Hunting Gold Nuggets with the Tejon

[Craig]

I was wondering if anyone has ever used the Tejon for nugget hunting?

 

[NVmar]

I've prospected with the tejon quiet a bit.

Though I have not had much luck, I don't blame the tejon. I've dug up plenty of lead ( It's suppose to give a similar response to gold); and from what I have dug up, I have come to conclude that the tejon makes a fine VLF gold detector. I have dug out lead shards so small you have difficulties identifying them while even on the palm of your hand. After carefully researching a gold equivalent, I'm confident to detect a quarter to half a gram at about a maximum 3 inch depth (all metal mode, primary disk, sensitivity 8, slightly posi-tuned).

However, the stock coil will be useless for prospecting in mineralized soil. You will be frustrated at digging up the ghost signals detected by your stock coil. If you plan on hunting on desert, mountain ranges and the like, I would highly (HIGHLY) advice you to get the wide scan 5.75"

You have to set a primary objective. Are you going to restrict yourself to prospecting or are you going to coin shoot/relic hunt? Unfortunately, gold is mostly found in mineralized soil, and VLF technology is not the most appropriate technology for prospecting.

If you are going to be a dedicated prospector, you're better off getting a PI unit. PI units handle mineralized soil much better than VLF units.

Having said that, be aware that prospectors (notice that i use the term "prospectors," not "detectorists!") find most gold nuggets the size of a match head. A gold size equivalent to a match head is less than a quarter gram. And most detectors will have a difficult time responding unless on coil!

I have not tried detecting this minute size with the tejon. Still, speaking from experience, I would expect the tejon to detect this at a shallow depth of about less than 1 1/2 inches, which is still very competitive compared to many of the units currently in the market.

One last thing I should mention is the limitation of the PI units.

I don't claim to be an expert. I have no experience with a PI unit. However, from what I have read, PI units primarily detect the bigger nuggets deeper. They are able to "see" through the hot rocks and minerals much better than the VLF detectors. In other words, you'll still not be able to detect the really really small gold a good VLF detector will find (I could be wrong and please correct me if I'm wrong, but even White's TDI struggles with anything less than halft a gram) . So, even if you get a PI unit, you'll not be detecting most of the gold that would be detectable by a good VLF detector (at a shallow depth, of course).

That's why I would recommend both, a PI unit for the bigger, deeper nuggets, and a VLF, for the smaller, shallow nuggets.

Note: the size of the nugget in the picture is 1 gram.

 

[dirthound]

The problem with the tejon is you cant lower the sensitivity in all metal mode,if you get in bad ground you wont be able to lower your sensitvity.I have a vaquero and I wonder if it can be modified so you can lower the sensitivity in all metal,maybe by lowering the voltage.good luck

 

[NVmar]

Not being able to lower the sensitivity in all metal is Interesting. I had always thought my tejon's sensitivity dial was short circuited at its highest setting because when i have tried lowering it, i would not get a noticeable responce. I strictly use my tejon for prospecting so mainly keep it in all metal mode. Still taking under consideration the secondary disk, lowering the sensitivity in all metal sounds counter productive, since I usually use the secondary disk to descriminate a good signal. being able to adjust the secondary disks's sensitivity is more aproppriate. magnitite, black sand, and hot rocks will give a "coin" responce in all metal mode. now, for prospecting you have to rely on the secondary disk. if a small metal object (for example a quarter gram piece of lead) is present at less than 3 inches, the secondary disk will give a faint but unbroken signal. unfortunately, hotrocks will also trigger the secondary disk. they sound broken,sometimes loud, sharp, or even a solid faint. in other words, even if you use your best judgement, you may end up digging a hotrock...which is why you might want a PI unit instead.

 

[Dan-Pa.]

Being from the coal country as we have are coal nuggets and surprising as it is Glacier gold in some of our streams but too small for detectors in general..

Having said the above if I lived in gold country would buy a good Tesoro nugget unit made for the task but imagine a TeJon with its high freq. should get bigger nuggets if you only occasionally hunt for gold...

 

[BarberBill]

I've been under the impression that all, or mostly all, detectors are at their highest sensitivity when in all metal mode regardless of the setting on the sensitivity knob. On the Tesoros I've tried to determine this, it appears to be the case.
BB