Falcon MD20 Gold Tracker with 3-Piece Handle, Headphones & Belt Holster

The Falcon MD20 Gold Tracker is a probe-style metal detector designed to find gold, even extremely small pieces, in rock, crevices and concentrates. It runs at 300 kHz, has a waterproof probe on a 5 foot cable and an adjustable copper sensitivity ring, weighs 12 oz, and gets 40 to 50 hours from two 9 volt alkaline batteries. The bundle adds the Falcon 3-piece handle, headphones and belt holster.

What is in the box with the Falcon MD20 bundle

Falcon's standard contents for the MD20 Gold Tracker

• Falcon MD20 Gold Tracker control box
• Waterproof probe with copper sensitivity ring on a 5 foot cable

This Falcon MD20 bundle also includes

• Falcon 3-piece handle
• Falcon headphones
• Falcon belt holster

How the Falcon MD20 works

Falcon calls the MD20 an all metal motion detector. It responds to all metals and does not discriminate between them, but it gives separate responses to metal and mineral. Push the probe toward a signal and pull it away: a positive response (the signal follows the target) means metal such as gold, silver or copper, and a negative response (the signal moves away) means mineral such as iron oxides or black sand. Falcon names gold, silver, copper and platinum among the valuable metals it finds in rock formations. Because it is a motion detector, move the probe slowly over the target.

The probe is a shielded search coil, much smaller and lighter than a conventional coil, and very sensitive to tiny objects such as placer gold, small nuggets and pockets of black sand. The larger the target, the deeper the Falcon finds it. Falcon describes the MD20 as small enough to fit in a pocket and rugged enough for field use.

Copper ring: Normal and Enhanced Sensitivity

Behind the black band is Normal Mode, more stable and easier to set; Falcon recommends it for pinpointing coins, jewelry and relics without touching or scratching them. Moved forward to the rear edge of the red band is Enhanced Sensitivity Mode, generally preferred for tiny specks of gold; expect more interference there. Moving the ring past the red band makes the unit unstable and sound continuously.

Beyond prospecting

Falcon designed the MD20 with the gold prospector in mind and lists other uses where small pieces of metal need to be found:

• Hobby: pinpointing coins and jewelry without touching them
• Medical: locating metal fragments in the body
• Construction: locating covered nail heads
• Food service: scanning for metal fragments
• Woodworking: finding metal before it damages a blade

The accessories in this bundle

3-piece handle: the probe cable threads up through the handle, which lets you search standing up. We like it for working under rocks and brush, or in a cold stream, without reaching in by hand.

Headphones: Falcon recommends headphones to hear the small "whimpers" that can mean a small target near the surface or a large one deeper down. The speaker switches off when headphones are plugged in.

Belt holster: the control box rides at your hip on a belt loop, so one hand stays free for the probe and you can adjust ground balance and sensitivity without holding the box.

Who the Falcon MD20 suits

What we appreciate about the Falcon MD20 is that it solves a very specific prospecting problem. Some gold is extremely small: tiny particles in rock, in crevices or mixed into concentrated material. The MD20 investigates those targets with a compact probe on a cable, at 300 kHz, a very high operating frequency that gives it strong sensitivity to tiny metal particles.

Where the probe earns its keep

Picture a bedrock crevice too narrow for a search coil. The Falcon probe goes into the crack and checks it inch by inch. The same goes for a piece of quartz with suspected fine inclusions: you can check small areas of the specimen one at a time. It responds to metal; it does not tell you whether a response is definitely gold.

Settings that matter on the Falcon MD20

Copper sensitivity ring: the probe has an adjustable copper ring that changes its sensitivity. We would spend time learning how the ring affects response and stability before heading out.

Ground balance and sensitivity: picture checking concentrates heavy with black sand. Mineralization can produce responses, and correct adjustment helps you separate some mineral responses from metal. It does not identify the metal.

Where the Falcon MD20 is the wrong tool

For a large field of buried nuggets, a conventional gold detector covers ground far more efficiently; see our gold detectors. The Falcon is for detailed, close investigation.

Mistakes to avoid with the Falcon MD20

Assuming the MD20 identifies gold. It responds to other metals as well. The other is assuming the waterproof probe means the whole unit is waterproof; keep the control box dry.

Our recommendation on the Falcon MD20

We recommend the Falcon MD20 to prospectors working tiny gold particles, mineral specimens and confined spots. Its strongest point is extremely localized detection of small metal particles with a high frequency probe.

Setting up the Falcon MD20

Falcon's setup is short: turn the Ground Balance knob to the 1 o'clock position, set the copper ring for the mode you want, switch on with the Sensitivity knob and turn it to 1 o'clock. With no metal near the probe tip, advance Ground Balance until the alert sounds, then back it off until it stops. Raise Sensitivity until the unit barely hums. Give it 1 to 2 minutes to warm up and repeat those two steps. A higher sensitivity setting brings more false signals.

Looking after the MD20

• The probe and its 5 foot cable are waterproof; the electronics box is not, so never put it in water.
• Do not dig with the probe tip; it can damage the unit and detune the probe.
• Store the cable without kinks, with a bend radius of at least 6 inches.
• Keep the detector out of direct sun and extreme heat, such as a vehicle dashboard.
• Use two 9 volt alkaline batteries and replace both together; one drives the sensing electronics and the other the audio. Remove them for long storage.

Falcon MD20 specifications

Falcon's warranty terms are on the warranty card, and the warranty has to be registered with Falcon to be valid. Serious Detecting is an authorized Falcon dealer, and our staff can help with setup questions by phone or email.

Every MD20 package and accessory we carry is in our Falcon MD20 collection, and the rest of the brand is in our Falcon collection.