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Gold Bug 2 Help Needed

Hi Sam,

What the heck are you talking about?

The Gold Bug 2 does not "grunt". In iron disc mode it either totally ignores iron/steel/hot rocks or at most "pops" or "clicks" on them if the unit is run hot. The iron disc is designed to simply ignore undesired items.

"Grunt" is a term many people use to refer to the White's Goldmaster or GMT series of units that either "beep" or "grunt". The grunt being iron/steel/hot rock.

I've owned the Gold Bug 2 since the day it came out as well as the Goldmasters, and others besides. I'm fairly familiar with them. What you describe does not fit.

I love this: "With or without the loop being attached". You get a signal without the loop being attached? Exactly how are you doing this? And then "Any size, style, or make of loop attached". Make? What other make did you try? Nobody makes GB2 coils but Fisher.

Steve Herschbach
 
Thanks for the reply Steve.

The GB2 unit in the group that does work will make no sound over gold when engaged in iron discriminate mode. The other 3 units will sound over gold and then "sound" over gold in "Iron Discriminate" mode. They will make exactly the same discriminator sound in exactly the same situation when the loop is disconnected.

The problem has little to do with the loops or the situation, it is essentially the circuit's inability to discriminate under any conditions, and to make a sound under all conditions in discriminate mode.. It doesn't ignore anything in discrimination mode; it clicks, pops, or grunts on everything.

And yes, I understand you are familiar with the units, I've read most every update and recommendation you've made on ther Alaska venue, and no, it does not fit, yet that is what they are doing.

On the signal with no loop attached issue: I'm not getting a signal obviously, nor did I claim I was, but I still get the sound.

Any Ideas?

Sam
 
Allow me to clarify the sound the unit is making. It is the equivalent of an electronic rattle, a predictible monotone sound produced by movement. I was unclear as to what Steve meant by "run hot", but I changed locations several times and found the least mineralized ground I could with the MXT, and the GB2 responded the same. I placed a ferrite choke on the loop coaxial cable with no improvement.

Bottom line: When you pick up any of these units, except one, you will get the "electronic rattle" with every movement when the unit is in Iron Discriminator mode.

Could any of you run that test? We suspect a small run of detectors had an issue that got by QC.

Put a nugget on the ground and see if the Iron Discriminator remains silent when engaged. If you don't have a nugget, try a pull tab.

Please send a PM with results, or publish here if you like.

Sam
 
Hi Sam,

You say "The GB2 unit in the group that does work will make no sound over gold when engaged in iron discriminate mode. The other 3 units will sound over gold and then "sound" over gold in "Iron Discriminate" mode".

You have it backwards. The unit that is making no sound over gold in iron disc mode is not working. The iron disc mode is supposed to reject iron and still pick up gold.

Steve Herschbach
 
Hi guys, I'm new to the forum. I love my Gold Bug II, I've had it for a couple of years and found dozens of specimens in quartz, but I know what Sam is talking about. I recently asked Fisher for help.

I get the quick beep (click/pop) in Iron disc mode no matter where I'm aiming it. This occurred about two months ago at my home. I though I had some kind of interference but have since taken it out several places with the same result. It appears to be working fine in normal mode, but in iron disc mode I get this random sound that the unit normally makes (call it a beep, pop, click) that should not happen unless you are scanning something non-iron or very big iron. (correct)

The sound comes randomly but, at least every 2 second. If you are moving it, even toward the sky, it will sound off.

Sam says it will even sound off if the coil is disconnected. I haven't tried that. :unsure:

Anyone else with this issue.
 
I really don't know how the thing is suppose to sound, or when, because it makes the same sounds all the time, no matter where, no matter when, ond over no matter what. It simply does not discriminate.

I clearly have not described this as well as I should have. I am baffled and confused as to how any discriminating circuit will work if it cannot tell iron from gold, and mine can't.
 
Hi,

Try adjusting the threshold control while in iron disc. Iron disc is a "silent search" mode with no threshold, but the threshold control does indeed affect it. With the threshold turned all the way up the iron disc mode is "supercharged" in that it will get more depth, but it will also tend to randomly pop or click. These pops and clicks do not sound like a good target and so are simply ignored. Turning the threshold control down should reduce the random pops and clicks, although iron, steel, or hot rocks may still produce such sounds.

Steve Herschbach
 
Okay Steve, I'll try that tomorrow after I get more batteries. That makes sense in that something was unstable in the circuit, that may be the culprit!!!
 
Let me see if i have this right......In iron dis mode your detector will sound off over a nugget,witch it should as its not dis.out any iron and as gold is not iron it should have no effect
on the gold... But it will also hit over an iron target that it SHOULD HAVE discrimanated out? is that right?
 
I've had a lot of help actually describing the problem. Once I actually get it accurately described, the problem will likely solve itself.

Lets' try the following scenario:

I'm detecting in a placer pit at a local commercial gold mine, there are also gold laden quartz stringers through-out the pit. I get a signal on a stringer and recheck it in Iron Descrimanating Mode. It could have been a nail, but the ID nulled it out and in the background was a small sound. Dig dig dig...small iron rivit. The spurious sounds, pops, squeaks caused by the ID circuit fool me into thinking something is under, or near, the nulled out sound. So the iron is nulled out, but the bonus pops, sounds, and squeaks tell me there really is something other than iron in the hole, but there isn't..

I thought they all of the worked like that until one guy ran the same scenario with his GB. His signaled metal, but the detector was utterly quiet when switched into ID. He could tell the object was iron, and walked away, I could not.


I just made it worse, right?
 
Hi Sam, Steve, and others:

I'm following along with this and will add what I know.

My GB2 instruction book states that there will be some noise in iron disc mode. My own belief is that since there is no threshold hum in this mode it helps to remind me the unit is actually working ( no proof just my opinion).

I place a gold sample on a clean patch of ground and throw a few UC coins and a nail and washer or two in the mix. As I sweep each target in Iron disc the occasional pop and crackle can be heard until I pass over a good target, then I get the unmistakable tone of a good target. As I pass the 4x6 coil over iron all goes quiet, nulls out all sound. Once the coil has completed the pass the pops and cracks return. I just consider it an Iron Disc threshold.

Don't know if this helps any but at least there is no charge.

Ray
 
Sam,I bought a used Gold Bug 2 a couple of years ago and the detector was acting very erratic.Out of desperation I took the cover off and checked for lose wires.There is a small ceramic plug with two prongs that was almost completely unplugged.I plugged this two prong plug in and it worked fine.I would guess other GB 2s could have this same problem. HH Ron
 
Maybe we have made some progress.

I spoke with the engineers at Fisher and we have eliminated a few issues:

1. Since the antenna (loop) terminal would be an open circuit upon disconnect, it would be possible for a spurious signal to reach the receiver. So while it makes a noise while disconnected, I can readily see that this isn
 
Hi Sam,

If your unit is just sounding off continually in iron disc mode then the units are probably defective. A problem with electrical interference maybe? Or does it happen no matter where you are.

Sad th hear that the engineers are less familier with the operating characteristics than I am. The threshold does indeed have an effect on target response in iron disc mode. And when "supercharged" by jacking up the threshold in iron disc mode pops and clicks are common when sweeping the ground. We used that trick all the time at Ganes Creek. Used to drive other people nearby nuts listening to it. But it is not normal to have lots of pops and clicks when set normally at a quiet threshold level.

Steve Herschbach
 
Steve, the issue came up when I asked a guy at a local commercial operation to show me how to use the GB2 to find specimins and nuggets. The demonstration went very well, but I could not replicate it with my GB2 independently. So the owner of the mine took my GB2 and worked with it and said "yours isn't working" and picked up the GB2 of a friend and went off with it. He showed up 5 minutes later and said that one was wacky also. Then he went to the office and picked up a brand new one and it did the same thing. First thing, then another, then we have an epidemic. Couple that with my inability to explain the situation and you have our present difficulty.

My problem is that I don't want to send it to Fisher because I have $ for a MD-20 you quoted, and that will eat into that fund.

I tried to get into the control box, but I have no clue how to open it. When the detector, or any part of the detector changes directions, I get the little pop.

I backed the thresh hold to 0 and the ID got quieter, at 100% it was much rattier. I wonder if the potentiometer is defective? In any event, the ID and thresh hold are not exactly independent, at least not on this one.

Interestingly, when I called Fisher yesterday, Engineering was monitoring the forum. Hi Dave, Daniel, and Frank.
 
Hi Sam,

I think your unit is bad. If you want warranty repairs, do not open the unit up and start tinkering with it. Best bet is to get itback to Fisher.

Steve Herschbach
 
[size=x-large]I'll take Fisher Detectors for $100 Alex.


Answer:26 units to date[/size]

Question: What is the current count of known Gold Bug 2's with the same problem as described in this thread?

Normally, I would be the first one to send my unit for repair, but I believe Fisher can go to the warehouse and pick any of the new ones being sold and replicate what is going on with mine. The reports vary from my discriminator issues, to reduced sensitivity, to hyper radio frequency interference.
 
I took my GBII for a spin this weekend. It still has a crackle in ID mode, but when I ran it over a gold flake in ID mode, it made the distinctive "beep" ALMOST every time. When I ran it over a tiny peice of iron - just more crackle/pop.

So, it works! MOSTLY. I think I have found the problem. There's Rice Krispies in the circuit. :surprised:

RCT.jpg
 
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