V3i and Prospecting

[johnedoe]

Can anyone give me some info on the V3i and it's prospecting capabilities.
Thank's in advance.

PS... Great forum here you guys. gotta say I think it is the best one I have come across yet. Lots of knowledge here. |:cheering:

[CyberSage]

Hopefully someone will chime in with some advice. You don't hear to much about prospecting with the V. Hope you can find some good information.

Jack

[johnedoe]

I'm sure it's out there too. I'm thinking about buying one.... Most of my detecting is icon and jewelry but I want to be able to hit the gold fields too. I have an MXT which is an incredible machine but I want something with a bit more tune-ability. (hmmmm Is that a word) :grin: .. thank's for the encouragement

[del]

personally i think your MXT and a small coil would be far better at prospecting than the v3i . neither one is specifically for nugget shooting and will miss the smaller grained size but alot of nugget shooters use the mxt as a backup to their main gold machines.

Dan

[johnedoe]

Nugget shooting isn't my primary goal but I do occasionally hit the gold fields.
Also I have always felt that if I can't find the dang thing and pick it up with my fingers I just ain't interested...LOL.
So with that said I guess I am just trying to add fuel to the idea that I want a V3i, the machine really intrigues me but I guess not to the point of dropping 1500 buck's on one yet.
I have made a lot of great finds with my MXT which includes some nice jewelry so justifying a V is little more than I just kinda want one if you know what I mean.
I think I will be heading over to the White's factory in Sweethome this coming week so I can take a better look at one.
Wish I could find one to rent for a week or two for some serious hands on time.

Thank's for stopping by, I appreciate the input.
Happy hunting ......

[Lowjiber]

I've used both the MXT and V3i in my gold hunts...in the gold fields of northwestern Arizona and in the Jamestown area of northern California. Here are my thoughts...

Given that gold is a poor conductor, it excites more readily in a higher VLF frequency. Operating at about 15kHz and 21kHz respectively, both machines are adequate for all but the smallest samples.

I think the MXT, even though it operates at a slightly lower frequency, is more suited than the V3i. It could be that I've found more gold with it too. :rolleyes: The MXT, is only slightly lighter in weight, but seems less bulky to operate...your results may vary. :rolleyes:

The E-Tracs are popular in the gold fields of the desert southwest. I've seen some pretty nice stuff :rolleyes: come from the few gold prospectors that will share information.

I was fortunate to come across a Fisher Gold Bug II, new-in-the-box, from about twenty years ago that is my go to machine here in the desert. It operates at 71kHz. It's a real handful to get ground balanced and noisy as a truck full of crickets, but us old MXT'ers love lots of chatter. :rolleyes:

Fisher dropped the 71kHz operating frequency a few years ago. I think the new models are around 19kHz. It's a very long story how I found mine...save that one for later.

[freemindstuck]

I've been told that the best coil for prospecting with the V3I is the Eclipse shooter DD 4X6. But living in Iowa I haven't had a chance to go gold hunting yet. I'm sure it's not as good as a dedicated gold machine but still more then adequate.