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GPZ Worth It In Virginia?


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Hello all - 

Going back and reading some of Steve's Journal posts on the GPZ, has got me wondering if the GPZ would be the best bet for finding gold in my area (Virginia).  

I currently hunt with a GPX4800 but have yet to have success with it.  I do extensive research and find areas that have produced large gold in the past, and i use lidar to figure out the vein trends  that the old timers were working, and in a number of locations i find large course gold, and specimens dredging.  But for the life of me, I have not been able to get a nugget with the GPX.  When im out detecting i find plenty of buck, shot, bird shot, small pieces of old square nail and other things that tell me if there detectable gold for the gpx id hear it.  

I wonder if the thickness of leaf mat (1-2 inches) plus the thickness of topsoil (1-6 inches) is just putting the gold out of reach of the gpx, that plus the course nature of a lot of the gold in VA.  

Seeing what the GPZ is capable of in regards to detecting small gold at depth is what impresses me the most about it, and i think it is that ability that would give me the best chance of finding gold here in VA.  The soil here ranges from mild to fairly hot.  The biggest interference issue would probably come from EMI since civilization is never far from any location.  

Im interested in what everyone here thinks, especially people who have experience with the GPZ and conditions similar to mine.  

Thanks everyone!  

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41 minutes ago, PG-Prospecting said:

But for the life of me, I have not been able to get a nugget with the GPX.  When im out detecting i find plenty of buck, shot, bird shot, small pieces of old square nail and other things that tell me if there detectable gold for the gpx id hear it.  

 

Seeing what the GPZ is capable of in regards to detecting small gold at depth is what impresses me the most about it, and i think it is that ability that would give me the best chance of finding gold here in VA.  The soil here ranges from mild to fairly hot.  The biggest interference issue would probably come from EMI since civilization is never far from any location.  

 

It sounds like you are doing everything right with what you have been finding and the 7000 would probably give you the best chance, but seeing you haven`t been able to find any gold detecting, I suspect you would not do a hell of a lot better if you laid out the $$$ for a 7000              Dave

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Have you found any small gold with the GM1000 or Equinox, ie near bedrock or along benches etc? Not sure if I’d fork out the $ for a gpz in Virginia.....have you tried different coils on the 4800?

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Mr. PG.

 take the money that a 7000 would cost, divide it in two, put half in your pocket, buy small nuggets with the other half, scatter them around in your prospecting area and find them with your GPX. You will then be one of the rare prospectors with cash AND gold.

 Would you mind sharing what settings and coils you are using on the GPX. If you're not finding gold at all with the GPX a 7000 probably won't help.

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The 3 replies you`ve got from Ph, Peg and KL are all on the money. Gold detecting is 20% Detector 20% geo knowledge, research etc 

99% persistence, stubbornness and a good case of gold fever plus a "touched by the sun" condition . Adds up to more then 100% but that`s the way it is, once you`ve broken your detector virginty and got that first elusive piece you`ve added an experience to the formula and that`s worth its weight in gold. 

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I have zero experience with the Zed but enough experience with east coast conditions..

Two more replies just popped up, so first thing I'm going to say is: What everyone else has said so far..

To be totally honest with you, if I had it to do over again I would have never bought any kind of gold-only detector with expectations of it being worth any more than any other shiny-only object for here in the east.. I don't even bring a gold-only detector with me anymore when I head up N GA or NC.. Might bring the MD 20 by accident if it's hiding in the bottom of a pack..

You have been doing it the best way for today.. I don't even own a dredge because I can't justify the expense.. Too far away; wouldn't get enough use n would rot pieces-parts waiting for the next time to be used.. I can't justify a hi-banker either..

Sluice n pan n that's it for me man.. I gave up the idea of getting rich in the eastern gold fields a long time ago.. If you're on the gold, especially in VA, I say get it the way you have been in the past.. Ain't no gold-only detector made that'll ever pay for itself much less make money here in the east.. The best to hope for with a detector this side of the Mississippi is find the vein and hard rock it.. Other than that find that large load of micro gold any way you can and surface mine / open pit it.. This last one isn't a weekend thing or a cheap proposition, but it is being done in SC as I type..

Swamp

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Thanks for all the input.  Ive toyed with the idea before but, ill put it back on the back burner.   Ill still keep the 4800 since I know large gold nuggets have been detect in VA before with a 4500 and 5000.  My buddies have hunted those patches out though before I met them.  So I know there are more to be found.  Im stubborn and will keep at it.  I have access to a couple thousand acres of private land that is gold bearing, so that's a lot of ground to cover, but im sure there is a detectable patch somewhere.  Winter is my detecting and scout season in VA and summer and fall are my dredging season.  

Vanursepaul - I already have too many dredges so there is no need for more.  I currently am working on building three different ones lol.  

 

Ive found three small nuggets with the GM 1000 in VA, and will continue to use that and the equinox to hunt shallow bedrock.  

 

Klunker - This last outing I was using a Minelab commander 11 inch mono coil, but I also use a minilab commander 15x12 frequently as well.  

My general starting settings are as follows:

motion: slow, Rx gain: 8, Audio type: normal, Audio tone:50, stabilizer:8, signal peak:16, target volume: 8, tracking speed: med

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1 hour ago, PG-Prospecting said:

This last outing I was using a Minelab commander 11 inch mono coil, but I also use a minilab commander 15x12 frequently as well.

A change up to a Nugget Finder 15" Evolution coil might make a difference.  I have a mate that does some serious damage with one of these on a 5000. 

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PG. It sounds to me like you've got the detector part figured out.Now it's just figuring out the detecting part. The only thing I would suggest would be to get way out of sight where absolutely no one will see you and put on a well disguised DD coil. As Norvic stated above you have to be a little "touched" to be a successful prospector but if you are caught with a DD coil it is considered by many to be grounds for a term in an institution. With a DD coil on the 4800 you should be able to get the threshold tone dead smooth with high gain and sensitivity settings and then listen for an almost inaudible change in the threshold.  I get the impression that your going to get real successful at this detecting business.

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