I'd Like To See A 71 Khz Gold Bug

[Bohemia Miner]

Greetings!

 

I have a thought that I believe, would produce the biggest-selling Gold Detector the market has seen since the introduction of the Gold Bug 2.  A 71 kHz Gold Bug.  It would be the lightest VLF Gold Detector out there. 

Minelab Gold Monster 1000 = 3+ lbs., with Battery

Garrett Goldmaster 24K = 3.4 lbs.

Nokta Gold Finder 2000 = 3.7 lbs.

Nokta Gold Kruzer = 3 lbs.

Gold Bug = 2.5 lbs. 

They could keep the Gold Bug @ 19 kHz and reintroduce the Pro model @ 71 kHz OR keep those two the same and make a Pro Model called the Gold Bug 71. 

I'd buy one as soon as they were available and as a dealer would push them like crazy.

[Aureous]

The higher frequency doesn't lend itself to useful discrimination nor depth. Which is why we've never seen it. It would need to be a multi-frequency design and this type of design effort is something we will never see from FTP. Management is too disinterested to bring anything useful to market nor compete with the 'Big 3'.

[Goldseeker5000]

The Gold Bug 2 was around 71-72 Khz. It's been around for decades now. 

[Bohemia Miner]

2 hours ago, Goldseeker5000 said:

The Gold Bug 2 was around 71-72 Khz. It's been around for decades now. 

I was referring to the reintroduced 19 kHz Gold Bug with a screen.

 

Thanks!

[RickUK]

If i lived near any form of nugget producing region and only done that type of detecting occasionally i would use my Deus HF elliptical running the very highest freq,that could be a decent setup for nugget hunting and the weight is also very good as well....of course i have never done it because i live in the UK.

 

[MSC]

A Goldbug 2 with a screen would have been a good seller at one time, years ago, if they came out with one now, it would still be too little too late to increase sales. Time to move on with up-dated VLF detectors. I have one and liked it very much years ago, just sets in the closet now-a-days. 

[Jeff McClendon]

That is an interesting idea. I would even like to see a 30 or 40 kHz Gold Bug/F19 (F30 or F40!)/Teknetics G2+/Bounty Hunter Time Ranger Pro.

As far as weight, the XP ORX or Deus 1 can run as high as 81 kHz and is way lighter than any gold prospecting specific detector available especially using the HF elliptical coil with the remote in one's pocket. In that configuration the ORX weighs less than 2 lbs (29 oz). So does Deus 1. Even Deus 2 with the stock shaft, not the Lite shaft and 9" coil weighs 30.3 oz with the remote removed.

[Steve Herschbach]

29 minutes ago, Jeff McClendon said:

As far as weight, the XP ORX or Deus 1 can run as high as 81 kHz and is way lighter than any gold prospecting specific detector available especially using the HF elliptical coil with the remote in one's pocket. In that configuration the ORX weighs about 1.8 lbs.!!! So does Deus 1.

This. The ORX/Deus 1 HF is already here. But the reality is the day of the high single frequency VLF is over. Everything that can be done with it has already been done. The next step is a multi running a gold mode like on the Equinox or Deus 2. It would need to be a model stripped down to just the gold functions needed and no more, and preferably sold with a 6x10 coil as the stock coil. If anyone is going to do this my bet would be on Minelab as a successor to the Gold Monster - Fisher would be last on the list. But certainly it is something other companies could do, Nokta for sure.

[Desert Dawg]

I do believe Fisher was coming out with a well-advanced vlf nugget machine and failed to produce it, the CZX. It was multi freq, and the failed part was some new form of ground balance allowing much deeper detection, they had based an entire lineup around this new form of ground balance and were not able to deliver it. Too bad. Like Steve says, Minelab would be one to watch for a advanced multi freq nugget vlf machine. Its bound to happen sooner or later.

[phrunt]

I'm surprised Minelab have taken so long to release a prospecting multi frequency VLF, perhaps it's just too hard to justify the time and expense when the Nox 800 and Manticore already do the job just fine and the likelihood of high sales is pretty low, most would just settle on the do-it-all design of the Nox/Manticore than buy a dedicated machine. 

I think people are crazy buying a Gold Monster when the Equinox is so much better in many ways and virtually on par performance wise on smaller gold although I personally think it's better, better on bigger gold and has all the features required to make it even better for prospecting than the Monster, even being waterproof for creek gold detecting.  So, a GM 2000 would just be a cut back Equinox 800 with a solid design coil and near to the Nox price... waste of money when you can buy the full featured Nox, they'd be better off investing their time into making a gold prospecting range of coils for the Nox and Manticore, they would sell well, a little Snake 6.5 x 3.5 type coil, and a nice 10x5" solid, a 5" round solid would go down nicely too.  I wouldn't be at all surprised if a gold prospecting range of coils far outsold a GM 2000.    

Dedicated gold machines in VLF's have seen their day I think, I certainly wouldn't buy a 71kHz Gold Bug Pro.  While a great idea 10 years ago not so much now.