What is your Favorite or Best Detector for GOLD Jewelry

[JJdigs]

In the past 10 years of detecting I have found 5 gold items. 3 gold rings and 2 gold pendants. My first gold ring was found withan Ace 250 in the woods of a park that dates from the late 1800's at about 6" deep...It was big old gold bling from the early 1900 probably ....I sold it that day at a pawn shop and brought my girlfriend now wife out to a very nice dinner...Ugh...Now I wish I never sold it...It weighd 9 grams...
My next gold find was at another old park and was found with a Tesoro Cibola at almost 7+ inches. I almost gave up on the signal because it was getting to deep and I was being cautious digging in the park. The cibola gave a nice smooth tone. It was a Catholic save us saint Christopher pendant. Weighed about 2 grams.

At the same park on the pitcher's mound of a no longer in use ball field I scored a men's ring with the cibola around 5 inches deep...I could just see a little league coach or some one losing it years ago in my head..
Then I found a small gold pendant on my sister's lawn while detecting....I saw it in the grass before my coil swung over it...It weighd a bit over a gram and had a flag sticker on it....
And my last find was on the coast of NH in the dry sand....A nice 14k woman's ring with stones....I was using a Tesoro vaquero and was only a few inches deep in the sand...It was a very load sharp signal....
Jewelry hunting really hasn't been my thing. I have had a few water machines and have only pulled out junk jewelry no gold or silver for me yet in the water...except a big old chunck of silver from an 1800's mouth...Yes it was a silver denture plate.
I understand lots of people love tesoros for finding the gold. They have good disc and fairly hot on gold items when using a smaller coil. And some say they can tell the difference between aluminium and gold....
Also the Whites DFX has phaze readout some say this is the best tool on any detector for finding gold. I belive the XLT has this too....Does the VX3 have the phaze readout to compare a signal.
What machine do you guys think has the best tools for finding gold jewelry if it's audio tone.....VDI displays...Or other useful readouts the machine has. I have owned many detectors like alot of you guys. And I feel like I will keep my colonial sites for the old coins and Relics and try to make park hunting more for gold jewelry then clad and the occasional old silver coin. I unfortunately sold all my gold finds that I stated above ,iam not sure why I did. I didn't need the money I guess I just like to sell things !!!
So I want Re Up my gold supply ! Wow this was long so if you read it all thanks and interested in your guys and gals thought.

 

[REVIER]

So far I have found about 3 dozen gold targets with several detectors but nothing much past 5-6".
Most targets I find rarely go deeper than that even in the oldest sites but there are exceptions.
Could be I missed some deeper over the years but I hope not, even the biggest one, an 18 gram class ring, wasn't much deeper than 3" .


For shallow stuff and really tiny targets like earring studs the Compadre works really well.
If there is a ring next to or even actually leaning on big metal in a tot lot or a fence pole nothing else I know of will hit on it, very easily too, but that would be a rare thing although it could happen.
The newest Tesoro, the Mojave, seems to be a slightly souped up Compadre with 180 ED circuitry, the ability to change coils, a revamp of an old favorite coil and a high/low mineralization option switch.
Until we get some in the field reports we don't really know but the gold hunters out there are starting to drool over what might be possible with this one.

The first gold I ever found was with my Vaq in sand at a freshwater lake and it was tiny...and deep!.
9-10" maybe...hit on it pretty good in disc and the standard concentric coil too from what I remember.
Found others over the years with the Vaq too and every one hit hard no matter what size and even surrounded by trash but every piece of gold I ever dug with any tool was solid and a for sure dig me signal.
Others have stated some if theirs came in a lot more iffy and jumpy but so far none if mine ever did...so far.


The Fisher F2 found about 15 of those targets, again sometimes in heavy trash and my F70 found 9 so far some under very difficult conditions and one really nice big one in a super trashy picnic pavilion site on only the 4th hunt I went out with it before I even knew what I was doing.

I can tell you in my experience the two Fishers I have used are great at finding coins but when it comes to precious metals they seem to be even adept.
I have full confidence if I ever come across any gold really deep I think the F70 would tell me about it so for overall gold hunting, shallow, deep, small, large and even chains the F70 would be my weapon of choice especially with the standard elliptical concentric coil which is unusually responsive to precious metals.

 

[Dan-Pa.]

Being from the old school Tesoro is the best on gold jewelry especially the small stuff....Just my preference and of course many may have their own choice...

 

[JJdigs]

The Fisher F2 found about 15 of those targets, again sometimes in heavy trash and my F70 found 9 so far some under very difficult conditions and one really nice big one in a super trashy picnic pavilion site on only the 4th hunt I went out with it before I even knew what I was.

When using the F2 were you using the 8" coil or was it a different coil. I used the F2 for relic/ old foundations with the 11" DD coil and it was pretty good..... But with the F2 and F 70 were there any telltale signs that you were like " this gold" before you dug.... I have seen alot of post or stories in the past with detectorist saying they can tell a gold ring from a pop top .....And I wonder is it the sound or characteristics of there machine or are the going off of data like the higher end ones have. Because man it have dug alot of foil,aluminium and other junk while hunting at parks and I would love to find away to cut down on some of it. !!!!

 

[sprchng]

This is a never ending topic in detecting possibly because it equates to Fort Knox for the inventor of the machine that can truly pick the gold out of the trash. I have had several claim they have made the leap but none could prove the point when put to task. The White's spectragraph machines right up through the V3's polar plot with the Big foot coils etc. , seem to be the hardest diehard believers but they have all failed in the field tests.

I never found a single gold item with the XLT , the DFX or the V3i , nor have I found any gold with the F75 ltd 1 or 2 , nor a CZ3d. I have never used the Tesoros but have found 26 gold items in modern dirt/turf trashy park hunting with the Etrac , CTX and Deus. Deus gets four of those which gave the "round sound", the remainder were FBS machines with the Etrac bagging the most. The idea that these machines are poor for gold and low conductors is bunk if you listen to the tones. I frequently dig as many or more nickels on a normal park hunt with an FBS than quarters or silver jewelry , simply because so many are left behind in heavily hunted parks. The key is to go slow enough to hear each target clearly and separately , and these machines will give you a tone different than the blurry tones of can slaw , however tabs and cleverly folded foil will still give you a tone to dig so you better resign yourself to digging those sounds. That has been my experience with digging gold to this point , tones reign supreme , not VDI,,,it just keeps you in the ballpark for talking

Obviously the law of averages is on your side (if you dig ALL the aluminum) to eventually turn up the yellow stuff but the tonal quality of these machines can improve those odds if you match the coil to the trash density and can discipline yourself for the hunt. It's tiring so I don't even try to maintain that concentration for more than a hour or so at a time. I have never pulled out gold and knew I was about to pull out gold , just digging a good sounding low conductor.

My time in these types of sites has me believing that the actual amount of gold lying around is not what we hope it is but in truth much less.

 

[REVIER]

The Fisher F2 found about 15 of those targets, again sometimes in heavy trash and my F70 found 9 so far some under very difficult conditions and one really nice big one in a super trashy picnic pavilion site on only the 4th hunt I went out with it before I even knew what I was.

When using the F2 were you using the 8" coil or was it a different coil. I used the F2 for relic/ old foundations with the 11" DD coil and it was pretty good..... But with the F2 and F 70 were there any telltale signs that you were like " this gold" before you dug.... I have seen alot of post or stories in the past with detectorist saying they can tell a gold ring from a pop top .....And I wonder is it the sound or characteristics of there machine or are the going off of data like the higher end ones have. Because man it have dug alot of foil,aluminium and other junk while hunting at parks and I would love to find away to cut down on some of it. !!!!

9 of those gold targets were found around basketball courts, the only kind of site here I plan on digging most targets over time because of severe masking problem plus the high percentage chance of finding jewelry around these things.
Most of the gold I found around these things were found way before I cleaned up the sites, and I visit these courts over and over many times because I just hate wasting my time digging trash but there I will...slowly.
Every one of those gold targets I dug around those courts were within my strict rules I use pretty much everywhere else...I dig solid signals that repeat, the jumpy stuff I usually leave in the ground.
In hunting most other places I quit digging most of the more jumpy signals long ago, I cut out about 80% of the trash I used to dig and still found gold.
At those courts I do dig more but most trash I suspect what it is but i just feel I have to get it out of the way...other places I just leave it in the ground.
Because most of my sites are pretty trash filled public parks I use snipers more often then not.
I have found gold with bigger coils on both units but the most with snipers especially on the F2.

On either Fisher I can't say I can tell the difference between gold and a pull tab, or gold and foil or gold and anything else for that matter...I can only say that all the gold I have dug with them sounded great, didn't jump much in the numbers from two directions and were what I considered solid signals which were within my rules which is why I dug them and they were all a surprise.
About 20% of the trash I come across is just as solid so I do dig that also but after digging tons of trash on my way to making my rules for digging no gold or silver was jumpy and most jumpy signals were trash.
I could miss jumpy gold if it is out there doing it this way but I don't care and many say you must dig everything to find gold but I don't believe it and to myself at least I have proved this not true.
If I was forced to dig every blasted signal I come across to find gold or anything else I would sell my detectors and walk away in a second...I just won't do it like that anymore.
I still find more gold my high percentage way than I probably deserve and definitely enough to make me happy and well satisfied.

By the way there is one detector that I can tell when I am swinging over gold but only the big kind like large class rings or old style thick wedding rings.....Tesoros.
There is a sound those analog units give off that is way different than all other signals and once you hear it it is unmistakable...but smaller gold just sounds decent to me, solid and it dials in nice but again it is just a another solid signal I go after within my rules.
I have heard that distinct big gold sound twice now...It is my holy grail sound and what I wouldn't give to hear it just one more time.

 

[JJdigs]

Thanks alot Revier, that's exactly what I was looking for...Your post has alot of value to it and I appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences.

 

[REVIER]

Thanks alot Revier, that's exactly what I was looking for...Your post has alot of value to it and I appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences.

Anytime!

I must say I have only used 4 detectors pretty much in my career, the F2, F70, Vaq and a Compadre and even though I love finding old coins and everything else I am a gold hunter at my core.
Nothing turns me on more than finding that metal.
I consider myself lucky because out of all the detectors out there that I could have picked to swing over the years the 4 I use seemed to have a great affinity for finding precious metals fairly easily.
Or it could be I just became hyper-attuned to their language and behavior over time...for everyone some detectors we click with and others we might not.
Just lucky I found a few soul mates along the way without wasting time or money on others I might not get along with so well.

 

[Nauti]

Only ever do saltwater beaches these days and the best detector i have owned for finding gold rings etc is the whites bhid...........based on the dfx.I own an explorer se i use on the beach also but the bhid is deeper and hits on gold really well.

 

[Southwind]

By far I've found the most gold with a DFX. Even to this day it can perform along side the best of todays technology. As long as you know how to run it.

A close second would have to be the AT Pro or Makro Racer 2. Both are very sensitive to small odd shaped gold, just like the DFX, but much deeper than the DFX.

Now as far as gold I'm talking dirt digging/tot lots

 

[Herb Jones]

Of all the Tesoros, the Super Trac Lobo is the one unit they've specially tuned for finding gold. I think most of their machines detect gold well...but the super trac lobo was designed specifically for prospecting for gold nuggets....

copied straight from the Tesoro website.
The Lobo SuperTRAQ is the pinnacle of electronic gold prospecting technology. No other detector gives you the fast, accurate and reliable ground tracking in normal and severe soils like the Lobo SuperTRAQ. Tesoro's famous discrimination circuitry lets you relic and coin hunt too.

The Lobo SuperTRAQ is simply one of the finest gold nugget metal detectors you can buy. Tesoro's SuperTRAQ Computerized Ground Tracking System solves the detectorist's greatest problem-ground balancing. No matter where you hunt, [color=#99FF33[color=#FF0000]]the[/color] Lobo SuperTRAQ will quickly self-adjust to eliminate minerals letting you find more gold with ease[/color]. Discrimination circuitry with instant pinpointing at your fingertips takes the awesome power of the Lobo SuperTRAQ into every type of metal detecting you do.


SPECIFICATIONS
Operating Frequency 17.8 kHz
Searchcoil Type Elliptical, widescan
Searchcoil Size 10" elliptical (length)
Searchcoil Family Delta

 

[Mega]

One the wet beach line i use the TDI Pro with either the 7.5DF coil or Folded Mono Jimmy coil deadly as anything in the surf on micro jewellery,inland a few machines that i use are the DFX,T2 and Deus these machines have all found me not only gold coinage but also micro gold and these are also all using small coils ie in the 5-6'' coil size,of course the smallest size for the Deus is the 9'' coil.

The machine that i am really looking at adding to my arsenal and that is the Deeptech Gold running at 25khz,have ued one with the small 5'' coil on and it deadly as hell on small jewellery and not only on say rings or solid gold items but the most difficult part of the jewellery is the ultra small chains,if they have say a solid item on the chain like a pendent or clasp most small coils will lock onto that but miss the actual chain as detectors see the links individually rather than the whole chain.Another thing is gold often comes in near iron and if you use alot of discrimination and try and knock out iron then you you stand a high probability of knock out the micro jewellery as well.

This year i plan on doing more beach detecting and on the waterline or areas that folks change clothing etc then i plan on using my Mirage Pulse which has the 5'' Mono coil and ultra fine gold timing as well,of course using a small coil you wont cover a massive amount of ground but being a Pulse you will still have the depth and going slow and low you up the odds in your favour of hitting some of the old yellow stuff and large lumps of ice.

Hunting for micro gold jewellery is not easy but if you spend the time and hunt sites methodically in areas that folks usually loose these type of finds then it can be very rewarding.

 

[Sneakyweasel]

For me it was the MXT.. then the MXT Pro.. and now the MX Sport.

 

[Dancer]

Find a site today where the teens and up arn'd. Spending all their money on Cell phones & Tattoos. Where their playing sports and going to the beach wearing Gold/Silver. Now you find that spot, don't tell a soul. And it won't matter much what machine your hunting. Yeah just try and find that spot. Lol. !!

 

[JBM1]

My top 3 machines for gold have been the Explorer/e-trac and now the XP Deus.

The Deus being the best of the 3 no matter what the items configuration..

Each to their own but we all have to walk over it to find a item.

Happy Hunting,

Jerry.

 

[jd88047]

My F75 is the machine most proficient at find gold out of three machines.

 

[amberjack]

pretty sure the one you are using today or your next hunt will have the best chance at finding gold....

we all have our fav's for what ever reason some is from results and some is just placebo I am sure

pretty sure getting out and hunting is the best way to find gold

I never found any while I was on here


AJ

 

[JJdigs]

pretty sure getting out and hunting is the best way to find gold

I never found any while I was on here

Pretty sure that's not happening any time soon in NH...We got White Gold

 

[amberjack]

pretty sure getting out and hunting is the best way to find gold

I never found any while I was on here

Pretty sure that's not happening any time soon in NH...We got White Gold

wow looks fresh ! I do not like snow its wet and cold , hope its gone soon for you to get some gold coloured gold

AJ

 

[JJdigs]

Thanks AmberJack....Yup that's why I buy somany detectors in the winter..... lol keeps me busy...I think I have 14 right now....Now it's time to make a bunch of videos and then unload them !!!