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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 is a 19 kHz VLF gold detector for prospectors and relic hunters, with the 5 inch DD round waterproof search coil. It balances to the ground with Ground Grab computerized ground balancing, shows a 2 digit target ID, a ground phase number and an Fe3O4 mineralization graph, and runs on one 9V battery.
| Configuration | |
|---|---|
| Detector | Fisher Gold Bug, 19 kHz VLF |
| Coil(s) | 5 inch DD round waterproof search coil |
| Headphones | 1/4 inch jack for wired stereo headphones |
What is in the box with the Fisher Gold Bug
Fisher's standard contents for the Gold Bug with 5 inch coil
- Fisher Gold Bug detector with S-rod, armrest and handgrip
- 5 inch DD round waterproof search coil
About the Fisher Gold Bug
The Fisher Gold Bug runs a single 19 kHz VLF frequency on Fisher's Gold Bug platform, with Ground Grab computerized ground balancing, two search modes (All Metal and Discrimination), a 2 digit target ID, a ground phase readout and an Fe3O4 bar graph that shows how much iron mineralization is in the ground. All Metal is the most sensitive mode: every target gives a variable pitch VCO tone against an adjustable threshold. 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, and the 1/4 inch headphone jack takes stereo plugs.
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; Discrimination mode has no Ground Grab, but it uses the balance you set in All Metal. The ground phase number tells you what kind of ground you are on: Fisher's Gold Bug Pro manual, written for the same 19 kHz platform, 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; the same Pro manual runs it from no bars under 0.006 percent to all seven bars over 1 percent. We would rebalance whenever either reading jumps.
Discrimination and target ID
Discrimination on the Gold Bug is set with the plus and minus buttons, one step per press. The setting is the boundary between the low and high tones, and higher settings eliminate targets below it. The 2 digit target ID reads each target in Discrimination mode. Fisher's manual lists typical numbers such as 47 to 48 for gum wrapper foil, about 58 for a nickel, 60 to 75 for pull tabs, about 83 for a copper penny or clad dime and about 85 for a clad quarter, and it warns that other metals can read the same. On a gold site we would prospect in All Metal, dig every repeatable signal and use the target ID mainly to spot iron.
Search coils for the 19 kHz Gold Bug
Fisher's Gold Bug and Gold Bug Pro manuals list three coils for the platform: the 5 inch DD round, a 10 inch DD elliptical closed coil and an 11 inch DD elliptical open coil. The 5 inch round coil on this detector fits bedrock cracks, brush and tight spots between rocks, and its small footprint sees less ground noise in hot soil. For open washes and tailings, we would add one of the larger coils later. Only the coil is waterproof, so we would keep the control box dry; Fisher's Gold Bug Pro manual lists a rain cover for the detector and an extended lower stem for very tall users.
Where the Fisher Gold Bug fits, and its limits
The Fisher Gold Bug is built for small gold in mineralized ground, from dry washes and bedrock to tailings, and its 2 digit target ID also makes it useful on relic sites and for coins. Only the coil is waterproof, so it is a land and creek edge detector. For the smallest gold in worked ground, the 71 kHz Fisher Gold Bug 2 is the specialist; for deep nuggets in very hot goldfields, compare the pulse induction options in our gold detectors collection.
Fisher Gold Bug family compared
| Feature | Gold Bug | Gold Bug Pro | 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 |
| Warranty | 2 years | 2 years | 2 years |
The Gold Bug DP and the two coil Gold Bug Pro package are configurations of the Gold Bug Pro, so they share its column.
Fisher Gold Bug specifications
| Specification | Fisher Gold Bug |
|---|---|
| Technology | VLF, 19 kHz |
| Search modes | All Metal, Discrimination |
| Ground balance | Ground Grab |
| Discrimination | Adjustable (plus and minus) |
| Target ID | 2 digit |
| Mineralization readouts | Ground phase number, Fe3O4 bar graph |
| Pinpoint | No motion, with depth reading |
| Search coil | 5 inch DD round 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 |
| Weight | 2.5 lb (1.13 kg) |
| Warranty | 2 years |
Fisher covers the Gold Bug with a 2 year warranty.
Authorized Fisher dealer with a showroom in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Full manufacturer warranty and help from our staff by phone or email.
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