Just Joined The Ranks Of The Metal Detectors For Gold

goldenmojo

goldenmojo

Bronze Member
Dec 9, 2013
1,869
4,767
N. California
Detector(s) used
Bazooka Prospector-Sniper-Supermini Thanks Todd & Chris, Goldhog Multisluice Thanks Doc, My Land Matters Thanks Claydiggins, 6 Senses
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
I was able to score a Whites Goldmaster VSAT yesterday for $60.00 on craigslist. Everything looked good but was missing the battery pack so was kind of a sight unseen purchase. Fortunately my buddy Aufisher has the same detector and knows how to use it. We loaded his battery pack in it and it screamed to life. Aufisher taught me how the controls work and looked the machine over and deemed it worthy. Now to start on the nugget finding trail. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks Aufisher for all your help with this.

GM
 

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Congratulations! What a score! You can tell that coil has never touched the ground! I panned the blue clay you left me and I was like a kid in a candy shop. I can see why people like paydirt now. Got a fishing swivel a 22 bullet and a small piece of color. The panning station water was hunter green after! Good luck with the VSAT it's a dam fine machine!
 

Aufisher said:
Congratulations! What a score! You can tell that coil has never touched the ground! I panned the blue clay you left me and I was like a kid in a candy shop. I can see why people like paydirt now. Got a fishing swivel a 22 bullet and a small piece of color. The panning station water was hunter green after! Good luck with the VSAT it's a dam fine machine!
Click to expand...

You'd better save that stuff in case you have to McGiver something back together....
 

If the machine is acting unstable 'cause of hot or mineralized ground, increasing the VSAT while decreasing the gain will go along way in quieting the machine down and making it run more efficient for the conditions on site. Start with increasing the VSAT 1 to 3 numbers (over factory suggested setting) THEN not satisfied, decrease the gain 1 to 3 numbers (from suggested factory mark)....Good luck
 

HP Thanks for the tip. I will be needing all of those I can get. Took it out last night and set up some coins and a gold flake. Ran it back and forth between them to get an idea of the different sounds. It picked up the flake fairly well. It had a sweet smooth tone. Can't wait to draw a bead on one in the wild.
 

few days ago,i bout one (removed by mod) , i check it and it is really good .hope you will like this!
 

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Congrats, I have the 1995 model.
The 1998 model you don't have to re-ground balance if you adjust the gain. The 95 you do.
The difference is on the 95 model the vsat is on the back of the unit, or the side facing the coil.
In 98 they decided the vsat was being changed more often so it was moved to the front, where the meter is, and the threshhold moved to the back(coil side).
Download the manual from whites but make sure you have the right manual.
 

The VSat knob on mine is on the bottom towards the coil so it must be a 95. Took it out tonight and it looks like $59.99 more and it's gonna be paid for. Had lots of hits but the ground was really baked and the cheap plastic scoop was worthless . Had to just pick near top of soil. I hope there a market for old bobby pins, screws, pop tops and foil wrappers. If there is I am going to be a wealthy man.
 

I have found a thousand bobby pins and some nice gum wrappers with mine!
 

AU Glad to hear I'm not the only one. I got me a battery pack today for it. $ 2.99 over at RS on Greenback, Will be returning yours with a fresh set of alkalines tomorrow. Thanks for the loan and the startup help.
 

Awesome score buddy!
 

1995 model.
I looked a lot on Ebay before I found mine, and I never saw a 1998 model.
Everyone is still keeping them I guess.
I have a bunch of very small pieces of lead bullets,some brass that peeled of of the jacketed bullets, and some square nails from the 1850's or so.
If anyone wants to buy some antique square nails from an old mining town that is gone, let me know, I still need to help pay for my Goldmaster. LOL.
 

Roadrunner What kind of depth does this machine range in?
 

If you want to know about relics, or coins I dont hunt those with the vsat.
To noisy. I have not been to a park, but on the few private properties, the GM was screaming at me every 2-3 seconds. Just to much trash.
It will pick up every nail,bobby pin,hair clip,clothespin(yes, wood, but has the metal coil spring on it).
I am trying to find a few of my finds but I had to move out of my house.
I know this for sure. If you have ever seen the top of a valve of off a car engine, I found just the round top, stem gone, about 8 inches down. It was rusty as anything could ever get, was about the size of a 50 cent piece.
I thought I had struck my first 1800 coin.

I will see what I can find of mine, or do a couple tests.
Then report back. Mine had the stock coil on it. I purchased a DD for it and am still deciding on which is better for my area.
Right now, my GB is at about 7.That is the GEB course knob.
The double stack fine knobs are at 2 oclock position.
I live in copper, silver, and magnetic black sands and hot and cold stone territory.
I bought the book by Larry Salle, The unabridged zip zip, both of his best sellers in one book.
It was written around the vsat.
 

I will have to get book that as both you and Aufisher have mentioned it. I went back to the ballfield to practice tonight this time with my multipick tool and a new sharper plastic scoop. Got more bobby pins and hex head screws. The machine definitely is a screamer and I think I will just head out to the rivers from now on where I might have less to contend with. I wonder how many pop tops a rivers can contain? That was funny about the valve. My goal is to find an actual coin from the 1800's with it. Found one in my change last month.
 

Ok, I did find this.
This pic is of a flat toothpick, and a small piece of metal.
I can not find the pic of the caliche, mud I found it in.
It was down about 3-4 inches, in a crack running across a creek, perpendicular.
It was rock hard caliche or mud that was dryed out.

CAM00021.jpg
It is as thin as a cornflake when turned sideways.
I had headphones on, single earpiece, and heard the signal.
Not a rise or fall in threshold, or a silent signal, but a definate signal.
Could have been down 5-6 inches and I still would have heard it it was that strong.
 

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