Makro Gold Racer 2 information and questions

Thanks heaps

Yes but if it's anything like the Gold Racer it has a very broad Sensitivity adjustment, so in favourable conditions you can crank it up to get more sens out of it, and in difficult conditions you can really dial it back.

Interestingly, in a recent test I did with the Fors Gold + (19 kHz) with 5" DD coil vs my old xt18000 in 60 kHz with 10x5" coil, the Gold+ was as good if not better depending on the target. So freq is just one piece of the pie that determines performance.

It also goes the other way around too. My old long gone gm v/sat at 50 khz beat the xt18000 on any frequency in dry sand. I think the combination of a very high gain circuit and concentric coil gave the v/sat the edge. But in hot ground, the 18000 was far superior. DD coil, tracking and lower freq (20 khz) made all the difference

High praise for the Racer 2's display & controls by Steve H

http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/1754-makro-racer-2-display-controls-best-ever/

Got out today with the new Racer 2...wow...its got some grunt in the new DEEP program.
Once setup with all the tone break and iron audio ect ect....i was off like a bag of prawns in the hot sun.

The deep program is my new do it all program after testing it out over many undug targets, this program has a better reach compared to Two Tone, and it IDs at depth over Two Tone. It does run a little more chattier, but locks on and gets the job done where Two Tone wont even register that a target is even under the coil.
Running side by side with a gent using a new Racer1....i was impressed with the difference the Racer2 has over the older model.
For my efforts over ground iv been working with all my machines over the last 12 months...the keepers i managed to find were...a 1967 half penny, a piece of jewelry and an old key.
This ground has been hit hard, not by just me, but the many i send out there and train in this area after the purchase of a new machine...makes a great place to look for left overs missed by other operators.

I didnt get a chance to run the Fors Relic over the spot...the day just wasn't long enough. :/

Pics to come latter.

Some recent finds using the RACER, Fors Gold+ and the new RACER 2 ...have not been able to get the new Fors Relic on the ground just yet.

These are just a few of the buttons found....im a little over collecting them now days, and bin most of them, or give them away.







RACER 2 finds from Saturdays hunt.

Missing are a few bits of gold found using the FG+ and Gold Racer.

Nice finds Narrawa, that Thrip is a beauty. Busted jaw harp as well??

Nice work Narrawa.
One thing I love about the Racer 2 is the perfect graduations in the Threshold adjustment for All-metal mode, and the fully adjustable Tone, so you can set it exactly where you want. Also, the addition of the iSat makes it a truly versatile little all-rounder.

Good video here of the Racer 2 pinging stuff, using different coils and different settings.

[video=480,360]https://youtu.be/r_0l2c_yHOc[/video]

For anyone that might be interested, the Racer 2 wireless headphones will be shipping out with my next order. They are also compatible with the Gold Racer.
Can't wait to try them out on both units.

Here's a bit of review I've found on them.

[video=480,360]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNZNbioKr8E[/video]

NOTE: They won't work on the original Racer as that uses a bluetooth system.

I've recently had a bit more time using the Racer 2 on the beach. In beach mode I can run the Sens nearly flat out most of the time, but usually have it sitting on 95-98. Up on the transitional sand (slightly damp) I get it working nicely in 2-tone Mode and Sens about 55 depending on the beach. Last trip out I scored some deep 1c pieces, modern coinage and a shilling unfortunately in poor shape. This is probably one of the best all-rounders on the market if you want something light and well balanced and very well priced.

Last trip we did to the beach, the Racer 2 ground balanced fine and ran very stable. Much easier to GB and setup for someone just starting out beach detecting than say with my Deus, especially when on the damp sand.

We ran the Racer 2 with the Mars MD Tiger 10x13 DD coil, which offered good depth ability and a bit more coverage over the stock coil.

The only other detector I own that will effectively ground balance to salt using ground grab is the Teknetics G2, although It doesn't punch as deep as the Makro due to the higher frequency, and goes nuts if actually immersed in salt water.

Have been looking into a racer 2 while my Garrett is away for warranty or a second detector for wet beach work
The Racer 2 seems to be the goods for price range but all is not answered with the information supplied from Makro
The questions I have are, 1 is it waterproof? can I hit the surf line with it so the control unit and cables need to be waterproof?
Whats the warranty like and does it get sent back to Istanbul for it?
and has any one had any issues with theirs? one review complained about the coils breaking down
Is it a capable machine for beaches even in junky areas?
Any info or suggestions are much appriciated
Thanks Laurence The borrowed fisher is driving me bonkers :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

1. Coil is waterproof, detector isn't. The speaker is on the bottom of the control box so you definitely don't want to drop that in the wet sand. I've used mine on wet sand but on a low tide, not near the waters edge.

2. If you purchase through me, then warranty is with me. I will fix or replace parts here - no need to send to Turkey.

3. The original red racer coils had reports of breaking the coil ears, but the Racer 2 uses a similar moulding to the Fors CoRe and Fors Gold coils - these are very solid, and I don't see them breaking any time soon.

4. For a VLF unit, it is very capable on the wet sand. On larger targets you won't get the same depth as you would with a multi-freq machine, but you've got lots of sensitivity to ping jewellery. Select Beach mode, do a ground balance and start swinging. If it's a bit chatty, just drop the Sensitivity. I've used it on a few different beaches here, and can run the Sens between 88-98. On dry sand, I use 2-tone mode and sens 50-65. Very good depth on dry sand!

My last racer 2 beach hunt:



The dented 10c coin and a couple of the shiny ones came from a park I did after the tide came in.

I've had no issues with my Racer 2 or coils so far, being a second generation detector it should have most bugs and QC issues sorted by now. As Nenad mentioned, it does run very well for a VLF on the beach, even better than my Deus with regards to achieving a good ground balance. Depth wise it is on par with the Deus, possibly even surpassing it using the deep setting or with larger coil options. As with most VLF's, depth performance will be dictated by the ground mineralisation in your local area.

As with any detector, it does take a while to learn what the Racer tones are telling you, especially on really junky locations - something I am still in the process of learning. It is a bit sparkier than the Deus and doesn't always require high levels of gain to achieve good depth, sometimes running the gain too high will highlight the iron a bit too much. With respect to recovery speed, it has already been proven to be competative with the Deus in 3 tone mode, with two tone VCO being good for relic sites when digging all non-ferrous targets. If I have any criticism, I would have preferred to see a multitone or at least 5 tone option for a greater spread on target tones. Guess I am just spoilt for choice on the Deus with regards to tone options, though keep in mind it is a much more expensive detector.

The S-shaped shaft took a little getting used to, it can be a bit nose heavy when using larger coils. The stock 7x11" and optional 5x10" coils are pretty light to swing, I have yet to use the 5" coil in anger, though I suspect the hockey puck will get a workout when my sites start becoming depleted of non or partly masked targets.

For the price point it offers a ton of features, the backlit screen is one of the best in the business, and it is an even more complete package with the addition of the new wireless headphones. I now run the wireless headphones all the time, as the protective cover for the rear battery compartment tends to muffle the external speaker audio.

Aside from the Nokta accessory coils, NEL and MARS MD produce a good range of aftermarket coils to cover all aspects of detecting. I also have the 13x10" Mars Tiger coil for greater coverage and some additional depth.

As with any detector, whether you will gel with the Racer 2 is something you will have to find out for yourself. Personally I really need a good chunk of time on it to become more proficient, something that doesn't happen overnight, or possibly even after several months of familiarisation.

This was the result from my last beach detect, 58 coins between the Racer and Deus, with the Racer set and ground balanced on beach mode. Some coins were near surface, whilst other were well beyond the 10" mark.

So as long as the head unit doesn't get wet, does it give falsing if the coil is submerged if I was to chase shallow water targets?
Is the head unit water resistant if I get stuck in the rain?
Thanks Nenad and GP, I think I'm leaning more towards one now

I haven't run mine in the salt water as yet, though from what I've seen it should run a lot more stable than most VLF's, dependant on how much black sand is present on your beaches. Unless bedrock, rocks or a clay bottom is found reasonably shallow under the water, you may find most targets will be out of reach if the sand is deep.

The control box is not water resistant, hence why I run with aftermarket covers on both the battery/speaker compartment and control box, plus also to prevent scratches/soiling.

If I was going to make it a habit of detecting in salt water or on wet sand, I'd probably sway towards a multi-frequency detector, or a waterproof PI, as VLF's do tend lose out on depth ability in salt water or on wet sand. Unfortunately you can't have everything in detector package to 100% suit all areas, though the Racer is certainly a good all-rounder considering the limitations of VLF technology.

Ideally a partnership of a fast VLF and a multi-frequency detector would cover all bases, so long as your budget can cope.

Arrrrh My head is spinning with foreign accents :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
The one guy on the beach submerges the coil but didn't look for a target while submerged but the detector was quiet
I'm not really looking for foot deep bobbypins so it looks like it will pick up shallow targets in the water
Hmmmmmmmm what a decision....

If the weather is fine tomorrow, I might be able to give mine a quick dip at the beach to see how it goes on a few coins, stay tuned.

Sweet thanks GP I had a chat with Nenad this evening but have to wait a few days for a special offer to start
Will be good to know

Here's little clip for you B5MECH, bit of a laugh really running away from the surf like a kid. :lol: As mentioned in the clip, even if you cannot achieve ground balance to salt using the trigger operated ground grab (which in most circumstances you can), just change over to all-metal to manually adjust down to salt, and it should carry over to disc mode.

I wasn't getting huge depth using the smaller 5x10" coil on the wet, though on the dry you could get a few more inches from it. It does run extremely quite, even on full sensitivity, probably more so than any of my other VLF detectors.

My Teknetics G2 also balances nicely to salt when detecting wet sand, the only difference being that it goes nuts as soon as you introduce water to the equation - the Racer 2 came across as being very stable/quiet in comparison.

[video=480,360]https://youtu.be/MUCKiIRBDpo[/video]