Minelab Go-Find 60 Air Test Results

[ChuckVT]

I got my new Minelab Go-Find 60 today from Backwoods Detectors (thank you Richard) and wanted to just do a quick air test. I have been at this hobby since 1968 and have owned way too many detectors from virtually every detector manufacturer that is now, or has been, with the exception of Deus and Nautilus. I span the era from TR to BFO, and VLF to Multi frequency machines and I have enjoyed them all. Every machine has its strengths and weakness and i appreciate each for what it brings to the table. So with that, the results of my air test are as follows, noting that I ran the Go-Find on full sensitivity and not discriminating out any items. I do have to say that it chattered quite a bit on full sensitivity in my EMI rich environment, so it obviously has some good sensitivity. The test:

Zinc Penny 7"
Clad Dime 6"
Nickel 8"
Quarter 8"

I have to say that it has good depth for an easy to pack and easy to use detector. Obviously, in plowed fields or at the beach, i would like a bit more depth, but I am not going to quibble about it. Not for the price of this unit and the fun factor. I remember the good old days using an early TR machine and finding lots of silver, even though it didn't go much deeper than 5" on a dime. Of course, that was back when silver was everywhere and our hobby was in its infancy. Ah...the good old days!!

 

[Miser67]

How is it on pinpointing with that rectangular search coil?

 

[ChuckVT]

I was wondering about that same thing when I got it. It is an unusually shaped coil, and I wondered if pinpointing might be a bit more difficult than standard DD or concentric coils. The answer is that the pinpoinint is a bit more challenging, but NOT because of the coil, as one might suspect. The item does pinpoint right dead in the center of the coil, as least for me. The challenge presented is one half of a double edged sword.

The Go-Find 60 is not like so many lower price point machines that have fixed ground balancing, or claim to have automatic ground balancing that is really fixed. Using V-flex technology borrowed from the Xterra line, this little unit really does track the ground and therefore gives good depth in mineralized soil. However, it ground tracks quite fast, hence the other side of the story....it will track out a target when in the pinpointing mode fairly quickly. It is not a static, all metal pinpoint that you can just hover over the target as long as you want, as the target will fade away quite fast. The VCO is loud and sharp, and the little LED lights will also signal when you are over the target, but you only get a second or two to spot it before it fades. As a hunter of 47 years, it really was not hard for me to adjust to that, as other machines in the past have had that same issue. It might be a teeny bit daunting at first for a beginner, but it should be mastered fairly quickly. It is definitely an advantage to pair it with a good pinpointer, as that would make a new hunter feel more confident starting out.

I hope I wasn't too long winded! Overall, it takes just a short time to get used to it, but certainly I don't find it to be a deal breaker!