Steve Herschbach

To be completely honest, getting a VLF detector that is both very good on tiny gold and very good on coins and that can handle very bad mineralization well is a little bit of wishful thinking. You will have to compromise, that is reality. In a perfect world where money was no issue, I would recommend you have at least two or maybe three detectors. The main one would be a SDC 2300 for finding small gold in difficult ground while being easy to operate. And then an Equinox 800 or XP ORX for small gold, trashy areas, and coin detecting. In your case and budget holding out for an XP ORX at a good price is not a bad plan. It is an excellent choice and easier to master than the Equinox 800 when it comes to nugget detecting. The main reason I am posting however is to encourage you to get a small coil for the T2 and have more faith in it. The T2 is actually one of the more popular VLF nuggets that has been sold worldwide for nugget detecting, with huge numbers sold in Africa. Unfortunately it fell victim to counterfeiters who ruined the market for it. I used the F75 extensively and did very well with it on gold nuggets. The F75 and T2 are practically the same detector. Here is an example of how small a nugget you should be able to find with the T2. Note I do not have very large fingers; I did not record the weight of this nugget unfortunately but I am guessing just a few grains, maybe 1/4 gram. This nugget was found with the stock 7” x 11” coil and I am certain I could do better with a smaller coil. Frankly, I have found the 13 kHz T2 and F75 to be very close to the 19 kHz Gold Bug Pro on gold nuggets, closer than people might guess. http://fisherlab.com/hobby/finds-Steve-Herschbach.htm Finally, I have never used a Vista Gold but at 30 kHz it probably does better than you think on tiny gold with a small coil. The ORX however is the safer, more proven choice.

When it comes to gold prospecting or anything employing the true threshold based all metal mode*, there is not a bit of difference between a Gold Bug Pro, F19, or Time Ranger. Turn the combination power/gain control on and to far right - full sensitivity. Turn the other knob, the mode/threshold control, to the right until you get a faint threshold. Push and hold the GG button while lowering and lifting the coil about a foot above the ground. The audio may vary the first pump but by the second or third the threshold will go even, you are ground balanced, release the GG button. If the detector will not properly ground balance, lower the gain a little, and repeat ground balance procedure. In extremely mineralized ground you may need to do this more than once to find the gain level that will allow the machine to properly ground balance. However, even while running a GBP in Australia in the worst ground I had almost no problem ground balancing this 19 kHz circuit. Finally, I find the ground grab button to ground balance a hair neutral for my taste, and for me tapping just once on the + button after ground balancing adds that smidge of positive ground balance I prefer. *Some detectors these days have an “all metal” setting that is just the discrimination mode with no items rejected. The electronic filtering is still in place but just set to 0. A true threshold based all metal mode completely disengages any discrimination filters and delivers the full power a metal detector is capable of. Some detectors, like the TRP, run the discrimination circuit in parallel and display the target id on the screen while the audio delivers the all metal results. This means you will sometimes hear a fringe target in the audio while getting no target id on the screen. These are faint targets that are not powerful enough to trigger the discrimination circuit, and which would be missed entirely if you are in a discrimination mode, even if no items are set to be rejected. This allows you to see and hear the genuine difference between a true threshold based all metal mode and a discrimination mode, and is referred to as Mixed Mode Processing. The lesson here is beware detectors that offer “all metal” modes that are just a discrimination mode by another name. They are not the same thing as offered on detectors with a true non-discrimination based all metal mode. For many applications I do like running this detector in all metal mode, and it takes me just seconds to be up and running. My threshold control stays where I want it, so just turn the power button to far right, quick ground balance, I’m good to go. I’ve used these machines far more in the all metal mode than the disc mode and in some respects it is what this detector is for me. A quick easy way to get access to a powerful and well behaved all metal detector with mixed mode processing (visual disc mode). The actual discrimination mode is very much a secondary aspect of the detector for most of my purposes. Here is how I came to settle on the 19 kHz FT machines versus the competition. The article is a tad dated but holds up well seven years later. The situation has not changed much, though for straight up gold prospecting we now have quite a few more high frequency options that have blurred the question by adding extra coin and relic type discrimination features. It was more cut and dried seven years ago. At this time for straight up gold prospecting I would go White’s Goldmaster 24K. One reason I got the TRP was to see how the 24K does compared to the TRP on non-prospecting tasks, a bit of a shoot out if you will, 19 kHz vs 48 kHz. Obviously the 24K has the edge for tiny gold. But how does the 24K do for coin or relic detecting compared to the 19 kHz models? I intend to find out.

Have you tried the Minelab website? The Vanquish is what it is, and except for possible bug fixes, will not change. https://www.minelab.com/contact-us

Me in ten years, still waiting for my Impulse.....

I'm a gold guy so nuggets and jewelry, though I may putter around in some dense ferrous just for yucks. What people call relic hunting, but which I like to do just to play with the detector and hone my skills. Honestly not a detector I needed, just an impulse thing since I have a soft spot for the series and always wanted an F19 but never made it happen in a real way. It's just a grab and go fun detector. I admit I wanted a new toy to play with. If I was being rational I would say my 24K is the better nugget detector. The Equinox easily the better coin detector and as good if not better for jewelry. And I have a V3i, clearly superior for jewelry. I don't really do relics, the one thing this detector and coil combo shines at. I'd seriously put it up against a Deus with the NEL coil with no fear in the densest ferrous. But again, that's about last on my things I really do list. So did I need it? No. Did I want it? Yes. Some things don't have to make much sense with me, they just have to be fun, and I have always had fun with the 19 kHz FT machines. Like Noah said, a nice unit to leave in my truck... just in case. It's a fun dry beach small jewelry machine, but not something I do much of either. First place it will probably go is a tot lot to dig wadded aluminum foil.

Yeah, he had sold his GPZ as being too much for him physically anymore, and was interested in lighter units. So we have been chatting about the QED and Impulse etc. He was seriously thinking still of a trip back to Oz. Must be quite a shock for his wife, so sorry for her. 😞

Oh my gosh, I'm very sad and shocked to hear that! He just posted on Wednesday!! I knew his health had not been well the last couple years but still.... 😞 Fred and I have been in regular communication, and in fact he was supposed to stop by for a visit this last fall, but got waylaid. I have not seen him since a brief get-together a few years ago. I really knew him more from a visit to my Moore Creek Mine many years ago. My condolences to his wife, family, and friends. He will be missed. https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/1045-steves-moore-creek-article-in-icmj/ Fred in 2005 at Moore Creek In front left with hat and blue shirt....

The big phase number started with the Gold Bug SE and no doubt was just a way to emphasize it was a “gold nugget” detector. Reality though is even as a prospector I don’t need to monitor ground phase every minute of the day. That being the case flipping it to the speedometer and making the big number target id just like in disc mode is actually form following function. Every target I am squinting at the speedometer and ignoring that big number. That is an interface error, plain and simple. Other than that quibble though I do like hunting in all metal. It’s of course the default nugget hunting mode but it has other applications, mainly where targets are sparse. If I was using the TRP in the U.K. for field hunting it would normally be in all metal unless I got into a dense target patch. All metal just opens up that detection field to fringe targets in a big way that will be missed entirely while in disc mode. The ones that really are interesting are the ones you can hear but which do not trigger a target id. Those are fringe targets that if you are in disc mode you would never know were there.

No, they still use the stupid speedometer that I have to squint at while wasting that huge number on a phase number I could care less about. Not a single functional difference between this and the F19 that I’ve found yet. A real mar on an otherwise excellent design. Changing that would mean actually changing something other than the decals.... way too much to ask apparently. I’ve been bitching about it for the last ten years. Reality is probably not too many people care. How many people hunt all metal while eyeballing target id anyway? I’m probably a rare one there.

All FT 19 kHz fans welcome here! This is a detector that favors people who like a good threshold based all metal mode and those who focus on low conductor non-ferrous hunting. The machine does extremely well on small targets. If it has a weakness it is large silver, like quarters. It’s good but not great on large high conductors. Superb however on small silver like European hammered silver and the like. U.S. park coin cherry pickers will find the two tones and notching options to be limited but sufficient. I love this machine for the simplicity of the all metal mode with displayed target id, or the two tone ferrous/non-ferrous operation with highly adjustable ferrous break point, combined with the low conductor/small target focus. This makes it a great gold nugget, jewelry, relic, and U.K. field hunter. U.S. park hunters who chase silver will probably want to look at other options. I added a mini review here...

I just added my vote to the Time Ranger Pro being a worthy competitor in the under $400 category. The TRP is a Fisher F19 sold under the Bounty Hunter brand name with different colors/decals and a slightly lower price. MSRP $449 discounted to $399. The relation to the prior First Texas 19 kHz models means the Time Ranger Pro has an exceptional number of coil options, both from First Texas and aftermarket companies. All coils made for the Fisher Gold Bug Pro, F19, and Teknetics G2 series will work on the Time Ranger Pro. NEL/Cors and DeTech make some excellent coils for this series. The Time Ranger Pro is for people who favor a detector that is designed primarily for separating ferrous and non-ferrous targets. It has a very strong threshold based all metal mode that puts a target id on screen via a discrimination circuit running in parallel. The discrimination mode is set up primarily as a two tone audio with displayed target id. The break point between the high tone and low tone is highly adjustable, allowing the savvy detectorist to decide just how much ferrous discrimination they want to implement, a large advantage over detectors with a fixed ferrous break point. The low ferrous tone has its own independent volume control. The 19 kHz frequency favors low conductors, and so the Time Ranger Pro is an excellent gold nugget, gold jewelry, and relic detector. It excels on thin and small cut coins as are found in Europe. With a small coil its separation capability rivals the best made in dense trash. The Time Ranger Pro is a decent coin detector, but the high frequency means it only rates as good, not up with the the best, on larger silver coins like quarters, and the discrimination tone and notching options are very basic compared to many detectors designed specifically for U.S. coin detecting. European hunters will have no issue with this as they tend to non-ferrous hunting and the TRP favors the smaller silver and gold coins they hunt, but a person wanting to cherry pick U.S. coins in park settings will find the discrimination options to be quite basic. They are however sufficient to the task, and the 19 kHz circuit exceptional resistance to electrical interference means this is an extremely well behaved machine in an urban detecting environment.

The Bug is hard to beat on the tiniest bits with the little elliptical concentric, but for overall performance on all sizes of gold I’d bet on the 24K/GMK. From there I’d go SDC 2300.

Kind of odd, I wonder what the rationale was? There is no decal on the coil so maybe it makes it easy not to mix it up at the factory - they have a lot of coils that look just like that. I'll probably round up a skid plate that will cover the red up. And just in case anyone was worried, what with this being a Bounty Hunter, the coil connector is the screw on type, not the push on used on many BH models. So any Gold Bug/F19/G2 series coils will work on the Time Ranger Pro. The side rubber door/plug protects a 1/4” headphone jack only, not the dual setup with 1/8” jack as featured on some models. That’s just fine by me. The whole thing comes in a tiny box, with the control pod not mounted on the rod for extra compact shipping. That’s one reason I wanted the S rod version, it breaks down really small. Two screws and a minute to mount the pod. I might replace the Phillips screws with wing nuts to make it even easier with no tool required.

Wow, that's a smoking deal! Is that the 5" x 10" on there? I have tons of time on the Gold Bug Pro, one of my favorite all time machines really. When the F19 came out I kind of wanted the extra features but they were crazy expensive at over $800, and I knew darn well it was just an upgraded Gold Bug. The extra features are nice but don't make it any deeper or more sensitive. I did buy a used camo version just long enough to play with it, but was not really a fan of the camo so I sold it. But I'm quite familiar with the machine and how it performs. Whats crazy is there are still lots of places advertising the F19 for $799 😱 Anyway, I already know I like the detector and I got a deal on mine also. It's actually a great little unit in the dense ferrous with that small coil, and the ferrous volume will make it even sweeter. Mainly though I like the grab and go simplicity of the model, it just seems a good fit for how I detect, and great all metal circuit. The only problem is it might be awhile before it gets many hours of actual use.

I have to admit to being an elitist snob. Way back decades ago I formed the impression of Bounty Hunter as being low cost, almost junk. Plus some of their physical designs are kind of laughable. That did change over the years but it came in useful when I was a detector dealer and Walmart came to town. Bounty Hunter was the "Walmart Brand" and so when people asked about them I went with the flow. "That's just the low end Walmart stuff - you can do better than that." It worked, and mainly because lots of people thought that way. First Texas eventually purchased Bounty Hunter and has been sliding variants of some Fisher models into the Bounty Hunter lineup. I've always liked the First Texas 19 kHz models, and when the F19 showed up in new Bounty Hunter clothes at with a lower price I finally bit. There is not much to say about the detector itself, since it is just a Fisher F19 or Teknetics G2+ in a different package These are well known models with a long track record, so no need for me to do some kind of new detector review. Long story short I always wanted a F19/G2+ but thought they were overpriced, at one point costing more than an F75, and in fact many online dealers are still selling the F19 for $799. The new price lower price at $399 and the blue/black color scheme got me over the hump. Interesting note. The red bottom of the stock coil is not a coil cover, it is the actual bottom of the coil! No scuff cover is included but arm rest strap and a couple velcro coil cable straps are included. I ordered a new NEL 3.5" x 6.5" DD coil to go with the new detector. It did come with the scuff cover. I as much got this to run the coil as the detector as they are a good match in dense iron/trash. Total weight with NEL 2 lbs 9.5 ounces. The bottom line is Bounty Hunter is slowly changing and there are definitely a few of their models worth a look these days. I'm still a little amazed I own a Bounty Hunter, but fact is it's a nice little unit and I like it. If nothing else I think it's a sharp looking detector. Bounty Hunter Time Ranger Pro Data & Reviews Bounty Hunter Time Ranger Pro with stock 7" x 11" DD Time Ranger Pro with NEL 3.5" x 6.5" DD "Snake" search coil Bounty Hunter Time Ranger Pro Features

I ran over one of my Equinox, crushed the rod and distorted the faceplate away from the body. Replaced the rod and used a clamp and super glue to bend the faceplate back to the housing. Had to glue the headphones back together also. Amazing stuff super glue! Still going strong a year later. The only alternative I would consider would be a Minelab GPX since in my opinion an Equinox is going to handle bad ground about as well as any VLF. If you are gutsy there is the new Tarsacci... good reports on it, but it is not an easy machine to learn.

Garrett Apex Added To Detector Database

Nobody is implying malice Rick. Just don't try selling an old hand like me all all the puppies, sunshine, and flowers innocence routine. Business is business, nothing to be ashamed of. Like you said - reality. Honestly it seems like you are a little sensitive on the subject.

Yeah, it's all completely innocent. Nobody has any interest at all in getting people primed up to buy this detector. I'll bet not one dealer out there has any names on a list of potential Impulse buyers just waiting to get in line. Whether taking a pre-order now, or paving the way to have people lined up to place those pre-orders, it's all the same game.

Great project for times like these! 👍🏼

Sounds like hype to convince people to preorder if I ever heard it. “Give us your money or lose your place in line and wait forever” is a game as old as the ages with retailers. I’d say just the opposite. Unless you are 100% certain you don’t mind being a test pig and all that entails, hold back a bit on this one for reports from people you trust.

Welcome to the forum. There are numerous threads on this forum about The TDI and batteries. Here are a couple:

Very interesting. An old Gold Bug 2 (the GB2 uses two 9V batteries) trick involved the fact that the detector could actually run off one battery. So one battery supplied both the detector circuit and audio. The other battery apparently supplied just the detector circuit but not the audio? If you lost a battery you could run the detector on one by placing it in the appropriate slot. Or, when the detector ran “dead”, swapping battery locations would add extra hours. Seems that dual power circuit scheme carried over into the single battery design.