I’m just trying to get a feel for what’s the most popular makes and model for gold detecting in NZ.
I think the Fisher Gold Bug Pro used to be / might still be the most popular in NZ, but I’m wondering if this has been overtaken by the Minelab SDC 2300?
I myself own both a Fisher Gold Bug Pro and Minelab SDC 2300 but I tend to default to the SDC 2300 unless in trashy areas as it cuts through mineralisation so well.
I had an sdc 2300 but found it surplus to my needs, unless you are in a high mineral area my goldbug2 can do everything the sdc could but also finds smaller gold in trash areas. I once took a guy up macetown who had a gpx5000 he found nothing but shells where all I found was gold! People underestimate vlf detectors I find.
I love how light my goldbug is, far easier to swing all day and get into the nooks and crannies. But there’s a few low trash spots I hit hard with the goldbug and did well with but it would struggle with moss on bedrock as it was trapping a lot of fine mineralised gravel and so kept giving false signals. Went back over the areas with the SDC and found a bunch more small gold I’d missed.
Hanging on to both myself as finding them both useful in different places. I find it soul destroying digging too much trash so the SDC gets put on the back burner sometimes.
I’ve got a Gold Snoop Pro. I’m happy with it, I reckon it’s the best of the cheap ones. I’ve not tried hunting for gold yet…I might head over to Arrowtown this weekend for a bash. Anyway, it’s found me plenty of junk, as well as one or two treasures. Unfortunately drones have captured my imagination, so I’m happy I didn’t splurge big time on the detector.
That’s a new one to me. I’ll have to do a bit of googling for that and see what it’s all about.
Hi. I started metal detecting 6 years ago. I had no idea about what gear to get so after watching a few youtube videos, I went with a gold bug 2 :). It is a love and hate relationship. In a clean, remote area, close to bedrock, this detector will find the smallest pieces and its a dream. However in a trashy reagon with lots of hot rocks you can forrget about it unless considerabely compromising on the sensitivity side. I generaly found this detector working best for me using it side by side with a PI.
I was torn between the Gold Bug 2 and Gold Bug Pro when I was looking for a VLF. Think I might have made the right decision. Works well in trashy areas. Still suffers from hot rocks though, but I don’t think there’s a VLF that handles those too well. Most hot rocks I get a different signal though so can be confident to ignore them, but not always.
I use an sdc for the surfaced areas ( I’m in Victoria ) and a 4500 with 14" site for general detecting .
I’m using the goldbug 2 in clean ground with not many hot rocks so its fine for what I need.
I do wonder having not tried any other machines if some devices are better at finding gold in bedrock cracks as I do open up some cracks without a signal and find worthwhile gold. I have a small coil so can get close but maybe a more powerful machine would punch deeper into those cracks.
Hi I’m a Newby so I this isn’t a dumb question . What is a hot rock? Its just that first time out with new mine lab and found a rock about the sizes of my hand I bought it home and smashed it the contents once exposed is really interesting.
Hot rock is very mineralised and gives a signal - something like Magnetite (high iron content). Thought GPX & GPZ can ground balance them out.
I’m running a GPX 5000. No plans on getting a coin finder, got to focus on the gold (though I am jealous of the discrimination they can do and depth indicator is nice).
@GoldPandemic a sdc 2300 minelab and rock had the end of silver Handel inside and gun powder fused to the Handel. And thanks for explaining hot rocks .
THAT is a weird find - you could have entered that in the December competition, if you found it recently.
Yeh I only found last week .I don’t have option to add photos yet so I can’t enter anyway and it’s it’s now January.
There are two basic types of hot rocks…one is a rock that has a high metal content such as native copper, Illmenite, pyrites and it will cause your detector to go off and thus give you false hope so that your running about like a demented headless chook screaming out “A nugget a nugget yippee yay I’ve found a nugget” only to find that its a hot rock. Every one close by thinks your demented.
A hot rock is also a rock which has just been accidently picket up when you are removing the food from the hangi. These hot rocks usually dont make the detector go off but they usually make you go off with screams of agony a bit like a porcupine with a red hot poker up its arse…and everyone close by knows that you ARE demented!
Awesome explanation of hot rocks @Lammerlaw - lol! 
There are loads of different types of hot rocks.
You can get radioactive(sic) ones too - might be an issue down in the Buller.
A neodymium magnet is great for removing the ferrous ones. Save them and sell them to the Steel mill. 
Radioactive rocks are no issue with metal detectors I dont think - must try one day - For radioactive rocks as you will know a Geiger counter is the thing
The rock on the right is as good as Buller Uranium gets - see the yellow bits - well thats the dangerous stuff.
BUT the Buller stuff has nothing on the piece on the left - I have to keep it in an Isotope container as it gives Geiger Counters orgasms and melt downs. It was an incredibly rich piece from Rum Jungle - I was naive once and of course the name Rum Jungle is a wonderful attraction - you might think that due to a freak of nature and volcanic heat combined with the right plant growth and mineralisation and a natural distilling affect that the river might flow Rum - at least thats how I thought it got its name. A great idea perpetual perpetually blotto - but no, Just water - if you can find it! At a research station the Geiger counter gave a reading ten times the safety level on the Rum Jungle piece.
As soon as you have put either of them aside you wash your paws thoroughly…otherwise you might glow! Hmm perhaps not?
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Hi guys…long time no post.
Getting back on topic of What make & model gold detector do you use?
As of late last year I have been swinging the mighty GPZ 7000. The best gold detector I have owned to date… by far. Could count on one hand the number of days I have come home with out a rattle in my bottle, & I go out detecting a lot.
As of a couple of months ago I was gifted a Gold Monster 1000 from Minelab to trial here in our extreme mild ground conditions. While general hunting for fly spec size gold isn’t my cup of tea the GM 1000 is a very cool piece of kit. At 45 khz it is very close to Whites GMT at 48 khz & the Gold Bug 2 at 71 khz. The GM 1000 comes with two coils. A 10x6 which is just slightly bigger than the GMT’s 10x5 but also comes with a 5" round coil. My Gold Bug 2 has just the little 6x3 sniper coil & I use the GB2 in conjunction with the GPZ 7000. The Zed in its own right is pretty deadly on small gold at good depth where as the GB 2 at 71 khz is super deadly on fly spec size gold that the Zed wont get but it needs to be very close to the GB2’s coil. The number of times I have got a deep target with the Zed & then stuck the GB2 down the hole & pinged quite a bit of tiny gold from down in the hole & also through out the zed’s dig out pile is crazy. The GM 1000 with its little 5" coil is pretty much the same.
You can read more here: StackPath
http://www.minelab.com/anz/go-minelabbing/treasure-talk/my-first-weekend-with-the-gold-monster-1000
Cheers guys.
Good luck out there
JW 
@kiwijw
Do you have the larger GPZ coil? If not, are you considering getting it?
How do you find the control box change from the GPX?
Do you use the GPS locator, is it viable in the whopps??
