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Showing content with the highest reputation on 01/07/2021 in all areas

  1. We took a day off from detecting and went out rockhounding for a day and came across these old workings , the old timers dug some deep cuts across the toes off some of the hills that ran down into the wash and found a couple small drift holes. the holes are about 10 foot deep with a couple small drift holes in each and the longest cut was around 50 to 60 yards long. there were dry washing holes that were just as deep and some were over 12 foot wide, some serious digging going on out there .
    15 points
  2. I would like to thank the donner of this 583 earring for my first AU find of 2021. Beach find Jan 5. The AQ hit it hard!!!
    11 points
  3. Forget the rock hounding and get to swinging!
    6 points
  4. Did a quick hunt the other day and dug only coins. This has to do with the "training" that Canadian coins have given me. In a way they are a "median" target--part non-ferrous and part steel. What this means is that they have characteristics of both. So with a clean processing pulse like the AQ--you have a narrow signal (imagine a tube carrying the response up) with some wide or maybe irregular characteristics. Point being that they make good "trainers" teaching you to look for even poor examples of a narrow response. Then when you hear some clean gold...unmistakable. Foils and tabs will do the same thing but are still not as good of conductors. If you are in soft material focussing on deep heavy targets this is a very strong tool for ID'ing responses with the AQ. Very glad that caps sound wide on this machine. With a pulse that processes at this level the principle of "carry" (see illustration) is even more important. With some VLFs--Hieneken caps are similar to Canadian coins--steel--but with lots of aluminum in there too--right on the border--and for this reason a good teaching tool. cjc
    4 points
  5. Yep, I pretty much have free rein there. I've panned a couple of times with a cheap off brand plastic pan and a cone shaped stainless steel batea. I haven't found anything, but I'm pretty inexperienced with panning. I've spent lots of time researching, but don't have much experience. My lower back also starts acting up after leaning over a few slow/unskilled panning attempts. The creek is also fairly skinny, maybe 2-3ft across and runs straight without any inner bends to target. There's a few spots I tried to remove gravels to get to bedrock, but I only hit the top of buried boulders. Western NC. I live near Hendersonville but the 10ac property is in Burnsville. I'm definitely flirting with the idea of heading out west eventually. I actually have family in Arizona. Why can't you imagine nugget detecting out east? Is it the combination of hot ground, thick organic layers, and lower quantity of nuggets available? Thanks for the lead. I'm definitely a proponent of doing homework. I've been researching prospecting for years to decide a method of attack to invest in. Detectors seem more versatile than dredges. More portable and can be used many places dredges can't. I'm also looking into scuba gear for underwater sniping. I can do that in the national forests, just can't sluice or dredge. I thought because of the high mineralization, hot rocks, and deep layer of humus and uneven terrain I would need the depth of a PI. I was also worried that the equinox might be a little complicated for an amateur like me, but maybe it would be worth it to spend more time learning on such a machine. The 10 acre site probably has some coins/relics, but I'm not expecting much. It is on top of a mountain at the end of a cul de sac next to logging land. I doubt there was much traffic up there in the old days except maybe the alleged gold mine further down the mountain. But to be fair, I shouldn't expect many nuggets either if I haven't found any yet. I'm not expecting to find much on this property. But it's the only place relatively close that I have full access to for now, so I was thinking it would be a good spot to cut my teeth. There's actually a small public area at Ray Mine that allows detecting. But I assume it has been picked clean since there are no public alternatives in the area that I know of. There have been some pretty large (12+ pound) nuggets found a couple hours away, so you never know. I might stumble onto a nice vein. I assume a highly skilled user with a low end detector would be more successful than an unskilled user with a high end detector, so I want to get plenty of practice before going on long road trips to camp out at better locations. I have some leads on other private properties nearby which I might be able to use. Just want to learn how to use the detector first before bugging the owners for permission.
    4 points
  6. First out for the year, found a spot that has cuts that are over my head. I know how they got there but best I hold on that for now. One thing for sure targets are every where, on the top shelf, down the slope, and in the bottom. Just have to wait for a better tide so I can hunt the whole bottom and not worry about sliding down the slope. Most targets are shallow. First gold was maybe 12 inch's? Going to be interesting to see how long this spots stays intact-ed. I knew something was up and one reason I took the Excalibur for I had no clue on what I would be walking into. I am debating on taking the 8 inch on the "AQ" next trip. Seems to be no trash at all.... Three hour hunt, 1916 Class Ring and 1929 Class ring. 4 Silvers, which are eaten bad by the brackish waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Water is just dipping into the high 30's, full hunt I was toasty but Need to make some adjustments to my gloves, left glove is like wearing a sock.. No mobility.
    3 points
  7. Every BT headphone does not support Low Latency BT transmission - it has to be supported on both ends - the detector transmitter and the phones themselves. APTX LL the low latency bluetooth standard transmission protocol Minelab has adopted for incorporation into its Equinox and Vanquish detector BT transmitters - is kind of a fading standard. Hasn't really caught on with the general marketplace and manufacturers of BT headphones seem to not be willing to play to licensing fees to incorporate the chipset and firmware in to their products as a result, unfortunately. APTX LL would at least be better than yet another non-cross compatible proprietary wireless/Wi Stream variant. They now have at least 4 proprietary Wi Stream variants, none of which have interchangeable hardware (WM08 for Equinox, WM10 for the CTX 3030, WM 12 for the GPZ 7000, and the Pro Sonic standalone unit - totally ridiculous.) See above. Bose does not support any sort of low latency BT standard protocol, definitely not APTX LL. Low latency is pretty much a necessity for detecting with wireless audio otherwise your coil swing does not sync up with where your coil is when you hear the target audio. It is pretty noticeable with non-low latency bluetooth headphones and pretty annoying. I definitely sympathize. There are BT headphones that I have that would be much preferable to those that I am forced to use that comply with the BT APTX LL standard. I've pretty much switched over to proprietary wireless audio solutions for everything but the Equinox because they allow me to use headphones with optimized audio characteristics for my hearing and comfort.
    3 points
  8. We are wet, wet, wet here, the ground is sodden right the way through so everything is sticky, both the ground and the air, the atmosphere is all over the place because of all the unstable monsoon weather right across the State (just had our first cyclone for the season). Not a good time to be too serious about detecting but I’ve desperately been needing a gold fix. Enter the little NF Zsearch, its the perfect coil for these conditions, I was amazed how quiet it ran in the salty areas even the bad ones that I generally avoid after rain. EMI is also way down compared to other coils so this has also helped at a time when I would usually not bother (OK yes I would, I’m a detecting tragic but it wouldn’t be pleasant 😅 ). First cab off the rank I spied during digging it up just sitting there in the damp clays, a nice plucky little 3/4 gram bit that made a satisfying clunk as I put it in my gold container. These little guys add up. Next one was close by and gave a nice clear hit, actually I got a little bit excited because it low/high’d on me which got me thinking it was a bit bigger than it actually was. I am still learning the channel flipping cross over points of nuggets with this little NF coil, seems it channel flips quite readily on sub gram chunky stuff. That was the end of the session for that day, it took a while to get the sticky red clay washed off my hands and gear.🤐 I got out a few mores times over subsequent days pinging little bits in old favourite spots enjoying the quiet sensitivity of this new little coil. One thing I have noticed though is my swing speed has sped right up because of the lighter weight, something for users to be aware of as that really does the kill depth on larger gold. The smaller coil can be swung faster but you will not see its full depth potential doing that. Nice little Low/High trickster My tally since New Years, not a lot but you got to start somewhere, I’m happy to start the season off slow and leave some in the tank for when the weather is nicer.
    3 points
  9. Nuggets can be a type of rock specimens, and I am not selling them so it is not for financial gain.
    3 points
  10. Funny as I thought you were talking about the Donner party of something when I read the title...nice hunk of gold jewelry you got there and spelling is not one of my strong points but I'll bet the donor of that earring really misses it 😉 strick
    3 points
  11. Just saying the 6000 better have the latest low latency wireless bluetooth capability to any headphones...or i will be upset. Also a clever company would have a screen setting (similar to nox) that has bars /numbers to show signal strength/depth/broadness.. for all the hearing impaired detectorists. Should be a simple for minelab to engineer this. Just feel Minelab could spend more time workshopping/R & D time with some of the best long term gold detectorists
    3 points
  12. Was waiting for a buddy to show up so I hit a small area across from where I parked. Usual tons of trash being so close to the road and first real hit I had I pulled the poor beat up Merc Dime 193?. Not a bad way to start the year off, hope it wasn't the hightlight hahah. Happy new year!
    3 points
  13. My first suggestion is to stick with the stock 11" round for at least the first several months. It's quite good at separation and depth. The 6" round coil is good for very small targets (e.g. tiny gold nuggets) and helps in extreme iron trash locations and around fenceposts, etc. The 12"x15" gives better coverage (think 'wider lawn mower deck'). It's obviously heavier. Works well when coverage is a driver (e.g. dry and wet beach, but not in the water). But back to my first point -- IMO you should hold off getting the auxilliary coils until you've gotten a couple hundred hours (minimum) experience with the stock coil. Learning that will allow you to appreciate the special features of the other two.
    2 points
  14. There is a lot of good books there. I would suggest that you spend a day or two at a known location and see what you be detecting and how your equipment reacts. This will enable you to know what the books are talking about and save you a lot of time learning how to find gold.
    2 points
  15. I have a GMX and that is the last machine i want for coin hunting.The target Id does not work like other machines when things get buried a few inches.You have to be in the mood to dig if you use this machine. Lot of wrap around on the Id.
    2 points
  16. Hi Michael.I will try to get hold of you soon.You can hunt with me and a few of my buddies.What town do you live in ? I live in the Greece/Charlotte area.Maybe we can meet in Durand soon.Look it up. It has a beach and a lot of woods to hunt.I have got 5 silver so far in this short year.Clad Hopper got a AU split band 1924 merc,a 1919-s merc plus a regular merc and a washington quarter.I went out 1 more time then him.I also got a 1940 bird band.All at durand.I use a Nox 800 and so does Clad hopper.
    2 points
  17. Not a book, but this will help you research and pull mining claim data fairly easily. http://www.mylandmatters.org/Maps/ClaimsCa/GetMap
    2 points
  18. April was just a rumor, nothing more. There is no official release date, and frankly I think April is optimistic to the point I’d be betting against it. For all we know Tom Walsh could still just pull the plug in the whole thing. I kind of hated selling my Ltd as it is possible I might not be able to get a “finished version” if one never goes to full production. I think I heard that something like 70 units have been produced so far, but could be wrong about that. I would rate the cooperative information sharing aspect of this “pay to prototype” as a fail. FT locked down the information flow, and people know as little now about what is going on as before this all started. I decided to bail and wait until the company gets it act together. I wish them success in doing so. My thanks to Rick, Alexandre, Willy, Joe, and the other forum members for listening to some of my thoughts about the Impulse.
    2 points
  19. This is true, and as you point out Multi vs Single is debatable at this time, depending on the ground. I think that is simply because Multi-IQ is both in its infancy, and that gold nugget prospecting was last on the list of features considered important on Equinox. In my milder ground Multi-IQ excels. It remains to be seen what Minelab could do with a Multi-IQ designed specifically for prospecting, but I do think it is in the future. As for a solid 6 x 10 coil for Equinox, Minelab can kiss my xxx for purposefully leaving us lacking on that one.
    2 points
  20. My advice would be to get a more versatile and affordable detector. Namely, an Equinox 800 and possibly the 6inch coil for max micro target sensitivity. If there is small gold near the surface, you will find it and that would clue you into whether it makes sense to drop serious coin on a PI. If you don’t find any natural gold, at least you have an excellent coin, relic, and beach machine too. That 10 acre site might not give up nuggets but it could give up relics or coins, perhaps even of the gold variety. GL
    2 points
  21. This is my latest "Nugget Detector Guide", now published for over twenty years, updated January 2024 with some of the latest model information. Each model has a short description, followed by a very PERSONAL OPINION. Copyright 2002-2024 Herschbach Enterprises - Please do not reuse or repost without my express permission. This is offered as a simple guide for those wanting a comparison of the various nugget detectors available new with warranty, along with some kind of real opinion about them. That's all it is, folks, so take it or leave it for what it is worth. It's just that listing specs is of little help to people, and so I take my best stab at providing some guidance for those newer to detecting. These are only my opinions based on my experience with various detectors over the years. While I do have a lot of experience, I must throw in the caveat that I have not used all detectors under all conditions. What may be considered a good detector at one location may not be so good at another location due to differences in ground mineralization and the gold itself. Detector performance is site specific and so your mileage may vary. Never forget that when reading comparisons on the internet. Although many detectors sold today can potentially find gold nuggets, I've chosen to only list current models from major manufacturers that are sold and marketed primarily as prospecting detectors or that at least have a specific prospecting mode. I no longer list general purpose VLF detectors running under 18 kHz because they are too common and that being the case they offer nothing special to the potential gold prospector. If you are interested in other general purpose detectors that might make good prospecting machine but are not listed here, look at my more comprehensive reviews list. Many discontinued prospecting detectors are also listed there. Various popular VLF gold nugget prospecting metal detectors Please, if you own one of these detectors, and I call it like I see it, don't take offense. Any nugget detector made will find gold in capable hands, and the owner is far more important than the detector model. I'll put a good operator with almost any detector on this list up against a novice with whatever is deemed "best" and bet on the experienced operator every time. The person using the detector finds the gold. The detector is actually one of the less important factors in nugget detecting success or failure. A quick note to those who know nothing about these machines. These are metal detectors. There is no such thing as a "gold only" detector. These detectors will also find lead, copper, aluminum, and other metals. These units are best used to look for relatively larger pieces of gold at relatively shallow depths. Concentrations of gold dust are not detectable. Some of these units can hit gold that weighs as little as a grain (480 grains per ounce) or less but only at an inch or two. Only the larger nuggets can be found at depths exceeding a foot. Only world class nuggets weighing many ounces can be detected at over two feet. The vast majority of nuggets found are found at inches, not feet. About Long Range Locators (LRLs) WARNING ON COUNTERFEIT DETECTORS - The market for nugget detectors far outsells coin and relic detectors worldwide, with huge sales in third world countries. This has made many of the models below very popular with counterfeiters. Here are some Fisher and Minelab examples. If you shop these models there are two simple rules. First, you are safe if you stick with approved dealers. Second, if the price seems too good to be true, beware! All legitimate dealers have a limit on how low they can advertise, the Minimum Advertised Price (MAP). Review prices at the approved dealer list, and if you find the detector advertised as new at a significantly lower price by somebody not on the list, the odds are very high you are looking at a counterfeit detector. Legitimate dealers are prohibited from advertising at those kind of prices, and a price too good to be true is your number one warning you are about to be ripped off. The detectors are listed in order based on the lowest price normally advertised on the internet as of the date below. Steve's Guide to Gold Nugget Detectors - Updated January 2024 Before I start, a quick note about recent events in the metal detector industry. A few years ago we lost a major manufacturer in the form of Tesoro. That lead to the Tesoro Lobo SuperTRAQ being dropped from this list. 2020 saw one of the true industry stalwarts fall by the wayside. White's Electronics was acquired by Garrett in October of that year. I am therefore dropping the White's nugget detectors from this list as no longer available new with warranty. For now, see my detailed reviews for information on White's models. Bounty Hunter Time Ranger Pro / Fisher F19 ($399, 19 kHz) - This detector is a later, more advanced version of the Fisher Gold Bug Pro (see below), with added features. There is an excellent threshold based all metal mode plus a dual tone discrimination mode. The F19 has both ground grab and manual ground balance, plus adjustable tone break, just like the Gold Bug Pro. Extra features are added to enhance the coin, relic, and jewelry capability, such as notch discrimination with adjustable notch width, volume control, separate ferrous tone volume, and a LCD meter backlight. These extra features may even find use while gold prospecting. The Fisher F19, and the Bounty Hunter Time Ranger Pro, can use any Gold Bug compatible coils plus those made for the Teknetics G2 series, providing for a huge number of possible accessory coils. This detector can be had with several stock coil options, including a 7" x 11" DD coil, or 5" x 10" DD coil. Weight including a single 9V battery is 2.6 lbs. Steve's Opinion - If you can afford it, look at other options below. If you want the lowest price detector worth even looking at for nugget detecting, you can look no farther than here at $399 (or less). First Texas, the manufacturer of Bounty Hunter, Fisher, and Teknetics metal detectors, sells quite a few identical or near identical metal detectors under different brand names and model names. Due to oddities in their marketing scheme, some more powerful models are often available at lower prices than other less capable models. Currently the 19 kHz Gold Bug name carries a premium price, while other identical or more capable models, sold under other names, can often be had for less money. That is currently the case with the 19 kHz Fisher F19 models, and the identical Bounty Hunter Time Ranger Pro model. The bottom line is this. If you can find a BHTRP/Fisher F19 with 5" x 10" elliptical coil for under $500 at a legitimate dealer (see counterfeit note above) it is easily my current recommendation for an extremely capable, entry level, VLF nugget detector with general purpose capabilities. I recommend this detector over the Fisher Gold Bug and Gold Bug Pro models below, not only because of the extra capability, but because it can be had stock with the 5" x 10" DD coil, the best general nugget hunting coil for the FT 19 kHz series. It can only be had as an accessory coil on the Gold Bug models, driving their out of pocket cost even higher. Nokta Gold Kruzer ($549, 61 kHz) - Nokta/Makro started shipping the new Gold Kruzer model in June 2018 and with a change in the company name is now simply the Nokta Gold Kruzer. The Gold Kruzer is a variant of the old Makro Gold Racer that has been boosted to 61 kHz from 56 kHz and put in a waterproof housing good to 5 meters (16.4 ft). The Gold Kruzer comes with a 10" x 5" concentric coil and a 4" x 7.5" DD coil. The weight including LiPo batteries is 3.0 lbs. There are four coils available for the Gold Kruzer. Steve's Opinion - The Makro Gold Racer was one of my favorite detectors because until recently there was nothing running in this frequency class that had full target id and other options normally seen only in coin detectors. The Gold Kruzer takes it all to the next step by being waterproof in excess of ten feet. There are no other detectors running at a frequency this high that are fully submersible with built in wireless capability and therefore this detector may find favor with freshwater jewelry hunters as well as prospectors. The Gold Kruzer is worth keeping an eye on, and is a better value than it appears at first glance due to the dual coil packaging. 2024 Note: The Gold Kruzer has been reduced in price from over $600 to only $549 which seriously upsets the cart. This is an incredible value for what you get and well worth consideration. Fisher Gold Bug Pro ($599, 19 kHz) - Essentially the same as the Gold Bug above with the addition of manual ground balance. The target ID makes the Gold Bug Pro good for more than just nugget hunting, and it will find favor with jewelry and relic hunters. The manual ground balance gives expert operators the control they desire to get the best depth possible. This unit normally comes with a 5" round DD coil to enhance the sensitivity to small gold but other standard coil packages are available. Weight including a single 9V battery is 2.5 lbs. Many accessory coils are available for the Gold Bug Pro. Steve's Opinion - The Pro is the final version in this series which saw several early variations including the Gold Bug above. It is a excellent choice for prospecting, relic, or jewelry detecting and does fine as a coin detector also. However, you are now paying a premium for the Gold Bug name, and the more capable Fisher F19 at the top of this list can be had in a better configuration at a much lower price. The Nokta. Unless you just want the name, pass. XP ORX ($599, 14, 28, 56, 80 kHz) - The XP ORX emphasizes gold prospecting and coin detecting in the promotional material. The XP ORX appears to be a version of the "Africa only" Depar DPR 600 made for sales in Europe, the U.S., and elsewhere. The ORX has been refined from that early effort by the addition of the ability to use the new X35 coils. Steve's Opinion - The XP ORX went through some teething pains with coils before settling into its final role as XPs gold nugget detector. I think the ORX is a great little nugget hunter personally (I love the compact design), but it seems to be overlooked my most serious prospectors, and getting more attention as a low cost alternative to the XP Deus for coin and relic detecting. The new lower price makes the ORX a serious contender, a big step up in capability from the Fisher 19 kHz models above, and a little less money than the Garrett 24K below for a more full featured detector. Garrett AT Gold ($639, 18 kHz) - The AT Gold was a totally new concept in metal detecting from Garrett Electronics when it was introduced. This full featured detector has everything you would expect from a dry land detector - LCD display, full control set and functions, speaker, interchangeable coils, and lightweight. But it is submersible to 10 feet! Even the speaker is waterproof. Note that the unit itself may be submerged but if you want to put your head underwater you will need optional submersible headphones. Weight including a four AA batteries is 3 lbs. The stock coil is a 5" x 8" DD elliptical. Many accessory coils are available for the AT Gold. Steve's Opinion - The Garrett AT Gold was an innovative concept when it was introduced, and was the only waterproof nugget detector option at the time. The nugget hunting world has moved past the AT Gold now, and unless it comes down in price it's hard to recommend for somebody interested primarily in a nugget detecting VLF. Only for Garrett fans really, and even then more for the relic hunting crowd. For a much better option, see the Garrett Goldmaster 24K below or one of several less expensive models above, like the Nokta Gold Kruzer. ads by Amazon... Minelab SDC 2300 ($3599, Pulse) - This model is unique as Minelabs first waterproof pulse induction metal detector. A key feature is that the detector is physically packaged in the proven F3 Compact military housing that is waterproof to ten feet and folds down into an incredibly compact package only 15.7" long and weighing 5.7 pounds including four C cell batteries. Steve's Opinion - I have used the Minelab SDC 2300 and I must say I was impressed. The waterproof compact design is perfect for hardcore backpack style prospecting. The main thing however is that the SDC 2300 comes as close to VLF type performance on small gold as you can get while being almost impervious to the ground mineralization, and hot rock issues, that plague said VLF detectors. In fact, the SDC 2300 will find gold nuggets smaller than most good VLF detectors can detect in mineralized ground. The SDC 2300 is also one of the simplest detectors to use and master on the market. The main caveat is that the detector is optimized for small gold with the hardwired coil, and so other ground balancing PI detectors are a better option for large nuggets at depth. It is also nearly twice the price of the Garrett ATX above, and so you are paying quite a premium for a little better performance on small gold. Still, the SDC 2300 is almost impossible to beat for the price, if the goal is just to go find some gold, any gold at all. If the budget allows, however, at this point I would pass, and go to the new Garrett Axiom below, which offers a much more sensible design, with many more coil options, and better capability for larger gold at depth. Garrett Axiom ($3995, Pulse) - A new pulse induction gold nugget detector, just announced for 2022, available by the end of the year. The Garrett Axion is the first pulse induction nugget detector to truly reflect 21st design options and capabilities. The Axiom is a sleek, modern design, perfectly balanced at only 4.2 lbs with the 11" x 7" mono coil. The detector is fully weatherproof, with waterproof coils. The Garrett Axiom is available in a couple package options, but the most popular will include the 11" mono coil, 13" DD coil, and Garrett Z-Lynk high speed wireless headphones. The Axiom has a perfect balance of controls, giving experts more options than more simplistic designs, while still focusing on only the controls really needed, to keep things easy for beginners. Steve's Opinion - Well, I have to admit I'm biased on this one. I lobbied Garrett every way possible for almost a decade, to make a detector like the Garrett Axiom. So it is literally a dream come true for me, a powerful pulse induction detector in a really great, ergonomic package, and at a price that won't break the bank, but honestly still more expensive than I was hoping for. I have used the Axiom already enough to know that it is very competitive although it is not that it is the most powerful option available. For that I refer you to the Minelab GPZ 7000 below. The Axiom goes head to head with the GPX 6000 and basically offers 90% of the performance of that machine for two thirds the price. Minelab GPX 5000 ($3999, Pulse) - This Pulse Induction (PI) unit essentially ignores ground mineralization and most hot rocks. The GPX 5000 is designed specifically for nugget detecting and so it has many adjustments for mineralized ground not available on other PI detectors. The GPX 5000 is the culmination of over 10 years of innovation in pulse induction technology. The GPX weighs 5.3 lbs. not including the harness mounted battery, which weighs another 1.7 lbs. The detector comes with both an 11" round mono coil and 11" round DD coil. Over 100 accessory coils are available for the GPX 5000 (Minelab, Coiltek, Nugget Finder)! And more coils are being released every year. Steve's Opinion - The Minelab GPX 5000 can at this point be considered the reliable, well proven option, for just about any pulse induction task a person wants to consider. It has found a wide audience not just with nugget hunters, but with beach and relic hunters. This is in large part due to the incredible coil selection. For general nugget hunting however, the GPX 5000 faces new competition in the form of the Garrett Axiom above, for almost the same price. The Axiom is a better package from a physical perspective and more capable than the GPX 5000 on bread and butter small gold nuggets. However for 1/2 ounce and larger nuggets the GPX 5000 still has the edge due to it's superior large coil selection. personally I lean Axiom for the ergonomics but a case can be made for either machine depending on the user. Minelab GPX 6000 ($6499, Pulse) - The Minelab GPX 6000 is a new pulse induction model that is just now getting into end user hands. The GPX 6000 is exceptionally light and well balanced compared to previous Minelab models, and promises to set new standards for ease of operation. The GPX 6000 weighs 4.6 lbs. and has three coils available at launch, an 11" round mono, 14" round DD, and 17" elliptical mono. The detector has built in Bluetooth wireless headphone capability and quick release Li-Ion batteries. Steve's Opinion - Minelab beat Garrett to the punch in making a very ergonomic metal detector for the 21st century. The GPX 6000 is an excellent choice for gold prospectors, with out of box sensitivity on smaller gold that exceeds the Minelab GPZ 7000. Sadly, what should have been rave reviews by users, has been muted by persistent issues regarding bad coils and hardware based electrical interference. I admit I feel like I have a little egg on my face, as I raved about the GPX 6000 a lot when it came out since mine had none of the problems that far too many people have been experiencing. Regardless of that, I still think when it is running like it should, the GPX 6000 is a superb detector. The closest competitor is the Garrett Axiom for $2500 less. I do think the GPX 6000 retains a small performance edge over the Axiom but whether it is worth the 50% higher price will depend on the user. The more you use a nugget detector, the less the price difference matters. Minelab GPZ 7000 ($8999, ZVT) - The new Zero Voltage Transmission technology from Minelab takes gold prospecting to the next level. The new platform represents a break from the past SD/GP/GPX series in more ways than one, with a new weatherproof housing design based on the Minelab CTX 3030. The GPZ 7000 weighs 7.32 lbs. and comes with a waterproof 14" x 13" coil. There is one official accessory coil available at this time, plus one officially sanctioned aftermarket coil, but more are coming as I type. Brave souls can check out numerous hacked Russian coil options. Steve's Opinion - It's pretty simple. If you want the most powerful metal detector made for finding gold nuggets, get a Minelab GPZ 7000. The GPX 6000, Garrett Axiom, and even SDC 2300 can beat it out of box on the tiniest gold nuggets. But the 7000 will hit stuff plenty small, and more importantly, deliver the goods on the bread and butter gold that matter most to genuine prospectors who want to put weight in their pocket. The difference in small gold capability can be made up with options aftermarket coils, meeting or exceeding what the other models mentioned can do. Yes, it is heavy, and it is expensive, but most really serious gold prospectors are using the GPZ 7000 for a reason - when it comes to sheer performance, it's the best machine for the job. A Steve's Opinion summary - So maybe all the above is still too much information, too many choices. And you want to ask "what would you do Steve?" Well, I'm not trying to speak for anyone but myself, but here is my current thought on the situation. If you want a really great VLF nugget detector in 2024 at a great price the Nokta Gold Kruzer and XP ORX are standout values at under $600. Both are excellent VLF nugget machines and both can be used for more than just nugget detecting. The Gold Kruzer coming with two coils and being fully waterproof would be my choice. As far as PI goes for me it's either GPX 6000, or Garrett Axiom. If money is no object and you only ever intend to use the machine for nugget detecting, then the 6000 wins the day. For me I do more than just nugget hunt so I find the Axiom to be a better general purpose PI for my uses, even though I am giving up a small edge on small gold nuggets. If sheer power is all it's about, weight, price, nothing else matters, just performance, I still think a person has to go GPZ 7000. Yeah, for specific situations other machines might be better. Heck, a Gold Bug 2 might be better in the right spot! But overall, if I had to pay my bills with gold found, I'd be using a GPZ 7000. If I can offer one final word of advice, it would be to pay particular attention to what experienced nugget hunters are using in any particular region. Do not assume you are going to outsmart them, and find some model they have not already tried, and set aside, as less than optimum. Serious prospectors in any particular location will end up focusing on certain units that do the job. In areas of extreme mineralization this is usually a PI detector. In areas with less mineralization and lots of ferrous trash VLF units often are preferred. If you can discover what models the locals prefer, it will give you a head start in knowing what to use yourself. Above all, whatever detector you finally choose, dedicate yourself to mastering it. It takes at least 100 hours of detecting to become proficient with a detector model. Any less, and you are still practicing. Knowing your detector well is more important than what particular model of nugget detector you own. So there you are. Hopefully this helps some people out. I can be found daily on the Detector Prospector Forums and would be pleased to answer any questions you have on metal detecting and prospecting. Also check out Steve's Guide to Metal Detecting for Gold Nuggets. Sincerely, ~ Steve Herschbach Steve's Mining Journal Copyright © 2002 - 2024 Herschbach Enterprises - Please do not reuse or repost without my express permission.
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  22. This picture is 3 weeks old, I 'm waiting for a today update. My grandson discovered metal detecting "for treasure" on tv. He's watched countless videos of how to and getting big finds and then my son told him I used to detect. Next step, using my old Whites spectrum in the back yard....he keeps finding stuff I've missed after 15 yrs of "cleaning it out". This Christmas his parents and I got him a basic set up with all the tools; pin pointer, shovel and belt with a trash bag. I gotta work on his making a smaller hole and leaving no trace But, damn I'm proud of him.
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  23. Aah yes I wondered whether it was latency they were talking about with 5.0 as being twice as fast. Audio sites still rated standard Bluetooth at ~100-300ms whereas aptx LL is ~32ms. Latency is unavoidable unfortunately - even wired headphones can have up to ~15ms.
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  24. Apples and oranges - Bluetooth 5 has higher data transmission rates which just means it crams more audio information in the data stream resulting in better audio fidelity (not really something that makes a huge difference on the relatively narrow bandwidth associated with detector audio versus listening to high fidelity music) but that does not have anything to do with latency (other than the processing time associated with the higher data compression needed which tends to INCREASE latency/delay). But I totally agree with you that having a multitude of audio options/choices like they provided on Equinox is a good thing.
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  25. don't think we did not have an eye out for a big ole sun baker
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  26. Hey it’s only money..... it appears I’m May get more lol. It like detecting and digging up a deep target.... just have to know if it work lol
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  27. I was lucky, had a local Metal Supermarket nearby in Buffalo, NY and now here in Canada. In the actual store they also had bins with cut-offs.....................
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  28. Thanks You! Really it's not bad at all, I hate being wet and cold, one thing for sure... either of those and I would not be out during the winter. Market on old class rings...Just the melt value. Most are not in the best condition.
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  29. I wanted to try Park1 today with a higher Iron Bias setting at this park I find really deep dimes in. This is not the site the Walker came from where I have been finding most of my silver lately. That site is pure sand. This park is heavy clay. So in Park1 with iron bias low constant falsing on deep nails. Turn up the iron bias and no diggable deep signals I could find. Now this will have to be explored further at a later date when I have more time. Anyway being short on time I went back to Park2 re-GB'ed, iron bias F2-1, recovery 6. It seemed like immediately I started hitting a few deep Wheat cents. It took awhile but I did get over a deep silver dime signal. Before I dug this I should have tried it in Park1, but I didn't even think about it. It was not quite as deep as I normally dig them so it might not have been the best to compare Park1 and Park2 with.
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  30. I haven’t been able to get any information on the bottle. It looks super 1920s or 30s. I love it. It’s one of my favorite bottles we found. The deterioration on the metal cap looks like it’s about 100 years old so I think that’s probably an accurate age assessment. As far as the Makery goes, no idea. Haven’t been able to find anyone who recognizes it. I haven’t been able to get any information on the bottle. It looks super 1920s or 30s. I love it. It’s one of my favorite bottles we found. The deterioration on the metal cap looks like it’s about 100 years old so I think that’s probably an accurate age assessment. As far as the Makery goes, no idea. Haven’t been able to find anyone who recognizes it. Yes the pocket watch is super amazing. We think we might have stumbled upon a cabin that burned down because a lot of those personal artifacts were found in a space with a lot of ash in the soil and burned spots
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  31. Hello We head out most weekends for a little adventure whether it be prospecting, detecting, offroading or ??? Video attached sharing some of our experiences. Thanks and looking forward to seeing some of you in the field!!!! Will also post some cool photos later, from our last trip, found some cool old sluice boxes etc and equipment on the rivers edge.
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  32. Well done with the Gold price of Gold nowadays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RR
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  33. The only one you need is Chris Ralph's Fists full of gold. JMHO....
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  34. Hello to all and Happy New year it all started well as one the beach i hunt seems to have been cleaned of the loose sand by the recent storm,glad i could use my MDT after his minor repair .Did again some deep stuff ,the lamp bulb socket and the pyramidal lead where at 40/45 cm i tried to max out the machine and it was fun.As you can see lots of brass junk missed by others but i guess they did get the gold😃😃😆😆 Then the car gearbox decided it was time to die and the lockdown PART III started.... 😄😄😍🤣 Enjoy RR
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  35. To a degree. The point of my post is to cut through the BS, not to simply repeat what they are telling people. I’ll call out Nokta/Makro here as being a company that has been unusually transparent and honest with customers. They deserve a attaboy while the rest get a lump of coal. I do notice however that even with NM, the larger they get, the quieter things are. Most of the communication has been one person, and I doubt it lasts. We start out being dear customers for new companies, and end up being wallets to be drained when they get larger.
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  36. This is an important point. One I forgot to make in my previous response. You apparently are doing well with whatever settings you are using so don’t mess with success by over tweaking things. If my recommended iron bias setting doesn’t help (with falsing) or makes things worse, dial back to your previous settings.
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  37. Welcome, Michael! Dick Stout's webpage has clubs listed by state. These may be outdated but a good place to start: https://stoutstandards.wordpress.com/club-websites/
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  38. Great finds and nice rings for sure. I hope and wish you luck for your next hunt.
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  39. Well Joe. I like what you find. Toasty at high 30s ... you gotta be tough! A lot to be learned from that statement. What's the market like for old class rings? Is there a premium above the other jewelry? Are there collectors? Mitchel
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  40. Simultaneous Multi Freq just isn't as effective in bad ground as Pulse Induction is. I have used the Equinox in a few bad ground spots where other single frequency gold units struggle to work, and in all cases the Nox in multi was very impressive on the test targets, but start moving around and it is a different story. In most cases the Equinox ran better in 40 kHz and even more so in 20 kHz. But no harm having the Multi option there, because there would be many places it would (does) work very well. So yes, a Multi Monster would be awesome. Or should it be called the Equinox Gold?? I actually think a gold focussed Equinox would be the better option. Much easier to make, and all that would be required is a solid 7" elliptical coil and new software.
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  41. Both guys find a lot of silver normally. One guy is a stock program guy. The other tweaks his machines a lot. He runs his Etrac hot. Both used stock as well as larger than stock coils on this site. They swung over many of my targets and a few of the silver. They either could not hear them or when they could it was not a tone or numbers to lead them to dig. They both are for the most part tone hunters. When they tried to dig most of the time they were digging iron nails. I found so many Wheat cents I quit digging them unless I was getting numbers bordering into the silver range. They on the other hand only found a few. I run with Horseshoe button engaged all the time in 5 tones with bins set up to my liking. Soft sweet short beeps were the rule and the majority of my coins were over pinpointer deep. Some several inches deeper. My GB in Park1 was low teens to upper single digits. The site is large but most of the silver came from a pretty tight area of about 100'x100' and all three of us were back and forth across this area constantly. I found two quarters a SLQ and a Washington. Wheat pennies and dimes were the majority of the coins, but while running Park2 the first day I found 4 Jeffersons 1948 being the oldest and one Buffalo. Switching to Park1 lowered my nickel finds after that, but let me hear high conductors better I think. We also hunt another site where they both thought they had cleaned out all the silver. When I got my Equinox 800 I started finding deep silver dimes there. All Mercs, Wheats, and nickels, never any quarters. The depths I find these coins they had never dug coins there that deep. Here Park2 works best for me. Park1 seems to give me more iron falsing issues where I am constantly having to check falsing iron high tones . Park2 GB's in the 30's-40's there. It's heavy clay soil, not sand. Neither buddy can pull another silver from there and I have found at least 12, and two Mercs just recently. There is a fine line to dig or not dig at this place. I have gotten pretty good at knowing when to. Should Park2 be better in hotter soils? Does Park1 actually hit silver better? Would turning iron bias up in Park1 alleviate some falsing on deep iron without crippling hearing deep silver? My Iron Bias in F2 is usually left between 0-2. Mostly 0.
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  42. Two ripping answers from Chase that are worth reading again . If you are missing silvers with the Nox then you are doing something wrong . Many here in Aust. consider the Nox to be a silver slayer , in particular of small silvers like our 3 and 6 pence coins . My personal experience has been that anywhere that i have covered with other machines in the past , the Nox can find a little more . Have faith in your Nox , learn it's ways and you will do well .
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  43. Tony - welcome to the hobby and to the forum. I wouldn't say your lack of silver finds is coincidental - more like expected. You did manage a merc and copper and all the other targets (which are much harder to detect) suggest your machine is working fine. Silver does not just pop out of the ground at old home sites, especially nowadays. You see posters here with their 100+ silvers for the year etc. Usually, they are prolific hunters with probably 25 to 50 sites (schools, house sites, old ball fields, parks, etc.) and a lot of swing hours and they are the exception rather than the rule. So do not use that as a benchmark for whether your one site is productive or your detecting methods are sound. The thing is, most new detectorists do not stumble upon a site like your 1890's boarding house as a first-time visitor. That site has more than likely been hit by multiple detectorists over the years and silver, copper, and clad is the first thing that comes out of the ground as it is typically the easiest thing to hit with any vlf induction balance detector because it 1) has high conductivity and can be easily detected at depth and 2) it has relatively few junk targets that have ID's that fall in that range to compete with (even falsing iron). The fact that you dug a lot of older copper is promising - but it may be just a matter of those that got there before you cherry picked the certain silver signals. Gold and nickels on the other hand, compete with aluminum junk. Many folks give up on those targets after they have dug a couple pouchfuls of pull tabs and aluminum can slaw. You did really well to recover all those nickels. Coil coverage is also key. You need to be disciplined about covering every inch of ground you can with the center line of that coil. Just as in golf, a put will never make it into the hole if you don't give it enough momentum to move past the hole ("never up, never in"), you will never detect a buried target that you don't get the coil over. You are also still learning your machine, you will start to understand the nuances of iffy signals and how to coax a more definitive signal through coil control, interpretation of the audio as well as visual ID, use of different modes to interrogate the target etc. That will increase you keeper to trash ratio. If you are digging selectively right now, then you are doing a pretty good job especially with those nickels and the ring. Even if you are digging every repeatable signal, I would say you are doing great. At extreme depths, the Equinox will still hit on targets but soil mineralization and other effects may result in a ferrous ID. The only way you can see those targets is to hunt with no disc and dig all ferrous signals. You will also eventually learn how to exploit junky areas with the superior separation of the Equinox. That is where many keepers lie masked for years because detectorists did not have the detectors that could separate the keepers nor the patience or ability to clear out the junk. Regarding your detector setup - I would avoid straying too far from the defaults. The trade off on lowering recovery speed is more ground noise, but that is not noticeable when using normal discrimination settings. You really are not gaining so much in depth as being able to hear perhaps those edge on targets better that might otherwise give short clipped tones at higher recovery speeds. I prefer using F2 - it is very effective at the default of 6 keeping ferrous falsing in check and seems to have minimal adverse impact on separation and masking compared to FE based on testing Steve H. and others have done comparing F2 to FE. One trick up your sleeve if you want to go for sheer raw depth, is to try single frequency at 4 khz or 5 khz, especially if you encounter an iffy target. With the 800 you have the ability to store a "custom profile" that can be accessed with a single push of the user profile button. I like to store my target interrogation mode of choice in that slot. For example, you could store a single frequency (4 or 5 khz) Park 1 setup in the user profile slot while searching in Park 1 default multi. When you encounter an iffy signal, hit it with the custom single frequency program to see how the target responds. Single frequency can pull deep silver, especially on-edge silver, out of the muck. The drawback to single frequency is it tends to be subject to EMI (so be sure to do a noise cancel and ground balance on whatever custom mode profile you store in the user profile slot before you first use it at a new site) and is less forgiving of a non-optimized ground balance. Also, in single frequency, you lose the iron bias feature. It is for all these reasons that I tend to shy away from using single frequency as a primary search mode unless absolutely forced to do so. The key to more silver is really simply getting access to as many potential silver bearing sites as possible and spending a lot of time carefully gridding the site to ensure you covered every inch of ground or hit junky ground (iron infested sites and aluminum infested sites) that may be hiding shallow non-ferrous keepers. You have the tool in your hands to do it because their are few other detectors that can separate as well as Equinox. So - get more sites (location, location, location), continue to learn the language of your detector and what the settings do (but avoid the tendency to over tweak the settings - in other words you should have a good reason to stray from the defaults not tweaking for the sake of getting a different result), get as many swing hours as you can, be persistent, dig as many target hits as you can, and most of all, be patient. HTH
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  44. This topic was also discussed in the thread below. The bottom line was that even though Minelab's description of the multi frequency weighting was similar (i.e., both described as lower frequency weighted) we cannot conclusively say they are basically the same Multi IQ profile and behave the same (even if all the user settings were adjusted equivalently) without more detailed information from ML and they just are not willing to go into that level of depth regarding the DNA of MULTI IQ or even the various mode profiles probably for both marketing (mysterious "magic" or "secret sauce" processes backed up by marketing tech catch phrase terms used by most detector manufacturers like "DST" "vFLEX", "Multi-Flex" "Multi IQ" and "5Fx8" and vague or ambiguous pseudo tech speak and pretty diagrams seem to sell detectors) and competition (not wanting to give away the actual intellectual property to the competition).
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  45. Some nice shots!!!!!!!!,the little boy is going for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Snake remind me a similiar situation in the Amazon but that for another day... RR
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  46. That’s awesome, beautiful photo of the sunset and the local resident also! I think your son is going to remember the trip, it’s one of those types of lifetime memories that will mean a lot to him as an adult. Those early trips my family took us on when I was a kid sure got me hooked, and I’m sure he’ll pass it on and share similar adventures with his family as well.
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  47. Here’s a great site map of the Wiley Well collection area with the Hauser geode beds, and the old Colorado River Pebble Terrace in the book Desert Gem Trails by Mary Frances Strong. The 2nd edition of this book was published in 1971. If you can find it, get it. This is an excellent reference for many mineral collection sites in CA, NV and AZ. A lot of the field and road conditions have changed since this book was published, but it’s still a good research tool.
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  48. And some thought my release date on my book was long. Minelab has me beat by a mile, on every detector. I'm glad I'm not in the market for a new pulse induction detector. Though it would be nice to see what they come up with to top the 5000 & 7000.
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  49. Love the Monster and have learned to adjust to most of it's short comings. With that said....the improvement I'd really enjoy is a two tone machine so I don't have to spend as much time watching the screen. jmo
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  50. Perhaps when Randy said "a more powerful battery" he was wanting a higher capacity battery, with longer run-time ? While the battery life on the EQX is fine for most folks, there are definitely some who would want twice the existing run-time.
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