Fisher's New Gold Bug Tracker Metal Detector

[abenson]

Too bad it's not higher KHz, like 40. I'd probably buy one and carry it to use to pinpoint when using a PI. Kind of like those guys you see hauling around a 6000 and gold monster. IDK maybe 19 would work OK for that.

[Reno Chris]

1 hour ago, abenson said:

Too bad it's not higher KHz, like 40. I'd probably buy one and carry it to use to pinpoint when using a PI.

I think it would work fine for a pinpointer for some PIs that need them. Its really light.

[phrunt]

I'm not overly familiar with older Fisher models, is this their first time incorporating tracking on a VLF? It looks like it when it comes to recent models.

It appears from the face place like it tracks the ground automatically, no longer is there a ground grab button on it.

[Chase Goldman]

23 minutes ago, phrunt said:

I'm not overly familiar with older Fisher models, is this their first time incorporating tracking on a VLF? It looks like it when it comes to recent models.

In the second to last post in the linked thread below, Steve notes that the GBP and G2 have apparently incorporated continuous ground tracking even though this feature is not explicitly touted.  This GB Tracker just appears to be another FT repackaging variant of the existing digital GP/GBP series plus or minus a few features and offered at $299 -really nothing actually new or groundbreaking here as the marketing description of "target tracking" is vague.  Since the GBP/G2/BH TRP with basically the same features (not like the GBP is that complicated to operate) and can be obtained at around the same price point not sure this is really anything to get too excited about. Perhaps @Geotech can better articulate whether this new variant has any actually new features under the hood vs. it's FT GB predecessors.

 

[Reno Chris]

54 minutes ago, Chase Goldman said:

Steve notes that the GBP and G2 have apparently incorporated continuous ground tracking even though this feature is not explicitly touted.  This GB Tracker just appears to be another FT repackaging variant of the existing digital GP/GBP series plus or minus a few features and offered at $299

Look, I was involved in the testing of this detector during the design phase - there were a number of iterations that I tested. No, its not just a repackaging. Karl and his team put some effort into re-design the GB Pro series to fix some things and improve it. The GB Pro series has continuous ground tracking in the background. If you never manually update the ground balance, the machine will never update it for you - and you will run out of ground balance forever. It is intentionally designed that way, because you loose a little sensitivity with continuous automatic ground balance. On the other hand, is this GB tracker some earth shattering, ground breaking, high technology metal detector for $299? Is it the VLF to beat all VLFs? Of course not. The handling of bad ground is much improved over the GB Pro series, but its still a mid frequency 19 kHz VLF. Its more stable on mineralized ground and hot rocks than the GB Pro series and other high and mid frequency VLFs. The detector was designed for the African market and intended to be be effective, but simple and easy to operate at a low cost - which it is. Its been very successful over there. I convinced the FT staff that there was a market here for this detector. The intended market is the new guy who cant afford a $850 - $900 dollar GM 1000, much less a several thousand dollar Axiom, 6000, SDC, 7000, etc. Do you already have  a top flight detector in hand? you likely won't be interested in this one. But the price of gold is now such that a little more than 1/10th of an ounce will pay for this detector and there are a lot of guys on a budget that would like to try nugget detecting that have limited funds. I think there will be a market for that.

[Jeff McClendon]

A big plus for the Gold Bug Tracker is that in All Metal Mode there are actual target IDs not ground phase numbers. That always drove me nuts and it also displayed how the F19/GB Pro/G2+/TRP really were using a form of ground tracking and at least for me on higher mineralized sites, I had to ground balance them after every target just like a Gold Monster 1000. At least with the Gold Bug Tracker, there doesn't appear to be a ground grab button. Maybe Chris can speak about that here.

No threshold tone simplifies things too.

It also looks like the All Metal/Disc knob is simplified too. 

Chris, is this a two tone detector is disc mode or can it be 3 tones like the F19 and with semi movable tone breaks? I am guessing that the iron tone volume level is fixed or does it even have an iron tone in disc mode???

Chris, thanks for introducing this detector here and thanks also for your work on it.

[phrunt]

In Africa it's the Gold Bug AFR and introduced in the African market during October 2023.

It costs them about $550 USD so the estimated $299 USD for US customers is a good price by comparison.  The African dealers are still selling the Gold Bug Pro at a premium over the AFR being the cheaper model.

I think I'd prefer the older variants with more control and manual ground balance.  This appeared to follow the trend of the ML GM1000, GPX 6000 and Nokta Gold Finder 2000 that were simplified for the African market.

[Chase Goldman]

1 hour ago, Reno Chris said:

Look, I was involved in the testing of this detector during the design phase - there were a number of iterations that I tested. No, its not just a repackaging. Karl and his team put some effort into re-design the GB Pro series to fix some things and improve it. The GB Pro series has continuous ground tracking in the background. If you never manually update the ground balance, the machine will never update it for you - and you will run out of ground balance forever. It is intentionally designed that way, because you loose a little sensitivity with continuous automatic ground balance. On the other hand, is this GB tracker some earth shattering, ground breaking, high technology metal detector for $299? Is it the VLF to beat all VLFs? Of course not. The handling of bad ground is much improved over the GB Pro series, but its still a mid frequency 19 kHz VLF. Its more stable on mineralized ground and hot rocks than the GB Pro series and other high and mid frequency VLFs. The detector was designed for the African market and intended to be be effective, but simple and easy to operate at a low cost - which it is. Its been very successful over there. I convinced the FT staff that there was a market here for this detector. The intended market is the new guy who cant afford a $850 - $900 dollar GM 1000, much less a several thousand dollar Axiom, 6000, SDC, 7000, etc. Do you already have  a top flight detector in hand? you likely won't be interested in this one. But the price of gold is now such that a little more than 1/10th of an ounce will pay for this detector and there are a lot of guys on a budget that would like to try nugget detecting that have limited funds. I think there will be a market for that.

Thanks for the detailed explanation of what actually changed under the hood, Chris.  Sorry I stuck a nerve, but TBH, I think FT does themselves a disservice by their vague marketing descriptions and the confusion caused by all the GB variants and FT brand adjacent clones (F19/G2/TRP) and their past history on other product lines with new releases mainly being only different in name, rod design, and/or paint scheme. 

There is little comparative literature to help detectorists understand the nuanced feature implementation differences.  And with other manufacturers' value-priced gold capable SMF detectors with similar ground handling capabilities at price points not much different than the GBT but with greater versatility beyond gold prospecting, it's going to be hard to regain a foothold.  Nevertheless, I am rooting for FT to gain relevancy again.  I can see where you are personally bridging the gap on FT's marketing shortcomings.

With Carl refining, improving, and working out GBP bugs with the GBT effort, do you or @Geotech see FT updating the GBP with these GBT improvements?  This would peak the interest of more experienced detectorists like Phrunt who have had good past experiences with FT products and who would like to be able to have the ability to tweak and manually adjust settings as well as reap the GBT improvements despite the added complexity and cost.  Like Jeff mentioned, having TIDs displayed in AM is a big plus but so is having the ground grab switch.

[Reno Chris]

1 hour ago, Jeff McClendon said:

A big plus for the Gold Bug Tracker is that in All Metal Mode there are actual target IDs not ground phase numbers.

Exactly. That is part of the simplification effort. Dave the original design engineer cared greatly about the ground phase, but the folks who run the detector - the buyers - dont care so much. 
No threshold - again part of simplification. You lose a little sensitivity with no threshold - but it is easier for new guys.
There is no ground grab because its a continuous ground balance adjustment. I dont know if it updates itself every 5 seconds or 15 or what, but it updates regularly and continuously.
As far as tones, it is silent on iron in disc. The idea was for the African guys just beep only on gold (actually non-ferrous). It does a pretty good job at blanking out on iron and hot rocks in disc. In all metal it is a two tone, but I look more at the target ID.
You should watch my video I do a demonstration on various targets in both all metal and disc.
https://youtu.be/Wxf7-kWS-Xo