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New Makro Racer 2


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    I am just starting to get used to this website so I hope you will all pardon me If I have (and I have) started threads here that has similar achieves already at this website for all to read.  Before posting this I did a check and didn't see any previous posts directed toward the upgraded Racer so I went ahead with this post.  

   In my search for a reasonably priced detector as an addition to my GPX that can serve as an occasional beach and coin detector as well as a gold prospecting detector for use in high trash areas I am starting to get a short list.  One detector on that short list is the Fors Core and in the process of learning more about it I came across the Makro Racer 2.  Not a true gold detector for sure but I liked almost everything I have seen and read about the Core other than having to set up and make changes to the settings via the side panel screen.  The Macro Racer 2 seemed very, very similar but runs at 14khz, weighs only 3 lbs including batteries and the Racer screen is right in front of the user.  The price seems very good as well on either but the Core pro package offers 3 coils including the 15" X 13" coil and the Makro Racer 2 only offers only 2 coils for about the same price.  What drew me to the Core is that by all accounts offers great depth and appears to be very useful in trashy areas to separate the iron from the good stuff.  In looking the specs for both machines, it appears they took the best features of both and made the Makro Racer 2.  

My question here would be directed to anyone who has used either the Core or the new or original Makro Racer and their feelings about the usefulness of either for general detecting and gold detecting.  

Thanks in advance,

Terry  

 

    

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G'day Terry, You have picked a first class machijne with the Racer 2, Makro are a first rate company that are constantly coming here and helping people with info and they are always willing to go the extra mile, from what I have seen they are a Breath of fresh Air to the Detecting world,

Steve has swung all the machines that you mention, so heres one of his reports

http://www.detectorprospector.com/gold-prospecting-equipment/makro-racer-metal-detector.htm

And here is his Gold racer Review,

http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/645-makro-racer-first-impression-gold-racer-preview/

john

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I don't want to confuse you but, for gold and trash you might want to check out the nokta relic. I've swung the original racer myself for a bit and have an r2 on the way. From what I understand  the r2 will work for gold but, if your foucus swings more towards gold then the relic will have an edge.

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Thanks much John.  I have read those reviews and I liked them.  

However he doesn't have a review of the Makro Racer 2 yet.  Though it is very similar it has some added features.  

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1 hour ago, iqwozpoom said:

I don't want to confuse you but, for gold and trash you might want to check out the nokta relic. I've swung the original racer myself for a bit and have an r2 on the way. From what I understand  the r2 will work for gold but, if your foucus swings more towards gold then the relic will have an edge.

Thanks Iqwozpoom,

 

Thanks for the note.  I thought the Core was the Relic model but per your note I checked again and see that the Relic model is 19Khz instead of the Core's 15Khz which I would suspect should be better for smaller gold and most of what gold is left out there is smaller so sounds like you are right. I didn't realize there were so many models of just the Makro and Nokta detectors.

Terry

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Jack,

 

Thanks much for your input.  How are you liking your Racer 2?  

I just checked out the link you left me.  I had come across it before but with so many models of very similar machines made by Nokta but it all gets a little fuzzy but looking at it a second time did clear away a little of the haze.  If I had to choose between the Fors Gold plus and the Fors Gold I believe the 19khz Gold Plus would be more in line with what I'm looking for in all around Gold machine.  As Steve has noted in his post the Gold Racer is more of a dedicated gold machine and runs at 56khz.  

For 2016 Nokta just came out with the Fors AU Gold which is kinda Retro in that it has only knobs and Led's like the original Gold Bug and operates at 56Khz so should be great for the tiny gold.

For more detail about any of these detectors check out the Nokta website:  http://noktadetectors.com/index.asp?g=urunler&kat=1,

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Roughwater: In my search for a reasonably priced detector as an addition to my GPX that can serve as an occasional beach and coin detector as well as a gold prospecting detector for use in high trash areas I am starting to get a short list.

Terry, it is tough to find a good detector to handle Beach Hunting and Coin Hunting and still serve OK for Gold Nugget Hunting, especially if you are trying to use a prospecting unit in a high trash area, and that is compounded if the "trash" includes a lot of ferrous debris.

Through the years I have done some nugget hunting in a trashy environment, and most of the trashier locations in gold prospecting country tend to be around gold mining towns, gold mining camps, and along water sources where there has been gold prospecting activity.  However, the bulk of my gold nugget hunting is done away from those places and more on the hillsides in search of gold that is eroding away from its source over time long before it gets to the river or stream, and where there is very little "trash."

Roughwater: One detector on that short list is the Fors Core and in the process of learning more about it I came across the Makro Racer 2.  Not a true gold detector for sure but I liked almost everything I have seen and read about the Core other than having to set up and make changes to the settings via the side panel screen. The Nokta FORS CoRe drew may attention as well since it operated at 15 kHz, like the FORS Gold, but had additional search modes for more Coin Hunting and even Relic Hunting flexibility.   The 14 kHz Makro Racer offered me similar features and performance as the FORS CoRe and both had a place in my personal arsenal, the FORS CoRe being the more comfortable package design to use for prolonged searches with the standard 7X11 DD coil or the larger 13X15 DD coil.

Then you mention the newer Makro Racer 2, operating at the same 14 kHz but with one additional search mode and offering many more adjustment functions that enhance its versatility in any application.  I prefer my Racer 2 for urban Coin & Jewelry Hunting as well as Relic Hunting the very trashy ghost towns, homesteads, old encampment sites, etc., that I enjoy searching.

There have been other models than the Racer 2 and FORS CoRe that you should also consider.  There is the Nokta FORS Gold + that I really like for both its Gold Nugget Hunting potential as well as working even better in many old Relic Hunting applications, and the reason for that is the operating frequency is 19 kHz.  I have owned four Teknetics G2's and two Fisher F19's, all operating at 19 kHz, and the FORS Gold + excellent in performance over them for my needs.

Then came the Makro Gold Racer at 56 kHz which is unique in the gold prospecting detector market as it was the first Low Frequency detector designed for Gold Nugget Hunting in the LF range that included motion-based Discriminate search modes.  This will be my tiny-size nugget unit, and also be grabbed for Gold Jewelry Hunting in high-potential sites for those lower-conductive losses.  I have also used the Gold Racer in some Relic Hunting application, but mainly away from the nastiest, densest trash.  There I prefer my Racer 2 or FORS Relic.

That brings us to the other new model recently announced by Nokta and now being shipped, the Nokta FORS Relic.  The Relic is in a similar housing package as the FORS CoRe and FORS Gold +, and is kind of a 'blend' of these two designs and then some.  It has the Di2 (2-Tone) and Di3 (3-Tone) and COG (Beach) modes like the FORS CoRe, plus two additional 2-Tone modes, Swift and Boost that are somewhat similar to the two Discriminate modes of the Gold +.

The Relic also operates at 19 kHz like the Gold +, and additionally features Tone Break and Iron Volume control.  With the added modes and adjustment functions, and operating at 19 kHz, the new Relic makes a superb Relic Hunting detector that you can use for Coin and Beach Hunting, and operating at this frequency can make it better than the CoRe for a lot of Gold Nugget Hunting.

Roughwater: The Macro Racer 2 seemed very, very similar but runs at 14khz, weighs only 3 lbs including batteries and the Racer screen is right in front of the user.  The price seems very good as well on either but the Core pro package offers 3 coils including the 15" X 13" coil and the Makro Racer 2 only offers only 2 coils for about the same price.  Most hobbyists and avid detectorists don't have a need for the largest-size search coil, and I think it makes a better accessory coil choice.  For me an most of my needs, the 7X11 DD gets only periodic use in open, low-target areas.  The bulk of mu hunting is handled by a smaller coil, and in moderate  target sites the 5½X10 coils do the work.  There is a very good selection of Makro and Nokta models for you to choose from, and it only needs your consideration of what operating frequency might fit your needs and which primary purpose the detector will serve.

Roughwater:  What drew me to the Core is that by all accounts offers great depth and appears to be very useful in trashy areas to separate the iron from the good stuff. The Makro and Nokta models mentioned, all of them, can do very well at separating  targets, and most handle iron pretty well.  The higher-frequency Gold Racer is, however, better for chasing tiny nuggets than it is hunting in dense iron debris.  Yes, I have hunted with my Gold Racer in littered places, but was more comfortable with the performance of the FORS Relic, Racer 2 and FORS Gold +, in that order.

Roughwater: In looking the specs for both machines, it appears they took the best features of both and made the Makro Racer 2.  Every one of these Makro and Nokta models have been well designed and share similar features, and some have their own features.  The Racer 2 does offer more advantages to the Coin Hunting Hobbyist, perhaps, but they are all performers.

Roughwater: My question here would be directed to anyone who has used either the Core or the new or original Makro Racer and their feelings about the usefulness of either for general detecting and gold detecting. Okay, considering them all, I would put the FORS CoRe in the 'General Detecting' category, and even the Racer 2, and put the Gold Racer more in the primary-use category for Gold Detecting.  The Gold + and Relic models, operating at 19 kHz, would be useful for all types of use, Relic Hunting, Gold Nugget Hunting and Coin Hunting ... or you could say "General Detecting" with an advantage for "Gold Detecting."

Roughwater: How are you liking your Racer 2?  I love the Racer 2 and it is often the first unit I grab off the back seat when I get to most trashier Relic Hunting locations, and is also the first unit grabbed when I hit an urban Coin Hunting site.  However, it isn't the only model I use.  For many old town sites, such as the three Gold Mining Towns we will be hunting next week, the FORS Relic will be my primary-use detector.  I have always preferred to have a good working detector battery so I can grab the model and coil that I feel best fits my needs.

Roughwater: If I had to choose between the Fors Gold plus and the Fors Gold I believe the 19khz Gold Plus would be more in line with what I'm looking for in all around Gold machine.  As Steve has noted in his post the Gold Racer is more of a dedicated gold machine and runs at 56khz.  I would also grab the Gold + of these two.  The FORS Gold operates at 15 kHz and the Gold + operates at 19 kHz.

The 56 kHz model I am using is the Makro Gold Racer.  I have seen the Nokta Au Gold but I find the Makro Gold Racer doing all I need for tiny-size gold and also providing more in the way of visual display.

This is a busy season for trying to select a "just right for me" model, isn't it?

Monte

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20 hours ago, Monte said:

Roughwater: If I had to choose between the Fors Gold plus and the Fors Gold I believe the 19khz Gold Plus would be more in line with what I'm looking for in all around Gold machine.  As Steve has noted in his post the Gold Racer is more of a dedicated gold machine and runs at 56khz.  I would also grab the Gold + of these two.  The FORS Gold operates at 15 kHz and the G old + operates at 19 kHz.

The 56 kHz model I am using is the Makro Gold Racer.  I have seen the Nokta Au Gold but I find the Makro Gold Racer doing all I need for tiny-size gold and also providing more in the way of visual display.

This is a busy season for trying to select a "just right for me" model, isn't it?

Monte

It is a busy season and as much as possible I do want to get Just the right model if at all possible. The differences between several are minimal.  However I do think the 19 khz models would fit the bill.  I have heard such good things about the Cores discrimination and hoping the Gold plus is as good but I don't know of course?  While you were writing this I was writing a post much in line with all you said here.  I guess great minds think alike.  :rolleyes:

Terry

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