Steve Herschbach

Yeah, how about those!

The website Reference Library has many free books that go into detail about how and why metal detectors work. A good place to begin is How Metal Detectors Work by Mark Rowan & William Lahr - Originally published by White's Electronics as a booklet P/N 621-0395. Basic but rather technical information on how induction balance and pulse induction metal detectors work. The key for people who want to make a metal detector is the Geotech website and forum. This page has do it yourself projects. You can easily make a simple metal detector. Making anything I would want to use would take a skilled person. I am not but I think I could tackle it so I am sure you could, but I am not into that. I like to use what people lots smarter than I can make!

Here is a summary I posted back in 2002 that must have been ok because it got quoted in at least one patent I have seen. Hi Guys, Here is something I wrote in response to a question on the Alaska Gold Forum. It is of course just my take of what I've read in lots of places, including this forum. I'd like to use it on my website, but I'm asking for your expert advice on anything I may have oversimplified or am simply wrong on. The main goal was to try and keep it simple, however. Here it is: What follows is a layman's description of the technologies involved. I'm trying to do this in as few words as possible while hopefully imparting some of the general concepts accurately. There are two types of detector technology currently available for hobby use. Today's metal detectors are basically radio transmitter and receiver devices. The first, Induction Balance (IB) technology, relies on a transmitter and receiver coil operating simultaneously in a state of electrical balance. Any conductive or magnetic object entering the field disturbs the balance and generates a signal. Plus, eddy currents are induced into conductive targets creating a detectable signal. Most people refer to these as VLF detectors, but all VLF means is Very Low Frequency and refers to a particular subset of IB detectors. Some detectors referred to as VLF today are actually operating in the LF (Low Frequency) range. Induction Balance is more accurate as it refers to the technology, not just a frequency range. Older style T/R (transmitter/receiver) detectors are also IB units. The second, Pulse Induction technology, has been around a long time and every one of the major manufacturers makes a PI machine. There is the Fisher Impulse, Garrett Sea Hunter XL500 Pulse, Tesoro Sand Shark, and White's Surf PI. These are all units designed for use in saltwater/black sand beach environments. Simple Pulse Induction units use a single coil to alternately transmit and receive. The transmitter segment creates an electromagnetic field that induces eddy currents in conductive targets. These eddy currents actually take some time to ''decay'' and so when the coil switches to the receive mode it picks up the weak eddy currents just induced in the transmit mode. Induction balance units constantly bathe the search area in an electromagnetic field. Smaller items can be detected because of this, but the IB units also detect more ground mineral. If there is too much ground mineral it makes it hard for the machine to detect the target. IB detectors have superior target id capabilities as they use a combination of the eddy currents and the electrical imbalance in the search field as information to identify targets. Pulse Induction units use eddy currents only. When the transmitter shuts off the electromagnetic field collapses and so there is only the weak eddy currents to work with. The good news is that eddy currents flow much longer in metals and for a much shorter period of time in ground minerals and salt water. A delay between the transmit and receive modes allows the eddy currents in low conductive targets to decay enough they will not be detected. The stronger eddy currents in more conductive items is detected. This makes most saltwater and certain mineral environments almost invisible to PI detectors. It also means very small targets are harder to detect as they cannot hold an eddy current for long. Since PI units have less information to work with than IB devices they have little or no discrimination capability by comparison. Although common PI units do better with certain mineral environments that IB units they still can be affected by mineralization. By using multiple pulse periods and using the information gained from some of the pulses to modify the others, Minelab developed ground balancing pulse induction technology. The called this MPS for ''multi-period sensing''. This allows the Minelab units to work in mineralized soils other PI units would have problems with. This in turn also allows for higher powered units with better sensitivity to small gold. And so the Minelab SD/GP series was born. The Explorer, Fisher CZ series, and White's DFX are all Induction Balance units but are working with information received from multiple frequencies. A very rough generality is that low frequencies detect larger objects better at deeper depths. Higher frequencies tend to hit smaller items better at shallower depths. Multi-frequency units attempt to use information received from multiple frequencies to achieve superior detection characteristics including better target id. Most of what multi-frequency is about is how many frequencies are received and compared, not how many are transmitted. But the key thing is that there is always a signal being transmitted and received simultaneously. The DFX is my favorite example. It can be run in 3kHz only or it can be run in 15kHz only. Or it can be run at both 3kHz and 15kHz simultaneously. Multi-frequency technology is just another type of IB technology, and they are not PI units. Steve Herschbach

Welcome to the forum. It’s a really friendly bunch of folks here so do dive in. Thanks for joining!

Chuck (Ridge Runner) has one coming.

Not as far as I am concerned at least. Mineralization differences are why I honestly pay no attention to most stuff that gets posted as regards metal detector depth. Florida data is completely worthless to me. I may as well air test for that kind of data. It boils down to get the machines and see it with my own eyes. Frankly, it simplifies life. I don't have to watch tons of videos and ask for advice. If you are a PI user the whole thing about VLF depth gets plain silly. If I really want depth, I will use a GPX 5000 or a GPZ 7000. That's depth! Once you get used to the performance of detectors like that in bad ground all VLF detectors are a distant second. I use a VLF for discrimination, not depth. Argue about the Equinox versus V3i for depth for instance. To me it is a shoulder shrug because compared to a GPX 5000 they both suck for depth. I use the Equinox because I like the total package and its depth is acceptable for me. But I never kid myself that it is going "really deep". It's just a different perspective I guess.

I use Paypal as do most. But some people insist on Family & Friends, which removes all protections. The ads are just ads - people have to use whatever payment methods make them comfortable. For me, PayPal verified address only or postal money orders. Bank certified checks are completely worthless. Perfect counterfeits exist of these and personal checks. Thieves avoid postal money orders as a rule because of the severe federal penalties and they have extra layers of protection including a verification service.

No

I fixed it in the broken link and here is a copy... idcardfinal.pdf

Yes. Gore vent in the battery compartment. Remember these are shipped worldwide via air - not an issue. As far as how you transport it that's up to you. When I went to the UK I just packed mine in the checked luggage, and did not remove the handle from the rod. I had two Equinox and all my gear in one bag - one reason I like the machine. Welcome to the forum!

I have found nuggets weighing under 1/10th grain (1/4800th Troy Ounce) with at least a dozen different detector models. I get stuff that weighs less (my digital powder scales only go down to a tenth grain) and so I honestly don't know about anything under that. It's not worth it to me to get a scale accurate enough to weigh gold I used to toss back in the creek when gold panning.

I have an extremely good nose for scams. You would not believe the things people have tried to pull over on me in over 35 years in retail. There is something not right about that whole Moe thing but if the people involved won't contact the authorities in Bethel to figure it out then there is nothing more I can do there.

And then I have to verify it how? It's a free service I offer and I am doing more than most out there to deter scammers, but the bottom line is it is 100% on the purchaser as far as I am concerned. There are very simple ways to protect yourself, but people are easily hooked with offers of good deals, and common sense goes out the window. I can't be responsible for any of that, and as a free service if I am to be some kind of 24/7 monitoring service..... kiss the Classifieds goodbye. I appreciate the suggestion, truly, but I think we just had a couple isolated incidents. There were no issues here for years and I am sure this will pass. The scammers do get the message that there are easier forums etc. to go after than mine.

NUGGET SHOOTER JOURNALS Published on Feb 12, 2019 - In this video I am using the Minelab Equinox 800 in "gold 1", sensitivity "16 to 18", Multi IQ, and auto tracking. Rest of the settings are stock. It amazes me what this little beast if a VLF detector will do in hot ground (minerals) and finding the smallest bits of gold for the operator. Beautiful area with lots of Agate and other cool stuff just laying on the ground.

This is not one of "those" forums. The goal here is to inform, not paranoia about people defecting to other forums. Post links at will - please - to relevant subjects. A significant amount of my time is spent chasing down and editing posts to provide the links people are not making themselves. Tarsacci added to the Detector Database....

2/17/19 update - Dealers may have no more than two ads at any one time, and ads not updated after 30 days may be removed. Ads by individuals still will remain for at least 90 days. Please monitor and update ads folks - they are your ads, not mine. I normally lets ads ride for a longer period of time, but as they drift into "page 2" they are generally so old I just delete them.

More on Spencer’s Find

Welcome to the forum! The Equinox is a high end, high performance detector priced like a mid-range detector. It is not hard to learn if you stay with the presets and lower the sensitivity if it is unstable. Take your time to simply dig things and match what you are finding with how the machine was reporting it. It is a little bit like learning a musical instrument. Grasping the basics is not hard but true skill comes with practice. The best part is you are unlikely to outgrow the Equinox. The power is there you just have to learn to harness it. Good luck and thanks for joining the forum!

Thanks Wes, I appreciate that. Detecting is a small part of my life and not the most important, but I love it. It does get crazy at times but then so do I! Bottom line is outside of just wanting this to be a safe place to trade gear I really do detest thieves.

I find it incredibly weird that Tesoro refuses to put out a statement on their website explaining what is going on. It’s not the Tesoro I used to know.

ColoradoGoldCamp Published on Feb 14, 2019. Rhodo nails the biggest nugget of the day with the Gold Bug 2 right on bedrock! What a great day out gold detecting! 54 pieces of trash and 3 count em 3! Colorado Gold Nuggets! Man, I love prospecting with my best metal detector! Did some arrowhead hunting too. We find some relics from the old gold mining days and some evidence of Colorado Arrowheads, all at Colorado Gold Camp.

OK, I have to say I am jealous! I think living on property with gold on it of any sort is just way too cool. I often dream of that mining claim with a creek and a house on it. I am kind of a city boy really but you are living that dream so good on you!

I honestly can't agree that I was for most of my life. I was never a bad person but I have never been as good as I could be as a person. I am trying really hard now however so I appreciate that Lanny. Best wishes to you and yours!