Steve Herschbach

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 Teknetics T2 Technical Specifications* Internet Price $499.00 (Classic) $549 (T2+) $699 (T2 Ltd) Technology Induction Balance (IB) Transmit Frequency 13 kHz Autotune Mode(s) Pre-Set Via Different Modes or "Processes" Ground Rejection Ground Grab and Manual Soil Adjust No Discrimination Variable with Visual ID, Tone ID, Notch ID Volume Control Yes Threshold Control Yes Tone Adjust Yes Audio Boost No Frequency Offset Yes Pinpoint Mode Yes Audio Output 1/4" Headphone Socket & Speaker Hip Mount Shaft Mount Only Standard Coil(s) 11" Elliptical DD Optional Search Coils Over 7 accessory coils available Battery Four AA Operating Time 40 - 50 hours Weight 3.5 lbs. Additional Technology Notes *Notes on Technical Specifications - Detailed notes about the specifications listed in this chart.

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. ads by Amazon... 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. .................. NORMALIZED....... 5-Khz.....14-Khz...20-Khz $1.00 Gold Coin....... 51............ 47...........52..........54 $2.50 Gold Coin....... 62............ 51...........62..........70 $5.00 Gold Coin....... 72............ 55...........72..........80 $10.00 Gold Coin...... 82............ 65...........82..........83 $20.00 Gold Coin...... 84............ 75...........84..........85 The normalized setting equalizes responses in all frequencies to be the same as the 14 kHz response. At start up, the Nokta Impact will utilize the ''Normalized'' ID scale and not the Standard ID scale. In other words, the IDs will not change upon frequency change and the device will generate the 14kHz IDs in each frequency. However, based on ground conditions IDs may vary for certain metals. If you prefer to see the different IDs produced by each frequency, you need use the ''Standard'' ID scale. To switch to the standard IDs, pull the trigger and push the (+) button at the same time. Letters ''Sd'' will appear on the screen. If you wish to revert back to the normalized IDs, repeat the same process and letters ''no'' will appear on the screen. In General, low frequencies spread out coin responses but compress low conductive responses. High frequencies spread out low conductive responses but move coin responses closer together. See the target table below for reference. Therefore, running in in the 5 kHz "Standard" or un-normalized mode will provide better target ID separation while coin detecting. Running in 20 kHz Standard mode will provide more definition between U.S. nickels, gold jewelry, and various aluminum items. However, target ID number changes between modes may be confusing for some people and make the Impact harder to learn. In need this case using the Normalized setting is recommended. The Nokta Impact is somewhat unique in that depending on the mode there are two possible target ID scales in use. In DI2, DI3, DI4, DI99 and COG "coin and jewelry" modes, the ferrous range is 00-15 at factory defaults. This provides the most target definition in the non-ferrous range for people only interested in non-ferrous targets. In GEN, GEN (D), STA, STA (D), DEEP, VLX1 and VLX2 "gold and relic" modes, the ferrous range is 00-40. This provides the most target definition in the ferrous to non-ferrous range for people who hunt for items where these ranges overlap. It may then be seen that by picking a combination of both the mode used and a Standard operating frequency the Nokta Impact can customize target ID responses to a degree quite rare in metal detectors offered today. For instance, most coin hunters may want to use the DI2, DI3, DI4, DI99 modes in Standard 5 kHz frequency mode for the best target definition on silver coin range targets. *The gold coin responses are from the Tom Dankowski post at this location. Nokta Impact target id responses in different modes My focus being gold prospecting I can say that while the Nokta Impact is a very capable machine for gold prospecting it will not match the Makro Gold Racer for sensitivity to smaller gold. It is closer to the Nokta Fors Gold+ in that regard. Performance on gram plus gold is on par with other machines in the 13 - 20 kHz class, though the ability to drop to 5 kHz may provide some benefits in the worst ground on large nuggets, much like is seen with the 6.4 kHz mode on the Minelab Eureka Gold. Nokta Impact (with optional 7" x 4" DD coil) next to Makro Gold Racer The Nokta Impact is a very intriguing metal detector, much like owning several different machines in one. The 99 tone mode has a VCO response more like one might expect of the DEUS than other full tone models, like my DFX. The Gen mode is quite unique being a threshold based all metal mode with a dual tone disc mode layered over it, what is referred to as a mixed mode. Wireless headphone capability (2.4 Ghz lag free) is built-in but headphones will be optional. Physically the unit is a well balanced 4.26 pounds with a straight shaft, molded post style grip. The cable is enclosed in the rod assembly for snag free operation and a clean look. The 7" x 4" DD coil is a real sweet option for trashy locations. To sum up I have only scratched the surface of the capability contained in this incredible detector. It has been getting rave reviews from users working the small elliptical coil in extremely trashy locations. With so many frequencies, modes, and a great coil selection the Nokta Impact can serve well for almost any metal detecting task. ~ Steve Herschbach Copyright © 2017 Herschbach Enterprises Official Nokta Impact Page Nokta Impact Instruction Manual Nokta Impact Introduction Thread (many closeup photos) Forum Threads Tagged "nokta impact" Nokta Metal Detector Forum Nokta Impact Technical Specifications* Internet Price $509 Technology Induction Balance (IB) Frequency 5, 14 or 20 kHz Autotune Mode(s) iSAT Intelligent Self Adjusting Threshold Ground Rejection Ground Grab, Manual, Tracking Soil Adjust Normal and Salt (Beach) Modes Discrimination Variable with Visual ID, Tone ID (2, 3, 4, 99), Notch ID, Variable Tone Breaks, Iron Volume Volume Control Yes Threshold Control Yes Tone Adjust Yes Audio Boost Yes Frequency Offset Yes Pinpoint Mode Yes Audio Output 1/4" headphone socket & speaker Hip Mount Shaft Mount Only Standard Coil(s) 11" x 7" DD Optional Search Coils 7.5" x 4" DD, 9.5" x 5" DD, 15.5" x 13.5" DD, 7" Round Concentric Battery Four AA Operating Time 8 - 15 hours Weight 4.26 pounds Additional Technology Wireless headphone capability built in (headphones optional) Notes Cable enclosed inside rod assembly *Notes on Technical Specifications - Detailed notes about the specifications listed in this chart.

The Nokta FORS Gold was introduced in 2014 and discontinued in 2016, replaced by the Nokta FORS Gold+. Nokta Detectors is a new name to most people in the United States. Nokta Engineering is a company based in Istanbul, Turkey since 2001. I had an opportunity to acquire a FORS Gold and discovered it was a well built detector offering a lot of features and performance for the price. In the process I discovered the most spectacular gold/quartz specimen I have ever found! The Nokta FORS Gold key features: 1. The FORS Gold runs in pure all metal mode while displaying target id number in the handle mounted LCD window. This allows for best performance with an eye towards dig it all detecting, yet allows obvious junks targets to be verified and ignored if desired. The key is no mode switching is needed, and time waster and ultimately something that wears out controls. 2. You have all ground balancing options possible. There is the easy push button and bob, or "grab" type ground balancing. There is pure manual adjust up and down ground balancing. And there is full automatic ground tracking. 3. There is an efficient dual tone based discrimination mode, called Boost Mode (DI2 on the CoRe model), that can be used to easily sort out ferrous trash and most hot rocks by either tones or outright discrimination of these undesired targets. Yet detection of gold nuggets is only minimally affected. 4. There is a three tone mode aimed more at coin detecting that makes the FORS Gold suitable for almost all detecting tasks, whether coin, relic, or jewelry detecting. The only area to expect only moderate performance would be on saltwater beaches, where all single frequency detectors suffer. The FORS CoRe has an additional mode to help it deal with conductive salt water conditions that the FORS Gold lacks. Nokta FORS Gold prospecting metal detector Here are some details on the three modes offered on the FORS Gold. There is a true threshold based all metal mode that has no discrimination control. There is no variable discrimination in this mode but the on screen target id does kick in for targets in discrimination range. Because all metal reaches deeper than discrimination modes the deeper targets will give an audio signal but no on screen target id number. This is how you locate deep targets beyond what a discrimination mode can detect. Then you have preset tone modes, either two tones or three tones. In two tone mode it is low tone ferrous and medium tone non-ferrous. Three tone mode adds a high tone for targets zinc penny and higher. These discrimination modes are "silent search" with no threshold sound. In both the disc modes you have a variable control called ID Mask. It is just like the control on a single knob disc machine, up and down with anything below the setting rejected. This is on top of and in addition to the tones. However, ID Mask is not like on most detectors where it starts at iron and goes up from there. The control starts all the way down in the ground range and goes up from there. This is important because many detectors cannot be set for a true "zero disc" mode but always have a little iron discrimination built in even at minimal settings. The FORS are like other Euro machines that let you fine tune the ferrous responses for extracting targets out of thick ferrous trash. This combined with the small coil makes it deadly in ferrous trash. ALL modes always have an active on screen visual target id number: Nokta FORS target id number chart If you want you can run ID Mask very high to eliminate foil or aluminum or whatever on the high end, but like other machines you will lose nickels if you go too high. There is no notch function. The best way to proceed there is use three tone mode. Run ID Mask up to just below nickel range. Now you get no signal on targets that fall below nickel, nickel to just below zinc penny medium tone, and zinc penny on up high tone. My FORS reads 56 on a nickel. If I turn the ID Mask up to 56 it still accepts the nickel. If I turn it to 57 nickel breaks up badly. At 58 nickel is gone. There is no threshold in the disc modes so no threshold nulling. The rejected targets are simply gone, and nothing pops up on screen for a target id. So on screen target id is not 100% independent of settings. If I turn the ID Mask up to 99 nothing goes beep so the control operates over the entire discrimination range unlike many detectors that do not allow the control to run into the coin range. The ID Mask control has exceptional range all the way from ground on one end up to silver coins and above on the other end. I like the out-of-box thinking Nokta is displaying in the design of their detectors. The FORS Gold has a small LED flashlight built into the handle to illuminate the work area in low light conditions or to just use as a flashlight when you get back to your vehicle in the dark. And in a nugget detecting first, there is an adjustable vibration mode built into the handle that operates in conjunction with or independently of the audio. This feature alone can be a real benefit to people with hearing loss and in theory will allow somebody who is totally deaf to go metal detecting effectively! Now that is some real cool out of box thinking and the reason we need more companies like Nokta in the business. Even people with good hearing can benefit as most of us have run into high wind or other situations where hearing the detector is difficult at best. Anyone who has ever used the new pinpointers already knows how this works. Spectacular 1.83 ounce gold specimen found by Steve with Nokta FORS Gold I used the FORS Gold and did a very in-depth review on the forum. Rather than duplicate it here see Detailed Review of Nokta FORS Gold Metal Detector. Also my story Nokta FORS Gold Scores Spectacular Gold Specimen! I found the Nokta FORS Gold to be very easy to operate on one hand, yet it has features to please a demanding detectorist like myself. The FORS Gold is an extremely capable prospecting VLF detector with excellent ground handling capability. I was able to become proficient with it in very short order and recover several very nice gold nuggets with it. Nokta is a name to pay attention to in the future as I believe this company is going places. The Nokta FORS CoRe and the Nokta FORS Gold are the almost the same detector with the FORS CoRe offering a salt water beach mode for the same price and for that reason I think most people would be better served by purchasing a FORS CoRe. The FORS Gold instead has an alternate mono tone DI2 offering that the FORS CoRe lacks but overall I think the Salt mode on the CoRe may be more useful even for prospectors who may encounter salt or alkali conditions. Other than that everything on this page would apply just as much to both models. For those interested in using these detectors hunting around old cabins and campsites here is a Review of the FORS CoRe by Keith Southern. Again, the Nokta FORS Gold has been discontinued and replaced by the Nokta FORS Gold+. However, the machines are nearly identical so almost everything here still applies. The main changes were a boost in the frequency from 15 khz to 19 kHz and the FORS Gold+ comes with the elliptical 5.5" x 10" coil instead of the 7" x 11" coil. ~ Steve Herschbach Copyright © 2015 Herschbach Enterprises Nokta FORS Gold Color Brochure Nokta FORS Gold Instruction Manual Difference Between Nokta FORS Gold And FORS Core Nokta FORS CoRe Instruction Manual Forum Threads Tagged "nokta fors" Nokta Metal Detector Forum Nokta FORS Gold Technical Specifications* Internet Price $699.00 Discontinued, replaced by FORS Gold+ Technology Induction Balance (IB) Frequency 15 kHz Autotune Mode(s) Pre-Set Slow Motion Ground Rejection Grab, Manual, & Tracking Soil Adjust Gold - No, CoRe - Yes (COG Mode) Discrimination Variable with Visual ID & Tone ID Volume Control Yes Threshold Control Yes Tone Adjust Yes Audio Boost No Frequency Offset Yes Pinpoint Mode Yes Audio Output 1/4" headphone socket & speaker Hip Mount Shaft Mount Only Standard Coil(s) 7" x 11.2" DD Optional Search Coils 4.7" x 5.2" DD and 13.3" x 15.5" DD Battery Four AA Operating Time 25 - 30 hours Weight 4.3 pounds Additional Technology Handle Mounted LED Flashlight, Vibration Mode Incorporated Into Handle Notes Discontinued in 2016 *Notes on Technical Specifications - Detailed notes about the specifications listed in this chart.

The Minelab GP 3000 detector was released in April 2003 and it was discontinued in 2005, replaced by the Minelab GP 3500. I got one the same year and that detector sure did find gold for me! See GP 3000 & MXT Get Fortymile Gold and Minelab GP 3000 at Moore Creek, Alaska plus Moore Creek Permits & Gold at Steve's Mining Journal. The Minelab series of pulse induction (PI) metal detectors starting with the SD 2000 are widely acknowledged as being the most powerful gold nugget prospecting detectors currently available. The GP 3000 is a variant in the series. See Steve's Guide to Differences of Minelab SD, GP, & GPX for details. The GP 3000 was an improvement on the earlier SD 2200D and GP Extreme models, both of which I also owned. Minelab set the bar rather low with the introduction of the GP 3000. All that was touted was "NEW Low-Noise circuitry, NEW battery harness, and a NEW "Smart Point" diagnostic port". OK, new harness, nice, but no big deal. A diagnostic port? Nice for the service department but does nothing for my detecting. There is so little difference between the GP Extreme and the GP 3000 that if you download the GP 3000 Instruction Manual below you will see it is just a modified GP Extreme manual. It even refers to the unit as a GP Extreme in a couple places! One oddity about the Minelab detectors that bears mentioning is that the Minelab coils are only water resistant. They should not be submerged. There are fully waterproof aftermarket coils available along with external speakers for those who do not want to use headphones. For me the only real improvement was in the stability of the threshold tone, presumably from the low noise circuitry. The earlier Minelabs had a distinct "warble" in the threshold tone. A smooth threshold sound is critical to allow very faint signals from very small of very deep gold nuggets to be easily discerned. The uneven threshold in the earlier models could cause faint signals to be missed. This small but very important improvement was more than enough to make me happy I had upgraded to the GP 3000. The detector paid for itself many times over. Minelab GP 3000 pulse induction metal detector for gold prospecting The Minelab GP 3000 was a very solid performer as was the GP 3500 that followed. These two models were the last of the analog based Minelab PI models, with the switch made to a digital control interface with the Minelab GPX 4000. The GP series however are very capable, and a used model GP 3000 or 3500 would serve a person very well. The main problem is Minelab only services detectors for up to seven years after they are discontinued, so there is a little risk buying these used. If you suffer a major failure it may be difficult or impossible to find somebody that can perform a proper repair. Still, I would not let that dissuade me personally were I looking for one of these machines used, as long as the detector has been well kept. The main item that bear serious thought is the battery. The GP series used sealed lead acid batteries, and they have a limited lifetime. It would be best to assume any batteries for these older units are no longer going to hold much of a charge. That is fine, since you can still buy batteries for these detectors.new for $128, but do factor that into a purchase of a used detector unless you are positive the battery is fine. The other item to be aware of on these older models is the power cable to the battery. This item flexes a lot and is a common failure item. Always have a spare, and if a used detector only has one, I highly recommend buying another one new for backup. Official Minelab GP 3000 Page Minelab GP 3000 Instruction Manual Forum Threads Tagged "minelab gp" Minelab Metal Detector Forum Minelab GP 3000 Technical Specifications* Internet Price No longer available new - was MSRP $3495 later increased to $3650 Technology Ground Balancing Pulse Induction (GBPI) Frequency 1100-4500 PPS? Autotune Mode(s) Slow Motion Ground Rejection Tracking and Fixed Soil Adjust (Sensitive/Normal/Salt) Three position switch Discrimination (All Metal/Iron Disc) Two position switch Volume Control One turn control Threshold Control One turn control Tone Adjust One turn control Audio Boost (Shallow/Normal/Deep) Three position switch Frequency Offset Automatic Tune push switch Pinpoint Mode No Audio Output 1/4" headphone socket (No speaker) Headphones supplied Hip Mount Shaft Mount Only Standard Coil(s) 11" round DD and 18" round DD Optional Search Coils Over 100 accessory coils available Battery Rechargeable 6VDC 12A/hr sealed lead acid Operating Time 14 - 15 hours Weight 5.3 pounds (w/11" coil, excluding battery) Additional Technology Multi Period Sensing (MPS) Dual Voltage Technology (DVT) Level Adjust - one turn control Signal Pitch - one turn control Coil (Double D/Mono/Cancel) - 3 pos. switch Notes The GP 3000 employs an external battery carried on a backpack harness and connected to the control box via a power cord. The detector is normally suspended from the harness with a bungee cord, allowing for nearly weightless operation in level ground. *Notes on Technical Specifications - Detailed notes about the specifications listed in this chart. Minelab GP 3000 Front Control Panel (from owner's manual)

The Minelab Eureka Gold was introduced in 1998 and was discontinued in 2017 after a 20 year run. The Eureka Gold has been replaced by the new Minelab Gold Monster 1000. The Minelab Eureka Gold for a long time was the only nugget detector that allowed you to change frequencies with the flick of a switch; 6.4, 20, and 60 kHz, all using the same coil, unlike the Minelab X-Terra units. This made the Eureka Gold one of the most versatile VLF gold prospecting detectors available for handling different ground conditions. The Eureka Gold 20 kHz mode is used for most detecting for great all-around performance. The 60 kHz mode is used in low mineral soil looking for extra small nuggets. The 6.4 kHz mode is used in extreme mineralized soil that would overwhelm most VLF detectors. The Eureka Gold is a good choice for someone hunting areas with widely varying mineral conditions. Weight including rechargeable battery pack 5.3 lbs. The control box may be chest or hip mounted removing most of that weight from the operators arm. It comes stock with a 5" x 10" elliptical DD coil. Four accessory coils are available for the Eureka (Minelab and Coiltek). The Eureka Gold with its three selectable frequencies will handle a wider range of ground conditions than most other VLF detectors. For a 60 kHz detector, it lacks the edge of the Gold Bug 2 or GMT when it comes to the smallest nuggets. This is because the 60 kHz mode is not the native operating frequency of the Eureka Gold but a harmonic offset of the main frequency. The Gold Bug 2 and GMT are dedicated single frequency units designed specifically around their respective operating frequencies. The best setting on the Eureka Gold appears to me to be the 20 kHz mode, as the detector seems optimized for this frequency. You will generally lose depth in the 60 kHz mode and so this mode should only be used for small shallow gold. The 6.4 kHz mode on the other hand is more of a fallback frequency only for situations where the 20 khz mode is proving ineffective due to hot rocks of ground interference. 6.4 kHz is simply too low a frequency to be effective on small gold nuggets but can help penetrate highly mineralized ground to find larger gold nuggets. Minelab Eureka Gold prospecting metal detector I used the Minelab Eureka Gold and it's predecessors, the XT 18000 and XT 17000 as well as the American Gold Striker. My favorite of the three was the XT 17000 which ran at 6.4 kHz and 32 khz. The 32 khz may seem quite high for the time, but it is a low gain 32 khz and so ran quite well in mineralized ground. I was in Alaska at the time however and low mineral ground and small gold is the norm. Neither the XT 18000 nor the Eureka Gold impressed me much as their 60 kHz frequency was no match for the 71 kHz Fisher Gold Bug 2 or even the 50 khz White's Goldmasters of the time. Those detectors did better for me in the areas south of Anchorage, Alaska that were my stomping grounds for many years. The ferrous discrimination on the Eureka also seemed less reliable than that available on those detectors. The bottom line is that while I used them enough to get familiar with them and find a little gold, they did not suit my particular ground and gold as well as some other detectors. Still, I always recognized that and acknowledged that the Minelabs were a better choice for highly mineralized ground, especially variable ground where its ground tracking shines. The Minelab Eureka Gold played a part in gold rush history. Around the turn of the century new gold rushes were igniting in several third world countries, driven by the discovery of goldfields amenable to metal detecting in those countries. Certain models would be seized on by the locals as being the only thing that would work. The Minelab Eureka Gold enjoyed this status for some time in Mongolia, with all available units worldwide being sought out and shipped to Mongolia, often at exorbitant prices. The rush eventually subsided but probably had something to do with the Eureka Gold being on the market for as long as it was. The Eureka is a good detector, but lighter and less expensive detectors will do just as well for most people. The weight and high price made the Eureka hard to recommend in later years. Now that it has been discontinued Minelab will continue to service existing units for at least seven more years (until 2023-2024). Steve with Minelab XT 17000 in early 1990's Regarding used models. The XT 17000 and XT 18000 both came with rechargeable battery packs before the battery technology was really up to it. Those old battery packs had very limited lives and any still in existence are probably bad. A strange little adapter was available to convert the XT 17000 and XT 18000 to AA battery use, but those were rare and hard to find. If you ever shop a used Minelab XT 17000 or XT 18000 be sure to investigate the battery situation. The Eureka Gold also came with a rechargeable battery pack, but a AA battery holder option was widely available. Again, the older rechargeable battery packs are not likely to have much life in them, so rounding up the AA battery holder is important if looking for a used Eureka Gold. ~ Steve Herschbach Copyright © 2018 Herschbach Enterprises Official Minelab Eureka Gold Page Minelab Eureka Gold Instruction Manual Note On Differences Between Early Minelab VLFs Minelab Metal Detector Forum Minelab Eureka Gold Technical Specifications* Internet Price $1049.00 (Last price before discontinued in 2017) Technology Induction Balance (IB) Frequency 6.4, 20, & 60 kHz Autotune Mode(s) Preset Slow Autotune Ground Rejection Fixed, Fast & Slow Automatic Ground Tracking Soil Adjust No Discrimination Variable Iron Reject Level Volume Control Yes Threshold Control Yes Tone Adjust Yes Audio Boost Yes Frequency Offset No (Except for three main frequencies) Pinpoint Mode No Audio Output 1/4" headphone socket & speaker Hip Mount Yes Standard Coil(s) 10" x 5" DD Optional Search Coils Several accessory coils available Battery Rechargeable Operating Time Up to 20 hours Weight 5.3 pounds Additional Technology Change frequency with the flip of a switch! Comes with hip mount bag. Notes Discontinued in 2017 *Notes on Technical Specifications - Detailed notes about the specifications listed in this chart.

The Makro Racer metal detector was introduced in 2015 and discontinued in 2017, replaced by the Makro Racer 2. The Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $499 for the Racer was very aggressive for a detector that offers both manual ground balance and automatic ground tracking. The ergonomic three pound package drew attention, as did the Racer's ability to pull non-ferrous targets out of heavy trash. The Makro Racer came standard with an 11" x 7" DD coil and had optional 5.5" x 4.7", 10" x 5.5", and 15.5" x 13.25" DD coils available. The Makro Racer models do not share coils with the Nokta FORS models. For those that are not aware of it, Makro and Nokta are under the same ownership and so there is considerable technology sharing between the two brands. The Makro Racer is a 14 kHz single frequency detector while the FORS models are 15 kHz and even though that is close, I have tested the coils and they are model specific. The Makro Racer shares an almost identical feature set with the Nokta FORS CoRe metal detector and the Racer is basically a FORS CoRe in a lighter weight package and a forward facing display. The Makro Racer includes innovative features like a handle incorporated vibration mode for use in very noisy areas. This feature can even be used to allow a deaf person to metal detect more efficiently and safely without having to constantly stare at the meter. There is a small LED flashlight built into the pod that illuminates the coil area in low light conditions. Makro Racer metal detector The Makro Racer has a full set of accessory items available, including optional environmental cover set, a Bluetooth module and headphones, and coils including the new 10" x 5.5" DD coil. This coil will be the stock coil on the Gold Racer model. The Makro Racer comes with an 11" x 7" DD coil but a popular option will be the 10" x 5.5" DD coil. This is a superior coil for nugget detecting due to the narrower profile and solid design, which prevents it from snagging on brush or sharp edged rocks. Other coil options include the 5.2" x 4.7" DD coil and 15.5" x 13.25" coil. The small coil is great for hunting in really trashy locations and for finding the smallest targets. The large coil is mainly for covering more ground quickly but also adds extra depth on large items. The Racer is a very high gain detector susceptible to overload signals. From Makro: "The electronic gain of the RACER consists of 3 levels to eliminate the internal electromagnetic noise and to adjust the saturation level. The electronic gain change points correspond to levels 39 and 69 on the Gain setting. In case of saturation (overload), you may raise your search coil a bit or adjust the Gain to the lower electronic gain level. For example, in the All Metal and Two Tone modes, if the Gain is set to 70 or above and if saturation occurs, adjusting the Gain to 69 or 39 will minimize or eliminate the saturation. Similarly, if you experience saturation in the Three Tone mode, adjusting the Gain to 39 will be sufficient. Reducing the gain will not cause a dramatic decrease in depth." The target id chart below is based on statements by company representatives that the Racer is very similar to the Nokta FORS CoRe in capability combined with the target id reference label published in early photos. You can see below that the target id values on the reference label and those published in the FORS CoRe owners manual match almost perfectly. Makro Racer Target ID Chart Makro is fast gaining attention as a company that listens to its customers. The new Makro Racer models are offering performance on par with detectors selling for quite a bit more money. They are simpler detectors focused on the task at hand - making good finds. I had the experience of reading other reviews of the Makro Racer on the internet before using one myself. It highlighted for me that how I look at detectors and how they work for me is often remarkably different than what others experience. Depth tests in particular from back east have nearly no connection to what is see in the soil I hunt in. And air tests as usual show one thing and the ground another. I have to preface this by noting that when I did this review in 2015 I was really waiting for the Makro Gold Racer. The Gold Racer has since been released but some of the commentary here is from before it came out. The Racer offers the physical aspects I am looking for but the Gold Racer is tweaked specifically for gold, and gold is my thing! Some of what follows is just speculation on my part based on both models being Racer models and so therefore likely to share the same basic physical design. Whether the color will be the same, what the frequency will be, and even if they can share coils I do not know at this time. Still, here is a picture of what the Gold Racer will probably look like, except possibly the color. Makro Racer with Optional 5.5" x 10" DD Coil The bottom line I am pleased with the Makro Racer. I think people are just getting a little crazy with all the expectations it is supposed to replace detectors costing up to twice as much. This is a feature packed 14 kHz single frequency metal detector for $649 (later reduced to $499), nothing more and nothing less. It offers good performance for that price range and a feature set unmatched at that price. What I am looking at is a detector hot on gold with ground grab, manual ground balance, automatic ground tracking, good coil selection, at 3 lbs for $649. Unfortunately the machine caught me at a bad time between two business trips and so I have only been able to give it a spin hunting a sandy tot lot and some general park detecting, both in highly mineralized ground. The ground runs 7/8 on the cool Makro pie chart which would be 5 bars on the Fisher F75. I rigged the Racer up with the optional 5.5" x 10" DD coil just to get a total unit weight with batteries as seen in the picture above. Three pounds, 1.5 ounces. Very nice! The coil is not an epoxy filled coil making for a much better weight and balance than for instance the Fisher Gold Bug Pro with similar size coil. The Fisher coil is epoxy filled and weighs in at 1 lb 2.6 oz whereas the Makro coil weighs 12.8 ounces. That is a fairly significant weight difference out there on the end of the rod. ads by Amazon... Still, I really like the little 4.2" x 5.5" DD coil and with that coil the Racer only weighs 2 lbs 15.7 ounces. The rod assembly is very tight and stout feeling. The hand grip, despite what others reported, works just fine for me. The angle changes if held high to give my thumb instant access to the four way control buttons. I am happy with the grip showing how it is very much a personal preference area. The Racer suits me because I have always imagined this as the "small coil" detector and the sister company Nokta FORS Gold as the "big coil" detector due to weight and balance design differences. I found the depth and sensitivity of the 14 kHz Racer to be nearly identical to the 15 kHz FORS Gold, which is exactly what I was hoping for. I am talking about real world in highly mineralized ground. The perceived difference between the DI2 and DI3 modes all but disappears in bad ground. Makro Racer with Optional Bluetooth Module Installed and Wireless Headphones I ran the wireless Bluetooth headphones and any lag or delay there is so minimal as to be almost unnoticeable to me. I certainly had no problem with it at all and quickly liked the wireless headphones from an operational standpoint. My only issue there is the audio quality compared to my Sun Ray Pro Golds is lacking. The Phillips phones have a muffled sound, the Sun Ray a much sharper, brighter tone. Not surprising given the relative price difference. Since we are talking Bluetooth I would like to haul the Racer to an audio store and try different headphones to find something of higher audio quality and with individual volume controls. I am a bit deaf in my right ear, another reason I like my Sun Rays with their dual volume controls. Bottom line is I found the lag issue to not be an issue for me personally but the audio quality is not what I am looking for in a headphone. The Makro Racer is a very high gain detector, with important jumps in the gain occurring at two different locations on the sensitivity control. This note from Makro: "The electronic gain of the RACER consists of 3 levels to eliminate the internal electromagnetic noise and to adjust the saturation level. The electronic gain change points correspond to levels 39 and 69 on the Gain setting. In case of saturation (overload), you may raise your search coil a bit or adjust the Gain to the lower electronic gain level. For example, in the All Metal and Two Tone modes, if the Gain is set to 70 or above and if saturation occurs, adjusting the Gain to 69 or 39 will minimize or eliminate the saturation. Similarly, if you experience saturation in the Three Tone mode, adjusting the Gain to 39 will be sufficient. Reducing the gain will not cause a dramatic decrease in depth." Makro Racer with 4.5" x 5" coil and wireless headphones Close up of Makro racer optional 5.5" x 10" DD coil Close up of Makro Racer LCD display and controls Close up of Makro Racer under arm battery compartment with protective cover, power/volume knob My favorite feature? Quick mode switching. I was able to set up separate sensitivity levels for all metal, DI2, and DI3 modes and hunt with any one and switch rapidly between modes with the touch of a button. I only played with this a bit but immediately liked it. I found switching to all metal made for a better pinpoint mode than the pinpoint mode. Or I could hunt in all metal, then switch to two-tone ferrous mode to check the target. Switching between DI2 and DI3 is instant and effortless. I like the big display, easy menu setup - bottom line I just like the detector. Just a great little machine, well thought out and with good performance at a good price. It fits me and my hunting style but again, it really is just a preview and a stepping stone to the Gold Racer. Chances are the Racer will be the model for those seeking slightly more versatility by way of the saltwater beach mode. The Gold Racer is likely to be too hot to play well with wet salt sand but that remains to be seen. So far so good though, I'm happy with where we are heading. ~ Steve Herschbach Copyright © 2015 Herschbach Enterprises June 2018 Note: The Makro Racer is now a part of history, but may still be found for sale used. Note that early models had a lot of issues with both coil ears and coil bolts breaking easily. The coils have been beefed up a lot since, but do look out for this if considering a used detector. Makro was great about taking care of that stuff under warranty, but these units are now out of warranty and you may have to take care of any such issues encountered with a used model on your own. Makro Racer Instruction Manual Makro Racer Product Brochure Forum Threads Tagged "makro racer" Makro Metal Detector Forum Makro Gold Racer Technical Specifications* Internet Price $499 Technology Induction Balance (IB) Frequency 14 kHz Autotune Mode(s) Pre-Set Slow Motion Ground Rejection Grab, Manual, & Tracking Soil Adjust No Discrimination Variable with Visual ID & Tone ID Volume Control Yes Threshold Control Yes Tone Adjust Yes Audio Boost No Frequency Offset Yes Pinpoint Mode Yes Audio Output 1/4" Headphone Socket & Speaker Hip Mount Shaft Mount Only Standard Coil(s) 11" x 7" DD Optional Search Coils 4.7" x 5.2" DD, 5.5" x 10" DD, 13.25" x 15.5" DD Battery Four AA Operating Time 25 - 30 hours Weight 3 lbs. Additional Technology Built in handle vibration target feedback, backlit screen, optional Bluetooth headphones Notes Discontinued in 2017 *Notes on Technical Specifications - Detailed notes about the specifications listed in this chart.

The Garrett Infinium LS (Land & Sea) was introduced in 2002 and was discontinued in 2015, replaced by the Garrett ATX. I have a particular interest in the Infinium. I am a metal detecting fanatic and one thing I want to see is better technology. I believe the best way to get that is through good old competition. Although Minelab makes fantastic ground balancing pulse induction metal detectors (the SG/GP series) I was frustrated by the fact that the U.S. manufacturers were bringing nothing to the table to compete. It seemed to me they had totally ceded that portion of the market to Minelab. I was therefore very happy when I was contacted by Garrett Electronics Engineer Brent Weaver about testing a new metal detector prototype in Alaska. The prototype was the soon to be Garrett Infinium LS. Brent wanted to know where we could go where there was really bad ground mineralization so that he could test the unit. We took the unit to the Petersville district north of Anchorage, where there is both highly mineralized bedrock and some very nasty graphitic slate hot rocks. The Infinium handled both with ease. I was impressed and was an early adopter of the unit. It unfortunately was over-hyped prior to release and faced some backlash from those expecting a "Minelab killer". Eventually the hubbub subsided and the Infinium has now found a niche as a very versatile ground balancing pulse induction detector with good performance at a very reasonable price. What makes the machine remarkable is that it is waterproof to 200 feet if you get the optional submersible headphones. Rare also in underwater units is that the Infinium has interchangeable search coils by way of a watertight connector. Most underwater units are hardwired with a single coil, limiting their versatility. Obviously the Infinium can be employed in environments far more adverse than most nugget detectors. Garrett Infinium LS waterproof pulse induction metal detector I had a lot of success using the Garrett Infinium gold nugget and jewelry detecting and have several stories about the unit at Steve's Mining Journal. See Garrett Infinium in Hawaii, Garrett Infinium at Moore Creek, and Coin Detecting with the Garrett Infinium. I also published a lot of tips on operating the unit that are detailed below the specification chart. The Garrett Infinium was discontinued in 2015, replaced by the newer Garrett ATX. Garrett Infinium LS Instruction Manual Forum Threads Tagged "garrett infinium" Garrett Metal Detector Forum Garrett Infinium LS Technical Specifications* Internet Price $1062.00 (now discontinued) Technology Ground Balancing Pulse Induction (GBPI) Transmit Frequency 730 Pulses Per Second Autotune Mode(s) Slow Motion Ground Rejection Tracking (Slow or Fast) and Fixed Soil Adjust No Discrimination Dual tones plus Adjustable Pulse Delay Volume Control Supplied headphones have volume controls Threshold Control One turn control Tone Adjust No Audio Boost No Frequency Offset One turn control Pinpoint Mode No Audio Output Proprietary headphone socket (No speaker) Headphones supplied Hip Mount Yes, holster provided Standard Coil(s) 14" x 10" DD Optional Search Coils Three accessory coils available Battery 8 AA rechargeable and disposables supplied Operating Time 10 - 15 hours Weight 5.6 pounds Additional Technology Waterproof to 200 feet (requires optional submersible headphones). Notes Discontinued in 2015 *Notes on Technical Specifications - Detailed notes about the specifications listed in this chart. The Garrett Infinium is a very simple detector to operate, but here are a few tips to help give you a head start. These are unofficial tips based on my own personal use of the Infinium for detecting gold nuggets, jewelry, coins, and relics. First, here is a suggested starting procedure. Make sure the headphones are just slightly above the minimum setting. The Infinium puts out a very strong audio. Set the Discriminate control at “0”. Set the Threshold about “4”. Turn the Power on and set to the Slow ground tracking position. The machine should beep 4 times indicating fully charged batteries, three times if less charge, two times if low, once, you’d better replace right now. A continuous tone indicates the batteries are below operating condition. No sound? Check your stereo/mono switch and volume controls on your headphones. Wave the coil over a target and adjust the headphones for a comfortable sound on the loudest targets. Then tweak the threshold for a barely discernable tone. Pulse Induction (PI) detectors have extremely sensitive receiver circuits. This means that they are much more prone to picking up outside electrical interference than standard metal detectors. This interference can be from power lines, substations, radio transmitter, lightning, and other metal detectors, to name a few. In populated areas some kind of faint sounds and intermittent signals are inevitable. Some areas can be virtually unsearchable due to interference. Garrett Infinium Controls There are several solutions to the problem. First and most important is the Frequency Adjust control. Rotate the Threshold control as far to the right as it will go. Then turn the Discriminate control to far left. Now listen to the detector. The Discriminate control is now actually a Frequency Adjust control. It has 32 separate positions. Unfortunately, the 32 positions are not marked! So turn the knob a tiny amount to the right and wait a couple seconds. The machine interference may be reduced, may increase, or may stay the same. Then advance again a tiny amount, and listen a couple seconds. The idea is to slowly advance through the different settings looking for the quietest. Once you find the quietest setting, turn the Threshold control back to about “4”. This will lock in the Frequency setting, and it will remain set until you adjust it to something else. Be sure and rotate the Discrimination control back to “0” and you are set to detect. One thing that helps a lot is to keep the coil flat on the ground. In town the coil is like an antenna, and lifting it at an angle off the ground can massively increase the interference. So making the above adjustment with the coil flat on the ground will usually be the way to go. In populated areas, you will still be likely to receive faint noises and spurious false signals. Like most false signals, the key is repeatability. Real signals repeat over a certain spot, false signals come out of nowhere and then are gone. I tend to run my VLF detectors on the ragged edge of performance, with the gain set high. In doing so I get lots of false blips and tiny signals. So I've long since learned to ignore this kind of noise. But for beginners it can be difficult to deal with. Remember - repeatable signals are the real ones. DD coils are less prone to interference than mono coils, and smaller coils are less prone than larger coils. So a change of coils may help. Finally, as most of these false signals are fainter than most genuine targets, reducing the threshold slightly lower than normal can eliminate most of them while still getting all but the faintest real signals. I have been able to operate in town near power lines with quite a bit of background noise. I set my headphones very quiet and listen more to the tone of the signals than the volume. Genuine signals simply sound different than the noise produced by the electrical interference. But if the noise gets bad enough, it can be a real obstacle to pleasant detecting and some areas will simply be off-limits to the Infinium. But please do not take this explanation to mean this is a major issue. It is something all PI detectors face to varying degrees in areas where there are many electrical sources. In unpopulated areas the Infinium is very quiet with a very smooth threshold, except rare blips that may come from distant lightning. As far as the Power/Tracking settings go, I’ve been able to discern little difference between the settings. I generally just set my Infinium on “Slow” and forget about it. In theory, you may be able to hit slightly smaller or deeper targets by switching to “Fixed” after the machine tracks into the ground for a couple minutes, but I have noted no real improvement myself. The “Fast” setting is supposed to help with the worst ground conditions, but again, I have not seen a situation where I felt it made a difference. So “Slow” it is for me. All found by Steve with Garrett Infinium except small gold ring on pinky finger My view of the Discriminate control does not agree at all with what it is billed as. I’ve played with it a lot, and as far as I am concerned it acts just like a sensitivity or gain control. At “0” you have max sensitivity to small items, and max depth. As you advance the control, you lose overall sensitivity. Low conductive targets are affected the most. So the "Reverse Discrimination" theory is that if you advance the control all the way and still get a signal, it is junk. If it disappears, you are supposed to dig it. Well, it does not work that I can see. All that happens in reality is the weakest signals are eliminated and strong signals remain. Big junk at the edge of detection depth has a weak signal, and so this “Reverse Discrimination” method calls it good since the Discrimination control causes it to disappear. Conversely, a 2 ounce gold nugget an inch down responds no matter what. So it should not be dug? Nope, forget all that. The discrimination control can be thought of as a sensitivity control, just like that on a VLF detector. Reducing the sensitivity by advancing the control above “0” can reduce ground noise, particularly in salt water environments. If you are getting lots of ground signals or hot rocks that will not track out, try advancing the Discriminate control to eliminate them. If you are having a problem with tiny trash items, advancing the Discriminate control can eliminate some of them. But the more you advance the control, the less overall depth you will get on most targets. But just like lowering sensitivity or gain on a VLF detector can result in smoother operation and actually better performance, so advancing the Discriminate control on the Infinium to reduce unwanted signals can result in better overall performance. ads by Amazon... Finally, the best is last. The dual tone discrimination on the Infinium really does work, and work well. The catch is it might not work like you think it should! A hi-lo tone means aluminum, gold, nickels, zinc pennies, and various wire-like items. Like small, thin nails, bobby pins, and actual wire. Some thin, flat, flaky rusted steel reads hi-lo. If nugget detecting or beach detecting, hi-lo tones are the ones to go after to get the gold nuggets and gold jewelry. Silver, copper, and clad coins read lo-hi. As does larger steel junk or relics. Want old silver deeper than any VLF detector will detect? Dig lo-hi tones. You will come up with larger, heavily rusted items of all sorts but you will be amazed by the depth you pull up coins with an Infinium. The worse the ground mineralization, the more advantage the Infinium will have over VLF detectors. Try digging lo-hi tones only, and you will find deep coins others are missing. See Coin Detecting with the Garrett Infinium for details. You can use the discriminate control in conjunction with the dual tones to get a bit more information about the target. I have found in actual practice, however, that I rely strictly on the tones for making my digging decisions. Gold - always dig hi-lo tones. Silver coins - always dig lo-hi tones. In very trashy locations it pays again to keep headphone volume low so as not to be overwhelmed by the signals. I have a favorite freshwater beach I hunt. It is hunted to death, and VLF detectors can barely find any targets. My Infinium made the beach seem like it had never been detected. There are signals everywhere. Sure, I’m digging iron junk, and lots of aluminum. But I’m pulling up old coins passed over by thousands of detectors. The biggest catch is you need a location where digging large deep holes is ok… and backfill them! A good pinpointer like the DetectorPro Uniprobe is a major help also. You will also find that on shallow or very large targets the audio will "stick" or drag on for a longer than normal time. In other words, a deep coin will give a nice little tone similar to what a VLF might. But the same coin an inch below the surface will exhibit this "dragging tone" effect. Bury a quarter at 8" and one at 1" and note the difference. This effect can be used to determine the size and depth of targets. Be careful in trashy areas, as closely spaced targets can be "masked" by the effect. A dragging tone from a shallow junk item can cause an adjacent deep good item to be missed. Moving very slow in trashy sites helps considerably. Gold nuggets found at Ganes Creek, Alaska by Steve with Garrett Infinium Nugget detecting with the Infinium is pretty much a no-brainer. Most mining areas will have no interference issues, except perhaps other detectors. I prefer to hip mount the Infinium for long hours of detecting. I keep it on the rear of my hip so that I do not stress the coil wire when bending over. Make sure and get a coil cover for nugget detecting as rocks and gravel are rough on coils. The stock 14" x 10" DD coil is probably best for most nugget detecting applications, but it is nose-heavy when the control box is hip mounted. If ground conditions allow the 14"x10" mono is lighter and will get slightly better depth in mild ground. I like the 10" x 5" DD for hip mounting applications, as the wand/coil combo is very light and works well is steep terrain or thick brush. If you do get into heavy iron junk, oversize iron reads lo-hi, while nearly all gold nuggets read hi-lo. But when possible dig it all! Tidbits... The 14" x 10" mono coil is much easier to pinpoint with than the DD version and gets a bit more depth dead center. But it is nosier in areas with electrical interference and if used nugget detecting will hit hot rocks more than the DD coil. Still, it is my favorite coil. The 8" round mono coil is very popular with lots of people. Mono coils are more sensitive around the edges than in the center, so tiny surface targets will signal at each edge, giving a double blip. It also makes pinpointing these tiny items hard - try dragging one edge along the ground. The little 7" x 3" DD is the most sensitive to small items and is fantastic for working trashy sites, but like most small coils does not cover ground well and gives up overall depth. I prefer it for wading at I can pinpoint and scoop so well with it, and it is great for nugget detecting deep nooks and crannies. To pinpoint excavated items in a pile of dirt with the elliptical coils, try dragging the coil pointed end down in the dirt. The target will signal directly off the nose of the coil. For those so inclined, I cut my Garrett headphones off a few inches above the waterproof connector. I wired a 1/4" female receptacle onto the end creating a "dongle" into which I can plug any headphones. You can put a 1/4" male jack onto the Garrett phones so as not to waste them. One thing to look out for are large elongated steel items. Like a steel strap a foot long or a long spike. These can signal well off one end or the other. Again, a powerful pinpointer can help with un-centered targets. I hope these notes help. The main thing to remember is that this is a radically different detector than any VLF machine. In some ways it is like the early, cruder VLF detectors. Weird operating methods, poor discrimination… but genuine raw power is the reward. Be patient and dig it all for awhile, and I promise you will make finds with the Infinium that would not be possible with a VLF detector. Parting word - keep the coil low, and swing it slow! PI detectors do not like air space between the coil and ground, and are slower to respond than VLF detectors. ~ Steve Herschbach Copyright © 2004 Herschbach Enterprises

The Fisher F75 LTD2 is the latest in the F75 series that was originally released in 2007 and is still in production. The lead engineer was the person responsible for many of the great VLF prospecting detectors of all time, Dave Johnson. During Dave's first stint at Fisher Research of Los Banos, California Dave had a major role in the development of the Fisher Gold Bug and Gold Bug 2 detectors. He then developed the Lobo SuperTRAQ while at Tesoro. Dave's last project before the F75 was the GMT and MXT for White's, and so after he was hired by First Texas I was very excited to see what his next offering would be from the new Fisher based in El Paso, Texas. The F75 originated as the Teknetics T2. Both Fisher and Teknetics brands are owned by the First Texas company and share engineering and manufacturing resources. The T2 was produced first with the F75 developed later as an offshoot model. Details can be found at the Teknetics T2 page. I have to admit to being initially disappointed. The first Fisher F75 that I ran in Anchorage, Alaska was troubled very much by the electrical interference common in that town. It was an immediate turn off, and I sold the detector to a friend. Then the friend started telling me how great the F75 was that I sold him. Then another friend got one, and yet another, and they all raved about the machine. Finally I was forced to admit I had rushed to judgment with my first unit, and acquired another F75 version called the Special Edition. Once I got it away from electrical interference things clicked, and it became one of my favorite detectors. I have had numerous adventures with the machine - Fisher F75 SE & Gold Nugget Detecting, Metal Detecting Ancient Coins at Colchester, UK and Fisher F75 Strikes Gold in Alaska! Fisher F75 metal detector available also as F75 SE, F75 Ltd, F75 Ltd2, and F75+ The original F75 was followed quickly by the F75 LTD (Limited Edition) and F75 SE (Special Edition). The first Limited Edition was just that, a model with extra modes and special camouflage paint scheme available for a limited time only. It is also referred to as the F75 Camo. The Special Edition is the same model in an all black paint scheme but also gets referred to also as the Limited Edition, so much so that it is now the official designation. Standard base unit F75 models can be distinguished by the rod assembly having a black and gold color scheme. The 2014 versions of the basic F75 and the Limited Edition have a new feature called Digital Shielding Technology (DST) which basically is just filtering applied to reduce the perception of electrical interference. Because of concerns that it might come at a performance cost, the feature can be disengaged if desired. The new models also feature a new FA search mode that enables faster target recovery times, allowing two adjacent items to be better discerned as separate targets. Finally, numerous audio options were added, most important being the ability to adjust the volume of the ferrous tone response. This is desirable in areas thick with ferrous trash where the constant barrage of sound can be tiring. The ferrous tone volume can be reduced to minimum independent of the non-ferrous response, which stays loud and clear. The version of the F75 Ltd with DST is referred to as the F75 Ltd2. Fisher introduced yet another new configuration in 2018 - the F75+. This is a Fisher F75 Ltd2 sold with a pinpointer instead of the 5" accessory coil and at a lower price. The F75 remains one of my favorite detectors for several reasons. First, I very much like to hunt in the powerful Boost Process All Metal mode while having the meter run independently in target id mode, a form of mixed mode operation. The audio is 98% of what is going on with maximum depth and ground coverage in all metal. Once alerted to a target, I then analyze it with the meter to make a decision whether to dig or not. All metal reaches deeper than discrimination modes and so some surface material may have to be removed to get a reliable target id on screen. Every one of these deep targets that requires material to be removed to get an identification number on screen would be missed entirely if running in a discrimination mode. 2.37 ounce gold specimen from Jack Wade Creek, Alaska found by Steve with Fisher F75 I think the ergonomics of the F75 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 machine retains settings when turned off, which means in most cases I just turn mine on, do a ground balance, and go detecting. Finally, the F75 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. This is the most important tip I can offer on the F75 series. The F75 has a two tone ferrous / non-ferrous mode, the 2F mode. Ferrous goes low tone, non-ferrous high tone. Check your F75 manual and you will see it considers target id numbers 1 - 15 as ferrous. 2F mode gives a low tone on target id number 15 and lower, and higher tone on 16 and higher. Use 2F and you will dig very little ferrous stuff. The problem is that 2F is set at the high end of the ferrous/non-ferrous range overlap area. It has been found that the F75 will actually read borderline non-ferrous targets all the way down to about target id number 6, and so the target id 6 - 15 area is the overlap range. You have to avoid 2F and use single tone mode and manually set your disc to about 5 or 6 if you do not want to reject low reading non-ferrous targets. The alternative is to run in boost all metal mode and just investigate any target that pops 6 or higher on the screen on any pass of the coil. In other words, even a single pass of the coil can't be trusted, since the numbers jump around. I work the target and if it even jumps up once above my desired cutoff point it is worth checking out. Look for a reason to dig, instead of a reason to not dig. Running in 2F will cause many borderline non-ferrous targets in the 6 - 15 target range to be missed. ads by Amazon... In summary I consider the Fisher F75 series to be on of the handful of true classic metal detector designs. It sets the benchmark for ergonomics and pushes single frequency VLF about as far as it can go. The F75 is a solid performer and even with newer models coming out is still competitive due to new aggressively lower pricing. Note added 1/8/2019 by Steve Herschbach: The F75 has had a long history of model changes and revisions. The are several major releases, and minor software version differences within some of the major release models. The major models are: Basic Fisher F75 - initial release, black & gold colors. Fisher F75 Limited Edition (Ltd) Camo - added camo paint scheme and extra features. Fisher F75 Special Edition (SE or Ltd) Black - same as camo version but in solid black. There is confusion as this model is called the Special Edition or F75SE in documentation but nearly all vendors just sell it as a black F75 Ltd. They are indeed the same model except for the color scheme. Fisher F75 DST - basic black & gold model with Digital Shielding Technology (DST) for reduction of electrical interference. Fisher F75 Ltd DST - F75 Limited / Special Edition with Digital Shielding Technology (DST) for reduction of electrical interference. Solid black color scheme. Fisher F75+ - The F75 Ltd comes with two coils. The F75+ is a rebranding that includes a pinpointer instead of a second coil. Other than that it is the same as the F75 Ltd DST. Black & gold color scheme. See the user guide downloads below for details on the differences between models. Finally, if shopping used be aware that Fisher had an upgrade program for upgrading most any F75 model to a newer software version. This means older units may exist used that have more up-to-date-software than they were initially sold with. ~ Steve Herschbach Copyright © 2013 Herschbach Enterprises Official Fisher F75 Page Fisher F75 User Guide Fisher F75 Ltd Camo User Guide Fisher F75 Ltd Black User Guide Fisher F75 DST User Guide Fisher F75 Ltd DST / F75+ User Guide Fisher F75+ For 2018 Color Flyer Forum Threads Tagged "fisher f75" First Texas (Fisher) Metal Detector Forum Fisher F75 Tone Break Tip Fisher F75 Ltd2 Technical Specifications* Internet Price F75+ $649.00 & F75 LTD2 (Two Coils) $699.00 Technology Induction Balance (IB) Frequency 13 kHz Autotune Mode(s) Pre-Set Via Different Modes or "Processes" Ground Rejection Ground Grab and Manual Soil Adjust No Discrimination Variable with Visual ID, Tone ID, Notch ID Volume Control Yes Threshold Control Yes Tone Adjust Yes Audio Boost No Frequency Offset Yes Pinpoint Mode Yes Audio Output 1/4" Headphone Socket & Speaker Hip Mount Shaft Mount Only Standard Coil(s) 11" Elliptical DD Optional Search Coils Many accessory coils available Battery Four AA Operating Time 40 - 50 hours Weight 3.5 pounds Additional Technology Notes New "Enhanced" models from 2014 on feature improved resistance to electrical interference (DST), fast target separation mode, and new audio features *Notes on Technical Specifications - Detailed notes about the specifications listed in this chart.