FoRs Gold.

Time to get this show on the road.

Picked it up the Fors gold (upgraded switch model) this morning round 10am... had it running while skipping through the destruction manual after a simple assembly.
To easy, well built and kitted out with all the goodies including three coils.

Wont get right into it ATM, have only had it a few hrs, but in that few hrs i was very impressed with what its been showing me thus far.
Simple and easy to navigate menu system, pretty much self explanatory with nothing causing me to  
Working with both the D13 and BST over most targets trying to nut out which i preferred....to early to tell ATM. Used in the FP settings pretty much and pictured is from about 2hrs work in the backyard. GB reading/mineralization = 66-79.



Very fast GB system, fast processing/recovery speed, stable, precision response over target, with stable numbering when coil centered over target using slightly faster wiggle for separating/unmasking of targets. All this from using just the 11x7" coil....have not tried the others yet.
Ergonomically, very comfortable with long lower shaft....im 6'1" and had to shorten it.


More to come, stay tuned.

It will be interesting to see how this machine goes...
Be keeping up with your test run....
Thanks for starting this thread....

Cheers Nanjim
Jim

G'day Narrawa,
Did you buy this detector or is it a test unit.?
Either way, it should be one of the better reports compared to the others which were not very helpful .
Nokta made a bad move relying on the dealer.

Cheeeeeers Bro
Get out there and hammer that baby until it's Squeals like a
feelin there's gonna be some good keepers a comin.


Pete

Hi UB.
Its a test unit. The Fors models got my attention, but was not able to find enough reports on them from this side of the pond...so i pleaded my case and won Dileks heart.

I'll be giving it a hard time over the coming weeks. I'll simply tell it like it is, because thats what i went looking for.....and i know thats what we all want when it comes to a report. However, credit must be given to a company who has raised the bar when it comes to communicating with the likes of detectorists who's wants are more than their needs.
Already the ergonomics of its stance is perfect, no issue, but there are things that tug my chain as does the features of every other detector i own and use. They dont subtract from its performance tho, just the operation of its features....again, others have the same issues. I'll touch on this a little later on down the track when iv had a little time with it where it matters most....the ground.

Had another round with it after i posted the first encounter....gota say, im seeing the simplicity and accuracy thus far iv been missing. It can be a simple turn on and go which is a change from hunting with the v3i. Yet the v3i is a testing detector to operate, and i must admit....i like to fiddle.

One thing im going to have to do with the Fors is......keep it out of the hands of my partner. I know as soon as she holds it....that will be the start of a fight.


Hoping to hit the goldfields this coming weekend where iv had a little success with a few other top brands. I'll be on the road for the next few days so bare with me till i return.

Yeah champ,
Tell your other half that it's a test unit so until the tests are all done then she can play.

Good to see nokta sent you a fors to test.
After Steve's positive review from across the pond I have had much interest in the fors gold.
I await your opinion on its performance in the field mate if its up to scratch I'll buy one.
I recon they sent it to the right bloke!
Give the mofo a hammering.
Can you test it buy throwing a few bits of rusty iron and a small nugg like .5g /1g size on the ground and check its separation ability and test in mineralized ground too.

Glad to see nokta chose you to do a test for us. I've also been looking at these for awhile and looking forward to hearing the results. I'll be getting one if it passes, know some ripper spots over here to try it out.

Aurumpro
Can you test it buy throwing a few bits of rusty iron and a small nugg like .5g /1g size on the ground and check its separation ability and test in mineralized ground too.

Sorta was doing this today while pulling those lumps of lead from around old roofing nails and chicken wire. You hear the grunt of iron, but the zip from non ferrous is there with every sweep of the coil. Mind you, the ground reading wasn't that bad i thought. If only the pin-pointer had disc abilities you wouldn't be digging trash at all.


If i was asked to sum it up in one word from the small amount of time iv used it, id say.....exact.

Cheers guys.....all going well this weekend coming i'll have it on the goldfields and be able to fill you in on its performance.

Narrawa wrote:

Aurumpro
Can you test it buy throwing a few bits of rusty iron and a small nugg like .5g /1g size on the ground and check its separation ability and test in mineralized ground too.

Sorta was doing this today while pulling those lumps of lead from around old roofing nails and chicken wire. You hear the grunt of iron, but the zip from non ferrous is there with every sweep of the coil. Mind you, the ground reading wasn't that bad i thought. If only the pin-pointer had disc abilities you wouldn't be digging trash at all.


If i was asked to sum it up in one word from the small amount of time iv used it, id say.....exact.

Cheers guys.....all going well this weekend coming i'll have it on the goldfields and be able to fill you in on its performance.

Thanks for the update mate.
I vertualy never use the pinpoint mode on a VLF in a gold in heavy trash area rather I pinpoint by the normal sweep then turn 90deg method but listen for the non ferrous chirp.
Except on the CTX as I can use the target trace to ID the target I want to pinpoint.
Can you check its discrimination ability when iron is blanked out?
Some detectors are only good in all metal mode.

I put up a post on a nokta Forum where I stated what type of detectors I have and asked what advantages the Fors Gold might have over those tectas?
Coz I have been tossing up the notion of buying one.....Well all that happened was my post was deleted.... Now I am shirty and will not be thinking about Nokta ever again. Not that it will be any loss in my brain.

On Noktas own forum     or on one of the many forum boards they are sponsors (moderators)  of......... can't say I've seen the post on my rounds........ try post it again they might have had a period short on Respect.

adrian ss wrote:I put up a post on a nokta Forum where I stated what type of detectors I have and asked what advantages the Fors Gold might have over those tectas?
Coz I have been tossing up the notion of buying one.....Well all that happened was my post was deleted.... Now I am shirty and will not be thinking about Nokta ever again. Not that it will be any loss in my brain.

,

Hello...This is Dilek - The sales and marketing manager. We do not delete any posts unless they are insulting or they include improper language.
You are reading and following the other forum where the most heat was going on. There are still so many posts there that many manufacturers would have deleted immediately but we have not. Which forum was your post on? Maybe it was deleted by another moderator of the forum itself? I really do not remember seeing it but still I apologize. Please feel free to ask your questions on this or other forums or send an email to me directly at dilek@noktadetectors.com and it will be my pleasure to help you.

Nokta Detectors wrote:

adrian ss wrote:I put up a post on a nokta Forum where I stated what type of detectors I have and asked what advantages the Fors Gold might have over those tectas?
Coz I have been tossing up the notion of buying one.....Well all that happened was my post was deleted.... Now I am shirty and will not be thinking about Nokta ever again. Not that it will be any loss in my brain.

,

Hello...This is Dilek - The sales and marketing manager. We do not delete any posts unless they are insulting or they include improper language.
You are reading and following the other forum where the most heat was going on. There are still so many posts there that many manufacturers would have deleted immediately but we have not. Which forum was your post on? Maybe it was deleted by another moderator of the forum itself? I really do not remember seeing it but still I apologize. Please feel free to ask your questions on this or other forums or send an email to me directly at dilek@noktadetectors.com and it will be my pleasure to help you.

Hey Dilek
Mate if you continue to listen & communicate with the people that are using or contemplating using your detectors, you will turn the detector "Manufacturers" on their heads!!!! they may all be forced to listen to US.

Good work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spent a full day today with both the FoRs Gold and F19 on the local goldfields.
Should have something of interest for those interested Sunday night....it aint all good, but its not all bad either.

Round two scheduled for early this coming week.

My review of the FoRs Gold....as i found it on the first goldfield outing.

Best to get this bit out the way first off....
For those who want to know....yes, its a freebie. Now iv read that if your given a freebie, your owned and obliged to talk it up some by the company/manufacture affording you the equipment. Thats ok, so let me talk it up some and not disappoint....lol

In the box...
Rather i bore you with whats in the box, you can read that from the web site. But let me say this......excellent. The lazy among us will probably never use the storage bag that houses all the goodies and the detector when your finished using it....but their are some who look after their equipment who will appreciate the effort taken to include it with the Pro deal. I filled mine with just about everything i could find floating around in the back of my truck that had to do with detecting....as you would.  Try doing that with the rifle style bags that you get with some other brands if your lucky enough to have them included??.


Ergonomics...
The FG is a very well balanced detector that sports a professional looking finish as well, which instantly subtracts from any thoughts of it being toy like. I could talk up the ergonomics of this detector a lot more. However, i have a number of other hi end VLFs that the manufactures of, had ample years to act on in this department. So talking up the FG any more is only highlighting the disappointment found in the other makes/models.  My newly acquired Fisher F19 is a prime example of failed balancing/ergonomics and toy like appearance.

In the backyard...
First off i gave the FG a run in the backyard over the same ground iv been using the V3i, MXT and to some extent the GMT....(mostly for comparisons to the v3i freq of 22.5khz vs 48khz for unmasking.)
The FG i found is much faster at acquisition than the other models when waved over the same coinage/jewelry. More precise with the numbering and compared to the v3i, a lot easier to use for the same style of hunting. Given the use of the std coils each came with...v3i 10"DD D2 and the 11x7" semi elip the FG comes with as the general hunting coil.  The FG is simply a much faster coiner with a very stable identifying visual display, and for a mid freq detector it has little problems finding tiny bits of none ferrous targets and correctly identifying them both visually and audibly in ground low in mineralization.

In the Goldfield....
Ok here's where things get a little colorful.
Let me point out the difference in the ground readings from working old 1920-30s house yards. The highest ground reading i got in the yard was about 79. That level of ground mineralization offered no impact on the ability of the FG to identify targets both good and bad using either of the two disc programs. Much of the time it hovers around the mid 60s.
In the first goldfield location we checked out, the ground was mostly variable, readings down in the mid 50s up to the low 80s....no problem, the FG GBed this on the FP settings with little effort. Only gave tracking a few attempts in all programs and felt fixed offered the best solution due to the FG having a very speedy tracking function.  
All metal or GEN was met with a few disturbing issues that not all of us like in a VLF detector. The one that chaffs my rs the most was VCO audio with no way to turn it off. While some find it a useful feature, i find it very irritating when used in heavily mineralized/variable ground. For one, as the coil height fluctuates, so does the irritation accompanying the audio. Pockets of mineralization rise in pitch to the point you cannot tell target from ground. This causes you to give the GB button a work out more often than needed. The other irritation that seems to be built into the FG is a fixed SAT with a far to slow recovery speed for the more mineralized grounds..??? Again, some like these features in the AM functionality of a gold detector, id like them more if they were variable or switchable.
Given the VCO audio of the FG i found it very hard to sniff out the tiny bits i know lurk in this location even when varying the thresh to the point of silent search. So i flicked over to DI3 first off to see how it performed. Not that good sorry to say,  the level of mineralization increase now comes into play big time with the reporting of ferrous vs non ferrous skewed. While operating at the std gain level of 50, there was no problem GBing still, so upping the Mask to combat some of the mineralization i felt robbed the detector of performance. By this i mean it starts to clip the audio as it tries to distinguish good from evil.  Trying varying levels of Mask and checking mineralization levels didn't help in the wrongful identification of flat rusted tin/iron laying about just under and atop the surface. Altering the gain level also proved uneventful. BST provided a little more depth, but that came with more alteration to the settings to keep it as stable as i could to see if it could better the DI3 program. Decaying foil that disintegrates as you disturb it were still being reported as good along with most other none ferrous targets. Rusted and galvanized iron were being reported as good targets, even those sitting on the surface and just below large and small.

Enter the Fisher F19 for comparison to the reporting of the FoRs Gold re ferrous vs none ferrous.
The above alterations were duplicated as best one can on the F19 with identical findings as my partner can attest.  So much so that both detectors numbering systems re target identification were never more than one number apart on all undug targets tested, and on known targets tossed on the ground.
Very disappointing on the behalf of both machines. But i kinda knew this was going to be the case having put a few VLFs down here with the exact same results.


Having failed to find a bit of gold in this location, we moved on to a another spot a short drive away that i knew the FG would run into Ground balance problems.
Using FP settings with the 11x7" coil, i lowered it to the ground to have my suspicions met as i knew they would be. Instant overload in all programs. Ground readings topping out at 86-89 and rising higher in areas closer to the diggings. Lowering the gain to 30 saw that overload subside making way for something i didn't expect using the two disc programs only...actually finding targets where no other VLF i put down here was able to do leaving any gain left worthy of detecting with. Iv found gold in this location with the PI detector, not with the VLFs, but iv not been given a reason to continue pushing a VLF here due to the nature of the ground. Iv heard of the MXT finding a few bits in this area tho, and the FG given the frequency compared to the MXT is right on the money to better the MXT in this location given the better ground balance options on the FG. That im sure will come when we return for round two. As this was the first visit to this location, i know of other locations that are lot less mean on VLFs. However, id prefer to push the limit with this location a little further before bowing out. That im planing on doing this week.

Now, having talked it up a little, i thought id chuck in a few other bits that chaff my rs. The pin-point function of the FG is only a whisker over that of the V3I i use. Pert near useless, but pin pointing in the disc modes leaves both the v3i and F19 for dead as its constant hitting of the target with small but rapid sweeps, is magic to say the least, and the coil complements this ability with its sensitivity right up to the tip.
The FG needs a 10x5" DD coil to be made available. The 11x7" is ok, but is not practical for creek beds and rocky areas where the need to get the tip of a coil in, is needed.

PS..i admit the Fors Gold handed me my rs on a platter in round one.....but its not over yet. No one can know all there is to know in round one....and i believe its got a lot more going on behind the screen than i saw on these small outings. No problem admitting no gold was found on this short outing, and nothing worth videoing just yet.

Aussie coinage readings with the FG in DI3...BST gave the same readings.
FP settings with the 11x7" coil.
The more the mineralization, the more out these number will be. But this is what i recorded today in the yard with a ground reading of around 78.

1c = 84
2c = 87-88
5c = 52
10c = 58
20c = 68
50c = 74
$1 = 83
$2 = 83

All coins were tested both laying flat, and on edge in one direction.
They were placed on the ground so the ground mineralization was present...these are not air tests.
On the 2c coin, the 87 came from laying flat, the 88 was on edge. It was the only one that gave this reading, tho i did my best to wave the coil as best i could to make it read the same as when laying flat.?? Could be a dodgy coin.
After i got the readings, i lifted the coil to see how far above each coin i could maintain a reading. As you would expect the height changes per coin, but the 1c and 2c reached about 5" before the display showed no reading, but the audio was still present, all be it very low, but there. If you upped the gain it would certainly add inches and display readings. However, where do you pull up with the variables.? Having detectors with FP settings makes it so much easier when testing stuff.

I put the big coil on today for a quick look see, and quick it was. To many targets under the coin at any one time, best leave that coil for places like the beach or areas with less targets.

The little DD coil is certainly a lively one, and you have to be a dedicated operator to work with this coil in a park hunt.  Id prefer this one for exposed bedrock and possibly mullock heaps after the initial bit is found using the stock coil.?
A good arrangement of coil sizes covering most hunting styles. I still want the 10x5"DD tho.

Also, the batteries it came with got a quick charge the day i got it, they still show full.

Hi Narrawa.

You certainly are putting a lot of work into this project.
With your latest post I got thinking about how and if, those measurements would change.
If you were to place the detector coil flat on the ground and then swing the target coins above it.

This would be best done with a wooden ruler or stake marked off with a Texta accordingly.
Then move the coin across the stick back and forth, noting the measurements.
Re, (Height above the coil.)

The reason is, as you lift the coil away from the target the mineralization effect on the detector lessens.
Whereas, being stationary on the ground, the coil is static with a continual ground effect.
See how it goes??

Regards ozgold.

Either way ozgold, your moving the height of the mineralization, and thats why i said where do you stop with the variables.?

Im not prepared to to bury the coins for the purpose of testing because in the real world, coins can be among other metals, and the ground can have many different mineralization readings. All which will change the outcome.

No detector i know of will ping coins with any real accuracy at depth. They will give a ferrous/none ferrous reading and you then make the decision to dig it.

Putting up the readings was pretty pointless when you think about it, but it might give someone something to go by.?

I also tested the F19 and MXT at the same time and noted their readings.

Narrawa wrote:Either way ozgold, your moving the height of the mineralization, and thats why i said where do you stop with the variables.?

Im not prepared to to bury the coins for the purpose of testing because in the real world, coins can be among other metals, and the ground can have many different mineralization readings. All which will change the outcome.

No detector i know of will ping coins with any real accuracy at depth. They will give a ferrous/none ferrous reading and you then make the decision to dig it.

Putting up the readings was pretty pointless when you think about it, but it might give someone something to go by.?

I also tested the F19 and MXT at the same time and noted their readings.

========================================================================

Hi Narrawa.

I agree with your statement about too many variables etc.

But I think you may have miss-read my post mate. I didn't write about burying the coins?
What I am saying is, the detector will always still be under the same influence of the mineralization, while the coil is stationary on the surface

It will not vary; as a detector does when the coil is lifted away from the soil as in your method.
My idea would be a more accurate way to see the real air test figures with the FoRs coil sitting on the ground, testing their heights while moving each coin above and across the coil.

Cheers ozgold.

What I am saying is, the detector will always still be under the same influence of the mineralization, while the coil is stationary on the surface

It will not vary; as a detector does when the coil is lifted away from the soil as in your method.

not being disrespectful to you Ozgold, but your still removing the coins " from" the mineralization.
Your idea can be done by simply GBing the detector, and removing the detector from the ground and placing it on a table or similar, and waving the coins atop the coil or below it....once its taken the ground reading, its locked in. So there is no real need to leave the detector on the ground. Most detectors will drift requiring a new GB to be taken at some point, whether you leave it on the ground or up on a table.
You also have the disc side of things removing a lot of that mineralization when in the disc mode....regardless of the disc setting...it comes as part of the way it works.


I'll give you an example of how my test mimics real world....when a coin is dropped a couple of days ago, chances are its still sitting on the ground. Cherry picking, or setting up the detector for picking up the easy ones that lay on the ground. Thats where these readings come into play. Yet as i mentioned, each area will present a different ground reading due to mineralization levels not being the same as mine.

The other thing that i may have not made clear was, the readings were taken from a steady height....that height was then altered ONLY to see approximate depth in air before the display failed to respond. That depth reading will no doubt be different when the coin is at the same depth in varying ground.??

Than you have gain levels that could change the readings giving you better depth, or height.

Ozgold, i might be wrong but what you are asking about keeping coil on the ground stationary and waving target over coil would be the same as having metal taped on your coil, because mineralisation is not moving on - under your coil then the coil would not read that mineralisation. 
Another thing that i think would change testing is where a target has been in ground a long time or planted for testing, i am of the opinion that the aurora around the target and once you disturb the ground then this alters the target response, please correct me if I'm wrong.
 narrawa, am reading and looking forward to the rest of your report, thanks
TG

Hello Narrawa.

I certainly am not trying to be disrespectful either, I am always keen to read your reports and comments.

Your Quote, (but your still removing the coins " from" the mineralization).

Yes true, but it is the detector that is affected by the minerals, not the target.

Another statement, Your idea can be done by simply G/Bing the detector, and removing the detector from the ground and placing it on a table or similar, and waving the coins atop the coil or below it....once its taken the ground reading, its locked in. when in the disc mode....regardless of the disc setting...it comes as part of the way it works.

Owen is this detector, Auto Ground Tracking, or can it be set in Fixed GB??                                                                        

If it can be set in Fix GB, yes the above applies.

Quote,  The readings were taken from a steady height....that height was then altered ONLY to see approximate depth in air before the display failed to respond

Good move; and the display is a bonus to see when the response actually cuts out. (No guess work).

Yes your other talk on the variables is endless; there are many aspects that can change a signal response.

=======================================================================================


Hi Travelergold.

Your statement, Ozgold, i might be wrong but what you are asking about keeping coil on the ground stationary and waving target over coil would be the same as having metal taped on your coil, because mineralisation is not moving on - under your coil then the coil would not read that mineralisation.

I can see your idea above, as far as I been shown your detector will read that particular area of ground until the coil is moved on, yes I suppose when thinking about it, you could mimic the ground effect with a piece of metal sitting on your coil up on a table, as the display would show the ground reading required for the size of the metal block needed.

But remember any stationary metal object near a coil, makes the detector loose sensitivity, just as the ground mineralization does, until the detector is G/balanced.

Quote, Another thing that i think would change testing is where a target has been in ground a long time or planted for testing, i am of the opinion that the aurora around the target and once you disturb the ground then this alters the target response, please correct me if I'm wrong.

Spot on there about an aura around the target, when digging them out, a response will sometimes diminishes markedly, and this is because you have disturbed and broken up the halo around the object.

Most gold nuggets do not have a halo that's big enough to be seen by PI detectors. Eric Foster.

Cheers ozgold.

Your Quote, (but your still removing the coins " from" the mineralization).

Yes true, but it is the detector that is affected by the minerals, not the target.

Both the detector and targets are effected by mineralization.

What it boils down to is this...these were not air tests, and coins are seldom found floating above the coil. Tossing a coin on the ground and waving the coil over it, is pretty close to how its going to be in the real world of coin hunting.

Owen is this detector, Auto Ground Tracking, or can it be set in Fixed GB??

Both.

Hi Narrawa

Owen said; both the detector and targets are effected by mineralization.

Have a good think about this mate.  

The detector struggles with mineralization because it sometimes masks the targets response; it is not the actual target that has been affected by the minerals. (Especially Gold)
Fair enough on most metals these minerals will make it corrode when sitting in damp soils.

Now, as you are discussing coins here this does apply, so I won’t trouble you more.
Crikey after all, you are testing VLF detectors here, you need to concentrate on those mate.

Sorry.       ozgold.

PS.     Eric Foster post. Halo Effect                                     Feb 22 2009, 08:41 AM

It is possible that a buried iron can develop a halo effect that is detectable. If iron rusts without being exposed to oxygen, as in compacted wet ground, then you get black rust which has magnetic properties.

When exposed to air, then you get further oxidation to red rust, which is virtually non magnetic.
In the case of the black rust, it would give a signal similar to that of iron mineralised soil, and add to any natural soil signal.

You could well point out that your local red soil gives a strong signal, so how come? Well, there are many phases of iron mineral oxidation, some magnetic and some not, and several variations on colour, as a search on Google will show.

As to a conductive halo around any non-ferrous object, there is no evidence for this being able to affect a PI, even if it did exist. Most good PI's nowadays have a conductive shield around the coil to minimise capacitive effects with the ground.

This shield is either graphite based, woven copper tape, stainless steel mesh, or up till a couple of years ago, lead tape.
All of these are many times more conductive than any halo effect could be, and yet are undetected by the very coil that they tightly enclose.

There is just no way that any nebulous halo, of what can only be virtually non-conductive oxides or salts, gives any signal on a standard PI.
Maybe, the soil conductivity would be enhanced enough for an effect to be noticed with high frequency induction balance detectors, say the Goldbug 2 at 75kHz, but the jury is out on that one, as there are other soil effects at high frequencies that can be confused with a halo response.

Eric.F.

Been an experienced electronic prospector for many years,

Used VLF and P.I. machines, mostly P.I.

My understanding of a target, mainly gold having a Halo effect Has been buried in undisturbed ground for millions of yrs (compacted soils).

Had time to leached impurities from nugget such as silver, copper, iron, etc. (of given chemical make up) into surrounding soil.

When detected the target will assume larger than what it does once out, (halo been disturb) seems reduced in size.
I've detected many of these over the yrs with a P.I. machine

Never had Halo effect on rusty objects, but quite the opposite,(just about ignores it)
Given the fast timings on new tech of P.I. machines.

You may still receive a halo effect on long time constant timing such as (normal) on P.I. But is it the surrounding ground mineralization.
Given that type of timing.

Now a VLF may still see the halo on rusty object rather than ignore it, unless close enough to be disc out.

Just my 2c worth and experience's



Keep on testing and working on that GF Owen
there's many of us looking forward to your final report,

Many Thanks for the report Owen.
Keep it coming, I sitt here patiently on the fence........... Waiting to jump.

Ozgold gday mate
Your method will not work in regards to picking up mineralization with ether a tracking or fixed ground balance as most detectors are motion detectors including the fors gold.
No motion of the coil means that it will not react to the ground.

As above.
Also mentioned in the user manual...............freely available on line

ivanll wrote:As above.
Also mentioned in the user manual...............freely available on line

Ok i admit it...ya lost me.??

As Above:
Fors Gold is a motion detector BST and DI3 mode require coil motion to detect......GEN mode require very little motion to detect..........Pinpoint mode, even less....none.

Also mentioned in user manual:
See page 24.

However there is a way to use the detector so it can calculate the ground effect with the coil stationary on ground, but you do not want to do this and then show the result of an air test with a coin above the coil in this way. ..................it's like trying to detecting a 5¢ coin through two layers of conductive Red clay house bricks.