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Best Detector For The Worst Case Scenario


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Hello all,

My name is Ron and I'm new to the forum and have been learning a lot from it's members and really appreciate all the time everyone puts into this forum, some really great information comes from this forum.

I'm in the market for an upgrade from my current detectors and am trying to decide on which would be the best detector for the worst case scenario as I have currently been detecting in the Siskiyou's serpentine gold belt (pretty much to hot for VLF's) and this gold belt also contains a very large amount of trash. The Equinox 800, Gold Bug 2, Garrett AT Gold have not been able to handle the mineralization of this ground very well. I have not tried any other VLF’s here though.

I usually rely on my Minelab Pulse Induction unit in this ground and use the iron disc. to save probably 75% of my time from digging unnecessary holes. I'm still interested in owing a top of the line VLF due to I detect mine dumps in the backcountry of Idaho, Nevada, and eastern Oregon where the trash is less abundant and the ground is not so mineralized even though it is usually steep and rugged (great VLF areas). 

After reading several posts on this forum I have narrowed my research of VLF metal detectors to the Equinox 800, Gold Monster, X-tera 705 Gold Pack, Nokta/Makro Gold Kruzer or AU Gold Finder, White's 24K or MXT, or a second back-up Gold Bug 2. I am really looking for the machine that can handle the hottest ground and has the sharpest sound on small and deep gold. Although no detector is a do it all machine I'm hoping the one that can handle the hot ground the best should be able to excel with better iron/disc. and target separation regardless of it being a multi-purpose detector or gold only detector, my assumption only. Does the frequency of detectors change their ability to handle hot ground like Australia. Has anyone tried these detectors in highly minenalized ground with any good results?

For Pulse Induction I'm narrowing my research to the GPX 6000 and/or GPZ 7000 both non disc. units for a great option for Idaho, eastern Oregon, and Nevada were there is less lead and iron trash present. For these Siskiyou's trash sites I'm looking at the GP/GPX series with iron/disc. Garrett ATX, Fisher Impulse Gold (has anyone been able to separate out lead and iron trash with the Fisher limited AQ  Impulse version and still find small and deep gold)? Has anyone got a good grasp on these machines being affective  in iron and lead infested areas?

Thank You for your time.

Ron

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Discrimination for pulse detectors is a last ditch type of thing and I would advise against it. On my first trip to Alaska I watched as several multi-ounce nuggets that had been found in the days I was there tested on a Minelab PI and discriminated as junk. Only very loud targets, that you have carefully pinpointed their location can be safely discriminated even with a VLF. You are right that serpentine is a very difficult bedrock to work with a VLF - dang near impossible. Serpentine can at times even be difficult with a pulse detector.
The frequency of a detector does change the sensitivity of a VLF detector to hot ground, but only a little. Turning down the gain helps too but only to a certain point. That is why on really difficult ground like serpentine bedrock, a pulse detector is best. One of the things about successful nugget detecting is that with only a few exceptions, you need to accept that you will dig a lot of trash.

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Welcome to the forum Ron,

     If "Reno" Chris Ralph, Steve Herschbach, Jonathan Porter, Gerry in Idaho, and a few other "hard core" gold hunters here don't have good answer's for you, there most likely isn't any! So heed any nuggets of information that they toss your way!!

  Good Luck out there! And let us know how it works out!👍👍

 

 

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If you are in heavy trash, you need patience. If it’s good ground, gold will show up. Learn how to recover targets fast. ( magnet work etc) have confidence. Trust me, the gold is there.

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Sometimes the junk will beat you. My wife and I got nuggets right up to the cans. We removed a lot of cans before the photo was taken how ever the small bits of rusted cans made it impossible to proceed. However managed to find two patches that yielded over a kilo of gold each with only a couple or so of steel rubbish no further than 5km away.

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Thanks all for the recent advice and explanations!

I also wanted to mention and thank Steve Herschbach for his metal detector database with reviews which was very helpful in narrowing down the capabilities of the large list of gold detectors available  from past to present. I do feel all the detectors I’ve narrowed my research too from this list our very high end detectors and several I would of never considered before reading about them. I only wish I had more opportunities to try all these detectors out (toys for me). It well be most likely I well need quite a few different detectors to meet all the type’s of detecting I do in different environments. Hopefully more detector feedback on the reviews page or on this post will help more in narrowing down these detector options.🙂 My old hole digger.

4B508842-C6BB-4839-98EC-960564079690.jpeg

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23 hours ago, NV-OR-ID-CAL-AU said:

After reading several posts on this forum I have narrowed my research of VLF metal detectors to the Equinox 800, Gold Monster, X-tera 705 Gold Pack, Nokta/Makro Gold Kruzer or AU Gold Finder, White's 24K or MXT, or a second back-up Gold Bug 2. I am really looking for the machine that can handle the hottest ground and has the sharpest sound on small and deep gold. Although no detector is a do it all machine I'm hoping the one that can handle the hot ground the best should be able to excel with better iron/disc. and target separation regardless of it being a multi-purpose detector or gold only detector, my assumption only. Does the frequency of detectors change their ability to handle hot ground like Australia. Has anyone tried these detectors in highly minenalized ground with any good results?

For Pulse Induction I'm narrowing my research to the GPX 6000 and/or GPZ 7000 both non disc. units for a great option for Idaho, eastern Oregon, and Nevada were there is less lead and iron trash present. For these Siskiyou's trash sites I'm looking at the GP/GPX series with iron/disc. Garrett ATX, Fisher Impulse Gold (has anyone been able to separate out lead and iron trash with the Fisher limited AQ  Impulse version and still find small and deep gold)? Has anyone got a good grasp on these machines being affective  in iron and lead infested areas?

Thank You for your time.

Ron

Ron,  Welcome to DP.  I have owned and used (with Success) all the VLF units you mentioned.  I won't go into detail as I feel your narrowed down list to EIGHT different VLF detectors is not very narrowed down and it would take me forever to type it all up.  So I'll say this.  I have 9 Field Staff Experts in the NW States and we have found gold with all the units you mentioned.  BUT!!! We only own a couple of those machines now and they can get anything from me at a discount (good reason to be on my team).  These guys are top notch gold hunters and they earned their way onto the team.  All 10 of us use, own and find gold with an EQ-800.  All 10 of us used to own GB-2's and GM-1000's, but none of us do now.  Most of us used MXT's and X-705's back in the day, but don't own them any more.  Only a few of us owned the Makro Gold Racer and 24K, both good for the price.  Here is your problem.  None of them are PI detectors and or can they minimize the bad soils like a PI.  We do feel the EQ-800 serves best for Identification in trash, Fine Tune Adjustment Capability and overall depth on a variety of gold types and sizes.  We also realize a VLF has it's strong and weak points.

How about the big dog PI's and ZVT of the 7000-it's not a PI.  9 of us own a GPZ-7000, but some of us also own SDC-2300's and GPX-5000's, as they each shine in their own ways in certain situations.

I sure wish there was a simple answer to your questions, but in reality, those who detect for gold in so many areas and types of soils, terrains and trash sites really do need a variety of detectors.

If I could only have 1 VLF it would be the EQ-800.

If I could only have 1 big detector, it would be a GPZ-7000 today and probably a GPX-6000 in a couple months, as I really want the new lighter weight and better ergonomics.

As for Iron Discrimination on a GPX-5000, most of the guys who try it don't know what their doing so they quit.  But I assure you, if the time is taken, the DISC on a GPX-5000 and a DD coil is a lifesaver.  Heck, most of the Civil War Relic hunters Back East are now learning to use a GPX with Disc.  Can you miss gold in DISC mode, most certainly just as easy as you can miss gold with a PI that a VLF sees and you can miss gold a VLF won't respond, but if you crushed the ore, there could be gold in it.  You need to play the odds in your favor and have the best tool for the site you plan on detecting.

If you are in known gold producing area, the next best thing is knowing how to operate the detector properly and know what to listen for.

When you get ready to purchase, call me at www.gerrysdetectors.com and we'll discuss more details, as I am slow at typing.

Or you can keep a smile on my face and purchase 1 of each.

 

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It is a classic trade off. VLF gets you pretty good ferrous discrimination, but has issues with bad ground and hot rocks. A good PI will help you with bad ground and hot rocks, but the ferrous discrimination is unreliable by VLF standards.

VLF is what it is, and you have a Gold Bug 2 already. An Equinox will give you more depth on larger gold, and more control over the discrimination.... but it will still not be a PI when it comes to ground handling.

You already have a GP 3000, and if ferrous disc is your goal, and GPZ 7000 or GPX 6000 will not help you. In my opinion it really just comes down to whether you want to upgrade the GP 3000 to a GPX 5000. Personally, I'd do that just to get the new battery system and rock solid threshold. But if you have any hope of getting decent ferrous disc with a PI, then a GPX 5000 or GPX 4500/4800 are the only real options in my opinion. 

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