FORD GOLD - CUSTOMER FEEDBACK FROM AU

I'm testing/comparing a FORS Gold to other VLF "gold" detectors on hand...........that have detected gold in the past........some well from a distance past.




ivanll

Ivanll, i see you have the GBP is it? and the F75?.....be interested to here your thoughts on those two and the Fors.

Still waiting on more info about the regulation on the Fors ATM.

Iv used the GBP and thought it was a very responsive little detector, and have read the F75 is even faster. When your playing next, could you pass on your thoughts of the Fors in comparison to these other two in regards to its acquisition/recovery speed. Im tossing up whether to dd the F19 or Fors to my collection.?

I like the idea of being able to have open comms with Nokta, i think its ballsy on their behalf to have someone from the team taking it on the chin from the end user. Well done to them for putting it out there.
http://noktadetectors.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=21&sid=7c689ebb54edbdb42aa964517b73f8e5

Narrawa wrote:Ivanll, i see you have the GBP is it? and the F75?.....be interested to here your thoughts on those two and the Fors.

Still waiting on more info about the regulation on the Fors ATM.

Iv used the GBP and thought it was a very responsive little detector, and have read the F75 is even faster. When your playing next, could you pass on your thoughts of the Fors in comparison to these other two in regards to its acquisition/recovery speed. Im tossing up whether to dd the F19 or Fors to my collection.?

I like the idea of being able to have open comms with Nokta, i think its ballsy on their behalf to have someone from the team taking it on the chin from the end user. Well done to them for putting it out there.
http://noktadetectors.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=21&sid=7c689ebb54edbdb42aa964517b73f8e5

Your question was answered and yes it is regulated……. go back 3-4 replies.

Your question was answered and yes it is regulated……. go back 3-4 replies.

I was looking for a little more info there UB...its ok tho, iv contacted Nokta and their waiting on the engineers to answer my query.  Which is along the lines of.....

Narrawa

Something that i find interesting, yet little discussion on the merits of regulated power supplies in the VLF world.? Something we have become use to not having to worry about with the Minelab PIs of late, and we all know the benefits of having a well regulated battery, and that is...performance right up till the end.

Minelab thought it a worthy addition to have regulated power. My interest is, is this being placed in some VLFs of today.?
Having asked this question on the Whites forum, it took some twenty posts before i was given a strait answer, the answer was not one i was chuffed about which in the end, was posted via the PM system. This was due to one poster deciding to blow me some sh!t over such a simple question.?

I have used and worked on a lot of metal detectors since starting this hobby and I do not know of any those detectors not having a regulated power supply.
     Drift from temp changes and lowering supply voltages was quickly solved by regulating the cct supply voltage rails and the use of particular temp compensated components. As strange as it may seem, electronics engineers from 50 year ago were not stupid.
   Sorry but regulated power supplies are not exclusive to ML.
I built a Magenta Electronics PI from kit form and that was so long ago I cannot remember when I built it Even it had a regulated power supply and brother it needed it. That machine chewed batteries like my Fairlane goes through petrol. But that detector would run fine until the batt voltage was flatter than a flounder under a 10 ton slab of concrete.

I think you misunderstand, never did i say they were not regulated, nor did i say that ML was the first to implement regulation. At some point there is the optimal voltage.....obviously ML thought it a good idea to implement this idea as did many other companies....meaning there must be an optimal set of voltages...the high end...the low or cut off voltage and the optimal working voltage.

Wanting to know these voltages on certain detectors will only aid in knowing when its time to swap out the battery, or build a better one for longevity of the optimal working voltage.

As an example, the V3I so im told has a high end at about 16v...low end from my own testing shows cut off at around 4v......others swap out at the 9v mark. Assuming the optimal voltage is 9v...anything under could be said to impair performance.?

OK my bad, I see what you are driving at Dig.
Using a higher capacity ah battery will deliver longer operating time  but if a battery of higher voltage is used then the detector internal regulator is likely to blow if not designed to function at the higher input voltage.

A detector designed to operate from 12 volts and regulates to somwhere between 7.2 and 5.5 volts  will not fair well from a 16 volt batt for very long.

Using a lower voltage high capacity batt and jacking the voltage up to the required regulated voltage will allow for lower cost batteries but this regulator is a bit more tricky to make and so will cost more.

I am still of the opinion that using specialised lithium ion batts is a pain in the A...s due to lack of availability out in the sticks and the cost involved.
AAs, AAAs C & D NiMh cells are low cost work well and available everywhere

Using a higher capacity ah battery will deliver longer operating time  but if a battery of higher voltage is used then the detector internal regulator is likely to blow if not designed to function at the higher input voltage.

Your now picking up what im putting down....for a minute there i thought i was alone. Some units like the GP-extreme...wont even turn on if the input voltage is to high. And we know they function best around the 6.8v mark....see where im going here.? They cut off round 5.9v...so, as long as the voltage is above the cut off voltage, all is good and the unit performs at its best.
Now, tell me what the voltages are for some of the well know VLF detectors on the market.?? This simple question has been put to Nokta....they have responded but...not to the simple question asked...and that is...the voltages iv expressed an interest here on this thread.?? I cannot think of a more simpler way to ask the question.

Using a lower voltage high capacity batt and jacking the voltage up to the required regulated voltage will allow for lower cost batteries but this regulator is a bit more tricky to make and so will cost more.

Series paralleled to get both the volts and amps needed....no need for a special reg. All thats needed is an internal regulator...just like that used by ML in the PIs of late....and probably other manufactures.?
Its not privy information to know these voltages....is it.?  

I am still of the opinion that using specialised lithium ion batts is a pain in the A...s due to lack of availability out in the sticks and the cost involved.
AAs, AAAs C & D NiMh cells are low cost work well and available everywhere

I agree, but only to a certain point...throw away batteries litter the outback...never in my time have i seen a ML battery pack tossed out bush cause it failed. In time im betting the C size battery will litter the ground.
Li-on's are in cheap cordless drills and such brought from Bunnings for like $30 with x-amount of warranty......there is no need these days for expensive metal detectors to use AAs, 9v ect ect.
Take a look at some of the features being added into today's VLF detectors, and ask yourself, ...AAs, 9v, C & D cell batteries.?....really!!!??

If i was inclined, i could buy these cheap drill's from Bunnings, pull the battery to bits and built my own to suit whatever detector i have.....put the batteries back into the case when they fail in a year or so time, and return it to Bunnings for warranty
It would cost more to do that if you tried it via ebay.

I cannot pluck the figures out of thin air for my early tectors but 5.0 and 7.2 come to mind for a lot of them that had 12 volt AA battery packs.
    The ancient Magenta PI ran of 12 volts that was regulated to close to 5 volts, so the batt lasted until down to around 0.6 volts per cell.
The infinium is regulated to 7.2 volts if I recall correctly and it runs from a 12 volt AA pack. The Finny is a constant current cct that draws around 76ma continuous whether idling or sounding off full blast into a 20 inch woofer. .....Well maybe that is a slight exageration

Where technical info re a particular manufacturers detector is conserned I have found that in most cases zero info will be supplied unless you are a designated repair facility for that brand.

I recall when I required some info re an old Whites VLF/TR and I asked Whites USA directly. Would you believe I received a spiral bound folder with tech data for every vintage detector they ever made in the 25 years ending 1978. I was amazed but very appreciative.

so where are all these reports from the test units that have been given out.......???

I was thinking of buying one just to test for my own curiosity.  

But im still tossing up whether to get the F19.?
There is plenty of reports supporting the F19 in oz when you consider its just a GB-Pro upgrade....with all the information on the GB-Pro, buying the F19 you already know what your getting if you have used the earlier versions..... and that i have, and put off buying the earlier version due to a few issues that have now been sorted. So buying one is not a problem knowing it will do the job. Im basically waiting for a few words of interest about the Fors Gold performance over some ground here in NSW. Nothing is happening.??

Come on Nokta, push those who have the units for testing purposes or find other testers. Im less than 1/2hr drive from some of NSW nastiest goldfields and willing to test a unit there all day every day for a solid week if need be.  However im thinking a weekend would be fine as i know from using other top brands VLFs on this ground, so wouldn't need much longer to evaluate.

Is it perhaps possible to hire one from the Nokta reseller in Bendigo, apparently he have tested them.?
Nokta did indicate they were looking for testers, what they failed to say is the testers were to be selected by their reseller in Bendigo.
Nokta also reckon: "FORS is very competitive with other VLF detectors and actually much better than most of them."
I bought my own just to see if there was any merit to this claim, I think people should judge for themselves so I've had people try mine, then one can't be accused of being biased or brand bashing.
Some will like it some will not, I got a like new one from someone I guess did not get on with it.
Don't think my customer feedback is positive enough to be seen as to have any value.

ivanll

I'll give it till about xmas or a little after before i buy something. At this stage im leaning back towards the F19 again.

When and if i do get a chance to borrow beg steal a Fors gold, i'll be working it along side the MXT, GMT, and V3i for comparisons in both gold fields and parks/backyards. The MXT being the more equal to the Fors gold due to close frequency operation.
I myself am not that fussed with MXT due to the lack of certain features. But there's no disputing the runs on the board. The Fors Gold has all the missing features the MXT lacks, plus a few extras.

Thx Nokta for the email regarding the voltage information i was interested in.

4V, 6V, 7V. All good.

Narrawa wrote:Thx Nokta for the email regarding the voltage information i was interested in.

4V, 6V, 7V. All good.

No problem at all! Should you have any more questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Nokta, do you think at any stage you will put out a few more coils for your Fors gold model....like a 10x5DD.?
This size coil is a pretty good size for gold hunting, and is less cumbersome than the std 11x7" which is a difficult size coil to use in creek beds and rocky areas. This i know from using other brands with similar size coils, those models never came alive till after market coils were made available. Now their gaining momentum among their users.

Im aware of the tiny 5" coil, but thats just not practical for much of our detecting styles in Australia. The 10x5" is a far more practical coil size for general prospecting. And is also a wildly used size world wide.???

10x5" coil above a Fors 11x7" coil, both with coil covers.

Fors coil size is fine, however a full size coil cover for the coil would be usefull when prospecting in an area like this.......... likely recognised/known to some on this forum.

I'm not a selected tester so this is purely a totally independent view.


ivanll

No probs, i couldn't find any reference to a Fors 10x5" coil.  
But the common 11" DD coil on other makes and models i have used, and found it problematic in creeks and rocky areas, and areas with tall grass.

ivanll wrote:10x5" coil above a Fors 11x7" coil, both with coil covers.

Fors coil size is fine, however a full size coil cover for the coil would be usefull when prospecting in an area like this.......... likely recognised/known to some on this forum.

I'm not a selected tester so this is purely a totally independent view.  


ivanll

Hello, we do have a solid coil cover available for FORS Gold and in fact based on similar customer feedbacks, we started to incldue them in all the FORS Gold packages as a spare cover. If your device is one of the older packages, we can send you the solid cover at no charge.

Nokta - Don't worry about your detector in Australia . if it works better then other VLF gold units you will have a winner .
The feedback from those who buy & try  will tell all  !  

Jack .

Jack outwest wrote:Nokta - Don't worry about your detector in Australia . if it works better then other VLF gold units you will have a winner .
The feedback from those who buy & try  will tell all  !  

Jack .

Thank you...FORS will perform and handle mineralization better than many other VLF detectors or equally with certain models in the market. And when comparing FORS to those that handle the ground equally well, the customer will evaluate other features such as depth, ergonomics, ease of use, coils, other features, price etc etc and make a decision.

Nokta Detectors wrote:

Jack outwest wrote:Nokta - Don't worry about your detector in Australia . if it works better then other VLF gold units you will have a winner .
The feedback from those who buy & try  will tell all  !  

Jack .

Thank you...FORS will perform and handle mineralization better than many other VLF detectors or equally with certain models in the market. And when comparing FORS to those that handle the ground equally well, the customer will evaluate other features such as depth, ergonomics, ease of use, coils, other features, price etc etc and make a decision.

Well said !
As your units get out to the market & tried ' the operators will report their opinions .
Truth will manifiéstate  .  

Jack .

I notice now that the Nokta FORS Gold has increased in price compared to the Nokta CoRe (regarding the Pro - pack).
They were both level pegging at $1499.00 now the Gold is $1600.00.   I wonder why the increase in price?