Poll: Is the new G2/Gold Bug Pro good in iron?

[Big Boys Hobbies]

Is it the best machine you have used in heavy iron? Yes or no and why.


Does it have the fastest recovery in iron of any machine you have used?? Yes or no and why.

 

[Badger in NH]

I've had my Gold Bug Pro almost a month now. I love the machine. I have both coils. The manual and other writings say that the GBP has a lower sensitivity to silver due to its higher than usual frequency. I see no evidence of that at all so it must be very minor.

I bought the machine primarily for searching around iron infested cellar holes and plowed fields. The first thing I noticed about the GBP is that small iron has a tendency to ID into the high numbers, like one square inch pieces of thin iron used for flashing, rusty bottle caps, pieces of cans, small washers and pretty much any iron with any surface area as well as a wide variety of nails will have a high ID number. Most detectors (and this is my fifth machine), are able to easily discriminate out or properly ID these small pieces of iron. But the GBP (or at least my GBP), often IDs these small pieces of iron as a coin or relic. Time and time and again I dig what I think is a good target and it's one of these smallish pieces of iron.

But I'm hoping this may just be a trade off for performance. I've been going to cellar holes that have been heavily hunted for decades and I am digging many good targets that we missed in the past. My problem is that I also dig a lot of iron that fools me into thinking it's a good target.

Seasoned veterans of this machine tell me that with time you can learn to tell the difference between iron and a good target, by watching the way the numbers behave and by listening to differences in sound. This just takes time and a lot of digging, paying attention to how each target behaves. If this is what it takes to make the finds, I think I can live with that.

The recovery is super fast and the separation is very precise. That's what makes this machine find more. It's also a great beginner detector, but with cutting edge technology that will be there as you progress to the expert level.

 

[txquest]

I use the G2, and yes to both of your questions. It is super fast, light weight, seperates good, excellent tone ID, accurate VDI, good EFFECTIVE depth, a ton of techno info on a simplistic display. Just a good piece of equipment. Txquest

 

[jmaryt]

you are NOT takin' the small iron out?..that must be drivin' ya nuts!..i don't think that sounds right!
is this a design characteristic of this detector?..just wondering!

(h.h.!)
j.t.

 

[amberjack]

just from my experence it loves round things so bottle tops flat iron close to round will trick me but there are differences in the sound that can be heard with time and every time i use it i dig less junk i.e bottle tops screw tops but they still can trick me DOH.

AJ

 

[Badger in NH]

jmaryt ,

With my GBP, I can have the disc way up to 80 (coins only range) and still have the small iron fool me. Often it might be 6 inches deep and I get a fairly steady 83, 84, 83.... This is exactly what I would expect a coin to sound like in the iron. Only when I dig it up will it correctly identify it as iron. I search the hole and dig some more thinking there must be a coin in there somewhere, but nothing, just a small piece of iron or a nail. I've had this happen with my CZ20 as well but not to this extent.

Even though I dig a lot of iron that fools me, I also get good targets at sites that have been pounded. So in that respect, it's working great.

A rusty bottle cap or something similar can mimic a coin perfectly on the VDI. I wonder if this varies a bit between different GBPs.

Like AJ mentioned, there are differences in the sound, and probably VDI behavior as well, that need to be learned.

Badger

 

[Big Boys Hobbies]

n/t

 

[TerraDigger]

I have the exact same phenomena regarding iron on my Teknetics T2 that Badger in NH is describing.

"With my GBP, I can have the disc way up to 80 (coins only range) and still have the small iron fool me. Often it might be 6 inches deep and I get a fairly steady 83, 84, 83.... This is exactly what I would expect a coin to sound like in the iron. Only when I dig it up will it correctly identify it as iron. I search the hole and dig some more thinking there must be a coin in there somewhere, but nothing, just a small piece of iron or a nail. I've had this happen with my CZ20 as well but not to this extent."

 

[amberjack]

are they round or close to round?

 

[Mr.Bill]

Just jummping in here to remind those the the detector was designed as a gold nugget hunter first. Anything else is desert. For those that need a coin hunter, should have gone for the Omeaga 8000, a coin hunter design.

Now this doesn't help those that allready have GB's and G2's. Try opening up the discrimination so you can hear the small iron, at least it will id it by tone. Try dropping the sensitivity down a bit. Besure to sweep with a fast sweep, shoulder width, regardless.

 

[amberjack]

yes Bill next detctor on my list omega can swap coils with the bug too ?

once used to the bug /G2 it still does pretty good on coins here! busting my neck to hit some mullik piles but.

 

[Big Boys Hobbies]

Don't forget, the G2 and gold bug pro was designed for DD coils.

 

[amberjack]

are the 2 extra coils for the omega not DD?

 

[Ken in Georgia]

I have a question when did you get these iron readings, What kind of ground ? How big was the iron?

 

[Badger in NH]

Ken,

In my case, the problem is with smallish iron. Often it's about 2 inches in size. It can square, round or oblong, thin or thick or any shape at all. It happens anywhere there is iron. Often it will be 6 inches deep more or less. Most detectors don't have a problem ignoring these targets. Not every piece of iron will give a good signal, only some, but it is very annoying and I waste a lot of time digging them..

I'm used to large iron and nails occasionally giving a good signal on most machines but with my Gold Bug Pro/DP, it goes beyond that giving good signals on the smaller stuff.

Our soil is on the damp side this time of year and not sandy. I typically ground balance in the mid 70s more or less.

Badger

 

[Ken in Georgia]

What are your settings?

 

[Furious T]

On bottle caps - Monte has put up a couple of excellent posts on distinguishing bottle caps... Dave J. has also put up a post at the start of this forum on bottle caps....both help...of course, nothing works 100%, but you dont have to dig them all.

 

[Furious T]

Sorry, Davd J's post is at the start of the Gold Bug/G2 forum

 

[Badger in NH]

Settings,

I've been trying everything but mostly gain 100, disc 40.

The bottle cap post on the Gold Bug forum kind of misled me. I don't dig many bottle caps, so they are not an issue for me. The reality is that any rusty steel or iron target roughly the size of a bottle cap, thin or thick, as well as thickly oxidized nails may cause a good signal on my GBP. I will have to try the tipping the coil trick next time out.

After talking to others and reading many posts, I am noticing that not everyone is having this trouble with iron. It appears that soil might have a lot to do with how the GBP/DP or G2 reacts to iron targets in the ground. My soil is often rich and usually somewhat damp possibly causing the iron oxides to build up on the target and leach into the soil. I've been hearing that those who hunt mostly sandy, well drained soil don't have this problem much at all. This might explain the lack of consistency in how different users are receiving different results when hunting iron infested sites.

Today I hunted a Colonial/early American site.. As usual I dug many iron targets that fooled me. But I did get a nice button which gave a perfect signal and VID. If all I ever dug were perfect signals, I might be able to avoid most of this pesky iron. But I can't bring myself to pass up any signal that even remotely indicates a possible non ferrous target. I will admit that most of these deceptive iron targets I'm digging are not perfect signals although some are close to perfect. But they are signals that I would normally dig with my other machines. Can we trust the Gold Bug Pro to ID every target perfectly? I doubt it. No detector can do that. Maybe it being a gold machine causes it to behave a bit different than the machines we're used to but I believe it can be mastered. I'm not giving up.

 

[amberjack]

that's the way badger don't give up on it, i know i nearly rapped mine around a pole but glad i didn't as it does work for what i use it for but you are right its 19 kHz so its high end for multi purpose.

Extraordinary sensitivity to tiny gold nuggets
Multi-purpose more than just a gold machine
Unmatched target separation in iron trash
High-end performance at a mid-range price
No motion pinpoint with depth indicator
Manual & computerized ground balance
Continuous ground conation readouts
Ground phase
Ground mineralization
Threshold and gain adjustment
Signal Strength Indicator
Two Ground Balancing Options-Computerized Ground Grab and Manual
Continuous Ground Condition Readouts
2-Tone VCO Audio
Big Easy-To-Read LCD Display
Target ID
Signal Strength Indication
On/off power and Gain control
Mode selection control
Pin Point control
LCD battery indicator
1/4 and 1/8 inch headphone jacks
High Powered 11" DD Search coil
Optional deep-seeking 5" DD Coil
Ultra Lightweight
3-pole system
Comfort Hand-Grip
Arc-detector Stand
Device Specification:
Mechanical: S-rod with electronics housing on rod, 3-piece breakdown construction, nonmetallic telescoping lower rod, adjustable position arm rest
Operating principle: VLF induction balance
Operating frequency: 19 kHz, crystal controlled
Reactive overload: 10,000 micro-cgs (with standard searchcoil)
Resistive overload: 1,200 micro-cgs (with standard searchcoil)
Ground balance range: From ferrite to salt water inclusive
Discrimination ground suppression: Combination of 2" and 3" order methods
Target 10 ground suppression: 3rd order
Operating temp range: 14 to 122 degrees F (-10 to +50 C)
Weight: 2 Ibs, 8 oz with battery installed
Batteries: Single 9 volt rectangular alkaline
Battery life: 15+ hours on good quality alkaline