Brent in MT Posted August 24, 2011 Report Share Posted August 24, 2011 I'm in Vegas for the time being and will be hunting within a 3 hour drive mostly, could you guys give your 2 cents on the GB2 verses the 705 Gold. One thing in the mix is that once in a while I will be using the machine (which ever one I get) to coin hunt too. Could I get your thoughts on this subject please.Brent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azoverland Posted August 24, 2011 Report Share Posted August 24, 2011 I've been asking around the same question but mostly for gold only and the you get mixed answers but the guys who seem to be finding, or a least sharing their finds on the forums are having more success with the Gold Bug 2. Some very seasoned guys say GB2 hands down. I have seen the 705 in use and can say it's a nice machine too use. I don't think you will be disappointed with either one. But I got the GB2 on my list now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisman91 Posted August 24, 2011 Report Share Posted August 24, 2011 Although I have not personally found gold with the 705 YET....I know people who have and I would recommend it if you are wanting to coin and relic hunt, too. I don't think it is as sensitive too small gold as the GB2 is (I could be wrong) but having the display for C&R gnting I feel is a plus. Just my thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent in MT Posted August 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 Thanks for the replies, open to all thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredm Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 The GB2 is by far the best small gold machine...if 90% of its use will be nugget hunting, that is your best choice.If you intend to mix it up more evenly, the 705 is a much better choice on the beach, in the parks and nugget hunting. Of course you should have the dd-e for nugget hunting...that is about 50 cents worth...but you still won't buy much with 50 centsfred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin nuggethunting Posted August 31, 2011 Admin Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Hey Brent, Here are my thoughts on what you asked -The Fisher Goldbug2, like most have stated, is awesome for small gold. I think there are other gold hunting VLF's that handle the mineralization better and get slightly more depth, but for small gold there is no question at 71kHz. That being said, I used to be a Fisher dealer for many years and the GB2 is great for small gold, it's not the best for high mineralization. The Goldbug2 is also a "gold nugget" detector, not really a coin/relic detector. The X-Terra 705 or 705 Gold Pack are "Multi-purpose" metal detectors. They might not find gold as small as the GB2, but their discrimination and completely digital circuitry is much better in my opinion. If I was going to do any type of coin/relic or beach hunting, I would consider this unit over any other VLF. I have also found gold under a grain with the X-Terra 705 Gold Pack with the 10-inch 18.75kHz searchcoil. It's a call you will have to make depending if you want a unit that is great for small gold, or a unit that can find anything pretty good. As for price, I think they are pretty close. Just my thoughts,Rob Allison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOC Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 First the disclaimer. I am a Minelab dealer.That being said I also own a GB2, and I personally own a Xterra 705. I have used both extensively. Which one do you think is in my truck and which one do you think is in my garage in the corner somewhere? It's not my Minelab.The Gold Bug is a fantastic little machine if you want an electronic gold pan. Because that is the size gold you will usually find with it. I mean you can find larger gold but the machine has no depth. If it would get as much depth as it air tests, we'd all throw our Minelabs away. The thing hits on every hotrock in the world. NO, REALLY, if you are detecting in Arizona it will pick up hot rocks in China.I know several guys who were really smitten with the Gold Bug 2 like Unlce Ron, and he did really well with it too, but now he uses a Minelab, I think the SD2100. I don't know if he ever uses the Gold Bug anymore, it would be interesting to know if he uses it and what are the circumstances or conditions he uses it for.What I do think the Gold Bug is a really neat machine for is tailing piles. You take one of those days where it is really hot and you are just tired of walking around, man whip that little Gold Bug out and find a tailing pile and just start raking it down. It's a lot of fun.My final bitch about the GB2, is 9 volt batteries. It runs on those damn 9 volt batteries, and not one, but two of those damn 9 volt batteries. You know the expensive little bastards that you never have any of because you used the last one in the smoke detector that started giving a low battery warning beep at 3:23 in the morning and you had to get out of bed and get a ladder and replace the son-of-a-bitch because your wife wouldn't let you beat the crap out of it with a broom handle. The little electronic piece of rectangular shit with two contacts on the end, that's the battery I am talking about.WHAT moron electronics genius decided a metal detector should run on 2 - 9v batteries. Oh and BTW the distance you drive to go gold prospecting to use your Gold Bug is in direct proportion to how dead those batteries will be when you get there. I don't give a flying monkey's ass if you put brand new batteries in that machine the night before. By the time you get there with all the bouncing around in your truck your GB2 will have turned itself on and drained the batteries. (Does it sound like I am talking from experience?)The Xterra 705 uses 4 AA batteries. You know the 48 batteries for $10.98 at Costco AA batteries.The XTERRA 705 also tracks the ground with auto ground balance so no muckin' around with the manual ground balance on the GB2. Oh and if you want some real fun take your GB2 to a gully that has black sand, you get to re-ground balance every 4 inches.Do I hate the GB2, NOPE, like I said I think it's a fun little machine. It depends on what you want in a metal detector and what your personality is like, and where you are at in your metal detecting mindset. Are you just wanting to find gold no matter what the size, specks, flakes? Or do you want to find nuggets.I mean seriously is there anyone here who has access to a Minelab that prefers to use the GB2 instead? Which do you prospect with more? I had a gentleman call me who has a GP3000, he bought his wife a Whites three years ago, she loves prospecting but has never found a piece of gold. I sold him the Xterra 705 Gold for his wife. First time out she found three nuggets. He called me back to tell me this but also to buy the 10.5 round gold coil for his wife because she wanted the bigger coil too.So anyway that is my feelings about it and it has nothing to do with being a Minelab dealer. It has to do with owning and having used both machines. One thing about it if you buy a GB2 you won't have any problem selling it as they go like hot cakes on Ebay.Doc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredm Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 Golly-gee, Doc...do you feel better? Have some coffee, eat some pie and watch the sun rise while breathing in...now exhale...that is right let it all go...seriously, I think you have packaged up the whole truth very neatly...fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trinityau Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 Hey All, I will be the first to say that the GBII is a great machine and will find a very tiny piece of gold, I used one for many years. The 705 I really have no knowledge of so I cannot give an opinion on it. After prospecting with a detector for gold for the last thirty years or so I would put my money, and less of it, on the GB Pro. It WILL find pieces just as small as the GBII, except it does better than the GBII in hot ground. It does so many other things that I have talked about on other posts here and on AZO. Most vlf,s will do alot of the same stuff but the GB Pro just lets you do it easier and with a much smaller learning curve. I know several guys that have used GBII,s and swore by them until they have spent some time on a GB Pro. Many of these fellows have made the switch and I know of two of them that dont want it to be public because they were going to die with their GBII in the hand. Its really a great little machine. This is just my opinion, TRINITYAU/RAYMILLS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkirkll Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 Hey All, I will be the first to say that the GBII is a great machine and will find a very tiny piece of gold, I used one for many years. The 705 I really have no knowledge of so I cannot give an opinion on it. After prospecting with a detector for gold for the last thirty years or so I would put my money, and less of it, on the GB Pro. It WILL find pieces just as small as the GBII, except it does better than the GBII in hot ground. It does so many other things that I have talked about on other posts here and on AZO. Most vlf,s will do alot of the same stuff but the GB Pro just lets you do it easier and with a much smaller learning curve. I know several guys that have used GBII,s and swore by them until they have spent some time on a GB Pro. Many of these fellows have made the switch and I know of two of them that dont want it to be public because they were going to die with their GBII in the hand. Its really a great little machine. This is just my opinion, TRINITYAU/RAYMILLSHahahaha, change is hard to do Ray,,,,I loved my GB2---- but i am going to try the GB Pro when i get back in the thick of it,,,i dont know the difference in price in it and the ML 705, [but what is it?--half???] maybe...anyway, i wish i could try them all for awhile then pick,,,,without having to buy first...One thing i do know is,,,the big boy ML's are amazing...Carry on...Doc... i like it,,,,electronic gold pan.. i can visualize that...pk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 If I may be so bold....Doc forgot to add that the new 15" Coiltek All Terrain coil for the 705 adds a element of versatility that the GBII will never attain. I tested the 705 with this coil and was thoroughly impressed with the depth capability on a 1 oz nugget. After swinging a GBII for 9 years the choice is a no brainer for me. Now, if Doc can convince Trevor to make a Joey coil for the 705 for those tiny bits, rhetorically speaking, all doubts of performance will be "left in the dust". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilo Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 I just got rid of my exterra I used the 6inch hf coil with it.It was useless in hot ground you had to swing so slowly it would drive you nuts. Yes I did find gold with it one piece in very mild ground. The auto ground balance couldnt cope with hot ground. It was sensitive to hot rocks and super noisy and would only pick up larger targets. I used a GMT in the same area and it performed much better. Now I have a GB2 found 80 pieces with it in 5 weeks. Hot rocks are easy to identify, gold signals are obvious. Which do I prefer? Yes it has manual ground balance, it is so easy to set it becomes second nature. The Exterra is a good coin detector but you have to buy a different coil than the standard concentric coil it is hopeless and covers only a very small area, a much better coil is the DD configuration. I used it a lot for coin and gold detecting, but it does struggle in comparison to other detectors. seeya Neilo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilo Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 I am using lithium rechargeable batteries in my GB2 they are cheap and out last the alkalines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOC Posted September 2, 2011 Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 Using a 6 inch coil would make the Xterra extremely sensitive and should be reserved for mild ground. Remember smaller coils are more sensitive to smaller nuggets but they also are just more sensitive period.DocI just got rid of my exterra I used the 6inch hf coil with it.It was useless in hot ground you had to swing so slowly it would drive you nuts. Yes I did find gold with it one piece in very mild ground. The auto ground balance couldnt cope with hot ground. It was sensitive to hot rocks and super noisy and would only pick up larger targets. I used a GMT in the same area and it performed much better. Now I have a GB2 found 80 pieces with it in 5 weeks. Hot rocks are easy to identify, gold signals are obvious. Which do I prefer? Yes it has manual ground balance, it is so easy to set it becomes second nature. The Exterra is a good coin detector but you have to buy a different coil than the standard concentric coil it is hopeless and covers only a very small area, a much better coil is the DD configuration. I used it a lot for coin and gold detecting, but it does struggle in comparison to other detectors. seeya Neilo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOC Posted September 2, 2011 Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 Did you steal them out of your smoke detector? I'm just screwing with you. But that would be the only way to go, you probably are saving yourself a fortune.DocI am using lithium rechargeable batteries in my GB2 they are cheap and out last the alkalines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilo Posted September 2, 2011 Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 Sorry Doc but got to disagree . Bigger coils are more sensitive to interference and more affected by mineralisation! A bigger coil pumps much more information into your machine and is much more prone to overload or give false signals and in most cases you have to reduce your sensitivity to use them. Try using your WOT coil on an Explorer or Etrac at the beach on waters edge or in highly mineralised ground you will see what I mean. Small DD coils are not as badly affected by mineralisation, because of their smaller foot print and much reduced signal load going back into the machine. Seeya NeiloPS I was out again today with the GB2 with the 6 inch coil and found another five small pieces of gold! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minerjoe01 Posted September 2, 2011 Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 Doc you kill me! thanks for the laugh! HA ha well i'm headed out to the nv outback and it aint with anything but a minelab! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOC Posted September 3, 2011 Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 Yes large coils are more susceptible to EMI, and I also understand what you are saying about larger coils regarding mineralisation. Coils can get so big that the machine has difficulty balancing out all of the mineralisation it is looking at. However small coils are much more sensitive to hot rocks (mineralised ironstone rocks) etc. Run a small coil over a meteorite and a large coil over a meteorite, the small coil hits harder, it is more sensitive.When I have used the WOT coil at the beach it does require adjustment but in my opinion it has been because of EMI. A 15 inch is not so large a coil that the machine should be able to copy with mineralization with no problems. I have never had to readjust the machine when going from dry sand to wet sand at waters edge.Are you in Australia? Because you have to remember that ground conditions here are much milder.DocSorry Doc but got to disagree . Bigger coils are more sensitive to interference and more affected by mineralisation! A bigger coil pumps much more information into your machine and is much more prone to overload or give false signals and in most cases you have to reduce your sensitivity to use them. Try using your WOT coil on an Explorer or Etrac at the beach on waters edge or in highly mineralised ground you will see what I mean. Small DD coils are not as badly affected by mineralisation, because of their smaller foot print and much reduced signal load going back into the machine. Seeya NeiloPS I was out again today with the GB2 with the 6 inch coil and found another five small pieces of gold! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilo Posted September 3, 2011 Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 I have been detecting close to 20 years and yes I am in Aussie but not all our ground is highly mineralised and I know you have plenty of areas in the US which are equally highly mineralised. Running a big coil over a hot rock or cold rock is like running over a pimple on an elephants backside. A small coil running over the same area is like running over the elephant itself, but there are plenty of highly mineralised areas which dont have hot rocks where the small coils are not affected where the big coils are. Salt water beaches at waters edge is a good example. Using Explorer2 with WOT coil sensitivity set to 20 out of 30 in manual anything above 20 and you have to cope with interference and falsing. Use a standard coil 8 or 10 inch coil and you can go to maximum sensitivity setting with out falsing and interference Yesterday I took my GMT to the same area I have been using my GB2. There are power lines a couple of hundred yards away. On the GMT I have the 6 inch DD shooter coil. The GMT was badly affected with interference from the power lines, yet the GB2 with the 6 inch coil was not affected at all. In this instance coil size made no difference at all its the machines themselves. As you know there are so many variables and different senarios we could keep going on this subject for ever. seeya Neilo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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