Nokta Legend for Gold Nugget Shooting

[bobinyelm]

A few months back I bought a Legend ProPack figuring it would be an all-round better Whites MXT (which I have had for several years) for GP use.

Trouble is I have become somewhat obsessed with nugget shooting now that I moved to Arizona and am accompanying a friend into the gold fields here. There are several good gold areas around me and I have friends who are encouraging me (and succeeded) to get me interested in nugget shooting in the desert, which is not taking much encouragement.

I see precious little about the Legend as a gold prospecting detector, but this the SMF and 6" round coil, it would SEEM to be quite a decent gold detector.

Anyone have impressions of its the Legend vs the popular Gold Monster 1000? The GM1000 is somewhat behind the Gold Bug 2 in sensitivity , but given its ease of operation compared to the BG2 especially in mineralized soil (finicky) it seems the machine to beat these days out here in Arizona.

Traditionally, multi-use detectors like my MXT and maybe the Legend are now strictly "also-rans" (I was just last week personally advised in a phone conversation to "chuck" the MXT even with my DD 4X6" nugget shooter coil as hopelessly obsolete by a famous western mining expert hereabouts) vs specialized ones like the GM1000 and the GB2. But with SMF and up up to 40Khz, before I go trading around and take a financial hit, I'm curious if the Legend in prospecting mode can hold its own against the GM1000.

I see many rate the Legend is only slightly inferior to the to the Minelab Equinox 800, which is well regarded for as middle-entry coin machine for hobbyists for some targets, but has it been mentioned for small gold (2 gr and up)? If so I am unaware. Comparisons usually end at coin shooting in tot-lots for plated coins, which the Legend is also fairly competent.

Unfortunately when you get to small gold, burying test samples in disturbed ground is pretty inconclusive, so anyone with real-world experience would be welcome to chime in. I DID see an Australian test comparing the Mokta Gold Kruzer as equivalent to the Gold Monster 1000 albeit at the cost of complexity, I've yet to see either in comparison to the Legend.

So...Anyone using the Legend (or even an Equinox 800) for small gold in desert conditions with success have an opinion? I am going out tomorrow to do more research to a new area, but am bringing my Whites TDI pulse machine, and my friend his GB2, which hopefully will give me a little more insight, but I like to learn from others who have "been there" as well..

Thanks,
Bob

 

[jmaclen]

I was northwest of Phoenix two weeks ago using an Equinox 900 and a Legend, both with 6" coils. Sensitivity to sub gram and even sub one tenth of a gram gold is absolutely not a problem for those detectors along with any other targets that small. The 6" coil was easily hitting sub gram targets 2 to 3" deep. Some Legend, Equinox 900 and GPX 6000 finds during my hunt. Those are .22 long rifle shell casings and a little 0.11 gram LSD nugget.

The only problems you will encounter using a Legend or any highly sensitive VLF is hot rocks and the ground moisture that makes hot rocks/hot ground even more of a problem. Even my GPX 6000 was noisy on some of the hot rocks and wet ground where I was. You may have to turn sensitivity down a bit. If there is metamorphic schist and gneiss with magnetite inclusions in your detecting area, the Legend will detect it. The same possibly goes for some basalt and tuft. Just put the Legend in Gold mode, Multi setting with a medium recovery speed setting, low iron filter and iron stability setting, ground balance it and turn down sensitivity until it is stable. Use threshold if you want or just run it a little hotter without the threshold.

The Legend is every bit as good as the Equinox 800 using their gold prospecting modes and the Equinox 800 and 900 are outstanding gold prospecting detectors.

 

[rreahard]

Best of luck!