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Treasure Hunting On The Beach With GPZ 7000


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7 hours ago, fredmason said:

For those that don't know the one and 2 dollar coins have aboriginal and animal images stamped into them

Here is a picture of a recent find in the gold fields and the Australian $1 and $2 coins with pictures stamped on them

FYI the $2 coin is only 3/4 of an inch in diameter, heavy and is easily lost

cheers ozgoldIMG_2342.JPG

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14 hours ago, fredmason said:

THere is no discrimination setting on the GPZ. There is a variable setting on the 5000 down to the 2200 pi's.

There are those using the gpz that make a calculated/educated guess about an undug target based on tone or hi/lo vrs lo/hi...

I always try to guess what a target is before I dig it...that iron/nail/bullet/trash target has become gold just often enough to convince me to dig it all.

fred

Fred,

There is something else I found out when I used my 7000 on the beach when I first got it.

SIZE

It sees lots of small stuff as we all well know now.  You get signals on that and pieces of pennies, pins, nails that take up much of your time in wet and dry sand.  I think there is some possibility that you could learn to ignore some of the trash but not all.

I can't dig all of my 3030 targets now because the holes get so deep.  I would give up after about 5 deep, wet sand holes with a 7000!

Mitchel

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Weatherproof.. What, exactly, does this word mean..?

Personally, based upon first-hand experience, I will never again go beach hunting with a metal detector other than one that's fully waterproof, fully submersible and designed at least in part software-wise and fully design-wise for salt water / salt water beach usage..

While salt air, salt water and left behind residues from evaporated salt water are rough enough by themselves on exposed (and sometimes not-so-exposed) detector pieces-parts, it's beach sand that's the true enabler, especially when it comes to internal detector damages..

There's a huge difference between desert sand vs beach sand.. For the most part desert sand is rounded and smooth.. Blow and it'll roll away.. Beach sand tends to be very jagged.. When those granules lodge somewhere good luck getting them out.. Three years on and I'm not even close, all from one minor "oopsie" in high-and-dry dry sand..

If you want to take your US$10,000 detector down to the beach just to see how it works there, that's entirely up to you.. All I can say is I'd need a really good reason to take a deep-seeking non-beach-ready detector to the shore, and I actually have a really good reason, yet still wouldn't do so.. They don't call it the Treasure Coast for nothin', ya know..?

Swamp

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To each his own. People have been using regular dry land use detectors on beaches for decades. The Minelab PI series GPX and earlier models get quite a bit of beach use these days and they are the farthest thing from being waterproof as you can get. The GPZ is at least based on the CTX 3030 sealed housing system and in fact could probably survive an accidental dunk in the water with no harm.

I never wade with anything less than a fully submersible machine, but high and dry on the beach I have used dozens of dry land models with no fear or consequences. But I think your cautious note is well worth consideration because the GPZ is indeed a very expensive piece of gear, though only a mere 8K now with the price reduction!

Since this thread started I have got in about 4 hours on a Tahoe beach with the GPZ. Lake Tahoe beaches are heavily laden with magnetic black sand and hot rocks, and so VLF detectors get maybe 50% of normal depths. I was overwhelmed with the number of high tone targets on what a VLF hunter would think was a pretty clean beach, and since this was a learning exercise I stuck mostly to digging low tone targets. This in turn meant mostly coins though I did get a couple large bolts. Nothing of consequence found except a 1952 wheatback penny down deep.

I got chased off by crowds but will be going back with the GPZ for sure and hit the beach earlier next time. Work in progress but I will report in more detail once I log quite a few more hours.

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The 3030 goes deep enough for me. I'll be keeping my GPZ away from the beaches because I can just see myself hearing a faint signal and digging a 3 foot deep hold in the middle of a crowded beach lol. I hear the Whites TDI pro is a good beach machine. I've been researching a little and thinking about getting one for this purpose. This guy seems to have good luck using his... https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCFEi9jtUjy3bMf8L-gW_5Q/videos  I hear what you are saying about the black sand at Tahoe. The 2300 would be a good little machine in that environment.

 

strick

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On 6/10/2016 at 2:13 PM, Steve Herschbach said:

...But I think your cautious note is well worth consideration...

You're correct.. It is a cautionary tale.. But more as well, considering thread title..

Freshly scrubbed beach: Unless the immediate area is the site of a known treasure ship wreck (or old on-shore gathering point for caching / divvying riches / spoils), any 'treasures' will be modern day (and if not a past or present gathering point for sun bathers, probably not even that..)

Without the lure of possible historical treasure being present, there really is no reason, to me at least, for the presence of expensive not-totally-waterproof not-balanced for salt deep-seeking detectors.. Even if that treasure ship / gathering point possibility exists, the need for deep-seeking equipment only marginally improves recovery odds under described conditions, since, unlike inland gold, where nuggets at even moderate depth are stationary for all intent and purpose, the bulk of post-erosive shore finds will be discovered at the toe or in the face of sand 'cliffs', in one of the three gathering zones parallel to the shore line and shallow in run-out cuts..

There is no doubt I have nowhere near the shore time invested in multiple worldwide locations as you do, Steve; I can speak only from what I've observed along FL's Atlantic coast.. However, based on these observations I find absolutely no valid reasons for bringing a 7K as currently mfg'd to a salt water coast.. It simply isn't necessary.. All I can forsee is detector problems up the road.. All risk; no reward..

Swamp

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Geez, Al; it ain't your toy...

there is one "valid" reason to take my GPZ to the beach----because I want to.

Another good reason is to practice finding targets in a salt/iron matrix. I live 15 miles from the beach so that is a lot easier than driving to northern Nevada or W.A. Australia.

I have not gone yet because I am waiting for an off shore wind and no marine layer. I do not intend to injure the health of my gpz. 

I do not lay my detector in the dry sand nor the wet. 

The detector will never get in the water.

So, for those reasons I am in...

I expect my patience will be sorely tried by the tiny iron trash so I wont be there long...

fred

 

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You're right, Fred -- it isn't my toy..

And in my initial post I said taking your Zed to the beach if you want to is a valid reason..

So let's take a look at the original post in this thread for a moment if y'all don't mind:

Ozgold asked for opinion about bringing his 7K to the shore under a specific condition.. All I've done is given my opinion based on that set of circumstances..

On the way his query is structured, it is virtually impossible to achieve any degree of success without bringing Mo Hammond B3 to the mountain ( read: bringing your detector into "the wet.." ) I've merely pointed out a possible reality of doing so..

Ozgold's entire purpose for bringing a detector to those locations it for detecting where sand no longer is, sand that has been removed by salt water action.. He isn't going to be detecting in sand recently untouched by the ocean..

If you want to get on my case about something, Fred, at least try to keep it relevant to the conversation supposedly taking place..

It remains my opinion that taking a GPZ 7000 to the beach in order to detect near and/or possibly in the salt water as well is not an especially smart move.. That is what this thread is about, correct..?

Swamp

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25 minutes ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Ok Al, we get your opinion. You have voiced it three times in a row now. Taking GPZ 7000 to salt water beach - bad. All risk, no reward. Not an especially smart move.

Got it.

Good..

I'd much rather be talking about the deceiding factor for my purchasing an Infinium LS for beach use was based on a comparison article you wrote about ten years ago anyhow.. Two feet + no problem..!

Swamp

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