Jeff McClendon

I have a totally ridiculous infatuation with the Fisher F19/Gold Bug Pro/Technetics G2+. I have bought and sold 5 of them and regretted it each time. It is all I can do to not buy the one Noah FL has for sale on the Classified forum right now plus it‘s the Camo version with the 10X5 coil………..Please help me!!!!!!

I know I am being picky. Maybe I am asking too much. But I want every advantage I can get when hunting for very small non ferrous targets like sub gram gold nuggets or for very deep targets using the Goldfield mode. I remember seeing the illustration in the manual showing the threshold being continuous in Goldfield as opposed to blanking on rejected targets in Park, Field and Beach. I wish that nulling was included in Goldfield. My point here is that the actual threshold tone is not very audible until setting 10. Others have noticed this too. I have no need of the threshold as it is currently set at 10 or above. It is just useless noise in my opinion. The same happens using the external speaker at setting 5. In both cases the threshold tone is suddenly audible instead of being a gradual volume increase. My other point is that there is enough background noise when the threshold is set below ten (even though the tone sounds more like intermittent static than a threshold tone) to act as a nulling threshold. That background noise will null/go silent over discriminated target IDs in Goldfield. That is a very good thing in my opinion. I just wish that background noise was a little more controllable. I am assuming that what I am hearing with the threshold set at 9 or below is part of the target tone/ground noise floor. I use the same technique with the Equinox.......run it as hot as possible so the ground noise will act as a quasi threshold tone which will also null on discriminated target IDs in the Equinox gold modes since the Equinox threshold tone in the Gold modes does not null over discriminated targets. So, I want the threshold tone to start being more gradually audible for sure instead of just coming on at almost full blast at setting 10. However, I also would like to hear the other quasi reference noise that is being generated by the VCO audio too which acts like a nulling threshold............. Since Nokta Makro were good enough to add single digit discrimination to Goldfield, please also make the threshold tone officially a reference threshold if you can.

I have been doing some field testing on small gold, lead, hot rock and typical Western USA gold fields iron/tin trash. All of this testing has been done with planted targets in mineralized ground using the 11" coil and with software update 1.05 installed. At some gold prospecting sites I would probably run the Legend in Goldfield M using the A (all target IDs accepted) discrimination pattern so using an audible reference threshold tone is not crucial. At sites where mineralization is not overpowering I would probably use the Legend in Goldfield M using the G (ground) discrimination setting (1 and 2 rejected) or something similar so that iron minerals like magnetite along with some iron trash will have broken tones and would hopefully be accompanied by a nulling threshold. So far using the Ground (G) or Iron (F) discrimination patterns, I can only hear a nulling threshold on magnetite and iron targets by using a threshold tone volume level of 9 or less. The actual threshold tone itself at volume level 9 or less is very erratic, intermittent, actually hard to hear and unpredictable. I can hear it stop (null) however if I use a sensitivity setting of around 18 or higher. Using threshold volume level of 10 or more creates a constant, unwavering, easy to hear threshold tone which does not null over targets that are being rejected using the G or F discrimination patterns. Hopefully Nokta Makro can fix this issue.

The only time feathers get ruffled on here is when we start preaching instead of teaching or just giving honest opinions and reports from our own experiences. You are just telling your story as it happens which has been a great read.

For me, using Disc IAR depends on the amount of shallow iron targets on or near the surface, the amount of iron mineralization and the size and type of targets I am after. In milder ground without tons of iron targets I use as much as I can to really break up the tone on iron targets. If there are multiple iron targets under every swing and/or higher iron mineralization I usually use as little as possible or none to avoid accidental masking. That’s just me. I am no expert. Did XP change the threshold for the Deus 2 Relic and Gold Field modes so that using some Disc IAR, the threshold tone will clearly null on iron targets using both PWM and Square audio? I heard some early reports that it doesn’t null. Maybe I am mistaken. On Deus 1 and the ORX in their gold modes, the sparky PWM VCO audio almost has a natural background “threshold” even with the actual threshold on zero. Turning up the threshold and using some Disc IAR on an iron target not only breaks up iron target responses, it can also completely silence the audio if set high enough and the iron target isn’t too deep.

Absolutely, one tone VCO audio like Deus 1 Gold Field, ORX Gold modes, Deus 2 Gold Field and Relic modes and the Equinox Gold modes to name a few that I have endured for days and days gold prospecting, can definitely wear out my hearing and morale sometimes. They get old and I hear an imaginary threshold tone for hours after using them. However, they will hit the deep, heavily masked and smaller targets that other modes on the same detectors won't hit even in mineralized dirt. Some fairly recently released detector's VCO hybrid threshold based all metal modes modes are no deeper than their discrimination modes. That is not the case with XP and Minelab. I can't wait to read some more of your posts in this topic. Thanks!!!!!

I hate to throw cold water on that lovely spearpoint. However, from your photos, the spearhead appears to be made from reddish orange jasper/chert, not red sandstone. Also, it is possible for the jasper, chert, agate/chalcedony family of quartz to contain gold and other low temperature forming metals from hydrothermal deposition. I just am not convinced that I am seeing any gold in your spearhead from the photos you provided. Is that spearpoint Native American or a reproduction?

Yes. For me, the target IDs were a bit more unstable on the Legend. However, somewhat like the Equinox, when the Legend's 11" coil's sweet spot is centered over the target the numbers are very stable, even on deeper 7" to 9" targets. On my 11" coil, that spot is directly under the coil nut area. I have not used my Legend since installing software update 1.05 which was supposed to improve M1 in some way that was not described by N/M. Maybe this slight instability of M1 noticed on deeper targets was addressed.

I had the opportunity to hunt a sports complex here in the Denver area two days in a row under similar ground and weather conditions. This sports complex has soil made up of sediments from the last mountain building/erosion episode of the Rocky Mountains and is filled with weathered granite and volcanic rock particles and ash. It will fill up the mineralization meter on a Deus 1 and nearly filled up the mineralization meter on a fellow hunter’s Simplex, so it is very bad ground which allows single frequency detectors to get about 5” of depth on coin sized objects and around half of that for any reliable target ID accuracy. Coin sized targets that are deeper than that are basically undetectable by single frequency detectors in this type of dirt no matter what frequency they run at or what they cost. This is not a comparison by the way between the Equinox and the Legend other than to note that their performance on the same ground was virtually identical. The first session was with the Equinox 800 which I used for 2 hours. The important target results were detecting and accurately identifying 7” to 9” US nickels and various pull tabs along with 7” to 9” copper pennys, clad dimes and clad quarters. Target IDs were only slightly up averaged or wider than normal on these targets so that an 8” US nickel would respond with 11, 12, 13 and 14 target ID numbers instead of just 12/13. That same slight spreading of target ID numbers also occurred with the other coins. In addition, the high iron content of the ground also created some minor occurrences of minus numbers and 39/40s along with the accompanying tones on all of those deeper coin sized targets while running the Equinox 800’s iron bias set to F2 = 3 using Park 1. The Legend also was used at this site for two hours and its results were so similar to the Nox 800 as to be uncanny. It had no trouble detecting and correctly identifying the same types of coin sized targets and pull tabs at similar depths. There were also iron responses that accompanied these deep non-ferrous targets along with the Ferro-Check meter being confused by the mixed responses from the iron rich ground and the coins/pull tabs. Hopefully, the addition of adjustable iron bias settings will help the Legend not give so many of those deep targets so many iron responses along with Ferro-Check confusion. Using Park M1, I also noticed a lot of one way hit target ID 11 responses coming from the ground even with numerous ground grabs which also may be cured by being able to lower the amount of iron bias used in the future. I actually recovered almost the same type and amount of targets using both detectors in different areas of the sports complex after hunting roughly the same amount of time. I just concentrated on digging obvious coin sized non-ferrous targets with relatively stable numbers and repeatable tones. To add to the uncanny performance similarities, I was fooled into digging only one ferrous target by each detector out of over 50 recovered non-ferrous targets by each detector.

Well, for those who want my first real world opinion……..it really is just my opinion gained from the sites I have hunted which are all moderate to extreme iron mineralization sites…….here it is. If you are looking for your first simultaneous multi frequency detector for coin, jewelry and relic hunting and some of that detecting may involve fresh water hunting AND you are on a tight budget say around $500 to $600 US, you currently have two viable choices. The Equinox 600 and the Legend. At this time after thousands of hours using an Equinox 600 and less than 20 hours using a Legend, I would pick the Legend every time, everyday. I am not going to go too far into the whys of my opinion. However, basically the Legend has a feature set that is very close to the Equinox 800 and is far more feature rich than the Equinox 600 with very similar performance on the targets mentioned above. So, I would skip over the Vanquish series, the Garrett APEX and the Equinox 600 and go straight to the Legend for anyone that is considering those detectors for purchase and has budget constraints. Until Nokta Makro straighten out the saltwater beach performance and the adjustable iron bias settings through an update along with releasing the 10X5” elliptical coil, I will not compare the Legend any further to the more expensive competition as far as saltwater and gold prospecting detecting.

I haven’t noticed this issue on my Legend but I haven’t updated it yet. Bill set up some single frequency user profiles from what I understand. That may have something to do with it along with the blurb in the manual which says something like when you turn off and turn back on the Legend, the settings will default to the last user profile used before turning off. As far as I have experienced so far, the Legend in Multi has “normalized” target IDs. In single frequency they are not normalized from what I have seen. The same happens on the Equinox from my experience.

Take those two detectors to a different location hunting in less iron trash and the results could be different. I didn’t see any target recovered that either detector won’t hit if you get the coil over it and know what the detector is indicating. Had CD said “the targets that the Deus 2 found in the gridded area and called non ferrous after detecting the same area with the Legend should have been checked with the Legend to see why I missed them since I probably interpreted them as iron.” Instead he said something condescending about the Legend. That would have given anyone who watched that video and owns a Legend some valuable info instead of just dissing the Legend for not being a viable option since it costs $1000 less than Deus 2. Weird logic if you ask me. Same goes for his opinion that the Legend isn’t as good as the Equinox for the same reason……..$s So Deus 2 must be 2.5 times better than the Legend for all detecting scenarios using his logic. I don't think so. At the specific site he chose for that mostly head to head video.........maybe. Let's see how the Legend does after the iron bias update and the release of some different coils hunting in thick iron trash instead of just calling it done and dusted..........case closed.

There were numerous discrepancies between the online English language manual, the French manual and the actual settings and instructions for Deus 2. You seem to have found one of those.

I have seen a few YouTube videos for Legend trashy park settings from the USA along with advice to use the Legend in single frequencies......... Their advice blows my mind and not in a good way since it is very site and personal preference specific. Not being particularly intelligent, I have actually read the manual from cover to cover several times. I am still confused by the user profiles and saving settings............but whatever I have done so far is working. We are very fortunate to have the Legend be so adjustable. Aside from some software glitches/weird performance during a couple of east coast USA saltwater beach videos, the Legend from my experience is at least everything Dilek said it would be.......... I am really impressed so far.

The Orx gold modes are very close to threshold based all metal and depending on the HF coil used, the available selectable frequencies are amazing. The simultaneous multi frequency Equinox 800 and Legend (I only have the 11" coil for the Legend) using their Gold prospecting modes are very similar in the testing I have done so far. I haven't had a chance to compare them in single frequency 40 kHz yet. Until the Legend has a 10X5 elliptical coil available, I can't really give it a full test comparison to the Equinox 800.

Deus 2, target was basically touching the coil in those two videos. Legend was air tested. That’s all I had time for. 1.5”. Same distance for Bic pen test using default Gold field. ORX is an excellent gold prospecting detector for smaller gold. I really like it’s ergonomics, frequencies and coil choices. I like the discrimination choices, single digit notching, audio and the simultaneous multi frequency hot ground handling of the Equinox and so far the Legend more than the ORX.

I haven’t hunted with it on a saltwater beach yet and Nokta Makro haven’t released the saltwater beach software update yet. The same goes for the iron bias update. Nothing final yet. Otherwise I am very impressed with the Legend as an affordable alternative to the Equinox especially if someone is ready to upgrade from a beginner level detector to a more advanced and versatile unit. From what I have seen so far in testing and field use, I wouldn’t hesitate to use a Legend or Equinox for gold prospecting. As far as not being ready….that’s why most recently released intermediate level detectors are user software updateable.

Another newly released detector with its 11” coil was not doing very well on .07 gram shotgun pellets in one of Andy’s videos. That is one of the reasons I did a quick .05 gram test with the Legend’s 11” coil. It hit that test nugget easily just like it passed Steve’s medium tungsten point Bic pen test.

Mineralization bar on Deus 1 at that park is 3/4ths full. Unfortunately I won’t get any time to hunt here in Montana

I am back in Denver and had a chance to run the Legend through my test garden. I only tried the Legend in Park M1 since I didn't have much time. Headed to northern Montana tomorrow to meet my 1 month old first grandchild. The Equinox 600 and 800 can not only hit all of the targets in my test garden in Park 1, they can also correctly ID all of the targets which are a modern US nickel, zinc penny, copper penny, clad dime, clad quarter and lead bag seal all of which were buried at 6" depth 3 years ago. The Vanquish models do very well on these targets too. However, since they cannot ground balance on the high iron mineralized dirt in my area, all of the targets also have iron responses. The Legend also not only hit those targets but it also correctly identified them........so compared to the 35 or so other detectors that have been over those targets and failed, I am very impressed with the Legend. The Legend in GoldField has easily hit .05 gram gold nugget test targets also with the 11" coil. I was able to go for a very short hunt today in a park that has very bad EMI and noisy iron mineralized dirt. By bad EMI I mean, an F75, T2, F70 and Omega 8000 could not function at this park.....I tried them and EMI was overwhelming. The Legend ran quietly at sensitivity of 25 out of 30 and did very well during this 1 hour hunt giving more outstanding results on deeper low to mid conductor non-ferrous targets and even hitting an 8" silver Roosevelt dime with a faint but very repeatable proper high tone in 6 tone Park M1 along with correct target IDs. It was a dig me all day target. So, in less than 6 hours of hunting with the Legend in moderate and high iron mineralization, the Legend has detected a .2 gram 10K gold opened hoop earring, a bling ring, 4 other bling earrings, a 1942 wheat penny, a 1962 silver Rosie and over $10 in modern US clad coins........... I will happily take those results and I haven't even moved out of 6 tone Park M1 yet!!!

The actual head band minus the WS4/6 puck costs around $15 US. I agree, using that head band is my least favorite way to listen to the sounds of an XP detector. The WS6 puck however is a great way to listen as a slave or master. Now I just need a 9” FMF coil.

It works fine with Deus 1, ORX and WS6.

Thanks Chuck, I am trying to just report what I find in the limited hunting conditions and targets in the area I am in. I am headed back to Colorado this weekend and then on to Montana to meet my first grandson. I will take the Legend with me for sure. So far it has proven to be as advertised for coins and jewelry by my testing and hunts which means it is a direct and viable competitor of the Equinox in moderate mineralization. My mother is pretty fearless but at the same time she rarely gets too upset by any challenge. However, rolling a wheelchair on wet, uneven ground is already something that she has declined to do. Maybe in a few weeks she will be able to get outside more.

I did some modern USA coin medium depth testing today just to see how accurate the Legend target ID’s were by comparing surface IDs to 7” IDs in moderate mineralization. I also did some Steve’s Bic Pen tungsten tip testing for you micro jewelry and small gold prospectors. I was able to use a small hill in my mother’s back yard to plant targets horizontally with minimal ground disturbance by taping coins to 12” long thin wood shims and I measured the depth to the tip of the shim with a 12” skewer that touched the shim at 7”. This ground registers 3 to 4 bars of Fe3O4 iron mineralization on an F19 and half to 2/3rds full mineralization on a Deus 1. All of these targets were taped flat to be consistent. I tested the Legend with 11” coil in default Park M1, M2, Field M1, M2, and the Gold Mode M with preset “Ground” discrimination pattern, sensitivity at 25 of 30, reactivity 5 and ground balanced each time I changed modes and multi setting. Ground balance readings were 61 to 63. US nickel surface ID in each of the five different modes was 25. At 7” all five modes registered the nickel between 24 and 26. US zinc penny surface ID in each mode was 41. At 7” all five modes registered the zinc penny between 39 and 43. US 1957 wheat penny surface ID in each mode was 45. At 7” all five modes registered the wheat penny between 44 and 48. US clad dime surface ID in each mode was 45. At 7” all five modes registered the clad dime between 44 and 47. US memorial copper penny surface ID in each mode was 44. At 7” all five modes registered the memorial copper penny between 44 and 47. US clad quarter surface ID in each mode was 50. At 7” all five modes registered the clad quarter between 50 and 53. The results in the dirt at this site show that the Legend exhibits minimal up averaging down to 7” in its multi frequency modes. I have tested other single and multi frequency detectors in this dirt at the same depth with the same methods. The Equinox and Vanquish are also able to correctly ID coins at the 7” depth with minimal up averaging. I have tested other Nokta Makro detectors including the Simplex, Multi Kruzer and Racer 2 at this site along with the F19 and Deus 1. Those detectors lost target ID accuracy and severely up averaged targets at the 3 to 4” depth level. These detectors are mentioned here for reference purposes and are not meant to be a comparison or to reflect negatively on them. Obviously, Nokta Makro have developed some very capable SMF tech in the Legend. I also did a version of Steve’s Bic Pen test in the same dirt by burying a Bic Pen vertically with just the tip being exposed at the surface. Target IDs for the tiny 1mm Medium tungsten tip were 11 to 13 in all five modes. Detection distances with consistent 2 way hits and target IDs were: Park M1/Field M1 = .5 inches. Park M2, Field M2 = 1 inch. Gold M = 1.5” The Legend has already found micro gold jewelry for me. 10K opened hoop earring which I haven’t had a chance to weigh yet. Still in Georgia with my mother who is totally amazing. Her physical therapists cannot believe the things she can do on one foot at age 91. Neither can I. She is scooting around the house in her wheelchair. Standing on one foot, doing dishes, cooking, doing laundry (with the help of a sturdy walker and some support bars I installed) and is progressing very well towards a prosthesis in about 2 months. She makes at least 30 transfers a day from wheelchair to standing or sitting on something else with ease. Never a complaint even when she is experiencing phantom pain from her amputated foot.

If you can cut it with a pocket knife as in cut pieces off of it fairly easily it definitely isn’t obsidian. If you hammered a piece of obsidian with a pocket knife you might get a piece of the obsidian to fracture into a glass-like sliver. Hopefully you are wearing hand and at least eye protection. Obsidian can really be dangerous.