Gold Prospecting with a VLF Metal Detector - Free Book

[steve herschbach]

Gold Prospecting with a VLF Metal Detector

by Dave Johnson, Chief Designer, First Texas Products & Fisher Research Labs
Mar 2010 Edition

This is an excellent 56 page book available for download at the Fisher site at http://www.fisherlab.com/hobby/davejohnson/Dave'sGoldbook-reders.pdf Great for beginners and many little "nuggets" of information for those who have been at it for years. Author Dave Johnson had a hand in the design of most of the popular VLF nugget detectors introduced over the last 20 plus years. I very much appreciate Fisher allowing Dave an even hand when mentioning the competitions products. It reflects well on the company.

Steve Herschbach
DetectorProspector.com

 

[tvanwho]

I read it all on an hour at work last night. One thing I have never understand all these years tho. What exactly do they mean by Motion detector vs Non-motion?

-Tom V.

 

[steve herschbach]

A motion detector is constantly tuning and so needs to be in motion over the target to signal. If you just hold the coil over the target nothing happens. You have to wave the coil back and forth. Non-motion means you can hold over the target and get a steady signal. Most pinpoint modes are a non-motion mode.

Steve Herschbach

 

[tvanwho]

What exactly does the movement of the detector have to do with how/why it picks up a target vs the nonmotion machine? Whats going on inside the machine vs the ground? Of course, not knowing anything about detector electronics, this may be over my head?
Ps, am going to a spot in Indiana Sunday to mine with my mini highbanker.I eyeballed the spot 1st , where rusty junk was collecting on the creek bank next to a large gravel bar. There is a dried up creek channel there.Am hoping it has water in this time. My dowsing rods crossed repeatedly over the spot and I mapped out a 3 foot x 15 foot wide area to dig. Last time there, I got 2 colors in my 1st pan, then hit a gray clay layer about a foot deep that gets shallower as the bank gets more vertical. The dirt is filled with small pebbles and nails. I ended up with numerous fines, 2 small pickers, and a 1/4 inch square copper nugget after 6 hours of shoveling and grinding up the 1st couple inches of the clay in my classifier and gold pan.. Gold in Indiana tends to sit on top of this clay layer so you cannot ignore it. Sure hope 2 people and my Honda WX10 pump and hibanker can move more dirt and get more AU this time altho I have to split with a guy from work this time around. His first time doing any real gold digging with a machine or sluice.

-Tom

 

[steve herschbach]

bump

 

[tvanwho]

Sorry,

I have not been here for a bit but my father passed away Nov 9 and I had to make an emergency trip to Phoenix, Az.
Unfortunately, he died before I got to the hospital. To get my mind off the bad news, I went prospecting with a couple buddies out there.
We 4 wheeled over to Sheeps bridge on the Verde river. 2.5 hours to drive 34 miles, great scenery, rough roads with lots of hairpin turns.I climbed a mountain I had not been on since I was 13 years old.I chipped out some quartz samples to bring home and run thru my rock crusher. Even bought a Samsung WB150F camera to get some good pictures, replaces the one I drowned in the Wabash river this past July.
And we dug for gold in Rose creek up in Prescott valley, Az.Just got a few colors. The 5000 foot elevation got me all winded in a hurry.
I could not believe all the UNFILLED holes and craters up to 4 feet across in this privately owned creek bed, all made by gold seekers it seems!! No wonder the Forest service is clamping down on gold hunters!! And this was private land ,dunno why the land owner doesn't close this place down too?
I will post some photos later.

-Tom V.

 

[steve herschbach]

Hi Tom,

I am sorry to hear about your father. You have my sincere condolences.

StevevHerschbach

 

[parrott]

Steve... You have posted a great thread. Daves booklet is a great read. www.akmining.com is even honored on pg. 47
in Daves booklet.

 

[shelton7522]

Steve what about Doug Stone books?

 

[steve herschbach]

Good books, not free.

 

[shelton7522]

Yes I know. Last book cost almost 110$....

 

[Romanf]

Thanks much for the post, looking forward to reading this book. Thanks again.