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Which Nugget Detector?


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hello ,,,am looking at the following detectors gold bug 2 , gold kruzer , minelab 800 or 600 maybe a used tdi .....the place am going  nugget hunting is new to me ...i do not know the  size of nuggets......over the years a  few have been found ..... am going to a  small island in south east asia theres old copper and or gold mine in the area .. i think it  was placer mine with a few small rivers nearby and lots of iron sand ....need advice on what would be the best detector on this list for the job .... ...only bedrock i seen was in the river which is shallow toward the mine not the sea ...... soil very deep every where  ,,, i must point out i never detected in a river before is waterproof needed ..

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Since your new to metal detecting I’d use a Minelab Gold Monster. It’s a very easy detector to setup and operate and is very sensitive on small gold and will also find larger nuggets. Another bonus is the detector comes with two coils and the 5in coil works awesome on bedrock.

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desertpilot thank for your advice ....let made add a few things ive been detecting since the 70s treasure hunting ....with all the hype on here and seeing many big name guys like steve and terry using the 800 and 600  and the gold kruzer .. all  waterproof over the tdi and gold bug 2 which i know first hand are great machines i was wondering what the monster have over these machines ....am figuring all my hunting going to be in the river where all tailing were dropped  and the only bedrock i know of ...your in AZ  i have a limited area ,,,,,happy hunting and good luck

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Based on the limited amount of information it’s anybody's guess what detector might be best for the situation. Is the ground mild and amenable to a VLF? Or is it intensely mineralized and loaded with hot rocks, making it only suitable for a PI? Without knowing the gold size or ground conditions or the amount of trash all people can do is pick favorites.

Heading into an area with minimum information I would want at least two detectors, a PI and a hot VLF with iron discrimination. An example would be the GPX 5000 with large, medium, and small coils plus a Gold Bug 2 with a couple coils. That would cover just about any situation encountered.

In your case it sounds like you are working within a budget. If you are just looking for picks for a nugget detector for under a grand, that really is just a popularity contest. My nugget detector review lists detectors by price so I will aim you there.

Guide To Gold Nugget Detectors

Deepest VLF For Small Gold?

Best VLF Detector For Nugget Detecting

VLF Detectors And Depth

Advice On Gold Bug 2 Replacement

World Bored With High Frequency Gold Detectors?

GPX 5000, Deus, AT Pro, Mxt, Eureka Gold, X-terra 705, Best Combo?

Your Pick Of Any Nugget Detector For High Trash Areas?

Fisher Gold Bug Pro Vs F19 Vs F75 Vs Nokta FORS Gold / FORS CoRe

Fisher F19 vs Gold Bug Pro vs F75Ltd vs F75Ltd2

Fisher F75SE vs Minelab CTX 3030 vs Nokta FORS Gold vs White's V3i

Gold Bug Pro Vs AT Gold Vs X-Terra 705 Gold Vs Lobo Supertraq Vs MXT

and finally...

How To Make Yourself Crazy

gold-nugget-high-frequency-metal-detecto

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11 hours ago, nugget hunter said:

Lots of iron sand ...

 

11 hours ago, nugget hunter said:

I must point out i never detected in a river before is waterproof needed ...?

 

8 hours ago, nugget hunter said:

Am figuring all my hunting going to be in the river where all tailing were dropped....

It really sounds to me, based upon the above three things you said, that your lead detector should be a waterproof PI.  There aren't many of those -- Garrett ATX @$2100 and Minelab SDC 2300 @$3750 come to mind.  Those are new prices.  You can find used ones on Ebay, particularly the ATX, for considerably less.

There are a lot more choices for waterproof IB/VLF detectors (if iron sand and hot rocks are an issue this is likely your backup) but unfortunately the Fisher Gold Bug 2 (which you mentioned in your first post) isn't one of them.

Although it's possible to use a non-waterproof detector around water since most are waterproof up to the control box, one slip and you and your detector go swimming.  You might be able to swim but most detectors are very sensitive to water, so much so it can ruin them, but often if you take the batteries out immediately and can open up (voiding warranty...) and dry off quickly you'll be ok.  Better to not take that chance unless you have no options.

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If the unit needs to be waterproof that really narrows the field. The Garrett ATX and Minelab SDC 2300 are great options but the price may not be so great. If money is no object the SDC 2300 is actually a terrific beginners machine for those willing to dig everything.

VLF options from Waterproof VLF Metal Detector Comparison Chart

1. Garrett AT Gold - safe, well proven, waterproof nugget detector

2. Makro Gold Kruzer - new relatively unproven model but capable enough based on early reports

3. White's MX Sport - a little lower frequency than the two models above but can do the job.

The Equinox models I consider quite capable but due to the new and unique way the machine works as a nugget detector I am not really recommending it for any nugget hunters yet except for adventurous types wanting to experiment with new things.

Waterproof VLF detectors listed by price.....

waterproof-metal-detector-roundup-chart-

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thank u gb_amateur one slip your out of business your so right  .... steve hit on the head am on a budget and listed one detector on my list gold kruzer ...and hot rocks i have no idea but am betting like the heavy sand out of your worse night mare ....joke they stick to the coil ,,,thanks again from a volcanic islander

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Thanks Steve for reposting those links, I think this thread should be made a sticky because all the info a person would need is in those links, It was good to read them all again because every machine there is still holding their own regardless of what has been released since.

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On 7/10/2018 at 5:54 PM, nugget hunter said:

one more thing could i use my sand shark as a back up  if the magnet sand and hot rocks are as bad as they say ????? i cant afford a new pi detector .....

The Sand Shark cannot ground balance. As a result I would rather use most any VLF instead. The reasons prospectors use PI detectors is because ground balancing PI detectors can ignore ground and hot rocks a VLF or a non-ground balancing PI detector will signal on.

Half the battle of nugget detecting is removing ground signals.

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