Jumped on the Gold Bug wagon

[amberjack]

interesting observations on the bug and the other detectors i don't find many deep coins with it (bug) unless in all metal which i hardly ever use found deeper coins with the cibola but it drives me crazy with cleensweep coil hits hard then fades away have to sweep 3 or 4 times to see if its a coin or not but it does find coins good in a big area which i love about it. bug does better in that regard its pretty good on the 1st pass ! but slow in regards to large areas with not a lot of coins.

now if i could merge them together some how

been thinking about getting an omega 8000 7.5kHz if its as fast as the bug might be the way to go for full on clad hunting and works well in junky spots? not sure never used one but just from reading the stats it would seem like a good unit for new coins, not that the bug is a slouch coils are interchangeable too!

having said all that its a good pair the bug and cibola for where i hunt if there are modern coins i will find them junk (bug) big sports fields (cibola) i am only hunting new coins old silver well might have to fork out for a etrac or ?

anyway its all fun and part of the attraction for me is learning and i don't think that will ever end so got a hobby obsession to take with me for awhile to come yet i hope

 

[Daniel Tn]

Okay before I completely give up on this thing I have some observations I've made and some questions for you guys.

1. Battery life. I put a brand new 9v Rayovac in it when I got it. I have played with it approx 1 hour in the yard and waving things under the coil in the house. And have taken it on a couple of hunts, for no more than a couple hrs each time. Already the battery icon is down a segment. Is it normal to get that bad of battery life? This was sort of a shocker to me, because Fisher/Teknetics had made such a huge leap forward with battery life on the T2/F75, using just 4 AA batteries and getting crazy long battery life. I was expecting the same out of a less horsepower machine, but I could be wrong.

2. Depth questions. I read the forum a lot before I made the decision on the machine. Some of you guys were saying you were getting 9-10 inches, with good tones and IDs on coins with your G2s and Gold Bugs, in all metal and disc mode, and I read at least one report of it doing it in TN red dirt which perked my ears. Mine is no where near that! Mine is software version 4 and I have the 11" coil. I can max out the sensitivity to 100 and in disc mode at 40, I can get no better than about 7-8 inches on a quarter. In all metal at 100 sens, the audio is slightly better, and maybe out to 9". In the ground, it's a different story here. I have the red dirt for sure and my machine is ground balancing at around 50-52 with 5-6 segments on the FE meter. In disc mode at 40, I have a test garden that is several yrs old now. I have various Civil War relics in there and some coins. I have a minie ball at 6" and it wont hit at all in disc mode at 40. It will hit it in all metal with a faint signal and IDs it in the 20s and bounces over to around 60 from time to time, pending on how fast you sweep the coil over it. I've got a button at 9" that it will only hit in all metal as well, and it also IDs in the 20s and will occasionally bounce into the 40s-50s on the speedometer scale. The only coin in the garden it really likes is a nickel, it will hit it in disc and all metal mode but the IDs is a little skewed. So I'm asking honestly, is this normal for this machine or what? I took it clad coin hunting today at a school yard and wasn't getting good signals at all on clad coins. The ground there was just GBing in the 48 range with 2-3 segments on the FE meter. I could locate dimes and quarters that read in the 80s in disc mode, BUT they were only 2-3 inches deep. The deeper dimes were just 4" tops and gave very faint audio, unless they were nearly right on the surface than they'd give a sharp high pitch beep; the quarters would give a high pitch beep though. I ran disc at 41 and sens in the 90s.

Well that's it for now. Will go change batteries and head back out some tomorrow and give it another go. I'm bringing the video cam this time so I can show ya'll first hand I ain't lying and maybe you guys can help me out here.

Oh and one more thing. Have you guys noticed the depth meter being off when going to the 11" coil? I think it must have been calibrated for the 5" coil or something. All the coins I dug today, gave a pinpoint depth reading of 0, no matter whether they were right under the coil or 3 or 4 inches deep. I did dig a tiny piece of lead that read a depth of 3" but it was only about an inch under the roots.

 

[JimGilmore]

Just a thought.. you are getting 5-6 segments on the fe meter.....
You might try backing down the sensetivity a bit.....
The reading will not change but you may well be overloading the signal...
what headsets are you using ?

 

[Daniel Tn]

n/t

 

[Kevin B.]

Daniel, here are my up to date observations of my Tek G2. I've had some time to use it and learn it a little better. My ground at home GB's at 53.5 with 2 bars showing. Back when I first bought this unit, I buried a Three Ring Minie and a 52 cal Sharps Carbine solid base. One at 8 inches and one at 10. In All Metal Mode and Disc. Mode it hit them both. It ID'd the 8 inch bullet real well and it bouced between upper 60's and teens on the visual ID. I go back and sweep across them yesterday to dig them up and put them back in my collection and I could barely hit the 8 inch in DISC mode and bouncy ID readings. I couldn't hit on the 10 inch at all in DISC mode. It would hit on the 10 inch in all metal mode but with no visual ID on the screen. I would have passed both of those targets up in real world conditions. The ground is hard and dry now....much more than when I buried the bullets. I lost some confidence in my machine after the deal yesterday.
As far as battery power, I too, had a F75 LTD and was SHOCKED at long the batteries would last. Forever it seemed. But the G2 gets POOR battery life. The Duracells are what I settled on. Still, After a long mornings hunt I've dropped a bar. One more hunt and I'll drop another bar and I'll notice a reduction in sound volumn AND a reduction in depth.
But all of that aside, I still like the light weightness and balance. It has that going for it. Also, it runs quiet. I like that. Most of the bullets and buttons (the five that I have found) were well within the range of this detector. I've found a silver dime at about 5 inches with it while hunting in the woods.
So I am in agreement with all of your observations. I'm anxious to hear about more of your observations.

 

[sgoss66]

Kevin B. and Daniel Tn...

Let me give some thoughts here, that might be of some use.

First, on battery life...it is pretty bad, indeed. I had an F70, and like you said Daniel, it would run forever and a day on those double-A's. The life with the 9V basically stinks. The one way I have come to look at it though, is -- it IS only one battery; before, in your F75, it was four of them.

Now, as for depth -- is your soil very dry, Daniel? You are definitely a bit more mineralized than I am; I don't usually have that many "bars" on my Fe meter, but I DO ground balance in the 50s most times, and I DO have very, very red clay here. But -- dry soil KILLS depth. It's not just the Gold Bug. I have a Minelab Explorer SE Pro -- and I have been testing coils in my test garden (which is now VERY dry.) The depth with this thing STINKS right now. I cannot even get a PEEP out of a 10" dime; an 8" dime will give an occasional hint, but it is in NO WAY a diggable target. Last night, I re-ran my Gold Bug through the garden to compare, as I had some pretty detailed notes on how it did back when the soil was moist. It is DEFINITELY not hitting as deep right now -- but that is normal for dry soil. Further, if you will believe it, my Gold Bug -- even given that it is not hitting coins as deep right now -- is actually DEEPER than my SE Pro. I could get, last night, a very-close-to diggable signal, maybe I'd even call it "diggable," on that 8" dime, that was NOT diggable on the Minelab. It was not a GREAT hit, but it was a bit better than the Minelab on that same coin. Likewise, I could get at least a peep out of my 12" quarter with the Gold Bug, and a little better on the 10" quarter. With my Explorer, the 12" quarter was TOTALLY silent, and the 10" gave peeps, but was NOT diggable.

I would say right now that I have roughly about 1" more usable depth with the Gold Bug than with my Explorer. And, still, I have probably 2" less "usable" depth right now with my Gold Bug than I did back when the soil was moist. I would definitely say I have lost a good 1 1/2 to 2". But, I don't think you can hold a "decrease in depth due to dried out dirt" against the machine. Most machines seem to suffer in dry ground (I KNOW my Explorer is -- so much so that I thought it had a problem -- so I borrowed my friend's SE Pro...and when I tested it, it gave the EXACT same performance).

One other thing I'll add is that my digital ID is also suffering right now in this hard, dry ground. MUCH lower, jumpier, and less accurate numbers than I was getting when the ground was moist. I am now getting alot of mid-range numbers on the deeper coins; on the real deep ones, I was getting alot of teens, and only occasional higher numbers in the 80s. On that 8" dime in particular, I was getting alot of low 70s readings as I recall, MUCH lower than it should be, and MUCH lower than I was getting when the ground was moist. It's simply the ground conditions.

Finally, Daniel, about your hunt at the school today. A 48 ground balance, with 2-3 bars, is similar to some ground I hunt in here. You should be able to hit a coin MUCH MUCH deeper than 3-4". Now, NO, they do NOT hit with that very LOUD signal that you get on a shallow coin. It definitely is a different kind of tone (the way a deep coin hits on the machine). It's definitely a "softer" sound than the shallow coins. But it is SUPPOSED to be that way. These machines are "modulated" audio, which means a shallow coin hits LOUD, and deeper coins hit quieter -- it's actually intended to be a GOOD thing -- in that you can get a sense of "depth" of your target without even having to look at the depth meter. Some people don't like it -- and would rather have "saturated" audio (audio that sounds "loud" no matter HOW deep or small the target is). Once, though, you get used to how deep coins "sound" (in your test garden), then in the field -- when you get one of those types of hits that is repeatable in a couple of directions, you will know to dig it. You WILL start getting deeper coins.

I hope this is somewhat helpful, and might answer a few questions. Oh -- on the pinpoint/depth issue, I don't find that my 11" coil is THAT bad; it's not TOTALLY accurate on the depth, but it certainly doesn't read everything as "0". The only question I will ask is, did you BUY your machine as the "DP" model with the 11" coil, or did you buy it with the 5" coil and then ADD the 11"? Reason I ask is, I wonder if the "DP" models, which are simply a "Pro" with an 11" coil as the standard, stock coil, I wonder if they "calibrate" those based on the coil they come stock supplied with -- i.e., the Pro's depth is calibrated for the 5" coil, and the "DP's" depth is calibrated for the 11"? Just speculating, as I do not know that.

Hope this helps some...

Steve

 

[2 Much Trash]

Please know that I spend alot of time watching your videos and reading your posts. They are so informative and up front. I really do enjoy them, and your personality. I only ask this question out of respect for all of that. How many detectors have you owned and used, and for how long, before you gave up on them.

 

[Ken in Georgia]

Guy's,

I dug a 8 inch penny (clad) but it was 1962 so copper. the sweep speed on this detector is SLOW, not quick. I will get a small beep and then I will stay over it for IDing it to see what the number read. Then dig it... I will be post this weekend pictures of stuff that was 5 to 8 inches. By the way, I was hunting in dics mode.

 

[amberjack]

i would hope not Jim.

interesting stuff guys summer is not so much fun in the dirt guess i will enjoy the damp ground while i have it because it goes like concrete here in summer.

battery life blows i get better from my PI machine.

well we need to stay focused and try and remember that any VLF detector can not ID much past 8In's that's what i have read any-way's if wanting to punch deeper its off to PI land and lose most disc.

best i have done with the bug is 12in in dry sand and it was just a faint scratch i wouldn't have dug on land but because sand is easy i dug it was a $2 coin.

dry not good damp better.

this machine was made for shallow sub gram gold recovery i don't think it was made to go deep?

big items will give a shallow reading, what else sweep from a few angles to get a good pin point area high conductor coins will pin point better, imagine using it with out the screen ? i try so hard not to look at it i want to learn to hunt with my ears but its there so i do, but then jump on tesoro no screen and its all about target lock if i cant lock on the target its junk. i know the bug is different in many ways but its the same principle.

as for the depth i think Steve's test with the minelab says it all more expense machine doing not as good as the bug so all in all for the money not a bad machine?>

maybe an etrac or something like that will better?

it just sounds like its the water factor that gives the added depth it gives the target a bigger halo ? always wanted to say halo in a sentence

i know i am nuts but i use this machine every day and Steve will attest to my struggles with it and learning how it works i nearly rapped it around a pole was driving me nuts.

but now i loooove it for coins in junk its amazing how it can pick them out and its sound 1st i listen for then go for screen, disc up as high as you can i was 76 yesterday still pulled a mangled silver ring and a few coins in super junk and well hunted area.

now i will go out and and wont be able to use it just for blowing off on here

 

[Hobo lobo]

...9 volt batteries are actually 6 very small 1 1/2 volt batteries connected in series, and each one is much smaller than a AA and cannot be expected to match 4 AA's

 

[Daniel Tn]

The only machine(s) I really "gave up" on fast were the MXT and M6; basically the same machines but I just couldn't get a handle on how they worked and they for sure didn't work good down here in this dirt. I was told I was crazy for that on the forums so I made an open invitation to anybody with one that had a good wealth of knowledge behind it, to come on up and give it a whirl; my treat. This was before the video thing. But I actually had a taker on that deal, and at the time I was running a Fisher F75 that we figured out a bit to hunt good in the dirt. That ole boy left pretty humbled that day; actually after I dug 3 or 4 bullets he couldn't hear no matter what he tried, he threw his hands up and said he was going to his truck.

85% of the people around here locally hunt with Tesoro machines. In the better dirt areas, they work fine and in around old home sites they work good too because of the iron. In the last few yrs, there has been quite a few make a swap to the Fisher F75/T2 platform and that has really opened up sites for them. It initially did for me as well then I got a taste of the PI detectors and what they could do in this bad dirt. As far as I know, I'm the only one locally that has taken that plunge and I hope it stays that way!

With detectors as simple as the Gold Bug or other similar machines, it doesn't take an engineering degree to be able to figure out how they work. It's pretty simply and straight forward; turn them on, balance them, and they will either beep on something in the ground or they wont. And I don't care how good you are, if you can't hear whats down there, you ain't gonna be digging it up! Machines like the eTrac, V3, etc, that have a lot of different settings and modes...well those take a bit more time to figure out for what works best in your area. But simple machines with only a couple settings...they either work good or they don't.

 

[Daniel Tn]

Steve,

It is VERY dry here. The only rain in weeks we've had, was one little "pop up" shower that didn't last long and didn't help the ground get wet. I will take that into consideration then. My machine was shipped to me with the 11" coil BUT the face plate says Pro on it instead of DP. I don't know if that's suppose to be like that or not; but at North GA Relics, all Don had was the machine with the 5" coil and didn't have any of the 11"s. He ordered me one as I was standing there with the 11" and that's just how it came; he had it shipped from his distributor to my house.

Another thing that crossed my mind was the possibility of a bad coil? Maybe? You see when I was testing the in store unit with 5" coil, I was getting pretty good target responses in air testing...actually the 5" coil on the Gold Bug was air testing better than the AT Pro with its bigger coil, so Don and I just assumed the 11" would be even better than the 5". The 11" tests just barely better than the 5" one did.

That really stinks about the poor battery life. That's true there were 4 AA batteries to replace, but my goodness they'd last 40+ hrs on one set! Vs about 8-10 hrs on a 9 volt. 9vs run about $10 for 5 that will get you about 50 hrs out of the pack. You could get a big 36 pack of AAs for around $12-14, and that would last 450 hrs on the T2/F75.

 

[BH_Landstar_]

Your all forgetting one thing guys ! The Gold Bug Pro / G2 was designed to find gold with it's 19kHz freq, so the depth will not be there like it is with other VLF units running a lower khz.

It's a great coin hunter, nickels it will find all day if they are in the ground as with any other coin / object.

I've noticed that the Gold Bug Pro works best when the ground is wet, I get an extra 2 - 4 inches with coin finds, more so with the nickels and quarters, most of my coin finds are 0 - 8 inches, when the ground is wet after a good rain soaking I can get 2 - 4 inches on that, it all depends on the ground and the coil used.

Also, the Gold Bug Pro is a killer on silver when the ground is damp - dry.

I've been using the Gold Bug Pro in All Metal Mode over the last 2 - 3 weeks and I can say that it's found coins that I missed using the DISC Mode because the coin(s) are deeper down in the ground.

The trick with this detector is to go slow, take your time.

Today I hit a ball field and pulled over $9.00 out of it, most of the coins came in at 6" + down and date from mid 80's - mid 60's (did not find a silver coin, oldest coin was 1965 quarter, 3 of them). Settings used in All Metal Mode .... Gain 95 Threshold at 0 - +5, if I go any higher than that the unit sounds off too much and I don't find any targets unless they are really shallow and then it screams at me with a high tone.

Oh, and mine has software version 3 in it.

There is only one thing that I would like to have seen with this detector, and that is for it to have been made "Water Proof" so that it could be used in the rain. (Dave J ...... How about it ? What are the chances ? Could a new housing be made to make it "Water Proof" ? I'd buy one if ya did.)

 

[amberjack]

sounds like the bugs doing OK then in the red dirt which sounds good to me for future outback adventures looking for chunks what PI machine you using?

AJ

 

[sgoss66]

Hey Daniel --

Do an air test with your 11" coil -- and let me know what the distances you can hit a dime and a quarter at, both in AM and in disc.

Also, the "Pro" that comes with the 11" coil does NOT have DP stamped on it -- it does say "Pro."

Steve

 

[JimGilmore]

the capacity of a 9volt battery is less than 1/2 the average of a standard alkaline AA.
and it takes (6) to match the voltage......

 

[2 Much Trash]

Glad my question didn't tick you off. You're so right. Depending on the soil, soil conditions, where you are hunting, frame of mind, and so many other conditions that govern a detectors' performance, no matter what machine you're using, they either work or they don't. My first detector was a rented Metro Tech, my 2nd was a used Double Eagle that I bought from an antique dealer here in Richmond that dealt in civil war relics. Those of you who are not familiar with the Double Eagle, it took 2 batteries. One 67 !/2 volt and one of those big square 1 !/2 volt batteries. That unit weighed a ton. There were no numbers to look at, and at that time, ground balancing and discrimination was unheard of.
But, as I go thru some of my finds over the years I realize that most of them and the real goodies came from that ole Double Eagle. That's because you dug every signal. No way I could do that now,

 

[chickamauga]

2 Much Trash, I personally know Daniel and he has went through a few machines. But the one thing I know is that he can learn a machine quicker than anyone I have ever seen. Daniel is the person I go to before I buy a new machine. I'm sure that he already has the Gold Bug figured out already. The only reason he would give up on it, is because it doesn't perform as well as what we need in East Tennessee.

 

[amberjack]

Just my 2 bobs worth and that's probably all its worth but if hunting with a pulse machine and going back to a VLF looking in the same place for the same objects i would get a little discouraged too!! PI will kick VLF machine for depth any day of the week in any soil so?

for me i find the machine that's best suited to what i am hunting, i don't take my pulse machine to the park looking for coins and i don't take my VLF to the wet sand water beach looking for rings its a waste of my time!

hey but that's me others can do as they wish not my money so its all good experimenting with different machines i say go for it if you got the dough why not i don't have the dough to do that so i buy what works for what i want it for

 

[JimGilmore]

I would be afraid to hunt any park I have hunted before with a pulse machine. First off anything deeper than 5-7 inches will require a hole that is going to be hard to hide....It will likely be the last time hunting is allowed in that location. If the ground is dry covering holes becomes problematic. So disturbing overly dry grass can leave big bare spots.