Sat Oct-17-09 03:35 PM by Goldmadness

Which one would be better? They both run at 50Khz. I have a Goldmaster Vsat it runs pretty loud, I thought they would be a little more quiet. I can't wear my headphones on my ears, I have to wear them around my neck its so loud.

I've been playing with different sized nuggets and 50 Khz should get the tiny ones but the smallest I can get a zip of is about 3 to a 4 grain size and thats just about touching the coil. I thought it would detect smaller than that. If anyone has any info on the settings please reply.

Goldmadnes

In response to Reply # 0

I have a VSAT - I know what you mean about the volume being too loud. I found a simple solution that involves adding a few diodes to the circuit to create a "dump" for the signal when it gets too strong.

If you are not into soldering electronic components, I recommend getting a good pair of headphones with "volume limiter" circuit. Most of the quality brands made for metal detecting have something like that to offer: RatPhones, Gray Ghost - even the Jimmy Sierra brand.

I have the new MSA model from RatPhones & like them a lot. They are slim-fitting & comfortable, and have thin, post-type volume control knobs that are easy to adjust, but won't shift when brushed or bumped, keeping the volume level set where you want it. They have a full-time volume limiter circuit that works great - no loss of weak signals. It only cuts down on the painful sounds, bringing them to a tolerable level. They aren't the most expensive phones, but aren't cheap either. Food for thought...

Regarding the GMZ, it is a simple, no-frills, dig-everything machine (i.e. no iron ID). I've heard they are very sensitive. But the functionality is far different than the VSAT. It is a "silent search" machine, meaning you have no threshold hum as a baseline. It is quiet until you get a tone from a target. I suspect the VSAT & GMZ would give you comparable results in the field once you got used to operating the units. Much of detecting is a function of the operator's skills & capabilities.

If you are using the stock "Gold Master" coil with the red label & white lettering, you are using a concentric coil. That's what I have. It is more sensitive to ground mineralization, thus limiting the amount of gain you can run on the machine. All of the GMs that came after the VSAT have the double-D coil, which has the gold label & black lettering. I literally just got one for my VSAT this week. I'll let you know how it performs once I can get it over some dirt. I'm itchin' to try it out!

Gain: this control sets the power level of the transmitted signal. Higher gain = more power & a deeper-penetrating signal. However, if it is too high, you will get signal "reflected" back to the receiver coil, resulting in anything from a chattery-sounding threshold (unstable) to false signals, or even the squeal of an overload (way too high on the gain). I have posted more on the basics of gain, ground balance & the VSAT control in another thread on this board (under metal detecting). Check it out - there might be some info buried within that might be of use. Hope that helps...

In response to Reply # 1

Thanks for the reply, I'll "dig" around see If I can find your other post. Let me know how the DD coil works out. I bought one for mine too.

Goldmadness

In response to Reply # 2
Tue Oct-20-09 09:37 AM by LipCa

Peabody, it sounds like you have used a Vsat for a fair amount of time and have mastered it. Good for you!

As for me, I struggled with the Vsat for two years and found one nugget. Then I switched to a GB2. The first day I got my GB2, I found a nugget within 15 minutes and went on to find hundreds more over the same ground I had used the Vsat on. I paid for that detector(and the Vsat too!)within a week. It's not like I was new to detecting when I got the Vsat. I had detected for many years with various Whites, Garretts, Teseros and Minelabs.

There are a lot of gold detectors to choose from if you want to update. Whites has new ones, Tesoro has a good one. Check the Alaska Gold forum for good threads on gold detectors. Actually, searching this forum will bring up good past threads.

I haven't used the GMZ yet, but the Vsat would be at the bottom of my list. You may master it, but there are better, easier to operate detectors.

I like to hunt behind a Vsat..grin.

BTW, good, volume control headphones are a must!

Life is to short......get out there!

In response to Reply # 3

Yep, I can work the VSAT fairly well. Haven't found a nugget yet. But I'm getting quite a collection of bird shot & iron flakes... I know the VSAT isn't the best unit on the market, by far. But I was able to pick one up with the stock concentric coil and the "Sierra Max" coil for 3 bills - used. I figured it was a good starting point, and not a big investment, should it have turned out detecting wasn't my cup of tea. I now have the stock DD and the small, DD shooter coils. I hope they work well enough to justify the investment. Again - I'll let y'all know how they perform in the field...

I've heard only great things about the Gold Bugs. They are harder to find used - people really hold on to them. And they retain their value too! If I buy another machine, it will likely be a pulse-type. But they are pricey. Man, them GBs sure do look good!

I'm itchin' to get back out. I've spent my prospecting time on the American River, sluicing up around Mineral Bar. Found a bit of gold there... lots of fun. Now that the temperatures are coming down, I'm ready to get back to nugget shooting... Perhaps this weekend?!?

In response to Reply # 4

Here's a little bit of trivia that I wanted to add...

Fisher has a new model Gold Bug (not a 2 or 3) coming out around mid-November, give or take. I've seen a sales graphic posted on the internet that says it has a "grab" ground balance feature & mineralization display (like on the GMT), but will operate at 19 kHz, where the old GBs run at 71 kHz. It is priced around $550, which puts it in direct-competition with the new GMZ, but with a few features to boot. Kind of makes me think of it as a cross between a Tesoro Lobo and the White's GMT. Might be worth looking into once it's released, assuming Fisher has continued to do justice to the Gold Bug lineage...

Beyond the new Gold Bug, there's rumor that the GB 3 is in the works & might be out by spring... So many choices, and soooo little $$$!!!

In response to Reply # 5

I was able to get out with my new "stock" double-d coil yesterday afternoon (a.k.a. the "Twin D"). I took it to a patch of ground here in Folsom that has red dirt, lots of quartz & cobble. While I didn't do a "side by side" trial of DD vs. concentric, it does seem to be a more stable, or perhaps less-fussy coil. I was running the old stock concentric with gain setting of 3-4 on this bit of ground before. I was working with the gain at 4-5, but 5 was pushing it at times. Overall, I was pleased. But I want to get more time with it in the field before making more claims regarding performance. Still no gold - but I did hit a nice patch of square nails that had decayed to tiny bits of rusty flakes. They are such a pain, as they give good signals, but never trip the iron ID until I get them out of the ground... even out of my cup. And the small flakes won't read as iron even if I rub them slowly on the coil! Ah, but at least I know the coil works & I can find something. I know a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work. I guess a day of diggin' trash is better than finding no targets and thinking you gear is whacked... maybe?!?