Introducing the Makro Gold Kruzer metal detector, new for 2018. The Makro Gold Kruzer is available now from select dealers. The 61 kHz Gold Kruzer breaks new ground by being the lightest weight highest frequency waterproof detector on the market. Be sure and read the detailed review by Steve Herschbach at the bottom of this page below the specifications list.

The Makro Gold Kruzer comes standard with a 10" x 5.5" concentric coil plus a 4" x 7.5" DD coil and has one optional coil available at launch. The Gold Kruzer has proprietary 2.4 Ghz wireless headphones included. The big announcement of note however is the very high 61 kHz operating frequency, making this one of the hottest machines available on tiny non-ferrous targets, and the only one waterproof to over 5 meters (16.4 feet).

There are already a number of detectors on the market operating in the over 40 kHz region and the basics of this high frequency detection have been covered well for at least twenty years. In other words, if all a person wants is a detector running in a high frequency threshold based all metal mode, there are quite a few options to choose from.

What makes the Gold Kruzer interesting is that as far as I can recall, nobody has made a detector before where the primary design intent is jewelry detecting. More to the point with the Gold Kruzer - detecting for micro jewelry. Micro jewelry has no exact definition but basically just means very small, hard to detect jewelry. Things like thin gold chains, or single post earrings. Most standard coin type detectors are weak on these sorts of small targets, if they can even detect them at all. Up until now people had to choose between coin detectors that have the features but are weak on micro jewelry targets, or use dedicated gold prospecting detectors hot on small targets, but very limited in features. What that usually means is little or no discrimination features.

Makro Gold Kruzer for detecting jewelry, gold nuggets, and more

Makro has gained attention as a company that listens to its customers. The new Gold Kruzer model is the perfect example of that, creating a unique machine based almost solely on feedback provided by customers in the last couple years. The Micro Mode on the new Gold Kruzer is a direct nod to those who want a detector for hunting micro jewelry and possibly even for gold prospecting, but who do not wish to give up the features available on most detectors today. In fact, Makro goes a step beyond, with the Gold Kruzer sporting features not included on many detectors today. These would include being waterproof to ten feet of more (16.4 feet with the Gold Kruzer), built in wireless headphone capability, and the ability to receive firmware updates via the internet.

The result is a new detector with a unique feature set. There is literally no other detector made right now operating over 40 kHz that is fully submersible. Built in wireless and internet updates are frosting on the cake.

Official Makro Gold Kruzer Page

Makro Gold Kruzer Full Color Brochure

Makro Gold Kruzer Instruction Manual

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*Notes on Technical Specifications - Detailed notes about the specifications listed in this chart.

Detailed Review Of Makro Gold Kruzer by Steve Herschbach

I was asked to review a new gold detector in the fall of 2014 from a company I had never heard of before then – the FORS Gold by the Nokta company based in Istanbul, Turkey. I was pleasantly surprised to find the Nokta FORS Gold to be a very capable 15 kHz VLF detector that could serve well not just for nugget detecting, but almost any detecting tasks.

The FORS Gold did have some odd design quirks, like the use of mechanical rocker switches instead of touch pads. I listed a few of these things, expecting that would just be the way it is. I was almost shocked when within a short period of time Nokta fixed or changed every item I had mentioned in my review as possibly needing improvement. This was unusual as normally once a machine has gone into production manufacturers are extremely resistant to design changes, especially changes in the physical design. It was a sign of what people have now found to be fact – that this company is serious about listening to their customers as a prime driver for product improvement.

New Makro Gold Kruzer

It was revealed that Nokta had a sister company called Makro, and the two officially combined forces shortly after I made my review. In other words, both Nokta and Makro now share the same ownership and management, but continue to be marketed separately under the two brand names. The detector models that each sell are unique, but there is an obvious sharing of the underlying technology between some models that the two brands sell.

I had commented at the time that I would prefer a more standard configuration for a LCD based detector rather than the non-standard configuration as presented by the FORS Gold. By the fall of 2015 I was using the new Makro Gold Racer, which incorporated many ideas I had lobbied for over the years with detector manufacturers. I had been trying for some time to get somebody to create a metal detector that ran at nugget detecting type frequencies over 30 kHz but with a full target id system. It seems strange now but at that time nobody made such a detector.

The Makro Gold Racer was quite unique in 2015 by offering a detector running at 56 kHz that also offered a full range LCD based target id system and dual tone based audio discrimination modes. This made it a detector useful not just for nugget detecting, but low conductor hunting in general for relics and jewelry. It is even a halfway decent coin detector for regular park type scenarios. The versatility and well thought out control scheme scored points with me, and I still have the Makro Gold Racer even after selling most of my other detectors.

It seems that the moment the Makro Gold Racer hit the streets, that everyone else was working on similar ideas, as other detectors running over 30 kHz but with a full feature set started to appear on the market. High frequency detecting is suddenly in vogue for more than just gold nugget detecting.

The one thing obvious now about the Makro / Nokta partnership is that they never sit still, but continue to work on and release new models at a pace that puts all the other manufacturers to shame. The companies are also big believers in seeking public feedback and then implementing the suggestions to create better products for their customers. This is readily apparent in the progression I have personally witnessed in going from that original Nokta FORS Gold to the new 61 kHz Makro Gold Kruzer just now hitting the market. In less than four years the company has gone from “catching up” to meeting or surpassing detectors made by other companies.

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The Makro Gold Kruzer has a full suite of functions, is fully waterproof, incorporates built in wireless headphone capability, and can be firmware updated over the internet. That short feature list alone puts the Makro Gold Racer in a very select group of detectors offering those same 21st century “basic features” that were lacking in almost all detectors made in the last century.

The Makro Gold Kruzer obviously builds on the Gold Racer feature set with the following key differences. The Gold Racer runs at 56 kHz and the Gold Kruzer at 61 kHz, one of the highest frequencies available in consumer metal detectors. This continues the focus on detecting small low conductor targets. The Gold Kruzer is waterproof to 5 meters (16.4 feet) whereas the Gold Racer is not waterproof at all. Finally, the Gold Kruzer adds a three tone hunt mode, taking things up another step from the dual tone modes available on the Gold Racer.

Now let’s look at the Makro Gold Kruzer in detail. Makro switched things up in that the Gold Kruzer comes with two coils, a 5.5” x 10” concentric coil, and a 4” x 7.5” DD coil; both include scuff covers. The 5.5” x 10” concentric coil, which was an option offered for the Gold Racer, has been redesigned and cut from 1” thick to ¾” thick and the weight reduced to 384 grams (13.5 oz). The coil is hollow and therefore slightly buoyant, so the 25% reduction in thickness is quite welcome in reducing that buoyancy to where it is basically unnoticeable underwater.

The little 4” x 7.5” DD coil is a solid epoxy filled coil which works extremely well in smaller coils where epoxy filling does not result in too much weight. The small DD coil weighs 368 grams or 13.0 oz. There is one accessory coil available at this time, a 5” x 9.5” epoxy filled DD. This coil weighs 14.3 oz or 404 grams. It should be noted that because of the frequency change and with the Gold Kruzer using waterproof connectors, that Makro Gold Racer coils will not work on the Gold Kruzer.

Makro has also learned lessons as regards coil ear durability. The coil ears on the Gold Kruzer are about twice the mass of those on my older Makro Gold Racer. Taller, wider, and thicker – these extra beefy coil ears should all but eliminate breakage issues.

4” x 7.5” DD coil showing beefed up ears

The Makro Gold Kruzer employs a fairly standard “detector pod on an S rod” design forgoing the underarm battery box used on the Gold Racer. This confers a large advantage when it comes to waterproofing the detector in that only the pod has to be sealed. The change from AA batteries to a built in sealed LiPO rechargeable battery also aids in eliminating battery doors, which are always at risk of leaking.

The three piece S rod itself is quite stout with no flex or wiggle. The cross hatch carbon fiber lower rod is not only strong, but lends an air of high tech quality to the look of the detector. The Gold Kruzer does not have the separate underarm battery compartment and in handle vibration mechanism featured on the Makro Gold Racer. This means the pod is totally self contained and can be removed from the handle assembly. This in turn allows for other rod options and the ability to break the detector completely down fitting in a small backpack or carry on bag.

When the stout rod is combined with the beefed up coil construction you have a design that should survive those spills a person can take when working in the surf and there the detector ends up acting like a walking stick for support.

It has been interesting to watch the company experiment with different handle designs. It is a thankless task because you never can please everyone. For me at least the handle / rod may be the best yet from Makro, with a molded hard rubber grip that will serve very well for a detector that may see underwater use. I personally found the Nokta Impact handle to be large for my hands and the smaller Gold Kruzer handle near perfect. Others may feel just the opposite so there you go.

The arm cuff is a little different. It is narrower than some – good for me but maybe not so much for somebody with huge forearms. The adjustment is non-standard, with the arm cup sliding up and down the upper rod over a set of threaded holes. A small screw inserted into the top of the armrest and into one of these threaded holes secures the armrest in place.

Kruzer upper rod showing cuff adjust holes and hand grip (control box removed)

A unique feature on the Gold Kruzer is an optional external AA battery pack that can provide extra operating time in the field should the internal rechargeable battery go dead. The pack is designed to be held into the bottom of the detector armrest / stand by a separate plastic cover bracket that is held in place with two screws. I found the holes these screws go into will fill with sand if this bracket is left off, so I advise installing the bracket even if the external battery pack is not in use. The external battery pack with bracket is an option and so dummy screws or plugs should be installed to keep the screw holes clean and free of debris by those who down not have the bracket.

I don’t think most people will ever need the external battery pack as long as the detector is regularly charged after use. It is a very nice touch however, especially for off grid use, as all you need is the external AA battery pack and a box of AA batteries to off grid for as long as the batteries will last. Some people may want the optional battery pack for travel into the field just in case the battery runs short on power in the middle of a hunt.

The port where you attach the external battery pack also acts as a port to attach a USB style charger cable. The detector is charged using this cable by employing the included USB wall charger. You may also use most USB charging adapters and newer computer USB ports.

The USB cable also allows the Makro Gold Kruzer to be attached to a computer so that updates can be made in case any bugs are found in the future. This update feature is very nice insurance that should be standard on all new detectors.

Another item that should be standard on all new detectors is built in wireless headphone capability. Makro uses a proprietary low latency system that exhibits no discernible lag at all. A really nice thing about being proprietary is there is no pairing process. All you have to do is enable the wireless feature on the control box, turn on the headphones, and boom, you are in business. The downside is you only have one choice of headphones – the included Makro wireless headphones. These are a nice, light set of phones but they are just a bit too small to fit over most people ears. I have fairly small ears and they still rest on instead of over my ear. The sound quality is good, but like most wireless headphones they seem less “bright” than wired headphones. All in all the wireless headphones are quite good however and a pleasure to use.

Makro wireless headphones

The Makro Gold Kruzer does have a waterproof speaker with decent volume that can be used instead of the wireless headphones. If you prefer other headphone options, be sure and get the optional waterproof port to ¼” headphone adapter cable. This cable attaches to the same port used for charging and software updates and allows any wired headphones to be adapted to the Gold Kruzer.

The LCD display is well laid out with a very large target id number displayed. The other setting indicators might be a little harder for those with poor eyesight to make out, but should present no issues once the layout is learned. One big change from the Gold Racer is that the four large navigation buttons, trigger switch, and rotary dial power / volume switch have all been replaced by ten small buttons on the control panel. All the buttons can be reached and controlled by the operators thumb, but the small size and closeness of the buttons may make for some navigation errors early on, and especially when trying to change settings underwater or with gloves on.

Makro Gold Kruzer display and controls

The Makro Gold Kruzer User Manual is available for download so I will refer you there for all the little details. What you have in the Makro Gold Kruzer is a hot 61 kHz metal detector waterproof to 5 meters (16.4 feet). The Gen (General) mode is a fairly standard VCO audio all metal gold nugget detecting circuit. The Gold Kruzer in Gen mode is very reminiscent of other hot gold nugget detectors running in the all metal prospecting mode.

The Gen mode acts exactly like one would expect a threshold based all metal mode to function. There is a nice smooth threshold that gives feedback about the ground and reacts to hot rocks with classic nulling signals and small nuggets with that classic “zip-zip” VCO audio. Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO) audio increases both in volume and pitch when a target is detected, giving a distinct response very common on many gold detectors. The only thing different here is that since the Gold Kruzer has an LCD readout; you can get target id number results while running in all metal Gen mode. The audio is far more sensitive than the meter however, so do not be surprised if the deepest and smallest of targets give no target id information.

In a break with the Gold Racer the Fast and Boost modes are not dual tone modes, but instead are silent search (no threshold) single tone modes. Items either signal audibly or not based on the current discrimination settings. The discrimination setting, like that of the Gold Racer, is a simple up and down control. Everything above the setting gives an audio signal of “beep”. Anything below the discrimination setting level is rejected or ignored with no sound at all. The Gold Kruzer has no notching capability i.e. the ability to pick and choose individual target id numbers for rejection.

Fast mode is just what it sounds like – a fast setting for working in really dense trash. Target recovery speed has been increased at the expense of outright depth, but sheer depth is useless where target masking is the main problem. Boost mode is exactly the opposite. Boost is the deepest discrimination mode on the Gold Kruzer but due to the increased sensitivity is more suitable for less mineralized ground and sparser targets.

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It should be obvious that the Makro Gold Kruzer is all about gold. This explains the shift from dual tone to monotone audio in the Fast and Boost. Dual tones as employed in the Makro Gold Kruzer can be problematic when hunting the smallest gold targets, especially in highly mineralized ground. It is hard for a detector to get a clean separation of ferrous and non-ferrous targets when the targets are very small.

This is because the actual dividing line between ferrous and non-ferrous is not a line at all, but a zone. The Makro Gold Kruzer uses a fairly standard discrimination scale that ranges from 0 – 99. The range from 0 – 40 is considered to be the ferrous range, and 41 and above non-ferrous.

Yet the discrimination default for both the Fast and Boost modes is 25. This is because if you bury small gold in highly mineralized ground or large gold extra deep in mineralized ground, the ferrous ground signal can overwhelm the very weak non-ferrous signal. It really is not about the object size. A deep large nugget is a very weak signal just the same as a shallower small nugget, and either can end up reading as a ferrous target.

The solution is to lower the discrimination setting into the ferrous range and accept that you have to dig some ferrous items to get all the gold items. This actually applies to any metal detecting. If you dig absolutely no ferrous trash, you are almost 100% guaranteed to be passing up some non-ferrous items reading incorrectly as ferrous. This can be acceptable of course depending on what you are doing, but passing on a deep six ounce gold nugget because it reads ferrous can be an expensive mistake. The Gold Kruzer default discrimination setting for Fast and Boost is 25 instead of 40 for this very reason.

Dual tones have issues for this same reason, with decisive results on the weakest targets difficult if not impossible to obtain. The difference is quite small, but monotone is slightly more stable and proficient at working with the tiniest and faintest of signals right at the dividing line between ferrous and non-ferrous, wherever you have set the control to tell the Gold Kruzer where that line is for your particular situation. There is no pat answer as the where to set the discrimination control. It is a judgment call based on experience, but when in doubt, use less discrimination and dig more trash. Welcome to gold detecting!

Makro chart showing gold occurring in 0 – 40 ferrous range

The Makro Gold Kruzer has a new control that relates to this overlap between ferrous and non-ferrous readings. The Extra Underground Depth (E.U.D.) control acts to directly impact the tipping point between ferrous and non-ferrous readings. The E.U.D. control only works in one of the three discrimination modes and when used on a suspect target that is reading ferrous may reveal by a different tone that it is actually non-ferrous. It is noted in the manual that it can reveal some targets misidentified as ferrous, but it will also give more false positives on ferrous targets.

I was unable in the time allowed to figure out just how efficient this control is. In theory you can just set the discrimination lower, digging more ferrous but getting those missed non-ferrous items. Or set the discrimination a little higher, and now examine suspect targets individually by engaging the E.U.D. control momentarily. Finally, you can run E.U.D. on at all times. Is higher disc with E.U.D. on at all times going to get better results than just using a lower discrimination setting? Sadly, I just do not know at this time. I do know it is no magic bullet so the efficiency of employing the E.U.D. control will have to be determined over time by users around the world

What? You say you wanted tones? Well, the Makro Gold Kruzer has you covered. The new Micro mode is a three tone mode similar to that on other company models, but running at that hot 61 khz. The 0 – 40 target id range produces a low tone. The 41 – 66 range produces a medium tone, and 67 – 99 range a high tone.

Micro mode allows the “ferrous break point” to be adjusted. This is that magic point where you decide what is going to read as ferrous and what reads as non-ferrous. Note that unlike the Fast and Boost modes, the default ferrous breakpoint is set at 40 instead of 25. This is good for coin type detecting but again may be too high for other types of detecting. While in Micro mode you may use the Tone Break control to vary this all important setting. You could mimic the other two modes by setting the Tone Break at 25. Now 0 – 25 will be a low tone, 26 – 66 a medium tone, and 67 – 99 a high tone.

Tone Break can only be used to set the ferrous breakpoint. The upper high tone region of 67 – 99 is preset and fixed by the factory with no adjustment possible.

You may use the Ferrous Volume setting to control how loud the low tone response is. The medium and high tone responses are set with the main volume control.

The discrimination control still functions in Micro mode, with a default setting of ten. Hot rocks and ground responses occur this low on the scale, and so having at least some of the low end blocked or rejected with reduce the number of low tone responses generated by the ground itself. The control can be set as high as you want and will override the other settings, blocking all targets below the desired target id setting.

The Makro Gold Kruzer does have a tone control, but it does not allow the tones to be changed in Micro mode. Those are factory preset, with the Tone Break between ferrous and non-ferrous plus Ferrous Volume as the two adjustments you can make. The Tone setting allows the tone of the audio response and threshold to be changed in Gen, Fast, and Boost modes only.

Micro was designed first for hunting micro jewelry. Micro jewelry is a loose term that applies to all very small jewelry items, like very thin chains, single post earrings, tie tacks, etc. Micro is perfect for hunting tot lots and beaches and focusing on the “gold range” targets represented by the mid tone reading in Micro mode. Many jewelry hunters consider digging coins a waste of time, and so ignoring high tones can save digging pocket change when the real goal is a woman’s diamond and platinum ring.

The Makro Gold Kruzer has a nominal non-ferrous range of 41 – 99 which is a 59 point spread. Normal U.S. coin responses are 63 for a nickel, 83 for a zinc penny, 84 for a copper penny, 86 for a clad dime, and 91 for a clad quarter. The high 61 kHz operating frequency acts to push target id numbers higher and most coins will respond at 83 and higher. I was surprised a zinc penny and copper penny for all intents read the same.

The good news is the low conductor range is expanded, which offers the ability to help discern different pull tabs and other trash items over a wider range. This in turn may help eliminate at least a few pesky trash items while hunting gold, although ignoring gold range items of any sort can be risky. Still, with a U.S. nickel reading at 63 and most women’s rings reading under the nickel, you get the 40 – 63 zone as a 23 point range where much of the most valuable jewelry will turn up. The default high tone breakpoint of 66 – 67 is clearly focusing the Gold Kruzer mid-tone on this very important gold range. Do note that large men’s rings and nearly all larger silver jewelry will read above 66 and therefore give a high tone reading.

The Gold Kruzer has some obvious applications but there are a couple catches. First, it is running at 61 kHz, which means it is very hot on low conductors, but that it will have just adequate performance on high conductors like silver coins. Second, its extreme sensitivity to low conductors means it will not work well if at all in saltwater or on wet salt sand. Saltwater is a low conductor and will respond quite strongly on the Gold Kruzer, and getting it to not respond to saltwater gives up all the sensitivity to small gold. The Gold Kruzer will work very well around freshwater or on dry sand, it is not intended as a detector for use in or near saltwater. I would suggest the new Makro Multi Kruzer as an alternative to those who want to hunt in and around saltwater on a regular basis.

Makro Gold Kruzer with optional 5” x 9.5” DD coil

There are many features I could delve into but at over six pages this report is getting long, so I will again refer people to the User Manual for the details. Suffice it to say that the Makro Gold Kruzer has a full set of features like frequency shift for reducing interference, temporary audio boost for the Gen all metal mode, adjustable backlight, and the ability to save settings when the detector is powered down, and more.

I got the Gold Kruzer prototype during a period when I was quite busy and the weather was not helping. I did have time to do a few tot lot hunts plus make a trip to the goldfields to evaluate the machine. The Gold Kruzer is well behaved in urban locations, with only a little static from electrical interference sources. I found the new Micro mode to be just the ticket for quickly blasting through a tot lot recovering prime gold range targets. I dug everything as is my practice when learning a detector, and ended up with the usual pile of aluminum foil, junk jewelry, and coins. Nothing special found but no doubt in my mind that the Gold Kruzer acts as intended in this type of setting.

There were no surprises in the goldfields. At 61 kHz and in Gen mode the Gold Kruzer is a real pleasure to run, with all the response and nuance one expects from a great threshold based all metal circuit. Boost Mode also works very well as an alternative for small nugget detecting. I had no problem at all finding a couple little bits of gold weighing under a grain (480 grains per Troy ounce) on my first and only nugget hunt so far with the Gold Kruzer.

Two tiny gold nuggets found with Makro Gold Kruzer

To sum up, the new Makro Gold Kruzer once again ups the ante at Makro. It comes standard with two coils and is fully waterproof for about the same price as the Makro Gold Racer so I would have to assume the Gold Racers days are numbered. The one thing I am not sure about at this time is that the Gold Racer has a 15” x 13” DD coil option. The Makro Multi Kruzer has the 15” coil option, but no such accessory has yet been announced for the Gold Kruzer. This is probably not a concern for very many people, but it bears mentioning. May 2019 Note: The Makro Gold Racer is still in production but the price was lowered to $509. Nokta/Makro have also produced a 15.5" x 13" coil option for the Gold Kruzer.

I have no problem at all recommending that anyone interested in a detector with a focus on gold take a very serious look at the new Makro Gold Kruzer. It’s performance on low conductors of any type means that the Gold Kruzer is not just for prospectors and jewelry hunters but may also see favor with some relic hunters who focus of low conductor targets like buttons and bullets. This is a solid detector with 21st century features at a very attractive price.

Makro Kruzer Color Brochure

~ Steve Herschbach
Copyright © 2018 Herschbach Enterprises

The Makro Gold Racer metal detector was introduced in 2016 and is still in production. I very much anticipated the Gold Racer as something unique on the market at the time - a 56 kHz high frequency gold prospecting detector with all the extra discrimination and other features to make it versatile enough for other uses. What follows is a basic description with a very detailed review starting below the specifications chart. Note that Makro has introduced the 61 kHz Makro Gold Kruzer in 2018 and there is a possibility the Gold Racer will be discontinued soon in favor of this new model.

The Makro Gold Racer comes standard with an 10" x 5.5" DD coil and has optional 5" round DD, 10" x 5.5" concentric, and 15.5" x 13.25" DD coils. The Gold Racer has been changed slightly from the original Racer design to make the handle grip more comfortable based on customer feedback. The original Bluetooth dongle and wireless headphones have been replaced by a proprietary 2.4 Ghz design to help reduce the audio lag that was occurring with the regular Bluetooth design. The main item of note however is the very high 56 kHz operating frequency, making this one of the hottest machines available on tiny non-ferrous targets.

The Makro Gold Racer shares many features with the original Racer plus has added many more. The new iSAT control from the Nokta FORS Gold+ is visible as is another new feature called iMask. The Gold Racer adds a Tone Break feature often requested by Racer and FORS owners and the Gold Racer has the ability to save its settings when shut off, unlike the Racer. The layout of the control panel has also been simplified making what features are available in what modes much more obvious.

Makro Gold Racer metal detector

Makro is fast gaining attention as a company that listens to its customers. The new Gold Racer model is the perfect example of that, creating a unique machine based almost solely on feedback provided by customers in the prior year.

Official Makro Gold Racer Page

Gold Racer Color Brochure

Makro Gold Racer Instruction Manual

Ray Mills (TrinityAU) Makro Gold Racer Review

Makro Gold Racer vs Racer 2

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*Notes on Technical Specifications - Detailed notes about the specifications listed in this chart.

Detailed Review Of Makro Gold Racer by Steve Herschbach

Makro Gold Racer finds small Nevada gold

The Makro Gold Racer has been one of my most anticipated new VLF metal detectors in years. This completely new model represents something I have wanted for a very long time – a high frequency VLF metal detector that does not skimp for features, in particular as regards discrimination options.

A little background. First, I have been testing prototypes of the Makro Gold Racer, and this review is based on those prototypes. The final version due soon has a completely new LCD display layout, audio boost, refinements to other settings, and physical refinements like a change in the handle angle, etc. That being the case this review should be considered preliminary and final specifications are subject to change, as well as details you may see in my photos regarding the physical design of the detector.

Second, what is the intended market for the Makro Gold Racer? The machine looks deceptively like many other detectors aimed at general purpose metal detecting. I want to emphasize that first and foremost this is a gold prospecting detector. There are only a few other detectors that directly compare to the Gold Racer which is running at a very high frequency of 56 kHz. Comparable detectors would be the White’s GMT at 48 kHz, the Minelab Eureka Gold running in its 60 kHz setting, and the Fisher Gold Bug 2 at 71 kHz.

The intent with very high frequency detectors is to sharpen the response on extremely small metal targets. High frequency detectors are in a niche all their own when it comes to finding the tiniest of gold nuggets. This sensitivity does come at a cost however, in that the detectors are also responsive to ground mineralization and hot rocks that less sensitive, lower frequency detectors might ignore completely. There is no free lunch in detecting, and I want to caution anyone thinking that the Makro Gold Racer is going to be a magical solution to all their detecting desires to be realistic about things. Inevitably when new detectors come out people fall victim to wishful thinking, and I would like to try and avoid that here.

When it comes to reviewing detectors I do the best I can to describe detectors to help people decide if they might be interested in them or not. Do realize again however that this review is based on preliminary information. Also, I honestly do not want people buying new metal detectors based solely on my reviews. There will be some of who want the latest and greatest right now, and I appreciate that, but being a first adopter does have its risks. My normal advice to people is to never buy anything based on a single review, but to wait for more of a consensus opinion to emerge.

I have used the Gold Racer in the field, and I have found gold with it. Right now though if it is just a matter of you wanting to know if the Makro Gold Racer can find gold then I refer you to the excellent field review with photos posted by Ray Mills at the Detector Prospector Forum.

In outward appearance the Makro Gold Racer resembles its immediate predecessor, the Makro Racer, but this really is a new detector, not just a Racer running at a higher frequency. Feedback on the original Racer has been incorporated as well as extensive testing and commentary from prospectors around the world. Besides the obvious color difference, major physical changes include completely redesigning the layout of the LCD display to better differentiate what are all metal functions and what are discrimination functions. All metal functions are on the left, and discrimination functions are on the right. I think the new display is more intuitive and better accommodates the extra functions implemented on the Gold Racer.

The angle of the bend in the S rod handle grip has been relaxed based on feedback from Racer owners. The vibration mode was eliminated, shaving a tiny amount of weight and freeing up room on the display menu. The Gold Racer with stock 10” x 5.5” DD coil and NiMH batteries installed weighs in on my postal scales at exactly three pounds.

Coils available at launch are the 10” x 5.5” DD that is stock on the detector. Optional coils include a 10” x 5.5” concentric coil, 5” round DD coil, and a lightweight 15.5” x 13” DD coil.

Makro Gold Racer with 5" round DD coil

Let’s take a look at the functions. Under All Metal on the left side of the meter are the functions that apply only to the All Metal mode. On the right are the functions for the two Discrimination modes. The settings are independent in each mode, and once set can be saved when the detector is powered down. This simple and intuitive setup is also part of the power of the Makro Gold Racer. It is incredibly easy once each mode has been customized to flip quickly between the three modes, cross checking target responses to make a dig/no-dig decision.

All Metal is the heart and soul of nugget detecting, and the Makro Gold Racer has an extremely powerful, smooth, and sensitive threshold based all metal mode. The Sensitivity setting is familiar to anyone who has used a metal detector, except that there are three base levels of sensitivity or gain. Significant boosts occur between 39 - 40 and again between 69 - 70. Most detectors max out at what is a setting of 69 on the Gold Racer. Settings of 70 and above are a type of hyper gain setting that takes the machine above and beyond, but in extreme ground overload signals may occur. Overload signals are indicated by a “warning siren” audio and the machine is telling you that there is either a large metal object under the coil, or that you are encountering extreme mineralization. In the case of mineralization, either raise the coil slightly while scanning, lower the sensitivity setting, or both. Overloads occurring at 70 will almost always be eliminated by dropping to 69.

Rest assured very little is lost by lowering sensitivity to 69 or below, again, because many detectors cannot be set as hot as the Gold Racer even at their maximum setting. Do you ever run detectors and have the distinct feeling some performance has been left on the table, because the detector can always be run at maximum settings? Makro has given you that extra power for where it can be used, but in doing so they expect you will lower settings in places where that extra power works against you. Luckily, the audio alert makes it easy to know when this is. Most people do not know it but many detectors simply shut down and quit working under similar conditions with no indication at all to the operator, a situation referred to as “silent masking”.

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The threshold setting is the normal control that sets the volume of the slight audio tone that is key to any experienced nugget hunter finding the tiniest or deepest gold nuggets. The most minute variations in the threshold tone can indicate a gold nugget, and the ability to read the threshold is what sets most really good nugget hunters apart from everyone else. Makro has added a feature to the Gold Racer called iSAT, for “Intelligent Self Adjusting Threshold”. This setting consists of several levels of adjustment that vary the rate at which the threshold tone steadies itself. Higher levels of iSAT smooth the threshold more aggressively which aids in maintaining a smooth threshold in rapidly varying ground. Lower levels allow for faint variations to be heard more clearly in milder ground for extra depth and sensitivity.

The Gold Racer can be ground balanced three ways. Holding the trigger switch under the control pod in the forward position activates an instant automatic ground balance. Just pump the coil over the ground a couple times, release the trigger, and you are done. There is a short delay when you release the trigger, and during this delay you may manually adjust the ground balance setting. The instant ground balance is neutral to slightly negative. Those that like a slightly positive ground balance need only perform the instant balance, then tap the right hand control button three of four times.

The Tracking function on the control panel engages and disengages automatic ground tracking. This is most useful where the ground conditions vary wildly, a perfect example being mixed cobble piles or river bars. The tracking is very quick yet resists tracking out genuine gold signals as much as possible. This can also be an aid to anyone new to ground balancing detectors as it makes the process entirely automatic.

The Backlight setting adjusts the illumination level of the backlit screen. The FD/Save setting allows adjustments to be saved when the detector is powered off, while the FD function resets Factory Defaults. There is also a Frequency Shift setting to help eliminate outside electrical interference from power lines, or another Gold Racer being operated nearby. This is set through a combination of control buttons but not visible on the menu. Finally, although this is a true threshold based all metal mode, the meter acts independently in discrimination mode at all times and indicates target id information when the signal strength is sufficient to do so.

Easy to read well designed screen

Under the Discrimination menu are settings that are completely separate from the All Metal settings and also saved or reset separately. Disc 1 is a standard two tone mode with low tone ferrous and higher tone non-ferrous. Disc 2 is a similar but deeper, more powerful mode. Quick switching between these two modes, each with fully independent settings, creates a many layered and subtle approach to target discrimination. Both discrimination modes are silent search, no threshold based systems. However, new to Makro models is the ability to set the point at which low tones flip, or “break” over into being higher tones. Typically 39 and lower target id will cause a low tone, and 40 and above a higher tone. This ability somewhat replaces the three tone mode on the original Racer because by increasing the Tone Break setting it is possible to create various coin detecting scenarios. For instance, all targets with an id number below copper penny could register low tone, and therefore copper pennies, dimes, quarters, and dollar coins a higher tone.

Conversely, lowering the Tone Break setting would create a more conservative approach for nugget detecting by accepting a little more ferrous digging in return for possibly finding another nugget or two.

The Sensitivity control on the Disc menu is the same as but independent of the All Metal setting of the same name. ID Filter is a variable discrimination control, with higher settings eliminating or blanking out id numbers lower than the current setting. This setting is independent for each Disc mode, and again flipping back and forth can create some interesting scenarios for comparing targets at completely different sensitivity and ID Filter levels. This quick mode switching between All Metal, Disc1, and Disc2, all with independent settings, is a very powerful tool once you get used to it.

Also new with the Gold Racer is the iMask setting. I noted at the start of this review that all metal detector designs involve making trades of some sort. Extreme high frequency sensitivity to small metal targets does increase chatty false responses in extreme ground when in the discrimination modes. iMask attenuates or suppresses weaker target responses in the discrimination modes and provides a secondary level of adjustment separate from and in addition to the Sensitivity and ID Filter settings. If the detector is producing lots of quick, spurious signals in the discrimination modes, reducing sensitivity or increasing ID Filter settings or both is the first line of attack. If this does not work, go back to the original settings on those functions, and try increasing the iMask setting. If this does not work, again lower sensitivity or increase the ID Filter or both on top of the current iMask setting. iMask acts as a pre-filter giving an extra level of control to help deal with extremely bad ground conditions. Finally, Disc1 is a less aggressive mode than Disc2, so using Disc1 offers even another level of possible options when dealing with bad ground in the discrimination modes.

The Backlight setting is independent for the discrimination modes, as is the Factory Default/Save Settings function. I think it goes without saying that there has never been a high frequency metal detector ever produced with this level of options and control. There are a lot of variables to play with here, and I would not be truthful at all if I said I have this machine all figured out. In fact, I think part of the fun with the Makro Gold Racer is we are entering uncharted territory. Until the final version of the machine is released, and until quite a few people get their hands on it and experiment, it is very difficult to say just what applications creative detectorists may find for the Gold Racer. It is a very powerful VLF gold prospecting detector, I can vouch for that. Applications also may be found for jewelry detecting and relic hunting in particular, and even coin detecting, due to the unique combination of features the Makro Gold Racer offers.

OK, finally – some notes on real world use! Again, this is all based on prototype models and so I can only speak in generalities for this report. However, there is no doubt in my mind that even the prototype detectors rival anything currently available in a VLF detector for finding tiny gold nuggets. I can easily locate flakes of gold weighing under one tenth grain with the Gold Racer and the stock 10” x 5.5” DD coil. In fact, the machine is so hot with the stock coil I thought using a smaller coil offered minimal if any benefit, mostly because of lost ground coverage and possibly lost depth on larger nuggets. I would only use the smaller coil myself for nooks and crannies where the stock coil can’t fit, but otherwise the stock coil really is the way to go in my opinion. Keep in mind I did say grain not gram. There are 480 grains per Troy ounce and in my opinion I can find flakes all day long with the Gold Racer that weigh less than 1/10^th grain, or less than 1/4800^th ounce.

Smallest nugget unweighable, largest 2.4 grams

In trashy locations I generally preferred running in all metal and just checking the meter for ferrous targets, which tend to lock in hard at 21 or 22 on the numbers. In theory anything under 40 is ferrous, but to be safe I might investigate items as low as 35 or even 30 depending on the situation and amount of trash. However, as I noted most ferrous locks in hard around 20 leaving no doubt what the target is. In All Metal mode very tiny or very deep targets beyond discrimination range give no target id at all, automatically meaning they need investigation. The main reason I prefer to always hunt in All metal is the extra depth and sensitivity it affords, and checking targets visually is very quick and more efficient than toggling back and forth to a Disc mode under normal circumstances.

For areas with too much trash where meter watching might get to be a bit too much, I normally use one of the disc modes set for two tone ferrous/non-ferrous. Iron targets just burp away, while non-ferrous target pop out with a beep. If even that got to be too much for some people, increasing the ID Filter to eliminate most ferrous responses completely can make for a quieter experience in really trashy locations. As always, I must include the warning that the more discrimination applied, the more risk of missing a good target. Use no more discrimination than needed to preserve your sanity!

I used the Gold Racer to hunt a couple trashy areas where I just could not go with my big dollar all metal machine, and easily located nuggets in the midst of trash. For me personally the Makro Gold Racer fills in two areas where the high price big gun detectors come up short. The ability to find the tiniest, most dispersed gold possible, both in flake form or enclosed in specimen rock. And the ability to deal with really trashy areas where good discrimination is needed.

Perhaps the biggest surprise for me was when I decided to give the 15.5” x 13” DD coil a try. Honestly, I did not expect much from it. You normally do not see a coil this large for high frequency machines because the ground feedback usually overwhelms them, negating any gains that can be had regarding depth. Instead, the Gold Racer seemed to be even better behaved with the larger coil than with the smaller coils. I hunted some cobble piles with it and it ran smooth as can be at higher sensitivity levels. I then wandered into some moderately hot ground with it, still with no problems, and was actually surprised when I came up with a couple small gold nuggets with it. The first was only 0.8 grams which I thought was pretty fantastic. So I put a little more effort into it, and found a 0.3 gram nugget. With a 15.5” x 13” DD coil on a VLF? That is really kind of unheard of, and I was thoroughly impressed. I am not sure what is going on there but I do know the Makro detectors can sense what coil is on the detector. Something different going on with that big coil? I don’t know, but the results and performance surprised me. Also surprising was that for such a large coil it actually was not bad swinging it for half a day. That could be from my using large, heavy detectors all summer however. Still, it was an eye opener all around and changed how I think my Gold Racer might get used in the future. It looks to have more use for covering very large areas blue sky prospecting than I would have imagined.

The 15" x 13" DD coil is unique for detectors running in this frequency range

I would be remiss if I did not include at least a note on the versatility possible with the Gold Racer. I recently took it to a local park. Now, my ground in Reno is screaming hot, full of magnetite. The mineral percentage graph on the Gold Racer and similar machines all come up one bar short of maxed, and ground balance numbers run around 88-90. A magnet dropped in this stuff comes up with a lump of magnetite. As a result getting accurate target id numbers with even the best coin detectors past 5” is a chore. I know that sounds crazy but it is the truth. I ran the 5” DD coil and even then had to back the sensitivity down to 69 to prevent overloads in the worst areas.

One thing about the Racer detectors that I have heard people complain about, and that is that they tend to up average target numbers in bad soil. For me this is a good thing. Many detectors will see target id number average lower in bad ground, and so fringe targets are more likely to get identified as ferrous when they are in reality non-ferrous. This is obviously not a good thing for nugget detecting. The Racer and the Gold Racer both tend to up average, and so targets like lead sinkers or aluminum that you would expect to give lower numbers often give coin like responses with the Racers. It is odd to see in practice. I got a good high signal reading near 80 at about 5” that when dug up turned out to be a common round lead fishing sinker. Out of the hole the target id promptly dropped to about 45. This effect whether by design or by accident is common with European detectors. I think it is by design because first and foremost these machines are made to pull non-ferrous targets out of ferrous trash. Improperly identifying a non-ferrous item as ferrous is the worst possible result, and so up averaging helps insure that non-ferrous items will not be missed. However, it also means these types of detectors are not as efficient at cherry picking coins as common coin detectors are. You get the coins for sure, but you dig more trash doing it.

Still, I experimented a few hours and if you are content to live with the limitation I just described you can actually make some good finds with the Gold Racer under almost any conditions. The ID Filter works very well, and by just running it all the way to 79 it was easy for me to cherry pick a few coins though larger aluminum items like screw caps or big pull tabs often came up in the 80s also. I do think this is a result dependent on ground conditions to some degree, but really the Gold Racer is best suited for people like me who want to recover all non-ferrous targets. I prefer to hunt jewelry rather than coins myself, as one gold ring makes up for a pile of coins. And to hunt jewelry you have to dig aluminum, no two ways about that. The Gold Racer will suit me well hunting jewelry, especially micro jewelry like ear rings and fine chains.

This report is very long, and yet I really am just skimming over the features and possibilities inherent in the Makro Gold Racer. I will close by once again noting that while everything regarding the Gold Racer is pretty much set in stone at this point, last second changes are possible. Look for more soon when the factory production models hit the street. I also get frustrated when people want information on new units, but then turn right around and characterize reports trying to provide that information as hype or a sales pitch. I have tried my best here to just present what facts I can without leading anyone to think that the Gold Racer is anything other than what it is. And that, in my opinion, is a very interesting, unique, and capable metal detector. I look forward to hearing for myself in the future what people think about it and the applications and tricks they come up with, because you pretty much need to toss anything you think you know out the door when approaching this machine.

Many thanks to the folks at Makro and in particular Dilek Gonulay for providing me with the opportunity to be one of the first to use the Gold Racer. I admit that VLF detectors were beginning to bore me, and the Gold Racer has reignited my interest in seeing what they can do for me.

~ Steve Herschbach
Copyright © 2015 Herschbach Enterprises

The Nokta Impact was introduced in 2017 and is still in production. It features the ability to switch from 5 kHz to 14 kHz or 20 kHz by merely changing a control setting. The coils work with all three frequencies equally well.

The Nokta Impact has a full array of search modes designed to cover almost any metal detecting situation. In general the 5 kHz modes will be most efficient for searching for high conductive targets like coins and large items at depth. The 20 kHz frequency excels on small and low conductive targets like gold jewelry or gold nuggets. The 14 kHz setting is a good compromise setting for all around detecting.

The Nokta Impact features built in wireless headphone capability (headphones optional). The Impact can download the latest firmware updates over the internet to be installed from a PC, keeping the detector up-to-date. The coil cables are enclosed inside the rod assembly for a clean, snag-free appearance.

One thing we need to settle however. Nokta went against industry convention and advertise the Impact as being a multifrequency detector. Historically that has meant detectors that receive and compare two of more frequency results simultaneously. The Nokta Impact can run one of three frequencies, but only one of them at a time. This would be better described as switchable or selectable frequency. Read my article on Selectable Frequency And Multiple Frequency

I am however extremely impressed by what Nokta has accomplished. In 2014 I posted a review of a detector by a company almost nobody here had ever heard of - the Nokta FORS Gold.

If you look at that review of the Nokta FORS Gold you will see I had made several comments about things I think needed improving on the machine. What amazed me is Nokta fixed every one of them, and in record time - I made a special note in the review about it later. It made a serious impression on me. 

What then followed was a quick succession of machines by Nokta and Makro, the sister company. Nothing earth shattering per se but top flight performance at aggressive prices and a willingness to try new ideas and listen to feedback. Frankly, it came on so quickly it actually turned some people off, and I saw complaints about too many machines too fast! 

Nokta Impact selectable frequency metal detector

The entire time that we are seeing this rapid succession of machines most of us are waiting on this or that manufacturer to deliver just one new machine. October 2014 to now, and I am looking at a machine in the Nokta Impact that frankly has no exact equivalent from many of the old school top tier manufacturers. Maybe you guys see no merit in being able to select frequencies but I am highly focused on replacing all my various VLF machines with just one detector, and it is most likely going to be a selectable frequency model that wins that competition.

If Nok/Mak can get from FORS CoRe to Impact in three years the "Big 5" manufacturers had better get serious and quick about picking up the pace. The listen and bend over backwards to please attitude alone is getting a lot of fans willing to forgive in other areas. Next up we will no doubt be seeing PI models and multi frequency.... and who knows what else. People can and will argue the relative merits of the Impact versus the other top-of-the-line models, but just the fact the Impact is getting compared to the very best anyone else can make says something about how far this company has come.

The Nokta Impact has some very interesting all metal modes, the Gen(D) and Sta(D) modes that appear to be running both all metal and disc modes in parallel. The speculation about these modes garnered attention and we have now been provided this explanation directly from Nokta Software Team Leader Alper Tozan regarding these 2 modes: 

''I read a lot of comments about Gen (D) and STA (D) modes in some forums and firstly, I want to thank you about all your positive thoughts. On the other hand, I want to clarify one thing. In some forum discussions, these modes are defined as ‘’mix modes’’. These modes are not mix modes as mix modes typically result from at least two different software algorithms or hardware circuits working at the same time for decision making to discriminate and detect metals. These mix modes also show characteristics of two or more different modes at the same time including handicaps of each signal processing. 

Gen (D) mode, on the other hand, is a true threshold based all metal mode with motion that can discriminate metal without needing any other hardware or higher order software process level. So it always behaves like a classical true threshold based all metal mode but with iron tone and tone break.''

These all metal modes seemed to me to be the perfect fit for a large search coil and extra deep VLF detecting. The Nokta Impact favors this with its exceptional balance and multiple operating frequencies.

In general I think I can speak for most people when I say we all like lighter weight detectors. However, one area where lighter is not better is when you use large coils. Balance is every bit as important as weight as it determines the amount of torque applied to your wrist as you swing the detector. A large coil on a very light detector creates a very nose heavy detector, one that will put more strain on you when you detect than a heavier but better balanced detector. It just so happens that the Impact with the rear mounted battery power/speaker module is a good design for a large coil from an ergonomics standpoint. This is especially true when in my experience Nokta has designed large coils that are quite light for their size. I was probably one of the first people that really zeroed in on the new IM40 15" x 14" DD coil when it was proposed for the Impact by Nokta. I got on an early wait list for the coil, and just received mine.

Nokta Impact IM40 15.5" x 13.75" coil with scuff cover

The IM40 DD coil measures 15.5" x 13.75" and comes with a fitted skid plate/scuff cover. The coil weighs 1 lb 13.0 oz or 822 grams as pictured with skid plate and cable and weighed on my postal scales. Yes, I had to say that as some people exclude cable weights from coils! For comparison the stock 11" x 7" IMP29 coil weighs 15.7 oz or 446 grams. I like the flat blunted ends on the IM40, which does help the Impact stay upright as the trailing edge of the coil acts as a flat bearing surface when the detector is at rest on the ground.

I am not usually a fan of larger coils and in fact tend to lean to smaller coils for a lot of my urban metal detecting. Large coils "see" more area which can work against them in highly mineralized ground or in areas with lots of closely spaced trash. However, large coils even if they do not get more depth in highly mineralized ground can cover more area faster, and often ground coverage is every bit as important if not more so than depth. In medium to lower mineral ground a large coil can also offer that magic thing all detectorists crave - more depth!

The Nokta Impact has another trick up its sleeve that favors large coils; the ability to change operating frequency on the fly. High frequencies offer more sensitivity to small items and quicker separation in dense trash as well as extended battery operating time. The main issue with higher frequencies is they also "light up" highly mineralized ground and hot rocks more so than lower frequencies. This can work against machines that are locked into higher frequencies when attempting to employ large coils in highly mineralized ground. Lower frequencies give up some of the high frequency "hots" on small targets but also are less sensitive to ground issues, including salt mineralization. The ability of the Nokta Impact to run at 20 kHz, 14 kHz, or even 5 kHz makes it very well suited for running very large coils. This is accentuated by the plethora of all metal modes available on the Nokta Impact which can deliver extreme performance when coupled with a large coil.

The bottom line is I think the Nokta Impact and IM40 coil may be one of the very best options available for a person wanting to run a large coil on a VLF detector, with depths in all metal modes and milder ground that will challenge many PI detectors.

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For a lot of what I personally do, like gold prospecting or beach detecting, I will first attempt high frequency, high gain operation and then back off as ground or EMI conditions require. One thing it is important to know when running the Impact with large coils is how the Gain control works. If the Impact is running at Gain levels that are too high, the OVERLOAD message will appear on the screen. Note: You can increase or decrease the overload volume with the on/off button. When the volume of the device is at maximum, the overload volume will be low. As the volume of the device is lowered, the overload volume will increase. The electronic Gain has at least three distinct levels. There are distinct boosts between settings of 39 and 40 plus again between 69 and 70. Setting over 90 are a sort of hyper-Gain region only obtainable in low mineral/low EMI environments.

Therefore I may attempt to start out in 20 kHz and a very high Gain. If overloading occurs I will lower the Gain for smooth operation, paying particular attention when I get down to 69.

From there on down I need more field time, but at some point it will be better to drop to a lower frequency than to continue to lower the Gain setting. So in theory if at a setting of Gain 39 I still have issues at 20 kHz, it is time to go to 14 khz and run the Gain back up high. If conditions are still not amenable to running at 14 kHz and high Gain settings, I would then drop to 5 kHz and again attempt to run higher Gain levels. Note: people hunting larger, higher conductive items like silver coins and brass relics may very well just start out at 5 kHz. My focus is usually on lower conductive, smaller items i.e. gold.

I so far have only done a small amount of detecting in a local park. I first tried Di3 and while it was working well enough the trash density was high and interpreting signals with a large DD coil can be challenging, especially when the coil generates multiple signals on very shallow items. I finally went to the unique GEN(D) mode and it was night and day. The GEN(D) all metal mode combined with the VCO effect makes sizing targets and identifying shallow targets a breeze, even in a trashy park situation. Shallow ferrous is easily identified also using GEN(D).

There are several all metal modes a person can employ on the Impact as well as the extended range ground balance available in the COG (COnductive Ground). While the Impact performs ground balance in the range of 20-90 automatically in the other discrimination modes, it ground balances in the range of 0-90 in the COG mode. This enables easier ground balancing on conductive grounds where normally ground balance cannot be performed at all or performed with difficulty, such as salt water beaches. Remember that ground balancing to salt conditions always comes at the cost of reduced sensitivity to small gold items.

Large coil VLF hunting is not for everyone and is not a magic bullet in any case, but it does offer possibilities for the more adventurous detectorist. Here is a picture of my Nokta Impact with new IM40 coil. The detector with this coil is only slightly nose heavy (keep the rod as short as possible) and weighs with batteries 5 lbs 2.0 oz (5.13 lbs) or 2322 grams.

Nokta Impact with IM40 15.5" x 13.75" coil mounted

The Nokta Impact is quite unique in that not only does it operate at different frequencies, but it has two different target id scales in use depending on the mode employed. Here are Nokta Impact Gold Coin Target ID Responses* in GEN, GEN (D), STA, STA (D), DEEP, VLX1 and VLX2 modes (0-40 ferrous, 41-99 non-ferrous) Seen notes below on alternate target ID scales.

For more user reviews of metal detectors visit the new Metal Detector Database. Do not miss Steve's Guide to Gold Nugget Detectors for honest opinions on gold nugget detectors updated on a regular basis. Visit the Detector Prospector Forums for expert advice. User Guides & Catalogs here.

• Fists Full of Gold - Perhaps the best prospecting book available!
• Fisher CZ Models - Some old favorites.
• Fisher CZX - Speculative new detector model....
• Fisher F19 - General purpose VLF detector with prospecting mode.
• Fisher F75 - Flagship VLF model with prospecting mode.
• Fisher Gold Bug 2 - Dedicated VLF prospecting detector, extremely hot on small gold.
• Fisher Gold Bug Pro - Excellent value general purpose VLF prospecting detector.
• Fisher Manta - New pulse induction beach detector in the works at First Texas.
• Garrett AT Gold - Excellent value waterproof VLF prospecting detector.
• Garrett ATX - High performance pulse induction beach and prospecting detector.
• Garrett Infinium LS - Pulse induction beach and prospecting detector.
• Minelab Equinox 800 - General purpose detector with prospecting mode.
• Minelab Eureka Gold - Dedicated VLF prospecting detector, three selectable frequencies.
• Minelab Gold Monster 1000 - Dedicated VLF prospecting detector, extremely hot on small gold.
• Minelab GP 3000 - High performance pulse induction prospecting detector.
• Minelab GPX 4500 - High performance pulse induction prospecting detector.
• Minelab GPX 5000 - High performance pulse induction prospecting detector.
• Minelab GPZ 7000 - New high performance professional prospecting detector.
• Minelab SDC 2300 - Pulse induction prospecting detector, extremely hot on small gold.
• Minelab X-Terra 705 Gold - General purpose detector with prospecting mode.
• Nokta/Makro AU Gold Finder - Dedicated VLF prospecting detector, extremely hot on small gold.
• Nokta/Makro FORS Gold - General purpose VLF detector with prospecting mode.
• Nokta/Makro FORS Gold Plus - Excellent value VLF prospecting detector.
• Nokta/Makro Gold Kruzer - General purpose waterproof gold prospecting detector.
• Nokta/Makro Gold Racer - General purpose gold prospecting detector.
• Nokta/Makro Impact - Flagship VLF detector with prospecting mode.
• Nokta/Makro Racer - General purpose detector with prospecting mode.
• Teknetics T2 - Flagship VLF detector with prospecting mode.
• Tesoro Lobo SuperTRAQ - General purpose VLF prospecting detector.
• White's GMT - Dedicated VLF prospecting detector, very hot on small gold.
• White's GMZ - Dedicated VLF prospecting detector, hot on small gold.
• White's Goldmaster 24K - Dedicated VLF prospecting detector, extremely hot on small gold.
• White's MXT - General purpose VLF detector with prospecting mode.
• White's MX Sport - General purpose waterproof VLF detector with prospecting mode.
• White's TDI - Pulse induction beach and prospecting detector.
• White's V3i - Flagship VLF model with prospecting mode.
• XP DEUS V5 - Flagship VLF model with prospecting mode.
• XP ORX - New model from XP with an emphasis on gold prospecting.

Comparison Reviews

• Garrett ATX vs Minelab GPX 5000
• Waterproof Pulse Induction Detectors Compared

For more user reviews of metal detectors visit the new Metal Detector Database.

The Teknetics T2 was introduced in 2006 and is still in production. It was the first major project released by First Texas (parent company of Teknetics) that involved famed engineer Dave Johnson after he joined the company. Dave had a hand in many top gold prospecting detectors at many companies, including the Fisher Gold Bug 2, Tesoro Lobo, and White's GMT.

The Teknetics T2 was one of the earliest metal detectors to gain a following in the Africa Gold Rush of the late 20th century. Although technically not a nugget detector per se, the Teknetics T2 has a very powerful threshold based all metal mode. This, combined with its 13 kHz operating frequency, makes it suitable for basic gold nugget detecting.

Nobody seems to know the real story but apparently a local prospector in Africa chose to use a Teknetics T2 detector to search for gold nuggets. It is conjectured that this prospector found a lot of gold, leading to others using the same detector. Word of mouth advertising as produced by actual results rules all other forms of advertising in Africa, and it was not long before the t2 developed a reputation as being the machine to have if you wanted to find gold nuggets. Huge numbers were shipped to Africa. So many, that counterfeiting soon became a problem.

The original T2 was therefore replaced by other models with extra features that also helped keep the counterfeiters off balance. The T2 is made by Teknetics, a company owned by First Texas. First Texas also owns the Fisher and Bounty Hunter brand names. A T2 offshoot called the F75 was marketed under the Fisher brand name. The T2 was designed specifically to run DD search coils so a main goal in the Fisher F75 design was to add the ability to also use concentric coils. The two detectors are very similar, with the main difference being that the T2 is geared more towards simple recovery of non-ferrous targets in the midst of ferrous trash. To this end it has an expanded ferrous target id as compared to the F75. The F75 is geared more towards U.S. coin hunters, and so features a target id range geared more to that task. The F75 also includes features like a meter backlight and the ability to save settings when powered off that the T2 lacks.

Teknetics T2 metal detector for relics, gold, and more

The T2 and F75 saw several similar model variants including a "Limited Edition" LE model with camouflage color scheme and an all black "Special Edition" SE model. These models featured extra settings and dual coil packages. There were unfortunately both hardware and software bugs that saw sub-variants produced of each model. The was another version in 2014, a "Limited Edition 2" or Ltd2 model with digital filtering designed to reduce electrical interference issues along with other extra features. The T2 has been reissued as the T2 Classic with the original green color scheme for a reduced price of only $499 in 2016. Finally, Teknetics released the T2 Ltd as a single coil package with a pinpointer in 2018 and called it the T2+.

The ergonomics of the T2 are superb. It is a perfectly balanced 3.5 lbs. People do not understand how important balance is but a balanced 3.5 lb. detector creates less arm strain than a nose heavy 2.5 lb. detector. The T2 only sips at the four AA batteries, getting a week of long days on a set of good alkalines and nearly two solid weeks of detecting in a set of premium lithium batteries.

~ Steve Herschbach
Copyright © 2016 Herschbach Enterprises

Official Teknetics T2 Page

Teknetics T2 Instruction Manual

T2 Classic Color Brochure

Forum Threads Tagged "teknetics detector"

Teknetics Metal Detector Forum

T2 Tone Break Tip

*Notes on Technical Specifications - Detailed notes about the specifications listed in this chart.

The Tesoro Lobo SuperTRAQ detector was released in 1997 and was discontinued in 2019. It is also referred to as the Lobo ST. I have had some experience with the Lobo over the years and have seen a lot of gold found with it. See Detecting for Gold with the Tesoro Lobo and Metal Detecting for Gold at Ganes Creek, Alaska at Steve's Mining Journal.

The Tesoro Lobo SuperTRAQ replaced the earlier Tesoro Lobo, which was produced from 1989 - 1997. The main difference between the two units is that the earlier model lacked automatic ground balancing, the SuperTRAQ signature feature. Be aware that coils for the earlier Lobo do not work on the newer model. The The old coils had a female coil connection and the new coils have a male pin connector. The original Lobo is listed at running "at approx. 20 kHz" while the Lobo ST runs at 17.8 kHz. Note: The Lobo ST is also quoted widely as running at 17.5 kHz. The latest spec posted on the Tesoro website is 17.8 kHz.

Another change in the old Lobo versus the new SuperTRAQ is that when the old model was manually ground balanced, the ground balance carried over in both all metal and discriminate modes. The new SuperTRAQ automatically tracks ground conditions while in all metal mode. When switched into discriminate mode, the automatic ground tracking is disabled and the unit uses a factory pre-set ground rejection. This is a less than desirable situation. In all metal nugget hunting mode it is impossible to disengage the automatic ground balancing system. Very small or very deep nuggets that generate a minimal signal are at great risk of being tracked out. Conversely, in discriminate mode there is no ground balance at all except what the factory has chosen for you.

Tesoro Lobo SuperTRAQ metal detector

Despite the lack of flexibility in ground balancing there is no doubt about one thing - the Lobo is one of the easiest detectors for a novice nugget hunter to learn. The lack of manual ground balance contributes greatly to the machine being very easy to operate, and this is a important feature in itself. The Lobo is a very forgiving metal detector.

My main experience with the SuperTRAQ came with my involvement with Moore Creek Mine in Interior Alaska. The mine produced a lot of large gold nuggets but also had hot rocks in the form of highly magnetic basalt cobbles. After trying just about every VLF detector made we decided the Lobo SuperTRAQ handled the ground as well or better than any other VLFs available at the time. The automatic ground balance smoothed the hot rock responses and in a worst case scenario the unit could be put in discrimination mode. Dialing in a discrimination setting of 1.5 eliminated the hot rocks and nearly all ferrous trash responses while still responding well to larger gold. The SuperTRAQ produced a lot of gold at Moore Creek over the years we operated the mine.

The Tesoro Lobo SuperTRAQ is getting somewhat dated in that most of the competition offers target id meters but it is still a very versatile detector. It is very easy to operate. It also is one of the few nugget detectors still produced that allow the control box to be hip or chest mounted, a very desirable feature for those working in and around water. It also has a very good coil selection, including the rare ability to run a 3" x 18" sweeper coil (Tesoro Clean Sweep).

Official Tesoro Lobo SuperTRAQ Page

Tesoro Lobo SuperTRAQ Instruction Manual

Forum Threads Tagged "tesoro detector"

Tesoro Metal Detector Forum

*Notes on Technical Specifications - Detailed notes about the specifications listed in this chart.

The White's GMT was released in 2000 and is still in production. The GMT has been the best-selling dedicated nugget detector in Alaska for many years. The combination of small gold finding ability, excellent depth on larger gold, and ease of use at a bargain price make it a hard unit to beat. I have used the GMT and its predecessor Goldmaster models to find thousands of gold nuggets in Alaska. See Thirty Years with White's Metal Detectors, White's Goldmaster GMT Rebuild and First Gold Nuggets Found with White's GMT for more information on my use of the GMT. See also Steve's Guide to White's Electronics GMT versus MXT. The GMT is one of only a few detectors available operating at more than 40 kHz (the GMT runs at 48 kHz), making it exceptionally sensitive to small gold nuggets.

The GMT is the latest in the new Goldmaster line of detectors that White's introduced in the early 1990's. The Goldmaster name is an old one, and White's produced many old BFO and IB/TR versions of the Goldmaster in the 60's and 70's. The early Goldmasters were old technology and did not ground balance, a key breakthrough in detector technology. These old models usually had large blue control boxes. If you see one of these for sale cheap do not confuse them with newer Goldmasters, all of which come in black boxes.

Note that in late 2018 White's introduced the 48 khz Goldmaster 24K. The GMT also remains in the lineup for now, but it is possible that the 24K will eventually replace the GMT.

The Goldmaster II was a serious breakthrough detector when it was introduced, operating at 50 kHz, far in excess of other ground balancing nugget detectors at the time, which commonly ran at 15-20 kHz. The Goldmaster II was quickly followed by the Goldmaster V/SAT, and these two models I credit with igniting a metal detector "gold rush" in Alaska. I got the ball rolling by finding thousands of gold nuggets at Crow Creek Mine south of Anchorage, and widely publicizing my discoveries. Crow Creek had produced few nuggets with detectors prior to the Goldmaster release, but the new 50 kHz design crossed a threshold where all of the sudden thousands of nuggets were large enough to be detected that were too small for previous detectors. White's simply could not build the new Goldmasters fast enough.

The Goldmaster V/SAT was followed by the Goldmaster 3 and raised the price from $499.95 to $599.95. White's then shifted gears and with the Goldmaster 4/B switched to using the control box design used by its coin machines. They also raised the price again to $699.95. This was not well received, and when Fisher introduced the Gold Bug 2 at about the same time for $775.00 Goldmaster sales plummeted.

White's GMT 48 kHz gold nugget prospecting detector

The Goldmasters were all analog designs but a shift to digital began with the Goldmaster 4/B. White's started a project for a brand new detector design by hiring Dave Johnson, a well known engineer specializing in gold nugget designs, the ended up as the White's MXT. The GMT was as early spinoff of that project released a couple years before the MXT hit the market. The MXT Engineering guide linked to below tells the story in detail. A key design goal was to have automatic ground tracking, and so the Gold Master Tracker (GMT) was born. The new model also sported a new retail price of $799.95.

The GMT is a totally new design from the prior Goldmasters  but seems very similar due to the goal of wanting it to be compatible with existing Goldmaster coils. In order to prevent "crosstalk" interference with existing Goldmaster models a 48 kHz operating frequency was chosen, which was still close enough to 50 kHz for old coils to work. However, the GMT was designed with DD coils in mind. Older Goldmasters all used concentric coils but the GMT shipped with a new 6" x 10" elliptical DD coil. One thing all the Goldmasters seriously lacked was a small coil option, and finally after the GMT was released White's came out with a small 4" x 6" coil, commonly referred to as the "Shooter". Much later yet, the concentric 8" x 14" Jimmy Sierra Gold Max coils were converted from concentric to DD. The concentric 8" x 14" coils were white and the newer DD versions are black.

White's is currently shipping only the new DD 4" x 6" Shooter, 6" x 10", and 8" x 14" Gold Max coils but until recently the only concentric coils available were the 6" x 10" and 8" x 14" coils on the used marketplace. White's in 2017 introduced a new round concentric coil for the GMT. The old concentric Gold Max coils are easy to identify - they have a white plastic housing whereas the new DD version is black. Concentric 6" x 10" coils are white plastic just like the new DD version, what differs is the decal. Any 6" x 10" Goldmaster coil not sporting the "Twin D" label is a concentric. The early decals came in red and black and later gold and variously were called the Long Scan, Gold Master II, Gold Master, and GM 3 coil. Beware of any round coils marked for use for the Goldmaster series. The only round coil ever produced that is compatible with the newer Goldmaster series is the 12" round Hot Shot coil pictured below. Any other round coils would be for the old "blue box" Goldmasters and will not work on the 48-50 kHz series.

4"x6" Shooter DD coil, 6" round concentric, stock 6" x 10" DD coil for GMT, and 8" x 14" Sierra Gold Max DD coil

Old version 6" x 10" concentric and 8" x 14" concentric coils

The GMT currently has no aftermarket coils available. Jimmy Sierra used to market a couple coils that may be found on the used market. The Hot Shot was a round 12" concentric coil that in mild ground may have been the deepest coil made for the GMT but it suffered in mineralized ground due to the concentric design. Jimmy Sierra also marketed the 2.5" x 9" Hot Foot coil, a unique rectangular DD design. These coils were made by Jim Karbowski of Applied Creativity and marketed by Jimmy Sierra. Unfortunately Jim has passed away in 2007 and the manufacture of his coils with him.

Applied Creativity Hot Shot and Hot Foot coils for GMT

As always, when designs shift from analog based to digital, there are always some who regard the analog designs as better in some way. A lot of people nostalgically remember the Goldmaster 3 as the best Goldmaster made. I do myself miss the old control box that could be converted to a hip or chest mount. However, the benefits of the GMT far outweigh any perceived faults. It was for a long time the only VLF nugget detector that allowed the operator to choose between automatic ground tracking and manual ground balance. The "Grab" button was an innovation only now being seen in other detector models over ten years later. The "follow the black sand" feature was also a unique though underutilized feature. The innovative "iron probability" ferrous identification system was unique for many years but has recently been copied by a couple other manufacturers.

GMT meter pod and typical meter readings

The ground balancing options on the GMT are as good as they get. The unit can automatically track ground conditions and keep the machine as near optimum settings as possible. The GMT has what is regarded as one of the best ground tracking systems available. It has superior resolution, tracks faster, "jumps" into new ground more quickly, has greater resistance to tracking into targets, and tracks over a wider range of soil conditions. This is an obvious advantage for beginners who often have difficulty with manual ground balancing systems. It also benefits experts in locations where the ground varies constantly. This requires constant monitoring and adjustment on a manual system. It can place an undue burden on the operator and if ignored leads to the detector not being optimally tuned for the ground conditions. Simply set the ground balance toggle switch to "Fast AutoTrac®" and let the GMT handle the ground balancing chores. The GMT will automatically track and display the ground balance setting under the "Ground Balance (Mineral Type)" heading on the meter.

Ground balance tracking systems can "track into" a faint signal produced by a very small or very deep gold nugget and cause it to fade out as if it is a ground signal. This is especially likely if the operator hovers over the target after it is heard on the initial pass. For this reason the GMT trigger switch has a dual function. It engages the iron discrimination system but more importantly it temporarily locks out the ground tracking system. Whenever a faint target is encountered, squeeze and hold the trigger switch while working the target to insure the tracking system does not cause it to fade away.

While automatic ground tracking offers many benefits it can impede finding the very faintest targets. In extreme ground conditions the fact that the machine is constantly adjusting for ground conditions can actually impede a savvy operators ability to discern ground and target signals. Professional operators like having the option of using manual ground balance and the GMT accommodates this is a couple ways. There is the standard ability to toggle the ground balance switch to manual ground balance and then adjust the setting up or down via the plus and minus touch pads. One major benefit of manual ground balance is the ability to purposefully set the ground balance slightly off of the supposed perfect neutral ground balance setting. Many prospectors will set the ground balance slightly positive, or in other words such that the detector signals very slightly when the coil approaches the ground. This tends to prime the system to react more quickly to the faintest targets.

The GMT goes one step farther with the introduction of the ground "Grab" button. This unique GMT feature was long overlooked but is now being added as a feature on many other detectors. While in manual ground balance mode the tracking system continues to work in the background. Simply touching the Grab button on the meter touchpad instantly updates the ground balance to what the tracking software thinks is the best setting at that point in time. Pressing and holding the button engages the tracking system momentarily. This offers the best of both worlds in that a prospector can hunt in manual ground balance yet take advantage of the software to instantly update the setting instead of manipulating the plus and minus pads. The Grab button acts like an instant "Coarse Tune" control, which can then be tweaked slightly with the manual touch pad if desired. This is how I prefer to run my GMT most of the time. Run in manual, update with Grab when needed, and tweak if desired.

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The ferrous discrimination on the GMT is far more nuanced than on most detectors, with the meter giving an "iron probability" reading. A LCD bar graph reading starts on the left and builds to the right hand side of the readout and indicates the relative probability that the target is ferrous. A real plus on this system is it always reminds the operator that the ferrous indication is never 100% - there is always a chance that ferrous reading is a gold nugget. The system will never give a reading of higher than 90% or less than 10% ferrous probability. Most systems tend to lull the operator into thinking they are more accurate than they really are, causing gold nuggets to be erroneously identified as ferrous. The GMT forces the operator to analyze the target more thoroughly and when there is any doubt, to dig it. The meter also helps identify iron based "hot rocks".

In other words, most ferrous target systems are audio based, with a setting that may or may not be adjustable. Targets deemed ferrous on a single pass are ignored and the operator does not even know the target existed. The GMT alerts the operator to every target to make sure it is thoroughly checked out as a detector is often wrong about a target on a single off-center pass. The downside is that where targets are thick this constant analysis can place more of a burden on the operator than a system that can be set to silently ignore most trash targets.

Running the GMT with the trigger switch in the locked forward position engages an audio discrimination circuit that gives an audio "grunt" whenever the iron probability exceeds 85%. This can quickly identify likely iron target without having to refer to the meter. This is a momentary indication that resets on each sweep of the target. It is normal for an operator to approach the target with a slightly different angle and speed on each sweep and so the iron probability indication will vary on each pass. The operator works the target and takes note of the reading on each pass to make a dig or no dig decision.

Squeezing the trigger activates a target analysis mode that automates this task for the operator. Each target response is accumulated and averaged building a more consistent response than that generated by the trigger forward setting. Targets will tend to consolidate and build either higher or lower probabilities with multiple passes. This does not mean the final reading is any more accurate however. A small nugget in highly mineralized soil will tend to read as ferrous, and relying on the analyze feature will give a false sense that the GMT is more confident in that erroneous ferrous response by accumulating and averaging many of them.

The fact is all ferrous identification systems suffer from the reality that some gold nuggets will read as ferrous if small enough or deep enough. High gain levels also increase the possibilities of inaccurate results. Some gold is actually in magnetite instead of quartz and can be picked up with a magnet! Nuggets of this type have a strong possibility of being identified as ferrous. Whenever possible a prospector should dig all targets. However, with practice a skilled operator of the GMT has a far more informative ferrous identification system at their disposal that if used properly will result if fewer gold nuggets being left behind as trash targets. Even if the GMT says the target is 90% probable ferrous it is still telling you it is a 10% chance it is gold. How lucky are you feeling?

1.89 Oz nugget found with White's GMT chest mount conversion

The meter itself opens up many features lacking in detectors without a meter. The battery check reads out on the probability meter indicating the percent battery strength when the momentary toggle switch is activated. If the batteries are not fresh, audio loudness on big targets will not be as great, but there will be no loss of sensitivity or performance because the GMT is voltage regulated to run properly at less that peak battery voltage. You can rest assured the detector is working properly until the meter reads out "SORRY, LOW BATT". Be sure to have backup batteries ready to change out when this occurs.

From the MXT Engineering Report referenced below "The GMT's circuitry broke a lot of new ground. It uses a reactive impedance transformation network to boost transmitter voltage for higher sensitivity. It uses an active transmitter regulator to keep transmitter voltage constant even when the search coil is moved over black sand that would blow an unregulated machine off the air." What this means is many detectors can actually go completely non-functional when operated over extremely mineralized ground and the operator will not even be aware of it. The GMT is very resistant to this occurring, but if it does the detector will give a loud audio "squawk" and the meter will read "BAD GROUND REDUCE GAIN". The GMT literally tells you your gain is set too high for the ground condition. Set the control lower until this message goes away for optimum performance.

The GMT can also overload on shallow oversize targets in which case the meter will display "METAL TOO CLOSE LIFT SEARCH COIL". The overload condition will correct itself when the coil is moved away from direct proximity to the large metal item. There actually are gold nuggets large enough to overload a GMT so find out what the item is!

The GMT constantly displays the ground balance setting, typically in the 70-80 range. This number is telling you what type of mineralization is affecting the GMT and is very much akin to the target VDI number displayed on coin detectors except that here it is a ground reading. The GMT goes one step father and also displays the amount of the mineral being detected. This is called the "Follow Black Sand" reading because it can be used to trace shallow black sand deposits that in turn can be used to locate gold deposits. A reference number in the upper right portion of the display shows this value. The number grows as the coil is pumped up and down over concentrations of black sand. The readings are relative so the idea is to take readings at various locations across a dry wash for example, and then to focus on the highest readings as being the probable location of a black sand deposit.

White's GMT control panel

When White's introduced the Goldmaster V/SAT it featured "Variable Self Adjusting Threshold" or V/SAT. The Goldmasters were the only nugget detectors for many years that allowed you to vary the rate at which the threshold readjusts itself via a variable control - anything from very fast to very slow. This allows for more control in varying situations. In general, use the lowest SAT setting that allows for smooth operation. As ground variations increase, setting a higher self adjusting threshold can be beneficial. At low settings, the coil can be swept slower without responses being overly smoothed out. High settings demand a faster sweep rate as the detector adjusts rapidly to bring the threshold back to the level set by the threshold control knob. See Steve's Guide to Threshold Autotune, SAT & V/SAT for more details.

Finally, the GMT offers an optional Audio Boost setting that amplifies the audio by up to four times. This makes faint signals louder but in bad ground can also amplify ground noise. Still, this is an extremely useful function for eking faint targets out of the ground.

All these features added up to the GMT being vastly more popular than the Goldmaster 4/B that preceded it. The GMT remains a best seller to this day. The bottom line is the GMT bears serious consideration for anyone wanting a detector solely for gold nugget detecting. Although the GMT is intended solely as a prospecting unit, it is very popular with meteorite hunters, and it is also one of the best micro-jewelry detectors on the market.

Official White's GMT Page

White's GMT Instruction Manual

GMT Videos and Tuning Tricks

Forum Threads Tagged "whites goldmasters-gmt"

White's Metal Detector Forum

Read the MXT Engineering Report - Features some important notes on GMT design

*Notes on Technical Specifications - Detailed notes about the specifications listed in this chart.

The White's GMZ was released in 2009 and discontinued in 2016. The GMZ is a simple to operate 50 kHz metal detector with exceptional sensitivity to small gold nuggets. The GMZ shares the coils used by the White's Goldmaster/GMT series of metal detectors.

The GMZ might appear to be a stripped down GMT, but it is in fact an entirely different design. Dan Geyer, a White's engineer, started the GMZ as a side project. It really is more of a simple coin detecting type circuit, but stepped up to operate at 50 kHz. Dan's goal was to make a detector as simple as possible yet while still being exceptionally sensitive to small gold. It proved to be a functional design and White's eventually decided to put it into production.

The GMZ only has three controls - two knobs and a switch. The switch flips from the normal operating mode to a "salt" mode. This tunes out alkali salt flat mineralization but does reduce sensitivity to small gold. There is an On/Off Sensitivity dual control. And finally, a single turn ground reject control.

White's GMZ 50 kHz gold prospecting metal detector

From the White's GMZ Owner's Manual:

• Set the Ground toggle switch to the Normal position.
• Turn the Ground Reject knob fully counter clockwise to the lowest setting.
• Turn the Sensitivity/ Power knob on & set it to the factory suggested preset mark.
• Sweep the search coil across the surface of the ground and listen for any sound level variations produced by changing mineralization levels from spot to spot. This will be evidenced by chatter or a sort of clicking sound.
• Now adjust the Ground Reject knob clockwise while sweeping or pumping the search coil over the ground until the chatter diminishes or goes away.

White's GMZ - two knobs and a switch!

That is basically all there is to tuning the GMZ for operation. Unique also to the GMZ for a nugget detector is the fact that it is a silent search detector. Most nugget detectors have a faint threshold sound that the operator listens to for faint variations that indicate very small or very deep nuggets. The GMZ, since it is based on a simple coin detecting circuit, lacks that threshold tone and does operate more like a coin detector - silent until it beeps on a nugget or some other item. This was deemed preferable for beginners.

The White's GMZ is a very lightweight, well balanced, and easy to operate detector. At 50 kHz it does have great sensitivity to small gold nuggets. The price when it came out was attractive at only $499.00

As mentioned before a good feature on the GMZ was the ability to use any coil that would work on the Goldmaster/GMT series of detectors.

4" x 6" Shooter DD, stock 6" x 10" DD, and 8" x 14" Sierra Gold Max DD coils. These GMT coils also work on the GMZ.

Unfortunately, at about the same time as the GMZ was released the market started seeing other detectors with far more capability for a similar price. The new digital version of the Fisher Gold Bug in particular proved to be strong competition. The Gold Bug offers a digital target id display, both all metal and discrimination modes, and the normal threshold based operation prospectors had come to expect and rely on. All in a lightweight package for the same price as the GMZ.

The GMZ just never caught on because of this. More experienced operators were generally put off by the lack of threshold tone. Beginners and pros alike missed having any sort of iron discrimination, a standard feature on all other offerings at the time. Ultimately the GMZ was a great little detector but it really was sold at too high a price when compared to other machines on the market. I think it would have done much better at $399 but that was probably too low for White's. As a result the GMZ languished and even many White's dealers never really were aware of the model. It was finally discontinued in 2016.

White's GMZ Instruction Manual

White's Metal Detector Forum

*Notes on Technical Specifications - Detailed notes about the specifications listed in this chart.

The White's Goldmaster 24K has been announced and has just started shipping to customers. The Goldmaster 24K is an alternative to the White's GMT updated for the 21st century, with advanced ground tracking technology and increased power. XGB technology is a patent-pending automatic ground balance system. It is purpose-built for operating a high-frequency VLF gold nugget detector in the worst ground conditions. Traditional VLF detectors struggle to balance rapidly changing ground mineralization. Historically this has been where Pulse Induction machines fared much better.

With XGB technology, the Goldmaster 24k is able to track small changes in soil composition as well as longer-term shifts in both ground phase and strength. This allows it to operate in ground that traditional VLFs struggle in. Users have extended control over the range of XGB in the Goldmaster’s All-Metal mode. Simply enable Iron Cancel to expand the ground filter in moderate soils. In very challenging soil conditions, hold the Iron Cancel button and select the 2-bar setting for maximum performance in variable ground.

New 9/12/18 - Detailed Review Of White's New Goldmaster 24K

White's Goldmaster 24K metal detector - new for 2018

The new White's Goldmaster 24K also features a full backlit LCD target id screen and control suite. The potential target id is displayed on the screen whenever possible - the higher the number, the better the chance of a non-ferrous target. There is dual tone capability that reports a low tone for ferrous objects, and a high tone for all non-ferrous targets.

White's Goldmaster 24K Features

• SENSITIVITY - Set the sensitivity at a level that does not result in false signals from the ground. Very strong ground may result in the symbol on screen and a loud sound - this means the sensitivity is too high.
• GROUND BALANCE - With the default setting, the detector will use XGB to automatically ground balance. Tap to lock the ground balance to the current setting. Tapping when the ground balance is locked will update the current ground setting to what is under the coil.
• GROUND SCAN - Hold to put the detector into Ground Scan mode. The top bar displays the ground strength and the two digit numbers display the ground type (phase). Useful for tracing paystreaks.
• IRON CANCEL - Tap to silence hot rocks, trash and mineral changes in both audio modes. Hold to select the Iron Cancel setting (1 bar is default). Note that this setting may decrease the detector’s sensitivity to very small gold, but is necessary in difficult ground conditions.
• VOLUME and THRESHOLD - Tap to adjust the volume with the up and down buttons. Hold to adjust the threshold with the up and down buttons (“th” displays on screen). Set these to a comfortable level for your hearing and preference.
• AUDIO MODE - With the displayed on screen, the detector is in “BEEP” audio mode (high tone = good target, low tone = bad target). The default setting (without on screen) is a traditional All-Metal audio mode with greater sensitivity to small targets.
• SAT - SAT can smooth out ground inconsistencies. Hold to adjust it (“Sa” displays on screen, 2 is the default setting).
• PINPOINT - Hold for non-motion pinpoint mode. In difficult ground this mode may be affected by mineralization.
• BACKLIGHT - Tap to enable the backlight (this reduces battery life).
• FREQUENCY SHIFT - Hold when turning the detector on to shift frequency (useful when there is EMI). Power off to save the selection.
• FACTORY RESET - Hold the down arrow when turning the detector on. FD will display on the screen when the detector powers on. Now press the pinpoint crosshair button. The FD will clear from the screen, and the detector has been reset to default factory values.

Not only does the new White's Goldmaster 24K features a new ground tracking system, but the gain has been boosted with an increase of voltage to the coil. From the Advanced Guide (link below):

"When our engineers set out to build the GM24k, the goal was simple: improve the user’s chance to find gold without hurting their wallets. The obvious way to achieve this goal is increased sensitivity. The GM24k features a 54% increase in coil voltage over the GMT. You will see this in increased sensitivity to small nuggets. While testing this machine in Brazil, this was shown in a tiny, 0.4 grain crystalline nugget we found encased in quartz. In some cases this much power can be counter-productive if the ground is very challenging, so use it with caution! Even at lower gain settings the GM24k is an extremely “hot” machine on small gold and specimen nuggets."

The new White's Goldmaster 24K comes with both rechargeable batteries and a holder for AA batteries. The GMK comes standard with the 6" x 10" DD search coil. Currently the is one accessory coil available, a 6" round concentric coil. Both a 14" x 8" DD and 6" x 4" DD coil are possible in the future but have yet to be offered for sale as of March 2019.

White's Goldmaster 24K display and controls

Here is a video released August 8, 2018 that goes over the basic features and operation of the Goldmaster 24K...

Official White’s Goldmaster 24K Page

White's Goldmaster 24K Quick Start Guide

White's Goldmaster 24K Owner's Manual

White's Goldmaster 24K Color Flyer

White's Goldmaster 24K Advanced Ground Tracking Explained

Detailed Review Of White's New Goldmaster 24K

White's Goldmaster 24K & GMT Compared

Forum threads tagged "whites 24k gmx"

White’s Metal Detector Forum

*Notes on Technical Specifications - Detailed notes about the specifications listed in this chart.

From this thread:

GOLDMASTER 24K WHITE'S PAPER

XGB - A New Way To Ground Balance

The biggest challenge we face as electronic prospectors is highly mineralized ground. Simply increasing the gain on the current VLF platforms might help prospectors in very mild ground conditions, but what about more difficult areas with concentrations of black sand, maghemite, serpentine, or alkali salts?

On a trip to Brazil we witnessed a combination of these conditions, with soil that ranged from red to black to purple, and exhibited a combination of ferrous and alkali properties within a 4 ft square section. We saw first-hand VLFs from each manufacturer fail to balance out the combination of minerals. Even the top-of-the-line pulse induction machines struggled in this area - machines which cost the garimpeiros (the local term for gold miners) several years’ wages.

Our goal was simple: a nice even threshold in challenging ground conditions without giving up sensitivity. The theory is that the main battle most electronic prospectors fight is being able to discern a potential gold signal from ground noise. A smooth threshold would allow users to use more gain and increase their odds of finding small gold where it likes to hide - in mineralized ground.

The issue with other VLF detectors on the market is that they were tracking a single ground balance point. When the ground type changes quickly, the machine gives off a false signal. For a user the result is ear fatigue, frustration, and less positive signals dug. One easy way to mask variable ground is implementing an auto-gain feature  that automatically numbs the detector. This does not solve the issue, only hides it.

The Goldmaster 24k’s XGB is a new automatic ground tracking system that works by tracking multiple ground points simultaneously and quickly. Where other VLF’s track one ground balance point, the Goldmaster 24k tracks several, and can determine an optimal “ground window” based on ground history and strength. This is very useful in rapidly changing ground conditions, where other VLF machines may struggle to track the mineralization changes. Combine this with the speed at which the Goldmaster 24k is able to grab ground samples, and you have a superior ground balance system for a prospector’s VLF.

XGB Ground Balance versus legacy methods

With any automatic process, there are some concessions. Take vehicles for example - manual gearboxes are still preferred by car enthusiasts. That’s why we felt strongly about including a TracLock® ground option. When used with the Ground Grab, a locked ground balance setting allows users to set the ground balance in an area and lock it until they need  to re-ground balance. For users after the tiniest bits of gold, this option allows for the maximum sensitivity to small signals.

One technique we observed from field testers was allowing the XGB to automatically track, and  then  after getting a solid hit or finding a patch, locking the ground balance for target location and retrieval. For  many users this combination will be the best of both worlds - the strength of XGB, but only when you need or want it.
 
The net result of an overhauled automatic ground balance system is a VLF gold nugget detector that  can  be   used   in wider variety of ground conditions with a nice stable threshold. Operating a machine with a smooth threshold allows for a user’s ears to tune into those slight variations that just might be the next nugget. Our goal is that our customers are able to have success with the Goldmaster 24k in areas that other VLF’s struggle, and at a price that allows more people to get a taste of electronic prospecting.

Tom Boykin
White's Project Manager

Gold nuggets found with new White's Goldmaster 24K - smallest under 1/10th grain

The White's Electronics MX Sport was introduced in 2016 and is still in production. It features a new housing design waterproof to ten feet. Many people assume the MX Sport is a White's MXT stuffed in a smaller box, but the reality is the MX Sport is based on the MX5 electronics. The MX5 circuit is inspired by the MXT but is new and so an experienced operator can tell the machines are different at the core. Not better or worse - just different.

The MX Sport also has its own offshoot design, the White's MX7, which is the MX Sport circuit in a dry land design. See White's MX7 and MX Sport Compared for details.

The MX Sport comes with the 10" round DD coil and has a couple coil options taken directly from the MXT lineup. These are the 950 9.5" round concentric, 6" round concentric, and 10" x 5.5" DD elliptical. There is also a new 7" round DD coil made by Detech. Although these coils are similar to the coils used on the MXT they have the special waterproof connector needed for use on the MX Sport and are tuned differently. White's official position is that coils are not directly interchangeable between the MX Sport and MXT series.

The MX Sport has a great set of target id tone discrimination options. There are single (mono) tone, 2 tone, 4 tone, 8 tone, and 20 tone options. The tone ranges and the tones themselves are preset, but each tone has its own volume setting - a very rare feature. On most detectors notching out or rejecting a certain target segment causes items that fall in that segment to make no sound at all. With the MX Sport, you can set the Rejection Volume to a percentage, for instance 20% or 50%, and instead of being completely eliminated those items would be heard at 20% volume or 50% volume levels respectively.

White's MX Sport metal detector waterproof to ten feet

The MX Sport is waterproof to ten feet. However, it is a very high gain single frequency metal detector. This means that although the MX Sport can be used in saltwater, the sensitivity will have to be reduced to eliminate false signals from the saltwater of wet salt sand. This is not a problem; it is common to all single frequency detectors. Freshwater however is invisible to a detector and so the MX Sport can be operated in freshwater lakes and streams in a similar fashion to using it on dry land. This is a good time to mention that in 2017 White's added underwater headphones to the MX Sport standard package. This is an item that would cost over $80 if purchased separately, and do note that many competitor machine do not include this needed option in their waterproof detectors.

The MX Sport does have a Prospecting Mode, but in a field already crammed with lower price mid frequency prospecting machines I have my doubts. White's themselves is not marketing the MX Sport as a prospecting detector. I therefore expect the MX Sport to have minimal if any impact on the prospecting market. The main market as pursued by White's is coins, relics, jewelry, and beach detecting. However, I personally have no doubt that I could go out and do just fine using the MX Sport for gold nugget detecting.

Sept 2017 Note - The MX Sport had new machine issues with both the firmware and the hardware. These appear to have been solved now. However, potential buyers of used MX Sport detectors, especially those made in 2016, would be wise to be fully informed of these issues prior to any purchase of a used unit. See this forum thread for details. Rest assured that if you somehow end up with one of these detectors either new or used, that White's will take care of you. Contact them if you have questions.

Official White's MX Sport Page

White's MX Sport Instruction Manual

Forum Threads Tagged "whites mx sport"

White's Metal Detector Forum

*Notes on Technical Specifications - Detailed notes about the specifications listed in this chart.

The White's MXT was released in 2002 and had a great run, but is no longer in production due to the demise of White's Electronics in 2021. I helped popularize the use of this detector for searching tailing piles for large gold nuggets. Hundreds of ounces of gold have been found at Ganes Creek, Alaska alone by people using the White's MXT. My own largest gold find, a 6.85 ounce specimen, was with the MXT at Ganes Creek. I have a couple stories on Steve's Mining Journal that highlight the MXT. See Infinium & MXT at Ganes Creek and GP 3000 & MXT Get Fortymile Gold. My most recent find of note with the MXT Pro was a 267 AD Roman coin found while on a trip to the UK in 2010. See Metal Detecting Ancient Coins at Colchester, UK

The MXT is extremely popular because it does almost everything very well; coin, relic, jewelry, and nugget detecting. Despite being so versatile the MXT is also a bargain priced detector with performance rivaling much more expensive detectors. It is remarkably easy to operate, with a condensed operating guide actually printed on the bottom of the control box. Three knobs and three switches are all the controls you need. The controls have specially marked settings so that if you do not know what the controls do, just set everything at the little triangle marker and you are off and running.

A major feature on the MXT is the LCD screen that gives you visual information about the items detected as well as battery readings. White's employs a numeric target identification system that runs from -95 to +95, with ferrous targets reading as negative numbers and non-ferrous targets reading as positive numbers. White's calls these "Visual Discrimination Indicator" numbers usually referred to as VDI numbers.

The MXT also comes with one of the best manuals and DVDs of operating tips that I have ever seen come with any detector. The MXT is almost perfectly balanced due to the control box being slung back under the elbow. One simple thing about the MXT also pleases me - it does not fall over on its side like nearly all the other detectors I use when I set them down! The control box is very water resistant. I have used the MXT in the rain all day long with no adverse effects.

White's MXT All Pro metal detector for coins, jewelry, relics, and gold nuggets

There have been several MXT models. There is the original MXT which comes with a 9.5" round concentric "950" coil. This version of the MXT was discontinued in 2017 and is essentially the same detector as originally released in 2002. The was also an MXT 300, also no longer in production, which was the same detector with a 300 mm (12") search coil and a matte black paint job for $100.00 more. The MXT 300 was replaced by the MXT Pro for the same $899.95 price. The MXT Pro added multi-tones and a meter backlight plus a redesigned pod with a touch pad.

The new features do not really add anything needed from a nugget detecting perspective but are popular with coin and jewelry hunters. There is a "Ground Grab" that is nice for nugget detecting but just for convenience. Instead of switching to ground tracking for a minute and back to fixed it is possible to just remain in fixed and hit the grab button to update the ground balance setting.

A very good way to compare the MXT and the MXT Pro is to download and read both operating manuals linked to below. You can also find a quick comparison reference chart at Jeff Foster's website here.

The target reference in the MXT display above is replaced by three touch pads on the MXT All Pro. An audio pad controls various audio options, the "Ground Grab" button resets the ground balance, and there is a pad to toggle the display backlight on and off.

MXT vs MXT All Pro display pod showing new touch pad buttons

The MXT came with the 9.5" round concentric coil and the MXT All Pro is offered with either the 9.5" concentric coil or 10" round DD coil. My personal preference is for the MXT All Pro as I do like tone id for general detecting and the Ground Grab button alone is worth the extra money as far as I am concerned. I prefer to leave automatic ground tracking off most of the time and update via the grab function. The ground grab button alone is enough to make me prefer the MXT All Pro for gold prospecting. It is also a little known fact that the MXT was designed to work best with DD coils.

Here is a post by Dave Johnson (one of the engineers of the MXT) on the TreasureNet forums 2/3/2013:

"Back in the late 1990's and very early 20th century, the MXT was developed around the 10x6 elliptical DD. When you're used to that searchcoil, stick a 950 on and the 950 feels downright clumsy with its muddy response and bad masking characteristics. Downright insufferable. The 950 searchcoil geometry was designed for completely different platforms.

But, if you ask "does the 950 work?", well, yeah, it does. Wrong question.

I ain't gonna knock the MXT, it may be an old platform but it still works good. More than 10 years after, if you demand "ground tracking" (not that I say you should demand that), the GMT/MXT have the best in the industry. Not even Minelab (!) denies that! And as far as I know, the MXT/GMT are the only VLF-IB machines on the market with active transmitter regulation that makes it possible to work (with reduced performance) in heavy magnetite black sand, a circumstance otherwise left up to PI's. We're talking very good machines here. They may be a bit old in the tooth, but this is an industry that takes time to weed the turnips out of the beet patch. Ain't like celfonz where in 6 months the whole world has decided what kyckes and what szux. It takes time to deliver good beep verdict.

MXT. 10x6DD is the foundation. Everything else is an accessory. I am telling you this because if you are a White's loyalist, I want you to spend that extra buck, the folks in Sweet Home are my friends!"

Having noted that commentary, many users prefer the concentric coil options for beach use or low mineral parks where bottle caps are common. Concentric coils generally identify flat ferrous targets more reliably than DD coils.

The large 12" concentric coil and even the 9.5" concentric coil do not handle extreme ground mineralization very well, and the 12" is too large for many other tasks, like coin detecting trashy locations. The 6" x 10" Eclipse DD coil is possibly the best all around prospecting coil for the MXT for those that do not already have the 10" round DD coil and want to add a DD to the MXT. The solid construction is less likely to hand up on stubble and the narrow profile is good for getting into tight locations. However, if you have an All Pro and already have the 10" round DD coil it is a less useful upgrade. In that case I would tend to recommend the 4" x 6" Shooter DD coil for trashy locations and small gold nuggets.

To sum up, I recommend using either the 10" round or 6" x 10" elliptical DD coils for hunting heavily mineralized ground. To get the best performance on small gold, use the 4" x 6" elliptical DD (Shooter) search coil. The 9.5" concentric 950 coil and 12" concentric are best used for hunting tailing piles, beach detecting, or coin detecting in parks. The little 6" round concentric (Eclipse 5.3) is a good little coil for almost any use, including gold prospecting for small nuggets in low mineral ground.

The MXT is blessed with a large number of aftermarket coil options due to its popularity. There are so many in fact it is impossible to keep up with them so I will leave that for the reader to discover via Google.

White's MXT DD search coil options

White's MXT concentric search coil options

The MXT Pro does have an undocumented feature it is worth knowing about. The MXT in Coin & Jewelry Mode has a "Pull Tab Notch" feature when the trigger switch is locked forward. Meter readings of VDI +28 to +49 are silenced, knocking out common pull tab responses while still allowing US nickels to signal. The MXT Pro eliminated this function (trigger switch forward locks the pinpoint mode) and instead added the seven tone audio identification used by the White's M6 detector.

The intent was to have the option for different tones for preset VDI ranges while in the Coin & Jewelry Mode. The multi-tone feature was not intended for the Relic or Prospecting Modes. However, through a bug that is not documented in the owner's manual you can activate the multi-tone mode by getting your MXT all set up in Coin & Jewelry Mode and then selecting multi-tone by pressing the "Musical Note" button. Now flip the toggle switch to either Relic Mode or Prospecting Mode and the multi-tone function will remain engaged. However, if you touch any of the control pads at any time now the multi-tone function will shut off. White's decided this "bug" might actually be useful so has left it as is for you to experiment with.

There is a book written about the MXT that has no equal - The MXT Edge by Jeff Foster. If you have an MXT do not hesitate to get a copy. An interesting note is that the White's GMT and the MXT share a common heritage - see the MXT Engineering report below.

Official White's MXT Page

White's MXT 950 Owner's Manual

White's MXT 300 Owner's Manual

White's MXT Pro Owner's Manual

Forum Threads Tagged "whites mxt"

White's Metal Detectors Forum

Unofficial MXT User Support Page

MXT Engineering Guide

Steve's Guide to White's Electronics GMT versus MXT

*Notes on Technical Specifications - Detailed notes about the specifications listed in this chart.

Here are a few nugget detecting tips for the MXT. I highly recommend that if you are new to detecting you seek out a sandy location like a freshwater beach or volleyball court or the woodchip area around playground equipment to practice and learn your new MXT. The goal is to set up the detector as if you are nugget detecting and to dig everything that signals. It does not matter what it is, the goal is to learn. You should be trying to find the smallest items possible, and attempting to learn how to separate ferrous from non-ferrous signals.

It is always best to dig all targets when nugget detecting, but some areas are so full of ferrous trash that it is something that must be tuned out to some degree. Aluminum is a very common find, and that is good. Aluminum and gold respond identically on a metal detector, and the smaller and/or deeper the aluminum is, the better your detecting skills. Concentrate on the faintest signals. Hours spent practicing like this will save many more hours wasted time and frustration in the field.

Normally when looking for gold it only makes sense to use the MXT Prospecting Mode. This pretty much turns the MXT into a GMT although a bit less sensitive to very small gold. Start with the Gain at the preset (small triangle) setting. The Threshold should be set as low as it can go while still being audible. You want to be able to hear variations in the threshold sound but you do not want it so loud as to be annoying when listening to it for hours on end. Set the Trac switch to "Ground" and pump the coil over the ground until the sound caused by this pumping action dissipates. the MXT is now ground balanced, so flip the switch to the "Lock" position. This locks in the current ground balance setting.

The "Dual Control" while in Prospecting Mode is not acting as a discrimination control. The inner "SAT" section becomes active and a good starting place is the small preset triangle at the "5" setting. SAT stands for self-adjusting threshold. The threshold sound constantly varies and this circuit smooth's the threshold response. The higher the setting, the more aggressive the smoothing effect. Low settings are more sensitive to faint responses but can allow ground variations to also become to evident. Settings that are too high eliminate faint ground responses but can also cause faint signals from gold to become to faint to hear. In general less mineralized ground calls for lowest SAT settings and higher mineralization call for higher SAT settings.

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The Gain when increased does make the detector more sensitive to gold but also more sensitive to ground feedback and so-called hot rocks. The trick is to run the Gain as high as possible while retaining stable operation. Finally, in low mineral ground a locked Trac setting works best, but in ground that varies constantly running the MXT in the Ground tracking mode will result in smoother operation. Novice may want to stay in Ground Trac mode while learning the machine as it is the safe setting that keeps the machine properly ground balanced.

In theory the MXT is most sensitive with the SAT set low, the Gain maxed out, and the Trac setting locked. The reality is that increased Gain settings may also call for increased SAT settings. The goal is to seek the most sensitive balance of settings possible while while keeping the MXT stable and smooth. A small test nugget of small piece of lead can be essential for determining what setting most eliminates ground responses while most enhancing nugget responses. In general leave the SAT control at the preset, Trac in locked, and set the Gain as high as you can while still getting stable operation. If need be, switch the Trac setting to ground for smoother operation. In the worst mineralization advancing the SAT control into the Hyper SAT mode will put the MXT into a very smooth mode able to deal with extreme mineralization while still reporting small gold nuggets.

Remember, the key is to seek a smooth, stable threshold sound. It is this stable sound, when it varies, that indicates very deep or very small targets.

There are a very few detectors that can be run in what is referred to as "mixed mode". These units have the ability to run in all metal and discriminate at the same time. I am not sure who first came up with this feature but Nautilus has for a long time offered units that put the all metal signal in one ear of your headphones and the disc signal in the other ear. The advantage to this is that pure all metal modes detect deeper than discrimination modes. Hunting in regular all metal requires lots of switching back and forth to check targets. Mixed mode gives you both at once.

The White's MXT has the Relic Mode, which is a mixed mode. I wonder how many people use relic mode but really do not understand it. Good targets give a high pitched chirp. Junk targets honk. The split between high chirp and low honk is determined by the setting of the discrimination knob. This should be set to just cause iron and steel items , like a small nail, to honk, generally at a setting of 2 or less. Do not set the discrimination too high! Now here is the important part - there is a third, more subtle audio signal that indicates a target is there but the detector cannot identify it because it is too deep. This is the all metal signal. The meter will be blank. When nugget detecting, you want to hear these, and dig down until the target identification kicks in. I think many people focus so much on the other two audio responses that they ignore the fainter deep all metal signal. It is easy to fall into a habit of just digging only those high pitch targets. Not good.

The key to mixed mode is simple. Those targets in a good location that are so deep you get no indication on the discrimination channel are the ones you really want to think about. If the area has produced good finds but is now near to being worked out, these deep signals are the ones anyone running in a normal discrimination mode is going to totally miss. Sure, it could be trash. But really deep targets are often the best, and so digging some of these on occasion can produce some really good finds.

Steve with MXT and 6.85 ounce gold specimen found with it at Ganes Creek, Alaska in 2002

Unlike most dedicated nugget detectors it has a LCD based visual discrimination indicator (VDI) system. This is for the MXT coin and relic modes in particular. It turns out that for certain nugget detecting tasks the MXT has extra capabilities due to the visual target identification system.

Alaska has huge areas of old mining tailings that provide great opportunities for nugget detecting. The nature of the old operations was such that many of the very largest nuggets were lost into the tailing piles. Unfortunately there is a huge catch. Some of these tailing piles contain incredible amounts of iron junk, and at any depth. Some creeks were mined many times, and old campsites and dumps were churned up and mixed in with the tailings. This junk can be anything from rusted flakes and slivers of steel on up to cans, bolts, washers and nuts, and finally even 55 gallon drums, and various large steel plates, pipes, boilers, or even larger items.

Ganes Creek, Alaska is possibly the best known of these locations. New visitors from areas in the western US where the Minelab SD/GP/GPX detectors have reigned supreme have a hard time adjusting to the concept that there is such a thing as too much power when coupled to a poor discrimination system.

If you run a Minelab at Ganes Creek here is a likely scenario. You are in a field of fist-sized and larger cobbles. You get a nice little signal and no iron blanking. You start to dig, as best you can in a pile of rocks. After a great deal of effort you are at two feet, signal is louder, but no target. You pull out another cobble and half the hole falls in. You pull all those rocks out, and get another six inches down. Forty-five minutes has passed. You pull out another rock and the hole caves in again. Fifteen minutes later you are at 3 feet again and really tired. Over an hour has passed since you started this hole. The signal is very loud now...too loud really. You dig down a bit more, then some more, and the whole thing caves in again.

You walk away in disgust. Or you keep digging and finally find an old quart-sized can.

How deep can you hit a large can with a Minelab GP 3000? How about a 2'x 2' steel plate? How about a 55 gallon drum? There answer is very deep indeed, and they are all there waiting! Normally you would just figure it is junk past a certain depth, but the big question always must be how deep could you hit the 35 oz or 80 oz pieces found at Ganes Creek with metal detectors, or the 122 oz chunk found by the commercial miners at Ganes?

Because of this huge junk problem VLF detectors have generally been the way to go at Ganes. The low mineral conditions mean they keep you from wasting huge amounts of time going after junk targets. Most any good VLF machine works well for this, but the MXT gives you some extra capability once you learn its tricks.

There are four things to know. 1. VDI numbers increase as the nugget size increases. So a 1/4 oz nugget may read around 25 whereas a 1 oz nugget may read around 40 and a 2 oz nugget may read around 50 on the meter. 2. The larger a nugget, the deeper you can detect it. 3. Certain steel items can give positive VDI numbers and 4. VDI numbers are pulled down the deeper the nugget is buried. A 1/4 oz nugget near the surface will read 25, but at depth might read 10, and at max depth may finally read at 0 or lower and actually be identified as iron.

This last point is very important, for if you run a Fisher Gold Bug 2, or Tesoro Lobo, or Troy X5 in disc mode to tune out iron, as is common for many people at Ganes Creek, deep nuggets may read as iron. If they are, the machines will reject them; you will get no signal, and walk past the nugget. You will never know it is there. Or at best you have to search in all metal mode, then constantly switch to the discriminate mode to check the target. With the MXT, there is no switching and you hunt completely by ear.

With the MXT I like to run the detector in relic mode, with the disc set precisely at 2. Non-ferrous items will give a high tone, and ferrous junk a low tone. If you get a faint low tone, the first thing you do is kick and inch or two off the surface until you get a honk or a chirp. Now dig a little deeper. If the VDI number rises, keep digging. Targets that read iron initially and rise will often turn into non-ferrous readings, hopefully gold. If the VDI number stays the same or goes even lower, you have an iron target. Once again, be careful to listen for audio signals that give no reading on the meter - these are items being detected by the all metal channel at depths beyond what will cause the meter to react with a numeric id.

Where the MXT really shines are on 1/4 oz to 1/2 oz nuggets. Let’s say you get a reading of 24. OK, that is about a 1/4 oz nugget. Now, we know that you can hit a nugget this size at 10-12 inches. You dig a foot, and no nugget. A large, deep iron item of a certain type can also give a 24 reading, but these large items can be detected much deeper than a 1/4 oz nugget. Dig them up if you wish, but once you go past that depth at which it is reasonable to find a nugget corresponding to a certain VDI number you are wasting your time. This method eliminates digging those false positive signals from deep items like steel plates. With the other VLF units the lack of VDI number means you have no way to judge the potential nugget size and so you end up digging deep for what may be a very large nugget when with a MXT you would know the VDI number corresponds to a smaller nugget. For the many smaller nuggets that are found at Ganes this method is pretty foolproof once you get the hang of it.

Finally, certain non-ferrous items can be found in quantity, particularly things like .22 shell casings. If you get into a bunch of these, they are usually very shallow. You can easily determine the VDI number of these multiple identical targets and then simply ignore them. You would miss a nugget with an identical VDI reading, but chances are a nugget will vary enough to make it stand out. There is no way to do this with a non-VDI unit.

The MXT is a very versatile detector, but I do not think anyone anticipated just how much gold it would end up finding in Alaska. I know one prospector alone who has found over 100 ounces of gold with the MXT.

~ Steve Herschbach
Copyright © 2004 Herschbach Enterprises

The White's PulseScan TDI was released in 2008 and is still in production as the TDI SL. Prior versions have been discontinued. I was one of the original users of the TDI and still dabble with them to this day. See my story White's TDI at Moore Creek, Alaska for pictures of lots of TDI gold nugget finds. I also have extensive notes on using the TDI for coin detecting at Steve's Guide to White's TDI Coin Settings. The TDI is a unique detector and is seeing use in many applications unforeseen when it first came out.

The TDI has been available in several versions but all are basically the same detector as far as how they work. October 2019 Note: White's has a model called the TDI Hi-Q, which is a TDI SL with straight rod, new coil, and tan or camo paint job. See the details here.

I am a big fan of competition as I always want more and better detectors from the manufacturers personally, and I think competition is the best way to get better detectors. After Garrett got into the ground balancing pulse induction (GBPI) game with the Infinium people including myself were really after White's to make an entry into the field. I went so far as to visit White's Electronics personally to lobby for such a detector with suggestions on how to get there. Alan Holcomb, the CEO at that time, flew me down at White's expense for discussions on how to proceed with such a project. In particular, I advised that rather than developing something from scratch, it might make more sense to license the existing Goldscan technology from Eric Foster, widely known as "the father of pulse technology" for his early work in the field.

Eventually White's did decide to pursue the matter, and I was therefore aware early on that White's was working on a new detector, In 2007 I was sent a prototype unit to evaluate while I was on vacation in Hawaii. I was very impressed not only with the power of the detector but more importantly for me in Hawaii I was very impressed with how stable the detector was in salt water. It was also virtually immune to electromagnetic interference (EMI) issues that had dogged my use of other detectors in Hawaii.

White's TDI SL with closeup of control panel (compare to original TDI controls below)

My use of previous GBPI detectors, the Minelab models and the Garrett Infinium, made me familiar with how they respond to targets with various tones. Each target generates a dual tone that varies depending on whether the target is above or below the ground balance point that has been set. You will hear either a high tone followed immediately by a low tone (hi-lo), or a low tone followed immediately by a high tone (lo-hi). This dual tone system is effective for most uses but if you get into a target rich location it in effect doubles the number of audio signals coming from the detector.

I also had an opportunity in Alaska to visit with Brent Weaver, the main engineer at Garrett responsible for the development of the Infinium. While testing a prototype Infinium I asked him about the dual tones (Garrett now refers to them as "echos") and whether they could be suppressed. He told me the dual tones were integral in how the Infinium worked and that it was not practical to produce a single tone result on the circuit they were working with.

White's did end up working with Eric Foster on the development of the TDI. His method is one I like because instead of the dual tone responses generated by the Minelab and Garrett models (hi-lo or lo-hi) the TDI generates one of two tones, either a low tone, or a high tone. The tone depends on whether the target is above or below the current ground balance setting, and therefore there is only a tone difference when the ground balance system is engaged. The ground balance off, straight PI mode has monotone responses. Also, because the ground balance can be set manually on the TDI, this tone "breakpoint" can be shifted by the operator. This allows targets to be separated broadly into two distinct groups. On one hand there are high conductor type targets, like most coins and large steel items, that on the TDI produce a low tone response. The other group is comprised of low conductor type targets, and includes most gold items, US nickels, aluminum, and small ferrous trash. These all produce a high tone response on the TDI. There are far more high tone targets than low tone targets in most locations.

I really liked the prototype TDI that I used in Hawaii, in particular the fact that it generated half the audio responses compared to a Garrett or a Minelab. Once again I wondered if one tone or the other could be suppressed. I sent an email to Eric Foster, and was surprised when he told me that not only could it be done, but it would be a very simple thing to implement with a basic toggle switch arrangement. This came about very late in the TDI development, and I lobbied hard for just such a feature to be added. A last second vote was taken by those involved, and probably the last major change on the TDI before it went into production was the Target Conductivity switch. There was no such switch on the tan prototype models.

Prototype White's TDI Used by Steve Herschbach in Hawaii

Now, I do not want to give the impression I was some kind of major player in the development of the TDI. I was just one of many voices pushing at White's for years to develop a ground balancing pulse induction (GBPI) detector. I am pretty sure though my last second inquiry and little push was what made the tipping point to getting the Target Conductivity switch included, and I think to this day it is one of the most useful and intriguing features on the TDI. It allows for a vast reduction in the number of audio responses in certain situations and in conjunction with the manual ground balance and pulse delay offers a degree of discrimination on the TDI not seen on any other pulse induction detector made today.

This makes the TDI a pulse induction machine that can be used effectively for coin detecting, if the operator knows what they are doing and employs some smarts in site selection. I wrote an article entitled Steve's Guide to White's TDI Coin Settings on this very subject. I will not repeat the information here in the interest of keeping this page from getting too long so check out the link. Suffice it to say the TDI has the ability to play tricks and discern targets far beyond what most PI detectors can achieve.

Another major feature on the TDI is the ability for the ground balance system to be shut off. The method used to ground balance the TDI in effect subtracts the ground reading from the total readings returned by the detector. This subtractive method does actually steal some depth, which is easily shown in air tests on targets with the ground balance turned on and the ground balance turned off. The closer the target is in relation to the ground balance setting, the more depth is lost. People find this very confusing, as the whole point of ground balancing a PI is to get better depth, right?

Original White's TDI Control Panel

The way it works is this. In low mineral ground a PI gets maximum depth without using any ground balancing. However, as mineralization increases, depth is affected. The more mineralization, the more depth is lost. Also, ground effects increase. In low mineral ground, the coil may be raised off the ground with little response. In highly mineralized ground, raising the coil even slightly off the ground produces a false signal. Nearly all PI detectors have an audio retune circuit that slowly retunes the audio response to keep it at the set threshold level. Otherwise circuit drift and minor ground variances would require constant retuning. In high mineral ground, the ground produces a response, but the detector compensates as long as the coil is kept at an exact height over or on the ground. If the coil is raised quickly, the audio overshoots when the ground signal is removed and a false signal occurs. This can be a real problem in even ground or in the water where it is difficult to maintain a steady distance above the ground or sea bottom.

Hot rocks or wildly varying ground mineralization present an even greater issue. Again, the detector does well as long as the conditions are constant, but when a hot rock or mineralized ground condition like a clay seam enter the picture, a false signal is heard. In areas with lots of hot rocks PI detectors that cannot ground balance are almost useless due to the overwhelming number of false signals.

So imagine a PI with no ground balance in low mineral soil. All is well, maximum depth is achieved. Pretend we have the ability via a magic dial to turn up the ground minerals and/or hot rocks in the ground. A point is reached where performance and efficiency is greatly impacted. It becomes impossible to discern good targets from ground signals and false hot rock signals. At such a point, engaging the ground balance circuit gains back the lost performance and efficiency. It does this by eliminating the ground signal and hot rock signals.

White's search coils for TDI (from 2018 product catalog)

This leads to situations occurring where people use a GBPI detector in low mineral ground and decide they are no better than a VLF. That actually often is true, in that a good VLF in all metal mode will do about as well as a Ground Balancing PI in low mineral ground, if both have similar coil sizes. A GBPI does not come into its own until the ground conditions or hot rocks are such that a VLF operator wants to toss the detector in a gully in frustration.

This has been a very long lead explanation to the TDI secret weapon. In low mineral ground, turn the ground balance off! The detector will become extremely stable with a very smooth threshold and become more resistant to electrical interference. Gain may be boosted and a great deal of extra depth achieved in situations that allow for this type of operation, and they are actually very common. This would be the preferred beach mode on most beaches, the exception being beaches with a lot of black sands. The White's TDI in pure PI mode is one of the most powerful straight PI detectors available. The tone differences between targets disappear, and sometimes the ability to differentiate targets is more important than the depth gained by shutting the ground balance system off. But do not overlook this ability to run without ground balance in situations that warrant doing just that as it can really pay dividends to the knowledgeable operator.

In 2018 White's responded to long standing demand from customers and released a version of the TDI that is waterproof to 25 feet - the TDI Beachhunter. This is basically a TDI SL in a Beachhunter ID control box. The model weighs more at 5.2 lbs for obvious reasons. The TDI Beachhunter has all the same controls as the TDI SL with the exception of the conductivity switch. This means the TDI Beachhunter signals on all targets, but the dual tone scheme remains to allow the operator to differentiate targets by the sounds. In order to help insure waterproof integrity the coil on the TDI Beachhunter (12" Dual Field coil) has been hardwired into the control box. Forum thread with more information on TDI Beachhunter.

White's Electronics TDI Beachhunter - new for 2018

~ Steve Herschbach
Copyright © 2010 Herschbach Enterprises

Official White's TDI SL Page

White's TDI SL Data & Reviews

White's TDI SL Instruction Manual

White's TDI SL Special Edition Data & Reviews

White's TDI BeachHunter Data & Reviews

White's TDI Pro Instruction Manual

White's Original TDI Instruction Manual

White's TDI Field Manual

Forum Threads Tagged "whites tdi"

White's Metal Detector Forum

Great Post on Batteries For the TDI SL

White's TDI Coin Settings

Some Commentary On TDI Tuning & Discrimination

*Notes on Technical Specifications - Detailed notes about the specifications listed in this chart.

White's TDI SL High-Q Tan metal detector

The White's V3i was introduced in 2009 and ceased production in 2020. The V3i was originally released as the White's Spectra Vision or simply White's Vision. Due to a name conflict with another company the name was changed to White's Spectra V3. The original Vision and V3 models both suffered from software issues. Updates were issued and finally consolidated into the final White's Spectra V3i model which is still being manufactured today. All previous models could be updated to the latest V3i software by returning the detector to White's Electronics. This all leads to quite a bit of model confusion when buying used versions of these detector because it is not always clear if a model has been updated or not. The V3i was also later released in a feature limited model called the VX3.

There are several things that make the White's V3i unique. One of the most obvious is the use of a very bright high contrast color screen, still ahead of its time compared to anything else on the market. The V3i takes screen customization to a level that quite frankly is unlikely to be exceeded in the near future if ever. There is a reason for that that I will explain shortly.

The V3i was also one of the first metal detectors to incorporate a proprietary wireless headphone system designed to overcome the lag issues common in aftermarket solutions at the time. It was initially promised that the wireless system would also enable communication via a plug in dongle that would allow the V3i to be programmed via software on a PC. This ended up being one of the never realized disappointments of the White's V3i. The headphone system ended up working well enough after initial problems were ironed out but the proprietary nature of the system limits the choice of headphones to a single model.

White's V3i multifrequency metal detector

The V3i is the direct successor to the White's DFX, a dual frequency metal detector that could run at 3 kHz and 15 kHz, either separately or both at once. The V3i took this another step, by running at 2.5 kHz, 7.5 kHz, or 22.5 kHz, again either separately or all three at once. This is very unique on the market today. Most multifrequency detectors either let you selectively choose a single frequency to run at from several choices, or they run several frequencies at once. The V3i is unique in letting you do it either way.

The V3i comes with a 10" round DD coil. One of the design goals was that is was to be able to use the coils already in existence for the White's DFX and MXT models, the so-called Eclipse series. The V3i did achieve this goal, but the ability to use a transmit boost function was generally limited to newer versions of those coils that are "V" rated. Coils that are not V rated may overload when transmit boost is employed. This is honestly a bit of a non-issue as there is little reason to ever employ transmit boost but it does seem to worry a lot of people that non-V rated coils might not be performing up to specs. White's coils are individually serial numbered, with the serial number stamped into on mounting ear of the coil. Serial numbers that start with "V" indicate the coil is V rated. Aftermarket coils would be especially suspect in this regard. For more information on Spectra coils some excellent information has been compiled here.

D2 10" Round DD coil, 6" x 10" DD coil, and 4" x 6" DD "Shooter" coil

The 10" round DD coil that comes with the V3i is a decent coil. The 6" x 10" Eclipse DD coil however is possibly the best all around prospecting coil for the V3i. The solid construction is less likely to hand up on stubble and the narrow profile is good for getting into tight locations. The 4" x 6" Shooter DD coil is great for trashy locations and small gold nuggets. The large 12" concentric coil and even the 9.5" concentric coil do not handle extreme ground mineralization very well, and the 12" is too large for many other tasks, like coin detecting trashy locations.

One aftermarket coil is worth mentioning, because it is one of the only reasons I own a White's V3i. A company called Applied Creativity made some coils marketed by famed White's dealer Jimmy Sierra. One of these coils was a 3" x 18" model with a special "figure 8" winding called the Bigfoot. This coil was actually made for the DFX and is an exceptionally light weight coil yet capable over covering large areas quickly and efficiently. The Bigfoot does not get a lot of depth, but for recovering shallower targets like recent coin drops and jewelry it is unmatched in performance. Unfortunately this coil is no longer made and used ones easily go for several hundred dollars if you are lucky enough to find one. Several types were made and not all will work on the V3i, only those made for the the MXT and DFX are compatible.

Original White's Spectra Vision model from 2009 with Bigfoot Coil

Compatible being a relative thing. The Bigfoot is not V rated and some will not work properly on the V3i. Almost any of them will exhibit highly skewed target id numbers in the 22.5 kHz range, but oddly enough this can be used to good effect for some jewelry detecting. The bottom line is I had a Big Foot for my DFX and kept it for use on my V3i. The Big Foot / V3i combo is my number one dry land jewelry detector. White's V3i - My Third Try.

The White's V3i does have a 22.5 kHz Prospecting Mode and other features that in theory make it a proficient prospecting detector. The machine is hot on small gold in the 22.5 kHz mode. When the original Vision came out I did some bench tests on it versus the MXT using a 0.7 grain test nugget (480 grains per Troy ounce). An MXT with a 4" x 6" Shooter coil at max Gain would barely signal on the nugget within 1/4" of the coil.

The same Shooter coil was used on the Vision in Prospecting Mode (22.5 kHz only), with no tweaks except max RX Gain. The threshold a bit ratty but no worse than MXT at max Gain. The Vision got a good hit at 2" and whisper at 3". I then engaged the TX (transmit) Boost, raising voltage to the coil from 10V to 30V. I then got a good hit at 3" and whisper at 4". That is a 50% increase on a tiny nugget by engaging TX Boost. This is easily better than MXT performance and actually closer to what I'd expect from a GMT.

This was an air test and ground conditions are unlikely to allow running at full gain with TX Boost engaged but it would work in milder ground. In fact Transmit Boost will work against you in bad ground and it also cuts battery life dramatically. Still, this test shows there can be benefits on small gold items in particular. Of interest also is that the test was done with an old coil from my MXT, proving that not all coils need to be V rated to work properly.

0.7 Grain (480 grains per Troy Oz) Gold Test Nugget

There have been some good gold nugget finds made with the V3i in the mild ground at Ganes Creek, Alaska. My friend Marko used the V3i there for at least two visits and reported to me that he thought the V3i was unexcelled at identifying deep ferrous junk versus gold nuggets in the relatively mild ground at Ganes Creek. He had quite a few ounces of gold to prove it! He used the stock Prospecting mode exclusively.

The bottom line is that the V3i is first and foremost a detector designed for coin and jewelry detecting, and I would not recommend it specifically for somebody looking for a gold nugget prospecting detector. Other machines like White's own GMT or MXT can be had for half as much money that are far more practical as nugget detectors. However, if you do own a White's V3i, rest assured it can be used to find gold nuggets. It would in particular be useful in milder ground with copious amounts of ferrous trash where its advanced discrimination capabilities can be put to good use. In more mineralized ground the V3i the V3i may struggle however because it's ground balancing system is not up to tracking in bad ground and manual adjustments can be difficult to make due to the way the ground balance system is controlled. The tracking must be "locked" and the only manual adjustment that can be made from that point forward are small offsets to the locked setting. Don't worry about this for regular metal detecting - I am specifically talking about gold prospecting in highly mineralized ground. If the V3i has a weak spot this is it.

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I said earlier in this article that the V3i takes customization to a level unlikely to be exceeded now or in the future. The V3i is very much metal detector engineers dream detector, with direct access to many machine functions that are hidden in other detectors. This in theory allows the user to create almost any detector they want with the right degree of programming. What has been revealed in actual use however is that the number of functions and their interactions create layers of complexity that overwhelm most people. The V3i can be operated quite well with its factory preset programs and a bit of tweaking, but at the end of the day it represents feature overkill. It is a great detector for people who love to fiddle with the detector itself, but for most metal detecting the average users prefer something simpler that just gets the job done. The VX3 was a response to this by offering similar functionality in a more feature limited way. I think the V3i will be a high water mark when it comes to this type of feature overload and it is unlikely anyone will in the future try to outdo it, for the simple reason doing so is not the sure way to sales success.

For me personally the V3i is one of the most capable jewelry detectors ever made, especially when coupled with the Bigfoot coil. The ability to customize both the screen and audio responses combined with expanded target VDI ranges on jewelry type targets at higher frequency ranges makes the White's V3i a jewelry hunters dream machine. That said, similar results can be had by people with simpler and less expensive detectors. The V3i is just a machine for the true detector nerd, and I have to say I guess that is what I am!

Official White's V3i Page

White's V3i Instruction Manual

White's V3i Advanced User Guide

White's V3i Information Page

White's V3i & VX3 Master Reset

Selectable Frequency And Multiple Frequency

Forum Threads Tagged "whites v3i"

White's Metal Detector Forum

*Notes on Technical Specifications - Detailed notes about the specifications listed in this chart.

V3i example screens - click image for larger version

The XP Metal Detectors company of France has been making waves with its new metal detector, the XP DEUS. So much has already been written about the XP DEUS that this page is going to focus on the Version 4 (or later) software releases starting in 2017. This new versions of the software combined with new hardware has made the DEUS into a totally different detector. For that reason this website will be referring to XP DEUS V4 or V5 specifically as opposed to earlier versions of the detector.

July 2018 - Deus Version 5 Software announced and new X35 search coils announced.

September 2018 - New XP ORX announced.

January 2019 - 2019 Deus Model Comparison

I purchased a new XP DEUS in 2014 to evaluate it as a gold prospecting detector. The DEUS was originally designed for coin and relic hunting in Europe but quickly found a following in the United States also. As a prospector I was not much interested in the detector, until the version 3.0 software update added a program specifically for prospecting, the Goldfield program. According to Andy Sabisch at Findmall the program was originally developed as a dedicated prospecting detector for the African market. It worked and was subsequently added to the 3.0 software update for the DEUS.

According to XP "The GOLD FIELD program uses a different detection strategy designed to handle highly mineralized ground containing targets such as gold nuggets. In these ground conditions, small, low-conductive targets are often seen as ground noise or iron, especially when they are deeply buried. To go deeper in these difficult conditions, the GOLD FIELD program uses a true All Metal mode allowing you to accept a whole zone of ground that is usually rejected (Full Range). Rather than rejecting all the ground values below the setting (as on conventional detectors), this new program rejects only the current value of the ground which you have to adjust exactly."

The short story is I found the XP DEUS and its new Goldfield program to be perfectly adequate for gold prospecting, but that was about it. The innovative wireless design notwithstanding, there just seemed to me to be nothing particularly compelling about the DEUS for gold prospecting. It is the kind of machine that if a person owned it anyway, then they would have a capable gold prospecting detector in addition to all its other uses. Given the price however to buy it specifically for gold prospecting just did not make much sense to me when detectors costing half as much did every bit as well or better. Further, a well respected person on my forum reported that he also ran into issues with the DEUS in its current form when it comes to gold prospecting. You can find my detailed review and his report both at Using The XP DEUS For Gold Prospecting at the DetectorProspector Forum. I went ahead and sold my new DEUS at that time.

Fast forward to the fall of 2015. Early information about the upcoming version 4.0 software release immediately caught my interest. New coils were announced that has serious implications for gold prospectors. The new elliptical coils are 12cm x 24cm or approximately 4.7" x 9.5" which is very close to the standard established for VLF gold prospecting detectors. There is also be a new round 9" coil. More importantly, the new coils via the V4 software will enable operation much higher operating frequencies. The 9" round coil will operate at 14 kHz, 30 kHz, or 59 kHz and the elliptical coil at 14 kHz, 30 kHz, and an amazing 81 kHz!. This would put the XP DEUS V4 squarely in the realm of high frequency gold prospecting detectors. Currently the Fisher Gold Bug 2 at 71 kHz has the highest operating frequency of the popular prospecting detectors.

XP DEUS V4 with new 4.7" x 9.5" DD Coil

These extremely sensitive coils operate on a wide range of 21 frequencies, ranging from 13 to 81 kHz depending on coil choice. The search coils three base frequencies are 14 kHz - 30 kHz and 59 kHz for the 22.5cm (9”) Round DD coil. The elliptical DD coil has a slightly different base frequency set of 14 kHz - 30 kHz and 81 kHz. Each coil has a further 7 higher or lower sub frequencies to choose from, allowing a much wider adjustment range (Previous Deus has 3 sub frequencies). The lower frequencies are intended for general use, they provide good sensitivity to a wide range of targets, the higher frequencies will take the Deus to another level. You will instantly notice the enhanced sensitivity and the ability to find small targets that have previously been difficult or impossible to locate when searching mineralized ground with competing devices.

Apart from the ability to detect through mineralized soil, the HF coils will enhance the signature from weak - low conductive targets or even highly conductive targets, that due to their shape or construction (thin or wired) are beyond the reach of conventional detectors, for example: open rings such as earrings or fine bracelets, wire framed artifacts, gold nuggets, intricate fibula’s, small coins, thin coins, etc. The new HF coils only weigh 350g and are equipped with the latest higher capacity lithium battery (850mA). The new battery is situated in the lower stem; this is a bonus especially if you are working in a remote area far from a power source as optional replacement batteries will be available. Battery life: 20 hours at 15 kHz, 27 hours at 30 khz and 28 hours at 59 & 81 kHz.

New for 2018 - Deus X35 coils running at 3.7 kHz to 27.7 kHz

In my opinion the version 4.0 software upgrade combined with this new coil meant the DEUS was worth another look as a gold prospecting detector. The smaller footprint of the elliptical coil will "see" less ground and better separate small gold nuggets from difficult ground conditions. The boost in frequency will also make the detector hotter on small nuggets. I therefore obtained another new XP DEUS and waited - over a year - for the new V4 update and new coils to appear.

I finally went out and found my first gold nuggets with the new DEUS elliptical high frequency coil in 2017. I want to emphasize that I am a newbie on the XP Deus. Although I purchased an 11" Deus V3.2 model almost two years ago, it was with the express purpose of being able to test the V4 update with the new high frequency coil options for gold prospecting. I decided I was better off just starting fresh with version 4.0 before really digging in and learning the detector. I do get the hang of detectors quickly but this does show what can be done by somebody who went out barely knowing the machine.

The other catch is that I picked a location that favors the Deus with relatively mild soil for a gold location, so mild I could run the machine full out to get the maximum possible sensitivity with the machine. These results are not going to be as easy to obtain in extreme mineral ground. You have to start someplace however and being new to the machine I wanted to give myself someplace easy to start. Finally, the goal here was to find the smallest gold I could so for the purposes of this report - smaller is better.

These nuggets were recovered over the course of a day. Ten nuggets, 4.7 grains total weight. There are 480 grains per Troy ounce and with an average weight of less than half a grain I think you can agree this is some pretty small stuff. The smallest bits are probably near 1/10th grain or 1/4800th of a Troy ounce. Click picture for larger version.

Gold nuggets found by Steve Herschbach with new XP DEUS HF elliptical coil

The new HF elliptical coil running at 74 kHz is clearly in the same league as the 71 kHz Fisher Gold Bug 2,  45 kHz Minelab Gold Monster, 56 kHz Makro Gold Racer, and 48 kHz White's GMT. However, the devil is in the details and it will be some time before I sort out how the machines compare under more difficult and varied conditions.

Again, I am not an expert with the Deus and so the settings I mention are not to be taken as "the best" or anything like that. I was actually gold prospecting so the primary focus was to find gold, not to test every possible combination of settings on the Deus. With 10 program options and numerous settings that will be a longer term project. I obviously wanted to try the Gold Field program 10. After a little experimenting I settled on the GM Power program 2 as an alternate disc mode to try. Getting from program 10 to program 2 is only a couple button pushes, so I bounced back and forth between the two programs and tweaked settings higher as I found targets and could compare readings.

Gold Field is a threshold based all metal mode with what I find to be a rather pleasant digitized buzz. That's me of course, others may differ on that point. I was able to run sensitivity full out at 99. All my work was done at 74 khz, the default highest frequency setting without trying to push it higher via the offset. I figure the coil is tuned at 74 khz and so stuck with that for now. Manual ground balance about 84.

GM Power I got sensitivity to 94 with only minor falsing. I reduced reactivity (similar to SAT for you nugget hunters) to 0 from the default of 2 and ran the audio response (audio boost) up to 7 (max).

Both modes exhibit just a little touch sensitivity at these high gain levels. This might be tamed with the ground notch but I have not fooled with that yet and it did not bother me at all anyway.

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What I found was Gold Field has a softer response in general but that my boosted version of GM Power banged hard on the little bits. Not unlike going from all metal mode on the Gold Bug 2 to the Iron Disc mode. Instead of faint threshold variations you get a strong "beep". The difference is that the Gold Bug 2 Iron Disc mode has an obvious loss in sensitivity. The Deus by comparison in this particular situation actually seemed to work better in GM Power mode, but that is mainly the boosted audio at work.

I left the disc settings at the defaults for GM Power which worked well - low tone iron, higher tones non-ferrous. I ran the IAR (iron reject) in Gold Field at 2. This was just enough to cause ferrous to break up. Higher settings would blank most ferrous completely but getting to aggressive can also eliminate weak gold signals. The ferrous discrimination worked very well in both programs. GM Power in particular was pretty awesome in the nail pits with iron tones firing off like a machine gun. I bumped reactivity back to 2 in the dense trash.

Anyway, this is a very preliminary report and so no point getting too deep into it as I will probably modify my opinions and settings as I get more time on the machine. Right now this is a high price option if all you need is a prospecting unit, but for a person wanting one machine to do everything XP just kicked it up a notch. If they introduce a dedicated gold unit at a lower price similar to the Depar DPR 600 it would be very competitive. For now this is an option for somebody that wants a detector for more than just gold prospecting since the Deus is a superb coin, relic, and jewelry detector.

XP DEUS as ultimate "stuff it in a rucksack" metal detector

The elliptical coil and rod assembly is just 1 lb 13 oz (1.8 lbs) and so a true featherweight. At 5' 11" I have to run it fully extended and at that it does flex a bit, but I did not find that bothersome at all. A solid coil cover will be good as there are too many coil edges that want to hang up on rubble and sticks. A minor quibble however as the machine is a joy to handle, especially when reaching uphill waist high and higher. A great unit for poking in and around bushes and other obstructions. The coil is hotter at the tips which also helps in poking into tight locations.

Early days but the final word is that I am happy with how this coil performs on small gold nuggets after all the wait. Time will tell how it handles the really bad ground and how it fares directly against some of the competition as other people report in. As always giving it time and waiting for a consensus opinion from many users to develop is a wise policy with any new detector.

~ Steve Herschbach
Copyright © 2017 Herschbach Enterprises

July 2018 - Deus Version 5 Software announced and new X35 search coils announced.

September 2018 - New XP ORX announced.

Official XP Deus Page (U.S.)

XP DEUS 2019 Versions Guide

XP DEUS V5 Instruction Manual

XP DEUS Versions/Update History

Forum Discussion of V4 Update & Coils

Forum Threads Tagged "xp deus"

XP Metal Detectors Forum

*Notes on Technical Specifications - Detailed notes about the specifications listed in this chart.

The XP metal detector company has announced a new model for late 2018 called the XP ORX. This new model appears to be a refined version of the XP manufactured Depar DPR 600. The DPR 600 was made to take advantage of the African gold rush by offering a model designed primarily as a gold prospecting detector with other uses taking a back seat. I personally think the Depar DPR 600 was used as a proving ground for the new high frequency (HF) coils while also offering an opportunity to fine tune the Gold Field program. My expectation all along is that XP would eventually release a similar model for sale outside of Africa. It looks like after almost two years that new refined version of the DPR 600 is available for purchase as the XP ORX.

This introduction is so new that information at this time is limited - everything here is subject to change as new details emerge. For now what we know for sure is that the XP Orx will be available in two configurations. The versions are basically the same, with a wired headphone version for 700 Euro, and a wireless headphone version for 800 Euro. U.S. pricing is unknown at this time but $799 and $899 is probably in the ballpark. You can choose either the 9" round HF coil or 5" x 9.5" elliptical HF coil. There is no exact word on availability yet, but presumably we will be seeing this model available for purchase in early 2019.

XP ORX gold prospecting metal detector

It is possible hints about the new XP Orx can be gleaned by reading the DPR 600 User Manual. One main difference is in the User Modes. The DPR 600 and XP Orx both have four preset programs plus two user custom program slots for saved programs. The programs on the DPR 600 are designated as 1. General 2. Large Gold 3. Fine Gold 4. Iron Discriminate. The XP Orx is designed for a bit wider appeal, and so it looks like the General and Iron Disc modes have been recast as coin hunting modes. The modes on the XP Orx are 1. Gold 2. Fine Gold 3. Coin Fast 4. Coin Deep

ORX Key features:

• HF coil technology (21 Frequencies ranging from 13 to 81kHz).
• Extreme sensitivity to small targets with high frequency 50kHz and 81 kHz.
• 4 factory programs: Gold Prospecting (x2) – Coins and Relic (x2), + 2 user.
• Trusted XP fast wireless technology: Coil – Remote – Headphones – MI-6.
• The all new “WS Audio®” compact wireless headphone receiver.
• Re designed ultra-light Telescopic “S” stem.
• The lightest machine on the market at only 770grs (remote hip mounted).
• Easy to operate with a user-friendly interface.
• Wireless connectivity to the MI-6 pinpointer + advanced remote settings.
• Lithium batteries, giving up to around 20 hours of detecting.
• Easy to charge with any certified USB charger or via computer (XP USB charger optional only)
• Available with a choice of HF coils – 22cm (9") Round or 24/13cm (9.5"x5") Elliptical.
• Compatible with the X35 coil range (22, 28, 34/28cm).
• Software Update (remote control via USB cable).
• Go terrain mobile app compatible (coming 2019).
• 5-year warranty – Made in France.
• Affordable price – Suggested maximum retail price: 699€ including taxes – 799€ including taxes with wireless headphone (WSA).

Note that the upper armrest area of the rod has been redesigned and is different than the existing Deus rod assembly.

XP ORX Controls & Settings

ORX settings:

• 99 levels of sensitivity
• 21 frequencies (13 kHz to 81 kHz).
• 99 levels of discrimination + 5 levels of IAR Discrimination in Gold programs.
• 20 levels of Threshold.
• 4 levels of Reactivity.
• Iron Tone with Pitch audio (ON/OFF)
• Ground balance: manual adjustment from 60 to 90 or automatic (fast grab).
• Salt mode ground rejection: 00-25
• 4 factory + 2 user programs.
• Target ID/ Iron probability.
• Pinpoint function with target zoom.
• Go-Terrain compatible (smartphone app coming soon).

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XP ORX MI-6 Compatibility

Advanced remote settings when the ORX is paired with the MI-6 pinpointer:

• 50 levels of sensitivity
• Audio tone from 120 Hz to 1582 Hz
• 2 audio modes: PITCH or PULSE
• 3 factory + 1 user program
• Recover a lost MI-6 (even when switched off)
• Target zoom screen
• Battery life indicator

I don't think there is much mystery here except for how many people will opt for this new model versus the new X35 coil based Deus models. In my opinion by extending the top end frequency of the new X35 coils to 28 khz has inadvertently removed some of the demand for this higher frequency version. Small gold sensitivity gains over 30 khz are quite minimal and with the extra features the Deus offers many people may continue to prefer it as their detecting solution. A lot may boil down to the price difference between a 9" round X35 Deus package and the 9" round HF Orx package.

No matter what I am very confident this new high frequency XP model will do very well for gold prospecting. I do not expect performance to be any different than that I observed while testing the XP Deus with elliptical HF coil on small gold.

XP Orx Data & Reviews

XP Orx Owner's Manual

Forum Threads Tagged "xp orx"

XP Metal Detector Forum

*Notes on Technical Specifications - Detailed notes about the specifications listed in this chart.