Vintage Detecting Forum

I have another question on the Big Bud.This one is I think 1986 give or take a year.Does anyone know if there is an internal ground adjust trimmer?Is there a threshold trimmer on the board?Also the 10 inch coil I spoke of is the thin 3/8" I think.. and it's white.I read somewhere that it was one on the best coils that Teknetics made.It Does work real well and gets good depth in my moderate soil. Analog meter locks on with good accuracy!
Any info would be greatly appreciated!

RonK

Yes, there is an internal ground balance control that is quite touchy as I remember. As for the 10" coil, whether it works well or not is quite dependent upon the ground conditions. Personally, I never saw any increase depth wise but the ground where I live is really bad.

I don't recommend anyone messing with the GB adjustment unless they are absolutely sure of what they are doing. It is too easy to get things messed up and not know it.

Reg



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/13/2011 11:23AM by Reg.

10 INCH COIL DOESNT GET MUCH EXTRA DEPTH BUT DOES COVER MORE GROUND QUICKER AND BECAUSE ITS SO THIN AND LIGHT GLIDES NICELY OVER THE GROUND
DOES THE 10 INCH COIL WORK................. YESTERDAY I FOUND I NICE STERLING SILVER BRACELET WEIGHING JUST OVER 25 GRAMS

Yes...the 10" coil works great! My ground is fairly mild and most of the time I use smaller coils anyway.The Big Bud was given to me and it was made in the mid 80's and I have the original 8 inch coil and the extra thin 10 inch coil and the detector works great! One thing I like about it is no matter how you adjust the disc or notch it keeps the nickels in.You can not reject a nickel even with any settings even accidently.The analog meter is very accurate!One more thing I like about it is You CAN tell a square tab or beaver tail from a nickel.If it is a square tab or beaver tail the meter will still show it BUT there is no audio.On a nickel the meter will lock on plus there is audio.So it's very easy to tell those 2 targets apart.This machine runs very smooth with no issues at all. It is slightly nose heavey but not much.I think the 10 inch is lighter than the 8 inch coil It can be hip mounted also.It's a nice older machine.I just wish I had a 4 inch coil for it.Those are very hard to find. I have other machines but I like to use them all.

RonK

.I just wish I had a 4 inch coil for it

Get one of these and put a Bounty Hunter or Tek Connector and it should work! Bounty Hunter, Teknetics (OLD) and whites used the 6.59 frequency, so
the loops could interchange.....But make sure first!! I have an extra 4"whites if your interested.......Duggr

What about an internal Threshold control? The threshold is too high for this detector and I think the ground balance is too negative.

RonK

Try Here

http://www.geotech1.com/forums/

big bud weak point is not as sensitive as other machines on gold

On this unit if you mess with the ground balance it will throw off your ID meter. I was told by the repair people that that detector was calabrated to one setting. You could always try it and put it back if it does not work. I sold mine and bought the Big Bud Pro. Solved the problem. I put a spider coil on mine. Even my dads Fisher F coils work on it. Not the F5 coils.

I owned a Big Bud back in the 80's, and I must have had a bad one, because it was the worst machine I ever owned.

bud has many weak points
quality on the battery connections frail at best
battery doors can fall off so tape them or use an elastic band
discriminate is not sharp and too weak
static build up on the meter can make the needle stick
control box instead of high impact plastic it is thin and cheap
knobs and coil cable are the flimsiest i have ever seen
not the deepest or most sensitive for machines of the time
switches will wear out very fast
switches will get dirt in them
uses nine volt batteries while aa batteries are far superior
headphone jack and switches become loose in time
arm rest can shatter so replace it with a fisher 1280 stainless steel cuff
no volume or tone controls




THERE ARE VERY STRONG POINTS ALSO
BEST COIN METER BAR NONE
EXCELLENT CIRCUIT BOARD ALL THE REST HAS QUESTIONABLE QUALITY ISSUES
LIGHT FOR LONG HUNTS
CONTROL BOX CAN BE REMOVED FOR HIP HUNTING MAKES IT EVEN LIGHTER
EXCELLENT ON CLAD ESPECIALLY LARGER COINS
10 INCH COIL IS THIN AND LIGHT MUCH MUCH BETTER THAN ORIGINAL THICK HEAVY 8 INCH
REMEMBER THERE WAS A BUD LITE WHICH IS THE SAME BUT NO METER AND CHEAPER

Hi guys
I used to sell the BB and BB PRO.
Both did well in my coin test garden.
They sold like hotcakes and the customers loved them.

I had one back in the 80's to not real impressed liked my mini red baron better.

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cz6a ( gone) ~ Etrac ~ cz6 ~ Garrett Pro Pointer ~ Wilcox digger