New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

Hey there,

I have the AT gold and have found it great for treasure hunting, its super accurate, but you need to set it up correctly and know it's features, which it is well packed with. It's a bit daunting in the beginning as it is a real technical piece but well worth it I reckon. I did a wee comparison with Xtra-Steve's gold bug... not sure of the model, but it fessed up quite well on wee nuggets (about the size of your small finger nail), so all in all it seems good... I admit I have only found coins and stuff as I have not had the opportunity to go out looking for nuggies... YET... anyway hope this helps... good luck. If need be and you get the AT I can give you hints on what I have learnt setting up and using the AT....

nothing beats the GB2 for finding gold. it's sensitivity is designed for finding small gold, which is what most of nz gold is. the only way to beat it is pairing it up with a minelab of some sort. minelabs are designed for depth. the thing is, if you're detecting bedrock there is not too much need for depth. generally if i find gold on bedrock and the gravels are over 4inches deep i just scrap it off level and keep whacking back 4 inches at a time til i get to the bottom.

as stated the GB2 is way too sensitive to take to a beach with salty wet sand.

the key thing to remember for all unfamiliar with the gold bugs it the new digital type gold bugs are a completely different machine than the GB2. the Gb2 runs at 72 and the new gold bugs are at 17 or something like that, so completely different frequencies. it is the high 72 that sets the gold bug apart.

if you are after big gold go for a minelab. thing is you're going to prob miss a lot of the small stuff. that said it depends on how well it is set up by the user. i see so many people waving their machine around catching air. you need to scrape it low and slow over the ground.

as per all the various tests you see about there are always flaws and things to catch you out. i hear many people saying they have worked an area out just to see someone else go and get a whole bunch more gold from. you need to remember the ground is not uniform. what appears as a level surface of gravel usually contains various cracks and crevices in the bedrock underneath. it all depends on which way the detector hits these hidden little v's and notches. you will find that approaching them from different angles will produce signals that you often can't hear or only appear faintly. in the same manner the uneven nature of the bedrock can produce variations in the signal that are simply the rock itself. one way to put it is the detector coil is jumping off a cliff. one moment it's signal is on the lip of the drop off, next it drops away to hit the depths of the hole.
i doubt anyone can say 100% they have cleaned an area out. look at how each new minelab machine released has in effect reopened old'worked out' areas in australia, producing stunning new finds.

for the price of the GB2 i would hang onto it. get another machine perhaps and run alongside the GB2. or if you want it for differnet ground do the same. i'm sure if you do sell the GB2 it will be an easy sell. a very robust machine with little to go wrong and take sthe knocks. nice and light to carry compared to some of the fancier more expensive machines out there.

Not a bad deal on AT pro :

790 usd = 950 NZD +15%gst= 143 $ +80 customs fee, total about 1172.5

Its a AT GOLD even better They are a little bit darer than the AT PRO That was $730us with all the same xtras but im all about the freshwater gold detecting so AT GOLD it is Very happy camper right here if i was to buy from NZ site would have been $1349 for the detector $249 for the Pro Pointer and $195 for the 4.5inch Sniper Coil = $1793 UNREAL

Keep in mind fellas that if you want to truely go under water you need the waterproof headphones as well.

You can get an adapter to run 3.5mm but (I think) you still have to get the ohm rating close as the ATP/ATG headphones are contolled by resistence. So.... you could get an adaptor a cheap volume control (to trick the resistence) and some cheap waterproof ear buds and siicone the heck out of the 3.5 end of the adaptor and the volume control once you have found the sweet spot.

Pretty sure the Garrett blue Headphones (waterproof units) don't have volume control either. Some other brands do.

Hi guys,sorry to say I'm already trialing snipetecting,(I was going to call it depth charging) lol,been trying to put the theory together since November,rain on the coast hasnt helped as far as getting good days and quiet waters,have been using my Garrett infinium,although from what iv read a Atgold would possibly be a better machine,must say that it's not as simple as it sounds,anything over a metre deep might be easy enough to detect but the recovery is where things get tricky,ecspecially if you are only using a snorkle,also the fact that you can't necessarily pinpoint a target and recover it like you can above ground,lots of big rocks,current,tools etc,anyway good to see I'm not alone in the theory,I'd go with the ATgold if you can afford and yes you will need all the necessary waterproof gear,headphones etc,will post some pics or vids when I return to civilisation,just lost my waterproof camera to the raging creek here with a weeks or 2s worth of good stuff on it,one of the hazards of the job I suppose,did manage to save some footage before that tho,good luck down in the deep guys,cheers

True that! Be my luck get good signal and be too deep I'm doing all my training lol on 12mile creek in public fossicking area so it not too deep couple good waterfalls I'd like to check out May have to do few scuba lessons I've heard of people using tanks kept on the river bank with long air lines could be a option

Sideshow:
I'm not sure air tanks would be a good idea on the likes of 12 mile. most of it is pretty shallow anyway. I've never seen anyone use them up there. what i do know is the guided walks that go up there keep an eye out for dodgy goings on. by that i mean it's a public fossicking area and i believe the powers that be will take exception to air tanks. I understand there is a perception anything goes in a public fossicking area as long as its not mechanical. The mechanical thing is a myth. What is allowed is basic hand tools. when they used to say mechanical the reference was to anything engine based. obviously technology has come a fair way and there are other means now to utilise such as the little air systems, etc. by all means do it, it's just that the only way in is up the track or creek bed from the road, so someone will notice. and every second do-gooder has a bloody camera nowadays. with the high use of the cheap camping across the road its like a circus up there now with walkers. my last two trips up there i just missed out on getting slabs of rock hitting me from some dimwits chucking it off the loop track so if you're up there be careful.