Fisher Gold Bug User Manual

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Gold Bug

Prospector’s Metal Detector

Operating Manual

F I S H E R R E S E A R C H L A B O R A T O R Y

CONTENTS


.............................................................About Your Gold Bug		pg. 1
Setting Up.................................................................................		pg. 4
Hipmounting ............................................................................		pg. 6
Control Functions ....................................................................		pg. 7
Operating Modes ...................................................................		pg. 9
Turn On Procedure .................................................................		pg. 10
Ground Reject Procedure .....................................................		pg. 10
	Auto-Tune Mode .................................................................	pg. 11
	No-Motion Mode ................................................................	pg. 12
	Motion Mode ......................................................................	pg. 13
Searching ................................................................................		pg. 14
Pinpointing...............................................................................		pg. 16
	Auto-tune and Motion Mode ............................................	pg. 16
	No-Motion Mode ................................................................	pg. 17
Target Recovery .....................................................................		pg. 18
Operating Tips .........................................................................		pg. 20
False Signals ............................................................................		pg. 21
Battery Replacement .............................................................		pg. 23
Maintenance ..........................................................................		pg. 24
Treasure Hunter’s Code of Ethics ..........................................		pg. 25
Where to Use Your Metal Detector in the U.S......................		pg. 26
Specifications .........................................................................		pg. 27

ABOUT YOUR DETECTOR

The Fisher Gold Bug was conceived, designed, engineered and manufactured for one purpose: to find gold nuggets. And it's done just that for thousands of week-end and professional prospectors. So, if you're after gold, you've got the right detector. Here's why...

Gold Sensitivity:

Just about any metal detector will sound off over a large nugget. The problem is, most nuggets are small. The Gold Bug will respond solidly to nuggets not much bigger than the head of a pin.

Ground Rejection:

Not only are most nuggets small, they're in highly mineralized soil. Mineralization so strong that it overloads the ground reject circuitry of many detectors and drastically reduces the performance of others. The Gold Bug will penetrate all but the worst of these soils.

Operating Modes:

Three completely different all-metal modes: VLF Slow Motion, VLF Auto-Tune and VLF No-Motion. All with manual ground adjust and variable sensitivity for optimum operation in any situation.

Elliptical Search Coils:

The standard 10-inch elliptical coil covers more ground with each sweep than a normal 8-inch coil. The optional 14-inch elliptical coil covers even more ground and goes a little deeper. And the 5-inch elliptical coil is perfect for extremely "hot" ground and tight spots.

Keep in mind that the Gold Bug will respond to all metals, not just gold. It has no "discrimination" or "target identification" circuitry. We've found that any attempt to electronically tune out unwanted targets is a good way to lose those very tiny nuggets.

ABOUT YOUR DETECTOR

There's no reason why you can't use your Gold Bug for "coin shooting" in parks, relic hunting in ghost towns or on the beach. True, the Gold Bug was designed for prospecting, but if you're willing to dig up some junk with the good stuff, you'll probably find more and deeper targets than you could with a "trash discriminating" type of metal detector. This is especially true in highly mineralized soil or black sand.

Now the rest is up to you. You've got the right detector but you'll have to decide where to search and then put in a lot of long, hard hours searching. And of course you're going to have to learn your Gold Bug. Read this instruction manual carefully and practice often. Drop us a line if you have any questions, comments or exciting gold nugget stories. In the meantime...

Happy Hunting,

Fisher Research Laboratory

ABOUT YOUR DETECTOR

Detector stand

Padded arm rest

Foam grip

Anodized aluminum upper stem

Snap button

7-foot search coil cable

Lock nut

Adjustable, ABS, fiberglass-reinforced, nylon lower stem

Nylon wing nut

Waterproof, ESI-shielded, elliptical search coil

Drop-in battery compartments

Cable

connector

Threshold control

Velcro® straps

Figure 1. Fisher M-Scope Gold Bug

SETTING UP

The Gold Bug comes to you just about ready to use. There are only three steps required: sliding the lower stem into the upper stem, connecting the loop coil to the control housing and adjusting the angle of the search coil. Take a look at page 3 and familiarize yourself with the parts of the Gold Bug before proceeding.

Adjust the stem length and coil angle resting the search coil flat on the ground and about 6 inches in front of your right foot (left foot for left-handers).

1. Unpack your new Gold Bug carefully. Save the carton and inserts –they may come in handy for future storage or shipment.

2. Take a look inside the locknut on the upper stem. Note the yellow locking pad on the left-hand side and loosen the locknut by rotating it fully counterclockwise.

3. Slip the lower stem into the upper stem, making sure the flat side of the lower stem is aligned with the compression pad inside the locknut of the upper stem. Tighten and loosen the fit by turning the locknut.

4. Adjust the stem length (using the lockout) and the coil angle (using the nylon wing nut) so that the search coil rests flat on the ground about 6 inches in front of, and slightly to the right of, your right foot (to the left of your left foot for left handers.) Your arm should be straight and relaxed with your grip held loosely.

SETTING UP

REMEMBER: THE LONGER THE SHAFT, THE MORE YOU WILL HAVE TO BEND YOUR ELBOW AND THE SOONER YOUR ARM WILL GET TIRED. THE GOLD BUG IS BALANCED FOR COMFORTABLE SEARCHING IN A TIGHT SEMICIRCLE AROUND THE FRONT OF THE OPERATOR.

5. With the stem length properly adjusted, wrap the loop cable tightly around the upper stem and secure it with the two Velcro straps. Connect the cable connector to the control housing.

CAUTION: MAKE SURE THE CABLE IS NOT PULLED TIGHT AT THE CONTROL HOUSING AND THAT YOU HAVE ENOUGH SLACK AT THE SEARCH COIL TO ADJUST IT TO ANY ANGLE

6. With the shaft length and coil angle properly adjusted, you should be able to move into your "search" position (as shown in the illustration on page 4) by leaning forward very slightly and raising your arm (still straight) until the search coil is about 2 inches above the ground and 12 inches in front of your foot. The search coil should be parallel to the ground and may have to be slightly readjusted at this point.

7. If the arm rest is too wide or narrow, you may bend it slightly inward or outward to meet your exact requirements.

HIPMOUNTING

Your Gold Bug is light and extremely well balanced however, if you're going to be swinging it for more than a few hours you may want to convert it to a "hipmount".

The Gold Bug control housing can be hipmounted to reduce weight on the stem and create nearly effortless hunting. Belt loops are provided on the underside of the control housing.

1. Disconnect the cable from the housing or make sure you have at least 8 inches of slack cable between the housing and upper stem.

2. Grab the control housing and slide it off the handle by pulling it to ward the arm rest.

3. Put your belt through the slots on the underside of the housing.

4. Left handers should wear the housing on their right hip and right handers on their left hip.

NOTE: if you’re working in shallow water, you may want to strap the control housing on your chest in a heavy plastic bag, and seal it tightly around the cable.

CONTROL FUNCTIONS

1. MODE: This thumb activated switch instantly puts your Gold Bug into one of three operating modes: Auto-Tune, No-Motion or Motion. The Auto-Tune and Motion modes are recommended for searching whereas the No-Motion mode is usually used for pinpointing. For a more detailed discussion, see The section titled "OPERATING MODES".

2. SENS: Adjusts sensitivity to targets and ground minerals. the higher the setting, the deeper you'll detect. You'll also detect smaller targets. However the Gold Bug is so sensitive at the maximum setting that you'll also pick up more false signals in mineralized soil or in areas of electrical interference. In the extreme counterclockwise position this control doubles as a battery test. A loud tone indicates good batteries. A faint tone indicates weak batteries. No tone means that it's time for a change. As a general rule, you'll be able to use your Gold Bug for about an hour after the battery test goes silent.

3. GROUND REJECT: This dual knob control is used to electronically tune the search coil to ignore ground minerals. The small knob on top is a singleturn coarse adjust with about twenty fixed positions. The large 16-turn, fine tuning knob is on the bottom. This control works in conjunction with all three operating modes.

CONTROL FUNCTIONS

4. VOLUME: Turns the power on and controls the signal response volume. Normally set at 10 unless you're wearing headphones (strongly recommended) in which case the volume should be lowered to a comfortable level when the Gold Bug is responding to a large or shallow target.

5. HEADPHONES: This jack accepts most mono and stereo headphones with 1/4" plugs. When using a headphone with a "Stereo/Mono" switch, put it in the "Stereo" position.

6. RETUNE: Retunes the Gold Bug in the No-Motion mode to your preset "threshold" tone (See THRESHOLD Control). When searching in the Motion mode it is necessary to push, hold and release the retune button when the unit is first turned on (not required if it is in the Auto-Tune mode when turned on) and only occasionally thereafter if you leave it in the MOTION mode. Switching to the Auto-Tune position and back has the same effect as pushing the RETUNE button. Frequent use of the RETUNE button is necessary when operating in the NoMotion Mode (especially at high sensitivity levels).

7. THRESHOLD: This shaft on the rear of the control housing is purposely small and out of the way so you won't move it accidentally. It is used to tune the "Audio-Threshold" point at which a very faint hum is heard in the Auto-Tune and No-Motion modes. Once it is set, you won't have to reset it very often unless you change SENSITIVITY or GROUND ADJUST points. The THRESHOLD control has no effect on the Motion mode which runs silently without a threshold tone.

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