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Original Gold Bug Was A Raffle Prize!


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I won an Original Fisher Gold Bug in a Club raffle last Saturday.  I bought $90 worth of tickets at 6 for $5.  Although the winner came from a batch from a previous meeting!  I could have saved $40.

I tested it out and it seems to work fine.  I’m more familiar with the GB2.  It came with the White’s Koss E-9000 headphones but there’s only sound on one side.  I need a set with a compatibility switch to hear in both.  Back in the day both Fisher and Garrett were mono (one black stripe on the plug), but the sound came out on both sides.  Stereo (two stripes) will only work on one side without the switch.  It came with the original box too!

Thank you, Steve, for having the Owner’s Manual available for download as well as other Information!

Walt

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I was actually able to figure it out and test it.  The three search modes threw me off a bit.  It seemed to only have a threshold in two of them.  It's been a while since I've had a machine with a "Retune" button.

I read through the manual.  I'm not sure who wrote it.  It seemed too "reader friendly" to be from an Engineer like Dave Johnson.  😁 I also thought the GB knobs were reversed like on the Goldmaster (Big one = course.  Small one = fine.)  Nope, Fine one = course and large one = fine.  That explains why it changed so much when I turned the small one.  It was actually balanced to my yard!  One thing that cracked me up was where it says to use your hands to isolate the target, rather than a plastic scoop or cup!

I thought about selling it but may just hold on to it for a while.  Although, I made a list of all my personal and Dealer Demo units and the total is 18!  I’m not bragging.  It may be time for some sort of intervention!!!  I really do need to thin the herd a bit.  Don’t even ask me about my Muzzle Loaders!

I was at the Portland, Oregon Gold Show a few years back and a guy was looking for a second Original Gold Bug for his wife.  I told him about the new Digital model.  He didn’t want that. His buddy had one.  He then pulled out a large piece of Magnetite with gold attached.  He said his buddy went over it and because it registered as iron on the screen, he passed on by.  This fellow came behind him and dug the target.  He told me he didn’t want “no screen”!  Too bad I didn’t keep his info.  I told him Original Bugs were scarce and wished him luck.  There’s a barely used one on eBay right now listed for $336. 

I really wish I could find a smaller coil for it.  Mine came with the standard 10” Elliptical.  A little 4” X 6” or 3.5” Round would be awesome!

When I first started selling Metal detectors in 2005, these were going for $359.  The GB2 was $639 and the introductory offer from Fisher was both the 10” and 6” Elliptical coils, plus headphones and a carry bag!  I don’t think they should have ever stopped making the 19-kHz model.  They could have saved it as an entry-level Gold machine.  I think they realized that back in 2009 when they introduced the new Digital model.

Well, enough of my ramblings for now.  I can’t wait to take it out for a trial run!

Walt

P.S.:  This is the second older Fisher analog model I've acquired.  Well, third actually.  I've gotten rid of a couple of GB2s in the past.  I also have a 1235X which was designed for Competitive Hunts.  I use it for just that purpose, planted Hunts!

 

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