Jump to content

Leaderboard

Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/31/2021 in all areas

  1. Only an Aussie could pull this one off! A true story from the Mount Isa in Queensland. Recently a routine Police patrol car parked outside a local neighbourhood pub. Late in the evening the officer noticed a man leaving the bar so intoxicated that he could barely walk. The man stumbled around the car park for a few minutes, with the officer quietly observing. After what seemed an eternity and trying his keys on five vehicles. The man managed to find his car, which he fell into. He was there for a few minutes as a number of other patrons left the bar and drove off. Finally he started the car, switched the wipers on and off (it was a fine dry night). Then flicked the indicators on, then off, tooted the horn and then switched on the lights. He moved the vehicle forward a few cm, reversed a little and then remained stationary for a few more minutes as some more vehicles left. At last he pulled out of the car park and started to drive slowly down the road. The Police officer, having patiently waited all this time, now started up the patrol car, put on the flashing lights, promptly pulled the man over and carried out a random breathalyser test. To his amazement the breathalyser indicated no evidence of the man's intoxication. The Police officer said "I'll have to ask you to accompany me to the Police station - this breathalyser equipment must be broken." "I doubt it," said the man, "tonight I'm the designated decoy". Do you have a designated drive (not decoy) system in USA.
    9 points
  2. If I recall correctly, only the 11" round DD coil was available when the ML Equinox was introduced on the market. The 6" round DD was next (few months later?) and pretty quickly(?) after that, the 12"x15" elliptical DD. If either ML (or Coiltek) had released a ~5"x10" elliptical DD at the same time as the 6", the sales of the 6" likely would have been considerably less than it was. (And thus ML's ploy of not allowing aftermarket coils until 2 1/2 years later. Good for their investors, bad for their loyal customers....) Since I prefer the 5"x10" DD over the 6" DD on my Fisher Gold Bug Pro for all the reasons mentioned above, I likely would have chosen similarly for the Equinox if the Coilteks had been available back then. (And maybe I would have gotten both small coils.) The 6" has done well for me but it's a specialty coil (particularly for tiny desert nuggets) and thus not used nearly as much as the stock 11" in my case. Rather than add another specialty for well over $200 cost I'm going to sit tight for now but still be interested in upcoming reviews. And then at some point I fear money in my pocket will become incendiary.... You secondary coil lovers know the drill. 😁
    7 points
  3. I did say there were still some specific uses for the 6-inch (and that is why I had one in the first place). But my main issue with the hockey puck has always been swing coverage not performance. It performs well, deeper than it should be, and I have found some great coins with it in restricted swing areas. I don't prospect so I can't give an opinion on that, though I am sure the 10x5 will do well, but how well compared to the 6", I have no idea and will probably never know. Most of the other stuff you mentioned is why I did keep the hockey puck (well except the beach part, I think I would go nuts with six-inch swing coverage, even in the surf). Now that the 10x5 is here, not so much because I have the small target sensitivity and coverage I need, and I do plan to use it in the water too. Heck, I have found very small stuff with the 11", I just can't swing it everywhere I would like. I like the Coiltek 10x5 as I also like the similarly sized elliptical on my Deus. Wish I had the 10x5, 2 weeks ago when I was detecting cotton fields. Cotton field stubble is not like corn stubble that you can just kick over with your foot. I was relegated to the small elliptical coil on my Deus to navigate the stubble as the six inch just allowed me to crawl through the rows due to its limited swing coverage - but would have preferred the Equinox due the type of trash in the field compared to the main targets of interest (brass vs. aluminum). That similarly sized Deus HF elliptical coil has never left me wanting for a 5 or 6 inch round coil on the Deus. The six-inch round is now simply redundant for me, there is really no one thing it does well for my hunting needs that is now not covered by the 10x5. I know that is not the case for others who regularly use the six-inch, especially for gold hunting. So I respect that there are still going to be hockey fans even after the arrival of the 10x5.
    5 points
  4. Well, if your soil is bad/hot, the Vanquish would be the last detector I would get. It has fixed ground balance and is terrible in hot soil. Simplex is a good budget alternative to Vanquish in hot soil as it has adjustable GB. Also, since you already own a carrot, I would save the 100 bucks spent for the F pulse and put it towards your new detector. I use a carrot just fine in the hottest soil around in Culpeper Virginia. I always use max sensitivity, balance against the ground, and use instant one button press senstivity reduction to zero in on the target. HTH
    5 points
  5. Since the pinpointer will react to any change in ground phase above it's initial refrence point (established when you turn on the pinpointer), about the only conclusion you can draw from your observation is that the clay probably has a higher degree of ground reactivity than your topsoil. However, whether that reactivity is due to ferrimagnetic mineralization (most likely) or another mineral, the type of ferrimagnetic mineralization (magnetite, the most common, or maghemite), and the absolute level of mineralization (none, low, medium, high) is anyone's guess. The only way to know for sure is to use a standalone mineralization meter or a detector with a built-in mineralization meter that indirectly measures magnetite levels in soil such as the higher end Fishers and Teknetics detectors, Deus, and some of the Noktas like the Simplex. HTH.
    5 points
  6. Those mostly appear to be typical desert southwestern USA igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic weathered rocks. Some of the igneous rocks are extrusive like basalt and porphyry, etc. There might be some quartzite, agate and petrified wood but it is hard to tell from your photos. A little online study or a good book about southwestern US rocks and minerals might help you. I do not see anything that I would collect as a keeper but that is just me. I have been collecting minerals/crystals for almost 60 years. I try to leave the common rocks types in the field.
    4 points
  7. Promotional photos, click for larger:
    4 points
  8. The 6" round. It has some very specific uses but the lack of coverage is a real hindrance. The 10x5 has similar tight space capabilities with decent swing coverage to make it more versatile vs. the 6".
    4 points
  9. Not far from here is an old town on the north fork of the Feather River with a fabulous history. One of the few residents there posted a sign "Welcome to Rich Bar. A quaint drinking town with a mining problem". I, being a very self disciplined prospector, only drink when I'm depressed because I found no gold or when I celebrate because I found gold.
    4 points
  10. Bought myself a Minelab Equinox 800 this morning. I can't wait to get it. I have taken about a six year break from detecting with a White's MXT. I'm looking forward to getting back into this in a big way. Retirement fits me!!!
    3 points
  11. That is not kimberlite or a meteorite. They are great photos. It looks like a volcanic tuft or breccia or caliche with lots of quartz/quartzite fragments. Kimberlite can definitely be a yellowish color when it has been exposed on or near the surface of the earth for awhile. Otherwise it is usually a grayish blue. It does not have large fragments of quartz like your specimen. Neither do the vast majority of meteorites which have very little or no visible quartz.
    3 points
  12. Page 17 of GPX6000 Manual - if inbuilt speaker sounds muffled or scratchy speaker cover can be removed by owners and " gently clean the speaker with a soft damp cloth or rinse with clean water to remove build up of dust and dirt" so big thumbs up to Minelab for making the speaker easy to service and waterproof.
    3 points
  13. The Carrot is one of the better pointers in it's class. Not sure how much more depth you will gain with another pointer. I use the Pulse pointer from Nokta which is very good and has descent depth. My Minelab Profind 35 is more sensitive to small items and both have similar depth. The Pulse does not see coal but also for tiny jewelry like ear rings the point has to touch the target to sound off where the ML can pick an earing out just off the surface. For stability the Pulse is no question far better. My guess you will probably really like the f-pulse. Just keep in mind if you pick a new machine and they have a wireless system that works with a particular pointer then go with that whole system. I say that because there can be noise issues between various machine and pointer combos. When I use my Nokta machines I use the same headphones and pulse pointer. If I use my Tesoro or AT Pro I will use the ProFind.
    3 points
  14. Sounds like you may have trouble poinpointing with the detector to narrow the search area. You have a concentric coil or dd? Concentrics can have a wider area they detect in so even though the target is generally in the middle of the coil but not always the case. The detection area is larger with a concentric. With a dd coil you can criss-cross over the target or use the tip or heal of the coil and in most cases narrow down to the target to within a couple of inches. I like concentrics when hunting areas that tend to have flat iron like steel bottle caps as flat iron generally stays in the iron range but dd's are better in higher trash areas and tend to handle mineralization better. At least thats what seems to work well for me. As for pinpointers I like the pulse pointers better because they don't sound off on mineralization and hot rocks. We have a lot of coal here and nothing is more annoying than hitting a patch of coal and coke with the random spikes and try to sniff out a target in that mess. Bog iron, magnetite and general iron infestation and even can slaw is cake when compared to coal.
    3 points
  15. Not to be argumentative, but that "ridiculous hockey puck" has found me plenty of gold nuggets that the 11" coil or my other detectors simply would have missed due to iron mineralization and hot rock masking. Do I use it for anything else besides gold prospecting........up until now it is my favorite coil for shallow saltwater surf hunting since it creates almost no drag and is sensitive enough to hit targets that need to be found quickly. Anything deeper in the shallow surf would need a different kind of detector. It has also done very well for shallower coin, jewelry and relic hunting in thick aluminum and iron trash. Do I still want a Coiltek 10X5".......yep!!!! Looking forward to your test results, Chase
    3 points
  16. If there is magnetite you can also tell if you toss a clump of it on top of a target and see if the target goes off center from the coil. Usually orange clay has just natural iron. Here in the north east near swamps and some of the low lands we have bog iron that builds up which just kills the depth of any vlf machine. In those areas I use any of my machines with all metal mode and if I hear a rise in the threshold I'll give the ground a scrape and pass the coil over it and see if I get any number or if they rise. You should be able to tune out the clay with the carrot, just do a re-tune when your over the clay like Chase mentioned. The pi pointers are nice in those cases as they ignore the mineralization but at a cost to sensitivity to tiny objects like ear rings.
    3 points
  17. Me and my buddies did back when we were in the Army. It wasn't the police that worried us too much back then it was our First Sergeant. He made it very clear what would happen if we got thrown in jail. He had this 4 foot by 4 foot hole 3 feet deep. Your punishment was to move that hole until he got tired of telling you where he wanted it this was after your regular duties plus whatever crap he had for you.
    3 points
  18. I figured I needed a smaller coil for the Apex, so ordered and it just showed up. Ground is thawing so should be able to use very soon. I like this detector and this coil makes it a real featherweight. 2 lbs 7.7 oz or 2.48 lbs with scuff cover. I like small coils and this is a sweetie, well made, and nice to buy a coil and a cover for reasonable price for once, $119 plus $10 for scuff cover. Garrett part# 2223800 Garrett 5" x 8" Ripper coil for Ace Apex Ace Apex with Ripper coil
    2 points
  19. I like the carrot quite a bit, But but it does not seem to like damp or wet iron mineralized soil. Sometimes it will pin point forever on a not there target. Here's what I do. Dig the plug and use your detector to focus on the target first. If the target has moved from the hole to the plug your good. if your still getting the same numbers or tone from your detector probe a little deeper and detector check to make sure your not chasing a ghost. If your target is bouncing from different places in the hole then 90% of the time it's a false signal. The carrot is really sensitive to deep large iron and will make you dig 15+ inches chasing crap. Also pushing the carrot hard into the soil will make it false. Do not fall into the trap of pin pointer be all, Use your detector for the answers you seek, and pay attention to the tones and numbers when you pop the first plug. There's to many ground conditions to rely on your pin pointer alone. Digging random crazy signals will help you learn how your detector and pin pointer work together in good and bad soil conditions. But that's no guarantee on finding the treasure. Sometimes we just waste a lot of time digging good sounding stuff, Only to find out it's just another gum wrapper.
    2 points
  20. Interesting shot of GPX14 DD coil from the bottom. Never seen a coil with a solid top but hollowed out underside. They were cutting weight to the max. In theory, ditch the scuff cover, cut the excess top out, and have a lighter, open spoke coil. Other than that, I actually got more out of the African videos. Very little new being said here. Underside of GPX 14 DD coil
    2 points
  21. I still love my 4500, but I'll be the first to admit that the GPZ7000 gets the most swing time these days. However, nearly every time I pull out the 4500, it rewards me.
    2 points
  22. Got an E-mail from Doc today. I ordered a pair of boots from him that he could not deliver due to a shipping problem from the manufacturing outfit. Sounds like he is OK.
    2 points
  23. Chuck, if I understand well you are looking for a beach detector and not a ML, why not the Apex ? I have never tested it at the sea but my seller ( Bruno of Lutece Detection in Paris ) has seriously tested it a few weeks ago at the beach in Bretagne ( French West coast ) . He told me that it is a very good beach detector ... And this guy is very experienced ...
    2 points
  24. Ok, so I placed my Carrot on max sensitivity and noted when the Carrot first picked up on a target (I used a dead 9V battery I had laying around). Then I noted when the Carrot maxed out. Where it maxes out I retuned it and noted how much additional "closing range" or ratcheting range it gave me. I turn turned it off and turned it back on to make sure it was properly "reset." I repeated the experiment, except after the Carrot first picked up on the target, I retuned it. I moved the target closer until I was able to just barely pick up on it and retuned it again. I did this over and over until the Carrot basically maxed out again. I noticed that I was able to get the target closer to the Carrot before it maxed out. In other words, I did noticed an improvement. But the improvement was not huge, but definitely noticeable. Instead of maxing out with a target around around 2 inches away (on max sensitivity with a 9V battery) it maxed out around 1.25 inches away. So yeah, definitely an improvement. The problem is, I had to retune it just as it picked up on a target. If I waited too long into the "closing range" to retune, any improvement was greatly diminished. So your advice on how to retune definitely works and makes my Carrot a better tool. However, I would still prefer to have better closing range by "default" w/o having to resort to being very careful in how and when I retune my Carrot. However, this new development might be enough to delay when I purchase an F-Pulse? Something to think about. Thanks Chase!
    2 points
  25. So I could be retuning wrong...ok, lemme go get my Carrot and trying it the way you have suggested.
    2 points
  26. You don't press it when it maxes out, you press it well before it maxes out (when you hear a slight buzz) that way you lessen the degree to which sensitivity is reduced and can work you way to the hot spot (target location). If you press it when it maxes out you risk losing the sensitivity you need to locate the target because it resets to basically minimum sensitivity at that point.
    2 points
  27. Thank you so much for this as I have had a hard bad day today and really needed this.
    2 points
  28. I like my hockey puck coil too. I may have a soft spot for those hockey puck coils since I have about 200 real pucks that I have collected since I was a kid. I even have a vintage Colorado Rockies game puck made by Viceroy. I also have eyeballed 3 hockey pucks when i have been detecting with a couple of them being older. 2 were as hard as a rock unlike the more rubbery ones.
    2 points
  29. I lean a bit with you Rick, be the first ML gold detector I will wait until i`ve seen how it stacks up against the ZX Combo. I suspect ML of some under hand ruthlessness here.
    2 points
  30. They say the devil is in the detail. If you are handy with an soldering iron and have young eyes then it does not really matter which style of pug you go for. The big chunky ones have the plus and minus connectors labels on them, are much easier to connect and for anyone with arthritis or poor eyes are recommended. Small and finicky vs large and practical, my opinions and experiences only...
    2 points
  31. I hope that speaker is waterproof, given it will be facing angled upwards most of the time. I can also see it filling up with red dust over here in the outback ! Still not feeling the urge to drop $8K on this thing, especially since I have a perfectly good ZED with X coils, and a 4500 with EVO coils ! Rick
    2 points
  32. Most of our larger highway trucks over here require this system on them now, and honestly, it’s a terrible system. Completely unreliable. So many blocked/jammed DEF injectors and blocked catalysts from it! Also rots exhausts out extremely quick as all it is is urea. It does nothing to the engine as it’s an ‘after treatment’ and could quite easily be fitted to these vehicles (don’t get any ideas Toyota!) The biggest killer of these engines is the EGR (exhaust gas recirculation). It literally recirculates a portion of exhaust gasses back into the intake manifold to burn again and ‘lower’ the emissions. Massive fuel burner and blocks the intake manifolds up with gunk (google is your friend here if you want to see what it does). Many people usually (and naughtily) do a ‘delete’ of these systems, usually with massive benefit to fuel economy and power.
    2 points
  33. You got that right, Steve. Thanks to Keith at Ft. Bedford Detectors. Testing the 10x5 out this week. So far I love this thing... Since I now have a decent multipurpose compact coil and not a ridiculous hockey puck on my collapsible Equinox backpack rig, I see a 6 inch round coil ending up on the classifieds very soon.
    2 points
  34. Wish I'd heard of this scheme while still in high school.
    2 points
  35. It’s just a pile of rocks. Might be something interesting there, but seriously, you need to join the local rock club, and haul the box in for people to look over. Here we might help you with a rock or two, but not in wholesale quantities. Please limit yourself to a few photos per post. I deleted around 20 extras between the last two posts. You are basically spamming the forum with excessive photos, so please pick the two or three that best get the job done, and leave the rest behind. Thanks.
    2 points
  36. We got permission to hunt a park that use to be a Girl Scout camp from the 1920's to the 1990's when it closed down.The head caretaker of the park is a great guy and gave us the green light to detect there.We gave him a few scout relics which he would put in the park museum and he was very grateful for are finds.He told us that one capsule was found but a old farmer said a other one was still missing and gave us the area it could be in.It is probably from the 30's or 40's.I think the one is in a museum around here and we hope to see what it is made of.Have any of you heard of other Scout capsules and what could be in them ?I hope they are detectable.If not we could still stumble on to some silver coins or rings for a consolation prize. If found we will give the capsule to the caretaker to be put in a museum.
    1 point
  37. This video was just posted from Detexpert featuring Debbie Smikoski from Minelab USA. Bill
    1 point
  38. Thanks a lot, Steve! Let's create a promo code for all readers of this thread. Just leave me a note "detectorprospector" in the offering box and get a $10 discount. Best regards, Taras
    1 point
  39. Alain I thank you for your concern and like you say I need to live in the present. If I got a Nox that would make my third one I’ve had . The other two you said something about I’ll pass for now. We all look to the future and I’ve been doing just that from the first time Dilek said something about a multi frequency detector. Oh your right I can’t live in the future but heck I’m having trouble living in the present. For right now I’m going to try something new in a detector and I may order it today. The Best! Chuck
    1 point
  40. JoeD, no, no not your bad, mine, as Sheppo has shown I`m a wee behind, although being behind is sometimes a blessing in this fast moving crazy world we live in.
    1 point
  41. Much the reason I ended up buying one. Need parts in the bush? Rob that wrecked one down the road to get you home. I wouldn’t say they’re headed for extinction, just a very long over due update. The newer single cab utes are actually 5 star ANCAP rated, hence mining companies buying them in truckloads again.
    1 point
  42. We think it was a dumping spot on the outskirts of town. Industrial building are now being built in the area.
    1 point
  43. My sister was a Girl Scout and they placed a time capsule in the ground. She gave a scarf with a bolo into it. So you may have enough metal inside one to find it. Good luck on finding it.
    1 point
  44. That sounds like a fun hunt and I love that the Girl Scout relics were given back for the museum. My kind of hunt!! Thanks for sharing DWD!
    1 point
  45. If you hit a large virgin patch you will find most worthwhile nuggets you will get are in the 0.1 to 1.0gms range. in most of the area you cover this will be the case, but you may get a few bit ranging from double number gm to multi ounce bits but they are easily heard till you hit deeper ground. At this stage a bigger coil is the way to go. As Lunk said using a double DD coil in pseudo-monoloop will really help in cleaning up tiny bits. I have used this method many times when I was too lazy to go back to the 4WD for a smaller coil. Note when pinpointing in this mode the centre of the signal will be on the side and centre of the transmit coil, the same goes with using the edge of the coil it is on the transmit side also.
    1 point
  46. Try the Commander 11” DD coil with the Coil/RX switch set to Mono, in conjunction with the Fine Gold timing; you will effectively have an 11” x 6” pseudo-monoloop, where the left half of the coil is hot, and will be even more sensitive than the Commander 11” mono or the 12” x 8” Goldstalker, with the added benefit of being able to handle mineralized ground better than a straight mono coil. Better yet, try it with a Commander 10” x 5” DD coil.
    1 point
  47. The 12x8" Nugget Finder Evo coil running in Fine Gold will get you closest to the sensitivity of the Gold Monster, but will punch deeper and handle the ground a lot better.
    1 point
  48. Amazing signal from such small bits
    1 point
  49. I watched that too Sheppo and to be honest there was very little in there that wasn't already known through this forum and the middle east videos from a month ago. Actual price (not just a guess) and the actual date of availability - surely we must be somewhere near being allowed to know. Even just a "it definitely won't be before April 20th" would be something. I just don't understand why Minelab do it this way, but I know I'm not the only one frustrated by them. OR MINELAB, just let your testers speak...?? If the units are already boxed and shipped to the middle east I can't see that there will be late changes? Happy to be advised what the reality is 🤔 😉
    1 point
  50. Andrew...... is right, the higher reactivity setting - it works the same as the higher ground filter and also the higher SAT setting, so ORX in Gold programs will work better and more stable on more mineralized terrain, especially when working at the highest frequencies ..54khz/74khz/ can be seen in the video that you have at least 2/3 of the field of the mineralization indicator filled in the ORX / .. Congratulations on your meteorite .., .. detecting gold is hard work ....👍
    1 point
×
×
  • Create New...