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Detector specifications
Best for
Highlighted icons show the targets, ground and experience level this detector is built for.
- Coin & Relic — shop all
- Gold — shop all
- Beach & Water — not suited to this detector
- Kids — not suited to this detector
- Beginner / Intermediate — shop all
- Advanced / Expert — not suited to this detector
The Fisher Gold Bug DP is a 19 kHz VLF gold detector for prospectors and relic hunters, here as an open box unit with the 11 inch DD elliptical waterproof search coil. It pairs Ground Grab computerized ground balancing with manual fine tuning, shows a 2 digit target ID, a ground phase number and an Fe3O4 mineralization graph, and runs on one 9V battery. The Gold Bug DP is a Gold Bug Pro configuration with the 11 inch DD elliptical coil in place of the 5 inch round coil.
Open Box: Metal detectors with damaged or opened packaging, offered at a reduced price. Full manufacturer’s warranty included. Questions about a specific unit? Call us.
| Configuration | |
|---|---|
| Detector | Fisher Gold Bug DP, 19 kHz VLF |
| Coil(s) | 11 inch DD elliptical waterproof search coil |
| Headphones | 1/4 inch jack for wired stereo headphones |
What is in the box with the Fisher Gold Bug DP (open box)
Fisher's standard contents for the Gold Bug DP with 11 inch coil
- Fisher Gold Bug DP detector with S-rod, armrest and handgrip
- 11 inch DD elliptical waterproof search coil with cable
- 9V battery
Who the Fisher Gold Bug DP is for
We like the Gold Bug DP as a more versatile gold detector than the highly specialized Gold Bug 2. We recommend it to prospectors who want a gold-capable detector with useful target information, for small nuggets in manageable mineralization and on older mining sites where relics turn up too.
About the Fisher Gold Bug DP
The Gold Bug DP runs a single 19 kHz VLF frequency on Fisher's Gold Bug platform, with two search modes (All Metal and Discrimination). All Metal is the most sensitive mode: every target gives a variable pitch VCO tone against a threshold adjustable from -40 to +40, with independent Gain and Threshold controls. Discrimination is a motion mode that can tone down or reject unwanted metals, and pressing and holding the pinpoint button gives a no motion pinpoint with a depth reading in inches, calibrated to coin sized targets. Power comes from one 9V alkaline battery for about 15 to 20 hours, or a 9V nickel metal hydride rechargeable for up to 8 hours per charge.
Ground balance and mineralization readouts
Ground Grab is the first control to learn. In All Metal mode you hold the button while pumping the coil over clean ground and let go when the sound evens out, then fine tune the balance by hand with the plus and minus buttons. The ground phase number tells you what kind of ground you are on: Fisher's manual puts wet salt and alkali at 0 to 10, red, yellow and brown iron clays at 40 to 75 and magnetite and other black iron minerals at 75 to 95. The Fe3O4 graph tells you how strong it is. Start prospecting in All Metal, set the threshold so faint signals stay recognizable, and raise Gain only while the detector stays stable.
Discrimination and target ID
Discrimination on the Gold Bug DP runs from 0 to 80, and the 2 digit target ID reads each target in Discrimination mode. Fisher's manual lists typical numbers such as about 58 for a nickel, 60 to 75 for pull tabs and about 83 for a copper penny or clad dime, and it warns that other metals can read the same. On a gold site, use discrimination cautiously: aggressive rejection can miss small gold, and deep or tiny targets can read unreliably. Fisher's advice is to carry a magnet to help tell gold from hot rocks and iron.
Where the Fisher Gold Bug DP fits, and its limits
The Gold Bug DP is built for small gold in mineralized ground, from dry washes and bedrock to tailings, and its target ID also makes it useful on relic sites and for coins. The 11 inch DD elliptical coil covers more ground per sweep on open washes, tailings and plowed fields; for bedrock cracks and trashy patches, the 5 inch round coil is the smaller option. Only the coil is waterproof, so it is a land and creek edge detector. For extremely small gold in exposed bedrock, we recommend the 71 kHz Gold Bug 2; for coins and relics on historical properties, the Fisher F75 may fit better; for deep nuggets in very hot goldfields, compare the pulse induction options in our gold detectors collection.
| Feature | Gold Bug | Gold Bug Pro (Gold Bug DP) This detector |
Gold Bug 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency | 19 kHz | 19 kHz | 71 kHz |
| Search modes | All Metal, Discrimination | All Metal, Discrimination | Normal, Boost, Disc |
| Ground balance | Ground Grab | Ground Grab plus manual | Manual (Ground Reject knob) |
| Target ID | 2 digit | 2 digit | None (audio only) |
| Ground phase and Fe3O4 readout | Yes | Yes | No |
| Fisher coil options | 5 inch DD round, 10 inch and 11 inch DD elliptical | 5 inch DD round, 10 inch and 11 inch DD elliptical | 6.5, 10 and 14 inch elliptical |
| Battery | 1 x 9V, about 15 to 20 hours | 1 x 9V, about 15 to 20 hours | 2 x 9V, 25 to 35 hours (alkaline) |
| Weight | 2.5 lb (1.13 kg) | 2 lb 8 oz (1.13 kg) with 5 inch coil | 2.9 lb (1.3 kg) |
| Warranty | 2 years | 2 years | 2 years |
A common Gold Bug DP mistake
Assuming the numeric target ID can reliably identify natural gold. Small gold, lead, aluminum and other metals can overlap in their responses.
Our recommendation on the Fisher Gold Bug DP
Choose the Gold Bug DP for versatile VLF gold prospecting with numeric target identification.
Fisher Gold Bug DP specifications
| Specification | Fisher Gold Bug DP |
|---|---|
| Technology | VLF, 19 kHz |
| Search modes | All Metal, Discrimination |
| Ground balance | Ground Grab plus manual (plus and minus) |
| Discrimination | 0 to 80 |
| Target ID | 2 digit |
| Mineralization readouts | Ground phase number, Fe3O4 bar graph |
| Pinpoint | No motion, with depth reading |
| Search coil | 11 inch DD elliptical waterproof search coil |
| Coil options | 5 inch DD round, 10 inch DD elliptical, 11 inch DD elliptical |
| Waterproof | Search coil only |
| Headphones | 1/4 inch jack (stereo plug) |
| Battery | 1 x 9V, about 15 to 20 hours alkaline, up to 8 hours NiMH rechargeable |
| Operating temperature | -10 to +50 °C (14 to 122 °F) |
| Warranty | 2 years |
Fisher covers the Gold Bug DP with a 2 year warranty. The same configuration new is the Fisher Gold Bug DP with 11 inch DD coil.
Serious Detecting is a family-owned, authorized Fisher dealer with a showroom in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and our staff help by phone or email.
More open box units are in our open box metal detectors collection.
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