Is gold detecting different form other metals? Yes and no, or partly both. The article discusses the details. Go on and read

Detecting the Noble metal – Gold

The hobbyist is never more elated than when finds gold while searching with his/her metal detector. Even a small amount of metal is more precious for the person than the any amount of silver or any other find that the person might have got with the metal detector

The USP about Gold Detection

The manufacturers of metal detectors make bold claim about their models being more adept at detection of gold than that of competitors. Such claims are worth being looked in greater details. The metal detectors work on the principle of sending the radio waves and receiving them back in the unit. The strength of the received signal becomes the indication that some metal piece is exists at a certain depth. Whether this piece is really gold or other metal can be only found by actual digging to that depth.

Claims of Manufacturers for gold Prospecting

The frequency of the signal plays a part in the detection depth. The lower the frequency, the higher is the depth that the detector can seek. However, the clarity of the received signal becomes sharp only with increased frequency. The higher the frequency, penetration suffers. Some of the manufacturers claim to give you three or four separate signal at differing frequencies. The higher frequencies would naturally give you clearer indication of gold near the surface and this gives the impression that the metal detectors with three or four differing frequencies are more successful with gold prospering.

The Gold Rush – Through Metal Detection

You are entering an area that might be hotly contested. During the eighteenth century when the gold rush was on, there were many theories operating for precise location of gold and many of these theories were not based on scientific principles. Even now metal detecting is in part a science and in part an art. The return signal from the metal detector is not digital and hence the interpretation of the signal is the art part of detecting.

The Ground Interference in Gold Detecting

The ground interference plays an interesting part in getting the clear signal from the detector. Iron forms a large part of the earth’s crust and hence the suppression of ground interference is more successful in detecting gold as clearer signals emanate from the metal detector. Thus some of the improvements give the impression that a particular model is more effective in detecting gold. If you think properly, it is the change in frequency and the suppression of ground interference that plays the major trick in detecting gold.

The claims about Gold Prospecting

Thus when the manufacturers claim that their particular model is more effective in getting you more gold, these claims have to be taken with a pinch of salt. The possibility of these models being more effective may the result of the operator of the unit as well as the suppression of ground interference and increased frequency giving you the better results near the surface of earth.

Future of Gold Prospecting
The technology is developing fast and soon we may find that we will be able to analyze the return signal and depending on the signal processed we will be able to say for certain about the detected metal. Then the controversy about one detector being better than the other will be put to rest.