New Minelab Gold Monster 1000

[Steve Herschbach]

Frequency creates a kind of base level sensitivity to smaller targets, with higher frequencies being more sensitive to small stuff. However, the transmit power does matter as does the sensitivity of the receiving circuit - just compare a 1987 Gold Bug at 19 kHz to a modern 19 kHz Gold Bug to see the difference between low gain and high gain detectors. It is not all about frequency by a long shot. Coil design is extremely important. Perhaps most important of all is the method and efficiency of the ground balance system. There are a lot of ingredients that go into making a detector work well at high frequencies in mineralized ground, and so far only a handful of detectors have done it well. The absolute truth is Minelab will have done the best they can, but nobody can say for sure how the machine will prove out overall until thousands of users around the world put it to use. No small number of testers will ever equal the real world as the final judge of what stands the test of time, and what ends up going by the wayside.

Having said all that, it is still just a single frequency VLF detector. Minelab is not going to put a detector on the market at $799 that outperforms its higher priced units. Detector models slot in at specific price and performance positions in a manufacturer lineup. Minelab is sending a strong message of what to expect by saying the GM1000 is replacing the Eureka Gold. It is obviously priced to go head to head with the Gold Bugs, Racers, GMT, and Lobo type detectors. The bar Minelab has to clear is not in beating other Minelab detectors but having a compelling offering versus the direct competition.

This is a 3 lb. hot 45 kHz VLF with automatic ground tracking, iron disc, two coils, and rechargeable Li-Ion battery system for $799. Compare to a White's 48 kHz GMT at $729 + 6" round coil at $139 + NiMH battery & charger at $135 for $1003. The 56 kHz Makro Gold Racer Pro Pack is about the same package at $899. A Gold Bug Pro dual coil pack is $749 without rechargeable batteries. Considering this is a Minelab - extremely competitive pricing. I am sure everyone thought the GM1000 would be more expensive.

Consider this - the machine is designed to use a broomstick as a rod assembly. It could be sold in Africa with just the control box and 5" coil, no rod, just mounting hardware, and an empty AA pack for very little, and fit in a box that costs next to nothing to ship. They could easily undercut even a base $499 Gold Bug. Brilliant really. I expect they are going to sell a zillion of these around the world.

Click images for larger versions...

[TX Todd]

 "Minelab is not going to put a detector on the market at $799 that outperforms its higher priced units. "

Exactly!

They can put out a unit that detects gold in a different way.

After all this is just a single frequency VLF machine. The frequency of the detector isn't all that important if you can't defeat ground mineralization better than what's already out on the market. Pick a frequency 19, 30, 45, 71. That's been done. They all work on gold. 

Hopefully Minelab has done that with this Detector. 

I still think it needs a threshold 

 

 

 

[Steve Herschbach]

I used to swear automatic tracking was a bad idea. Then I got my hands on the SDC 2300. Whether the GM1000 has a threshold or not is not important if it gets the job done. I do prefer a threshold because that has what has worked for me in the past. No saying what the future brings however.

I would not mind a machine that was just dead quiet and went beep on gold if I was confident I was giving up nothing to have that happen. I am convinced that anything I can discern with my ear should be possible with the proper signal processing if you can afford to throw enough processing power at it. Threshold style detecting will probably go the way of the 8 track one of these days.

[Ridge Runner]

White's put out a low end of the GMT that didn't have a threshold called a GMZ. I didn't use it a lot but a friend did and he was happy how great the detector detect. I did swing it some and it was odd for me that it didn't have a threshold being all my others did. I had to check it ever so often to be sure it was working.

I sold it to a guy that was going into Mexico to hunt around some old mines that he has access to. The good thing he can talk and look like he's home. I myself you wouldn't find me down there being I like me lots.

Chuck

PS I was talking by text to Rob and he said he has 20 on the first order. So if you want to be one of the first to come on here for show & tell here is your time to shine. 

[Steve Herschbach]

The GMZ was a hot little unit put out by Whites that could use GMT coils. It was not a stripped down GMT, more like a super hot Classic 1. It was manual ground balance, no discrimination.

It actually worked real well. See the Owners Manual for a picture of some GMZ gold. However, it had no threshold and guess what, lots of old timers like me had a tough time with that. Old habits do die hard. The real reason the GMZ at 3.4 lbs never took off though was simple. Almost zero features for $499 discounted to $450 at the same time a basic Gold Bug could be had for $499 with discrimination, ground grab, LCD display, 2.5 lbs. If Whites had dropped the price $100 they would have moved more of these. Instead, dealers like me sold against them as a reason why you really wanted a GMT!

[Lunk]

Another way to say it is that instead of the conventinal narrow sensitivity range of a 45 kHz VLF machine, the GM1000's ultra-wide  dynamic range VLF technology expands its sensitivity range, thereby enabling it to be just as sensitive to larger, deeper nuggets as an 18 kHz detector and at the same time just as sensitive to the tiniest flakes of gold as a 71 kHz detector. That represents a real breakthrough in VLF technology. 

[Steve Herschbach]

Almost but not quite. 45 kHz is 45 kHz though they could certainly use all those other factors to get that extra range. Minelab's own chart shows an area where 18 kHz would still have the edge and an area where 71 kHz still has the edge - right where the respective arrows point. I am placing no bets on the tiniest of tiny against a manually tuned Gold Bug 2 quite yet! What they are trying to show is they think their design spans the range to get the bulk of what you would get using an 18 kHz and a 71 kHz detector one after the other, but with one machine.

Misdirection in a way. The real question is how it compares to a GMT at 48 kHz. Not being much of a hair splitter myself I am guessing close enough I will not care. If it even just matched a GMT in what is effectively a much less expensive and lighter weight package I think that would be great!

[Lunk]

1 hour ago, Steve Herschbach said:

I am convinced that anything I can discern with my ear should be possible with the proper signal processing if you can afford to throw enough processing power at it.

I'm thinking Minelab may have done just that; according to the brochure:

An 18 kHz detector will normally have a depth advantage on nuggets ≥ 1.0g over a basic mid-frequency detector, and a 71 kHz detector will have a depth advantage on nuggets ≤ 0.1g. The advanced GOLD MONSTER 1000 uses an intermediate 45 kHz frequency AND a high speed 24-bit signal processor. This primary combination greatly boosts sensitivity to gold beyond that of other single frequency VLF detectors over a wide range of nugget sizes, without introducing excess noise and false signals. 

 

[Steve Herschbach]

Ha, you win Lunk - I may just have to get one! 

[LukeOzDigger]

Glad someone else brought up the GMZ, I for one have had 3 of these from whites and believe me they all paid for themselfs it's the detector to give to a tag along mate that's just wants a lazy day out or the wife's detector that's not going keep calling you over to check a target out etc... it just works! No frills detecting.

when I discovered the minelab monster was going to be a similar audio' well that completely sold me! but for myself not wifey :), once again no frills detecting but even tho few but very cool additions over a GMZ' I can't wait! But man I hope it has a large coil option...

GMT? Well nothing beats a screaming threshold first thing but stopping for a break is Always high on the list.

Will anyone really miss a threshold? I doubt it as most detectorists I know don't know how to use it correctly anyway.

come on MONSTER!