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How Will Gm1000 Signal A Meteorite?


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I have been using the GM1000 for maybe 20 hours, covered some (often difficult and shifting) ground and found what I normally would find, mostly trash, most interesting so far an old key. So far so good. It is not impossible that there might be some gold to find, but highly unlikely. I am trying to dig every clear signal.

I am mainly out to find meteorites, and I am still unsure how not to overlook a possible meteorite.

Very, very often I would get a clear signal with iron characteristic. When I remove the ground cover, it often slowly fades away. Not sure what that is. Sometimes I do find small corroded iron crumbs (then the signal does not fade). But most often nothing.

Also, very often the GM1000 would give a really strong signal, but it is not possible to localize, because it just fades away even before I notice if it was an iron signal or not. I assume due to the auto tracking, so this might indicate a hot rock.

But what would I have to expect from a meteorite? If there is iron, also as quite tiny grains, the signal should not just fade, is this correct? So I do not have to worry about the signals from hot rocks?

Thanks for help.

 

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There are many types of meteorites. Some have differing amounts of nickel/iron in them...chrondrites are what you will most likely find...

Iron meteorites are extremely rare...moon and planetary meteorites are even more scarce.

The gold monster will find them but you need to know what is what...I would not use tracking to find meteorites, personally.

If you don't have Rocks From Space you should...also, this is a very good resource with several excellent meteorite hunters answering questions...http://nuggetshooter.ipbhost.com/forum/4-meteorite-hunting-and-collecting/

I think you allow these links, Steve...if not-you can nuke it!

fred

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Yes, I have this book, plus read it, too :)

GM1000 has no manual ground balance, it is always on auto tracking. I actually mentioned this in my post asking for a meteorite detector. Makro Gold Kruzer would have been an option too (once it ships at some unknown point in time).

But I am actually not so sure, if tracking is a big negative. Also manually, I need to ground balance it. The ground is often difficult and ist is also changing a lot. I will get a lot of wrong signals without ground balance. The only relevant condition is snow on ground. There it is useful to just set it so that everything comes in as a positive signal. There is basically nothing distracting there. If it is just 1 little rock, the tracking should not cancel this out, only a bigger patch of ground. In theory at least. Maybe. The detector must be sensitive to rocks with specific magnetic characteristics.

I did air-testing with hot rocks. The etrac is not sensitive to them, not at all, the GM1000 gives a good signal and it does not fade.

It might be most important , that the detector is able to see tiiiiny tiny grains. The GM1000 is excellent at this, not only with surface deposits. And that it reacts to specific magnetic characteristics.

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Well, it is good to have the book and even better to read it...

 I am not getting into Gold Monster specifics as I don't have one.  However, I have used one and it seems to me there is a way to stop the auto-ground balancing-but, I may be dazed and confused again.

Hopefully, Steve, Lunk and others will see your post-they will be better able to answer GM questions.

As far as chrondrites and other meteorites go they may be seen as hotrocks or not at all; or be very good signals.  You will have to learn the difference if that is possible...

May I ask were in the world you are hunting meteorites?

fred

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Gold Monster is always ground tracking. Auto sensitivity you can turn on or off.

Ground tracking tries to track ground, and tries not to track out legitimate targets. However, at the bitter edge ground and metal overlap and errors are inevitable. The weaker the signal, and the more short sweeps over it, the more likely you will track out the target. Keep sweeps wide.

Meteorites grade from solid metal to meteorites that are basically just hot rocks. Again, tracking may pose a problem on the weakest of targets, either small and shallow, or large and deep.

None of which says you can’t prospect for meteorites with the Monster and do well. You just have to know your machine.

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My advice is to purchase a small sample of the basic chondrite types - H, L & LL, and use them as test pieces to adjust your GM 1000 to get the most distinct response in the ground you are hunting.

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"The weaker the signal, and the more short sweeps over it, the more likely you will track out the target. Keep sweeps wide."

This is very reasonable in theory :). When using the GM1000, wide sweeps do not bring back response to hot rocks (or whatever this target was). The GM1000 just screams and then goes silent over that spot. It is less pronounced in manual sensitivity mode, but happens also there). Tried that many times now. With actual signals, I can swing over many times, without response weakening.

I will have to get hold of these chondrite types to learn how the GM1000 responds. Thanks all.

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No wide sweeps will not bring back a hot rock because the tracking is supposed to track out hot ground / hot rocks. The problem you face as I noted is meteorites grade all the way from pure metal to pure rock, and many low grade examples may very well act like a hot rock. If that is the case, they can track out, and since tracking is always on you can’t stop it.

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  • 9 months later...

The metal in meteorites is usually Taenite or Kamacite, both Nickel/iron alloys. These will not be tracked out unless miniscule in size and at depth. Some (much rarer) meteorites are non or low  metallic and can  give a negative, hot-rock type response. A few Carbonaceous Chondrites and LL Chondrites fall into this category. Best bet is to be certain which area has what type of meteorite known already, and 'tune your ear' accordingly. 

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On 3/2/2019 at 8:18 PM, Aureous said:

The metal in meteorites is usually Taenite or Kamacite, both Nickel/iron alloys. These will not be tracked out unless miniscule in size and at depth. Some (much rarer) meteorites are non or low  metallic and can  give a negative, hot-rock type response. A few Carbonaceous Chondrites and LL Chondrites fall into this category. Best bet is to be certain which area has what type of meteorite known already, and 'tune your ear' accordingly. 

Aureous,

  I've ran vlf's before with auto ground balancing on, and had Chondrites track out, to include LL's to H's large and small, buried and on top,  after 2 or 3 sweeps of the coil. Like others say, disable auto, but then your going to be tuning a lot more frequent, as you go through different geology. Like Lunk says, a throwdown, and many hours practicing is your best bet. If your hunting Irons, cover your ears ??

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