Metal Detector advice $500 to $1500

[trekwithleena]

Great! The Garrett AT sounds good. How about the Whites GMT?

 

[Goldtarget]

Gold bug with waterproof coil, whites too, but here's the drawback. They will probably box the ears off the at and 705 on the gold (80% of your use right?) But struggle in the discrimination dept elsewhere. I would err on the side of the gold Hunters and dig alot of targets off the goldfields than know everything under the coil and miss gold. Remember the guys out there running around with the pi machines are the ones your up against to recover some yellow, so either buy a really great gold machine and leave the hunting for a separate machine later, or compromise and hope you get lucky. Couple to a few hundred will get you a brand spanking machine for the park, it can come later.

 

[trekwithleena]

Gold bug with waterproof coil, whites too, but here's the drawback. They will probably box the ears off the at and 705 on the gold (80% of your use right?) But struggle in the discrimination dept elsewhere. I would err on the side of the gold Hunters and dig alot of targets off the goldfields than know everything under the coil and miss gold.

Thanks you for the information Goldtarget. I wasn't clear on a few things you mentioned... Are you suggesting that a Fisher Gold Nugget or Whites GMT would be better than the AT or 705.... but I should consider getting a PI (like Minelab 3000)? If so, I would love to. BUT, I do have a budget, and $1000 is it. I completely understand a PI will give me depth, and be better out in the 'fields', but I'm thinking I might just stick to small towns, with nice streams to camp by.

 

[Twapster]

My opinion, 80% gold hunting means you want a Gold detector. You then need to ask what your expectations are re a $1k detector finding gold. My experience with the Xterra 70 (VLF) is that it will find metal other than gold at sensational depths. However it will only find a half gram nugget to approx. 3 inches using a 6inch DD waterproof coil. If you refine the settings you will find it a bit deeper however the noise of the machine on those settings may have you digging false targets every where you step. At that point you may feel like throwing the detector in the river. Price may be as low as $300 for a second hander.

I've seen some of the Minelab SD models close to 1k, and that's the sort of machine I would be recommending as a second hand viable gold finder, but not waterproof. A machine that is capable of finding bigger gold quite deep. My 2 cents worth.

 

[Teemore]

Now just need to wait for April to hit where the weather starts

To cool and will be heading Out to the triangle for some

Detecting.

Hi Wolfau,
How has your modded unit been going? Have been out with a bloke that uses a 3000 and thinking of stepping up myself in the near future just not sure as to just what as yet.
Have the gold gods been kind to you, is the machine running as well as expected?
Cheers Tom

 

[Guest]

Hi Tom,

Have been out a couple of times now and still getting my head around the machine.

At last outing had the volume set too high which should be I think around 9 or 10 o'clock position.

Bare in mind I am running Ismaels wireless battery and headphone system which has a built in amplifier.

Not too far away from understanding the machine though.

Hope to head out shortly.

Thanks

 

[Teemore]

Thanks,
Volume adjustment may be an interesting issue for me as I have a hearing problem and occasionally wear hearing aids so will be an interesting exercise.
Realise all machines take some time to get your head around, I'm sure that golden ping/whoop/blank or scream is just around the corner for you.
Cheers Tom

 

[Guest]

Thanks Tom.

I would be very happy if I have found no gold but have fully worked out my machine and understand the language it speaks.

Prior to this I briefly used an sd2200 but have owned about 7 VLF detectors.

Its not to far away and the only way to achieve this is by digging all targets checked with a vibraprobe 540.

I am hoping to get close to that stage once I put in another 6 hours plus of detecting time.

Have a good one.

 

[Twapster]

Sylar, id just like to add my 2 cents worth to the above topic for those that are doing some research on detectors and specifically GOLD detectors.

So far I have only seen a Pulse Induction detector as the "recommended gold" machine...doesn't matter how old it is, even the oldest can be modded to be up there close to the best.

Don't think that a VLF is at any time a general gold machine even if advertised as such. That's of course unless you think 3 inches is going deep....no pun intended.

I may get shot down with that comment but I have done my fair share of reading, given I have a VLF and realised its tops for anything else but gold, and I've just purchased an F1A4 cause I cant afford the bees knees. I wanted an SD but researched the F1 and a modded one is the same. Close to a GP3500 and that seems to be a pretty good gold machine.

Happy hunting!

 

[blaze16]

Looking at buying first detector. Will be going to a place that I'm more than likely only going to find small bits of gold. Would whites gmt be my best bet or something else. Budget of about $1500.

 

[Guest]

It depends really.

Whites have a pulse induction at less than $1300 and then they have the GMT which is vlf.

The PI will handle the hot ground better though.

If you need something more for gold fields then maybe a PI will do the trick such as the whites SPP.

If your looking for tiny bits of Gold then the whites GMT will do the trick which is a vlf or double your money and buy a used
Minelab SDC 2300 for around the $3000 plus mark.

I have ordered an XP Deus though and will be testing the Gold program in the gold fields and compare
it to a few other machines I use and to an area I tested the G2 at because I know how hot the ground is.

The XP is a vlf and people have found Gold with one. It also depends on how hot your ground is where
you plan on doing detecting. The price for one of those is on special for $1500 and it might be till end of today
or tomm and can be used as a coin shooter as well as is an excellent unmasker in iron.

http://www.prospectorspatch.com.au/...ay-Special-XP-DEUS-V3-%2d-With-22cm-Coil.html

 

[HeadsUp]

A friend asked me today what would be the best detector under $ 1000 for gold in central NSW.

any suggestions on the best options to compare ?

i recall that a year ago the Garret AT Gold was one of the better ones for the money , how about now , is there anything new in the market that could be better ?

 

[Goldpick]

I don't think there has been much in the "new" category on the market to crow about other than the Whites SPP which would be preferable over a vlf re mineralisation, and the usual smathering of GMT/MXT, x-terra 705, Goldbugs, Lobos and so on.

 

[slipped disc]

Minelab Explorer at $975 if any left.

 

[Goldpick]

The Explorer is no good for nugget shooting, not sensitive enough on the real small stuff, although at a bargain price for everything else.

 

[Guest]

I've seen a couple of used SPP's come up but for a couple of hundred more you can get a new machine. It's probably the best you're going to get for gold detecting at that price. Theres a lot of VLF's around the price that will find gold, like those mentioned above, but you will have to target the right areas as they will be next to useless in areas that are highly mineralised.
Other options would be used PI's like SD2000, SD2100, TDI etc.

 

[Ben78]

typed big post then lost it when I hit 'Post Reply' IOFHIEHIOFEWOIHEF#@)(U(#&754 @Nugget

TL;DR

Gold Bug Pro, cheap as chips secondhand, Phase reading is a super positive.

highly recommended.

 

[Nugget]

typed big post then lost it when I hit 'Post Reply' IOFHIEHIOFEWOIHEF#@)(U(#&754 @Nugget

 

[Twapster]

My F1A4 in stock condition was $600, maybe a little higher now as its becoming a real contender for gold hunters on a budget. Super quiet and stable PI, sounds just like a GPX......id have to put her up as a contender for a GOLD finder. Somewhere close to the SD2200 i'm led to believe, modded close to a GP3500 as Jack Lange says.

Unfortunately i'm a bit anti VLF in the gold fields, maybe there is a quiet one out there but I haven't used one. As previously posted I found a tiny piece of metal with the F1A4 that an AT pro didn't pick up over ground noise...the Minelab was super quiet with a sweet twang over the target, AT PRO was just a gargle of low background noise.

This is just my finding but was a real "out in the field" experience. Sure my Exterra 70 is magnificent in air tests and finds metal very deep, its just useless as soon as you get mineralised soil and dumbing it down makes it good for gold to about 2 or 3 inches only. The stock F1A4 needs no setting and quietly hunts and pings sweetly on real targets not ground noise and will ping the same gold at 6inches. Just my 2 cents!

 

[Ivansgarage]

F19 fisher why its the only one that will pass the ball point pen test.

If your MD will not detect a plastic ball point pen, ball.

Can't post the link video (rules) go to youtube and search.

7ejJMyWMZk8

Ivan