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Well against my better judgement I went out and tackled the 100 degree heat... I've been pondering going 1 mile from the house to close to 10 acres of tailing piles... So I turn my machine on ...set it ...ground balance and my first swing got a target... Was thinking to myself that it was probably my trusty friend 'ole tin foil' because if how broad the signal was...but now that I dig every target regardless of its sound I began to dig...the target id never went past 64-68 and never lower than 44-45... Well this was the result of my machines work... The stone weighs 8.6 dwt... Unsure of how much gold is in the stone itself but out of the ground my machine is giving a signal of 56 no more no less...same # my buddy's 1/4 oz nugget gives...if that means anything...this is the biggest piece I have ever found ...I actually sat for a minute next to the hole with tears in my eyes cause I've worked real hard for this day....note my camera on my phone is a p.o.s.

Hi Art, That sucks. I do hope it gets sorted out for you post haste and to your satisfaction. I will not be shutting up about the GPZ. I am just not going to get stuck being in the position of being some sort of Minelab apologist. As far as I am concerned, the less people who have a GPZ the better. That would not be good for Minelab, but too many people in my area have one already.

At the end of May I got out for what has become an annual trip. It has been getting harder to get out and dredge with my 6" so now it has become about once a year during summer leave. I also purchased a SDC this last winter. It's hard to detect in AK in the winter so it would really be the first time out with it. My plan was to detect for the first few days and then dredge. I headed north to where I had found nuggets before. After a long trip and some rest I hit creek. The SDC sounds almost exactly like the GP extreme to me. As soon as I got going I got a good signal and dug a nugget. I thought lucky, so after detecting all around the immediate area with nothing else I moved down about 20 feet into a hole that someone had dug and got another signal which turned out to be another nugget. Now I was getting excited. I few minutes later and only two feet away I got another signal which also was a nugget. By this point I was supper excited. The detector kept chattering over the pile so I panned it and the small piece was in there. Over the next day I raked and gridded the whole area with nothing. Through the whole time I only dug 5 pieces of trash. With no more gold I headed out for the dredging grounds which is a whole other story. The bottom picture is the hole where the nuggets came from.

Some people might think what is happening is not explainable but there really is a simple explanation. What is interesting is the reason these same coins were not found with the best of VLF's is the same basic reason and that is masking of a target by another target. Unfortunately, trying to explain it could easily take a book or at least a chapter of information. Now, with that said, my response will be shortened considerably from what is really needed, but I will try to supply the gist of what happens and why. Turn the delay to 10 usec and use the All mode and you will hear both high tones and low tones over the ground Mark is hunting. I know, Mark sent me a sample of the "dirt" for me to test. So, why did advancing the delay suddenly cause the low tone "good" targets to be heard? Again, the answer is simple, the high tone signals diminished sufficiently such that they were no longer a problem once the delay was advanced. When you ground balance the detector, you end up with the ground signal balanced out. All targets that are high tones have a target characteristic shorter than the ground signal. By target characteristic I mean if the intensity of the target is the same as that of the ground, then the signal would decay faster and would disappear before the ground signal because of the delay settings. Increasing the intensity of the target signal causes the balance point to also be increased Ever go over a camp fire place location and notice the ground signal increases? Now, some of you may think you are detecting the old pieces of burnt wood, but that is not the case. You are detecting the ground minerals that have transitioned because of the heat from the fire. Because the intensity of the ground signal has increased, then a simple small advance of the ground balance control will cause this increased ground intensity signal to be balanced out. Normally, a weak gold signal will not balance out this way. Getting back to the ground where Mark is hunting, changing the delay and not the ground balance has a similar effect. Advancing the delay can cause weak high tone target responses to diminish. If such high tone targets diminish sufficiently, then deeper good low tone targets will become he dominate signal and will be heard. If the high tone signals are small weak targets then even raising the coil rather than scraping the ground can cause such high tone signals to diminish sufficiently that they are no longer a problem then either. Since coin size objects will normally be detected deeper by using a larger coil, then the use of a larger coil plus raising the coil some may not require advancing the delay. Fortunately, copper and silver coins have a very long time constant, that advancing the delay cause very little depth loss. So, often it is advisable to advance the delay also. So, a simple response to Mark's problem would be to advance the delay sufficiently. Then use a larger coil to reduce small signal responses, and finally, raise the coil a little. So, how much should you advance the delay? Well, that takes practice but a simple turn of the delay control and listening to the high tone signals will help. Advance the delay sufficiently that the weak high tone responses diminish if possible or at least are reduced noticeably. In summary I have mentioned advancing the GB when checking ground hot spots, advancing the delay when eliminating weak high tone signals, using a larger coil to reduce weak high tone signals, and finally raising the coil a little. In Mark's case, advancing the GB is probably not advisable. Instead, selecting High conductor and reducing the GB while increasing the delay will most likely be the best solutions. Add using a larger coil plus raising the coil while hunting just may help also. Steve is absolutely correct, experiment, try different settings of the controls, but more importantly, learn just what each coil does or is supposed to do. The controls are on the detector to be used. The key is to know when and why a control should be moved. Reg

Good to see someone else who knows a little about many different gold detectors giving some input. Well done Rya Patch Ron and we'll see you there this Fall maybe. One of the guys you helped train in May at RP found a nice 1/3rd ouncer after the class. Fastino from Idaho is all smiles. Photo is courtesy of Ray Stoval. Thanks Ray.

Been fascinated on how Aussie prospectors stay for extended periods in the bush? What do you do for? Water storage Solar/ 12v batteries, inverters, Charging Refridgerator Freezers Food Keeping cool Truck setup Clothing Shelter Keeping BEER COLD! Protection from animals and bugs Bathing and toilet I love the fact that automobile makers offer you rigs that are setup to handle your enviroment .

yeah, that was the best dirt road we ever were on...fortunately because my teeth were getting rattled loose!!!! fred

Geeze Fred, I don't think I've Been on one that Good, I think the worst one I found was Heading for the Snowy Mountains, Lucky enough I had just Put Up rated and Raised springs For the Diesel Model of my Truck and HD Shocks, and BFG's MT's or I would never of made it, I also Carry 2 winches and A Hi Lift Jack Too.

I know this is an older thread but summer is here in AK and I have been doing some detecting. The reebok boots are metal free and as per my previous post they have taken a beating. I am still wearing them.

One comment to a post above. The TDI control box is heavy gauge aluminum, it is held my four stainless steel screws to a thick aluminum flange which is firmly attached to the rod. Of course, I guess it could have come loose somehow due to sliding sideways to the ground. Even if it did however, it still has the ability to be body mounted. Just sayin!

Thanks Steve, oh so true, I saw the difference out there this last couple of days at rye patch. my first trip out i found so much trash all kinds of stuff, this was right at first with the first batch... last couple of days I hunted around the same general areas from high on the hill too down low following the quartz breakouts and wide around areas with the most brush and was wishing for a piece of trash to break the pace. GPZ s have been working overtime and like you've said before, sometimes you turn right and sometimes you turn left, my turns were off this time out. minelab is a great company with great products I'm sure everything will work out fine, this is a flagship detector from the top company and Im generally satisfied with anything fair and reasonable.

Largest you have ever found, that is great! Gives you a higher goal for a larger piece.

Great job dc man!!. Funny thing yesterday you were sayin that you never find the bigger ones. I was actually was going to mention that you should try the tailing piles in that area. Alot of the dredges screened out 1/2" and bigger. So if your in a area known for nuggets and not so much fines then it is a good idea to check some tailings. I think Steve can confirm this as he did well with tailings in Alaska. Maybe he can give you some detecting tips on how to do tailings. Just becareful of snakes. Ive chased a couple non poisonus kind out of them . But have seen many rattlesnakes near them. The little nook and cranny spots in piles makes a nice hidey spot for them. Keep up the good work.

Hope it is all sorted out amicably for you.

This has been interesting and I feel better knowing Im not the only one to have damaged my GPZ. I hope this discussion about little problems with an amazing detector has been constructive and helpful as this is how it was intended. The damage to the case on my zed was caused by me during normal use in a harsh environment, could I have been more careful, of course however as this thread has shown in the real world the equipment needs to be able to stand the rigors of the use it was intended and if the detector needs additional protection to withstand normal use then it should be supplied that way, not a big deal. everyone is buying and making protective covers for their machine because they are needed, hopefully mine lab will make some minor adjustments to provide their customers with the best product possible on a very very expensive detector. Im not upset as on almost any beta release manufactures need to make adjustments on new products as life in the field is different than in the r and d lab and I expected some bugs to come out, what matters is how these issues are addressed. I called mine lab today and they were very helpful, I am sending mine in for service and we will see how this issue plays out, I promise to keep you posted on what direction mine lab takes this. here is a picture of my two issues:

Ausi M. Telling me "don't drop your $10,000.00 detector" is like telling me "don't spill your beer, don't get your Jeep stuck, don't trip over your dog, don't knock off your head phones, don't forget your pick. With me, these things are nearly a daily occurrence. Sometime in the life of any well used detector its gunna get dropped. And Minelab knows it. So I was just wondering. If you buy a Z and I destroy mine could I borrow yours?

Yaaahooooo

Moral to the story: Don't drop your $10k or whatever priced detector if you can help it. As a footnote I heard of a bloke that had leant his TDI against his ute only to have it slide down & hit the ground. The control box was broken off the shaft mount. He was a little bit upset at Whites blaming a poor design etc. but mostly upset at himself for leaving it like he did. That's just one example of many similar "human error" type incidents that can't always be leveled at the manufacturers. So these problems are not limited to Minelab or Minelab users! p.s I hope you don't stop talking about the GPZ Steve. I don't find anything suspect in what you say in fact as someone who doesn't have one yet I find them, as well as what other owners have to say, beneficial in getting an understanding of how it ticks in anticipation of either owning or using one down the track.

WTG Nugget65, Proud of ya Mate, Well Done, Seems like you got it running spot On. what depth was that One, it looks like you dug down a fair bit. John

Tortuga...yes it is ... Trinity County...

Scott; here are my observations from three trips to Oz. Almost everyone has solar and generators. Their refrigs and freezers are generally 12v. They either camp near a fresh water supply or haul water in tanks or bottles. Solar showers or dipping water from the stream...or not. depending on the crew, food can be very basic or the full spread...(see solar refrig and freezers) Most serious gold hunting is done in the cooler parts of the year-fall and winter in WA or the NT. Clothing must suit very cold nights and very warm days, sometimes rain and snow... Toilets can be the ever popular hole in the ground or something more civilized... Travelling the Outback is a great adventure...I loved it! fred

I stopped dreaming about going detecting in Australia as it appears Gld Hnd has it pretty well cleaned out. But I'm still interested in the replies to Scott's querry. Except the toilet part.