Roughwater

10 hours ago, JAMES MC LERNON said:

After all, is 19khz not the defacto, holy grail, all round gold prospecting frequency?

Maybe make it waterproof too. Based on the online reviews of the 19khz FORS GOLD + (excellent machine), would this not be an even better machine in the Makro packaging???

No one mentioned the Fors Relic at 19Khz. Looks to have a lot of the Racer features. Only problem is it has six modes but none are a prospecting mode.  Does have a beach mode but not sure how that would correlated to mineralized soil?

9 hours ago, ROD said:

I have  got 3 sites , one is an old Pub....a place where you could buy a beer , tie up the horse and stay the night, two old homestead sites ,from the 1850s  but there is a lot of iron trash, and sends the TDI bonkers , and the beach is only an hours drive, so got plenty of places to go detecting.

It's 9:55 AM at this moment, I'm not an avid beer drinker and have none in the house but after reading your post, strangely, a beer sounds good about now.      

It's probably no help but very strange engineering there and what ever they were trying to accomplish apparently didn't work.  Only thing I can figure is as you suggested they attached the clip to a ground point maybe on the box frame, possibly held by a screw that came loose?  However if it is meant to be a grounding point and it came loose and touched any of the + circuitry while powered up it likely toasted something.  

Wow,

Sorry for the good folks that still work for Whites but if that's how they do business and apparently it is, there will never be another White's detector in my hands!

8 hours ago, Carolina Coin Hunter said:

I did dig trash of course, but didn't bother showing it off in the video. It takes a while to edit and upload, so I cut out a lot of the junk to save myself some time and keep the video a decent length. The average view time on YouTube is pretty low really, so I try to keep my vids below 15 minutes unless it's a full review.

Thanks Carolina,

How do feel about the discrimination capability of the MX Sport?  You had a nice haul there for one outing so I have to assume you are pretty pleased with it's performance?  I'm from Carolina too, North Carolina around Oxford.  

Terry 

Either way, might as well be optimistic.

One thing that caught my attention with this video is when he showed all he had found for the day there was no trash?  I'm thinking he just didn't show the trash, just the treasure?  

Terry  

1 hour ago, hawkeye said:

When this show started it was interesting to learn about what was going on offshore in Nome.  It showed a lot about the process and the clean up's. Then it became a soap opera starring a inordinate amount of folks with physiological hang up's and mental illness.  Then the looniest were featured in the under the ice version.

Maybe that's why we watched it. ?

So True.  

Pretty impressive. 

Thanks Don and Argyle for all the great info.  

I came home from work and looked at this post and where it usually has the last posters name it said Nokta so I though wow, maybe the company paid a visit and left a post?  Then I saw all these tags stuck to the post?  Then I thought wow, all the Nokta - Makro family has come together to have a reunion here at this post! Pretty cool   

Wow, talk about a light, fairly powerful detector that is it.  What did you use for the detector shaft?

Thanks,

Terry

To all of you that follow the Bering Sea gold series it will premier Tomorrow evening (Wednesday the 30th of March).  See link below:

http://when-will.net/tv-series/2027-will-there-be-bering-sea-gold-season-6-release-date.html

Terry

Also in case you have missed it, the " Billion Dollar Wreck" is on Monday Evenings on the History channel 10 PM Eastern time.  It's been pretty interesting even though so far this first season they haven't pulled up any gold coins yet from the wreck.  

http://www.history.com/shows/billion-dollar-wreck/about

Terry

Thanks Argyle and Bado 1.  

We generally always want to get the latest upgraded model of whatever we by so if I end up going with Nokta/Makro line I'm thinking either the Racer 2 or the Fors Relic. Just going by the operating frequency I would suspect the Fors Relic would be a tad hotter on smaller gold at 19 Khz but maybe not quite as good for beach/coin use.  I'm thinking the slightly lower Frequency Racer 2 might be the slightly better all around detector at 14khz.  I better like the Racers digital screen being on top even though it may not be quite as well balanced as the Fors but the screen is right there in front of you so slightly more accessible though that's not a game changer.  Though I would like to jump, I'm going to hold off a bit longer and see what surfaces pro and con but so far there are more pro's than con.

I saw on a different post there was a big long selection of coils for the Racer/Racer2.  Do they also apply to the Fors 15 and 19 Khz machines or are they Not interchangeable with the Fors?   

Thanks,

Terry

My head has a bit of short circuit so I think I'll go with the test strips if I can find them. 

Guess you needed that newer bigger one to hall all that gold way!  

17 hours ago, argyle said:

The planting and resetting of dirt back in on a large fresh hole, and a coin with a half decomposed nail sat on top of it, does not bring you anywhere near a real world test.
The hardpacked un-dug ground is missing, and the decomposing halo from the nail has gone

Unfortunately I suspect a lot of what you say is true.  I used a Whites Eagle for a number of years.  Several times I would get a signal and dig it up only to find nothing solid, only a lot of yellow where something metal had decomposed. Really nothing left there BUT the halo!  

Still, you have to admit that it is a Test that a number of other detectors can't pass and probably would have even a more difficult time if it were real world.  So doing the test does have some merit and has to be better than an air test.     

17 hours ago, argyle said:

Yeah, the guy in the second clip did seem visibly disappointed in the CTX, but as the FBS boys will tell you, he hasn't learnt his trade on it yet, and contradicts himself many times. Maybe not on purpose, but enough to let you know he's still in his apprenticeship with one and hasn't nutted out the settings past the most basic of understanding.

I kinda wondered about that myself, about the young man's skill with the CTX?  I know there has to be a pretty good learning curve with that machine.  However even if that is correct, that the CTX didn't see the coin due to operator error, and assuming with more training the CTX could have allowed the user to see/hear the coin, one might surmise that a less than skilled user of a CTX might be better off with the Core, being that the same operator had no problem at all hearing the coin using the Core.  And again, the test though not real world was still impressive.  Real world or not I think the Core did good to pass it as I wonder if many other detectors could?  

My decision would be so much easier if I didn't have a need to use a detector on the beach but I do.  Am I concerned about dropping the darn thing in the water - for sure, as I am a true believer in Murphy's law.  Would I like to get a waterproof detector that is multifrequency to insure I can hunt on most any beach?  For sure.  Do I want to pay 2K for a detector that has all those features, not if I don't have to.  So the saga continues.  

Oh, I contacted Nokta/Makro by Email as to if the Fors Gold could be used on the beach and here is the reply I got:

Hello and thank you for your interest in our product.

I would go with the Fors Relic instead which also has a beach mode.

Regards,

  Dilek Gonulay

  Sales & Marketing Manager

1 hour ago, bado1 said:

What argyle said. Go for it- get one. Enjoy it. You really can't go wrong.

I have the CoRe AND just ordered the Fors Relic both for relic/coin hunting. I use a PI for nugget hunting.

Unless you plan on hunting tailing piles or fairly benign ground - get a PI unit for your nugget hunting. 

Good luck!

Dean

 

Hey Dean,  thanks for your input.  The core is not out of the question but leaning more toward the Racer 2 for the lighter weight, the Display mounted on the top instead of the side, and almost identical characteristics as the Fors Core.

  As to a PI detector I already have the GPX 5000.  The VLF is for hunting in the trashy areas for gold, Coinshooting, Relic and occasional Beach use.  I may eventually get a dedicated beach detector but just spent a lot on the 5000 and with a long fairly expensive gold prospecting trip planned and soon to be on a fixed income I have to cut some corners. Part of the catch is that the detector has to have the ability to use on the beach so has to deal with wet salt sand and pretty sure the Core and the Racer 2 can.  

Argyle,

All great advice.  Thank you again soldier.  I'm stubborn for sure so don't give up on trying to help me see the detector light.    

I had heard previously that single frequency machines do not do well in salt beach sand and I think that's the general consensus among most experienced metal detector users like yourself.  But it seems there may be some exceptions least it may appear so based on several video's of the Fors Core and Makro Racer being used on the beach pretty effectively in wet sand. See the video below of the racer being used on the beach with a large coil.  It seems solid and not falsing and gain set to near max.  Able to clearly see a coin (lb coin?)   I am sure it must be loosing some depth but still doing pretty good.  I've also seen similar beach tests done with the Core.  I'm sure most multifrequency detectors could do better but I wonder if by much?  I know the PI detectors can do better but then I'm back to digging everything.  The beach I go to is full of so much iron like hair pins, caps and tabs etc that one needs some discrimination for sure.  

 I did further online searches though and the Fors Core seem to have some some serious ability to detect a rusty nail setting on top of a dime at moderate depth based on a shoot out with several other prominent detectors. Could it have been rigged, maybe but didn't appear so.  Both attached utube tests seem like honest tests and the guy doing the tests seemed visibly disappointed with his CTX.  So I haven't given up yet on the Core or the Racer as a possible beach and all around use detectors but the Racer or actually the Racer 2 at the moment has the edge in my mind.   I have a month plus before I need to make up my mind and trying to keep it open.

Terry  

Thanks Steve,

I was thinking that also and even if not most would want the newer model anyway assuming improvement.

Maybe a couple hitches now to purchasing the Fors Gold Plus.  One hitch now is that I plan to use the detector I buy on salt beaches etc.  I know the Core will do salt but what about the Gold plus?  I just read a review also about the gold + and the reviewer had a hard time making adjustments as they are on the side.  Making it more difficult because he was using a stock plastic cover which reflected the sun making it even harder to make adjustment.  

I would definitely want at least a cover on whatever detector I use so I'm already starting to rethink the Fores detectors with the adjustment display on the side.  

Terry

14 minutes ago, auminesweeper said:

Terry, based on advice from certain members that I hold in high regard. I would tend to forget the fors Gold for a simple reason the fors Core has the beach/salt mode and if you find your self detecting out in the salt pans that might note work so well for you, Where as the Fors Core does have the beach mode and the 2 machines are about the same price and although you might not go beach detecting it will work well out in the Salt pans looking for gold,

Hopefully Steve and a few other well versed folks will weigh in and correct me or steer you in the right direction, for me I would be going for the Gold Racer and the Fors Core, because they seem to be the machines that have had great reviews.

john 

Thanks John,

I will definitely take that into consideration as I am definitely planning on using the detector at saltwater beaches.  

Wow,

Thanks Steve

I missed the boat on that one.  I'm only about 2 years behind as that post was in 2014.  You would think they would have adopted just one name by now for the company.  Either way lot's of folks sure like their products. 

20 hours ago, Monte said:

Roughwater: If I had to choose between the Fors Gold plus and the Fors Gold I believe the 19khz Gold Plus would be more in line with what I'm looking for in all around Gold machine.  As Steve has noted in his post the Gold Racer is more of a dedicated gold machine and runs at 56khz.  I would also grab the Gold + of these two.  The FORS Gold operates at 15 kHz and the G old + operates at 19 kHz.

The 56 kHz model I am using is the Makro Gold Racer.  I have seen the Nokta Au Gold but I find the Makro Gold Racer doing all I need for tiny-size gold and also providing more in the way of visual display.

This is a busy season for trying to select a "just right for me" model, isn't it?

Monte

It is a busy season and as much as possible I do want to get Just the right model if at all possible. The differences between several are minimal.  However I do think the 19 khz models would fit the bill.  I have heard such good things about the Cores discrimination and hoping the Gold plus is as good but I don't know of course?  While you were writing this I was writing a post much in line with all you said here.  I guess great minds think alike.  

Terry

I want to make it clear right off the bat that the info below are only based on observations an I am in no way an expert.  I am going by info from the respective websites and to some small extent reviews I have read.  Nothing I'm noting is based on personal use as I have not had any of these detectors in my hand.  My reason for doing this is that for my own purposes it has helped me clear up in my own mind between between the several different detectors made by these 2 companies.  For some of you I am sure this info will be of no help but maybe for someone new on the block it might be useful.    

Makro and Nokta are both based in Istanbul Turkey.  Some say they are the same company and that could be so but I looked up the address of each and they are in a different Zip Code in Istanbul so at least they do have separate offices and separate websites: Makro:  http://www.makrodetector.com/   Nokta:  http://noktadetectors.com/index.asp  

The primary detectors from Nokta I am interested in is the Fors Core, Fors Relic, Fors Gold, Fors Gold plus, and the AU Gold Finder.

The products from Makro I am interested in is the Makro Racer, the Makro Racer 2 and Makro Gold. 

Differences:

1. Display; The Nokta Fors models (Core, Relic, gold and gold plus) all have 2 displays.  One on the side and a smaller one on the shaft.  The small display on the front/shaft is a visual aid displaying the ID number, depth and battery condition.  The display on the side is where you set up the detector. Some feel this set up is inconvenient.  

2. Weight: The Nokta Fors models are heavier than the Makro at almost 4 lbs compared to 3 lbs including batteries.  

3. Frequency: The Nokta AU Gold and Makro Gold Racer both operate at 56Khz so many would consider them dedicated gold machines either likely able to fine very small bit of Gold.

  The Nokta Fors Core runs at 15khz, as does the Nokta Fors Gold.  However the newer Fors Gold plus runs at 19khz as does the new Fors Relic.                                                                 The Makro Racer and Racer 2 both run at 14Khz.  

Just going by the specs of each the AU Gold Finder or the Gold Racer would be equally good as a dedicated machine as they both seem to be loaded with all the goodies just comes down to what you like looking at, knobs or a display?  I would think if you like simplicity the AU Gold Finder would be for you but if you feel the need for a digital display then go with Gold Racer.  But do your due diligence and do some of your own research before making up your mind.

As to a gold detector that can be used for Coins Relic and the beach from these 2 companies leaves us with the Makro Racer 2, the Fors Core, Fors Gold, Fors Gold plus and Fors Relic.  Personally speaking, and just going by specs alone, of the detectors for primary use as a gold detector I lean toward the Fors gold plus at 19 khz.  If my intent were first a Relic hunter maybe the Fors Relic as it also offers the 19Khz freq but it's program is slightly biased toward relic hunting.  The Makro Racer 2 though is hard to leave out of the race with it's lighter weight, front digital display and all the discrimination bells and whistles of the Fors machines.   So for now I well research a bit more to decide which and if any of this companies detectors I will put on my short list. 

Terry

Jack,

Thanks much for your input.  How are you liking your Racer 2?  

I just checked out the link you left me.  I had come across it before but with so many models of very similar machines made by Nokta but it all gets a little fuzzy but looking at it a second time did clear away a little of the haze.  If I had to choose between the Fors Gold plus and the Fors Gold I believe the 19khz Gold Plus would be more in line with what I'm looking for in all around Gold machine.  As Steve has noted in his post the Gold Racer is more of a dedicated gold machine and runs at 56khz.  

For 2016 Nokta just came out with the Fors AU Gold which is kinda Retro in that it has only knobs and Led's like the original Gold Bug and operates at 56Khz so should be great for the tiny gold.

For more detail about any of these detectors check out the Nokta website:  http://noktadetectors.com/index.asp?g=urunler&kat=1,

1 hour ago, iqwozpoom said:

I don't want to confuse you but, for gold and trash you might want to check out the nokta relic. I've swung the original racer myself for a bit and have an r2 on the way. From what I understand  the r2 will work for gold but, if your foucus swings more towards gold then the relic will have an edge.

Thanks Iqwozpoom,

Thanks for the note.  I thought the Core was the Relic model but per your note I checked again and see that the Relic model is 19Khz instead of the Core's 15Khz which I would suspect should be better for smaller gold and most of what gold is left out there is smaller so sounds like you are right. I didn't realize there were so many models of just the Makro and Nokta detectors.

Terry