Steve Herschbach

I see you are back in the far north George. Supposed to show here in Reno next couple days but will melt as fast as it hits. Best wishes, be safe, be well!

Welcome to the forum!

If that's a copycat, and it appears that it is, there may be no place to wire the switches where they will actually work. In other words, that's probably a generic detector circuit board they stuff in all kinds of fake detectors just so they turn on and beep. Not even close to being a real Gold Bug 2 board so probably a waste of time trying to make it into one. Just my guess. I spent quite a bit of time with Google and checking Geotech and can find no pictures or schematics anywhere for the Gold Bug 2. Kind of surprising for such an old design. I have had several open in the past, wish I had taken some photos while I was at it now.

I have remarkably few metal detectors at the moment. For me coils is a big deal. The V3i is a specialty machine for me, more about the Bigfoot coil than the detector really. The Equinox in theory is all I need except, except... they won't make any more coils for it!! The 24K could do the trick with the new 4" x 6" coil but it really is more a gold prospecting machine. Bottom line it is that Snake coil that is attracting me as much as the detector. In my case its kind of grab the Equinox and round 6" coil or TRP and 3.5" x 6.5" coil. With the 19 kHz being very EMI resistant I can easily see myself grabbing this to hit what we in the U.S. call the "tot lots", the playground areas where moms take the little kids. Don't know, bottom line is I've always got along well with the Gold Bug Pro, but considered the F19/G2+ to be overpriced at the old $699 or more price level. At under $400 its more palatable, though even that is pushing it by today's standards. If FT did nothing more than pop a low latency Bluetooth module into these older designs it would help freshen them up a little.

As my link above notes I absolutely love the Racer 2 control scheme. My only niggle is that rear mount volume control/power switch. I’d rather have seen a touchpad power on, and volume in with the other settings. The Racer 2 and it’s 100 point target id spread and detailed notching remind me of my Whites detectors, like the XLT or DFX for example. An excellent jewelry detector for trashy areas by notching out particular pesky items for those into such things. See Clive Clynicks books on the XLT and DFX for specific jewelry notching techniques that will translate almost perfectly to the Racer 2. If I did not have to have a DFX/V3i to run my Bigfoot coil, I’d for sure have a Racer 2 instead as a jewelry detector. I have a soft spot in my heart for simplicity however, and for a lot of what I do the First Texas 19 kHz series resonates strongly with me. Just pick up and go get the job done with minimum fuss, light weight, extra strong external speaker, a machine I’m happy to use without headphones in places where the noise won’t bother other people. The basic models suit me quite well, but there is one feature in the Time Ranger/F19/G2+ that I crave. The volume control with separate ferrous tone volume. The basic 19 kHz models (Gold Bugs, G2) have an extra loud speaker but no volume control at all. That ferrous volume in particular lowers the barrage of ferrous low tones in dense trash, and is the one feature I always missed on the earlier units. The other extra features are nice but I doubt I’d use them much. The ferrous volume, that’s the ticket. I should note the Racer 2 has more advanced tone options than the F19 by far... I’m just highlighting why I like the newer 19 kHz models more than the older 19 kHz FT designs.

You nailed it. In the past my focus was almost always on nugget detecting first and everything else next. That made the 5” x 10” a no brainer. But for general use the larger coil gets that smidge better ground coverage and depth. Fact is nearly all the gold I found with my F75 was with the 7” x 11” coil. Its a good form factor and has been emulated by many other manufacturers ever since. It’s just shades of gray and slivers of performance this way or that way on two coils that are relatively close in capability. A serious relic hunter might also prefer the 5” x 10” coil but for dense trash I’d opt for the Snake anyway so that’s not my concern. Interesting watching me talk myself into something!

From my perspective it’s more about coil choices, so more about looking at F19 with 5” x 10” closed DD versus Time Ranger with 7” x 11” open DD. In either case a NEL 3.5” x 6.5” Snake might be the primary use coil for what I do. In the past I would have opted for the 5” x 10” DD without thinking about it, but now I’m not so sure about that. I kind of like my coils to be as different as possible, and so going from the small Snake to the much larger 7” x 11” might give me a better spread of capability in a two coil package. And this may sound dumb but I really do like the blue and black color scheme! Never owned a Bounty Hunter branded detector before but I guess there is a first time for everything. Time Ranger with 7” x 11” DD search coil Fisher F19 with 5” x 10” DD search coil

The Racer 2 has stood the test of time. Many other Nokta/Makro detectors have come and gone in the same time frame, but the Racer 2 remains. No doubt due to the feature packed package at a great price.

I prefer the grip on the G2+ by a small margin but find the S rod to be slightly more compact/a little easier to stuff in a rucksack. Having gone from the S rod on Gold Bug Pro to the pistol grip G2 on my last go I’m inclined back to the S rod at this point, but it’s a tough call now for me. But some have a stronger preference for sure.

If I could have one change on this detector this would be it. I'd much rather it be the target id instead. For me these models are superior to the T2/F75 for one simple reason. I can set the ferrous break point while having dual tones. The only way to do that on the T2/F75 is in monotone disc mode.

Same company, three websites, probably just an oversight. Whoever did the flyer probably had Fisher on the brain since as we all know this is an F19 in new clothing. I may get one yet... I like the detector and I like the new color scheme. It's just a no-nonsense grab and go detector. I always meshed real well with the FT 19 kHz machines. That said I have no real need for one.... it's just that "I want a new toy" thing tickling me. I've not got a new detector in almost two years!

Click or double click for larger version.... NEW! from BOUNTY HUNTER Time Ranger Pro metal detector Backlit Display FeTone™, Adjustable Iron Audio Enhanced V-Break®, Tone Discrimination System Notch Mode with Adjustable Notch Width Computerized GROUND GRAB® One Touch Ground Balance with Manual Override Unmatched Target Separation in Iron and Trash Continuous Ground Condition Readout: Ground Phase value indicates type of mineralization, Fe3O4 graphic indicates amount of mineralization Ground balance all the way to Salt Static All Metal Pinpoint with Depth Indicator 19 kHz Operating Frequency Ultra-Lightweight, only 2.5 lbs. (1.1 kg) Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) $449 Internet Discount Price $399 Bounty Hunter Time Ranger Pro Color Flyer

Something between the Ace 400 and AT Pro makes sense, as there is an over $200 gap between those two models. Marketing types don’t like that so you may be the winner with this guess. A lower price waterproof model might also help now that Simplex has hit the market. Or drop all existing AT models $100 and add a multi model on the top end.

I certainly did not mean to stir up talk of death knells. I'll perk up when the official release finally happens, but with FT shut down we are now on indefinite hold. Hopefully before end of year for AQ, and maybe next year for Terra. Or maybe the delay will allow Terra development to catch up with AQ, but no matter what we are looking at yet another delay, and obviously no fault of FTs. All I'm saying is I'm not wasting any more energy watching this pot not boil.

Well, I have to admit I was totally wrong about accessory coils for the Simplex+. Every other new model from this company was swamped with accessory coils in short order, and I assumed it would be the same with Simplex. Nothing from Nokta/Makro and no aftermarket coils either after half a year. The difference now is so striking it makes me wonder what is up. Or have I missed something?

You could download the pdf provided earlier in this thread. Some Minelab Equinox VDI Numbers Another Equinox Target ID Chart Target ID Numbers Can Vary With Search Profile & Frequency UK Target ID Numbers Canadian Target ID Numbers Australian Target ID Numbers Jewelry Target ID Numbers & Tones

Nope, never had it happen on any of my three Equinox.

From https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/5990-what-are-the-steps/?do=findComment&comment=62787 "The very first thing I would not do is go to the very worst place you can think of for the maiden voyage."

The AQ was not a prospecting unit anyway. As far as the QED goes I've never used one and so can't help you there - try asking this guy. I appreciate the offer but I really don’t want to be responsible for somebody else's gear.

Quit drinking, quit smoking cigars, lost 40 lbs.... but those sure were the days!! Moore Creek will go down as my all time best adventure, incredible obstacles faced and overcome, and lots of gold found. Equinox would be fabulous at Ganes... not so much at Moore.

Click the link I provided in my post.... 303 Aerospace Protectant

Gee, I recognize that guy... I’m flattered Gerry!

I don’t think you can get any more detailed than what I did already at

For what it is worth this was a major deciding factor in my ditching my Gold Monster and keeping the 24K. Minelab's policy of limiting coils lost me and switched me to White's in this instance. Not only does the 24K have twice as many coils, you don't get the coil knock issues with the 24K to anywhere near the extent as exists with the Gold Monster when sensitivity is maxed out. You can scrub the ground with the 24K with no problem. Plus more control options, adjustable rod, better balance, does not roll over when set down, etc.