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Detailed Review Of Makro Gold Racer By Steve Herschbach


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So Steve , are you saying that all the VLF gold detectors on the market, new or old, are basically the same depth/sensitivity  wise, and just different in the bells and whistles department? Altho, the weight is defintely an issue, and the GB2 is almost the only hip/chest mountable unit out there.

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Well yes Tom, in the broad sense I have been saying that for years, and most recently at my VLF Detectors And Depth article.

Each machine has its finer points and there are differences. Obviously a Gold Bug 2 and an MXT are two VLF detectors with differing design goals and capabilities. You want always to have the right machine for the task. But when looking at the $600 - $800 single frequency VLF nugget detectors you are not going to see some sort of new magical performance suddenly appear and blow everything else away. If a person has capable detectors, and you do, then any lack of success at some point must be attributed to other factors. Simply replacing good machines with good machines changes nothing. It is far more important to be placing yourself in good locations, and thoroughly applying yourself to the machines you already have. Again, as long as they are appropriate to the task.

For somebody wanting to get into nugget detecting who has no detector and a $700 budget the Makro Gold Racer is worth a very serious look. It may in some cases let a person consolidate a couple existing models into a single unit instead. But at the end of the day it is just another good VLF prospecting detector, not something that automatically obsoletes everything else that came before. If that is what you are looking for, you need to keep on waiting.

If I seem cautious it is because even though I am one of the guys reporting on the Makro Gold Racer I just don't put a lot of store personally in reports from one or two people. For a machine to really prove itself it has to get out in the hands of a lot of people under widely varying conditions over time for that final thumbs up to happen. So while I am convinced that this is a very good detector for me personally it is just too soon to say how it will play out overall. Compared to the GMT and Gold Bug 2 this is a machine with a multitude of features that have never been attempted in a high frequency detector and for that reason alone I find the machine intriguing.

The machine is best used in its very stable and easy operating all metal mode. There should be no problem mastering this mode as it is a very well behaved machine in all metal, all while having the benefit of on screen target id. Most ferrous locks on hard at 20 or 21, and I mean locks on hard. Unreliable target id numbers should always be dug until you get more familiar with the machine. A real beauty of having target id is that unlike the GMT or Gold Bug 2 certain pesky items like 22 shell casings or many hot rocks can be identified and ignored if so desired.

Where the machine can be more challenging to operate is the discrimination modes due to its extremely hot high gain, high frequency design. In some areas it runs clean and smooth, but in most locations the disc modes can be rather chatty with transient blips, not unlike a Gold Bug 2 in iron disc mode cranked to the max in a trashy location. The trick is to learn the clipped sounds should be ignored while the fuller good signals should be investigated.

This really is a great detector in my opinion but it is a very high performance machine pushing to the limits, and so not exactly a beginners machine in that regard. All metal mode is easy to master, but the disc modes are more challenging than what one will encounter on lower frequency detectors. It is worth the effort however as this machine will do things that simply can't be done with a GMT or Gold Bug 2. I am using it now around town as a jewelry machine and it is a tot lot killer if there ever was one!

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On 12/12/2015 at 5:16 PM, Steve Herschbach said:

The 10" x 5.5" DD coil has been redesigned and is identical to what recently started shipping with the FORS Gold+

 

The coil ears have been beefed up tremendously compared to the original Racer, with more material on the inner and outer surfaces visible in the closeup below. Reinforcement has been added around the cable entry point also.

 

On 12/12/2015 at 5:25 PM, Steve Herschbach said:

The small coil is also identical to what is shipping with the FORS Gold+, a 5" round DD, also with beefy ears.

Steve, 

 You say that these coils are identical to those being shipped with the FORS Gold +, so I'm guessing that they can be use on either detector if you own both? 

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