Need some advice for first purchase

[Brian_in_MT]

I am looking at buying 2 metal detectors so my wife and I can go out together. The budget for both machines is $2,000 total.

I think i'm going to buy an "all in one" detector (is that the correct terminology?) and then the second detector will be a dedicated gold machine.

The all in one first: I am leaning towards a White's MXT or MXT Pro. The difference between the 2 seems to be the coil size. The MXT has a 9.5" coil and the Pro has a 12" coil. This detector will be used for everything, basically it will be the "see whats under the ground detector", no matter whats down there. It will be used in wide open spaces (i'm combining my 4 wheeling hobby with metal detecting - I've got a rig that is built to crawl and I love to get out in the middle of nowhere) so we wont be using this in urban areas, no fences, underground pipes, other people, etc. Montana has very rocky ground if that matters. Which one of these detectors would be a better choice for me? And why? If the White's MXT is not a good choice, what would you recommend in it's place?

Now the gold machine. I have had several people tell me a Fisher Gold Bug II or Gold Bug II Pro would be a good choice for finding gold. I don't doubt what they say but I seem to find conflicting information. The Fisher has a very small coil, something like 5" or 6", the biggest i've seen on a Fisher is a 10", yet when I read about some of the serious gold hunters, they are running huge coils. There are guys in Australia running 36" coils. They all say the same thing: bigger is better. So...if the serious people run big stuff why does the Fisher Gold Bug (which is a great machine from what I hear) run such a small coil?

The areas the Fisher will be used have been panned already and we know there is a good concentration of gold there. I'm not real concerned with flakes. This is Montana, you can damn near pan flakes out of your drinking water. Since we know there is gold there, we are just wanting to basically cherry pick the pickers and nuggets. Is the Fisher still a good choice or would you recommend something else?

Ughh sorry for the novel length post. There is a ton of information to absorb about this hobby.

Thanks in advance for any information

Brian

Edit - I know these metal detectors are considered pricey for a first purchase but I am very comfortable with the price and would rather have a machine I can grow into rather than grow out of. I'm not afraid of doing some homework to be able to use the machine, I just want good metal detectors.

[vanstheman3]

Welcome from Lake Dallas Texas. I am asking anyone new to MD to Please Read "The Treasure Hunters Code of Ethics", and to Please learn to cut Flaps/Plugs and to be sure you know proper digging and REPAIR Techniques! Please use Shovels only in the Woods or Farm fields, Please Don't Dig in Sports fields During Season, And Don"t Leave any debris or scrap at a search site! Realize everything you do now Reflects on our Hobby and on MDers everywhere!!! Please make the effort to be an Asset not a Liability!!! Good Luck and Happy Hunting..... <--- My standard Newbie reply! Ok I was advised to stay away from the Fisher Gold Bug, by a couple member and a sponsor! They are supposed to be chatter boxes??? If you can live just fine without a Display type MD, take a look at the Tesoro Lobo Super Traq, They say its a really good Gold MD. I use a Minelab Xterra 705 Gold Pack, But I have never hunted or found any gold with it as of yet! Look at the Teknetics T2 SE and the Fisher F75 SE! Call several sponsors/dealers from here and Once you talk to them and they know all your MD pertinent Information, They will know what to recommend to you that will fit your needs the best! Make sure you tell them you are a member here and they will give you their best prices! I prefer Bart at Big Boys hobbies but there are several here that most members use! Within the next several days you will get plenty of advice and recommendations, Most will recommend whatever they are swinging! I recommend the Minelab Xterra 705 Gold!!! At least check it out for the all purpose MD you are looking for. Weight is a bigger issue when you are swinging a MD for hours than it is when you are reading a MDs weight in the specs! Good Luck and Happy Hunting.....

[Brian_in_MT]

I notice Big Boys Hobbies doesn't even stock White's metal detectors. Is this because they are junk or because of licensing/dealer/etc issues?

[nittany1]

I would call a sponsor that carries White's and ask them for a package deal on a White's TDI SL and an MXT or MXT Pro for general use, depending on how much of a discount from a sponsor. The TDI SL is the latest version of the TDI, it's in a standard White's control box and takes the rechargeable batteries and AA battery packs that the E-Series and Spectra take. You'll find gold deeper with a TDI SL than you will with any VLF gold machine. The TDI SL is PI that can work in standard PI mode or you can turn on ground balancing and then choose either low conductivity (gold), high conductivity (silver, copper, etc) or both. Low conductivity targets give high tones and high conductivity targets give low tones. If you turn off ground balancing then all targets give one tone. The TDI SL comes standard with one of two coils, a 12" dual field or a 7-1/2" dual field, it just depends if you'll be hunting open desert or in and around rocks more often. You can buy the other coil separately and there are several others available from Jimmy Sierra and Razorback.

[Big Boys Hobbies]

Originally Posted by Brian_in_MT

I am looking at buying 2 metal detectors so my wife and I can go out together. The budget for both machines is $2,000 total.

I think i'm going to buy an "all in one" detector (is that the correct terminology?) and then the second detector will be a dedicated gold machine.

The all in one first: I am leaning towards a White's MXT or MXT Pro. The difference between the 2 seems to be the coil size. The MXT has a 9.5" coil and the Pro has a 12" coil. This detector will be used for everything, basically it will be the "see whats under the ground detector", no matter whats down there. It will be used in wide open spaces (i'm combining my 4 wheeling hobby with metal detecting - I've got a rig that is built to crawl and I love to get out in the middle of nowhere) so we wont be using this in urban areas, no fences, underground pipes, other people, etc. Montana has very rocky ground if that matters. Which one of these detectors would be a better choice for me? And why? If the White's MXT is not a good choice, what would you recommend in it's place?

Now the gold machine. I have had several people tell me a Fisher Gold Bug II or Gold Bug II Pro would be a good choice for finding gold. I don't doubt what they say but I seem to find conflicting information. The Fisher has a very small coil, something like 5" or 6", the biggest i've seen on a Fisher is a 10", yet when I read about some of the serious gold hunters, they are running huge coils. There are guys in Australia running 36" coils. They all say the same thing: bigger is better. So...if the serious people run big stuff why does the Fisher Gold Bug (which is a great machine from what I hear) run such a small coil?

The areas the Fisher will be used have been panned already and we know there is a good concentration of gold there. I'm not real concerned with flakes. This is Montana, you can damn near pan flakes out of your drinking water. Since we know there is gold there, we are just wanting to basically cherry pick the pickers and nuggets. Is the Fisher still a good choice or would you recommend something else?

Ughh sorry for the novel length post. There is a ton of information to absorb about this hobby.

Thanks in advance for any information

Brian

Edit - I know these metal detectors are considered pricey for a first purchase but I am very comfortable with the price and would rather have a machine I can grow into rather than grow out of. I'm not afraid of doing some homework to be able to use the machine, I just want good metal detectors.

The Fisher Gold bug 2 is a the most sensitive of the bunch. It runs at 71 khz. Much higher than the rest. It is a gold machine only. VERY sensitive to gold.

Holler if you have questions. Love to help you!

[allcav]

71 k is really high. Thats up there were you are going to pick up minerals too.

[dene97]

The guys in Australia running bigger coils are running badder machines. Most of them are probably running GPX 5000's, priced around $5700. They'll pick up bigger gold deeper for sure.

But they might miss the smaller stuff found more frequently around here. Smaller, shallower gold is what you'll mainly find in our area. But if there's a multi ouncer within a foot of the Gold Bug (2), you got a good chance of hearing it.Also, you'll want a smaller coil for getting into crevices. You'd lose some depth between the 6" and 10" coils, but probably not too significant. $850 will get you the detector and both coils from just about anybody.

And you're right. There is definitely a lot of info to absorb. Looking at the snow still coming down this morning, you probably have a little while longer to think about your purchase.

Happy hunting!