over the better big-iron discrimination of the Tesoro? I am thinking of building a discriminator for use in conjunction with a SD 2300 on trashy hard rock tailing piles. in another thread you mention other detector models as being options now. Which detectors in your opinion would work well, taking into consideration the gold size and types of trash typically found in hard rock tailings, cost,  and eventual compactness of the mini detector including small coil options?  I do not think I am interested in any detectors with a display as that will only increase the cost and overall size.

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Well, the main reason is I am a minimalist at heart. I do not like owning stuff in general and try to distill my physical possessions down to stuff I use constantly. The mini VLF pinpointer is a great concept that I try now and then to get a real manufacturer interested in. My two units were basically proof of concept things. The reality is however that small as they are they are still more than I want to carry with me constantly. My GPZ in particular would not like that much metal and a wound coil nearby. It is hard enough just having a regular pinpointer close at hand.

The Tesoro Silver uMax was the best as it employed off the shelf low cost items and is a clean compact build. http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/980-tesoro-silver-umax-pinpointer-conversion/ But I did not need a uMax for what I normally do so I sold it. I did still have a Gold Bug 2 so I rigged it up instead. It was bulkier and cost more but I had it on hand. However, I had not used my Gold Bug 2 for over a year and so it and several other detectors got sold this year.

My nugget detecting has boiled down to using a GPZ nearly all the time. However, I always want a backup detector on hand in case the a GPZ fails for any reason. I currently have a Makro Racer as my secondary unit along with me at all times. It serves not just as a backup but as my unit for places where trash makes using the GPZ more than I can deal with.

It would be easy to pull the middle rod section and use the small Racer coil to make a mini detector. Reality is I just have not bothered. These days if I feel like I have the need I just put the Racer nearby while using the GPZ and employ it to check targets.

I still think the Silver uMax is the best dedicated solution but for most people like me that have a VLF anyway just tossing one in the truck to have nearby is usually "good enough". However, I did recently try and sell a couple manufacturer reps on the idea. A factory made version would be cleaner and cost no more than a standard pinpointer. I do think many people want a pinpointer with more depth and iron discrimination.

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I tried making one out of the $35 Harbor Freight metal detector. Seemed like a good idea since the actual electronics fit in the palm of your hand after you remove them from the casing, would be easy to rebuild into a small and portable discriminating pinpointer and it'd be easy to solder in a double pole switch that breaks the coil circuit when the pinpointer is off.

 

Only problem is the discrimination on that detector discriminates gold out along with iron, at least my particular detector did, so that's a no-go in case anyone else thinks of trying the same thing.

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