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Showing content with the highest reputation on 02/20/2021 in all areas

  1. I got out today for about 4 hours. A couple of old locals told me of an area near a WW2 air field that had civilian housing when the base was in use. During the 50's the county rented the cottage bungalows out. Small wood structures that were built on pier blocks. They were sold off and taken down by the early 60's. Looks to me to be a 10-12 acre area that had maybe 60 small units. Lots of junk but the area has not been razed. Looks like I have a new area to fiddle around at.
    11 points
  2. Norvic asked why I was so proud of a VLF when I own and have posted much success with the other higher end detectors. It was my post on rating the higher end Minelabs....so here goes. There are many factors to my craze and style of detecting, but my finds are the facts and not many people can compare, unless they too use the tools (detector) and hunt the style I do. I consider myself a gold hawg or gold pig. I chase it all in terrains flat or tall. Terrain - I live in the Northwestern state of Idaho and much of my detecting in the surround state of ID., is Oregon, Nevada and occasional Montana. For the most part, OR, MT and ID are pretty much the same with steep terrain mountainous rough country. A day of electronic prosecting and hiking in such states, is much harder on the body for a guy my age, heck it’s harder for anyone. Going to Arizona, Rye Patch and other Northern Nevada high desert areas is a treat for my body in more ways than one. Maybe that is why so many people detect there? It’s easy to drive and get to without walking…boy are most of us lazy? YES, including me at times, but not in my home state (backyard where I play). The ID, OR, MT mountains have steep ravines/canyons and the water is at the lowest point. Here is the many miles of hand placer workings, dredge tailing and hardrock mining ore dump piles. The gold I am chasing is the stuff the old timers missed. Pic below - This huge ore dump pile produced a few thousand dollars in Specimens. This is the not so steep side and we had to tie off with ropes on the other side. Half the targets would roll down the hill and need to be found during a break when we were at the bottom. The PI's can't see this time of gold. Trash - Trash is my treasure in a way.. as I know the site has not been hunted as hard. Trash is what most detectorists hate, and I too get that way on occasion, but I know if I'm patient, I'll eventually be rewarded. A big factor I run into is 100 to 150 yr old man made trash from the early prospectors. They left much of it on the hill, in the placer digs and tailing piles. Many of the small mining camps were right on or near their diggings and they just tossed the old food cans, tobacco/coffee tins and worn out leather boots with hundreds of nails and broken, picks/ax heads shovels aside. Pic below- In old tailing piles a lighter, faster, better ID detector is best. He who digs the most non ferrous targets in a day, get to smile all the way home. Pic below- is the 1 pound specimen after cleanup. Tools – Know your detector, its limitations, strong and weak points. Bigger deeper detector is great in flat terrain and areas with limited trash. Raw depth and power is amazing to have, when the target you dig a foot or so deep is not a sardine can. How about a shovel head at 2 feet or more? Think about it and what you do when digging 5 or 6 of those an hour with your big deep penetrating detector. What does your body have left in the tank? My lighter VLF is easier to swing in rough terrain, has better Iron and Target ID, is not as deep or powerful in trashy sites. It saves me time from digging unknown iron targets, it saves me energy from digging deep holes, it saves me energy from having to pack around a bigger bulky detector. The proper detector for the site is a must and in many cases my lighter, faster, better target Identification, sub $1000 investment is the right tool. Pic below - This golden oreo was recovered in old hand placer workings with my VLF. Having what I consider the best identification VLF gold detector on the market saves me time. Pic below - It was recovered at 16" with Minelab EQ-15" coil. Yes I'll be going back over this area with the new CoilTek NOX 15" round as it is even deeper. Gold Knowledge- This is confusing to so many people as they think gold is gold. Yes I too used to think the same way. Luckily I hunt a variety of gold producing locations and sites I like to detect and learn from. My many years of comparing/testing detectors at such sites has given my staff and I an understanding of gold, its characters, density and how the elusive Au responds to the varying detector models from the different manufactures. Many of the nugget photos being shared on social media in years past were dense solid gold pieces and they are beauties. That’s what the detector could easily respond to. In more recent years, the sizes of the nuggets became smaller and we started reading about and seeing some nice specimens. The newer GPX detectors with their advanced tuning and soil timings (Fine Gold) would outperform their older brothers (SD/GP’s) on smaller and courser gold, so when get to make more of those finds and share them. Most recent years has us using SDC-2300 and GPZ-7000’s. Again, the gold gets smaller and the amount of crystalline gold, wire gold, salt/pepper specimens are being unearthed with these detectors supersedes that of their older brothers the GPX series. Pic below - This softball sized specimen was found with a VLF and has multi ounces of gold. VLF picks it up deeper than many bigger detectors. Pic below - This beautiful 3" long quartz and gold specimen came from a trashy ore dump pile with a VLF. Pic blow- These quartz cocoon wire gold specimens bring a premium and come out of hard rock ore dump piles. Pic Below - The PI's don't see these rare pieces, the 7000 barley does on a select few. Pic below - I have a feeling the extra sensitivity of the new GPX-6000 will do even better. Proof – The facts are in the vault at the bank. I own beautiful specimens pieces recovered with detectors and have tested many on a variety of detectors. I have gold finds that are multi ounce pieces and they contain 2 or 3 ounces of gold in them, but for some reason an SD or GP don’t see them, even less than an inch. I also have such pieces my GPX 5000 does not see, but my GPZ-7000 does. What is most amazing, is I have pieces of gold with multi ounces of metal and even the ZED has issues or can barely respond an inch or two away. If this is the case, then why do I have these find gold pieces of art? I’ve taken the time to test and learn my detector tools and have found a certain trusty VLF sees them all, can ID them all, is lighter in weight and so I get to hunt longer, saves me energy since I don’t dig as deep for unwanted targets. Pic below - This specimen came from dredge tailing and the speckled pieces like this get missed by most PI's. Pic below- Over $800 in gold in this 3 ounce specimen and my VLF does better than my GPX-5000 and my SDC-2300. The SDC goes deeper than the GPX. You better know your gold and your detectors capabilities or lack of. Pic below - This 3 ounce specimen was found in trashy hand workings. I actually had a GPZ-7000 here for a couple hours and gave up because of the amount of item trash. A GPX-5000 with DD coil run with DISC mode would be better than my GPZ, but then again my NOX does even better. Better target identification of my NOX, is most important at the site this 3+ oz'er came from. GPX-6000 – A new tool and one that has Gerry very very excited. Now we are about to get a revolution of Geo Sensing Technology with PI power and capabilities for a wider variety of gold textures, densities, characters and sizes. Minelab (and their track record) is even telling us some of such capabilities and so I and a few of the guys who do not like to miss gold, are getting ourselves prepared, getting our old sites, lined up and making sure we are going to take advantage of the stragglers. Remember when the SDC-2300 and GPZ-7000 came out and all the slow response from the majority. You folks missed the opportunity of a lot of gold. My guys and I were killing it in NV and AZ on those so called worked out sites. Was it a gamble to spend that kind of money? If that’s what you love/enjoy and if you have a good track record with Minelab, it’s bet I’ll take most every time. I don’t lose detector bets very often. Pic below- This stunning collectible specimen was found by my brother with his SDC-2300. It came from a place he had previous hunted and found gold with his GPX-5000. The 5000 does not even whisper on it. Minelab claims the GPX-6000 is more sensitive than the SDC-2300 & GPZ-7000. I can't wait to use the GPX-6000 at the site and many others. Hopefully this story and the pics I shared will help educate some of you on how the different detector technologies produce more gold. I realize it's hard to put down your old reliable detector as it has probably and hopefully served you well. If your sites are getting thin of targets and or gold, just maybe a new detector can put the smile back on your face? I'll go back to this simple statement I have said below in other posts and it is the absolute truth. You can't find what your detector don't see. PS - I’ll be honest though, for me it’s the lighter weight, better ergonomics, not being tethered in a harness and User Friendly that has me sold. The extra gold my new GPX-6000 is going to find, is a bonus. PPS – I’m just as eager to test the GPX-6000 with some of my gold and see how much better/worse it does than my GPX, SDC and GPZ. (I'm educating myself). PPPS – I still feel there will be a place for my VLF, as it’s lighter, and have better target ID. See you in the gold field, where the most knowledge is learned. Or speed it up with our 3 days Field Training at www.gerrysdetectors.com Happy Hunting. Gerry
    9 points
  3. I got out 3 times and was able to snag some decent targets. This hunt was done at the rocky beach I frequent during winter. There were lots of targets, more than I could dig in one hunt. I got about $8 in clad. The first row is all the good jewelry, one small 14k (.73g), and the rest Silver. The second row of rings are all junkers. This second hunt netted about $12 in clad and a small/light broken 14k pendant. The last hunt wasn’t all that great but I somehow managed to get a gold tooth that weighs 3.6g. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Hunting.
    6 points
  4. Got 2 more Phoenix buttons yesterday. Brian ("cal cobra") and I got out to one of our "backpocket sites" . This site has given up reales, early seateds, and 2 gold coins over the years. It is now super pounded and stingy. But we went to ply our luck yet again , looking for more stragglers 🙂 Here's a small #30, and a large # 27. Also a pix of the other age indicators I got. Eg.: Green blacksmithed copper slag, etc... Hopefully Brian will chime in with his finds. How many phoenix buttons did you get Brian ? 🤔 🤣 We love finding these. They've sort of become a "sport unto themselves", and value has become secondary these days (it's SO niche, that not many ever get bought and sold these days). Here's info. about these buttons for anyone who's curious.: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_buttons https://www.jstor.org/stable/25616604?seq=1
    6 points
  5. Welcome Bob, Much great advice above, so i won't repeat that part! I will advise you to leave enough room in your budget for whatever accessories you may need for the type of hunting you decide on! I would leave at least a couple hundred out for those items! When you get the other stuff decided, we can also help you out with the accessories! If you have never detected before, your detector selection wil be of particular importance! In other words, don't overspend on too advanced a machine, equipment, etc... until you know how you are going to like the hobby! Depending where your located, there may be a dealer where you can test drive a unit, and get lessons! Also club's are a great source, if you join, or tag along initially! Educate yourself, talk to good dealers, and don't rush, or be rush into over buying! You can also find good used detectors with extras, for good prices! Something to consider! Beware of counterfeit detecting equipment from unknown internet sources! Good Luck! Glad you found your way here! Let the education begin!!👍👍
    6 points
  6. They need to start keeping up, for being a "breaking news" type site they are well behind. I posted the link to those pictures over a week ago here. The 14 chips they are asking about are probably to encode/decode various channels (these channels are discussed in the patent). Remember the old analog cable TV that had 120 channels going through one wire on one signal? Similar concept. The detector appears to be based around an FPGA, which are pretty cool scifi like devices to me even now. You can reconfigure hardware to become whatever you want it to be, via programming a chip. The Microsemi's have a lot of security built in and it's doubtful anyone will be able to replicate the 6000. It's like basically either crack major unbreakable encryption, or cut the chip up and scan it with an ion beam to try to replicate it, good luck. That's probably why they haven't bothered to obscure any of their circuitry this go around. But to me, that board also shows that us needing to pay more $$ for "IP theft" may no longer be a particularly valid reason for arbitrarily high prices on this particular machine.
    6 points
  7. Gerry, Your backyard and my backyard are pretty much the same terrain wise. Have the same experience with how a PI and the VLF respond to the type of gold specimens I find. Very interested on your reports on how the GPX-6000 responds to the different type of gold specimens you have. Those quartz cocoon gold specimens are outstanding! Working on some gold specimens now and will have a write up on how they were cleaned. Randy Smith of Treasure Electronics who was our distributor at the time: My wife on a steep tailing pile:
    6 points
  8. Thanks to James Beatty for mentioning this Russian site that shows pictures of the 6000"s internal circuit board. https://md-arena.com/razborka-minelab-gpx-6000-chto-vnutri-ochen-dorogoj-novinki/?fbclid=IwAR2q9Cll560LUXoC0arxPr8zDALHI-5LLDM0S5zCeLUJYs--_d9KraNCIq0 I was reading the comments (translated) and noticed that Steve and his comrads are held in high regards in Russia as well.🙂 Quote: The circuitry of this device and me, too, "amazed to the core"! Made "very good" (really good, no kidding!), BUT why done - absolutely incomprehensible! (SIXTEEN (!) IMPAD / Pirates "In one bottle" !!! IT'S COOL !!!) It will be interesting to know what The "result" of using this technology in real search? I think that Steve Hershbach "and his comrades" will discuss this device and will experience "the full program" - this is their "theme".
    5 points
  9. First time I’ve seen comparative market numbers. Edited Transcript of CDA.AX earnings conference call or presentation 18-Feb-21 12:01am GMT ”The star of the show again has been Minelab. Minelab has shown exceptional growth.” ”...we spend a significant amount of money each year developing new products to develop unique and protectable IP. That strategy has been absolutely sensational for us over the last 3 or 4 years and I think, marked by the performance in Minelab. Minelab, if we go back 3 years ago, was really heavily dependent on gold with 1 product into 3 African markets. Today, we have a product lineup that is much, much more significant. So we have 3 major gold platforms selling into dozens of countries in Africa and around the world. With respect to our consumer business, I think I've been quoted previously as saying that the consumer business over time, we think, has the potential to overtake our gold business. And you can see some signs of that happening already. If you go back 3 years, we were doing about between $2 million and $3 million a month in consumer. By making the massive investment that we've made over the last 3 to 5 years, we now have world-leading products at every price category in the consumer market. And our consumer business is now a circa $8 million to $10 million a month business. So significant growth in the last 3 years, which has really helped offset some of the perceived risks that the market had around gold. So we have a much, much more balanced portfolio and we're seeing the benefits of that now in a much, much more stable and growing Metal Detection business.” “The GPZ -- GPX 6000, rather, is a brand-new product that will be revolutionary, we believe, in high-end gold detecting. It's a product that's been purpose-built for the African market. It's plug and play. It's simple to use, lightweight, collapsible, waterproof and at a price point that sits below the GPZ but is still very attractive for us. We will launch that product -- we have launched that product, that we will see meaningful volume come through in Q4.” “We continue to invest at record levels in our business. We've got more engineers than ever before. Some of the slight reduction in dollar value of spend in this half was really just due to the timing of our projects and not having as much external cost in our business over the half year. But still investing at very strong levels and have quite a strong pipeline of projects about to come to the market like the GPX 6000 that's Donald mentioned.” ”Look, just firstly, on metal detection. You mentioned during the call that recreational is now an $8 million to $10 million a month business for you. But roughly what sort of global market share do you think that now implies for Codan in recreational? And has there been any competitive responses worth noting over the last sort of 6 to 12 months since you launched products such as the VANQUISH? Good question, Ronan. I think we -- I think in the last call, we spent some time trying to educate the market that we weren't the biggest in the consumer space at that time. I think, Garrett, we believe, were bigger than us. They had a bigger share, particularly in America. I think we are fast-changing that market share dynamic. So at $12 million for last month, we know that we'd be #1 in the market now and we would have the biggest share. But that still wouldn't give us what I would call a monopolistic position. It's certainly not as strong as our gold position, which we estimate at between 80% and 90% share. We're probably moving towards closer to 50%. So we're probably coming up from 35% to 50% would be the latest information we have. The objective is to try and keep play into some of our competitors with some of the new product releases that we have coming and try and get up towards the 60%, 70% as time goes on over the next couple of years. I think it's been difficult for people to respond. I think we saw Garrett come out with a product to respond to the VANQUISH and they quickly almost withdrawn it from the market to rehash it because it just hasn't been successful. So people are now panicking. I think they're trying to do things with their products that the architecture of the design just won't allow. So we've taken comparative products in-house. We've looked at their intents at multifrequency, and quite frankly, the physics don't stack up. So they would have to go and completely reengineer their platforms in order to compete with products like EQUINOX and VANQUISH, which we don't expect them to be able to do. So we've kind of got them on the run.”
    5 points
  10. Hey Jasong. If that is the same area you were detecting, I and my wife have been prospecting that area since 1985. I, my wife and father were fortunate to meet Walston (Tim) Queen who had been prospecting in that are since the 1940's and he found some very nice wire and leaf gold specimens over the years. Tim was very generous with his knowledge of the area and we have been very productive because of it. Unfortunately Tim passed away in 1988 and never saw what we were rewarded with the wire and leaf gold specimens that we found with detectors starting in 1990. Somehow maybe he is looking down grinning and guiding us to the next specimen. Good times and memories! Walston (Tim) Queen Me, my father and Tim with a highbanker:
    5 points
  11. Heck I was all excited until I got to their page. Spent the better part of an hour to get through the 1st paragraph and still confused. Their spelling sucks...😆 Guess I'll stick with the finished product when it arrives. Interesting to see someone would take one apart already. Maybe I could trade some good Vodka for their unit?😉 Either way, it is nice to know some on here DP are worth listening to.
    5 points
  12. Detectors are tools, and in the same way you dont want a crescent wrench to tighten a Phillips head screw, if you are tightening a bolt you dont want a screwdriver. VLFs are better choices for hard rock mine dumps, no question about it. On the other hand if I am detecting highly mineralized ground with deep gold, I am going to want a PI or the GPZ. No matter the work, you want to be using the right tool for the job. Here is some Nevada hard rock gold I detected with a VLF...
    5 points
  13. On ya Gerry, so different our ways to get that weight, with your permission maybe we should call our styles "evolution style", you and as Jeff has shown have evolved to hunt in the environment you have in your respective backyards. My backyard is similar in terrain but I have learnt to hunt for virgin patches well away from old mining in country no wheeled vehicle can traverse, shanks's pony is the only transport. My backyard has some spread out reef/lode mining and very little alluvial, patches are usually on slopes very few in creeks or gullies although sometimes the initial pieces that lead to those slopes are found in the creeks and sometimes by "electronic" loaming likely slopes. It is years in between times I run across other prospectors out there, most are as you say too lazy and only venture as far as wheeled transport will take them. That 6000 might be the detector that encroaches into our evolution style of mining. Many thanks for your detailed post, may many more illustrate their style in your thread.
    5 points
  14. I started detecting in the late 70s. I had a Whites 5000D and then a Whites 6DB that I found first gold with. Then went to Garrett. Big mistake I did find gold but not as much as with the Whites. I have had Fishers, and many more but nothing compared to when I got my GP Extreme. I found gold left right and centre. It was finickity and noisy but it worked. I sent it for stability repairs once and then traded on a 3000 and later on a 4000. Lovely machines in their time. Sadly my back has let me down and after a couple of ops I'm not sure I will be able to hunt again. Sold my machines but I have a couple of cheapies still. Another possible op coming up so I will see how that pans out. I have some good spots I want to go over with a 7000 as I know there is deeper gold there. I found some nice ones. Hope nobody finds my spots meantime LOL This lighter new 6000 has perked my interest. Maybe just what I need.
    4 points
  15. Ha ha. I remember that one. Yellow beanie cap dude talking about Michael Jordan with the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car (presuming it was targeted at a US audience - figured they could have sprung for an American variant of an F-150, at least that would have resonated more credibly with the target audience ). But I don't think they panicked as much as used their vast resources to go for the jugular as any ruthless market leader worth their salt would do. Take nothing for granted. Unlike the actors in the truck, Minelab is not fooling around. World domination of the detector market is their goal. But frankly, I found the message to be laughable not just from the production but from the assertion via the message that the Ace Apex is some sort of complex machine with excessive bells and whistles. C'mon. Even compared to the Vanquish it is pretty straight forward and I don't think it contains any unnecessary fluff. In fact, I would have to think hard about taking the Vanquish over the Apex, quite frankly, based on the feature set. If for nothing else, at least you can ground balance the Apex and operate it in single frequency when appropriate. Plus, it just looks better. ML as the client also lacks self-awareness. I wonder if ML realizes that the angle the ad agency chose to pursue via Apex also directly applies to the Equinox. Does that mean ML considers Equinox users to be gadget-obsessed doofuses and the Equinox is overly complex and bloated? I think not. But one could read that into it. Mineleab is indeed ruthless from a business standpoint and they have the engineering chops bar none, but jeez, their marketing team needs up their game and actually get to know their intended audience. Get a clue.
    4 points
  16. Welcome Bob!!! I think we all can point you in the right direction. lots of good machines out there. Minelab, Nokta Makro, XP the list goes on. I'm a big fan of Nokta, and and run a multi Kruzer most of the time. Just give us the fine points of what you mainly want to hunt for. Your price point will cover a magnitude of great detectors to help you with your new found hobby. I wish you the best of luck with your decision. Bottom line is I'm just glad that you joined the DP team.
    4 points
  17. This is our "theme" indeed!...Right comrades? 😁
    4 points
  18. The photos are from the “internal photos” document posted here. Since every page of that document is clearly marked “this document shall not be reproduced, except in full,” I’ve been linking to the source, rather than copying the photos, as was done on the Russian website.
    4 points
  19. I should also mention that Steve Herschbach... the owner of this site, has an amazing detector review area on this site... check it out, all the specs and technical info you will ever need, and his honest opinion on most detectors. https://www.detectorprospector.com/metal-detector-database/
    4 points
  20. Great advice from previous posters. Great hobby for you to pursue from what you described as your background because it allows you to get outdoors, get some exercise, meet new and interesting people, and find some cool stuff. Here's my advice and things you should consider: Equipment: As mentioned previously - decide what aspect of the hobby you want to pursue. It is a multifaceted hobby with a myriad of pursuits and your choice will determine the equipment you will need to acquire and where you can actually pursue the hobby. For example - dry beach hunting you just need a basic detector, sand scoop, and a finds pouch and you are good to go (some use a small pinpointer detector too, but the sand scoop usually captures the object such that it ends up in the bottom of the scoop once you let the sand sift out). If you want to go in the water, you will need more robust equipment including a heavy duty wet sand/water scoop, salt vs. freshwater is another consideration (salt degrades equipment and affects how a detector operates, it kind of narrows down your optimal choice of detector), and you will be exerting yourself more because of water including making it harder to swing the coil. Park and field hunting for coins and jewelry requires a different set of accessories, including a hand digger or probe, perhaps a small shovel, a pinpointer to find the object in the hole or plug, the requisite technique to ensure your recovery method does not damage the turf, perhaps kneepads, finds pouch and a means to carry your hand-held equipment (utility or tool belt or carpenter's apron). As you can see it can get complicated fast and the accessories will start to add up, so factor that into your budget. Since you may not exactly know what type of detecting will be of most interest to you I advise you get the most versatile detector that fits within your budget. The Equinox 600 would be my number one recommendation for you even though that is on the high end of the cost spectrum for starting out at around $650. I caution new detectorists not to invest too heavily at the start because once the realities of the hobby become apparent, you will find it is a lot different than portrayed in the heavily edited videos of the youtube "influencers". More on that later. Other good, affordable bets are the Minelab Vanquish, the Nokta Simplex, and the Garrett Ace Apex - still, none of those detectors approach the overall versatility of Equinox 600. For example, the Vanquish lacks ground balance control, water submergibility (though it is weather resistant), and single frequency options, the Nokta Simplex is limited to a single operating frequency and because it packs a lot of features into the mix, I think it is a little less intuitive to operate for the beginner, the Apex is a new kid on the block but it's overall performance struggles to meet that of the Equinox and it is also not submersible (but is weather resistant). Also, I must say that I disagree with a previous comment implying the Equinox is too complicated for the beginning detectorist. Either the Equinox 600 or 800 is really set up to be operated right out of the box without any tweaking whatsoever. The default settings so well thought out that you can turn it on, put it in Park 1 mode and swing away and have success. You will not be disappointed and if you want to delve into the finer aspects of tweaking the settings, you can do that too as you become more proficient and the machine will grow with your abilities. Yeah, I am a fan of that machine for beginner to expert provided the purchaser can afford the machine within their budget. It is the pinnacle of detector value (performance per cost) without being the most or least expensive machine around. People and Resources: Join a good detecting forum from which you can solicit advice and ask questions (you can check that off your list now). Consider joining a local detecting club - there are many advantages to doing this. First you will meet like minded hobbyists with similar interests. They are also a tremendous resource for teaching detecting skills, gaining hands on knowledge of range of equipment, and, perhaps most importantly, they are a likely resource to finding places you can actually detect. One of the greatest impediments to enjoying this hobby is gaining access to sites where you can actually swing the detector besides your back yard. Public beaches usually (but not always) allow access to detectorists without other constraints. That is not necessarily true of other public areas such as parks, ball fields, or public historic sites (strictly prohibited) - which typically significantly limit or prohibit access to detectorists or limit how targets can be recovered. Some require significant finds to be turned into the park authorities or only limit recovery to modern coins. Practically all require you to leave no trace of your target recoveries. You need to educate yourself on the local rules, ordinances, types of people who hang out where you are detecting, and obey the signage. You don't want to get into a situation where you are accused of trespassing, destroying public property, or become the victim of a crime of opportunity. You always want to keep a low profile and try not to draw attention to yourself at all times. You may find that your access to public detecting areas to be very limited as a result. This means you may need to do some door knocking to gain permission to private property. You can do research and figure out old properties or farms that are located in historic areas and then followup with the land owners. There is a whole social engineering aspect to how you approach people to successfully gain permission. Search the forum for those nuggets. Look for group hunts, club hunts, detecting classes, or organized detecting trips such as to the UK to expand your ability gain access to sites. There are a whole lot of different types of these hunts, including seeded hunts where targets or tokens are planted in the field and contest hunts where you try to recovery as many seeded targets as you can within a certain time frame as you compete against others in the same site. Find a reputable dealer and shop around. Don't settle for MSRP or print advertised prices. Stay away from the big box dealers if you really want to find a deal on a detector. You want a dealer who gives you trusted personal service and advice. Someone who is willing to cut you a deal on a new detector because they want to earn your long term business. There are a number of reputable dealers who frequent this site and others who are out there. Use the internet shop around and make some phone calls. Ask about specific dealers here and you will likely find someone who has dealt with them and can give you advice as to whether they can be trusted. Set Your Expectations Appropriately Metal detecting is fun and the enjoyable aspects of the hobby go well beyond simply digging treasure. Once you realize that you will dig much, much more trash then treasure but can still enjoy the day, take in the sights, and share the good times with friends, then you will know the hobby is for you. If you find learning the detector to be frustrating or get really grumpy about digging a fifty pull tabs and bottlecaps with nothing else to show for it save for a few zinc pennies, or you can't seem to find something outside your backyard to swing the detector because you can't sweet talk your way onto a new permission, then maybe it is not your cup of tea. And that is ok. It is for this reason, that I say, go slow and don't make a huge investment until you have confirmed you have caught the detecting bug. Good luck, welcome to the site, and hoping you get the detecting bug and enjoy it as much as the rest of us.
    3 points
  21. THGT said something similar two years ago when I got booted from his original forum just for bringing up Quest detectors in a topic. Quest has continued to produce several models of new and improved detectors. What has First Texas given us since that time and promising four new detectors each year which by now should be more like 8 new detectors=a rebadged F19 with a nice new blue label and an old name.......Time Ranger Pro along with promises for a PI that appears to be way overpriced. I continue to hope and continue to be disappointed.
    3 points
  22. I imagine that would be my focus as well if I lived near gold bearing ground. However, that is not the case for me. Your argument is interesting however. I spent a lot of time working some lots and gridding an area of a park to find silver coins and found a few. And in the process, about $40-45 worth of clad. If I had put the time in to finding clad, it would certainly have added up to way more than the value of those silver coins I found. Heck, the $40-45 worth of clad were worth more. I also spent hours digging pull tabs and aluminum hoping to find more gold rings. I found one 10k woman’s ring, probably worth more than the clad. I guess if it was all about the money, I would have kept myself from spending a couple thousand dollars in detectors and spent the time working any job and been ahead. Finding each coin and gold ring was a rush every time however. I don’t get that kind if rush at work. I imagine finding gold is a rush too.
    3 points
  23. We can all see that the various critical components are now code and software driven, negating any need for white masking paint. I would hope that ML has far better cyber security than it was several years ago when the Chinese hacked them so easily. Coz the codes are now the crucial factor, not the hardware. Currently published info doesn't mention MPS as being part of the operating system which is ML's multi channel PI patent. But, it simply HAS to be part and parcel of the Geo-sense system, otherwise it cannot be able to simultaneously detect both small and large targets. Previous MPS use in the 4500 and 5000 was still only dual channel, so I anticipate that with far better hardware now in the 6000, we'll see 3 or 4 channels being used. Maybe the '3 filters' use a separate channel for each one?
    3 points
  24. https://www.icmj.com/magazine/article/detectors-past-present-and-future-3466/ https://www.detectorprospector.com/magazine/steves-reviews/metal-detector-technical-specification-notes/ https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/1424-vlf-detectors-and-depth/ https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/3193-selectable-frequency-and-multiple-frequency/ https://www.treasurelinx.com/home1.html https://www.detectorprospector.com/magazine/steves-guides/steves-guides/ More here: https://www.detectorprospector.com/magazine/steves-guides/metal-detecting-and-prospecting-library/ Especially these two: How Metal Detectors Work by Mark Rowan & William Lahr - Originally published by White's Electronics as a booklet P/N 621-0395. Basic but rather technical information on how induction balance and pulse induction metal detectors work. Metal Detector Basics and Theory by Bruce Candy - Bruce is a co-founder of Minelab and the man behind their most advanced designs. This information delves into much greater detail than the above link and has many more illustrations and diagrams. Before Carl Moreland was Engineering Manager at White's Electronics (and now First Texas), he created a website that has more technical information on metal detectors than any I know of. The Geotech website has lots of interesting stuff and in particular it has a lot of "build your own" metal detector projects for the electronically minded. I have never done this myself but if you were ever curious about what makes detectors tick a lot can be learned here. Projects http://www.geotech1.com/cgi-bin/pages/common/index.pl?page=metdet&file=projects.dat Info http://www.geotech1.com/cgi-bin/pages/common/index.pl?page=metdet&file=info.dat George Overton & Carl Moreland, co-admins for the Geotech web site, also wrote the new book, Inside the Metal Detector. This is not another "how to use a metal detector" but rather a look inside to the operating principles and electronics that make a detector work. Inside the Metal Detector explains theory and offers numerous experiments and projects that demonstrate the theory. You can build an off-resonance pinpointer, a GEB-discriminator, and a microprocessor-controlled PI detector. Even if you're not inclined to build a detector, the concepts learned from ITMD will help you better understand how your own detector works and what all those controls are really doing. The book can be purchased in paperback or Kindle versions on Amazon
    3 points
  25. I’ve owned a lot of detectors over the years, Whites Vsat, Garret Infinium, Gold Bug II, Nokta etc etc and have used a lot of the others. But in Australia I can make a good living with ML machines and every machine that has come out has easily paid for itself as well as paid me to use it. The ML machines I did not like over the years was the GPX 4000 because it lacked SETA, its only saving grace was the Sensitive Smoothing timings in noisy ground, the GP extreme and GP 3000 because of their too fast ground tracking (in homogeneous soils they could track out a deep target before you even heard it) and the XT 18000 which did not do a very good job of the 60Khz and 20 was not much better, the XT 17000 was a far far better VLF and I used that professionally for a number of years. For me I feel I’ve been waiting my whole career for ZVT. In its current guise, even with the weight, I feel the GPZ could happily see me through to retirement. Now that there are more coil choices, and yes I include the X coils in this because if I was full time detecting I would definitely be using them as a tool to increase my chances because the risk is of little consequence when looking at the bigger picture from my personal perspective (this includes the price of the detectors as I have 2 or more GPZ’s for redundancy and backup anyway). The 6000 would definitely be part of my arsenal of equipment just based on the material that has been officially released, but then double down on that because of what I know.💲🥰😇 With a high gold price and plenty of opportunities to target areas I’ve collated over the years it will be a very good bread a new butter machine as I get older or for frequenting the more mountainous Terrain. For me Minelab and there continuation of investing money into R&D is a little like having a really good retirement fund, it gives me a feeling of security in the future because I know I will never be broke. I cast my mind back on what it was like 10 years ago and look at what I can easily do today, to get bored with the ease of pinging a piece of gold in flogged ground speaks volumes for how far technology has come. JP
    3 points
  26. Hello, I was in search for a hobby That takes me outside. I was a rock climber, kayaker, backpacker, Ect...... Bu know at 50 I had a heart attack, and a bad back so a lot of the extreme sports are done. Living near The great Lakes and spending a lot of time in/on/ and near them might be a good place to spend a day metal detecting. I was wondering if anyone has the time to share what is a good detector for around 1000.00-1500.00, All the reviews I have seen so far are trying to sell me something. So un-biased reviews and thoughts would be great. I would like to buy something that I would not have to upgrade for a while. But I know nothing about the brands, or coils, ect... Minlab seems to have a big following but I do not know if it is just hype. Thank You
    2 points
  27. We out a couple of days ago and as usual found something strange. I believe it is a "replica" or "counterfeit" Draped Bust Silver Dollar. When it came out of the surf it was just a rusty disc. I was going to just toss it but my ole hunting buddy talked me into cleaning it up a bit out of curiosity. It is the same diameter as a silver dollar. It only weighs 12.6 grams. It does have a reeded edge. I could make out part of UNITED STATES but the font was larger than a regular silver dollar. It appeared to have a shield with eagle wings on the reverse. I could make out a lady facing to the right. And 17?? for the date. Attached are some pictures for your viewing pleasure. Note: not sure why the pictures are upside down and sideway.
    2 points
  28. My buddy, and member of this forum FlySAR has been providing ring finding service for years in the Portland Metro Area. As I learned many ropes from him, I became the RingFinder rep for the Olympia WA area before my move to Houston. Below is the link to a video posted by the Oregonian On-line newspaper on one of his ring finds. I hope you enjoy the ending as much as I did... Congrats Del, I'm humbled and honored to call you my friend.
    2 points
  29. Today I went out to the farm instead of the steamboat landing. It was cold, never got above 35, but the ground here still hasn't frozen. Never really does on average. Ground balanced the Equinox for the first time, it was acting kind of squirrelly today for some reason. Highest Id goes to the strange round fitting, it was a 32! Tapered screw threads on the inside, I'm thinking compression fitting of some sort. I think I broke the old dog tag but found all the pieces. I've been pretty lucky not breaking stuff, don't know what happened. The large piece at the top ID'd at 25, the copper nail was a 9 at first but was a 15 out of the ground. Not sure what caliber the bullet is but it looks like a match bullet. One of the longest I've seen. D buckle is silverplated, found the most fragile buckle yet, dug a thimble, and two buttons, one I think is pewter and the other says "STANDARD COLOUR GILT". It's an old one with an alpha shank. Musket ball, and some tiny bits that ID'd high, the smallest bit was a 22. Oh yeah, and the small coin on left bottom is a Half Real 😎, second one I've found in this field. It has no identifying marks save for one letter on one side but it's non ferrous and weighs exactly the same and is the same size as the one I dug previously. It has a hole to keep it on a thread or ribbon, or to sew it in clothing. Great day!
    2 points
  30. OMG your guys really DO cook shrimps on the barbe…I'll be right down.
    2 points
  31. We've seen that kind of thing before, in other areas. Not exactly a comforting thought.... I've always been for the underdog. Boston Celtics, New York Yankees, Green Bay Packers (note to non-North Americans -- all are professional USA sports teams which dominated at some time or other during the 20th Century); I pulled for their opponents every time. 50+ years later and I haven't changed that aspect of my character. (I was going to say a bit more but like everyone I need to respect Steve's rules about negative comments in sub-forums which are specifically meant for detector brands. Hopefully I haven't already stepped over the line in this thread.) P.S. I will say one positive thing about Minelab, or better yet just point to my sidebar. <--
    2 points
  32. Where I live, the worst result of wind is the wind chill factor on cold(ish) days. I don't mind detecting (thawed ground) when the air temp approaches freezing, even on cloudy days which are typical in the Midwest, Great Lakes States, etc. But when the wind picks up to steady 10 mph and higher I need considerably warmer air. Also, I have one site that is more sheltered because of the terrain so that helps. My Sunray Pro Gold headphones block out noise (wind, vehicles, people) quite well and I wear those except in hot weather when I switch to earbuds and just put up with the din.
    2 points
  33. Today it's 35, with wind around 20 with gusts to 30. May go to a sheltered area to poke around a bit. Pretty brutal, but I've done it before. My headphones can be turned up loud. Here we have a lot of military aircraft flying around, from A-10s to Ospreys to F-15s. They are so loud I usually have to wait for them to go away. I wavered on #2 for a while but decided on #3. Edit: Yeah, went out today, and could only stand a couple hours even in the sheltered area, because the wind was blowing up in there. 😧 Tomorrow will be 37 with a light south wind, may go out in the field, and then hit the river late afternoon at low tide. Next week in the 50's!
    2 points
  34. Your best off liking the wind, if you want to detect in northern Nevada. 👍 ht
    2 points
  35. Welcome. If you plan on dunking the machine in some of those lakes you will want a machine that is also waterproof and with waterproof machines you will need hard wired (preferably waterproof) headphones to the package. You will need a digger of some sorts, a pouch and a pinpointer that goes with the detector as other brands may interfere. Waterproof all terrain machines: Equinox 800 & 600, Nokta/Makro Amphibio and Kruzer series, Simplex+, Garrett AT series to name a few not in any particular order. Starting out the Simplex+ from Nokta is a descent machine and they package it with a pinpointer and wireless headphones to start out far low in your budget. You may want to try that out and see how you like the hobby before dumping out loads of cash only to have it sit on the shelf. There is a new Garrett Apex that is simple to use and is splashproof to also check out. If your on land and don't plan on dunking the control box then your options are even wider with companies like Fisher, Technetics, XP to name a few.
    2 points
  36. But how about 95% copper pennies? Got any of those lying around? 145 (new) pennies weighs 1 lb. 0.95 times $4.06/lb divided by 145 pennies/lb equals $0.0266 per penny. (I think it's still illegal to melt them, so don't get caught. 🙄) Meanwhile zinc is just under $1.30/lb and it takes more new Stinkin Zincolns to weigh a pound. And as every park/school detectorist knows, you have to really emphasize the word 'new'. Save your calculator battery....
    2 points
  37. I rarely hunt anywhere but IN the salt water. like a timeX .... mines taken a licken and is still ticken. I told Tom when i first got mine we just didnt need a speaker. Not only do we not use them, it uses more battery, cant hear it as well.... especially on a beach and they likely will leak. Ive always used a nylon sticker over my speaker area.... even my dirt machines. Id say there is only one place the machine might leak without this speaker.... where the wires come in at the front of the box where they go back to the battery box. HOWEVER.... im certain Dimitar seals that very well. Me and a couple beach guys have gotten water in the battery box found when taking out the battery to charge. Rinse, blow out, use anti rust.... and good to go. Id be amazed if one of those connectors would ever be an issue. I cant advocate dunking any ones machine like mine has been with the water rating.... which is an industrial rating. So hopefully these upgraded ones he will feel more comfortable. He does detect and has been for years.
    2 points
  38. Hi , From my standpoint I find the Equinox a little too complex for a beginner. I would personally go for a simpler machine Then you need to define your detecting conditions : - do you detect in the water ? --> then you need a waterproof machine - do you detect on high mineralized soil ? --> then you need a ground balance setting - do you need a light machine or has it no importance for you ? etc .... And yes take your time before buying ... HH
    2 points
  39. 5 wires coming out of the plug is 1 more than the GPZ has (RX has both shielding and wire to the plug, hence 5 pins and 4 wires). An X Ray of the 6000 mono and DD's would be most excellent. As to the 12 pin connector - there could be other wires terminating on the circuit board before the choke and under the hot glue that we don't see. Or they might be doing something like reducing skin effect losses in the wire/pin connection by jumpering each wire to 2 pins to increase the effective surface area of each connection? That's the kind of farm engineering I'd do though, not really a corporation maybe. That aside, something new is definitely going on. I guess the red is shielded RX? Blue is coax or coil shielding? What are the 3 black wires? A standard DD only has 1 TX, a DOD has 2 TX. Does this 6000 have 3 TX's?
    2 points
  40. Since I only use the 800, I will say the 800. I have many good finds with it and am happy with what it will do.
    2 points
  41. I’m yet to take it camping, but this is one that I made out of 4 car rims stacked on top of one another. Can be cooked on and glows red when stacked up with decent hard firewood. Also good for getting the smoke up and out of eyes. Other than that, I love me a traditional campfire on the ground.
    2 points
  42. Honestly, I feel the same, I just walked past the GPZ which had escaped its travel bag and it yelled at me for not picking it up, so I did and it started swinging around on its own. Bloody thing thinks it runs the show 🤦🏼‍♂️
    2 points
  43. Chase I understand from where you’re coming from and no I’m not going diving with it . I do know how salt water has a bad effect on anything over time. Some time back I drop a non water detector in freshwater. I picked it up and emptied the water then removed the battery pack. Went to my car and turned the heat on and within 20 minutes I was up running. I’ve never had trouble with that detector but if that was saltwater it would been history. The only stupid question is the one you don’t ask. Chuck
    2 points
  44. Chuck are you going diving with your Tarsacci - the "upgrades" really don't matter if you are not hunting in chest deep water and even then, the Tarsacci is still warrantied to work. Don't over think it. This is a small time operation, there are going to be slow incremental changes but basically you are going to get what you are going to get and will have to pay for upgrades. Hopefully Aaron can get on soon to let you know the status of these battery compartment upgrades and speaker mods, but unless you are going diving with it, it really doesn't matter. Nothing has changed as far as detector operation. Also, despite these changes, I have not heard that Dimitar is changing the specs on the unit - it is still only going to be guaranteed for 1.5 meters submersion for 30 minutes. I like the fact that I don't have to worry about it at all in a driving rainstorm nor do I have to worry about it if it takes a dunk in the water. One thing you will need to do, however, is get a decent set of waterproof phones with the requisite special headphone connector (the Tarsacci doesn't use a standard headphone jack) and that will set you back another $100+ dollars at least. That is a special order item from a third party like Tony Eisenhower. Tarsacci does not supply waterproof phones with the unit or offer them as an accessory.
    2 points
  45. Do you mean the GS 15000? GS 15000 Owners manual My first machine was the GT16000 which I bought in 1987 the year I turned 20. 😎 GT 16000 Owners manual
    2 points
  46. I have never owned a detector. I do remember walking past a GPX 4000 that was standing in the corner of my workshop when my foot became mysteriously tangled in the power cord. The only way to escape was to take it detecting. So I did. And just the other day when I moved my GPZ7000 my hand became locked onto the handle. I knew it wouldn't release me until I took it out detecting. So I did. I have had things like this happen with numerous models of Minelab detectors. My detectors own me.
    2 points
  47. Out of the last 10,000 pieces of gold Ive dug, maybe 8,000 have been with a VLF. Lions share with the Gold Bug 2, then various Whites Gold masters including the 24K (which I absolutely love). Oh, and maybe 20 with the GM1000. Seriously thinking about a Nox 800 now and retiring my old T2 after seeing Gerry's post LOL
    2 points
  48. So they go on sale on March 3rd, and you will get delivery whenever.
    2 points
  49. Spring of '69 for me. It took us a while to try and figure out when it was, but lucky for me my cousin (actually my dad's cousin) was 10 years older than me and he introduced me to metal detecting. I was 7 years old in the spring of '69. He took me all over the place detecting, roughly once a week. During the winter we would refinish antiques or go post office hopping and get all the new commemorative stamps that had just been released. He figured out when I started because his girlfriend had bought a 1970 Nove SS and we were detecting a good while before that. I wish I would have kept a log of my first day detecting.
    2 points
  50. I was 41 and looking for a new path after quitting alcoholic lifestyle that was most certainly going to kill me. Contractor i worked for bought a 5000 gpx and found a guy out of gold hill that would train us, so we went down and stayed over night on one of his claims. None of us had any experience with a detector so i was hooked the next morning when we found a 1 gram nugget in the wash. After that day the other guys were over it seeing we did not find an ounce, but i knew enough to know just to find a nugget first time out was impressive. Well then i found out you could find meteorites too, i went off in that direction for a few years, and now i have an equinox 800 that has found me coins and jewelry, and hopefully some natural gold someday too! 😁👍 ht
    2 points
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