Training
We at Team Nugget Busters we will share our combined 60+ years of metal detecting experience, knowledge, and skills with you.
It’s best for most people to contact Gerry when choosing one of the many prescheduled training sessions we offer throughout the year. Most training on gold detectors or multi-purpose detectors is 3 days unless otherwise noted in the Calendar of Events. All sessions are for preregistered customers, so please sign up as soon as you see a session that fits your schedule. Each session has limited space, so those that wait until the last week may not be able to attend. Class size is based on availability of our expert field instructors. We usually train with three people to one instructor. With class sized from 10-15 people we will have additional instructors on hand. We prefer not to train more than a dozen people at a time unless it is a club or private group.
What does the training consist of?
- Proper assembly and metal detector set up. You would be surprised how many times we see issues with this.
- Tools of the trade. What accessories you need and don’t need. Many people show up with too much stuff. We will have accessories for sale. (Cash sales only, as credit card machines do not work in the desert)
- Research materials consisting of maps, books and Internet locations.
- Coils and their different uses. There are at least 50+ coils out there. Which one will work for you and why?
- Difference from VLF and Minelab PI detectors. Pros/Cons of each.
- Knobs, switches, settings.
- Initial start up procedures.
- Detector mechanics (how to do it right).
- Target identification.
- What targets to ignore and go after.
- What does deep gold or small gold sound like (most folks have no clue)?
- How to get more performance out of your detector than what the manual tells you.
- Settings for different situations. Target recovery.
- Cleaning of your gold.
- How to sell your gold.
What we provide:
- The location of the training.
- Directions with maps, GPS coordinates, and other important details.
- Instruction, knowledge, and education on how to use your metal detector.
- We promise that if you stay for the three days, you will be able to work and understand your detector.
- Team Nugget Busters offers the exclusive opportunity for you to learn about your detector, beyond the basics, while in the same gold fields and areas we hunt and find gold.
What we don’t provide:
- Detectors – you will need to purchase the units in advance.
- Transportation. If you want the training in Nevada, you need to get there and back on your own.
- Lodging.
- Nevada: You provide your own and are welcome to camp in a truck, tent, trailer, motor home, or stay at the local motel (less than 20 miles away).
- Oregon: Forest Service provides a variety of camping opportunities with free dry camps and a few PAY RV camps, both within 10 miles of Sumpter. There are a couple hotels in town and many in Baker City (35 miles away).
- Food, drinks, and snacks. You are required to pack out all your trash when in the field.
- Gold. We have never had a three day training and not found gold. I am sure one of these days it will happen, but thus far we have been able to find gold every training. The people who will be training on the Minelab PI machines may not go home with gold, as Minelab PI’s are better at finding larger nuggets. The people with VLF detectors will have a better chance of going home with a small nugget. The sites we train at have been hunted many times and the gravy is gone. Don’t show up expecting to find all kinds of gold. This is NOT a gold hunting trip this is a professional training course.
- Clothing. The weather can change really fast when outdoors, so do some research and be prepared for anything. Sunscreen and Chap stick seem to be what most people forget.