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Date Posted: 21:02:30 03/15/02 Fri
Author: Original By Larry Sallee
Subject: ARTICLE - Selecting A Gold Detector

SELECTING A GOLD DETECTOR
By: Larry Sallee
Author of: "Zip Zip"

---------------------------

With the popularity of nugget hunting these days, most of the better known patches are getting hit pretty hard. The nuggets that are left tend to be either small, deep, or surrounded by some of the worst mineralization in the area. For this type of hunting, and to give yourself an advantage anywhere you hunt, you should choose one of the modern detectors made especially for the task of finding gold nuggets in mineralized soil.

(While reading, keep in mind that this was originally published in 1996!)

If you are going to try to make do with your current coin machine, or if you are considering buying an off brand of gold machine, it should have at least a few features to make the task a little easier:

1. A machine used in the gold fields should have a manual ground balance. Nearly all of the available gold
machines have this feature. There are a couple of strictly nugget machines available that have automatic
ground tracking. This means that they do the ground balancing for you. These machines do a fair job of adjusting to changing ground conditions, but they still do not allow you the fine adjustment capabilities of a good manual machine.

Speaking from my own experience, the better you get at nugget hunting, the more control you will want over your machine.

Manual ground balance machines vary in the amount of reduction in the ground balance knob. Some are 1:1, some 10:1, some are 40:1. The higher the resolution, the more easily and precisely the machine can be adjusted for the existing ground conditions.

Try to settle for no less than 10:1 on a machine to be used for nugget hunting!

2. A gold machine should have an "All Metal Mode" which should be used for nugget hinting. These are available in both motion and non-motion.

Motion machines are just that, they require motion of the coil to give a signal. If you freeze the coil over a target, the signal dies away. The non-motion machines allow you to stop over the target and still give a signal. The non-motion type may be a little easier to pinpoint with, but personally I prefer the motion machines. They are easy to learn to use and seem to deal with mineralized ground better.

Your other choice is discrimination mode . Some gold machines have a discriminator which is more accurately called an identifier. An identifier just changes the sound of the signal on iron trash instead of eliminating it altogether. This type of discriminator is much preferred.

3. If you are going to try and make do with a coin or combination machine, it really helps if so called nugget or sniping coils are available for your machine. These are generally small, in the 3 to 6 inch range. They send out a more concentrated signal, which, although is doesn't go as deep, is much better at locating gold nuggets, especially the smaller pieces. The better gold machines usually come with an elliptical coil which gives you the best of both worlds. You not only get a fairly concentrated signal but you also get the depth of a larger coil.


The following is a list of features that I feel you should look for when choosing a detector designed specifically for nugget hunting:

A GOOD MANUAL GROUND BALANCE, with at least 10:1 resolution. The higher the resolution, the better. If you decide on an automatic machine, look for fairly fast ground tracking from a reputable manufacturer.

AN ALL METAL MOTION MODE.

AN EASY TO ADJUST THRESHOLD. If it is multiple turn, so much the better.

AN IRON ID. It should just change the audio on iron targets, not totally eliminate the signal.

A VARIABLE SPEED SAT (self adjusting threshold) that is fully adjustable, not just a switch.

LIGHTWEIGHT AND HIP MOUNTABLE.

If you will be doing any packing in or trail biking with your detector, it should easily break down small enough to meet your needs.

------------------------

For more great reading on electronic gold prospecting theory and practice, see Larry's excellent books "Zip Zip - Mastering Your Nugget Detector" and "Zip Zip - The Advanced Course". These are MUST READING for anyone interested in getting started in electronic gold prospecting with a metal detector. Well worth the money, and they are still readily available from many detector dealers and occasionally on eBay.

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