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Gold Bug

Operating Manual

P r o sp ec to r s Me ta l De tec to r

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

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CONTENTS

About Your Gold Bug ............................................................. pg. 1

Setting Up ................................................................................. pg. 4

Hipmounting ............................................................................ pg. 6

Control Func tions.................................................................... pg. 7

Op erating Modes ................................................................... pg. 9

Turn On Proc edure ................................................................. pg. 10

Ground Rejec t Proc edure ..................................................... pg. 10

Auto-Tune Mode ................................................................. pg. 11

No-Motio n Mode ................................................................ pg. 12

Motio n Mode ...................................................................... pg. 13

Sea rc hing ................................................................................ pg. 14

Pinpointing ............................................................................... pg. 16

Auto- tune and Motion Mode ............................................ pg. 16

No-Motio n Mode ................................................................ pg. 17

Target Rec overy ..................................................................... pg. 18

Op erating Tips......................................................................... pg. 20

False Signa ls ............................................................................ pg. 21

Battery Replac ement ............................................................. pg. 23

Ma intenanc e .......................................................................... pg. 24

Trea sure Hunters Code of Ethic s .......................................... pg. 25

Where to Use Your Metal Detec tor in the U.S...................... pg. 26

Spec ific a tions ......................................................................... pg. 27

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ABOUT YOUR DETECTOR

The Fisher Gold Bug was c onc eived , designed , eng ineeredand manufactured for one purpose: to find gold nuggets. Andit's done just that for thousands of week-end and professional

p rospec tors. So, if you're a fter go ld , you've g ot the right d etec tor.Here's why...

Gold Sensitivity:Just about any metal detector will sound off overa la rge nugget. The prob lem is, most nug gets a resmall. The Gold Bug will respond solid ly to nug getsnot much bigg er than the hea d of a p in.

Ground Rejection:Not only are most nuggets small, they're in highlymineralized soil. Mineralization so strong that itover loads the ground reject c ircui try of manydetec tors and d rastic a lly red uces the p erforma nceof others. The Gold Bug will penetra te a ll but the

worst of these soils.

Operating Modes:Three c omp lete ly d ifferent a ll-meta l mod es: VLFSlow Motion, VLF Auto-Tune and VLF No-Mo tion.A l l w i th manua l g round ad jus t and var iab lesensitivity for optimum operation in any situation.

Elliptical Search Coils:The sta nd a rd 10-inc h e llip tic a l c o il c ove rs moreground with ea c h sweep than a norma l 8-inch c oil.The op tiona l 14-inc h ellip tica l c oil c overs even moreground and goes a little deeper. And the 5-inchelliptical coil is perfect for extremely "hot" groundand tight spots.

Keep in mind tha t the Go ld Bug will respond to a ll meta ls, not just gold. It has no "discrimination" or "target identification"circuitry. We've found that any attempt to electronically tuneout unwanted targets is a good way to lose those very tinynuggets.

1

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ABOUT YOUR DETECTOR

There's no reason why you c an't use your Gold Bug for "c oinshooting" in parks, relic hunting in ghost towns or on the beach.True, the Gold Bug was designed for p rospec ting , but if you're

willing to dig up some junk with the good stuff, you'll probablyf ind more and deeper targets than you could with a "trashd isc rimina ting" type of meta l detec to r. This is espec ia lly true inhighly mineralized soil or black sand.

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

Happy Hunting,Fisher Resea rc h Labora to ry

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Padded arm rest

Detector stand

Foam gripDrop-in batterycompartments

Anod ized a luminumupper stem

Snap button

7-foot searchcoil cable

Lock nut

Nylon wing nut

Wate rp roof, ESI-shield ed ,elliptical search coil

Velcrostraps

Ad justa b le, ABS,fiberglass-reinforced,nylon lower stem

Thresholdcontrol

Cableconnector

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ABOUT YOUR DETECTOR

Figure 1. Fishe r M-Sc ope Gold Bug

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4

SETTING UP

The Gold Bug c omes to you just about ready to use. There a reonly three steps required: sliding the lower stem into the upperstem, connecting the loop coi l to the control housing and

ad justing the a ngle o f the sea rc h c oil. Take a look at page 3and familiarize yourself with the parts of the Gold Bug beforeproceeding.

1. Unpa c k your new Go ld Bugc a refully. Sa ve the c a rto n a ndinserts they may come in handyfor future storage or shipment.

2. Take a look inside the loc knut onthe upper stem. Note the yellowlocking pad on the left-hand sideand loosen the loc knut by rota tingit fully counterclockwise.

3. Slip the low er ste m into theupper stem, making sure the flatside of the lower stem is alignedwith the compression pad insidethe locknut of the upper stem.Tig hte n a nd lo o se n the f it b yturning the locknut.

4. Ad just the stem leng th (usingthe lockout) and the coi l angle(using the nylon wing nut) so thatthe search coil rests flat on theground about 6 inches in front of,and slightly to the right o f, your rightfoo t (to the left o f your left foo t for

left handers.) Your arm should bestra ight a nd relaxed with your g ripheld loosely.

Adjust the s tem length and co i langle resting the sea rc h c oil fla t onthe ground and about 6 inches in

front of your right foot (left foot forleft-handers).

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REMEMBER: THE LONGER THE SHAFT, THE MORE YOUWILL HAVE TO BEND YOUR ELBO W AND THESOONER YOUR ARM WILL GET TIRED. THE GOLD BUG

IS BALANCED FOR COMFORTABLE SEARCHING IN ATIGHT SEMIC IRCLE AROUND THE FRONT OF THEOPERATOR.

5. With the stem leng th p rop erly ad justed , wrap theloop cable t ight ly around the upper stem andsecure it with the two Velcro straps. Connect thecable connector to the control housing.

CAUTION: MAKE SURE THE CABLE IS NOT PULLEDTIGHT AT THE CONTROL HOUSING AND THAT YOUHAVE ENOUGH SLACK AT THE SEARCH COIL TOADJUST IT TO ANY ANGLE

6. With the sha ft leng th and c oil angle p rop erly

adjusted, you should be able to move into your"search" position (as shown in the illustration onpage 4) by leaning forward very slightly and ra isingyour arm (still straight) until the search coil is about2 inches above the ground and 12 inches in frontof your foot. The searc h c oil should be p a ra llel tothe g round and ma y have to b e slightly rea d justedat this point.

7. If the a rm rest is too wide or na rrow , you ma ybend it slightly inward or outward to meet yourexact requirements.

SETTING UP

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6

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 youma y wa nt to c onvert it to a "hipmount".

1. Disc onnec t the c ab le from the housing or ma kesure you have at least 8 inches of slack cablebetween the housing and upp er stem.

2. Gra b the c ontrol housing a nd slid e it off thehand le by pulling it to ward the arm rest.3. Put your belt through the slots on the undersideof the housing.4. Left ha nders should wea r the housing on theirright hip and right ha nders on the ir left hip .

NOTE: if you re working in sha llow wa ter, you m ay wa ntto strap the control housing on your chest in a heavyp lastic bag, and sea l it tightly around the c ab le.

The Gold Bug c ontrol housing

can be hipmounted to reduceweight on the stem and createnea rly effortless hunting . Belt

loops are p rovided on the under-side of the control housing.

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1. MODE: This thumb ac tivated switc h insta ntly putsyour Go ld Bug into one o f three op era ting modes:Auto-Tune, No-Motion o r Mo tion. The Auto-Tune andMotion modes are recommended for searchingwhereas the No-Motion mode is usually used forp inp ointing . For a more deta iled d isc ussion, see Thesec tion t itled "OPERATING MODES".

2. SENS: Adjusts sensitivity to targets and groundminerals. the higher the setting, the deeper you'lldetect. You'll also detect smaller targets. Howeverthe Gold Bug is so sensitive at the maximum settingtha t you'll also p ick up more false signa ls in mineralizedsoil or in areas of electrical interference. In theextreme counterclockwise position this control

doub les as a battery test. A loud tone indicates goodbatteries. A faint tone indicates weak batteries. Notone means that it's time for a change. As a generalrule, you'll be able to use your Gold Bug for about anhour after the battery test goes silent.

3. GROUND REJECT: This dua l knob c ontrol is used

to electronically tune the search coil to ignoreground minera ls. The sma ll knob on top is a sing le-turn c oarse ad just w ith a bout twenty fixed positions.The la rge 16-turn, fine tuning knob is on the bottom.This c ontrol wo rks in c onjunc tion w ith a ll threeoperating modes.

CONTROL FUNCTIONS

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CONTROL FUNCTIONS

4. VOLUME: Turns the p ower on a nd c ontro ls thesigna l response volume. Normally set at 10 unless you'rewearing headphones (strongly recommended) in

which case the volume should be lowered to acomforta b le level when the Gold Bug is respond ing

to a la rge or shallow ta rget.

5. HEADPHONES: This jac k ac c ep ts most mono andstereo headphones with 1/4" plugs. When using ahea dphone with a "Stereo / Mono" switc h, put it inthe "Ste reo" position.

6. RETUNE: Retunes the Gold Bug in the No-Motionm o d e to you r p re se t "thre sho ld " to ne (Se eTHRESHOLD Control). When searc hing in the Motionmode it is necessary to push, hold and release theretune button when the unit is first turned on (notrequired if it is in the Auto-Tune mode w hen turned

on) and only oc c asiona lly therea fter if you lea ve itin the MOTION mode. Switc hing to the Auto-Tuneposition and back has the same effect as pushingthe RETUNE b utton. Freq uent use o f the RETUNEbutton is necessary when operating in the No-Motion Mode (especially at high sensitivity levels).

7. THRESHOLD: This sha ft on the rear of the c ontrolhousing is purposely small and out of the way soyou won't move it accidentally. It is used to tunethe "Aud io-Thresho ld " point a t whic h a very fa inthum is hea rd in the Auto -Tune a nd No-Mo tionmodes. Once it is set, you won't have to reset itve ry o ft e n u n less yo u c ha ng e SENSITIVITY o rGROUND ADJUST points. The THRESHOLD c ontrol ha s

no effect on the Motion mode which runs silentlywithout a threshold tone.

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The Go ld Bug has three operat ing modes, ea c h with its ownadvantages and d isadvantages in any given situa tion. How everwith p rac tic e and p roper use of the SENSITIVITY and GROUND

ADJUST c ontrols, you c an use any mode in just a bout a ny situa tion.

1. MOTION MODE: In this mode the searc h c oil mustbe moving , at lea st slightly, to detec t a ta rget . Thisis the easiest mode to use under moderate soilcond itions. There is no threshold tone to worry aboutso you d on't have to use the THRESHOLD control orlisten to a constant hum. It's more sensitive than

the Auto-Tune and doesn't require retuning like theNo-Motion mode. On the other hand, the Motionmode is more sensitive to electrical interferenceand it's harder to identify false signals and badtargets (hot rocks, ground minerals, trash).

2. AUTO-TUNE MODE: Also a motion mod e req uiringa t least slight c oil movement. Ta rget response is

smoother than in the Mot ion mode and, w i thpractice, it's easier to tell the difference betweennuggets and hot rocks and there are fewer falseground signa ls. Since most nuggets are found amonghot rocks in extremely minera lized soil this will be themode o f choice for ma ny nugget hunters.

3. NO-MOTION MODE: This is the most d ifficult mode

to use. It is more prone to fa lse signa ls, requires moreretuning and must be re-ground ad justed more oftenthan the other modes. However, the search coildoes not have to be in motion for target responseso it's the preferred mode in tight spots or situationswhere you just c an't keep the c oil moving back andforth. Furthermore, the problems of tuning, groundadjust and false signals lessen considerably at lower

sensitivity levels or in non-minera lized ground . TheNo-Motion mode is most often used however forprec ise p inpo inting onc e a target has been loc a tedin one of the other modes.

OPERATING MODES

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TURN ON PROCEDURE

1. Set your controls as fo llows:MODE = Auto-TuneSENS = 7

GROUND REJECT = 5

2. Hold the sea rc h coil wa ist high, awa y from anynearby metal.

3. Turn the volume on to 10. A short loud squawk isnormal so if you're wearing headphones, start thevolume at zero and let the audio sett le downbefore increasing it to a comfortable level whenthe coil is passed over a large or shallow target.

4. With the c oil still in the a ir, rota te the THRESHOLDc ontrol until you hear a very fa int hum. This is theAud io-Threshold tone you'll need to ma inta in forop timum performanc e in either the AUTO-TUNE or

NO-MOTION modes. Onc e you've set it you won'tha ve to ad just the THRESHOLD control very often.

NOTE: The Aud io-Threshold tone may sound a litt lesc ra tc hy o r more like a buzz than a hum. This is anormal consequence of the extreme sensitivity ofthe Gold Bug , pa rticularly a t high SENS sett ings ornear power lines.

GROUND REJECT PROCEDURE

When your Gold Bug is p roperly "g round ad justed", it w ill haveonly a minimum response to ground minerals when the searchcoil is raised or lowered. Precise adjustment of the GROUND

REJECT c ontrol is c ritica l. The higher the g round minera liza tion orSensitivity sett ing , the more c ritica l it is. Eac h opera ting moderequires i ts own ground reject adjustment, however for al lpractical purposes you need set it only in the mode you'll besearching in. I t wi l l be close enough for a quick check orp inpointing in one of the o ther modes or a t worst, require only aquick fine tuning.

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AUTO-TUNE MODE GROUND REJECTION

1. With your controls still set a s desc ribed in the TURN

ON proc ed ure, low er the sea rc h coil to a n inch ortwo above the ground. One of three things wil lhappen to the threshold tone as the c oil is low ered :

1) The tone w ill get louder and then return tonormal as the Auto-Tune c irc uit takes over. (Whenyou raise the coil, the tone will fade.)2) The tone w ill fade a nd then return to normal.

(When you raise the c oil the tone will get louder.)3) The tone will rema in the same.

2. If the tone remains the same you're p roperly tuned.

3. If it gets loud er, rota te the sma ll c ente r GroundAd jus t knob one or two c l i cks to the le f t(counterc lockwise) and lower the co i l to the

ground again from 6 to 10 inches. If the tone stillincreases, rotate the small knob some more andf ine tune wi th the large outer knob unt i l theThreshold tone remains the same (or c hanges verylittle) when the search coil is raised or lowered.

4. If the tone fad es when you lower the c oil, tune

as in Step 3 except rota te the small GROUND REJECTknob to the right (clockwise) and fine tune withthe outer knob until raising or lowering the searchc oil has a minimum effec t on the threshold tone.


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NO-MOTION MODE GROUND REJECTION

1. Hold the c oil 6 to 10 inc hes off the g round . Pushand hold the RETUNE button a c oup le of sec ondsto reset the threshold tone.

2. Low er and ra ise the c oil and tune a s in the AUTO-TUNE GROUND REJECTION instruc tions fo r a minima lchange in the Aud io Threshold tone. Note tha t unlikethe Auto-Tune mod e, when the tone changes when

you lower the coil, it stays changed until you ra ise itagain or until you are properly tuned.

3. If the threshold tone c hanges when you ad justthe GROUND REJECT c ontro l, push a nd ho ld theRETUNE b ut t o n a c o up le o f se c o nd s b e fo relowering the coil.

4. As an alternate p roc ed ure try plac ing the c oilon the ground , push, hold and release the RETUNEbutton and lift the coil about 6 inches. If the toneincreases put the coil back on the ground androta te the GROUND REJECT knob to the right (tothe left if it d ec reases), push a nd release the RETUNEbutton and lift the c oil aga in. Rep ea t as nec essary.

You may find this method ea sier but you might a lsolose some depth in highly mineralized soil.


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MOTION MODE GROUND REJECTION

1. Tune as you d id in the Auto-Tune mode for aminimum response to the ground . This time howeveryou won't have an Aud io Threshold Tone to guideyou. Instead, the Gold Bug will start out silently butrespond with a "beep" as the coil approaches orleaves the ground.

2. You'll have to lower the coil faster than you did

in ei ther of the other two modes, making theprocedure a l itt le more diff icult, particularly inmineralized ground. As an alternate procedure trya d justing the GROUND REJECT c ont ro l a s yo usweep the coil back and forth about 2 inches offthe ground.

NOTE: In all modes, with just a little practice, you'll soonlea rn to do the c oarse a d justing as you q uic kly low er andraise the coil. And with a little more practice, you'll beab le to fine tune w ith just one hand , using your thumb as

you ra ise a nd lower the c oil.


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SEARCHING

1. We rec ommend tha t you sta rt sea rc hing in theAuto -Tune mode a t a sensitivity level of a bout 7.

2. Rec hec k your ground ad justment freq uently byraising and lowering the search coi l . In manynugget bearing areas, ground mineralization canc hang e d rastic a lly in a ma tter of a few feet.

3. Keep the sea rc h coil moving a t a c omfortab lerate. Remember that the Gold Bug is a motiondetector and responds only when the search coil

(or the target) is moving inthe Aut o -Tune o r Mo t io nmodes.

4. Keep the coil pa ra llel to,and as close to the groundas p rac tica l. This is importa nt

for ma ximum c overage anddepth.

5. Overla p your swe ep s a tleast one half the length ofthe coil.

6. Sea rc h in a me thod ic a lmanner sweeping in a tightsemic irc le. Pay c lose attention

to where you're going and

where you've b een.

7. TAKE YOUR TIME. Also very importa nt. If you wa lktoo fast you can't overlap your sweeps and you'll

miss a lot of ground. If you sweep too fast, you'lllose sensitivity and miss small, deep nuggets thatwould normally be within range of the Gold Bug.

Figure 5. Sweep ing the Searc h Coil.Keep t he sea rc h coil para llel and asc lose to the g round a t a ll times

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SEARCHING

8. As you ga in confidenc e you'll p rob ab ly want toinc rease your sensitivity level. Tha t's fine. The GoldBug is extremely sensitive to very tiny b its of gold a t

maximum sensitivity. Just a c oup le notes of caution:1) The higher the sensitivity the more fa lse signa lsyou'll have to live with.2) You'll have to reset your GROUND REJECTcontrol when you increase sensitivity and you'llhave to rec hec k it more often. You may a lso haveto rea d just your THRESHOLD c ontrol.

Figure 6. Searc h Pattern

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PINPOINTING

AUTO-TUNE AND MOTION MODE PINPOINTING

Pinpointing in e ither the Mo tion or Auto-Tune mode is a little

tricky since you'll lose the audio target response if you stopmoving the search coil. With practice however, you'll be ableto zero in on most ta rgets quic kly and ac c ura tely.

1. Once a buried targe t is indic a ted by the "beep "of the Gold Bug, continue sweeping the searchcoil from side-to-side in a narrower and narrower

search pattern.2. When you have narrowed the sweep as much asyou c an and still hea r the target, stop the sea rch coil.3. Now move the c oil slow ly forwa rd a nd thenstra ight bac k towards you a c oup le o f times. Stopthe c oil ove r the a rea where you get the strong estresponse.4. Move the c oil slow ly side to side one more time,

stopping at the loudest target response.5. Your ta rget should be b elow the "Hot Spot" ofthe searc h c oil whic h is marked by a bulls-eye.6. Slow ly move the c oil aside, keep ing your eyes onthe spot where the Hot Spot was and quickly ma rkthe ta rget loc ation with your finger or digging too l.7. For very strong signa ls, you may improve your

pinpointing accuracy by adding one or more ofthe following steps.a . Lift the c oil unt il the signa l is just b a rely heard .b . Lower the sensitivity level.c . Rest the c oil on the ground a nd move it ba c kand forth very slowly.

8. For very wea k signa ls try the following :a . Move the coil closer to the ground.

b . Increase the sensitivity level (recheck yourground adjust).c . Speed up the sweep ra te slightly.

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PINPOINTING

NO-MOTION MODE PINPOINTING

Pinpointing is even more p rec ise in the No-Motion mode. You

don't have to keep the sea rc h coil moving a nd the VCO (VoltageControlled Osc illa tor) c irc uitry responds to the ta rget w ith a mored istinc t increase in p itc h as well as volume. For very fa int ta rgetsor in extremely mineralized ground you may have to re-groundadjust the Gold Bug when you switch to the No-Motion mode.For most situations however the following simple procedure isadequate.

1. Plac e the c oil lightly on the ground awa y fromthe target a rea and switc h to the No-Motion mode.If you don't immediately hear the faint thresholdtone, push and hold the retune b utton for a c oup leof seconds and then release it.2. Ra ise the sea rc h coil about a n inch.

a . If the threshold tone remains about the same

just move the c oil bac k and forth over the ta rgeta rea as you would in e ither the Motion or Auto-Tune mode. This time however you c an stop thecoil to determine exactly where the strongestresponse is.b . If the threshold inc rea ses to a loud leve l whenyou lift the coil, push and release the retune button,then lower the c oil slightly and move b ack to the

target area for p inpointing as in 2.a . above.c . If the threshold fades when you lift the c oil,you'll still be able to pinpoint most targets froman inch or so above the ground. If not, lowerthe co i l to the g round aga in to rega in thethreshold tone and lightly "sc rub" the ta rget a rea .

3. For q u ic k a nd a c c ura te p inpo in t ing o f very

strong signals, push the retune button again closeto the c enter of the ta rget a rea . This "tunes-out"most of the target so you will receive a responseonly directly over or very nearly over the target.

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TARGET RECOVERY

The moment of truth!

But not so fast... you ma y have "p inpointed" a ta rget but tha t

doesn't mea n tha t you c an reac h down and p ic k up a nugg et.Even if it's lying on top of the ground you're going to have todete rmine whic h of those peb b les is rea lly a gold nugget. And ifyou have to d ig for it you'll have to dete rmine whic h hand ful ofd irt is payd irt. But the worst p a rt is tha t most o f your ta rgets won'tbe gold . They'll be na ils, junk, hot roc ks, etc . The onlywa y to beabsolute ly sure is to d ig them up .

1. Your ob jec tive is to rec over your ta rget nea tlyand quickly, leaving vir tual ly no trace of yourexc avation. Rep ea t: No trac e o f your exc avation.If you leave the area looking l ike a battlefield,b lame only yourself if it's been dec la red off limits tometal detectors when you return.

2. Your d igg ing tool should be selec ted for the typeof soil you're in. Most nuggets are found in hard,d ry, roc ky ground so a sma ll p ic k axe is first c hoic efor most electronic prospectors. Always carry asmall magnet to determine if your target is just anail or some other ferrous object.

3. Onc e your target has been p inpo inted, switch

to the Auto Tune mode a nd lay the Gold Bug d ownso tha t the searc h c oil is within easy reac h but no tclose enough to detect your digging tool.

4. If you suspec t your target is on the surfac e, graba handful of dirt and rocks and pass your handacross the top of the coil (make sure you're notwearing any rings or watc hes.) If you g et a responsebut can't dete rmine what in your hand is the ta rget,put half the d irt in your other hand and chec k again.By repeating this process several times you shouldbe able to identify even very small targets.

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TARGET RECOVERY

5. If you have to d ig for your ta rget, rep ea t stepfour with handfuls of dirt as you dig.

6. Rec hec k and rep inpo int the targe t area withthe Gold Bug if you c an't find your target. Be sureto recheck the soil you've already removed.

7. Once you've rec overed your targe t, c heck thearea once again to make sure you're not leavinga sec ond targe t behind.

8. Sc rape a ll loose d irt ba c k in the hole a nd moveon only after the area appears as it was beforeyou got there.

NOTE: At maximum sensitivity levels the Gold Bugma y ac tua lly de tec t your hand as you pass it overthe c oil. (This is not the "hand c apac itanc e" effec t

exhib ited b y non-shie ld ed c o ils.) This ma y b e ap rob lem when trying to loc a te a very tiny nugget,in wh ich case t ry the fo l low ing a l te rna te procedure.

1. Switch to the Auto-Tune mode.

2. Hold the Gold Bug up with one hand so tha tthe search coil is on the ground or parallel to it.

3. Grab a hand ful of d irt with your other handand slowly let it spill onto the top of the searchcoi l .

4. When your ta rget hits the c oil the Gold Bugwill respond with a short "beep".

5. From there on it's an ea sy ma tter to identify

your ta rget b y moving the d irt a round the top ofthe coil with your fingers. When you move yourtarget, the Gold Bug will sound off again.

CAUTION: Use this method sparing ly and carefully. If you wea r a holein the top of your coil it won't be covered by our Lifetime Year

Warranty.

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1. We've a lrea dy sa id it but it b ea rs rep ea ting: takeyour time, overlap your sweeps, keep your coilc lose to the g round , recheck your g round

ad justment o ften and d ig a ll ta rgets.

2. Use g oo d hea d p hones: Your Go ld Bug wi lldetec t sma ll, deep nuggets other detec tors havemissed. But to hear the very fa in test targetresponses, you'll need headphones.

3. Bury a sma ll nugget a nd c hec k it a t d ifferentdepths, sensitivity levels and in each operatingmode. Pay c lose a ttention to the nugget 's responsecompared to hot rocks, nails and other targets.Take a nugg et w ith you and d o the same thingwhen searching in unfamiliar soil.

4. Prac tic e. The Go ld Bug is ea sy to use and it's

highly sensitive to gold. But you still have to learnhow to use i t . Read th is ins t ruct ion manualthoroughly and use the Gold Bug often. You'l ldeve lop your ow n spec ia l tec hniques for op timumperformance in the type of soil you're searching.You may prefer to search in the Motion Mode atha lf sensitivity whereas anothe r might use the Auto-Tune Mode a t maximum sensitivity. Wha tever worksbest for you is right, but you'll have to put in hoursof searching to really know what "right" is.

5. Resea rc h. Spend some time dec id ing where tosearch. The odds are in your favor if you look wheregold has a lrea dy been found . If you know o f a spotthat's yielded nuggets to other detector users, but

been "hunted out", that's Go ld Bug territory. Chancesare you'll find the small or deep ones they missed.

OPERATING TIPS

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FALSE SIGNALS

A false signal occurs when something that shouldn't, sounds likea good target. For examp le the Gold Bug may detec t metal in yourboots if you swing the search coil too close to your feet. Here's

some other sources of fa lse signals and what to do about them.

1. HOT ROCKS: Mineralized rocks that respcnd likemetal. SOLUTIONS: Most hot rocks seem to be ontop of the ground so you can just kic k them out o fthe w ay and rec heck the g round beneath them.The Gold Bug will ignore some hot roc ks and c erta intypes of hot rocks have their own distinctive soundwhich you'll soon learn to recognize. Or you can"tune -out" most ho t roc ks in the a ir or on the groundby ad justing the ground rejec t knob right over therock. If it's a nugget you won't be able to tune itout unless it's very small. Many strong hot rocksignals will disappear rapidly when you lower theSensitivity level, whereas a strong nug get signa l will

just get weaker.

2. HIGHLY MINERALIZED SOIL: Unfortunately, this iswhere most nuggets are found. Fortunately, theGold Bug wi l l handle a l l but the very wors t .SOLUTIONS: Ground ad just very carefully and often.Lo w er the se nsitivity. Sea rc h in the Au to -Tunemode. Ground ad just to a height just high enoughto elimina te most fa lse signa ls and ad just your stemleng th to sweep a t that he ight.

3. DISSOLVED SALTS: On the beach or in land.SOLUTIONS: Same as highly minera lized soil.

4. JUNK: Nails, pull ta bs, beer c ans, etc . The Gold

Bug was designed for extreme sensitivity to smallb its of gold . Tha t meant no trash "d isc rimina tion".We've found that even the sl ightest degree ofdiscrimination will interfere with a detector's abilityto detec t gold. So the Gold Bug detec ts a ll me ta ls.SOLUTIONS: Fortunately there's not much junk in

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22

FALSE SIGNALS

nugget c ountry and w ith prac tic e you'll be ab le torec ognize a lot o f it. Nails for examp le will respondwith two beeps across the length of the nail (end

to end), but only one b eep when the sea rc h c oil isswept a t right a ng les to the length o f the na il. Also,most trash is sha llow and c omes in b igger sizes thannuggets. Hence it will sound different especially inthe Auto Tune Mo de. Trash w ill sound off over ala rger a rea of the c oil, the tone w ill be louder andthe pitch will increase more, starting out at a lowbeep, increasing to aloud squeal.

5. ELECTRICAL INTERFERENCE: Ca used by rad io/ TVsta tions, power lines and other detec tors operat ingat the same frequency. SOLUTIONS: Move fartheraway from the source. Lower sensitivity. Reducesweep sp ee d . Use A uto -Tune mod e . Wra p thesea rc h c oil c ab le tightly around the stem. In some

bu i ld ings e lec t r i ca l in te r fe rence may be sonoticeable that you'll have to lower the sensitivityor go outside just to benc h test your Go ld Bug.

6. DIGGING TOOL: If you're c a rrying a d igg ing toolin one hand, your Gold Bug may sound off eachtime you swing the c oil beneath it. SOLUTION: Holdit behind your back or up above your waist.

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BATTERY REPLACEMENT

Two nine vo lt transisto r b a tte ries a re loc a te d in sep a ra tecompartments at the rear of the housing. When it 's t ime torep lac e ba tteries, alwa ys rep lac e both o f them.

1. To open, p ress gently down on the ba ttery doorla tc h. The d oo rs a re hinged , d o not a ttem p t tocompletely remove them.

2. Tilt the housing gently and the batteries will slide out.

3. Insert the new batteries. Make sure the c ontac tend goes in first and that you match the polaritymarkings on the control housing.

4. To c lose, simp ly hoo k the low er ed g e of theba t te ry door ove r the ins ide o f the ba t te ryc ompartment and gently push shut.

5. Push the la tc h up to make sure it has snappedinto p lac e.

Battery replacement is simple: just pop the doors,slide the old batteries out and the new ones in.

Figure 7. Batte ry Rep lacement

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MAINTENANCE

Your Gold Bug doesn't require a lot of care but there are afew things you should do to keep it in pea k op era ting c ond ition.

1. If you're no t going to be using it for awhile, takethe ba tteries out. Ac id dama ge c aused by lea kingbatteries can be severe.

2. Avoid extrem e te mp era tures. Don' t lea ve itinside a closed car sitting in the sun. Even worse,the trunk of a car.

3. If you "sc rub " the sea rc h c oil on the g round ,you ' l l even tua l l y wear th rough the bo t tom.Replacement coils are expensive. Instead, investin a c oil c over. They're c hea p.

4. Put a p la stic b a g ove r the c ontrol housing ifyou're hunting in rain, fog or dust.

5. Keep your Go ld Bug d ry and c lea n. Wipe off thelower stem before slid ing it into the upper stem andkeep the slip nut threads free of sand and d irt.

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TREASURE HUNTERS CODE OF ETHICS

LETS PRESERVE OUR TREASURED SPORT!

Laws governing the use of metal detectors are becoming

more a nd more c ommon. In ma ny c ountries, the use of meta ldetectors is illegal or severely restricted. Dont let this happenin your country!

ALWAYS get permission to hunt on private property.ALWAYS lea ve a site c leaner than you found it. Take a t lea stsome trash with you or, if you can, take it all.ALWAYS fill in your holes neatly whether youre in a city parkor remote wildernessness. Leave the land as it was before youdisturbed it.ALWAYS obey all laws rela ting to Treasure Hunting.ALWAYS return va luab le p rop erty if you c an loc a te theoriginal owner.ALWAYS do whatever you c an to g ive the hob by of Trea sureHunting the good image it needs and deserves.

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Where To Use Your Metal Detec tor In The U.S.

National Forest and Federal LandsMetal detecting is allowedonly by special permit acquired from the federal government.Each area has a district office.

Corps of Engineers, Lakes, Shorelines and LandsPermission hasbeen granted only on predisturbed sites, such as beaches andattached swimming areas. New Corps lakes and lands must beokayed by the main offic e o f the Army Corps of Engineers. Eac harea has a district office.State Parks and LandsSome sta te p a rks a re op en to m eta ldetec ting, but some are not. Alwa ys c hec k with the p a rk range rbefore attempting to use your detector.Bureau of Land Management (BLM) LandsSome a rea s a reop en for me ta l detec ting, and some a re no t. Alwa ys c hec k withthe district office.City or County Park LandsMost are open to metal detectingunless notic e is g iven by a sign or c ity ord inanc e. When in d oub t,always check with the citys Parks and Recreation Department.Public Schoo l GroundsMost a re open to me ta l detec ting unless

notic e is g iven b y a sign, c ity ord inance, law enforc ement offic ia l,or school employee. You should always check with the schooloffice first.Privately Owned Lands (Private Property) Permission required.And it is always best to have the permission in writing.Historically Marked Lands or Sites Metal detect ing is nota llowed . Don t even think about it.

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SPECIFICATIONS 1

Length 2 ............................. Extended ............................................ 55C o lla p se d ......................................... 46

Weight 2 ............................. Comp lete .....................................2.9 Ibs.

C o nt ro l Housing ........................1.0 Ibs.Hand le a nd Co il ........................1.9 Ibs.

Freq uenc y ........................ VLF Search ...............................19.2 K H zAud io Target Response ........................................................(V C O) 3

Opera ting Modes ........... l. All Meta l ..............................Auto Tunew ith Thre sho ld 4

2. A ll Me ta l .... Mo tion, No Threshold4

3. A ll M e ta lNo Motion, with Threshold

Trash Disc rimina tion .........................................................................NoManua l Ground Ad just ................................................................. YesMa nua l Threshold Tuning ... Yes (Auto Tune & No-Mot ion Mode)

Searc h Coil ....................... Type ........................EIIip tic a l,Co-Plana rSi ze ............................................. 10" X 5" 5

Shie ld in g ............................ 100% E.S.I. 6

Int e rc ha ng e a b le ............................ YesWa te rp ro o f ...................................... Yes

C a b le Le ng th ..................................... 7

Aud io Output ................... Sp ea ker ....... 2", Myla r, Moisture p roof

Hea d p ho ne Ja c k ......................... 1/4",8-16 ohms, stereo/ mono

Hand le Mount/ Hip Mount Convertib le ..................................... YesBuilt-in Arm Rest E Detec tor Stand .............................................. Yes

Ba tteries ............................ Type ............................... (2) 9V TransistorLife -C a rb o n Zinc ............ 15-20 Hours 2

Life -A lka line .................... 35-50 Hours 2

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SPECIFICATIONS

NOTES

1. Subjec t to imp rovem ent or mod ific a tion without notic e.

2. Approximate.3. Voltage controlled Osc illa tor. Volume and freq uenc y inc rea se as targetis approac hed . This effec t is most p ronounc ed in the No-Motion m od e.

4. The Go ld Bug is a "mo tion" detec tor in the Auto-Tune and Motionmodes. The sea rc h c oil must be moving a t lea st slightly to detec t atarget.

5. 14" ellip tica l, 6-1/ 2" ellip tic a l, and 3-3/ 4" d iameter coils op tiona l.

6. Elec tro-Sta tic -Insulated to eliminate certain typ es of fa lse signa ls.

7. One yea r pa rts and labor plus four yea rs pa rts only. The leng th andterms of the warranty w ill va ry outside the U.S. Check with your d istributo rfor details.

Fisher Research Laboratory does not warrant suitability to specificuse. Fisher Resea rch Laboratory shall in no event b e liab le for any direc t,inc idental, consequential o r indirec t dama ges.

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EXPORT DEPARTMENTP.O. Box 1896

FISHER RESEARCH LABORATORY200 West Willmott Road.,

Los Banos, Ca lifo rnia 93635Tel 209.826.3292 Fax 209.826.0416www.fisherlab.com email:[email protected]

SERVICEYour Fisher M-Sc ope Gold Bug is bac ked by the world 's oldest

and proud est name in meta l detec tion. Eac h and everyinstrument is rigidly tested and carefully inspected during

assembly and before shipment.Should you have any questions or problems, contac t:

Q U A L I T YFisher detectors are renowned for their quality.

Eac h detec tor is hand c ra fted in the USA w ith p ride

P E R F O R M A N C ETreasure Hunte rs worldwide rely on Fishe r.

Our detectors are durable, dependable, and search deeper..

R E P U TA TI O NFisher p roduc ed the first p a tented meta l detec tor in 1931. Forover 70 years, the Fisher logo has been a mark of excellence.

L I F E TI M E W A R R A N TYFisher believes in the products we produce and backs this

belief w ith a lifet ime warranty, the best in the industry, on a ll ofour c onsumer detec tors. Warranty may vary outside of the

United Sta tes. See your dea ler for deta ils

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