Gold Bug issue or not issue.??

[ronniecruisin]

Hi. All. Just went out to a different part of the farm ( more topsoilish) with the bug. I was able to achieve fairly smooth threshold up to around 75 gain with only occasionally being able to get a response from the coil tapping it with my hand. Gbalanced easily. In discrim mode gave good ids for a shotgun shell I think around 84 a 20cent coin 86 and a penny 92. Readings were rock steady. Soo was quite happy with those results. I think the Bug may be just a rattier machine than I'm used to. Especially on hotter ground. Think I'll stick to my TDI pro oz for most detecting. The bug seems to be very capable on coins. Very impressed with the break point discrimination ability. Simpler than the T2. I'll bung on the little round coil and try that next. See if its any better Than my last effort.

 

[Adrian ss]

The detector definitely should not sound off when the coil is bumped by hand. It might on occasion when whacked against a rock..I don'r recommend doing that with any detector.
The Bug is very sensitive so don't expect a threshold as smooth as a GPX or your TDI. As gain is cranked up above 75% it will get a bit chattery but targets are easily heard above that.
With the coil disconnected and tecta in All Met gain at max tones should start at approx 11 oclock on the threshold control and be loud at max gain.
Over hot ground the bug can be noisy untill ground balanced but even then if the ground is variable and loaded with hot rocks the machine will be noisy when scanning.
When this happens turn the gain down to 12 oclock or lower until a steadyish threshold is achieved.
In Disc mode with coil disconnected and gain at max the tecta should be silent.
Your TDI will be a lot smoother over hot ground than the bug but it is no where near as sensitive to small gold as the bug so long as you keep it ground balanced.

 

[ronniecruisin]

Hi. Adrian. Winding up the gain with no coil works pretty much as you say. As I slowly increase the threshold with NO coil when it starts to sound as each 5 on the increment scale is reached the volume increases. Eg. 5 rising till it hits 10. louder. 10 rising till it hits 11. Louder. etc.and so on hitting a sudden loud point each 5 increments. You don't notice this with a coil attached. I guess because of the chattering. Yesterday when it was playing up( hotter ground the big coil was sounding off even brushing grass. Maybe just running it too high on the gain. Be nice to be able to try another coil on it to see if it makes a difference. Might try to get the white elliptical some time when I can afford it. Regards... Ronnie.

 

[pinfire opals]

I could use both my coils nicely no falsing at all, when they were making the fake gmt they were putting in the whites security logo in machine battery box like original, one was taken to the whites shop in Victoria, and even they said it was one of the best coppies ever seen. Id be getting whites to check it all out to be 100 percent. Good luck with it.

 

[ronniecruisin]

Hi. Pinfire. Ya might be on the wrong train mate. Tis Fisher. Not Whites. :argh:

 

[pinfire opals]

Hi. Pinfire. Ya might be on the wrong train mate. Tis Fisher. Not Whites. :argh:

Good pick up mate yes fisher. :Y:

 

[ronniecruisin]

I'm thinking very doubtful its a fake. Can't remember without pulling it apart again but when I did I was surprised at the build date on the circuit board. It was quite early. Like around when they first came out with the digital version. Haven't seen any reference to fakes beyond around 2016 ( going backwards of course.) Also read a review from a guy with a lot of experience with the Bug. He never runs his past 75 gain max and usually sticks to about 12 o'clock on the dial. He reckons no depth is lost running it so. It seems as others have said here that the bug is super sensitive and a bit pernickity and needs to be run with less gain than some other machines. Except for the GMT I'm used to running other machines close to flat out and listening through the noise. Doing that with the bug is not possible. Not a pleasant sounding machine I have to say. Really impressed with the discrim though And the big screen is super good. layful:

 

[Adrian ss]

No way on Gods little earth should the bug sound off on wet grass.
Your machine has a problem and could be either coil or control box.

I agree that 12 oclock on the gain is fine but I have run mine at 100% over the dry beach sand and over my back yard test patch. The only reason I turn it down is if EMI is bad or I cannot achieve good ground balance. You need to get your hands on another genuine Fisher 11 inch GB Pro eliptical.

 

[ronniecruisin]

Thanks Adrian. Yes I'm personally thinking coil as I have said runs nice and smooth with no coil. I do have an opportunity to maybe try another coil from another owner nearby. The virus restrictions are making that difficult at the mo. But will do that when possible. One thing I find interesting though. This business of ground phase numbers scrolling in all metal. Some videos clearly showing the screen its not happening ie (showing a fixed number) and others showing same as mine ie (constantly scrolling numbers). What does yours do????. This is only in all metal mode. Discrim is a clean screen except when a target is found.

 

[Adrian ss]

Ground Phase can drift around if there is EMI about and while scanning depending on the variability of the ground
The most accurate Ground Phase reading is when you are ground balancing in all metal mode using the GG function. The reading is unlikely to be a rock steady reading if the ground is highly mineralised but when GB ing the ground phase should settle close to the ground balance reading after you release the GG button. There may be some small differences between the two readings. If there is a large diff then Ground balance has not been achieved.

Holding the detector motionless with the coil well above the ground and clear of all metal and if there is no EMI the Ground phase should be steady.

 

[ronniecruisin]

Ok. Yes. No problem at all ground balancing and I notice if the machine is pointed upwards the numbers still happen but much smaller ones teens and less. Sooo maybe there is a bit more Emi around this area. We are out in the sticks but just down the road from the Fosterville gold mine. They are huge now. Maybe its coming from them. Only a couple ks away.

 

[Adrian ss]

Took mine down to Pine Island where EMI is minimal and the GR PH still drifts around randomly so contrary to what i said previously, this seems to be normal.

 

[ronniecruisin]

Thanks for that Adrian. I thought I was going nuts. Going to give the bug a bit more of a run tomorrow. Check connections etc. Will report how it goes. Regards... Ronnie.

 

[ronniecruisin]

Well. There you go then.! Was looking through a few reviews of the bug pro and came across a reference to the pro ("Gives Continuous readouts of soil mineralization to provide useful info etc.") Pity the manual doesn't give the same clue! layful:

 

[ronniecruisin]

Oh. And on a side note On close inspection I notice my 5" round coil has a small crack on the bottom plate very slightly pushed in. It's had a bang at some stage. Wondering if moisture has got in and is the reason for the extreme ratty noises it makes. Might cut the seal and have a look see inside. Maybe able to fix it??????

 

[Adrian ss]

Well. There you go then.! Was looking through a few reviews of the bug pro and came across a reference to the pro ("Gives Continuous readouts of soil mineralization to provide useful info etc.") Pity the manual doesn't give the same clue! layful:

The most accurate Ground Phase reading is when ground balancing is complete.
The G/Phase reading changes while detecting as the minerals vary and when it is different to the gb reading it is time to gb again.

GROUND BALANCING
What is Ground Balancing?
Why do I need to Ground Balance?
All soils contain minerals. Signals from ground minerals are
often tens or hundreds of times stronger than a buried metal
object. The magnetism of iron minerals, found in nearly all soils,
causes one type of interfering signal. Dissolved mineral salts,
found in some soils, are electrically conductive, causing another
type of interfering signal.
Ground Balancing is the process by which the
metal detector cancels the unwanted signals
coming from the ground minerals while still detecting
the signals from buried metal objects. This is
accomplished by matching the detectors ground
balance setting to the phase of the ground signal.
When the detector is calibrated to the soil, the
result will be deeper target detection, quieter
operation, and more accurate target identification.
How to Ground Balance your detector:
Ground Balancing procedure with the GG touchpad.
1. Turn the detector on and set GAIN at the 12:00 position.
2. Click on the right knob to the ALL-METAL mode.
3. Rotate the THRESHOLD control knob to the point where you hear a slight
background hum.
4. Sweep searchcoil across the ground to find a clear patch of ground with
no metal present.
5. Press and hold the GG touch pad, and pump coil over the clean ground.
See illustration.
Pump coil from within 1 of ground to 6- 8 above ground.
6. When the GND PHASE settles down to only 1 or 2 numbers in variation,
release the GND GRAB button while still pumping the coil. Note that the
audio response to the ground changed and Evened Out when you
released the button. Also note that the GND BAL value changed. After
balancing, you can hunt in ALL-METAL... or return to Disc Mode.
The most accurate GND PHASE value is the value displayed when pumping
the searchcoil over the ground in an area free of metal.

 

[ronniecruisin]

Hi. Adrian. Yes. I have read the manual and I do understand how ground balance operates and if I had bought the machine brand new it certainly would have been fine. It's a well written manual. However consider this.! The Bug was purchased second hand through Gumtree and was doing some odd things that suggested a possible problem in the machine. Add to that the high possibility of it being a Fake and as we know they can be very difficult to spot.(if fact very little info is available to help in this) plus the aforementioned scrolling of phase numbers when the machine is kept totally still or the disconnected control box held in hand and still doing it plus having never seen this happen in countless VLF machines I've had in the past including the similar T2 made by the same company. Now add to that seeing utube vids of users some with the same thing. Others with rock steady numbers(not scrolling at all). Are the ones doing the same as mine Fakes??? And the others Real??? Sooo finding that review that had the magic word not featured in the manual (CONTINUOUS) was a revelation. Suddenly with that one simple word it was revealed that it was normal behavior for the Bug. Plus if that had been in the Manual it would've save you and me a lot of typing. layful: Stay Well and Happy. Regards.. Ronnie.

 

[Adrian ss]

No worries mate.
I hope you have as much success with the bug as I have. Granted I use it at the beach mainly but it does very well in the All Metal mode over the salt. I do not use the Disc mode much unless the ground is very quiet.

 

[ronniecruisin]

Thanks for that Adrian. I'll cut the seal on the small coil cover and have a look inside. That tiny crack in the bottom may have let some moisture in and might be the cause of it being so noisy. Don't know a lot about coils but if its been damp inside maybe the old hairdryer trick might fix it. If so Ill get a new cover for it. Best of luck to you too. Regards... Ronnie.

 

[Adrian ss]

I doubt that the crack if small would be of any concern. The coil housing is epoxy filled.

This Bug is probably a fake because there are errors in the specifications listings.
For instance it states that the detector operates at 7.5 kh and draws 50amps of current.and does not state the battery voltage. :N:
The tail of the R in Fisher at the top of the dial should have "Research Labs" printed in white above it. ....Although I am uncertain as to whether Fisher have stopped doing that.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Gold-Bu...e-scanner-with-5-and-10-coils/173975804420?ep
Also price is low for a new Bug Pro

The tail on the R Looks like this.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Fisher-...708879?hash=item342425130f:g:2LsAAOSwsyNear-t