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Steve, after using the GB 2 for 21 years and the Gold Racer not so long, the GB 2 just seems sooo easy. I agree with the second part of your sentence for sure. I think it would overwhelm a first time user?

Rick is right, it was not a discriminator. Only "Iron ID". The Gold Bug 2 is almost a "turn on and go" machine. 5 seconds to ground balance...... The Gold Racer is a fine machine but lots of adjustments to master.

Bob, if all could talk, what a book they could write...

I use same as Luke

dozens

TrinityAu used the Fisher Gold Bug Pro for quite a while and found a lot of gold with it (and a review is in his new book). It is lighter than the Gold Racer and Ray(TrinityAu) said the Gold Racer was "slightly better" than the Gold Bug Pro. If you need a light detector, it might be better? I have one and no problem finding gold with it. Hip mounts are "ok" but when you lay the detector down, you are still "tied" to it. I tried that for a while with the Gold Bug 2 but it was a pain..... Btw, Californiagold, NICE GOLD !!

At least you're able to find a "wheatie". They don't show up all that often anymore. Seems I find more in pocket change then detecting. More silver is next..... Oops, you said 68 dime..... Silver IS NEXT.

I would have dug it as I seem to dig all foil! Nice find.

I don't use it....

The only time I pay any attention to trash is when I start finding it in a known gold area.........

The first post said April or May onwards

I bet those nuggets in your pan were planted there! It would be nice if they came out with a 12" pan? The 15" is too heavy for my wrists and the 10" is too small for panning much. A smaller mesh as an option would be good for areas that are known for small gold only. Looks like a good setup, though. Can't have too many pans...... I'll probably end up with one.

Yes, all metal The larger..... 5.5" x 10"? I probably would not have heard it if I didn't know it was there.

Not that it applies to the question, but I had the Gold Racer out yesterday with the Garrett ATX. I got a sound with the ATX, Turned it off and on with the Gold Racer to see if I could hear it..... Yes, faint but there. After digging a measured 17", there it was... the base to a shotgun shell! Why could I hear it with the Gold Racer!!??

"Almost nobody exists that has used both" You are pretty much right Steve. The only other person I know of is Ray Mills(TRINITYAU) He tested both and used both. A review on the Gold Bug Pro is in his new book and a review on the Gold Racer is on this forum ( http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/1382-ray-mills-trinityau-review-of-makro-gold-racer/ ) No "head to head" review. I spoke to Ray on Monday(who now uses the Gold Racer like you Steve) and he said the Gold Racer was "very slightly more sensitive to small gold". I have both but have not used the Gold Racer long enough to give an opinion. I will tell you that the Gold Racer has a longer learning curve. But, then again, the Gold Racer as many more options(adjustments) than the Gold Bug Pro. Actually, if most of the gold I was looking for was small, I would be using the Gold Bug 2. I have used it since it first came out in the 90's and have not found any better VLF for small gold. Practically no learning curve on the Gold Bug 2.

As Ray said, all entries must be made TRINITYAU.COM. Comment section

Better be careful, Alex... With that vintage of relics you might just find a gold coin!! What would you do then? Good on the first gold!

Two hands to catch and release black sands?

Say, where is that pic? Is that the park on the river just upstream of town?

This article drops a few locations where good nuggets might be found.... http://www.goldgold.com/gold-prospecting-72-ounces-of-gold-in-a-single-season.html

Join the New 49's club..... Then you will have miles and miles of area to detect that is guaranteed to have gold. You just have to find it! If you look, there are usually "used" memberships for sale at discounted prices.

link to list of clubs: http://www.metaldetectingintheusa.com/metal-detecting-clubs.html

I guess I have 4.0 Maybe there is no data as there is not an "EXIF info" choice There is a "IPTC info" but when I click it, I get the message "Cannot load the plugin METADATA.DLL" I'll find the newer version. Thanks.

Looks like Steve just turned the light towards me.... Not a member of the New 49'ers club but I know that they have great claims for detecting. I would look at the "ATLAS OF SISKIYOU COUNTY MINES" published by the Siskiyou County Historical Society. Might be able to buy one at the museum in Yreka? I'm sure there should be one at the library. Look for the mines that are near the claims. There are other resources at the library but that is a start. If I were to grab a detector and head down the river, I would look for pieces of exposed bedrock. Or areas with shallow gravels over the bedrock. Preferably less than 6". I would have the two smallest sizes of coils. The small one to get in the cracks where the larger won't fit. Be prepared to dig lots of iron and lead. There will be hydraulic mines but there is a big learning curve to knowing where the gold should be on those. You almost have to learn how they mined them. Once you find the first nugget, you will be on your way! Don't be discouraged if you don't find anything, I detected for over a year before I found my first nugget. After that, they just started coming in......

Steve, My version of IrfanView does not have the "EXIF info" option. What version are you using? Thanks