Sniping Detector

[Miner49]

I'm looking at buying my third detector, I already have a GPX-4500 with Goldstalker coils from the 6"round,14",18.5" and 24" eliptical. I also have a Minelab Eureka Gold with an 8" round and 15" WOT-external ampliphier I really like the set up on these and they each have their applications.

I would like to add a sniper detector for creeks and river beds, I'm looking at the Gold Bug Pro for small nugget hunting.

I have seen many people talk about the Gold Bugs on this forum and think it might be the next detector for me. I would like to find out if anyone has any experience using the Gold Bug 2 and the Gold Bug Pro (TrinityAU?)or anyone else?

I would like to get your opinion on which would be better for sniping? Also 5" or 11" Coil? I'm thinking the 5" on the PRO.

Thanks-

Miner49

[Ridge Runner]

Miner49

Why go the cost of another detector when you could get a Joey coil from Rob.It comes in a DD or a mono.That 4500 is a great detector so save the money and add the coil to it.The guys on here can tell you what they think will best do the job for you in the way of coils.

Chuck Anders

PS That's my thinking!

[trinityau]

Hey Miner49, The Joey coil would be a great addition to your 4500 and it will get you alot of gold out of bedrock crevices as it is small and very sensitive. I have been using a coil like that for years with my 3000 and have done fantastic. I have used both a Coiltek DD and Nuggetfinder Mono. They each have their place. I was really getting some tiny pieces with both and my friends were very impressed, they all went out and bought Joeys and are happy. You already have a great VLF with the Eureka. I used a Eureka for along time and literally found pounds with it in the same type of areas. Lots of the gold that I got was in some of these same areas. I never thought that I would lay my Eureka down but after learning about the GB Pro and getting one it was a no brainer to me.

When I got my GB Pro and started going back over old areas of bedrock hit before I was very surprised at the amount of gold I had been missing. The GB Pro is so much lighter and easy to work with around bedrock that its just fun. If anyone was to buy a GB Pro for nothing other than hunting gold I suggest getting the GB Pro with a five inch coil. Make sure the unit says GBPro on it as there are two different versions and subtle differences. The other coil you can buy is a good coil for other types of hunting, not sniping for small gold.

There are also many other factors to consider if buying a GB Pro. I dont have time now to rehash them here. If you look on this forum or AZO and follow my posts (TRINITYAU) you will find alot of the info you are seeking. I love my GB Pro. TRINITYAU/RAYMILLS

[Miner49]

Thanks all for the replys, I forgot to mention I do have a Joey mono as well, I love it.

The issue for me is I don't feel real confident detecting in or near water with the 4500,

-too much money to trip and fall in the water.

I like the idea of a small waterproof coil and not the dollar value if I should fall in.

Knowing you are using the GPpro Trinityau says it all, thanks for your input.

Miner49

I

[Alchemist]

Hi Miner49,

There's one other consideration here that I thought I'd add.

The GB Pro matches and even does better than the 4500 with flattish nuggets on edge.

If you're in an area with narrow cracks & crevices and the gold is well traveled alluvial being beaten flat,

then the GB Pro with a 5 inch coil will run circles around any P.I.

The GB Pro even with the larger DD, is not much of a multi-purpose machine, it is truly optimised for Au

Although having said that Dave Johnson recommends that if you have a P.I. and want to complement it with a VLF,

then go for one with a frequency 40kHz and up.

However you specifically mentioned a sniper machine, and as Ray has proved over and over, the Bug Pro is well suited to this purpose.

Cheers

Kev.

[trinityau]

Hey Alchemist, I am not up on the numbers and technology as far as kHz. I dont really see where the forty kHz would even have any bearing as the GBPro is nineteen something and as far as I am concerned it runs circles around the GBII which is at seventy something. My train of thought is if you have a PI and you are serious about detecting for gold then you should have a VLF also. They just go hand in hand. The thing is you should really know both machines inside out and see where one drops off and the other picks up. In the area that I am in bigger is not better most of the time. I can honestly say that probably 95 per cent of the gold I have detected in the last 14 years in this area could have been found with a VLF, any VLF. The gold I have found runs from sub grainers to three pieces over a pound.

My 3000 is still my primary detector only because I hunt in a lot of different areas in Northern California, Arizona and Nevada. PI's are here and not going away, a great detector. However, a whole lot of people under estimate a good VLF. I have actually run across people that will make it a point to stop me and tell me I wont find anything in a particular area because a PI has been over it. I say ,OK, and usually when I see them at the end the day I can pull a few pieces out of my pocket but they dont have anything to match.

With all this new equipment on the market many people tend to forget that you have to have naturally occuring gold in the area you are hunting to be able to find it. I actually ran into two contractors that could not find work and spent their last dollars to get 5000's because they were told a 5000 will find gold no matter where. They were planning on three ounces a month. Ok........... Basic prospecting is what people really need to spend time on and then gold will come. I have many people tell me that I make it look easy, well I have been at it my entire life and I come from a mining family. My kids are six generation Trinity/Shasta Counties. Believe me I had my bad days and there were lots of them. I have been fortunate in being able to know many old time miners and learned alot from them. The one big thing is you have to get out there and learn, be one with the dirt. TRINITYAU/RAYMILLS

[Alchemist]

Hi Ray,

Thanks for sharing you views and experience.

Dave Johnson's comment on the 40kHz and up is here, Look at the paragraph entitled "Both PI and VLF have their place in gold prospecting"

http://www.tekneticst2.com/tekfiles/gold%20prospecting%20metal%20detection%20technologies.htm

As Dave said the higher frequency machine is for the (can't see em wivout the glasses on) specks, on up to 0.1 grams, and the PI should clean up everything bigger than this,

but as we both know the Bug Pro can see those flat pieces on edge way better than any PI can, and that is why I agree with you in recommending Miner49 get a Bug Pro for sniping, because I recon this is one of the areas it excels.

I believe the field disturbance on a VLF doesn't rely so much on surface area of the target presented to the coil, in stark contrast to a PI which needs the widest area possible to achieve any real depth. The lateral displacement of the coils in a DD may contribute a little to this effect too. When I've next got a DD on my PI I will investigate and see if it can see targets on edge better than when using a mono.

Cheers

Kev.

[Miner49]

Well Guys, I bought the Gold Bug Pro with the 5" Coil, I spent a few hours just starting to get use to it. I love the way it "grunts" with Gold in the disc mode. I took some square nails, pop-tops and some nuggets out to play, really a different animal but that's what I like about it, I was testing the different 2 digit values for different metals, it seemed consistent.

I'm taking the 4500 with the 6" Goldstalker with the Gold Bug pro to hunt some nuggets tomorrow and more importantly as Ray would say "learn the machine" I think that's great advice. I've spent about a year learning the 4500 - still learning.

Thanks for all of your opinions and advise,

Miner49