Melvin Brown Greenhorn Posts:11 
| 09 Mar 2014 02:55 PM |
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Hi All, Thanks for reading. I am curious about what sounds you listen for on your detector when you are searching for nuggets? I use a Fisher Gold Bug pro myself, but I am still searching for that first nugget. I thought maybe if other people can explain what sounds they listen for while nugget shooting that it will help other people like myself who is still learning. |
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David WrightGreenhorn Posts:
| 10 Mar 2014 10:58 AM |
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The sounds depends on the depth and size of the gold I use a Old Gold Bug. I would suggest getting a piece of Gold and tub of dirt put your gold in a zip lock bag and bury it at different depts. that will give your ears a idea of what to tune in for.
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KEVIN HOAGLAND Basic Member Posts:363
| 10 Mar 2014 10:13 PM |
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Melvin,
After a few years (around 30) of swinging detectors and nugget hunting the best advise I can offer you is to not try to identify the targets before you dig them. I have dug tons of trash over the years and a lot of nuggets because of my willingness to dig trash.
There are too many factors that you will be dealing with in the patch like iron mineralization, hot rocks wet or dry soils just to start with that could cause you to hear a signal that you may pass over that the next detectorist digs and finds a nice nugget. If you are concerned about if you are doing things right, one of the points that I teach in my detecting seminars is that if you are digging tiny pieces of lead like a fragmented bullet, then the only thing you haven't done is swing it over gold. Those tiny pieces of lead are very similar in conductivity to gold and are perfect gauge of how you are doing in the field.
And please do not just listen to the ripping signals, most of my big deep nuggets and a lot of the tiny ones that I have found over the years were nothing more than just a whisper change in the threshold.
If you are digging a lot of hot rocks, listen to them closely. you will notice a distinct signature to them with any of the Gold Bugs from the original to the new GB Pro.
I can write for a few hours about different targets and sounds but what it all boils down to is, "If it makes a sound, dig it."
I hope this helps some.
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JOHN IVERSONGreenhorn Posts:
| 11 Mar 2014 10:04 AM |
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hi Kevin i use a minelab 705 gold and have been hunting in coin and treasure with it set at 99 tones. i can figure out the differant sounds for the metals and gold but was wondering if i should use the prospectring mode first to get a signal than check with the other mode. i seem to pick up alot of signals and want to check them on coin mode so ive kind of stayed with the coin mode more. we get lots of metal around here from the old claims. thanks john iverson |
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KEVIN HOAGLANDBasic Member Posts:363
| 11 Mar 2014 06:26 PM |
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John,
On the 705 I would set a low discrim pattern in the coin mode hunt in the prospecting mode with iron set to the factory preset and only check a target over digging a target if it does not blank on the iron in prospecting. Remember that gold, lead and shredded up aluminum all look very similar to a detector and in most cases the machine will never be able to properly tell the difference between all of the different metals. Think about the top gold machine out there. The only discrimination they offer is iron. So as much as it is an unpopular answer the best action is, dig it all.
When I have hit areas there were littered in iron in the past I have used detectors and set the iron disc high to eliminate (blank) when I swing over almost any and all junk iron. Makes it easier to find and dig it up. Then after working the area on the iron hunt I will go back in with no discrm and really give it a good swing to find modern trash and the good stuff. I also have one of the yard magnets that you get at the big box hardware stores thati I will drag in an area that I want to hunt. I LOVE TRASH... Tells me its never been hunted or it was walked away from. Found a lot of gold with that mindset.
BTW... Is this John in Alaska?
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Melvin BrownGreenhorn Posts:11
| 12 Mar 2014 08:44 PM |
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Thanks Everyone for the replies. I have read the forums, the blogs, the books, and everything that I could find to help me learn the electronic techniques on using a metal detector. I have used various settings according to my book and advice from others, used various speeds and depths, and still I can test my unit in the back yard or in the field and only pickup my test nugget on every 3rd or 4th swing. I would figure that even the GB pro would pick up on a 1.7 gram nugget without much trouble. I may just be getting rid of the metal detector and just staying with the gold pan. I do pick up on all the foil, bullets, and nails in the field..... I am good at finding those things.
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James SmoltzGreenhorn Posts:2
| 14 Mar 2014 07:27 AM |
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If you guys are really interested in learning more about metal detecting you should check out the seminar that Kevin Hoagland gives at the GPAA Gold Expo. Fantastic stuff... I have sat through many of the seminars and I have to say it has helped a great deal.
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JOHN IVERSONGreenhorn Posts:
| 14 Mar 2014 05:30 PM |
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hi ya its me here in alaska. i will try to set up the 705 and try it when we get rid of the snow. i have a old crusher mill where they sent the ore from both sides of the valley to the mill. maybe they dropped some good stuff on the way. thanks john have a good day. |
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KEVIN HOAGLANDBasic Member Posts:363
| 18 Mar 2014 06:58 AM |
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John, Have you given any thought to getting a Falcon MD020 for checking the ore drops? At 300kHz it is really hard for event the tiniest dispersed gold to hide from the unit. It is what I use anytime time I am checking ore samples in a dump.
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JOHN IVERSONGreenhorn Posts:
| 25 Mar 2014 09:35 PM |
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hi kevin where do you get that falcon md020 you were talking about.. is it like a pinpointer or a regular detector. its melting out real nice now but where the hardrock mines are it will be a couple months yet to get to them. will the falcon pick up small flakes if we go snipeing along the creeks. im looking at a small creek that may have some little gold and may file a claim if it has some color in it. i know farther up the creek they do pretty well but its all claimed up already. hopefully some of it washed down to where im looking. see ya john |
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JOHN IVERSONGreenhorn Posts:
| 26 Mar 2014 04:19 PM |
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Hi looked up the falcon and finally found one in oregon so ordered it and should have it by next week. saw a video on it and looks like something we can use around here to find the tiny gold we have. thanks i will let you know how it works out |
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Dennis NotsonGreenhorn Posts:12
| 05 Apr 2014 03:07 AM |
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Melvin, that GB Pro will detect nuggets down much smaller in size. A 1.7 gram nugget should sing loudly. Are you in all metal mode? Are you ground balancing properly? What are you setting the gain at? Are you using headphones? Have you set the threshold so you can just barely hear a slight hum? How deep are you trying to detect your test nugget? Is your battery at full charge?
1st make sure you have a fresh battery as the unit will get less sensitivity and volume when battery is week. Turn the unit on and set gain at about 70%. Use all metal mode and set threshold so you just barely get a tone, about +8-12 depending on your hearing. Ground balance by pushing and holding gb button while you raise and lower the coil from on the ground to about 3 inches above it, up and down a few times. Release the button at ground level, not while still moving up and down. You should now have an even tone, just a tickle in your ear, as you slowly swing the coil flat on the ground from side to side. Now depending on the mineralization of the soil the GB Pro should be able to detect that sized nugget at about 6 inches or maybe a little more. That small coil won't detect real deep.
If in real mineralized soil you can turn the gain down lower till threshold is more stable. If mineralization isn't too bad you can crank it up to 100%. Use headphones since the speaker is down by your leg and can't be heard as well down there.
What state do you live in? I'm sure somebody here would be happy to help you out. If in Az. I would help you. Dennis
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MOSHE LEVINEGreenhorn Posts:
| 14 Apr 2014 10:31 AM |
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Got the MD 20.... works good for me in the shop. Take it out in the field can't get it to shut the f.... up.. Even when balanced.
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Dennis NotsonGreenhorn Posts:12
| 15 Apr 2014 03:49 PM |
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The MD-20 isn't really good to use as a general detector. Where it shines is finding metal in specimen rock samples. Out in the field trying to scan like a crevice, it will be over sensitive. You can try turning sensitivity way down, but I'm not sure you will be able to get the ground balance to become stable scanning bedrock with variable mineralization. Dennis
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KEVIN HOAGLANDBasic Member Posts:363
| 19 Apr 2014 02:56 PM |
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Moshe, Tuning the Falcon is a unique balancing act between sensitivity and ground balance that with a bit of practice truly becomes second nature. I have worked with a great number of people that set the Falcon in the air then experience the instability I bet your referring to when they begin testing ore samples and so on in other words when it gets close to the ground.. One of the major points I make in Detecting 101 is that it is always best to set your detector to the ground that you are working.
If using an Falcon on an ore dump or header pile I always suggest that you tune the unit to the ground and not in the air. Let the coil hag almost to the ground, set the Sen and GB and start working. At 300kHz you are going to have to make adjustments throughout the spot you are working but they should be minor adjustments only, just a little tweek here or there.
One of the Videos I did form Minelab covers a lot of these practices and tunings such as sensitivity, are universal for all detectors from the Falcon to the 5000 no matter if it is considered a pin-pointer or handheld.
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MOSHE LEVINEGreenhorn Posts:
| 22 Apr 2014 07:44 AM |
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ok, Kevin got it. Thanks for the reply.
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Melvin BrownGreenhorn Posts:11
| 03 Jun 2014 06:18 PM |
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Hi Dennis, Thanks for the reply. My gold bug has been setting for a while now, I been tossing the idea of just getting rid of it. I have tried many tips from people on various forums and I just figure that I do not have the touch for electronic prospecting. I think I am just going to stick with my pan and shovel, I seem to have been luck that way. Melvin. |
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TREVOR TALLMANGreenhorn Posts:17
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JIM MCCULLOCHGreenhorn Posts:19
| 04 Jun 2014 10:01 PM |
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Scenario: Your detector gives consistent, repeatable signals with repeated passes of the coil over the same exact spot. Trash or treasure? You will never know until the target has been recovered. "When in doubt, dig it out." Sure, discrimination and/or iron ID "helps," as does some degree of audible "guessing," but remember the adage, "dig it all." In 33 years of detecting, I have dug tens of thousands of targets, mostly trash or hot rocks, but the several thousand targets which were of a gratifyingly yellow color made all the 'WASTED' digging worthwhile. Suggestion: really focus on the "whisper" signals, these have a far greater chance of being gold than those big ear-bashing signals. Hope this helps; HH Jimmy M
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FRANK NOVAK New Member Posts:87
| 05 Jun 2014 02:07 PM |
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I use to use a Gold Bug II before I lost all my detectors in a fire. I would dig all valid signals. Here's how you tell the valid ones from the hot rocks. Hold your coil about 2 inches over the target. If the signal gets louder when you lower the coil, it is valid. If the signal gets louder when you raise the coil, it is a hot rock. This is because the hot rocks are on the negative side of the null point. Just a little tip from an old hand. Frank...-
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