As a prospector for gold, there are many things that you need to get right if you aim to be successful, from getting the right permits and putting in the required amount of research to finding the right areas to prospect and of course, finding the best metal detector for gold.
There are many groups of metal detectors currently in use, but one group that is becoming increasingly common is the electromagnetic metal detectors, due to their reasonable pricing and ease of use. They are the go-to gold detectors for hire/sale in Australia because of these reasons, so it is easy to simply go with the crowd and forget exactly why they are so popular.
Let’s introduce you to a hidden gem in the class of these electromagnetic metal detectors — the Pulse Induction (PI) metal detector, one of the best metal detectors for gold that you can find on the market.
What are Pulse Induction metal detectors?
PI metal detectors are electromagnetic metal detectors that operate on the principle of pulse induction as the name implies. In a nutshell, they operate based on inducing electromagnetic pulse to the surface that is being searched. Compared to Very Low Frequency (VLF) electromagnetic metal detectors, the PI detector uses the advanced technology of using a single coil as both a transmitter and a receiver.
It sends out high-intensity electrical pulses (between 100 and 1000 pulses per second) into the surface generating a magnetic field, and waits to receive feedback on how the items below the surface react to the pulses sent out. This is how it is able to distinguish betweenmetal and non-metal components of an area of soil, even one rich in other minerals.
Because the reaction of metals to magnetic fields is well documented and differs from other materials, the feedback received by PI metal detectors is more exact and more accurate than other metal detectors for hire in its price range when detecting metals.
Where can they be used?
The flexibility of the PI metal detectors means that they can be used across virtually all types of surfaces where gold detectors normally prospect. Because of the technology in use, it can be used even in normally difficult areas like seawater and coral reefs.
It can also be used in other areas like beaches and ocean fronts, shallow water, as well as wet and dry black sand. Thus, they are very good underwater metal detectors
What are the benefits?
There are many benefits of the Pulse Induction metal detectors, mostly revolving around their electromagnetic pulses and imperviousness to mineralisation.
This was the main reason that PI metal detectors were invented in the first place, to avoid the interference caused by mineralisations or mineral deposits in the ground, or water interfering with the signals of the metal detectors.
PI metal detectors are able to distinguish non-ferrous minerals through the use of electromagnetic fields, and the fact that these non-ferrous minerals do not react with electromagnetic fields.
For this reason, they are the only detectors that are optimal for use in the saltwater of ocean floors and water around ocean beaches. Those waters are rife with salt and other minerals that would make it impossible to use VLF metal detectors but will not cause the same problems for PI metal detectors.
In comparison to other metal detectors, PI Metal detectors also have a great depth of vision up to 3 meters below the surface level, which comes in handy for pre-checking holes to dig and for finding gold and other metals further below the ground level. This is because they have larger induction coils as a result of the initial induction signals having more power than the average VLF metal detectors.
Because of its ability to evade mineralisation and also its greater levels of depth, the Pulse Induction metal detectors are among the best metal detectors for gold. Gold is often found around beaches and in areas below the shallow water floors.
What are the drawbacks?
The Pulse Induction metal detector isn’t perfect however and has a few problems that other metal detectors like the VLF metal detectors do not have.
Among the drawbacks for use of Pulse Induction metal detectors is their inability to tell apart different ferrous metals. It is unable to tell apart gold from silver or any other metal and instead has a one-size-fits-all approach to identifying metals where it only lets you know if ANY metal is present or absent.
This means that whenever there is metal detected, you will have to manually dig to find out what metals have been found and this could be more of a bother than most people are willing to endure especially when searching in areas that are littered with metal.
To combat this, you may decide to use a VLF metal detector after confirming the presence of metal in the area assuming the depth of the find is not beyond the VLF’s capacity.
The PI metal detectors are also susceptible to interference from the earth’s own magnetic field which could cause false-positive readings, and cause a massive waste of time for prospectors.
For non-professional usage or those without deep pockets, owning/renting a PI metal detector might be beyond their reach as they can be quite expensive compared to VLF metal detectors.
Overall, the Pulse Induction metal detectors are generally more suited to being used as a gold detector for hire, especially around Australia.
Contact us today at Lucky Strike Gold to get these, and any other metal detectors for sale. You can also reach out if you have any questions, or require any information on prospecting for gold!