Fisher M-Scope Gold Bug 2 User manual

Gold Bug 2
Operating Manual
Prospector’s Metal Detector
FISHER RESEARCH LABORATORY

CONTENTS
About Your Gold Bug-2.......................................................... pg. 1
Setting Up................................................................................. pg. 4
Hipmounting ............................................................................ pg. 5
Control Panel .......................................................................... pg. 6
Mode and Mineralization Switches ..................................... pg. 8
Mode and Mineralization Switch Selection ....................... pg. 10
Turn On Procedure ................................................................. pg. 12
Ground Reject Procedure ..................................................... pg. 13
Searching ................................................................................ pg. 15
Pinpointing............................................................................... pg. 17
Target Recovery ..................................................................... pg. 18
False Signals ............................................................................ pg. 21
Operating Tips ......................................................................... pg. 23
Coin Shooting, Beach and Relic Hunting............................ pg. 24
Battery Replacement ............................................................. pg. 24
Maintenance .......................................................................... pg. 25
Treasure Hunters’ Code of Ethics .......................................... pg. 26
Where to Use Your Gold Bug-2 in the U.S. ........................... pg. 27
Specifications ......................................................................... pg. 28

ABOUT YOUR DETECTOR
The Fisher Gold Bug, the predecessor to the Gold Bug-2, was
designed and engineered by Fisher engineers from the ground
up for the sole purpose of finding gold nuggets small gold
nuggets, large gold nuggets, deep gold nuggets and gold
nuggets in highly mineralized soil. Almost overnight, the Gold Bug
became the standard against which all other gold-hunting
detectors were compared.
The next generation Gold Bug, the Gold Bug-2, is not meant to
be a replacement for the original Gold Bug. Your Gold Bug-2
offers many of the successful features of the Gold Bug as well as
some new features, making it a distinctly different detector, but
still designed for the sole purpose of finding gold nuggets.
The first and foremost of these new features is the operating
frequency of the Gold Bug-2 – 71 kHz. This ultra-high operating
frequency is extremely sensitive to small gold nuggets, and it also
offers a side benefit. Because the Gold Bug-2 operates at a
different frequency, it can be operated near an original Gold
Bug without interference.
Also, a new mineralization switch on the Gold Bug-2 can be
set for high, normal and low mineralization ground conditions.
When set for high mineralization, this new circuitry allows
prospectors to hunt in areas previously off-limits due to high
ground mineralization or numerous hot rocks. Although the
original Gold Bug is known for finding small nuggets in highly
mineralized soil, the Gold Bug-2 will set new standards for both
size and depth under many soil conditions.
Iron discrimination is another new feature. In the IRON DISC
mode, you can identify hot rocks and small trash items like iron
nails and other ferrous trash before digging them. Use this mode
in extremely trashy areas to check a target for its iron content.
An audio boost mode, another new feature of the Gold Bug-2,
makes it easier to find smaller nuggets at greater depths. Already
a successful and proven feature of the Fisher QuickSilver line of
land and underwater detectors, the audio boost mode
1

2
ABOUT YOUR DETECTOR
automatically increases the volume of any faint signal, such as a
small or deep gold nugget. It does this without increasing the
volume of larger, shallower targets.
Here are some other features of the Gold Bug-2:
• Dust and moisture resistant control box.
• Removable control housing that mounts on your
hip and reduces the weight on your arm.
• Drop-in battery compartments for easy battery
replacement.
• An elliptical, 10-inch, shielded search coil that’s
lighter, covers more ground and gets into tighter
places than a circular coil.
• Optional 6.5- and 14-inch elliptical search coils.
• Lightweight design, only 2.9 lbs. with cushioned arm
rest and foam-grip handle.
• Built-in detector stand.
• Dual-knob, coarse/fine, manual ground-adjust
control.
• Double-locking, fiberglass-reinforced, nylon lower
stem.
• Quartz-crystal locked electronics.
• Built-in Fisher quality backed by 70years of
engineering excellence.
The rest is up to you. You’ve got the right detector, but you’ll
have to decide where to search and then put in a lot of long,
hard hours searching. And, of course, you’re going to have to
learn your Gold Bug-2, read this instruction manual carefully and
practice often. Drop us a line if you have any questions,
comments or exciting gold nugget stories. In the meantime . . .
Happy Hunting!
Fisher Research Laboratory

Padded arm rest
Detector stand
Foam grip
Drop-in battery
compartments
Anodized aluminum
upper stem
Snap button
7-foot search
coil cable
Lock nut
Nylon wing nut
Waterproof, ESI-shielded,
elliptical search coil
Velcro®
straps
Adjustable, ABS,
fiberglass-reinforced,
nylon lower stem
Threshold
control
Cable
connector
3
ABOUT YOUR DETECTOR
Figure 1. Gold bug-2

4
SETTING UP
The Gold Bug-2 comes to you just about ready to use. There
are only three steps required: sliding the lower stem into the upper
stem, connecting the loop coil to the control housing and
adjusting the angle of the search coil. Take a look at page 3
and familiarize yourself with the parts of the Gold Bug-2 before
proceeding.
1. Unpack your new Gold Bug-2 carefully. Save the
carton and inserts – they may come in handy for
future storage or shipment.
2. Slip the lower stem into the upper stem (see
previous page for Gold Bug-2 diagram).
3. Adjust the stem length and coil
angle so that the search coil rests
flat on the ground about 6 inches
in front of, and slightly to the right
of, your right foot (for left handers,
to the left of your left foot). Your
arm should be straight and relaxed
with your grip held loosely.
REMEMBER: THE LONGER THE SHAFT, THE
MORE YOU WILL HAVE TO BEND YOUR
ELBOW AND THE SOONER YOUR ARM
WILL GET TIRED. THE GOLD BUG-2 IS
BALANCED FOR COMFORTABLE
SEARCHING IN A TIGHT SEMICIRCLE IN
FRONT OF THE OPERATOR.
4. Tighten the lock nut and the nylon
wing nut on the search coil.
5. With the stem length properly
adjusted, wrap the loop cable
tightly around the upper stem and
secure it with the two Velcro
straps. Connect the cable
connector to the control housing.
CAUTION: MAKE SURE THE CABLE IS NOT
PULLED TIGHT AT THE CONTROL HOUSING
AND THAT YOU HAVE ENOUGH SLACK AT
THE SEARCH COIL TO ADJUST IT AT ANY
ANGLE.
Figure 2.
Adjust the stem length and coil
angle resting the search coil flat
on the ground and about 6
inches in front of your right foot
(left foot for left-handers).

5
HIPMOUNTING
Your Gold Bug-2 is light and extremely well balanced; however,
if you’re going to be swinging it for more than a few hours, you
may want to “hipmount” it by removing the control box and
strapping it to your waist. Follow this procedure:
1. Disconnect the cable from the
control housing and unwind all but
the last 12 inches or so from the
stem. Secure the lower end of the
cable with a velcro strap at least
12 inches up from the coil. CAUTION:
MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE ENOUGH
SLACK AT THE SEARCH COIL
2. Slide the control housing off the
handle by holding the hand grip
with one hand and pulling the
housing toward you with the other
hand.
3. Reconnect the cable to the control
housing. NOTE: It is especially important
that the cable connector be installed
tightly to prevent false signals during
hipmount use. Never tightened with
anything but your hands.
6. With the shaft length and coil angle properly
adjusted, you should be able to move into your
“search” position (as shown on page 4) by leaning
forward very slightly and raising your arm (still
straight) until the search coil is about 2 inches
above the ground and 12 inches in front of your
foot. The search coil should be parallel to the
ground and may have to be slightly readjusted at
this point.
7. If the arm rest is too wide or narrow, you may bend
it slightly inward or outward to meet your exact
requirements.
SETTING UP
The Gold Bug-2 control housing
can be hipmounted to reduce
weight on the stem and create
nearly effortless hunting. Belt
loops are provided on the
underside of the control housing.
Figure 3.

6
CONTROL PANEL
1. SENS: This knob adjusts the Gold Bug-2’s sensitivity
to targets, and it doubles as a battery tester. By
increasing the sensitivity, you can detect smaller and
deeper targets, however, you’ll also pick up more
false signals in mineralized soil or in areas of electrical
interference. The sensitivity control can also be
decreased to cut down on “ground chatter” and/
or electrical interference. Settings less than 5 should
4. Put your belt through the slots on
the underside of the housing.
5. Left handers should wear the
housing on their right hip and right
handers on their left hip.
To remove the control housing
from the stem, grasp the top of
the control box firmly and pull it
directly toward the arm rest while
holding the Gold Bug-2 handle.
NOTE: if you’re working in shallow water, you
may want to strap the control housing on
your chest in a heavy plastic bag, and seal
it tightly around the cable.
HIPMOUNTING
Figure 4.
Figure 5.

7
not be used unless you have already tried switching
to a higher mineralization setting. In the extreme
counterclockwise position, the SENS control doubles
as a battery tester. A loud tone indicates good
batteries, and a faint tone tells you it’s time to
change the batteries.
2. MODE: This is a three-position toggle switch that can
be set to IRON DISC, NORMAL or AUDIO BOOST.
(See the next section, “Mode and Mineralization
Switches,” for details.)
3. MINERALIZATION: This three-position toggle switch
has settings for varying levels of ground
mineralization: HIGH, NORMAL and LOW. (See next
section, “Mode and Mineralization Switches,” for
details.)
4. HEADPHONES: This jack accepts most stereo and
mono headphones with 1/4-inch plugs. When using
headphones with a stereo/mono switch, put the
stereo/mono switch in the stereo position. Although
your Gold Bug-2 is equipped with a dust and
moisture resistant speaker, we recommend that you
always wear headphones while hunting to
maximize the number of targets you hear.
Furthermore, we recommend our Fisher Phones,
which enhance faint-target response by blocking
out unwanted external noises, such as wind and
vehicle sounds. To plug in your headphones, unplug
the detachable seal and plug in your headphone
jack. When not using headphones, be sure to keep
the seal plugged into the HEADPHONES jack to keep
dust and moisture out of the control housing.
5. VOLUME: This knob turns the power on and adjusts
the signal-response volume. If you’re wearing
headphones with independent volume controls,
set your Gold Bug-2 VOLUME control to 10 and
decrease the volume of your earphone controls
to a comfortable level. This will ensure the hottest-
possible signal from your Gold Bug-2.
CONTROL PANEL

8
CONTROL PANEL
MODE AND MINERALIZATION SWITCHES
The mode switch on your Gold
Bug-2 offers three different
operating modes: IRON DISC,
NORMAL and AUDIO BOOST.
Each mode offers its own
advantages and disadvan-
tages in any given situation. It’s
up to you to find the right setting
for each of the ground
conditions you encounter.
Regardless of the MODE or
MINERALIZATION settings, your
Gold Bug-2 always operates in
a motion mode, meaning the
search coil must be in motion
to detect a target.
The two toggle switches on your Gold Bug-2
enable you to search in just about any kind
of ground condition. The trick is learning
which combination of settings is right for each
ground condition.
6. GROUND REJECT: This dual-knob control is used to
electronically tune the search coil to prevailing
ground-mineralization conditions. The small knob on
top only makes one revolution and is used for
coarse adjustments. It has 25 fixed positions. The
large knob on the bottom is for fine-tune
adjustments and is capable of 16 turns and an
infinite number of positions.
7. THRESHOLD: This metal shaft is located on the rear
of the control housing. It’s purposely small and out
of the way to avoid accidental adjustment. The
threshold control adjusts the level of your threshold
tone, which is set to a continuous, faint tone.
Figure 6.