Are you interested in doing Prospecting Electronically?

With all of the technology we have in this day and age, it would almost seem like something ridiculous to go out with a shovel and pan in hand to do prospecting. If you are the electronic type, you probably think it would be nice to have a device that do the job electronically and indicates exactly where you should go etc, while you spend your time relaxing.

Well, when it comes to this business or hobby (whatever it is for you), the fact is that there isn’t any electronic device that will simply lead you to the gold. If it were this way, there would probably not be any gold left in the earth since it would be such an easy thing to get to. No, prospecting needs to be worked at.

Don’t dismay though, for all those electronic users there are some devices that and gadgets that can give you a hand at the job. Obviously none of them can do the job on their own; you are still going to have to use your brain when it comes to locating the areas gold can be found and you are still going to have to work hard to get to the gold. However, the good thing about them is that they do give you some clues as far as where to look.

The most commonly known one and the easiest one to use is the metal detector. There are many different trade names and the prices. Some people consider metal detectors to be a lot of fun. Detectors vary a great extent in prices though and you can fine any from under $10 to over $300, and in sensitivity. Some have lights and sounds and others rely on gauges. 

A lot of metal detectors look like mine locators; they usually have a flat plate looking tin on one end. The ones made these days usually have nice cases that go with them, streamlined handles, and nice fancy indicators. These can be bought at different hunting shops and there are a lot of retail electronic shops that sell them as well other places and the prices vary a great deal.

In the past a lot of the metal detectors worked on one of two different ideas or principles; the beat frequency oscillator (BFO), or the induction balance (IB). The beat frequency oscillator type were not difficult to make and were not expensive, anyone that knowledge on these types of things could easily put one together. In most cases the person would end up with a moderately sensitive device but the problem is they did not have very much discrimination. In other words, the detector would pick up anything, whether it was a tin can or gold and this could end up costing you a lot more digging work for the prospector.

Almost all modern detectors these days work on induction balance or the IB principle. The search head has two or more coils in it that have been carefully placed so that it can be electronically balanced. This is often times called the transmit-receive, or the TR system. When a metal object gets near to the loop, it creates imbalances that will signal you have found something.