a fellow THer that I know quite well has told me he plans to purchase a new Fisher F44........to use mainly for gold ring and jewelry hunting. He was told that it would be ideal for that kind of hunting. But I'm not so sure. ( I'm an old dog who began my detecting career in 1974). So I have some old ideas that are hard to shake.....one of them being that a good "jewelry and ring" machine would run at a higher frequency 13KHZ , like the old Compass units... or 14KHZ like the Whites M6...........15KHZ like the Garrett gold unit................or 19KHZ like my G2. You get my drift. These are in my opinion...ring hunters maybe not hot on silver....but that's just the way it is.. I don't think a 7.8KHZ unit should be sold as a jewelry hunter......., sure they may find the odd ring but not as effeciently or as regularly as the others I've mentioned.My buddy disagrees..................anyone has any insight to offer? Thanks for your replies.
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Need help settling a friendly argument between friends...
- Thread starter Ivan
- Start date
What do I know, but I am kind of in tune with your thinking, particularly, if one wants to find the small stuff. By the same token, I am also of the mind set that to find gold one has to dig a lot of trash. If one is digging most everything, KHZ probably isn't so important, except for the small stuff. Having said this, I've known guys and seen pictures of their plates full of trash each and every outing that don't find any more gold annually then some of us that just dig all nickel and cent range readings. Probably for finding gold jewelry, more important then KHZ is to be hunting in spots that have the best chance for jewelry to be lost. I believe Mike Hillis holds the F 44 in pretty high esteem as a jewelry hunter, so finding gold apparently isn't all KHZ relayed. Yawn! HH jim tn
REVIER
Well-known member
Successful gold hunting is more a process of understanding your prey, how it behaves, where it is likely to hang out and how to recognize it if you swing over it.
I have never subscribed to this frequency thing except maybe when it comes to tiny nugget hunting.
For normal jewelry hunting the frequency has absolutely no bearing, in my opinion.
Why do I think this way?
Because I have found 35 gold targets in my 5.5 year career, I found them with 4 machines... my higher frequency F70 and Vaq to my slightly lower Compadre.
Out of those targets the one that found the most, more than half, was my lowest frequency detector at 5.9kHz an F2 simply because I used it more hours than the others.
I learned the F2 behavior, I studied how gold acted and then I found it...a lot of it.
I don't dig all signals to find gold or anything else, either, on the contrary I have made efforts to dig way less trash and still find lots of top quality targets at the same time and as far as I am concerned I have done that.
I could miss a few things this way but I still find way more than my share of treasure.
I dig 20% of the amount of trash I dig at the beginning and yet the hits still keep coming including gold.
In 2013 I had found 3 gold rings by March so I set a crazy goal for myself to find 12 that year...one for each month.
I was stunned when in early December right before some severe winter weather moved in I did it.
I found that last ring with my brand new F70, I found one other with my Vaq just trying out a new sniper coil I got earlier in the year but the other 10 were all found with the F2 that year because that was my prime and got the most use.
Most were found in trashy public parks, most trash was avoided and not dug when I found them.
On very deep stuff frequency actually might matter but I don't know anything about that because my 35 gold targets were all at 5" or less...the bulk of them way less usually at about 2-3".
Using my experiences I have to say that in this case you would lose that bet.
Learning your detector well, how gold behaves and picking good spots have way more bearing on digging gold than the frequency of the tool you use.
I would love to try that F44 for a lot of reasons and one day I will have one.
Don't bet against me finding gold with it when I do.
I have never subscribed to this frequency thing except maybe when it comes to tiny nugget hunting.
For normal jewelry hunting the frequency has absolutely no bearing, in my opinion.
Why do I think this way?
Because I have found 35 gold targets in my 5.5 year career, I found them with 4 machines... my higher frequency F70 and Vaq to my slightly lower Compadre.
Out of those targets the one that found the most, more than half, was my lowest frequency detector at 5.9kHz an F2 simply because I used it more hours than the others.
I learned the F2 behavior, I studied how gold acted and then I found it...a lot of it.
I don't dig all signals to find gold or anything else, either, on the contrary I have made efforts to dig way less trash and still find lots of top quality targets at the same time and as far as I am concerned I have done that.
I could miss a few things this way but I still find way more than my share of treasure.
I dig 20% of the amount of trash I dig at the beginning and yet the hits still keep coming including gold.
In 2013 I had found 3 gold rings by March so I set a crazy goal for myself to find 12 that year...one for each month.
I was stunned when in early December right before some severe winter weather moved in I did it.
I found that last ring with my brand new F70, I found one other with my Vaq just trying out a new sniper coil I got earlier in the year but the other 10 were all found with the F2 that year because that was my prime and got the most use.
Most were found in trashy public parks, most trash was avoided and not dug when I found them.
On very deep stuff frequency actually might matter but I don't know anything about that because my 35 gold targets were all at 5" or less...the bulk of them way less usually at about 2-3".
Using my experiences I have to say that in this case you would lose that bet.
Learning your detector well, how gold behaves and picking good spots have way more bearing on digging gold than the frequency of the tool you use.
I would love to try that F44 for a lot of reasons and one day I will have one.
Don't bet against me finding gold with it when I do.
WV62
Well-known member
Short and sweet, if you can put a gold ring on the ground and the detector will hit on it, it will find gold. I agree with above statements the frequency doesn't have a lot to do with it until you get into the small stuff.
I think the coil size makes more of difference than the frequency, a small coil seems to be the best for me.
I found this ear ring early this year with a F75 and the 6.5" elliptical.
Ron in WV
I think the coil size makes more of difference than the frequency, a small coil seems to be the best for me.
I found this ear ring early this year with a F75 and the 6.5" elliptical.
Ron in WV
Southwind
Well-known member
Frequency does matter. Watch this video I did to show the difference between the same detector using hi & low frequencies.
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu5_ygs_5L4[/video]
I find a few rings. These are all from the dirt. No beaches here in southwest Kansas.
Gold from 3 months
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu5_ygs_5L4[/video]
I find a few rings. These are all from the dirt. No beaches here in southwest Kansas.
Gold from 3 months
yeah I wouldn't use anything under 10 kHz just my personal preference , but doesn't mean I am right use what works as the saying goes.
after all it has to be there the gold in the 1st place so spot is the 2nd most important thing for dirt digging.
I don't live in a rich place and still manage to pop a few bits of gold, I am of the throw enough rocks one of them has to hit brigade.
so like I tell my mate it has to be there the best detector and detectorists can not find something that's not there
if there is lots around I find lots if there is a few I find a few etc..
best tool any detectorist has to find gold is time machine is way down the list at 3 for me, if its not there no detector will find it, if I don't have time to go I wont find it, so get some time and grab a detector and go too it. pick a spot where there could be gold and start digging.
pretty much just hard work and trash tolerance is the mindset needed after the other 3 are in order.
its not rocket science just hard work
sure others will disagree with me and that's kool they don't have to live in my head but I do , so find what works for you and go have some out doors fun nothing better for the soul
AJ
after all it has to be there the gold in the 1st place so spot is the 2nd most important thing for dirt digging.
I don't live in a rich place and still manage to pop a few bits of gold, I am of the throw enough rocks one of them has to hit brigade.
so like I tell my mate it has to be there the best detector and detectorists can not find something that's not there
if there is lots around I find lots if there is a few I find a few etc..
best tool any detectorist has to find gold is time machine is way down the list at 3 for me, if its not there no detector will find it, if I don't have time to go I wont find it, so get some time and grab a detector and go too it. pick a spot where there could be gold and start digging.
pretty much just hard work and trash tolerance is the mindset needed after the other 3 are in order.
its not rocket science just hard work
sure others will disagree with me and that's kool they don't have to live in my head but I do , so find what works for you and go have some out doors fun nothing better for the soul
AJ
still looking 52
Well-known member
Style of hunting seems to me to be the most important part of the equation for jewelry hunting to me, you want to cover a lot of ground and not spend a lot of time digging targets, just get the stuff that's down maybe 1 to 2 inches and move on. These modern Riggs can be ' tuned' for about anything you want to hunt.
James/Washington
Active member
Frequency matters. It matters most with small gold targets like small chains and earrings. Frequency matters at depth as well. Any descent detector will find gold but higher frequencies will get the smaller, deeper gold targets. Where you hunt, how you hunt, your decision to dig a target or not and knowledge of your detector is some of the things that decide if you find the gold. I found more gold and jewelry with my Vaquero than I ever have with any other detector. It's operating frequency of 14.3 to 14.7 kHz and lack of display will get the gold. I dug more targets with the Vaquero but got more goodies. The price is not a lot more than the F44. In my opinion, if your friend wants to go after the gold, the Vaquero is a great way to go. It is also a killer on coins and relics. I sold my Vaquero several years ago and purchased an F75 and love it. I am going to purchase a F44 soon and have often regretted getting rid of the Vaquero since it is a great detector and has it's place over the F75 in places(in my opinion). Whatever your friend decides on, the most important thing for him to do is put the time in with it and I mean lots of time, and LEARN THE DETECTOR! Using any detector on occasion is never the way to go if one wants to get the goodies. A detector sitting in the closet will NEVER find a thing!
There's a video for the 705 where the guy has 4 or 5 common numbers that rings come up as,and everything else is disced out.I was impressed on that video I bought a 705 with a few high frequency coils,received it yesterday.I'm gonna try it,seems awesome.I also bought a cibola and can't wait for the mod to be done,and shipped to me.I bought the cibola for jewlery, I could care less about coins anymore,if they come OK.my explorer se went down the road,id sooner have one gold ring than 20 silver coins
My two bobs worth.....I should say right at the beginning that I have no scientific proof to back up my theories (for what they're worth). I think if we are talking about the majority of gold jewellery, ie, gold rings, earrings, medium sized chains and pendants and charms, different frequencies below about 20kHz can make a difference. eg. I think a frequency of 3 kHz is virtually useless if you are going after small gold, that frequency is just too low for small gold items, and the hits you get on larger gold would not be very good signals. From around 7 - 8 kHz upwards, most medium sized gold should hit ok...even small rings should hit, but the signal would not be as good as if using a frequency of about 18 - 19 kHz, particularly if hunting in difficult soil or at saltwater beaches. If searching for very small gold, though, then a frequency of about 70 kHz is the way to go (eg the original Gold Bug & Gold Bug 2).
Whether it "matters" what frequency you use, depends on the user. Whilst it can make a difference, frequency (with exceptions) is no more important than the amount of discrimination we use, or the speed at which we swing our detector, or our choice of sites to detect, and even the types of soil we detect in. The exceptions, to my mind, would be using 3 kHz or 70 kHz.
Whether it "matters" what frequency you use, depends on the user. Whilst it can make a difference, frequency (with exceptions) is no more important than the amount of discrimination we use, or the speed at which we swing our detector, or our choice of sites to detect, and even the types of soil we detect in. The exceptions, to my mind, would be using 3 kHz or 70 kHz.
Mike Hillis
Well-known member
Hi Ivan,
Hard to keep it short.
You have to look at the whole feature set before you can judge if a particular metal detector will be a good gold jewelry hunter. Operating frequency alone is not the sole basis to judge if a detector will be good for gold jewelry hunting.
I remember a guy named Onionhead that had very good success hunting gold rings and the like in Denver city parks with a 5.9 (or is it 6.5?) kHz Bounty Hunter Tracker IV.
I have had very good success hunting gold with the 7.8 kHz Fisher F5 down to some impressive small size for the operating frequency. My F5 is a better small gold hunter than many higher frequency units because the feature set is conductive to hunting for small gold jewelry pieces.
In my opinion the F44 feature set is also conductive to gold jewelry hunting. No, its 7.6 kHz operating frequency is not best suited for tiny gold like fine chains and be- jeweled earring studs as a higher frequency detector would be. But it is perfectly suited for small and larger gold pieces. It can be set up so as to eliminate the distracting coin signals, and the gold range segments can be setup audio wise however you might wish using the 5 tones plus the VCO bass tone for FE. That is not to be lightly discounted and is a very useful feature.
I like to notch out all the coin segments . Then assign the FE segment the VCO tone, which is really a VCO/Bass tone mixture. When you hear it, you think iron, but it also highlights non-iron that crosses the FE/Foil boundary. But sometimes I’m in a place where I just want to hear the iron because I like to hear the iron. So then I just assign it a Bass tone, do a little FE volume adjustment and let it be background noise. Or Notch it out altogether, or just kill the FE audio and keep it on the screen.
Anyway, the best part is the gold range segments. Ever hunted with a detector that had a high tone for the Foil range, a med high tone for the nickel range, and a low tone for the tab range?
Or how about a medium tone for the foil range, a high tone for the nickel range, a medium tone for the tab range and low tone for the zinc range?
Or how about a VCO tone for the foil and nickel range, with a bass tone for tabs?
Or…you get the picture. The best part of the F44 is in setting up the conductive ranges to alert you the way you want them to alert you. The same thing can be done for coin hunting. Really, for gold ring, pendant, etc, type of jewelry the F44 will do fine with just a coil change. Get the 10” elliptical concentric or the 5x10 DD and you are set.
Will it hunt jewelry as good as my V3i? No, because the V3i combines a good jewelry feature set with a higher frequency. But for the price, the F44 will do an admirable job in my opinion.
And that is all it is, of course.
My opinion.
HH
Mike
Hard to keep it short.
You have to look at the whole feature set before you can judge if a particular metal detector will be a good gold jewelry hunter. Operating frequency alone is not the sole basis to judge if a detector will be good for gold jewelry hunting.
I remember a guy named Onionhead that had very good success hunting gold rings and the like in Denver city parks with a 5.9 (or is it 6.5?) kHz Bounty Hunter Tracker IV.
I have had very good success hunting gold with the 7.8 kHz Fisher F5 down to some impressive small size for the operating frequency. My F5 is a better small gold hunter than many higher frequency units because the feature set is conductive to hunting for small gold jewelry pieces.
In my opinion the F44 feature set is also conductive to gold jewelry hunting. No, its 7.6 kHz operating frequency is not best suited for tiny gold like fine chains and be- jeweled earring studs as a higher frequency detector would be. But it is perfectly suited for small and larger gold pieces. It can be set up so as to eliminate the distracting coin signals, and the gold range segments can be setup audio wise however you might wish using the 5 tones plus the VCO bass tone for FE. That is not to be lightly discounted and is a very useful feature.
I like to notch out all the coin segments . Then assign the FE segment the VCO tone, which is really a VCO/Bass tone mixture. When you hear it, you think iron, but it also highlights non-iron that crosses the FE/Foil boundary. But sometimes I’m in a place where I just want to hear the iron because I like to hear the iron. So then I just assign it a Bass tone, do a little FE volume adjustment and let it be background noise. Or Notch it out altogether, or just kill the FE audio and keep it on the screen.
Anyway, the best part is the gold range segments. Ever hunted with a detector that had a high tone for the Foil range, a med high tone for the nickel range, and a low tone for the tab range?
Or how about a medium tone for the foil range, a high tone for the nickel range, a medium tone for the tab range and low tone for the zinc range?
Or how about a VCO tone for the foil and nickel range, with a bass tone for tabs?
Or…you get the picture. The best part of the F44 is in setting up the conductive ranges to alert you the way you want them to alert you. The same thing can be done for coin hunting. Really, for gold ring, pendant, etc, type of jewelry the F44 will do fine with just a coil change. Get the 10” elliptical concentric or the 5x10 DD and you are set.
Will it hunt jewelry as good as my V3i? No, because the V3i combines a good jewelry feature set with a higher frequency. But for the price, the F44 will do an admirable job in my opinion.
And that is all it is, of course.
My opinion.
HH
Mike
at the end of the day its about digging there is no magic wand unfortunately 
found this yesterday http://www.findmall.com/read.php?17,2233194
now you have to take in to account I am nuts and what's worse proud of it 
use what ever you wish doesn't worry me, but one thing I do know is dirt digging for gold is hard work and that's why most of its still there the tabs have it locked up.
AJ
found this yesterday http://www.findmall.com/read.php?17,2233194
now you have to take in to account I am nuts
and what's worse proud of it use what ever you wish doesn't worry me, but one thing I do know is dirt digging for gold is hard work and that's why most of its still there the tabs have it locked up.
AJ
Hey AJ-----No truer words ever spoken than the last 21 words of your last sentence!! (and some foil) 
(and some foil)
amberjack said:at the end of the day its about digging there is no magic wand unfortunately
found this yesterday http://www.findmall.com/read.php?17,2233194
now you have to take in to account I am nuts
use what ever you wish doesn't worry me, but one thing I do know is dirt digging for gold is hard work and that's why most of its still there the tabs have it locked up.
AJ