to: amberjack...about your Gold Bug Pro and coin finds...

[sgoss66]

Hey amberjack, here's my two questions (as continued from the Gold Bug thread in the Fisher Classics forum...)

1. How deep are you finding those coins in the beach sand, and...

2. Do you know what most of the coins you find are made of? I'm trying to relate it to the coins we typically find here in the U.S., and how "conductive" your coins are vs. ours...

Thanks,

Steve

 

[amberjack]

Hi Steve

the $2 and $1 coins the gold ones have found them at 10in maybe a 1in more the bug loves them they are copper/nickel i think because they are gold colour it hits them hard and with solid ID numbers, this may sound strange about their colour making them hit hard but the bug also hits gold coloured foil hard to strange i know.

the other coins 5 cent 10 cent 20 cent 50 cent coins (they are silver in colour) it doesn't hit so solid they can sound like foil or a bottle top bouncy like a machine gun but just a bit different to foil if that makes sense they are made of Cooper/nickel too so that's why i come up with the gold colour making the $1's and 2's hitting hard.

having said all this i got a 1965 US quarter the other day and it hit hard so maybe the size and slightly different metal makes a deference?

so i guess its sort of hard to compare the 2 country's coins?

i know this much the bug likes round things and silver i found a 925 silver ring today at 4in and it was solid ID 74 i think and was unchanging just didn't move.

i sure am not expert but i can say the bug loves coins just likes round things i though i was digging a coin for sure and it was a pull tab with the end off it so it was round and it liked it too, so much to learn its fun but

i hope this helps? if i can help more with other questions i will try answer them? i am still learning this machine but am very happy with it.

i just brought a whites Dual Field PI to go over the place straight after i have run the bug over to see what i am missing it will be an interesting experiment.

cheers
amberjack

 

[sgoss66]

yes, amberjack --

It WILL be an interesting experiment to see what your PI machine finds, after the Bug. Also interesting that your different coins hit so differently -- even when made of similar metals but of different color. Interesting also that the U.S. quarter (mainly copper but coated with a copper/nickel mix) hits harder than your country's copper/nickel coins.

Thanks for the great info, and congrats on finding yet another ring, today!

Steve

 

[amberjack]

maybe that's what it is Steve the $1 and $2's have more copper in them the $2 coins are the little gold ones in the pic they are just a bit bigger then our 5 cent coins but much thicker and they are the ones it likes best! and the 5 cent coins sound like a machine gun worse then foil its strange hey! but i still think the gold colour has something to do with it. well hold the phone i just checked the mints website 5's 10's 20' 50's 75% copper 25% nickel $1 $2 92% copper 6% aluminium 2% nickel maybe it is the copper? interesting i wonder how close copper is to gold on the periodic table will check it out latter.

do you have your bug yet? i am sure your going to love it! if all your coins are like the quarter i dug? i thought it was silver so looks like you will be digging plenty of solid targets!

thanks heaps for sharing it helps me and i am sure everyone else


right of topic i just got back from prawning shrimping i think you guys call it, i am in the water with waders and an underwater light stand in the water as the tides running out and the prawns come with the tide (hopefully) and this thing i thought was a lobster or something pulled up at my feet i never seen nothing like it!! 10in's long and fat! anyway i scooped it up and then 30 feet in front of me this huge splash like someone chucked a car in the water! i never seen that in the lake before either needless to say i can walk on water scared the (*&&^% out of me! i didn't see what it was i think it must have been chasing the humongous prawn! i stayed near the bank the rest of the night got about 5lb's of normal sized prawns, i have been prawning for years i have never seen a prawn that big am going to take a pic of it. its 5.50am i better get a bit of sleep hey so i can wake up go down the beach with the bug

sorry for way off topic but i just had to share!

cheers
amberjack

 

[sgoss66]

Crazy story, there, amberjack! Something was hungry and you took its dinner!

Anyway, no, I don't have my Bug yet -- tomorrow afternoon it's supposed to come (OK, I guess my "tomorrow/Thursday afternoon" will not be tomorrow/Thursday afternoon for you!! OK, let's just say, probably about 28 hours from now, how's that? It's 1 PM Wednesday afternoon here; I guess it's 6 AM Thursday in the "Land Down Under?!)

Steve

 

[amberjack]

yeah sleep time 6am Thursday morning

i added a bit to previous post.

28 hrs and counting hope it goes fast for you!

are you close to the beach?

copper gold silver all sit on top of each other interesting

 

[amberjack]

copper gold silver are more stable metals than aluminum and tin so much to learn i love this stuff like going back to school, used to love science.

 

[sgoss66]

amberjack --

I'd guess it COULD be the higher copper content, but it ALSO could be whether the copper is on the surface ("goldish"-colored coin), or on the inside -- with more nickel on the surface ("silverish"-colored coin). I don't know for sure, but I would think those differences could also affect how a coin "hits," who knows.

No, I'm not near a beach; most of my hunting is parks/schoolyards, and old home sites. Occasionally, I'll be taking a metal detector out to the "gold fields." Maybe on occasion we will vacation at the beach, and then I'd take it there too, but mostly parks, schools, and old homesites.

Yep -- lots to learn metal detecting, and there IS science involved, which is always cool!

Steve

 

[amberjack]

Hi Steve

this might be right back to my 1st theory but it seems like your quarter its mostly copper but has nickel on top it hits hard just from the only one i have caught its sure is fun which ever the case.

is the ground hard there? it was like concrete yesterday when i went for a look must be spoilt digging in the sand

i wonder how these go in the gold fields i want to go have a try myself when i get the time for a few days away somewhere outback i know most gold producing areas in Australia are high mineralisation so it will be a good test and who knows what i would find.

want to go up the bush check out my grandparents old home sight from what i have heard its pretty over grown, but it would be interesting.

not long to go now and it will be with you! i know i was like cat on hot tin roof, hope you have some great finds i am sure you will with this detector ! my 4th hole was a $2 coin and i was hooked

 

[sgoss66]

amberjack --

Yeah, not sure exactly what makes some coins hit harder than others in your case, but with the G2 I'd think anything gold or nickel would hit harder than anything silver; not sure about copper. The higher frequency (19 kHz) of the Gold Bugs suggest more sensitivity to gold/nickel-type coins than silver coins, but they have these buggers pretty well-tuned to find them all, as I understand.

As for gold fields, Dave Johnson says these machines were designed FOR gold prospecting, so I would think they'd do well in your mineralized soil, but who knows. Will be interesting to hear about, once you find your gold spot in the outback! As for your grandparents old place, I'd definitely hit that -- take a weed eater with you and cut down as much as you can, and then give it a shot!

Yep, not long now. UPS Tracking shows the machine on the truck for delivery. I am so busy with work and family for the next few days that it won't get much of a workout (except some air testing), unfortunately. But next week I will have time to get it out on a hunt or two. Can't wait! Between this machine and my F70, I should be set for a LONG time.

Steve

 

[amberjack]

Hi Steve

yes anything round it likes for sure! i went to a beach today i know gets hit hard and with minelabs and other more expense detectors i come away with a $9 worth of coins some 20's and 50's which have 12 sides but are big anyway they had black all over them been there a long time! and i had a faint signal but solid wish i had a video camera it was 12in's down a $2 coin i stayed past dark they have lights there that light up a lot of sand so i looked around some in the night found a few more $1 coins all been there a long time in amongst the junk.

i just said to myself this is such a great detector it continues to amaze me on coins!

i have an e-terra 305 it doesn't go anywhere unless someone wants to come with me!

yes have a few spots i want to try out for gold around river banks and old diggings whole new ball game i guess need to get the 5in coil 1st.

wow wont be far away now kool, are you getting the bug or G2 both coils? bet you will be busting to get out when it arrives

they say no with the new 15in coil but i would like to try anyway wonder if some one with both machines could give it a go and see what happens?

that's a good idea to get in the grandparent with some sort of clearer i haven't seen the site just from what my Dad told me, e keeps saying it will only be junk up there i keep trying to explain to him what these machines are made for is junk areas but he doesn't get it but i will go have a look see once it kools down a bit probably plenty of snakes up there.

do you have some sites picked out?

my Whites DF PI has left the states so will prob get it Monday i have a few beaches cleaned and am just hanging to give it a run i was advised not to go without a scoop i have no idea how it will go but i will find out soon !! i feel very excited about just raw depth and whats going to show up??

well hope the time goes fast till your detector gets out there and finds some long lost treasures which i have no doubt it will i look forward to the photos

 

[sgoss66]

amberjack --

Another awesome job at the beach! And, 12" down is pretty doggone good!! I bought the Gold Bug DP (which is just a Pro, but with an 11" DD coil instead of the 5" which usually comes on the Pro). That makes it, essentially, the same as a G2. I do not have the 5" coil yet, though I plan to get one before I go on the gold prospecting trip.

Oh, yeah -- I forgot about all the critters you have to worry about down there! That's one thing I've always felt about Australia, from the little I know, it seems to be LOADED with nasty things that can do some serious damage to a human being! However, you are just about into Autumn down there, so you'll be cooling off soon, I'm guessing.

As far as spots -- yes, I do have a few picked out. There's a fairly old homesite I have permission to hunt, built in 1930 and now abandoned. But, it is just FILLED, I mean FILLED with iron trash. My F70 goes CRAZY at that spot. I can't wait to get the Gold Bug in there. There are other spots that are iron-filled, too, that I hunt, one old park in particular. I have decided that when I want max depth at less trashy sites, the F70 will be the one I use. When I want jewelry in particular, or when the iron trash is bad, it will be the Gold Bug Pro. However, I've had several folks tell me that once I learn the Gold Bug, the F70 may spend most of its time turned off! I guess we'll see...!!

Definitely let us know how you do with the PI machine, hitting areas you've already hunted. Hopefully, you'll have it by Monday!

Steve

 

[amberjack]

Hi Steve

yeah sorry i didn't read done bottom of your post errrrrrr yes i have the same detector do you have it yet?

gold bug should work well on your iron site it grunts like a pig at iron maybe that's why the call it pig iron arh i made a joke

like the other night with the big splash then i thought i made it to the bank safe was 5 foot away and trying to breath and this huge eel as fat as my leg went through them and then a blue ringed octopus lit up when i touched it with my net fun fun fun

yes starting to kool done now which is good and bad less people hitting the beach but will give me some time with the Whites to look around good, i moved from up north just not long ago so winter is going to hurt cold down here SW winds and westleys which will be good blow all the sand off the beach

your spots sound great cant wait to see what you find there!!

pic of my beach i grew up on and now like taking the bug too it gets packed out on hot weekends !

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb431/AMBERJACK-DP/towradgi-beach.jpg

well i am off to look see.

 

[Ken in Georgia]

Yep -- lots to learn metal detecting, and there IS science involved, which is always cool!

Steve

The science is finding new places to go!!!! Now when you can go hunt and learn what that detector is saying !!!

 

[sgoss66]

Ken -- yep, finding the spots is a science all to itself, and one I'm not too good at, yet!

Yep, amberjack, got the machine last night (mentioned it in another post, too!) That's a really nice looking beach; sounds like as long as you can keep away from the eels and the glowing octopuses, you have plenty of stuff to find there on that beach! I envy your awesome spot you have, there!

By the way -- that's a good one -- "pig" iron! I have heard the term "pig iron" used before; maybe that's where the name came from!

Steve

 

[amberjack]

i don't like crowds so i just go to all the places i don't like

oh good stuff Steve bet its beeping to get out?

the beaches look like that and better all up and down the coast here 1500 Miles of them we are a bit spoilt i think!!
and i don't think its such a big hobby as in the US although i have heard at Bondi beach they all have a grid each to work in don't know how they work that out?? so i feel good about finding good stuff with our machines they are very good!! then i have the PI machine to go to once i have cleaned out the site with the gold bug. no site is ever cleaned out i don't think just have to work a bit harder?

check this out:
RELATIVE
METAL CONDUCTIVITY
Copper (Annealed) 100
Silver 106
Gold (Not alloyed) 65
Platinum 15
Lead 7
Brass 28
Aluminum (heat treated) 30-45
Iron (Cast) 2-12
Iron (Wrought) 11.4
Iron (Pure) 17.7
Mercury 1.66
Nickel 12-16
Nickel Silver (18%) 5.3
Zinc 28.2
Tin 13
Because a metal detector

 

[sgoss66]

Very cool chart; here's my question.

In electrical applications, gold is (as I understand it) usually considered a higher-end choice (better conductor of electricity??) than copper, copper of course being better than aluminum. However, in metal detecting terms, gold is considered a "low" conductor. This confuses me.

In any case, yes I do think you are spoiled, with 1500 mi. of beaches, and not alot of detectorists! That's awesome!

Steve

 

[amberjack]

um i don't know i know silver is used in circuit boards and things like that not sure with the gold ? house wiring is copper? maybe low grade gold like mixed with other metals pushes it down the list in to low conductivity like with nickel or tin rose gold is with copper so that may hit harder?

nickel being lower would explain why the bigger coins we have don't hit as hard as the 92% copper ones and they have a bit of aluminum in them too which is higher up the scale than nickel so just from what i am seeing with our coins this chart makes sense.

but i do understand your gold question maybe they mean 9. 10. 14K gold would be rare to find 24K gold?

 

[sgoss66]

What you say makes sense, and is true -- alloyed gold (lower karat) would hit different than pure gold. However, your chart said UN-alloyed gold; I was thus assuming 24K pure. If you are into audio stuff (speakers, stereos, etc.), you often see "gold plated" connectors, etc. advertised as being "top of the line." Unless this is pure hype (which it certainly COULD be!), this is one example where gold is supposedly good in electrical applications. Yes, silver is CERTAINLY a good conductor, and used in electrical applications, but I thought gold was, too.

In any case, yes, different coins will hit differently, on different detectors, running at different frequencies. Cool stuff!

Steve

 

[amberjack]

i was just thinking about this and i think this chart is for VLF detectors so maybe like a PI machine like the one i am getting and the minelab GPX's and so on have a different reading for gold because i have brought those gold plugs because they are better and never seen silver ones as in real silver silver in colour but probably nickel or tin or something like that and i hear what your saying.

i think it must be the VLF ratings for the metals i am guessing pulse would be different?

well you sure are helping learn and look for answers i like answers

need to know how and why it helps me make better decisions

will look in to the VLF v PI ratings on conductivity.