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Fisher Gold Bug for nugget hunting

Karl McDowell		Posted : Monday, 16 July 2012 6:33:22 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Nugget Groups: Registered Joined: 11/07/2010(UTC) Posts: 47 Location: Auckland Thanks: 13 times Was thanked: 39 time(s) in 29 post(s)		Hi All, After using Minelab pulse induction machines exclusively for the past few years I've recently had injured my wrist, and need to swing something lighter for the immediate future. With that in mind I looked at various VLF detectors in the sub $1,000 price range and settled on the Fisher GB. The new GB (not the GB2 which unfortunately is out of my price range) is touted by Fisher as having been "custom designed to find the smallest gold nuggets" however I have been scouring the internet for information on their performance as a gold detector. It's evident they have a wide following as a coin and relic machine, but I've found very little to indicate they're popular on gold. Wondering if any forum contributors using the GB on gold have any advice to offer? In particular I'm keen to learn the following: 1. What is the smallest gold the GB will detect with the stock 5" coil? 2. What sort of depth are people getting? 3. What numerical target ID is gold (looked at the online manual but gold isn't mentioned in the target ID table)? Cheers KM

Ash_T		Posted : Monday, 16 July 2012 6:46:03 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 17/09/2011(UTC) Posts: 219 Location: Nth Canterbury Thanks: 138 times Was thanked: 28 time(s) in 25 post(s)		Haven't found any gold with my GBPro yet, but im gonna give it a damn good try this weekend comming :D
		Check out my BLOG : Its where i post my finds :D
		BLOG

nzpoohbear40		Posted : Monday, 16 July 2012 8:15:08 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 14/07/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,482 Location: Matura Thanks: 26 times Was thanked: 384 time(s) in 329 post(s)		you want to chat with Lammerlaw and 1864 hatter..they both have the machine you have and they have both found some nice real gold with them..
		Chris - Fisher Dealer http://www.puiakisupply.co.nz/

overdog		Posted : Monday, 16 July 2012 8:26:09 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 2/03/2010(UTC) Posts: 418 Location: nelson Thanks: 69 times Was thanked: 82 time(s) in 68 post(s)		Hi Karl. 1. Smallest bit I have found with my bug is literally pinhead size,and that was at about an inch with fresh batteries in wet moss. 2. I can just get my test flake (about half a gram) at 7 inches in wet sand and air (thats flat side on,edge on about 3 inches maybe slightly more). Flake is about 5 mil by 8 mil. 3. Said flake comes in at 50.Bigger bits come in higher.I never used to dig anything lower than 35 but have heard of some gold coming in as low as 20 so now Im a bit more careful! Hope this helps, cheers Alan.

Lammerlaw		Posted : Monday, 16 July 2012 8:46:45 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 24/05/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,721 Thanks: 72 times Was thanked: 579 time(s) in 396 post(s)		My son and I had a friend up at my place and the friend had a potter with my Goldbug and came back to tell me that it was making noises but there was no gold there. My son had already gone to the same spot with my MInelab or his Goldbug and detected something so scratched out the crack for a nice nugget. I went back with my cobber and my Goldbug to see what my cobber had found - it turned oiut to be the smallest piece of gold imaginable and my son had scratched it out of the crevice and into moss - it was tiny. I have also swung the Gold bug for three responses in one swing - every one of those responses was a small piece of Gold - I am thinking of getting a spare Goldbug - I just love them! The Goldbug is a grand machine and I for one am totally happy with mine.

simon		Posted : Monday, 16 July 2012 9:02:37 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 7/01/2011(UTC) Posts: 789 Location: Central Otago Thanks: 33 times Was thanked: 239 time(s) in 150 post(s)		the gb2 can get gold pretty small. we had a bit that was .05. hard to see at that size. my mate has tested the gb2 and reckons 4 inchs is what you can be sure of covering in the ground around here. i guess if you were onto something big it will be more but being realistic the small stuff is the majority and at that size you are covering 4 inches of ground penetration. i'm unsure of the differences between the gb2 and the gb pro. would be interesting to see the 2 put thru some paces together. with some test gold and out in the field.
		WWW

under the bedrock		Posted : Monday, 16 July 2012 9:20:03 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 6/07/2011(UTC) Posts: 116 Location: invercargill Was thanked: 14 time(s) in 13 post(s)		number 78 for gold coins (nz 1 and 2s)lol

element111		Posted : Monday, 16 July 2012 9:26:28 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 2/12/2011(UTC) Posts: 114 Location: blenheim Thanks: 49 times Was thanked: 34 time(s) in 21 post(s)		karl mcdowell do you want to sell your pi machine i will pay cash for it if your are keen you can contact me on 0277469969 ,were you in Marlborough over Christmas i remember meeting up with a cupple of people who where dredging there claim from Auckland area one had the same name as me lol, karl,use had a mitzi van

Karl McDowell		Posted : Monday, 16 July 2012 10:26:02 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Nugget Groups: Registered Joined: 11/07/2010(UTC) Posts: 47 Location: Auckland Thanks: 13 times Was thanked: 39 time(s) in 29 post(s)		Originally Posted by: element111 karl mcdowell do you want to sell your pi machine i will pay cash for it if your are keen you can contact me on 0277469969 ,were you in Marlborough over Christmas i remember meeting up with a cupple of people who where dredging there claim from Auckland area one had the same name as me lol, karl,use had a mitzi van Nope not me you ran into (alas I didn't manage to spend much time golding over Xmas) in Marlborough. Sorry I'll be holding onto the Minelab for when my arm comes right!

nzpoohbear40		Posted : Monday, 16 July 2012 10:27:27 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 14/07/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,482 Location: Matura Thanks: 26 times Was thanked: 384 time(s) in 329 post(s)		Hi simon..the goldbugs we are talking about arnt the GB2 or the Gbpro..just the streght forward goldbugs that run at 19mhz...from all i have heard from graeme and matt they are working out great on gold for them...the GB2 is made just for gold and doesnt have the digital readout. The difference between the GB2 and the GB pro is once again the Gb2 is just for gold and runs at 72mhz the pro and the goldbug run at 19mhz and can pick up the tiniest of nuggets.. the Gb pro also has the digital readout and has discrimination...the Gb2 has no disc mode..just a switch to tune out iron.. Edited by user Monday, 16 July 2012 10:30:35 PM(UTC) \| Reason: Not specified
		Chris - Fisher Dealer http://www.puiakisupply.co.nz/

Karl McDowell		Posted : Monday, 16 July 2012 10:28:33 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Nugget Groups: Registered Joined: 11/07/2010(UTC) Posts: 47 Location: Auckland Thanks: 13 times Was thanked: 39 time(s) in 29 post(s)		Originally Posted by: Lammerlaw My son and I had a friend up at my place and the friend had a potter with my Goldbug and came back to tell me that it was making noises but there was no gold there. My son had already gone to the same spot with my MInelab or his Goldbug and detected something so scratched out the crack for a nice nugget. I went back with my cobber and my Goldbug to see what my cobber had found - it turned oiut to be the smallest piece of gold imaginable and my son had scratched it out of the crevice and into moss - it was tiny. I have also swung the Gold bug for three responses in one swing - every one of those responses was a small piece of Gold - I am thinking of getting a spare Goldbug - I just love them! The Goldbug is a grand machine and I for one am totally happy with mine. Thanks Lammerlaw - that sounds exactly like the kind of performance I am looking for.

Karl McDowell		Posted : Monday, 16 July 2012 10:41:01 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Nugget Groups: Registered Joined: 11/07/2010(UTC) Posts: 47 Location: Auckland Thanks: 13 times Was thanked: 39 time(s) in 29 post(s)		Originally Posted by: simon the gb2 can get gold pretty small. we had a bit that was .05. hard to see at that size. my mate has tested the gb2 and reckons 4 inchs is what you can be sure of covering in the ground around here. i guess if you were onto something big it will be more but being realistic the small stuff is the majority and at that size you are covering 4 inches of ground penetration. i'm unsure of the differences between the gb2 and the gb pro. would be interesting to see the 2 put thru some paces together. with some test gold and out in the field. Hi Simon - fyi I did happen across a YouTube video of a comparison test between the two (the guy had quite a cleverly designed test bed) which was informative, but seeing how a detector functions in real conditions is really hard to beat. Like detecting gold in a crack or crevice for example. Thanks for all the responses guys - they've helped to convince me the GB would make a worthy addition to my stable of detectors in the next wee while. Cheers KM Edited by user Monday, 16 July 2012 10:50:19 PM(UTC) \| Reason: Not specified

chrischch		Posted : Tuesday, 17 July 2012 12:30:36 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 28/08/2011(UTC) Posts: 811 Location: Christchurch Thanks: 192 times Was thanked: 105 time(s) in 104 post(s)		Whats the difference between a goldbug and the pro version?
		Fisher Goldbug Pro, Fisher F2, Garrett Propointer.

nzpoohbear40		Posted : Tuesday, 17 July 2012 8:49:24 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 14/07/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,482 Location: Matura Thanks: 26 times Was thanked: 384 time(s) in 329 post(s)		the pro has a software update from the GB..but other than that they are the exact same machine..
		Chris - Fisher Dealer http://www.puiakisupply.co.nz/

kiwijw		Posted : Tuesday, 17 July 2012 10:15:42 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 28/03/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,152 Thanks: 92 times Was thanked: 658 time(s) in 324 post(s)		Originally Posted by: Karl McDowell Now that tells a story. I wouldnt sell or trade my Minelab PI either. Especially for a VLF machine. That is for sure. Smallest piece I have found with my PI is .04 of a gram. That is pretty damn small in any bodies language. That was with a 5" X 10" mono coil. With the huge range of coils available for the minelab PI's depth can also be pretty massive. I found a little brass button about the size of a 5 cent piece at over 600mm deep. I was so sure it was going to be gold but alas it wasnt. That was with a 12" X 15" mono coil. What PI are you using Karl? Happy hunting JW :) Edited by user Tuesday, 17 July 2012 10:20:09 PM(UTC) \| Reason: Not specified

element111		Posted : Tuesday, 17 July 2012 10:37:31 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 2/12/2011(UTC) Posts: 114 Location: blenheim Thanks: 49 times Was thanked: 34 time(s) in 21 post(s)		yea iv been trying to find one for ages,looked at buying a new gpx5000 but seemed to dodgie buying in oz and in nz they are more expensive,soo anyone out there got a minelab pi detector i will buy off you

nzpoohbear40		Posted : Tuesday, 17 July 2012 11:46:18 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 14/07/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,482 Location: Matura Thanks: 26 times Was thanked: 384 time(s) in 329 post(s)		Hey JW what is 600mm deep in inches?.... with my goldbug i found one of those little clamp type things you find on the end or a breakline for a peddal bike (push bike) as you guys call them that go into the hand grip for putting the breaks on at about 8 inches deep... i was just learning the machine at the time and was very impressed at how tiny a thing i had found at such a depth...i mean this thing was very very small.. It was that small it would probably take four of them to make the size of a 5 cent piece. Edited by user Tuesday, 17 July 2012 11:47:38 PM(UTC) \| Reason: Not specified
		Chris - Fisher Dealer http://www.puiakisupply.co.nz/

kiwijw		Posted : Wednesday, 18 July 2012 7:56:53 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 28/03/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,152 Thanks: 92 times Was thanked: 658 time(s) in 324 post(s)		Originally Posted by: nzpoohbear40 Hey JW what is 600mm deep in inches?.... with my goldbug i found one of those little clamp type things you find on the end or a breakline for a peddal bike (push bike) as you guys call them that go into the hand grip for putting the breaks on at about 8 inches deep... i was just learning the machine at the time and was very impressed at how tiny a thing i had found at such a depth...i mean this thing was very very small.. It was that small it would probably take four of them to make the size of a 5 cent piece. Hi there poohbear, 600mm is about 24 inches (two feet) I know it was that depth as I put my pick handle down into the hole & it was slightly deeper than the length of my pick, which is 600mm Thats the button top right This is the pick Happy hunting JW :)

nzpoohbear40		Posted : Thursday, 19 July 2012 12:40:49 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 14/07/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,482 Location: Matura Thanks: 26 times Was thanked: 384 time(s) in 329 post(s)		wow that is some very nice gold you have there JW..would be happy with even finding one of them small pieces..lol
		Chris - Fisher Dealer http://www.puiakisupply.co.nz/

Karl McDowell		Posted : Friday, 3 August 2012 7:39:29 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Nugget Groups: Registered Joined: 11/07/2010(UTC) Posts: 47 Location: Auckland Thanks: 13 times Was thanked: 39 time(s) in 29 post(s)		Originally Posted by: kiwijw I wouldnt sell or trade my Minelab PI either. Especially for a VLF machine. That is for sure. Smallest piece I have found with my PI is .04 of a gram. That is pretty damn small in any bodies language. That was with a 5" X 10" mono coil. With the huge range of coils available for the minelab PI's depth can also be pretty massive. I found a little brass button about the size of a 5 cent piece at over 600mm deep. I was so sure it was going to be gold but alas it wasnt. That was with a 12" X 15" mono coil. What PI are you using Karl? Happy hunting JW :) Hi JW Sorry for the delay in replying - between work and a nasty bout of flu I haven't had much time or enthusiasm for hobbies during the past fortnight. Definitely wouldn't sell the PI (currently a Minelab GPX 4800) for all the reasons you describe, but as mentioned in a previous post weight is a factor at the moment and frankly there are some places where it's just a little too bulky to swing with ease. How about you - what PI are you wielding? Edited by user Friday, 3 August 2012 7:42:52 PM(UTC) \| Reason: Not specified

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