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Showing content with the highest reputation on 04/24/2021 in all areas

  1. Well I'm laying over in northern Nevada for some detecting before heading back to Idaho and my summer job, and decided to go revisit an old dink patch with the GPZ 7000 this afternoon. Since I've hit this place pretty hard, I figured I better use a higher sensitivity setting to see if it would light up some bits that were missed last time using a lower sensitivity that helped keep the alkali rich ground feedback under control. Needless to say, I had to move the coil painfully slow over the really noisy areas, but the extra sensitivity started working its magic right away, as I got a faint but repeatable little wobble. Digging down about 3 inches or so revealed the first little bit of yellow. 🙂 Soon there was another signal a few yards upslope; another shiny golden bit, this time a little deeper. I couldn't help but wonder at this point how much deeper the new GPX 6000 will be able to snag dinks like these, and how many the Zed is leaving behind. 🤔 Guess I'll find out when I finally get mine. Just then I was awakened from my wonderings by a sharp response from the Zed; sounding pretty shallow, the tiny target was out from under a bush with just a boot scrape. And I mean tiny! One more golden goodie sitting on bedrock ended a splendid, sunny afternoon in the goldfields. Total weight of todays finds, zero point six of a gram. Good luck out there!
    24 points
  2. Hi, i wanted to include some finds in with yours. I just got back yesterday from a short trip out to WA goldfields to give you a comparison of what can happen between different years. Shows how easy it is to miss a target with different machines. The first photo is from mid 2017 of a find with my 5000. Top of the world and sent off photos to the family etc. as you do. Just below the bottle top I think was about 3.5 grams. Last week went back to the same location. You will note the ground is much dryer, a bad water season. I used my Z7000 this time and picked up a 2.07 gram piece shaped like a bent nail. Its on the top of the coil. The location is within a meter from the last find. Would love to have a 1.5 ton excavator to scrape of the soil cover. You can see the hard rock which drops down to the creek level and all finds have been on the top of the rock level and all look long and skinny in shape. Plenty of nuggets still to find I think. The next photos show a find the next day which blew me away. A different creek that has been well worked over and plenty of pieces found over the years. This shows how important to move fallen timber although these branches where not large. The 7000 gave me the reversed signal tone. My settings were high yield the difficult due to the hot rocks etc. Cheers sturt
    15 points
  3. Well after a long frustrating wait for Nokta's multi frequency machine, I could no longer wait or hold out. I received my new equinox 800 on the 19th and did some air tests and made a list of the VDI's and played with flipping the tones for my liking. After thinking the machine was just OK with some of my basic testing, It was time to run across the street to give it a run. I will tell you all that I have hunted this area to death with my MK. ( or so I thought) I only had 90 minutes to give its first test. I decided to dig every target with an 18 or higher VDI. Just trying to decifer my new sounds. First 5 min. netted some clad, but the next 85 broke all my records. first 3 coins after the clad were large cents, the next was a draped bust 1/2 cent (bucket 1) The next was a paper thin copper with a shield, could it be? Yes it was a New Jersey copper. I have been chasing this coin for years (bucket 2). Then a single button and an Israeli 1/2 shekel (not sure how that got there). I only had a few minutes left to hunt when I got a faint 18 on the nox and hit a button at 10 inches, But that wasn't all this hole had to give. It was like a button slot machine, 12 in all and total of 15 inches down. My wonderful wife called and I had to leave for dinner. I have to say the most impressive feature on the nox is the noise cancel, It made the site come back to life. As for settings, Park 1, sensitivity 17, and custom tone breaks and t1 - 1 t2- 25 t3 - 15 t4 - 10 t5 - 5 Tone sounds, I run them to get low tones on copper targets. Sounds odd I know, but it works for me. Have to say I'm impressed with the first 90 minutes I've run the 800.
    13 points
  4. Norm, I read it and I didn't know what to say. I've thought about it and still don't know what to say. I know you have lived with your family history but most of us were unaware. I've seen you over the years in several parts of the west. Each time you always greeted me/us with a warm smile and you were able to show me some nice nuggets. I'll miss seeing you in those places but I'll always think of you and Heather feeding the hummingbirds on Tom Wells Road. Your spirit lives with the hummingbirds for me. Please post up some of your favorite finds so we can share the memories with you. Your friends Mitchel, Lu, Curtis and Colgan
    9 points
  5. Your strength to be open about this is the kind of strength that marks you as a Special Person, one who inspires. May your lurking here be full of golden moments.
    9 points
  6. Very sad to hear that Norm. I do hope that any potential therapies that are available to you are helpful in managing symptoms and improving quality of life. I'm not sure what Palliative Care services are like in the US but here in Aus it is better to be linked-in well before you think you need them as they can provide lots of assistance, advice, equipment and support for the client and their families. A lot of people are shocked when we bring up Palliative Care so early because they think it means they must not have much time. We have to reassure them that PC isn't all about death, it is about living and living well. All the best to you and your family. And I hope the goings on of the forum can brighten your day every now and then 🙂 N.E.
    9 points
  7. For my favourite field this was the very last visit of this years season, the ploughing and seeding happening in the last few days I won't return until after whatever grows is harvested. On this last visit a few odd buttons, a couple small copper coins and a very healthy looking silver coin. Healthy being round, the older hammered silver coins when found normally a little bit clipped - and not quite round. I was nowhere near a colonial site, and for a UK find this was completely unexpected. I was suddenly taken to being on a quest to find some Discovery channel lost treasure. The pillars and crown much seen on the detector prospector forum as the sought after reale - but this one a fraction of some kind, and I suspect a quarter reale? Date looks to be 1802. The mint mark only partial, perhaps an R, but the coin diameter 16mm - very much the same size as a British 3d (3 old pence, or quarter shilling). None of my books has anything much on Spanish coins (not really found much over here) - so any expert help appreciated. Close up pictures, threepence 16mm coin is laying over the top and the edge of the Spanish silver is just visible at the top. ?
    8 points
  8. Poked around my local park for a bit with the Multi Kruzer, 3 tone, and Superfly coil (too lazy to swap it out). First hit was a 19 in the foil range and turned out to be a thin 10k gold ring. Not long after that I hit another 19, dug it and it was a chocolate still in the foil wrapper score! 🙂 Rest was some clad and bits of can slaw and some junk I dug out of curiosity to finish the night out.
    7 points
  9. Hey Norm, sorry to hear the diagnosis. It's hard to do at first but keep your spirits high and thoughts positive, and don't give in because you probably still have a lot of life ahead of you. I have to believe that deciding to take control of our own fate by believing we will persist for as long as we can has real effect. I have somewhat similar issues as occurs in ALS so I can kinda relate, and my clock is ticking too, with sclerosis in my brain and c-spine that left me partially paralyzed and without muscle control in other areas, and blind in one eye, thankfully much of which I recovered. Some might be luck, but I think some is just refusing to give up until we are ready and not accepting less. Life is a fatal diagnosis for everyone afterall from the day were are all born, and we all fight to stay alive daily just against the elements, so getting another diagnosis later on can be looked at as nothing but another hurdle along the way that might take a little more fighting. Stay positive, believe that you have some power over your body to keep going, and I think it will carry you forward longer than doctors think. Keep working your brain. I like to play chess daily to keep my mind sharp when I feel some decline or end up with new brain lesions, doing prospecting and geology research also helps. If you have anything like that that takes some brain work, keep it up, keep active where you can. I feel like it forms new pathways in the brain when old ones get damaged and maybe prolongs decline. Good luck man.
    7 points
  10. Norm I have been in a lot of forum, and have seen a lot of good people some have now gone but you are still here, and are one of the top people that I have enjoyed following. Don't get too upset with the bad news there is always some hope to enjoy what time you have left. I had a good health record except some bad accidents that were considered very bad head injuries. That changed 6 years ago with AF that they could not control even with drugs, pacemaker, Catheter ablation and Cryoablation. That worked for awhile (1 year) three weeks after getting an A plus from the specialist I had a Cardiac Arrest at home on the lawn. The pacemaker recorded that I had no heart beat for over 22 minutes. Luckily with 30 minutes of rapid CPR and a helicopter trip to Melb. 100 miles away the medical staff saved me Not forgetting them telling the Wife that chances of making it would be highly unlikely and if I did there would be lot of brain damage. Now the electric of my heart are totally reliant on an auto ICD with a defibrillator. Well I beat the odds now it is your time to do the same. Stephen Hawking had ALS. The average life expectancy after diagnosis is two to five years, but some patients may live for years or even decades. (The famous physicist Stephen Hawking, for example, lived for more than 50 years after he was diagnosed.) so the odds are different for every one. Let hear some more of your gold expeditions and other enjoyable memories, and don't let the bad news ruin the time that you have. Regards Geof.
    7 points
  11. Good chance Jason and I may hook up before then so Jason can use my 6000 and compare to his gear. So if nobody answers, wait a month instead of eight. The GPX 6000 can hit sub grammers as good or better than a stock 7000. But I guess you need to see it with your eyes. Sure, you can put a Nugget Finder or X Coil on your GPZ to get it up to 6000 performance. If that's the question, then getting the Nugget Finder or X coil is the way to get there.
    6 points
  12. Norm, I am so sad to hear this news and will keep praying for you to get better. My grandfather had a friend that passed from ALS several years ago and I know how he felt about that. We all here will greatly miss your input and knowledge, and wish you luck on this battle against your sickness. I believe that there is always hope when people pray, so I want you to know that we will be praying for you. Caleb
    6 points
  13. It could be all the difference in the world. You could save years of wasted time, and for a lot of people, if success does not come soon, they quit. Training helps stop that from happening. No mater how much you study, no matter how many videos you watch, nothing beats having an experienced person show you real live gold digs in the field. Most people are passing nuggets every trip, and simply not hearing them. It's a very subtle business, and easily one of the hardest types of detecting you can undertake. Finding that first nugget without help can be quite daunting. Yet I find gold every trip. That is the disparity of results we are talking about. So yes, do get training if at all possible. Best money you will spend.
    6 points
  14. The cable gland is in front because it is the technology inside that imposes it. (coil specifications) There will be less variation due to salt water during a swing.
    5 points
  15. Norm, Your a Champion, a Man Among Men and one of my Favorite Prospectors! Take advantage, Be positive and Keep on Keeping on! Rick & Robin
    5 points
  16. Hi Norm. That’s a terrible diagnosis, and my heart goes out to you and your family. Truth is all our days are numbered, and the best any of us can do is take it a day at a time. Nobody really knows what tomorrow may bring. In that spirit I hope you find a reason to smile today, and hope you have a better day tomorrow.
    5 points
  17. It’s so good to know I’m not the only one on here that their mama drop them on their head several times when they were a baby. Chuck
    5 points
  18. Had a couple hours while my wife was shopping today, so went to a sports field to hunt for jewelry. Glad I did, early in the hunt got a solid 15 on the Equinox at about 6". Texas turf is getting pretty hard packed by this time of year, so digging was tough, especially working to leave the field the way I found it. Out popped 14k class ring. I was happy to see a name on the inside, and with a little research located the owner. Unfortunately, since passed away, but I will try to reach out to the family to return it. My first gold of the year, and my first class ring. Separate signals on opposite ends of the field, I got similar 12-13 signals, and pulled silver from each... first the chunky chain marked .925, then the child sterling cross. Also a pocket full of clad including a Martin Van Buren $1 Coin. All in all, a good day. ~Tim
    4 points
  19. I’ve been detecting for gold for a VERY long time and have seen a lot of crazy things happen over the years but this recent experience takes the cake. On the same day but prior to when I filmed my son Joshua digging some gold with the GPX 6000 I heard Josh calling out to me to come take a look at what he was holding. I was perplexed to say the least because it looked like a big dead stick, so I just assumed he had some sort of interesting critter sitting on the stick and wanted to show me. When he got closer I couldn’t see anything that might have attracted his attention but he was looking at the stick very closely, so I just assumed it must be a tiny critter. Then he started mumbling something about getting a signal and how he had kicked the stick away and the signal had disappeared so he went and waved over the stick again and pow a signal coming off the stick!! At this stage I’m thinking a 22 Bullet or a slug gun pellet wedged in the wood. Then I saw what it was that had got him so excited!! 😝 Yep thats a small nugget wedged into the wood, how the dickens it got in there is anyone’s guess. I’m thinking it was in the gravelly wash around the trees root bowl and the tree had been blown over during a rain event (it’s obviously very old) and maybe a nugget had come up with the root bowl and then been washed across the trunk with the nugget then wedging itself into the crack!! Anyway it seems the GPX6000 can find gold in all sorts of strange places. 😂
    4 points
  20. I see some fusion crust on that thing, is this a...
    4 points
  21. Great post Jason, said it better than I could myself. The body is a complex thing, and medicine still only half understands it. While life persists there is always hope.
    4 points
  22. Scientifically what you have found is called "urbanite". It's a rare instance where geology and archaelogy blur together. This may or may not be sarcasm.
    4 points
  23. Norm - My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family. Keep on truckin my forum friend. Even though you might not get to post finds anymore, please keep on posting your thoughts, knowledge and experience. That alone is still a great asset and much better than gold pics! Still wishing for the best for you Norm!
    4 points
  24. Nenad got a deep target signal, so decided to test the various sensitivity settings. Also see how targets sound with and without an audible Threshold in the Auto options. And maybe a late "surprise" as well.
    4 points
  25. Just in from Australia, GPX 6000 11" coil found 25 gram nugget at 600 mm (23.6") deep. Looks like it can go deep! https://www.prospectingaustralia.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?id=34961&p=25 Bill
    4 points
  26. Heya Norm Never give up ! Doctors are people too and they aren't always right . People amaze doctors every day . (Probably more than we know with those HIPA laws..) How many people do you know that the doctors didn't get their meds right the first time? Almost everybody I know including me ! The body is one hell of a complicated piece of engineering . I agree with the others here saying stick around and participate not just lurking . Keep sharing your experiences past with us less clued in . Post those old finds , tell us again how you found them . Forums are what keep me from going crazy (well , more crazy) during our loooonnnnnggggg cold winters here in "East Coast Alaska" ! The days can pass quickly online....... Always remember , we're pullin' for ya ! And if you gotta go down , do it kickin' and fightin' to the last breath !!!
    3 points
  27. It’s been my pleasure to know you through this forum Norm. I pray you and your families days together are pleasant and warm. Mike
    3 points
  28. All my best wishes Norm. Never give up! I work in healthcare and I can tell you that nothing can be predicted with absolute certainty. Many times patients with a terminal disease live way longer and reasonably well than what was forecasted. It is actually not rare at all. I wish you strength for the days ahead!
    3 points
  29. It's part of a Window Demolition kit. I believe it's in the 1900 Sears catalog. Your photo isn't blurry enough.
    3 points
  30. Hope this thread seems like a good idea. One thing I noticed yesterday using the 14" DD. I put it on and set it to Conductive Ground Cancel. At some point I turned off the GPX, had a break and turned it on again. After ?? mins/hours I noticed the GPX was in EMI Cancel mode. I tested this a couple of times. When the GPX 6000 is turned off in Conductive Ground Cancel mode and then back on again it does not remember that it was in CGC mode - it returns to the Default of EMI Cancel mode. Hot tip - check what mode it is in when turning on with the 14" DD attached and set it accordingly. At least that is what mine does - I assume everyones is the same? 🤔
    2 points
  31. Well where to start...I started about 9 years ago with a X-terra 705 because after research it seemed like a great machine for coins and relics as well as gold. I live by about 5 miles from the beaches of Southern California so off I went. First day out, found a diamond ring! Woooo I'm hooked! Since then I spend many hours on the sand finding hundreds of coins and only a few more pay rings. Still having a great time. I soon moved on to the gold fields of the El Paso mountains. It took about 10 trips out before I found my fist nugget. It was a nice 1 gram chunk of pay! I was elated to say the least. Since then I got rid of the 705 and went for the Garrett AT Gold. What a great machine! Very much like the 705 but it has a screen reading the 705 didn't...but they both have about the same sensitivity and depth. Love both machines really. I soon came across a Gold Bug2 and that's when I started finding gold like crazy. Although that machine has a learning curve I adapted to it pretty quickly. It's been about 5 years swinging the Gold Bug2 and I can say I still have dreams of finding the big gold nug. I'm here to read how some of you find those "off the beaten path" spots and hope to meet a friend or two. Happy Detecting!
    2 points
  32. Years back a family friend was moving and we went to say goodbye. On the way out I noticed an old sewing kit in the trash so me being me, I snagged it. It had these two buttons in with the other stuff. I’m just curious if anybody knows the age of these? They look like really nice versions of what we all dig on occasion. Cell phone pics aren’t the greatest.
    2 points
  33. Sorry Steve, after your brilliant reaction to a similar post I just couldn't resist.. I fully agree with what you told the other punter.. This unusual specimen was once part of an ancient rock formation.. Any ideas what it could be? I'm guessing a meteorite.. 😬
    2 points
  34. On the east coast I am running about the same 50/50 for pre 1850 silver (Capped Bust / Seated) vs Reales. What is really hard is Draped Bust silver in my area. On the lower coast they find them occasionally, but interior wise I haven't found one yet. The most common Spanish I have found is in the 1770's - 1790's Carlous varieties. Occasionally the 1800's stuff comes up. What we drool over from the western part of the country is the "S" mintage coins, the gold coins, gold nuggets and the meteorites.
    2 points
  35. Hey Norm sorry to hear the news, will keep you in my prayers buddy. Take care Patrick S.
    2 points
  36. Well technically , it kinda IS from space ! Planets are created by little bits that come together. IIRC (its a little more complicated than that , but not much.....) Next time give the thing several coats of gold paint to disguise it better...I'd go with exterior latex , semi gloss. Skuh kuh kuh kuh
    2 points
  37. Hey Norm , so sorry to hear this but i will thinking of you and hope you can keep it at bay for a long long time.
    2 points
  38. I am so sorry you got that diagnosis. My prayers are with you and your family. You never know what God might do for you.
    2 points
  39. The 8” cable gland should be in front the same as the 12.5”:coil. There is some concern on stressing the cable if folded flat for transportation so take note of that.
    2 points
  40. That's what I found in my shorts last season when I found a 3.55ozt nuggie.......
    2 points
  41. Thanks for that. I think I was so caught up thinking it was a quarter that I hadn't looked hard enough at the half reale sizing. That's now sparked the memory that different arrangement of local currency valuation - so the 8reale was valued at near enough 5 shillings UK - continued long after in history to be the foundation of difference between the $ (US) and the £sterling. This one was pretty well in the middle of the field, but those shady areas are always looked at, and the areas where the shade used to be. Any ploughed out hedges, or any holly bushes in live hedges - which are sometimes a sign that a tree used to be nearby long ago.
    2 points
  42. Very quick and very effective 👍
    2 points
  43. Looking forward to see your review on the GPX 6000.
    2 points
  44. First use. I love it. So easy to swing. Loving that I can use it without a harness. No gold today, but was more about experimenting. It likes hot rocks, even in difficult. Not unexpected really. I know these little suckers well and the 7000 likes them too 😉 It seems very sensitive to changes in EMI, but the noise cancel works remarkably well. Great machine. My new best friend 🙂
    2 points
  45. That is quite a haul for a hammered place across the road! I wonder what you will find when you get used to the detector! haha (You may want to dig lower numbers because I've found that deep targets come up when you get them close or out of the hole.) Mitchel
    2 points
  46. I keep telling people the engineers follow this forum. It was a request from an engineer to gather data for future detector development. The brand should be obvious. Equinox was not developed in a vacuum, but basically built to order from forum comments about what people want. When will you see results? Maybe in the next Minelab detector. Or maybe not. It’s just research. Detectors take 3-5 years to develop, so it’s not like poll over, new detector next day.
    2 points
  47. If you haven't read Steve's 'Novel' then do yourself a favour - thanks Steve for taking the time 😉 Spent the day with the 6000. Coil on the ground from about 9.30 until 5 p.m. with a half hour break. Over 2 small areas at different locations that we have totally flogged with GPZ's, a QED, a 5000, an Equinox 800 and a Gold Monster. Areas are probably 5 metres X 15 metres each. Quite a few targets today that just shouldn't be there!! 11 of them lead shot too 🤔 At some stage this morning I had a fleeting thought of disappointment that what I had spent 8K on was not big and heavy and gave the impression that I've really 'got something' for my money. And then I quickly realised that the light and nimble (yet well built and sturdy) 6000 was precisely why I forked out the cash on this new model instead of saving 3K and going for a heavy, harnessed, battery attached, need to work out something to make the audio wireless, GPX 5000. Or even a 4500. Seriously considered both. I'm glad now, and my body will thank me long term, that the 6000 was the final choice. With the 11" attached the balance point of the shaft is about 6 inches closer to the control box than what the Equinox 800 is with its 11" DD and extended to the exact same length. Hence, the 6000 is not quite as nose heavy and just feels really balanced. All day today with no harness, no guide stick, no soreness at all. Nice! The manual says the 14" DD loses some depth but is essentially still as sensitive on shallower pieces. The manual is correct! The 2 smaller pieces in the photo were found with the 14" DD coil - ridiculous!! 😲 They add up to .07 gram together and to be honest I'm not sure how accurate that is - they may be lighter. I read where people said to throw away the DD and buy the 17" - based on the experiences of what a traditional DD offered I guess? I'm not so sure about that. Not a bad patch hunter I would have thought. For a person that has never used a DD though - it is a bitch to pinpoint with 🤣 More time is needed get a feel for it but Steve pretty much confirmed what I was thinking from today re: performance. It doesn't quite have the extreme mineralisation handling characteristics I've found the SDC to have. I did find about 4 hot rocks and did dig some ground noise. Those are rare events with an SDC in the areas I went today. Huge improvement on the hot rocks compared to the QED though. Small gold sensitivity? Well, I think it pretty much equals the SDC in that regard. But, if I already had an SDC and a Coiltek 14X9 I don't know that I would be racing out to buy a 6000 if my main local gold was small and shallow. Big, deep gold? I don't know unfortunately, but hope to find out sooner rather than later 😜 It did find a few deep targets and it obviously 'lights up' targets differently to a GPZ and an SDC as some of these targets were right where they should not be. Today I was fossicking but purely to get some confidence on ground I know well. There are a few other local spots that the 6000 will get a run to, as Reg Wilson would say, pick the last crumbs off the carcass. However, I now feel I've got that light weight yet high performing prospecting machine that I can take out in the field with confidence. Almost forgot. Played with the Threshold On and Off. On for me. Off was just weird. Off is great on the Equinox when coin hunting but I can't see it getting a run on the 6K. Cheers, N.E.
    2 points
  48. I did notice the 6000 finding birdshot or snake shot in areas I know other detectors flat out missed. Is that a good thing? I think so, but it’s a be careful what you wish for result, more sensitivity = more bird shot?
    2 points
  49. Congrads on the new coil! When they first sent me one to test last fall they sent it with out the lower rod also. I was a little puzzled at first....I notified them of the problem and they were very fast in getting one out to me.. Mistakes happen..... More then once looks like. Having the 8 inch coil and not being able to use it right away ..... I grabbed one of my Xtra Excalibur lower shafts and took off about 1/32th of a inch on each side. Fit perfect... Enjoy that 8 inch.. And keep us informed on how it works.
    2 points
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