Golden - a day of lost and found

[dahut]

I got my second Golden out today for an hour, to a local park. I like this little park and am familiar with it. It is a good place to take a new detector. After just a few minutes, I was pleased to recall why I liked the Golden.

My first lesson was that it is deeper than one may think - and seems to hit deeper on good targets than you are prepared for. I was at half SENS and pulling targets from 6" or so with no trouble. This was without hyper tuning, either. Threshold just humming along. I know, that isn't any sort of depth record, but it is plenty good. Remember, that is coupled with great discrimination and there was still plenty of reserve if needed.

There is just something I like about the tones on the Golden, too. I found a couple of copper cents that gave only iffy little tones, raggedy and sort of trying to drop out of the high range. I could tell they weren't on the surface, but were down a ways. But they steadily hinted with that high tone, persistently calling.
I learned a long time ago that when the Golden gives a small, high tone, you should recover the target.

I also found a scad of buried aluminum cans. These things would signal with a high tone, too, but they were LOUD! I could still get a solid tone on them just about as high as I could swing the coil above the surface. All of them were beer cans, the majority being Budweiser brand. I don't recall finding so many there in the past and dont know why they were there, but there sure was a buttox load of them. Goes to show, you never can tell.

Here's part of the trash pile. I left some of the junk in the trash can before the pic was snapped - -

[attachment 112027 DSCF0043.JPG]

Here are the gleanings. There was a wheat cent in there, but it came up missing at picture time - -

[attachment 112028 DSCF0044.JPG]

- You'll notice a ring off to the left. Sadly, it is an Avon cosmetic piece and not gold. All my hopes of a Golden goody were lost when I got a good look at it.
Curses be on you, Avon!

Speaking of losses, I also lost my probe, which is probably still at the park. It is a homeade job and I've had if for years. I could make another, but it wouldn't be the same. I'll go back tomorrow and look for it. Wouldn't want some poor soccer mom to find it and have a heart attack.
Also when I got there and got geared up, I found I had no audio in my phones! The speaker was working, but nothng was coming to my headset. SO back home I went. I got the Golden apart and discovered a broken wire on the circuit board, leading to the audio jack, as I suspected.

Ah well, all's well that ends well. I got a Golden again - and I won't be selling this one!

 

[pulltab]

i thought about thr golden when I got my Vaquero.
but a good deal came with the "V" so I took it.
Still learning the V but like it more with each hunt.
still wonder about the Golden from time to time

 

[dahut]

I thought about the golden when I got my Vaquero. But a good deal came with the "V" so I took it.
Still learning the V but like it more with each hunt. Still wonder about the Golden from time to time

I have both, and have used both for some time.
In my eyes there is little comparison, aside from the obvious uMax similarities.

The Vaquero is beep-dig. It beeps and you dig, depending on your DISC setting.
You can twiddle the DISC knob if you want to use it as a TID range detector, which adds a bit of versatility.
There is some minor sublety to the single tone, but hardly what everyone tries to make of it. Most of that is wishful thinking, IMO.

You use the DISC to ID anything with the V.

But, it's claim to fame is raw depth power in a smooth, lightweight package. It delivers that, in spades.

The Golden, on the other hand, offers a symphony of tonal response by comparison. It can be a little off-putting for those accustomed to monotone audio... or even two or three tone audio. It took me a while to get used to it, and I have a musicians ear.

But between the tones and the expanded notch, you can isolate almost any sort of metallic item before digging with just a few controls. Once you get to know the trash signature of a site or type of site, this can be a boon and add greater hunt efficiency.
The Golden doesn't have the depth of the V, though, as it has the earlier uMax circuitry. Now, it no depth slouch, and it hits strongly on good targets at surprising depths. That nickle shown above was kinda scary - I was onto my third scoop of dirt with my Wilcox 102 when it came to light. Some detectors seem to work better in the dirt than on the bench. The Golden is one of those. But it is starting to get a little long in the tooth.

What I would like is for Tesoro to upgrade the Golden. Keep the tones and notch circuit, but overlay these onto the Vaquero platform - and add a mode trigger.

- Trigger center position is for normal DISC mode hunting.
- Trigger pulled towards you and you enter all metal,VCO pinpoint mode.
- Trigger pushed away from you and you lock into the VCO all metal.
Essentially this moves the current Golden mode switch to the trigger position.

- Move the freq switch to the lower left side of the face plate.
- The battery check could be done at power on, like they used to do on the older models.

Finally, add the ground balance as a small panel mount, single turn pot in the top of the battery compartment. There is just enough room.
If you used the old, underslung Golden or Silver Sabre II's, you'll remember the threshold control protruding from the rear of the control housing. Same idea here.
Since this control doesn't need to be adjusted all that much in most use, it could be tucked above the battery box within finger-tip reach should it be needed.
The trimmer used to set the GB by the factory is a single turn pot, and you can get small, 300 degree rotation single turn precision pots which should fit in the space above the battery.

All of this would take advantage of existing line items, so no real "development" would be needed. This would give you the mode switching, depth and GB versatility of the V or Tejon, with the tone ID and notch of the Golden.

Call it the "Golden Sabre uMax" and I'd get in line to buy one.

 

[Pap]

Glad to see you are getting out. I've become an "insider" since the cold temps have surrounded this area. Gotta love that Golden though!
Pap

 

[Mike Hillis]

Glad to see you are getting re-aquainted

I can tell you are bit rusty cause you got too much trash in that picture

HH

Mike

 

[Uncle Willy]

Yeah wish I still had one of the several I owned from when they first came out. I may break down and pick another one up some day. I found a lot of rings with mine.

Bill

 

[dahut]

Glad to see you are getting re-aquainted

I can tell you are bit rusty cause you got too much trash in that picture
HH
Mike

Im mostly a digger. Mike. I use the tones mostly to get an idea of the target range. But if it isnt obvious from what I can deduce - I dig.
But, you are not far off. Much of the trash you see was re-aquaintance trash... when in doubt, dig it out.

 

[tabdog]

I'm a digger also.

Every time I go to a site, I just have to dabble with tha trash.
I look at it like having a handle on tha trash in that particular
environment. Trash is a close cousin to gold sometimes.

Then I may discriminate more trash. But, I hunt with no disc,
or just low foil at tha most. Then I thumb. I usually hunt in all
metal.

You would be surprised what that can tell you with tha V.
It may not be tha beep & dig you think it is.

That's why thay put tha AM switch on tha disc knob. When
I get a good target in AM, my next move is to thumb. Very
convenient for my likes.

Just a thought. What ever that's worth???

We are all different. I'm a single tone guy, until sompum else
strikes my fancy.

But I do have one exception. Please forgive me oh God of

Single Tones, My Euro has two tones.

Maybe I will be forgiven......LOL

Happy Huntin,

Tabdog

 

[cjruger]

not sure I agree that the V is a beep and dig, anyone who says that has not spent enough time on one. I can get a really god Idea if the target is worth digging or likely trash from the disc setting and the repeatability of the beep.

 

[dahut]

You are right (and I did allude to it). You can use the DISC control to get an idea of the the target ID. And good targets tend to be "good."
I have used the V for years now, and most other Tesoro monotones. For most people, it is a simple basic unit that just beeps.

Bear in mind that I also compared it to a Golden, audio wise. Compared to that instrument, the Vaquero is beep and dig.

 

[amcjavelin]

hello there got a brand new golden coming, got a great deal on it as well $350.00 had to try it