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Minelab GPZ 19 First Gold Plus Gold Monster Tidbits


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When you are like me and used to running machines hot and on the ragged edge it takes some getting used to going totally automatic. It goes back to me trying to identify what it is exactly that a detector does best and then use it for that.

Personally if I were trying to beat tidbits weighing less than a grain out of a small area I would probably use my Gold Bug 2 with 6" coil. It's a great little scrubber for finding the tiniest bits. But for general scouting the GB2 does not penetrate the ground very well and the manual tuning must be kept on top of also. The nice thing about running the GM1000 in auto sensitivity is you can just blast around and know if the ground gets better or worse the machine will adjust accordingly. When I am scouting I am not crawling along listening for whispers, I am as much just eyeballing the ground and seeing what I can see. This is where the boosted audio on top of silent operation works well. Just go for a spin and enjoy the quiet and views, but get over a target and "bang"!

For my ground a 14" elliptical would be sweet as again it is more about just quickly covering area more than anything. Great little recon unit for when I don't feel like getting all harnessed up with the GPZ.

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Well done Steve on some nice gold.  I`ve been waiting to see how you did with the 19" and I was very interested in the settings you use.   I`m still having no success what so ever with the 19 and no way will I be able to run your insanely hot settings but I`m going to have to ramp it up a bit.  cheers Dave

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Steve, in your honest opinion, how does the Gold Bug 2 compare to the Monster? 

Were these pickers all sub-surface etc?

 

 

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Compares how Mark? I just talked about how the Gold Bug 2 and GM1000 compare in my last post and have gone over the subject in several other posts also. The Gold Bug 2 in general has the edge for the tiniest gold and in general is better suited for mild ground. The GM1000 has a slight edge (compared to the GB2) on larger gold in more varied ground conditions. What is it you are trying to find out specifically?

Yes, you do have to dig the gold nuggets you find when prospecting with a metal detector. Occasionally you will come across a "sun baker" sitting on the surface but that has only happened to me a handful of times over the years.

The larger the nugget the deeper you can detect them. Unfortunately most gold nuggets are small (smaller than coins) and so generally can't be found too deep. I have dug many tens of thousands of gold nuggets and most were only a few inches deep. 90% were less than a foot deep. Only coin size and larger nuggets are going no to be found more than a foot deep, and only multi-ounce nuggets can be found at depths exceeding two feet.

A few of the larger nuggets pictured had me digging holes about a foot deep with the GPZ 7000. Machines like the GM1000 and Gold Bug 2 excel at chasing tinier bits and that being the case many nuggets found using machines like them are quite small and quite shallow.nuggets-found-with-gold-monster-1000-nevada.jpgEleven small nuggets found by Steve with GM1000 - Click for larger version. 14.9 grains total, largest 4.4 grains Smallest at bottom 0.6 grain and 0.3 grain

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Steve, your forbearance and patience is amazing...I am curious do you have any opinions that are not Honest?

In my opinion, you do not!

(feel free to delete this if it is beyond your acceptable limits...but, I know you will activate the mighty delete button as you will.)

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Steve I apologize for missing the other post.  I allot a set amount of time each day to read every post and must have overlooked them.

 

 

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No worries Mark. Like I said, do you have some question in particular?

Most people are looking for a "best" detector declaration. I on the other hand look at detectors like a socket set. I am the handle part that always is involved doing the real work. The detectors are just the sockets I swap out to get specific tasks accomplished. Some sockets get a lot of use, some very little. But I would not throw the one that gets very little use out because when I do need it, it is the only socket that will do the job. For somebody else with different tasks it might be their most used socket.

So basically you just asked me for my opinion on a 5/8" versus 11/16" socket.

They both do the same job in slightly different ways, and one excels where the other is weak. Which one works best depends on the job on hand and will change when the job changes.

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Steve ..i have seen so many people test this machine all over the world and i havent heard of them being in that ground where a typical vlf wouldnt just work. 

Is there is something special about GM that no other detector GB2 or GMT or any other vlf has in abilty to work in hot ground and dealing with hot rock.  

Just curious.  . 

I would be recieving mines next weekend. ! Im excited already by all the great reviews. Thanks Steve and everyone else ..

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I guess my biggest concern would be if the Monster will hurt the Fisher Gold Bug 2 sales and by what I'm reading, it will.

African sales for sure.

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