Well hershey1 and BH_Landstar, you are two people who just said the exact same thing. Very, very interesting.
The reason I said that I'd use a Bug or G2 as a backup, is because I am REALLY concerned about the depth on silver, from the feedback from some who have used them. The places I hunt here have very, very little shallower silver, in my experience, (not unusual, I know), but also generally bad soil -- a double whammy. I have many, many hours pounding the oldest local parks I have (around 1900-ish), mostly with Bounty Hunter machines. I have never found a silver coin, and only a few wheats. I gave up on the BH machines ONLY because they would not go deep enough in my soil. I found alot of clad with them, and really like the machines, but they just wouldn't see deep enough. That's why I switched first from a SharpShooter II to a Time Ranger, and then recently, sprung for the even more sensitive F70. I can air-test a dime to 12" with the F70, and a quarter over 14". Clearly, I won't even approach that depth in my red-clay soil here, but hopefully with some more hours on this unit, I'll find a piece of silver or two, eventually, hiding in the 6-10" depth range. My fear is that if I get the G-2 or Gold Bug, that the silver depth issue that I have heard about with at least SOME of the machines will bite me hard, and I'll be back where I was with the BH machines (in terms of depth). In other words -- with a Gold Bug or G2, I am concerned that while I'd have a killer on shallow coins, and a machine better than anything I've ever used -- in iron trash, and on nickels/gold jewelry/gold nuggets, I fear it would be a machine that is blind to the deeper silver, in my soil type. I know depth is NOT everything, and the fast recovery speed and separation/iron see-though would WAY exceed my BH machines, so I'm not saying they would not be an improvement over the BH units (or even my F70 in some ways). It is strictly a depth-on-silver coins issue that has me concerned. Please understand I'm not trying to exasperate anyone here, just really trying to understand before making any more purchases.
That's why I've been making these excessive posts about the "silver issues" on some of the Gold Bugs. I'm just trying to fully understand. So much conflicting info; some (like you two) telling me my F70 would absolutely collect dust if I get one; others I trust with earlier versions of the GBs saying "cannot air test a quarter beyond 6 inches" and "have never found a quarter deeper than 3 inches in the ground," stuff like that. Heck, even my BH SharpShooter would hit one at 7" in an air test.
BOTTOM LINE --
To spring for one of these machines, I simply need to know that they WILL hit deeper silver, OR if not, that there is a fix from Fisher for my machine to ensure that it will. If I could get testimony from some folks here to tell me that an 7-8" dime and an 8-9" quarter would hit, and ID semi-well, in red clay soil, on the Bug or G2, I'd buy one. Period. I just simply fear taking the step "backwards" to where I was with a BH machine, in terms of deep coins. I would definitely settle for less than "world class" depth, and know that a 19 kHz machine is not designed to nail deep silver. But 8-9" I'd be satisfied with, in my red clay. Some of the earlier Bugs, based on user testimony, simply would NOT even APPROACH this. Do the new and/or upgraded ones do so? That is the question that remains unanswered in my mind, and that keeps me from getting one so far.
Thanks guys,
Steve
