Ok, so I have been hearing all sorts of great things about how good the gold bug is in trash, and am thinking of buying one for relic hunting to compliment my T2 ltd. My qestion is WHICH gold bug do I need? It sounds like there are a few different models and id love to know which model i need to look for.
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Gold bug question...
- Thread starter MIG73
- Start date
sgoss66
Well-known member
Old "Gold Bug 2?" NO. This is basically a gold-prospecting ONLY unit, designed to find even tiny flakes of gold. You would likely want either the new Gold Bug Pro, or G2 -- same machines, different cosmetics. There are a few versions of Gold Bug Pro out there, a couple of older-software-release prototype-type versions, and then the current version, but as a relic hunter you are probably OK with any of the versions. There are minor differences; I think some of the prototypes are VCO, some older ones non-VCO, if I'm not mistaken...but the units produced within the past year or so are all the same, if I'm not mistaken. Unless you are buying an older, used unit (or one from the national sporting good chain that sells what I think may be a slightly stripped-down model), then you'll be fine. Even one of the older models (or that sporting good chain model) would still be a good unit though, from what I understand. If you are buying a brand-new, new-stock unit, you have three choices -- a Fisher Gold Bug Pro (comes stock with 5" DD coil and thus geared toward gold prospectors), a Fisher Gold Bug "DP" (simply a Gold Bug Pro but comes stock with the 11" DD coil, with the 5" available for purchase as an accessory), or the Teknetics G2 (it is simply a Gold Bug "DP" -- the G2 also comes with the 11" DD coil as its stock coil -- but with slightly different cosmetics, and a different handle configuration as compared to the Gold Bug Pro).
I hope this helps you out; if you were wanting to know specific differences between the earlier versions of Gold Bug Pro, then there are some old threads here that you could do a search on, or -- if you ask more specific questions about the differences, I'm sure someone could chime in and help you out. I know some use this unit as a relic hunter, with 11" DD coil, with really good success...
Steve
I hope this helps you out; if you were wanting to know specific differences between the earlier versions of Gold Bug Pro, then there are some old threads here that you could do a search on, or -- if you ask more specific questions about the differences, I'm sure someone could chime in and help you out. I know some use this unit as a relic hunter, with 11" DD coil, with really good success...
Steve
Big Boys Hobbies
Well-known member
Go for the Pro! Its only one with dual processors. It recovers very well in iron and is CRAZY how quite it runs! They handle iron that any machine I have used.
Holler if you have more specific questions or need better pricing options. Thanks, Bart.
Holler if you have more specific questions or need better pricing options. Thanks, Bart.
My gold bug pro runs amazing in iron infested area's.It handles mineralized soil awesome.Just found my first nugget with it and its rather small(just over match head).This was in shist and the shist is infested with Iron pyrite.I prospect as much as I can and enjoy relics as much or if not more than finding gold.This machine allows me to search gold camps/cabins for relics and still allow me to find tiny nuggets also.The disc mode is fast and sensative,Small nuggets will still react like iron but the little larger ones do not.
The one gold camp I search is horrible for iron trash.So much that only one metal detector guy i know can handle using his goldbug2 there.I am glad its a lesser known machine it allows me to find masked tarets that other's cannot.You will be surprised also on the depth this machine can get with the 5" coil.You can use it in places with alot of EMI.
The only down side I find is the depth on silver coins but Its still better than alot of machines I have owned still hits 8" or so on older coins from what I have read from other posts.(with 5" coil!)
It is a bit hard on battery's.My tesoro vaquero ran alot longer than the goldbugpro but it also has no display.
It picks up clad coins ok,surprised at how well it will read clad canadian coins.Alot of machines will not even pick them up in disc mode.
For the price its one of the best out there-for iron infested area's it is the best hands down.I would go for the gold bug pro if you have a t2,which is also good in iron, is it not?
The 5" coil will do alot better with target seperation.
The one gold camp I search is horrible for iron trash.So much that only one metal detector guy i know can handle using his goldbug2 there.I am glad its a lesser known machine it allows me to find masked tarets that other's cannot.You will be surprised also on the depth this machine can get with the 5" coil.You can use it in places with alot of EMI.
The only down side I find is the depth on silver coins but Its still better than alot of machines I have owned still hits 8" or so on older coins from what I have read from other posts.(with 5" coil!)
It is a bit hard on battery's.My tesoro vaquero ran alot longer than the goldbugpro but it also has no display.
It picks up clad coins ok,surprised at how well it will read clad canadian coins.Alot of machines will not even pick them up in disc mode.
For the price its one of the best out there-for iron infested area's it is the best hands down.I would go for the gold bug pro if you have a t2,which is also good in iron, is it not?
The 5" coil will do alot better with target seperation.
Have you hunted in trash very much? If so, which model and coil were you using, as well as settings?MIG73 said:
If you have a T22, and if you work the 5" DD coil, (similar to the 5" DD for the G2 and Gold Bug Pro) you can have very similar performance. I have compared them using the 1+ and 2+ Tone ID settings on the T2 and it does very well. The 2 will also hit a bit better and a bit deeper on the higher-conductive coins (silver and copper) than the G2 or Gold Bug Pro models.
Most of the Gold Bug Pro models will work fine. Not the 'original' Gold Bug or Gold Bug II prospecting units, but the newer Fisher Gold Bug Pro (w/5" DD standard), the Fisher Gold Bug DP (w/11" DD coil standard) or the Teknetics G2 (w/11" DD standard). I prefer the G2 mainly because it uses the same grip that is found on the T2 and, and the grip/rod combo used on the Teknetics Omega.MIG73 said:
Find a dealer or a nearby hobbyists using a Gold Bug Pro or G2 and compare them with your T2 to get an idea if they will offer you anything in improved or better performance. Also, consider the types of sites you hunt and the versatility of a full-range acceptance in the Discriminate mode. I hunt a lot of higher mineralized freshwater beaches, as well as in pea gravel and also old homesteads where I encounter a lot of flattish rocks (about 2" thick or so) that were used for a wall or chimney.
In those conditions I like to hunt with a model that provides a full-range, all metal acceptance in the Discriminate mode. I have enjoyed that performance with the White's XL Pro, Classic III SL, IDX Pro, Tesoro Eldorado and even the Tej