Fisher Gold Bug DP Metal Detector with 11 Inch DD Elliptical Coil

The Fisher Gold Bug DP is a 19 kHz VLF gold detector for prospectors and relic hunters, 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.

What is in the box with the Fisher Gold Bug DP

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

About the Fisher Gold Bug DP

The Fisher Gold Bug DP runs a single 19 kHz VLF frequency on Fisher's Gold Bug platform, with Ground Grab computerized ground balancing plus manual fine tuning, 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 a threshold adjustable from -40 to +40. 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, 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. On the Gold Bug DP you can then fine tune the balance by hand with the plus and minus buttons, still in All Metal mode, which helps on ground that Ground Grab does not quite settle. 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, 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 DP runs from 0 to 80. From 0 to 40 nothing is rejected: targets below your setting give a low tone and the rest give the VCO tone. From 41 to 79 the detector starts eliminating targets below the setting, and at 80 everything below 80 is silent and every target that sounds gives a high tone. The 2 digit target ID reads each target in Discrimination mode. Fisher's Gold Bug DP manual lists typical numbers such as 40 to 55 for gum wrapper foil, about 58 for a nickel, 60 to 75 for pull tabs, about 78 for a zinc penny, about 83 for a copper penny or clad dime and about 89 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 DP and Gold Bug Pro manuals list three coils for the platform: the 11 inch DD elliptical open coil (Fisher part 11COIL-GB), a 10 inch DD elliptical closed coil (Fisher part 10COILDD-GB) and the 5 inch DD round coil (Fisher part 5COIL-GBUG). The 11 inch DD elliptical coil on the Gold Bug DP covers more ground per sweep on open washes, tailings and plowed fields. For bedrock cracks and trashy patches, we would add the 5 inch round coil 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 DP fits, and its limits

The Fisher Gold Bug DP 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. Fisher's Gold Bug Pro manual notes that the design favors small, low conductivity metals like gold, so it is slightly less sensitive to high conductivity coins such as a quarter. Only the coil is waterproof, so it is a land and creek edge detector. In extremely magnetic ground the manual warns that the ground signal can overload the circuitry, and the fix is to raise the coil a few inches. 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.

Hot rocks are part of the job on most goldfields. Fisher's manual explains that negative hot rocks give a "boing" sound rather than the "zip" of a metal target, while positive hot rocks can give a "zip" much like a nugget. Fisher's advice is to always carry a magnet to help tell gold from hot rocks and iron.

Near power lines and other electrical interference, Fisher's manual says to lower the Gain or Threshold first, and that a discrimination level between 60 and 70 will usually reduce interference. A phone in your pocket can cause it too, so turn it fully off. Small coils pick up less interference than large ones, so the 11 inch coil is the more exposed choice in a noisy spot.

Fisher Gold Bug family compared

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 DP specifications

Fisher covers the Gold Bug DP 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.

For more on the Fisher Gold Bug DP, settings advice and the coils that fit, see the Fisher Gold Bug DP collection linked at the top of the page. Other Fisher models are in our Fisher metal detectors collection.