Question for the Golden uMax users

[fishonwater]

Got a used Golden new tone a few weeks ago and having a good time with it, hits hard on nickels and clad using these settings: Notch switch wide, disc at just under 5c, notch width at 10:30. Get awesome results in city parks, which is mostly where I hunt. My question is on the notch feature, I thought using No notch you could change the tones for foil caps and some foil to the range of iron by adjusting the notch width control knob. Tried to get this machine to do that but the best I could get air testing is a kind of a goose gobble out of the foil caps and at that setting the newer pull tabs went into the zinc range, not sure if the machine is out of adjustment or what, but I just could not get the iron tone out of foil caps.

When I set it with the notch switch to the off position and width control knob at 1:00, I tested a small gold ring and the tone was mostly nickel tone. A bigger gold ring and the tone break was a sharp nickel to a zinc tone and the newer figure 8 pull tabs were an even tone break of nickel/zinc, hope this makes sense.

Regardless of whether this machine is not right or maybe I just need more time with it, the different sounds I get with it now, I can work with and eventually get to know. If not I may have to send it in and pay for what repairs it needs, reason being I did not buy it new.

Any comments would be welcome.

 

[reddirtfisher]

Hi, The Golden can be a frustrating and confusing machine, ...but once learned it is one of the best. I sent mine in 4 times for repairs ( before they got strict with the repair policy). Last time did the charm and it now works excellent. As for your question,..I have the very same problem trying to adjust the tones. I have the old tone Golden. Be aware that repairs are 50 bucks a pop at minimum now.
Happy Hunting RDF

 

[fishonwater]

Thanks for the reply RDF

Like I said it works well in notch mode and I will use it in the shape it's in until I log enough hours on it to get to know the machine better. Out of the few machines that I've used in the short time I've been hunting this one is by far the best at popping nickels out of the ground and I'm sure if I put the coil over smaller gold it will sing my favorite song. Hopefully when I do send it in they get it right the first time.

FW

 

[kingingkunsan]

Sir, in reference to the topic; " I thought using No notch you could change the tones for foil caps and some foil to the range of iron by adjusting the notch width control knob". I did air test as well. I gathered all my foil, foil caps/like from water bottle, and pull tabs I had found detecting and put them in a large pile. I also had a new nickel, war nickel, buffalo nickel, and 7 different gold rings (all of them were mens bands) In there were 10K, 14K, yellow and/or white gold and some thin and a few were thick heavy rings. I grabbed a nickel and adjusted notch until I got a good nickel sound and made a note of knob position. Then grabbed a random pull tab and again notched until it did not sound like a nickel and noted knob posititon. I retested the nickel and still got nickel sound (well we may be on to something). I tried all nickels and success with the nickel sound and still notched out the one pull tab. I grab gold rings and all but two hit like a nickel. Those two sounded more like a zinc penny. I decided I could live with that. Next from the large pile of pull tabs I started checking out of curiosity if all the pull tabs would be notched out. I would say of the 100 plus pull tabs I went through I notched out about 45. The others still sounded like nickel and some even sounded like zinc penny. I played around with notch some more and tweaked here and there and was careful to note knob postition. I eventually found that I could eliminate about 65-70% of the pull tabs and still get 3 of the 7 rings. So Is it worth it? It is up to you. But if you want to find ALL the gold you will have to dig ALL the pulltabs and foil. Sorry if this diappoints you. Please be aware this is just from my short experience and there may be other highly skilled Golden uMax users that can give you better advice. PS I do have the new tones Golden uMax. I currently use the 5.75 concentric for most of my outings. The stock coil collects dust

 

[fishonwater]

kingingkunsan

Thank's for sharing your testing with different foil and tabs etc. I've done similar tests and after reading your post I went outside and did some more with various tabs, foil, 2 gold rings that I have found. With the notch in off position came up pretty much as you are saying. The smaller woman's 14k diamond ring hits in the nickel tone, the larger mans 14k band with a sharp nickel to zinc tone which I pay close attention to that sound when I hunt using no notch. The older square style tabs sound like the larger gold band and I dig all those. The newer tabs on my machine have an even tone break nickel/zinc and I dig a lot of those.

I am slowly learning this machine and after only 40+ hours I'm starting to get a handle on some of the sounds, dug about 50.00 in clad, 2 silver rings, a small gold pendant and a lot of trash targets that are different then what I'm used to. By that I mean I dig fewer newer tabs and a lot more foil and older ring tabs, square tabs and nickels then I did before. Time will tell but as for now I'm impressed with this machine.