Steve Herschbach

No nothing has really changed and I don’t expect anything to really change as regards VLF metal detectors. All you have to do is spend as much time as I do cross checking on real targets to see just how minimal the real world difference is between all the top detectors. There are literally dozens of detectors I can grab and do about as well with, so it just boils down to the specific type of detecting you like and what features you prefer for that detecting. If any detector completely blew all the rest away everyone would use it, but that simply is not the case. It’s all splitting hairs on the hardest targets, with most detectors all being able to find the vast majority of targets equally well. Your detector skills and locations are what matters, far more than the exact detector used. And don’t forget the hours. A $200 detector that gets used will find way more than a $2500 detector in the closet! Here is the photo I could not post at the time that shows the fourth detector that was involved in my testing. I sold all the others plus my CTX 3030 after completing my tests but still have that one with the white coil.

First thing everyone needs to know is what settings you are currently using. Factory default and if not, all adjustments you have made. Minelab GPZ 7000 Factory Default Detect Settings Gold Mode - High Yield, General, Extra Deep Ground Type - Normal, Difficult, Severe Noise Cancel Channel Auto 1 to 256 (Preset 129) Manual 1 to 256 Sensitivity - 1 to 20 (Preset 9) Volume - 1 to 20 (Preset 8) Threshold Level - 1 to 50 (Preset 27) Threshold Pitch - 1 to 100 (Preset 53) Volume Limit - 1 to 20 (Preset 12) Audio Smoothing - Off, Low, High Ground Balance Mode - Auto, Manual Ground Smoothing - Off, Locate Patch, Salty Soil

I don’t think that has happened yet. Equinox is a beginning, not an end. And it just builds on BBS and FBS.... Minelab has a huge lead in this area. Given that Equinox was the first shot at Multi-IQ I expect whatever higher end Multi-IQ product eventually replaces CTX will be far more refined than Equinox.

I don’t think he was asking if you could put bigger batteries in a VLF but if more power gives more depth. There are reasons why that limit has been met in single frequency VLF and the thread I linked to above gets into that.

Personally I think single frequency VLF maxed out many years ago, and on the same targets on the same ground all I observe is the classic difference in strength with low frequencies having a edge on high conductors and high frequencies having an edge on low conductors. Frequency to frequency it’s really splitting hairs with differences often attributable to the coil, not the detector. The short answer is single frequency VLF hit a depth limit ages ago and so now we are in a race to the bottom for how many features can be offered at the lowest price. I expect Simplex will be as good as anything offered in the last ten years when it comes to single frequency and depth.

Bells and whistles are nice but almost all comparison posts and videos ask only one question.... “how deep does it go?”

Welcome to the forum. The answer to your question is no. Nokta/Makro employs a proprietary wireless format. All the models in your picture except the red work with the Simplex.

Of course before the SDC and GPZ came out everyone was thinking the same about the GPX 5000. It is true though for a lot of the people who were doing it big time in the 80s and 90s it no longer seems worth it. In many ways it was the increasing gold price that really kept things going. We were finding less but the value was holding steady as gold prices climbed. Right now though we are at the same gold price we were at in 2013 so the rapid increase in gold price from 2000 - 2012 is no longer offsetting the declining finds. Though we are ahead of where we were a couple years ago. Gold prices 2001 - 2019

I noticed a lot of the older threads had lost their attached "tags", probably due to an update somewhere along the way. I've been spending hours today working from the oldest threads forward retagging everything and also moving some threads to other more appropriate forums. Seems to be mostly 2016 and before stuff. Whatever, housekeeping. It has been interesting in seeing the large number of "gold found" threads created back in the 2015 - 2016 time frame especially. We had the double whammy of the SDC 2300 followed by the GPZ 7000. Both machines are good at finding gold missed by the earlier Minelab PI models. This created a mini gold rush in two ways. First, the machines actually do target gold the other models were weak on so they did find gold the others could not. But a large portion of it was simply new machines giving people confidence to go back and hunt old areas once again. Often there is knowledge from prior hunting that allows a focus on where the gold is known to be. Gold was also therefore found the earlier machines could have found but that was simply missed by earlier hunters. Well, four years on now and things have slowed down a lot. It's mostly the old die-hards still at it, but lots of people that were active back in 2015 have gone quiet. I'm sure I know why. There were many old "dead" patches I hit with the GPZ 7000 that came alive again. The problem now is it is back to eking out smaller and smaller returns for time spent. The sad fact is there is only so much readily available ground out there and we are once again hitting that depleted stage with existing technology. This can't go on forever as every nugget found is one less to find and they are not growing back. We need a new toy soon or things are going to get pretty quiet. Compared to 2015 they already are. We've seen this story many times before going back to when Minelab PI took over from VLF, and gold VLF machines taking over from the coin detectors prior to that. Forum threads tagged "gold found"

Actually most of the multifrequency detectors ever made by Minelab have had no ground balance control, because the processing is done via frequency comparison and compensation, as Chase has noted. The CTX 3030 was the first to offer a true ground balance. The E-TRAC prior to the CTX only had a Neutral and Difficult ground setting. As far as how it compares to Simplex it depends where you compare. In a saltwater setting, for instance, multifrequency rules. Simplex probably has an edge in some other area as by all accounts it is a very competitive offering.

Nice to see the ORX finding some gold... thanks for posting Jeff.

Metal detecting with the XP ORX is as simple as switch on and go. Harry meets up with Gary Blackwell from XP metal detectors for a 1 to 1 training session and makes some amazing finds.

Sounds like the perfect pair! Welcome to the forum!! Nice rig We have quite a few people interested in the QEd here so if you get the time some thoughts on it may help others. Thanks!

I have several types of NiMH rechargeables including Duracell. No real preference, half came with detectors I owned or own. VLF detectors are not like some PI detectors. A VLF runs at just below the battery warning level at all times. The power is regulated down to that. When the batteries get down to warning level you get the warning, and then when you get under the operating voltage the unit quits. The bottom line being it does not matter with nearly any VLF whether you use 1.5V alkaline or 1.2V NiMH. As long as you are anywhere over the warning level for as long as possible you are fine. NiCads sucked and still suck. I can’t believe White’s still sells NiCad packs but they do.

Using the chart GB so thoughtfully provided, consider that U.S. common 14k jewelry is 58.3% gold which puts it right at the bottom of his chart, less than one-quarter the conductivity one would expect from pure gold. Most naturally occurring gold is going to run from 60% to 90% pure though it varies wildly from location to location and sometimes even in the same deposit.

That was one of the big additions in the F19 over Gold Bug Pro. Backlight, notch disc, and both regular plus ferrous volume. It is however controlled by the oddest volume control I have ever seen in a detector, hard to get you head around reading it but it works just fine in practice. Most of us run machines at full volume so from 11 - 20 you are just setting the ferrous volume. I don't care much about the notch disc or backlight, its the ferrous volume I wanted. Right anyone looking at a Gold Bug Pro should be getting a F19 instead, way more features and a lower price!

The F19 is currently available with either the 5" x 10" DD or 7" x 11" DD at time of purchase. When it was introduced it was just the 5" x 10". Fisher F19 metal detector coil options Fisher F19 Data & Specifications Page Fisher F19 User Guide

I was making the opposite point. Gold does not usually get a bad rap for it's low conductivity. Many people think it is the best and I was trying to explain why that is not true. Ask your average person on the street what metal conducts electricity the best and see what you get for answers. Then people are puzzled by the detector readings they get. Bad rap or not the fact I deal with every day while nugget detecting is that most natural gold nuggets are very poor conductors. Jewelry hunters have it easy by comparison.

Can’t say I’ve really hunted a place like that but if I was Beach Mode would be at the top of my list, and sensitivity down until stable. I have found most people want stable detectors but also will not reduce sensitive far enough to get the for fear of losing depth. It’s generally just a choice... high sensitivity, deal with the chatter, or turn it down and be happy. You will still find stuff.

Nice! Do you take MasterCard or VISA?

Great report, thanks for taking the time to let us know!

There is no Nokta name or Makro name. The companies combined and there is only one name on all their detectors.... Nokta | Makro I agree it’s a mouthful, I would have just picked one myself. But they did not and it is what it is. I often refer to them as NokMak for short.

Bounty Hunter MACH-1 metal detector Bounty Hunter Mach-1 display and controls Bounty Hunter Mach-1 target id scale

Bounty Hunter MACH-1 Metal Detector Programmable digital target discrimination system Computerized on-the-fly target depth indicator 7 kHz frequency 3 levels of adjustable sensitivity 4 LCD target icons 4 unique digital audio tones Lightweight, compact and ergonomically designed Constructed from rugged impact resistance ABS plastic Weather proof 6” search coil Operates on single 9V battery (not included) 2.7 lbs Manufacturer’s 1-Year Warranty MSRP $99.99 A nice $89 Christmas option if you are looking for a solid but simple to operate detector. For those wanting more ability to adjust with more detailed target id information plus more depth see the really great deal right now for $99 on the Bounty Hunter Discovery 3300 at Costco. That detector may actually have too many adjustments for a beginner, especially a younger person, and so the Mach 1 may be a better choice for many people. I like the ergonomic and clean snag free hidden cable design, much more professional looking compared to many of the toys sold for under $100. See the Mach 1 vs Viewee video below for a good illustration of what I am talking about. Bounty Hunter Mach 1 Product Video Mach 1 vs Viewee video below

OK, I used Yandex to do a direct translation from the image below. It is basically word for word off the F19 flyer once you take translation into account. The Teknetics G2+ comes with the 7' x 11" DD coil, so another mix and match. Basically we have the F19 with the G2+ coil flying the Bounty Hunter label. Fisher did add the 7" x 11" coil as an option at time of purchase on the F19 also if you shop around. NEW from BOUNTY HUNTER Time Ranger Pro Metal Detector ADVANCED TARGET SEPARATION * Fe Tone adjustable iron volume level * Advanced V-Break", tone discrimination system * Notch mode with adjustable range * GROUND GRAB * processor controlled ground balance * Unparalleled separation in iron-infested locations * Continuous measurement of soil conditions The ground phase value shows the type of mineralization Fe 3O4 graphic indicates the current value of Earth mineralization * Optimized soil balance on the sea beach * Pinpoint / target focus with depth indicator * 19 kHz working frequency * Ultralight, only 1.1 kg * Backlit display BOUNTY HUNTER METAL DETECTORS