Jump to content

Minelab Detectors For The Next 12 Months


Recommended Posts

ML's parent company, Codan issued their fiscal year 2016 annual report today - in it they announced two metal detecting product introductions for their Fiscal year 2017 (1 July 2016 - 30 June 2017).

the larger coil for the GPZ (just FY 2017 - no date given)

an entry level gold detector for the african market "at the end of 2016". I strongly suspect that this will be a VLF machine since the price point needs to be competitive with the current African  market leader, Fisher's,Gold Bug.

nothing new on multi freq. or VLF detectors mentioned.

http://www.codan.com.au/Portals/0/investorpubs/21 FY16 Full ASX Announcement Final Complete.pdf

Minelab is the only metal detector company which is a publically traded stock (Codan) so they are legally required to publish accurate data.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites


OK, here's my take.

the Minelab "tax on gold" in the form of super premium pricing for PI detectors - is threatned.

They have cut prices across the board on the GPX/SDC series and even on the GPZ.

The GPZ is doing well in Africa. It is truly new and groundbreaking.

The GPZ platform is destined to get discrimination capability - IF THEY CAN MAKE IT WORK (and I bet they will).

The multi freq. platforms (FBS/BBS) have no where else to go in the next few years - 

The Go-Find is a flop

the x-Terra platform is a dead end.

is this a harsh criticism of Minelab -

no, it's My own snapshot of the industry at present.

Without something really new in the price/performance area - whether for gold nugget hunting or relics, or coinshooting - we are stuck with rearranging deckchairs on that famous White Star liner.  

Will this new thing arise? Who knows - Who will do it? - again?

i suspect however that we will see an attempt within the next 18 months - I certianly hope so.

 

 

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Public companies are not required to let loose secrets in advance. Otherwise I would just read Apple annual reports to find out what they are going to do next. Regardless Rick, I think you and I have differing opinions on what it all means and where it is heading.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's why it's a Forum.

In any case, we seem to be either:

A: stuck wuth variations on what we've got - or

B: on the verge of real change.

Discrimination for the GPZ would likely be a game changer in some goldfields, and the crew over a Geotek are pretty sure it is coming.

we will likely know know by New Years Day 2018 - if we're still around!

and to add, Codan has been pretty good about of telegraphing their future plans - look back at the last couple of years of reports.  They laid out completely, the "superdetector" - GPZ, the SDC and the Go Find - well in advance. - of course, their stock price was falling, so future plans were relevant.

on the othe hand, their stock price is pretty OK now, so maybe some surprises on the "upside" are in order?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wonder if the GPX technology is tapped out?  Because of the new technology in the 7000, could some of that knowledge be used to create a super timing for the GPX that would out perform the 7000?  The GPX already has a discriminator! 

Just a thought.

Brian.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not sure a discriminating unit with PI depth is the game changer it once was thought to be. It's been long enough and the "dig everything" mentality so deeply ingrained, that in many areas it probably won't make much difference now anyways. Yes, there are still some areas where this type of machine is exactly what is needed, but it's just down to specific spots now. Speaking just for myself, a discriminating ZVT/PI wouldn't entice me to go back to gold prospecting full time, at least not here in the US. I can think of other advances that would though.

Again, just my opinion, but the goalposts have been moved due to the increase in people digging and the ever decreasing amount of nuggets out there. With each nugget pulled there is one less lead to follow making actual prospecting more difficult every day and that is the real problem, not trash. Trash is almost never even a consideration for me anymore during exploration, I'm digging virtually every target when I find a patch anyways, and even the popular goldfields today rarely contain enough trash for it to be a bother for those who spend time in those places. The game changer now is less microscope and more telescope and the first company to realize that wins the detector end game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great to see Codans profit increasing and share price moving positive also to see the amazing success of the powerful  Z. Advances in its stability, sensitivity, GPS and depth are what`s important to me, I have no use for a discriminating gold machine in the country I prospect, but I can see ML perhaps have a market for this. As to the PIs being tapped out, perhaps the SDC can be developed further, discrimination and maybe its stability can carried over into a larger coil and its electronics put into say the CTXs case as the Z is, with a 14" coil option, priced at half of the Z it would be an ideal first gold detector. But a lightweight 10" coil as well as the coming 19" for the Z would be ideal for me.

Aie to have a crystal ball, who 30+ years ago could see a detector such as the GPZ 7000. The A2B then was the producer for me.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a 3030 and many times I dig everything with that.  I'm sure I would dig 'most everything' in an area where I was finding gold.  It would be too hard to trust the detector to be accurate on odd shaped, oddly composed nuggets and specimens.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Regardless of what is  coming around the corner....you still have to do the work and dig targets. There are plenty of areas to hunt, sure a perfect discriminator would be nice. I have endless placer grounds to hunt full of trash and where there is trash there is gold. VLF technology does not do it for me...love the sweet sound of a PI. Still using my 4500 with a 11' Commander coil.I wont upgrade until they have a perfect discriminating ZED. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, tis true if your on gold you dig all, even "iffy" signals (tree roots etc) be bloody crazy not to. In NQ OZ we have a lot of mining history with many old towns from the late 1800s, back in the A2B days chasing coins in such areas, you dug everything that "sounded good" now with the Deus I`ve reverted to doing the same, regardless of ID. Did the A2B leave coins? of course it did, but was that the machines fault or the operators? Don`t get me wrong I love the lightness, compactness and wireless of the Deus, but bugger all diff in depth & sensitivity over the A2B. Bring on the future, ML.............

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...