New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

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Metal detector advice?

Reg		Posted : Wednesday, 26 October 2011 8:37:56 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Flake Groups: Registered Joined: 26/10/2011(UTC) Posts: 15 Location: Singapore Thanks: 8 times Was thanked: 1 time(s) in 1 post(s)		Hi, I already read the forums, but still I need some advice. Looking for a metal detector, would be nice if the detector: - has long battery life - finds other metals then only gold - is water resistant - of course not to expensive Where can I buy a detector? We start our trip in Christchurch. Thanx!
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rgmcbrid		Posted : Wednesday, 26 October 2011 9:17:57 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 3/06/2010(UTC) Posts: 583 Location: Southland Thanks: 23 times Was thanked: 180 time(s) in 140 post(s)		Well, in the spirit of shameless self promotion I am an hour from Christchurch and will happily sell you a detector: http://www.puiakisupply.co.nz/
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Reg		Posted : Wednesday, 26 October 2011 9:21:11 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Flake Groups: Registered Joined: 26/10/2011(UTC) Posts: 15 Location: Singapore Thanks: 8 times Was thanked: 1 time(s) in 1 post(s)		:-) Nothing wrong with some self promotion. :-) Thanx for the site. If you can give me some advise about the detectors? Would be welcome! Grz, Reg
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rgmcbrid		Posted : Wednesday, 26 October 2011 9:49:26 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 3/06/2010(UTC) Posts: 583 Location: Southland Thanks: 23 times Was thanked: 180 time(s) in 140 post(s)		Well it kind of comes down to what you are looking for and how much money you want to spend. If you are hunting gold it pays to get a detector designed for that purpose. With the Fisher detectors the Gold Bug is also a really good all around detector particularly with the big coil. The Gold Bug 2 isn’t, it excels at finding small nuggets but is not a good general use detector. With the other detectors it mostly boils down to the ability to identify targets. The inexpensive detectors like the F2 will find 95% of what the most expensive model will, but the F75 is really slick about pulling good targets out of a sea of junk and separating targets right next to each other. The higher end models have more features but it all basically boils down to better discrimination.
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nzpoohbear40		Posted : Wednesday, 26 October 2011 9:51:17 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)		As you are looking for a detector that will do gold and coins/relics and not to exspensive i would suggests the goldbug off rgmcbrid..it is very well priced and is great for both....also you can put the coil in the water as they are waterproof...just DONT put the computer unit in the water..lol.. I have the goldbug and know that it is good for coins and what not...i personally havnt found any gold with it yet as i havnt been in gold country with it..but robert found a small nugget with it when he was down in southland..and 1864hatter has found some good gold with his goldbug. Cheers Chris
		Chris - Fisher Dealer http://www.puiakisupply.co.nz/

Reg		Posted : Wednesday, 26 October 2011 9:55:08 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Flake Groups: Registered Joined: 26/10/2011(UTC) Posts: 15 Location: Singapore Thanks: 8 times Was thanked: 1 time(s) in 1 post(s)		Thanx rgmcbrid. F2 is pretty popular. I read some forum topics about that one. Of course the expensive models should be better.... but then first I have to find me some gold... ;-)
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nzpoohbear40		Posted : Wednesday, 26 October 2011 11:26:26 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 reg...yes the F2 is a popular machine and the cheapest in the fisher line...but if you are plaining on hunting gold as well as coins again i would say go with the goldbug as it is a gold machine that does great for coins with the 11DD coil. The F2 will probably find gold but isnt designed for it and may not handle the hot rocks like the goldbug would do. Cheers Chris
		Chris - Fisher Dealer http://www.puiakisupply.co.nz/

Reg		Posted : Wednesday, 26 October 2011 11:37:56 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Flake Groups: Registered Joined: 26/10/2011(UTC) Posts: 15 Location: Singapore Thanks: 8 times Was thanked: 1 time(s) in 1 post(s)		Thanx nzpoohbear40, I shure will take a look at the Goldbug! Man, really looking forward to take a shot! :-)
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nzpoohbear40		Posted : Thursday, 27 October 2011 12:27:00 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)		look me up when your in Christchurch..maybe hit a local park to detect in.
		Chris - Fisher Dealer http://www.puiakisupply.co.nz/

Goldnut		Posted : Thursday, 27 October 2011 10:22:53 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 2/08/2011(UTC) Posts: 461 Location: Auckland Thanks: 48 times Was thanked: 95 time(s) in 92 post(s)		Originally Posted by: rgmcbrid Well, in the spirit of shameless self promotion I am an hour from Christchurch and will happily sell you a detector: http://www.puiakisupply.co.nz/ Do you sell coils too?
		Fisher F2 11DD coil, Garrett Pro-Pointer ----> My Blog: http://goldnut.blogspot.co.nz
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rgmcbrid		Posted : Thursday, 27 October 2011 11:20:36 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 3/06/2010(UTC) Posts: 583 Location: Southland Thanks: 23 times Was thanked: 180 time(s) in 140 post(s)		The only coils I keep in stock are the 11" DD coils for the Gold Bug which comes with a 5" coil. I can get other coils but I am honestly not sure if I could get you a better deal or not. When I order detectors I get heaps of them at a time and it cuts way down on the freight, but I am not sure about ordering a single coil. What are you looking for? It wouldn't hurt to do the math.
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Goldnut		Posted : Thursday, 27 October 2011 12:05:44 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 2/08/2011(UTC) Posts: 461 Location: Auckland Thanks: 48 times Was thanked: 95 time(s) in 92 post(s)		well just the 8" 6" or 10" one. I have heard that the DD might not work the best in some spots so would love to be prepared...
		Fisher F2 11DD coil, Garrett Pro-Pointer ----> My Blog: http://goldnut.blogspot.co.nz
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Reg		Posted : Thursday, 27 October 2011 2:48:09 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Flake Groups: Registered Joined: 26/10/2011(UTC) Posts: 15 Location: Singapore Thanks: 8 times Was thanked: 1 time(s) in 1 post(s)		What are the advantages of bigger coils? Only that you search deeper? Grz, Reg
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Shilo		Posted : Thursday, 27 October 2011 6:11:41 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 29/01/2011(UTC) Posts: 573 Location: Kawhia Thanks: 17 times Was thanked: 285 time(s) in 185 post(s)		Originally Posted by: Reg What are the advantages of bigger coils? Only that you search deeper? Grz, Reg You can cover a lot more ground quickly since it has a larger spread and with some types of detecting the more ground you can cover the more finds you will make (for example searching a beach). The also do generally go deeper. But because they cover so much ground area and at any one time they can also register more targets at once then a small coil. This means that if there is a for example a bottle capl near a gold nugget then you will most likely only hear the bottle cap and miss picking up the nugget (the nugget is "masked"). A small coil is the opposite and although hunting is much more slower and you are only concentrating on a small area each time, the chance of a find being masked is halved. But of course it doesn't go as deep. The small coil also has the advantage of being able to get in amongst crevices, around boulders, scrub etc without getting hung up all the time. They are also lighter and thus less tiring when swinging all day. Ideally a large 10" to 12" coil and a small 5" is best as this means you can just change coils for the area you plan to hunt.
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Reg		Posted : Thursday, 27 October 2011 6:19:03 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Flake Groups: Registered Joined: 26/10/2011(UTC) Posts: 15 Location: Singapore Thanks: 8 times Was thanked: 1 time(s) in 1 post(s)		Thanx Shilo! Very good information. On internet I find detectors for sale with 2 coils. Make sence now! Grz, Reg
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Goldnut		Posted : Friday, 28 October 2011 10:56:22 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 2/08/2011(UTC) Posts: 461 Location: Auckland Thanks: 48 times Was thanked: 95 time(s) in 92 post(s)		As for the masking of objects, there are some detectors that deal with the problem better than others. I checked out a vid on youtube which compared the f2 with the garrett 350 and the f2 was able to "see" through the iron and target the coin... also i saw something about the DD coils that they have a narrower field and can better pick up individual targets when several targets are close by... I have not tried this yet as my f2 11" DD is still on its way but that is the main reason I chose the f2 over the 350. Can anyone confirm this? It is just what I have heard... also the vid is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syqBp4bEZUQ
		Fisher F2 11DD coil, Garrett Pro-Pointer ----> My Blog: http://goldnut.blogspot.co.nz
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Metal Kiwi		Posted : Friday, 28 October 2011 12:29:09 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 19/06/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,210 Location: Auckland Thanks: 498 times Was thanked: 484 time(s) in 322 post(s)		Hi Goldnut, After about 6 months of learning how to drive my E Trac I am now finding that the DD coil can be amazingly precise at picking out a worthwhile target in the trash. I suppose some of the credit must go to the on board software but the coil has to see it first. Slow n low is also important for best results. HH Chris.
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rgmcbrid		Posted : Wednesday, 2 November 2011 2:04:57 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 3/06/2010(UTC) Posts: 583 Location: Southland Thanks: 23 times Was thanked: 180 time(s) in 140 post(s)		I think response speed has a lot to do with picking out targets that are close together. My detector for example is supper fast, you literally can't swing it too fast and the faster you go the better it id's the target. When out detecting with Poohbear I have on occasion picked out two targets where his detector was only reporting one. We both use 11" DD coils; my machine is just a bit faster.
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Shilo		Posted : Wednesday, 2 November 2011 6:04:32 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 29/01/2011(UTC) Posts: 573 Location: Kawhia Thanks: 17 times Was thanked: 285 time(s) in 185 post(s)		The following are the variances concerning target separation that I'm slowly (very very slowly) learning about: Coil size: Smaller coil means more detail can be picked up but at a shallower depth Coil type: A DD coil can be likened to a wiper blade - a DD's thin blade will pick up targets close together while a concentric coil picks up more of the trash surrounding the target. Recovery Delay: Response speed - a faster response speed means a tone will sound out sooner when it comes up to a target (and will pick up targets side by side). But too fast means you will miss some small deep targets. CPU processing power has a lot to do with this as well. Sweep Speed: Go low and slow and the detector has a chance to analysis each target, but takes longer to cover any ground. Ground Filter: How the detector responds to changing ground. Slow response = uniform change, fast response= metal target. A detector set with a high filter will miss any subtle change in the ground that could be a small deep target but a low filter may not pick up targets close together unless the other variances are changed to match. All the above are connected in some form to each other, thus if the detector has a slow recovery delay you don't want to use a fast sweep speed (i.e. I think this applies to the Etrac). Or if the machine has a high filter programmed in then it is no use sweeping slowly as the targets won't sound off. The coil is an accessory change to the detector but the other variances are programmed into the detector. Depending on the make / model some allow you to change these settings - but that adds to the complexity of going hunting (the V3i is not a beep dig detector!). Other detectors have them fixed and is the reason why Sweep Speed is so important to be matched to your detector where you are hunting, it maybe the only variable that you can control when hunting. There are probably more variances for target separation then above - but as I said I'm only learning slowly......
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rgmcbrid		Posted : Wednesday, 2 November 2011 6:28:24 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 3/06/2010(UTC) Posts: 583 Location: Southland Thanks: 23 times Was thanked: 180 time(s) in 140 post(s)		Interesting post Shilo. My detector has several programs that you can choose from that I assume are variations on the variables you list. To clarify what I said about speed; when sweeping at a moderate speed with my detector a bottle cap for example will sometimes give a pretty solid signal even in discrimination mode. Swing fast over it and it gets weaker and more erratic or disappears. A coin won’t do that, sweep as fast as you can over a 2 cent and it will give a good solid response. So when I find a target I sweep fast to see what happens. Small deep targets are another story; they can sometimes be lost with a fast sweep. NZ three pence are the perfect example; they are usually fairly deep and give a weak signal that greatly resembles a pull tab. So my solution is to dig deep weak signals that resemble pull tabs.
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