prospecting/gold/coin units question for Arizona - narrowed it down!!

[azhumvee]

Hi all,

a newbie from Arizona looking to get a moderate grade device (sub $1000 new).. I would like to find gold, jewelry, coins in that order. I will use it in central and northern arizona. I am technically savvy.. I've opted to get a gold finder only unit and a 2nd unit for a friend that is great for coins/jewelry.. opted for separate units to get optimum efficiency in the respective categories AND have a unit for a partner.. here are my current debates floating in my head:

GOLD FINDER
GMT, GB-Pro/SE, GB-2, TLST

JEWELRY/COIN FINDER
DFX, M6, SOVERIGN GT

with the gold models.. I want a unit with Auto & Manual GB and futureproofed for me becoming more of an advanced user... and the capability where my only future detector to supplement it if i ever was rich would be a gpx4500 etc... and planned use in Arizona soil..
with the jewelry/coin models.. I want a unit that hits jewelry/coin at the deepest possible levels for sub $1000, but with some ID (to avoid going thru TOO much junk), and use in Arizona soil

Also, I guess I should be concerned about interference if I plan on having a partner with me using the other unit within 50-100 feet.

input appreciated, thank you!!!

-azhumvee

 

[jimmy]

Hi Az, I have been beeping since 1980 and have had all the major brands,I now have just 2 machines, MXT & Infinium, IMHO the MXT is one of if not the finest vlf nugget detectors of all time, I have found .4 gram nuggets up to 27.9 grams & everything in between btw it's a damn fine coin & relic machine also. My infinium is a close second to the best PI machine, # 1 of course is the minelab PI unitsbut a little out of my price range lol, but the infinim is HOTTTT & DEEP. I mainly use the MXT because it is so versatile and also easy to use. I would advise you to check the MXT out or you may be flustered with the other vlf's. Good luck

 

[KurtB]

Check out the Xterra 705. Sounds like it might be just what your looking for.

Kurt

 

[dewcon4414]

Jimmy i used the MXT in AZ. It has the best Whites GB system and was developed from a gold machine. You are right i liked it for nugget hunting. Were a lot of the MXTs being used in AZ when i was there. Now if you are trying to hit the smaller stuff ive always liked the Gold Bugs. Thou i think you loose depth over MXT. The MXT are sensitive to gold, raw or jewelry, and can be used in parks... though not as good there as a machine designed for coin hunting. But unlike a raw gold specific machine it gives you flexibility. Ive ran an MXT over one of those TEST PADS with a small portion of gold and they do hit that tiny piece of gold. Most machines will give feed back especially those sensitive enough to pick up gold. But some have switchable freqs. that helps. How about the ML Eureka its from the old 18000 i think which was a good gold hunter in its time.

Dew

 

[Mike Hillis]

I was looking for the same thing back in 2009 and I'm not a newbie. At the time I purchased my F5, Fisher was advertizing it for prospecting, as well as for coins and relics. I thought the feature set looked good and decided to buy and try. I have not been disapointed. In fact I fell in love with it. It works very well. A true multipurpose detector. The best inland jewelry hunter I have ever used, and it does a decent job on gold nuggets too. Much better than you would expect with its operating frequency.

The feature sets required for the three types of targets are different. Look at what target you will be hunting the most and make sure those feature sets are present. Then look at the next target and make sure most of those features sets are present. Gold nuggets just require a good ground balance range to handle bad ground and an sensitive all metal mode. However, the F5 can hunt nuggets in disc mode too.

Good luck, just wanted to throw something different into your selection criteria.

HH
Mike

 

[jimmy]

Hey Dew, you are right on with your assesments, the gold bug screams on a flake lol, my 1st gold detector was an old whites GM2 similar to the gold bug, but as I advanced in my abilties thru several brands of detectors I have found an excelent pair te MXT & Infinium, but that is just my opinion and the work great for me, I a slow and methodical when I hunt and both tese machines lend temselves to that way of working a site. I always will kep an eye out for new detectors but right now I am very satisfied, heres some proof, these are all north carolina or alaska nuggets, I make jewelry out of most of the gold I find

 

[dewcon4414]

Id say the proof is in the pictures. Wow.... I for one hope you drop that chain and nugget somewhere im diggin. I think id wet myself.

Dew

 

[Monte]

Hi all,

a newbie from Arizona looking to get a moderate grade device (sub $1000 new).

Welcome to all sorts of fun in this sport! Here you say you want a "moderate grade" unit, then define that as under $1000. I don't use that break point, and can assure you there are quite a few multi-purpose detectors available. next month I start my 47th year detecting and I know that several models in the $500 to $900 range can easily take care of your needs just as they do mine.

I would like to find gold, jewelry, coins in that order. I will use it in central and northern arizona.

Add at least one smaller-size search coil to your shopping list. Golf nuggets can be found in rocky and brushy environments, as can older coins in ghost towns and out-of-the-way places. Also, when coin hunting, be prepared to deal with potential trashy sites by using a smaller-than-stock search coil.

I've opted to get a gold finder only unit and a 2nd unit for a friend that is great for coins/jewelry.. opted for separate units to get optimum efficiency in the respective categories AND have a unit for a partner.

I wouldn't. If YOU have a nugget hunting unit that is a "gold only" serious nugget shooter, like the GMT, then yiou don't have good discrimination to work the coin and jewelry sites. So, you would sit and watch your partner find all the good stuff!

You could buy one detector that is a true "multi-purpose" unit that would let you hunt for both gold nuggets AND do some coin & jewelry hunting. Go a little over the $1000 mark and buy 2 multi-purpose units and you can BOTH get in some detecting.

Buy 2 detectors that compliment each other in versatility AND share the same search coils, and you would could share search coils between them, letting just you, or both of you, get involved in a lot of searching.

here are my current debates floating in my head:

GOLD FINDER
GMT, GB-Pro/SE, GB-2, TLST

JEWELRY/COIN FINDER
DFX, M6, SOVERIGN GT

I struck through a few that are either okay for ONLY nugget hunting but not multi-purpose, or because they are heavy or poorly balanced, and you don't want that for long-term pleasure, or maybe too complicated to enjoy unless used a lot. That, plus the fact that a few I marked I don't like.

To your list above I'll add a few suggestions, if you don't mind:

GOLD NUGGET and COIN & JEWLERY MODELS: (multi-purpose)

Fisher F5, Gold Bug SE and Gold Bug Pro.

Teknetics T2, G2, Omega and Gamma.

White's MXT and MXT Pro.

I haven't used the Fisher F5 that much but, as Mike Hills stated, it is very versatile and even though operating at a lower frequency it still does well on all targets desired. This is also true of the Teknetics Omega and Gamma, which are almost idential in performance and features, and I have surprised many people when I've demonstrated their performance on some tiny 'pickers' and small gold nuggets. I know we want the bigger stuff, but testing with the small nuggets gives you some comfort.

While the T2 is definitely a fully versatile detector operating at 13 kHz, and can nugget hunt with the best of them. I am also going to be attentive to your $1000 limit. The basic T2 seels through most dealers for $849 or so, $200 under suggested retail, and the T2 SE comes with both the stock 11" DD and the round 5" DD coils for about $200 more. So, for about a grand you would have only one versatile detector with 2 coils.

The Fisher Gold Bug Pro shares the same search coils with the Teknetics G2 ... and the Omega and Gamma models ... and that can be a consideration. The Fisher Gold Bug Pro comes with a 5" DD coil, and at 19 kHz it is very functional for nugget hunting and still does very good for coin and jewelry hunting. The Teknetics G2 uses the same circuitry as the Gold Bug Pro, but is on a different rod system with the stand-up grip like the T2 and Omega. Also, it comes with the 11" DD coil. The Gold Bug Pro and G2 would excel in nugget hunting and coin & jewelry would be a close second.

The Teknetics Omega and Gamma, both operating at 7.8 kHz, have very similar functions and field performance, and both can be okay nugget hunting units, but would maybe favor the coin and jewelry hunter more, mainly due to their Tone ID audio choices and Discrimination Target ID. I point out versatility because IF you want to maybe do both but mainly nugget hunt, you might favor the G2 or Gold Bug Pro. If you pardner would mainly just hunt for jewlery and coins, then they might find a Gamma or Omega satisfactory, yet still join you if they wanted.

You can buy a brand new Teknetics Omega for $599 suggested retail or $799 for a 3-coil package. then you would have the 5" and 11" DD to compliment the stock 10" elliptical concentric coil. AND, the 5" and 11", especially, can be used on a Teknetics G2 or Fisher Gold Bug Pro. So you would go over your $100 dollar mark a little, but if you got a Tek. Omega w/3 coils and then a G2, so they could share all the search coils, you would be very well set.

I can't ignore the White's product line because I am also a fan of some of their models and have owned a half-dozen MXT's and 4 M6's. I bring these two models to your attention because, as others stated below, the MXT is a very versatile multi-purpose detector. The MXT Pro retails for $899.95 and the M6 for $699.95, but I am sure you could find a good dealer for a Teknetics' package deal or a White's package deal.

If I went with White's and had a hunting pardner who probably just wanted to coin and jewelry hunt and not nugget hunt, I'd buy an MXT Pro for me and an M6 as a 2nd unit. Essentially the same basic circuitry and performance, AND they share search coils as well.

with the gold models.. I want a unit with Auto & Manual GB and futureproofed for me becoming more of an advanced user.

I like a good 'automated' Ground Balance, also called Fast Grab or Ground Grab on some models, but I do not like an auto-tracking design for most of the hunting I do. That includes some of the nugget hunting I've done in Oregon, California and Arizona. I like to get a good GB and then hunt. If I am using an M6 or MXT then I get the GB set and then 'Lock' the toggle (that's whay it's there) and get busy hunting.

I especially like a good manual Ground Balance feature on a versatile model, and that is one thing I wish the MXT and M6 had. They have the automated GB but not manual GB.

The Fisher F5, Gold Bug SE and Gold Bug Pro, and the Teknetics T2, G2, Omega and Gamma all feature both the automated GB circuitry AND manual Ground Balance control.

with the jewelry/coin models.. I want a unit that hits jewelry/coin at the deepest possible levels for sub $1000, but with some ID (to avoid going thru TOO much junk), and use in Arizona soil.

Depth is almost insignificant when you're hunting in a site with trash. In trashier sites you use a smaller search coil and slow your sweep down. then, remove the junk and find what it is masking, or just ignore the junk, work around it and take what you can.

I guess I should be concerned about interference if I plan on having a partner with me using the other unit within 50-100 feet.

If you are hunting 5' to maybe 25 ' apart you might have some interference, if the models are on similar frequencies, but if you stay 50' to 100' apart you'll seldom have a problem.

Enjoy your quest for a pair of good detectors!

Monte