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Ferrite Ring 8 Years Later


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Hey Jasong,

   I think you purchased it from us.  Ya, Doc and I had a long discussion via email about this very subject.  I sell a bunch of both of them, but if someone is concerned, then probably should purchase the original Minelab version.  I have used both over the years, never seen a huge difference on the ground I hunt, but I'm sure it could play an important role in properly ground balancing the GPZ on much more mineralized ground (high iron/feromag minerals).

** Something Important to Customers - The ferrite rings are super fragile, many have just tossed them down on the ground and shattered them.  It's best if you place them gently on the ground, "don't toss" them or there is a high change of it breaking into pieces.  Some have covered them in various material to protect them, even electrical tape. 

Rob

 

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I bought one from either you or Doc (it was off ebay, can't remember who sold it now) and it absolutely was not a real ferrite ring or equivalent to the Minelab one. Just an FYI. It was highly magnetic, same as pure iron, and contained a high amount of actual iron. It was quite a lot more dense than the ML ferrite too.

Also, I sanded the paint off the bottom of the ML and that ferrite ring, and that one I bought was silvery/metallic (not ferrite) and the ML ferrite was powdery black (as a ferrite should be).

No big deal, I never saw any difference with the real ML ferrite ring. But whatever that one I bought was, absolutely was not equivalent to the ML ferrite and nothing I could do could balance it out due to the high amount of pure iron content in it. 

Pure iron is not ferrite. Ferromagnetic vs ferrimagnetic.

 

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It is highly recommend you use the ferrite ring to calibrate your GPZ7000 for X signals. X is seen by the detector if the calibration is incorrect. X calibration is determined by the temperature of the electronics, so as an example if you perform an X balance at the start of your session at a winter morning ambient temperature the control box will slowly warm up until the electronics reach operating temperature, as such the calibration once warm will be different to that attained at the start of the session.

X calibration can also be affected by the use of Auto whereas Semi-Auto is a FIXED state for the Ferrite balance, Quick-Trak affects the ferrite calibration no matter which Ground Balance mode you are in, Auto, Semi-Auto or Manual. It is not recommend you used Quick-Trak without the Ferrite present.

In low X areas (even quiet soils can have high X) the Auto mode will generally do a good job of keeping the X calibration accurate but this can change if there is a LOT of conductive signal as the algorithm CAN’T always tell the difference between Salt/conductive signals and Saturation signals (Saturation is not such a problem in the US).

I recommend you use Semi-Auto mode and perform/check the X calibration for the given temperature at the start of a detecting session and again about an hour later once it’s warmed up. If there is a signal on the ferrite then your machine will make noise on any X the coil gets exposed to, the signal from X gets mixed in with general ground noise but will elevate overall detector ground signal behaviour potentially masking deep gold.

Not all Ferrites are created equal so I’ve attached the recommendation section off the ML website on what specification off ferrite should be used. An incorrect ferrite with the wrong values can cause havoc.

If you don’t feel the need for a Ferrite then I highly recommend you use Auto mode.

It only takes seconds to wave over a ferrite at the start of a session in Semi-Auto mode, if there is a bit of signal off the ferrite then hold QT in till the signal goes away and your good to go. If your machine is making a signal on the Ferrite then it will make signals on any X in the ground which then blends in with ground noise, even VERY experienced GPZ users struggle to determine X signals from ground signals. 

https://www.minelab.com/__files/f/254884/KBA_26-1 GPZ 7000 Tips for Better Ground Balance.pdf

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Thank you JP, the definitive answer from the guy most closely associated with the facts. I found the para cord wrap all the way around incasing the ring made it impervious to breaking from carelessly throwing it down (my first unwrapped suffered my abuse) but no amount of wrap was sufficient for my senior moments… you still need to pick it up.

microphone drop…

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I have one of my Field Staff who uses it extensively JP and you probably know who I'm talking about.  If anyone is an authority on the GPZ-7000, you have certainly earned that badge and we appreciate your free education and guidance on the matter.  Well done my friend.

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JP does that me if you don't have the ferric ring available switching from Semi-Auto to Auto for a few minutes and back to Semi-Auto when out of whack (or every now an then) should do just as good of job as using the ferric ring? 

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Can't swear it ever made a difference in my use in the U.S., yet I always used it as part of my tune up routine. Maybe it helped and I simply don't know it. Long story short, it can't hurt, might help, why not? You want to own the most expensive nugget hunter ever sold, best performance possible.... but that one little thing is just too much?

You want one Art, I have an official Minelab Ferrite Ring, appropriate blessings applied, that I will mail you for free. Just PM me your address.

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10 hours ago, geof_junk said:

JP does that me if you don't have the ferric ring available switching from Semi-Auto to Auto for a few minutes and back to Semi-Auto when out of whack (or every now an then) should do just as good of job as using the ferric ring? 

If you have no Ferrite then do the octopus dance in Auto with the QT button held in then go to Semi-Auto to lock the calibration on whatever the detector has come up with.

In low X ground it’s obviously not a big deal but sometimes that is a hard thing to do. In some cases a very poor X calibration can sound like rapid fire EMI as the coil is moved, it introduces noise to the audio that does not need to be there, I personally prefer no noise of any kind from any source that can be removed through a simple action. 

 

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5 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Can't swear it ever made a difference in my use in the U.S., yet I always used it as part of my tune up routine. Maybe it helped and I simply don't know it. Long story short, it can't hurt, might help, why not? You want to own the most expensive nugget hunter ever sold, best performance possible.... but that one little thing is just too much?

You want one Art, I have an official Minelab Ferrite Ring, appropriate blessings applied, that I will mail you for free. Just PM me your address.

Steve, thank you appreciate the offer, I’m no longer a 7000 owner this thread was more for the buyer of my 7000, I sent him one of docs and he on his own bought one I’m not sure what one he ordered? But thank you

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8 hours ago, BrokeInBendigo said:

I can "balance" the ferrite out in Difficult using the QT button but cannot balance it out in Normal. I've done the octopus (as described by @Jonathan Porter ) manoeuvre for 1 to 2 minutes over the ferrite, still hear it. Especially if the ground is hot. Am I doing it wrong?

What coil do you have on your machine?

In some ground where there is a bit of saturation signal the round ferrite will channel that signal up itself magnifying it, this can sound like the Ferrite isn’t being balanced out but in fact it’s saturation signal, you cannot ground balance out saturation.

Best bet is to place the ferrite on top of a big rock (4 inches or so high) or put your ferrite on a stick and hold the coil away from the ground waving the ferrite under the coil over the windings till the noise goes (with QT depressed of course), then bring the coil to the ground and slowly pump the coil till the Semi-Auto GB balances out the ground signal. (The GB for the ground will be out because when the coil is held in air you are balancing to nothing as you calibrate to the ferrite).

If there is only a small signal off the ferrite don’t worry about it, the key is to not have a LOUD target like signal on the Ferrite. General ground noise will cover any mild signals especially when using Normal.

The Most sensitive mode on the 7000 to the ferrite is High Yield Normal.

 

 

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