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I have the detectormods high-capacity rig on my 5000, and just use a Bluetooth LL transmitter, and the Avantree Torus, or my JBL Wind speaker on the detectors shaft. I've been happy enough with it, charges with USB C. I just kept my original larger Minelab battery pouch DD leather case and put my battery in that, pretty roomy for the little battery but doesn't matter to me, I store some snacks in there 😛

Goldstalker - Bundle wound / Elite - Spiral wound. I'd go the Elite. You seem to be very interested in a lot of coils, don't go overboard as many will sit in your cupboard never used as you gravitate to your favourites 🙂

If you have success, you could start selling them! I really like people doing stuff themselves, the learning, the benefits of doing so and the feeling of the success when you get the job done. Well done so far. The original ones come in two types, the white ones that I have no idea what plastic they are, and heavy duty ones that are more transparent which are polycarbonate. I have fixed an original white one that was bent in shipping with its boxed crushed by using a hair dryer.

I am going to enter the 100 gold bucket challenge. It is going on in the US, Australia, UK and many other places. Pretty simple.......just save and weigh the gold from 100 buckets and see what you got! Anyone else care to join? Tonite I ran 4 buckets of gravel screened down to 7/16" using my Garrett classifier. I haven't cleaned up the gold yet. Just ran out of time. Here's how the day went.......

Went through a period of time where we thought auto + was the go but now max manual sensitivity seems to give very good results. The Avantree Taurus works quite well and is far better than the inbuilt speaker. My detecting mate raised an interesting point about a two weeks ago. He said that he was concerned about wearing the Avantree in thick scrub as it may get pulled off his neck and he wouldn’t notice. I dismissed his comment at the time with just a grin but you wouldn’t read about it, it happened to me when I was pushing through some bush last week. The threshold on the detector was working nicely and then started to fade. Didn’t feel a thing. Stopped and turned around and saw the unit lying on the ground behind me. If the detector was turned off, I would have lost it. Something to think about……

I learnt something with the Avantree Torus the other day, I've had difficulties with mine since the start, mainly with crackling audio but sometimes it just seemed unstable with the audio, I used to do things like turn the detector off and on to reset the Bluetooth, or turn my transmitter off and on to try fix it, never did do much in the way of solving it. The other day my Torus was having a sound like a horse galloping though it when using the Avantree transmitter on my GPZ, and the Torus. I thought it was my GPZ but when I went to using the WM12 it had no galloping sound, so I tried unplugging the transmitter, turning it off and on and the sound was still there, turned the Torus off and on and bang, fixed. Later in the day when it started playing up again with a bit of constant crackle I did the same, just a quick off and on of the Torus and it cleared it up again. I wonder if it scans frequencies when power cycled to find a clean one, or something like that.

Thanks Chuck. I’ve got nothing to lose except a bit of time and a few dollars. It’s raining here and I can’t be out prospecting so I may as well do something even if it means at the end of the day it was a waste of time. At least I’ll learn something.

The good old search function has brought me to this thread, which has been interesting. I've been lucky enough to recently receive a modded 5000 (modded by Mick at Detectronics) and a really good range of coils. Likely to sell the 6000 in the near future. Looking to set up a battery system that is attached to the detector and get rid of that bloody curly cord and being tethered. So, I have looked at multiple options and feel there are pros and cons to most of them. Wondering if anybody has any other suggestions? I have a Coiltek camcorder type system for the GP or SD machines (running it on the GP3500). It works well and has 3 batteries. But, I don't find it the most compact system and although the batteries and regulator are quite robust I am always worried about the battery charger - it just seems a little fragile although working well. (Adit - actually, I have been putting together the 3500 this morning and for the first time I tried a speaker and the battery system is obviously not boosting it! Works with wired headphones or LL BT sender/receiver - strange). The Detectormods system - https://detectormods.com/shop/63/lightweight-battery-kit Looks OK. Like the idea of the higher capacity battery that has the USB-C charging port - much better than the actual charger it comes with I think. Can also just buy the batteries separately - 2 X high capacity would be $410. I think the more flexible cable running from the battery to the power plug on the detector is also good. However, although the audio plug is simple and effective it also means either using wired headphones (tethered again) or using a BT sender/receiver which are 2 more things to keep track of and charge. Approx 13 hours runtime for the high capacity. 450 gm is still a bit weighty. The Detectronics system - Busy B - https://www.detectronicsaustralia.com/product-page/busy-b-dbv-wireless-battery-system Currently out of stock - I think everything is noted as out of stock because Mick is having a few months off for the birth of a baby. A more complex and professional looking system. Provides an audio sender/receiver built in. Not keen on the big loop power cord hanging out the back of the detector - see pic. Might be able to request a smaller cord and maybe even a R) angle plug. A bit pricey (although I think the quality looks excellent) and the battery at 500 gm is fairly heavy. 8-10 hours runtime. The little home made system from this thread - https://www.detectorprospector.com/topic/1621-diy-wireless-gpx-5000/#comment-63351 I actually like this one the most. It seems super simple, very much like the Detector mods version. I would attach it to something like this and have several of them and simply change out every 4-5 hours. Would require a BT sender/receiver or something like the Quest Wirefree Mate from PhaseTech. Would also require someone who knows what they are doing to build the adaptor. And 3 batteries is up around the $270 mark, then the sender/receiver and the adaptor - so not really a saving on the professional jobs but I think lighter and smaller. Doesn't provide weight but would likely easily slip into the side zipper pocket on the 5000 control box cover and I do already have a Soundpeats and an Avantree LL BT sender/receiver. The Little Ripper - I have seen a few references to this but can't seem to see it for sale and think it may have been discontinued. Had some good reviews. Was built by Ismael from WA. Docs Gold Screamer Pack - https://docsdetecting.com/product/power-pack-regulator-amplifier-battery-system-14-oz/ Still about 440 gm, is $469 US and then would have to pay for shipping. Just not viable for me in Australia. Any other good, light, compact, value for money options that anyone knows of? Will probably wait for Mick to return and end up getting the Busy B unless something else pops up.

GC, Auto+ does get a wee rattly but I believe it is the go ie. let the 6K have its head. Working the CT 14x9 patch hunting at present find its a good compromise re. weight/sensitivity/ground coverage. The "dusty" ML 17, am considering an op on it to turn into a Spiral wound for both the Agro and 6K. Same here the 14DD is just gathering dust too. After our flooding wet grass is up around the ears thus mainly linear detecting but next year the drought will likely return in the downunder land of crazy extremes.

Hahah you gave my a good laugh. Love it Thank you so much! I have another video lined up on this hunt www.detectorprospector.com/topic/26188-found-the-spot I think I'll finish and upload it next week 🙂 It's mostly done.

Thank you! I'm pretty happy with that 🙂

They are selling a few of them.

I was drawn in by the VLF/PI combo topic. However, I’m also hopeful about AI. I agree that we are still at a point where AI learning on the machine is not viable. However, I can’t wait to see machine learning seriously applied to metal detector signal processing. As an example, not long ago, a radar detector start up company began applying machine learning to analyzing radar signals. The computers discovered previously unseen patterns in various transmitted signals that allowed them to begin identifying and naming the devices transmitting the signals. They shelved their consumer product ambitions and the rumors point to their discoveries leading to a government defense contract. Of course it’s not the same technology here. But, the method gives an example of what some powerful machine learning might add to metal detector signal analysis. Until then, bring on the combo PI/VLF!

It seems none are willing to have a repeat of when 1.10 beta was out and worked great I hear. But when 1.11 was released something seemed neutered. Really wish the Legend was owned by me when that 1.10 beta was available. Still can't complain with how well it's running right now at 1.13 You hear all the time how different detectors see the same hunted places differently. I never was a real believer in that until I've seen it for myself after using the Legend on the same old places the Teknetics T2, Equinox 600 and 800, and the XP ORX were used on. It's really hard to understand all that, and how those things were missed because they were on down in the ground. The Legend didn't miss them though. Most of the time I'm running LG24 coil. The LG30 has more depth and raw power but that smaller coil really helps separation not to mention weighing less.

Any difference between these two coils?

Two Australians and an American were on a surfing trip in Baja, their bodies and burnt truck have just been found. So sad and pointless.

I always say nothing ventured nothing gained. Best of luck on the outcome. Chuck

I can't speak of the Nokta Double score. I take it that one is like a Nokta Legend but without some of the extra settings. The Equinox 600 is pretty much an Equinox 800 without the extra settings of that one. What I can tell you is I own the Minelab Equinox 800, Minelab X Terra Pro, and the Nokta Legend. The Legend can do all that Equinox 800 can. The XTerra Pro is not on the same level with either of my other two. It's got a lot of power but no way to tame it, to tune it. It's single frequency. I've had an Equinox 600. It worked ok for me but I wanted more settings to tune the tone breaks, the pitch of the tones, and the volume. I also wanted the ability to go single frequency and have the 40khz as an option so I sold my 600 and got the 800. We also can't over look the VERY numerous documented cases of the Equinox 600 and Equinox 800 leaking water. The Nokta detectors so far are not having that problem. For ease of use I'd say the Equinox 600. However the Nokta Double Score seems comparable to that and the build quality is much better than the Equinox 600. Either one of these are going to be above the XTerra Pro in terms of performance. If I had to choose today between the Equinox 600 and Nokta Double Score, I would go with the Nokta. Just my opinion.

Hi Folks, Just did a bit of research into the cost of a skid plate for a newly purchased coil. As it was only 8” in diameter, I assumed that the plates would be quite cheap because when you think about it, they are only glorified ice cream container lids. When I found that another kidney would need to be sold to fund the purchase, I decided that there must be a better way. Now this may end up as a total failure but I’m sure that many of you have tried and had some success. I reckon the wizards out there with 3D printers could come up with something or people who work in industry and have access to vacuum formers would be able to construct them with very little effort but in my case, I would like to use what I have in my own workshop and hope that something could be made to produce these throw away items. Logic tells me that a thermoplastic of some sort would be the obvious choice to use as it can be softened by heat and moulded in some way. If I could come up with a technique, the best choice of material would be determined later. After thinking about it for a while, I decided that a plug and ring mould might be a good option for making the skid plates. If I could accurately machine these components and then press some plastic into shape, there is a possibility that a reasonable plate could be made. I made a start this morning by making a plug. A piece of 16mm MDF was cut into a disc and machined to size on the wood lathe. it was turned down in diameter until it was a tight fit onto the skid plate that I already had. Some extra MDF was then cut and glued to make the ring mould. When the glue dries, the ring mould will be mounted on a face plate and machined so that the plug will sit inside with an allowance for skid plate wall thickness. I decided to make the depth of the recess a bit over 20mm. The deformation of the plastic as it’s pushed into shape will create problems so I decided to add the extra depth so that surplus could be cut off later. When I was teaching, the kids and I used to make moulds for acrylic using this technique and we found that the compression and expansion forces involved created all sorts of issues unless tolerances were right. I’ll get back to the turning tomorrow morning.

Good on you Doc for helping around the house, but I’m sorry about your better half not enjoying some of your outdoor hobbies. I won’t brag too much, except saying while I was driving a civic and had not much in terms of camping gear when we first met, it was my wife who came with the 4-wheel drive truck and all the camping and rock hounding gear. She’s a keeper and I’ll swing any cleaning tools around the house to keep her happy, even if it does hurt my back! And you’re a good man, Doc, for doing the same!

Studying mining history is sure interesting.

I also jumped on the sale. Manticore, M8 and PF40 incoming.

That's why we still have our mine. They never got the chance to finish the work.

Remember Doc. Low and slow. If you don’t mind, I would like to correct you on your technique. There is not enough overlap on each swing. How’s your sensitivity level?

Manual Sens 8-10, difficult, are my to go settings. I don't like what Auto is doing, it gets erratic at times (at least for me). I use the Avantree Torus most of the times in the forest/mountains (want to hear what might be creeping up on me-i.e. bears, mountain lions, angry forest inhabitants, etc..), but mostly headset in the desert. The audio fix did improve the threshold stability for me, even when using just BT. I never use the internal speaker. Nothing wrong with the stock coil but haven't used it ever since I got the NF 12x7. Haven't changed it ever since I put it on. I prefer it over the coiltek 9. DD I have only used a few times (is not doing much for me-rather use the Z instead with adjusted settings if the 6k would require DD), and 17 is also just collecting dust. GC