Just got my new Gold Bug SE with both coils. Got it from Mr. Bill, and before he sent it to me, sent it back to FT to make sure all was well, and tested it prior to sending it off to me. Thanks Bill as I appreciate that very much.
Just got back from the yard for some quick testing with both coils. I have several coins buried at different depths, the hardest being a 10+ inch clad quarter, a 8 inch silver dime and an 8 inch, pretty beat up nickel next to iron. I also have a silver 1/2 dollar on edge at 7 inches, a clad dime a 6 inches and a zinc penny at 6 inches.
The machine is super easy to set up. Put it in all metal, ground balanced, switched to discrim setting of 41, gain at 90. I could run it at 100 but wanted to test not quite at full speed.
The 5 inch coil hit every target except the deep quarter. It ID'd in the high 80's the silver dime and 1/2 dollar at all angles, the zinc penny at 76, and hit the nickel by far the loudest ( I do like the modulated audio as the deeper coins were softer...the nickel was LOUD until I raised the coil about 3-4 inches off the ground). Nickel ID'd at 56 or so.
I also tested an silver 8 Reale, which is just like a silver dollar, laying on the ground. Hit it at 1 inch all the way up to 10 inches ID'ing in the 90's.
FT is not pulling any punches when they state the clad and silver will not hit as hard as gold and nickels...the gold items I tested on the surface as well as the buried nickel were much louder and hit harder. That's a GOOD THING because that is the reason I bought it.
With the 11 inch DD, ALL coins were ID'd properly and hit. The 10+ inch quarter was a soft tick but it was a repeatable hit and was ID'ing in the high 80's. The 11 inch coil went deeper for sure.
Ground balancing was very easy, and when attaining a smooth threshold, the gb and ground phase numbers were pretty equal at about 81.2-82. The Fe reading was mostly reading 1 or 2 bars.
What is very cool about the all metal mode, that I found so far ( bear in mind this was a 1/2 hour test) is that when sweeping over ground only, ie, no targets, the ground balance number and phase number stay pretty close to each other. When a target is hit, the ground balance number drops, the phase stays the same and you can then look at the arc's 3 bars to determine what the target may be. All the silver and clad coins had the ground balance number drop into the 50's but the 3 bar arc was in the 85-90 range. For the nickel, the ground balance number dropped into the 30's but the 3 bar arc indicator was in the 50-55 range. Pretty cool stuff.
Can't wait to test more targets and then take it out into the field. From initial testing alone, with the easy use, the 2 tone ID, light weight and ability to hit hard on the low conductors I tested ( in addition to the nickel, I tested a few small gold pendants and a gold filling I found awhile back...surface only as I do not have them buried).
Still have to take it out into the field, and may do a tot lot hunt with the small coil as it's maiden voyage...but the beach is where I really want to see what happens.
JC
Just got back from the yard for some quick testing with both coils. I have several coins buried at different depths, the hardest being a 10+ inch clad quarter, a 8 inch silver dime and an 8 inch, pretty beat up nickel next to iron. I also have a silver 1/2 dollar on edge at 7 inches, a clad dime a 6 inches and a zinc penny at 6 inches.
The machine is super easy to set up. Put it in all metal, ground balanced, switched to discrim setting of 41, gain at 90. I could run it at 100 but wanted to test not quite at full speed.
The 5 inch coil hit every target except the deep quarter. It ID'd in the high 80's the silver dime and 1/2 dollar at all angles, the zinc penny at 76, and hit the nickel by far the loudest ( I do like the modulated audio as the deeper coins were softer...the nickel was LOUD until I raised the coil about 3-4 inches off the ground). Nickel ID'd at 56 or so.
I also tested an silver 8 Reale, which is just like a silver dollar, laying on the ground. Hit it at 1 inch all the way up to 10 inches ID'ing in the 90's.
FT is not pulling any punches when they state the clad and silver will not hit as hard as gold and nickels...the gold items I tested on the surface as well as the buried nickel were much louder and hit harder. That's a GOOD THING because that is the reason I bought it.
With the 11 inch DD, ALL coins were ID'd properly and hit. The 10+ inch quarter was a soft tick but it was a repeatable hit and was ID'ing in the high 80's. The 11 inch coil went deeper for sure.
Ground balancing was very easy, and when attaining a smooth threshold, the gb and ground phase numbers were pretty equal at about 81.2-82. The Fe reading was mostly reading 1 or 2 bars.
What is very cool about the all metal mode, that I found so far ( bear in mind this was a 1/2 hour test) is that when sweeping over ground only, ie, no targets, the ground balance number and phase number stay pretty close to each other. When a target is hit, the ground balance number drops, the phase stays the same and you can then look at the arc's 3 bars to determine what the target may be. All the silver and clad coins had the ground balance number drop into the 50's but the 3 bar arc was in the 85-90 range. For the nickel, the ground balance number dropped into the 30's but the 3 bar arc indicator was in the 50-55 range. Pretty cool stuff.
Can't wait to test more targets and then take it out into the field. From initial testing alone, with the easy use, the 2 tone ID, light weight and ability to hit hard on the low conductors I tested ( in addition to the nickel, I tested a few small gold pendants and a gold filling I found awhile back...surface only as I do not have them buried).
Still have to take it out into the field, and may do a tot lot hunt with the small coil as it's maiden voyage...but the beach is where I really want to see what happens.
JC