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Hey Guys/Gals, Well I'm out in the field writing this, but I got a call from a customer today that purchased a GPX 6000 from us. His detector was going bonkers, tried everything to get it to settle down. Sounds like there is an issue and I contacted my Minelab Rep Deb. Any customer having issues on their GPX 6000 needs to contact Detector Center, or start by calling - Customer Service - Minelab Americas 1-877-767-6522 and hit # 2 You should be put in contact with Detector Center in PA, which they will send you a RMA and label to return the unit. Once they inspect/test the unit, Deb stated they will ship you a replacement. Contact the dealer you purchased from for further information on getting a Minelab GPX 6000 fixed (warranty issue/replacement). P.S. Also, it sounds like when using the external speaker on the Minelab GPX 6000, you can/will experience a lot more EMI, sometimes enough to drive you nuts. I haven't experienced this due to always using the headphones. Hope this helps, Rob

I'm very sorry for everyone experiencing issues with the 6000. This plus rod and EMI issues take the shine off the machine. There are way too many production issues with this very high priced detector. Not a good look Minelab. People expect more at this level.

A mate and I were detecting Beggary hill when the boys found this slug down by the fence where there were a lot of old tins. It was just off a surfaced area. The kid that found it was Adam Turner (not Yerner as printed in the paper). His dad was a friend with whom I drank 'moonshine' rum at Wedderburn. Luke Turner had a prospecting shop in Wedderburn and had loaned a detector to the kids for a school project on gold prospecting. I dropped in one night with a large bottle of Coke for a rum sip when Luke said to me "I've something to show you". He unwrapped the slug from a pillow case. It weighed about 85ozs with a bit of ironstone in it. A nice lump. Problems arose when the parents of the two other kids got greedy and involved lawyers because it seemed that they did not trust Luke to sell the nugget, which was stupid because Luke had the contacts to get an above spot price for the nugget. Gold brings out the worst in some people. The end result was a forced sale where the best price was not obtained and the lawyers ended up with most of the money.

Hunting gold takes me to beautiful places I would not otherwise visit. I love the history, the geology, the adventure, the solitude and thrill of finding gold. I also enjoy the friends I make and the knowledge we share.

Great post Rob. I'd like to add a little to this, if you don't mind. Since Minelab USA has been short staffed for quite some time (many companies are) I also suggest you follow up the phone call with an email to them at service@minelabamericas.com When emailing Minelab and or calling them with any detector issue be sure to have the model of unit, serial # of the detector and date purchased as that info is required to get things going. Note- It's most wise to assemble and test your detector (and coils) as soon as you get them. Also make sure the chargers and headphones are taking charge. Please don't try to operate the detector in the house or back yard. You need to take the time to get away from all the EMI we are walking around. I have always recommended those who purchase a detector from me Gerry's Detectors and have issues, I prefer you reach out to me 1st. That way, we can try to trouble shoot before reaching out to Minelab. Sometimes it's something simple a newer customer is not aware of. On occasion and it has happened more than once, I might be able to help. If one of my customers is on a trip and their detector craps out, I have been known to get a loaner to them. Sometimes it's the same model and then too it could be something even better. Well known dealers such as Rob and I are supposed to keep a variety of detectors on hand. Not saying we will be able to provide one every time, but if you never call us, we'll never know. Back in the day when Minelab USA was more interactive with all the dealers, we used to have a yearly Conference. Part of the event was to recognize those select dealers who went above and beyond for different areas of this industry. We were presented awards for our hard work, knowledge, sales growth, customer service and such. I can assure you, Rob and I were and still are always at the top for Customer Service for our customers and many others. Being that we both have stood the test of time in this industry and been with Minelab for over 20 yrs., you know we truly do care for most everyone who is swinging a Minelab detector. Part of what separates us both from many of the others, is we are small focused detector dealers who enjoy being in the field and sharing our experiences and knowledge. When you call our offices you don't get a secretary or middle man, you will be speaking with us, the owners of the business. Yes it might be a day late on occasions (as we are out there learning new detectors and or educating our customers), but we will get back to you. Wishing everyone a great experience with your detectors, no matter what brand and or model. It's all about fun, finds and making memories with friends.

For me when I started hunting gold with my grandfather, I found that when I was out there either panning or sluicing that I had no worries in the world. I believe that most of us will agree that when we do something we like there is no better feeling. I am just learning to metal detect for gold, and can't wait to be able to get out there to do it. Should I not be able to find it with a metal detector I will simply go back to one of my sluices or just start panning again in the local creeks. I will admit that I enjoy coin hunting with my detector and can/have hunt for several hours without any breaks. It seems that when I am out there and in the zone/hunt there is nothing that can be more relaxing. Hope this helps explain why I am out there every chance I get.

As a dealer who sells them and tries to keep up with my customers, I've had a few with issues and would say it is more than the norm. No excuse at all but I would guess they are having the same issues we are here in the US for keeping people at work. Just imagine the demand for a new product and at the same time so many people don't want to work don't want to be about anyone and then the Covid protocol kicks in and if someone tests positive, every person around them is sent home. The reality is there are issues with many companies and products right now. I would expect this to go on for another 6 months. My issues with the GPX-6000. 1) It finds gold so easy, I have to bend over more than I did with the other PI's and that's not good on my bad back I got from swinging a GPZ-7000 for so long. 2) It finds smaller nuggets so easy, I have to actually wear my glasses and filter the dirt. Now I have to carry glasses. 3) It's so much lighter in weight and better ergonomics, I find myself detecting longer hours and finding more pieces of gold. You would think this is great, until you realize you didn't get time to relax and have a beer or shot of whiskey with your comrades. 4) I'm finding smaller nuggets with this PI than any other before and sometimes I easily lose them before I get back to the truck. It pisses me off when I admit (easy come - easy go). 5) I find the external speaker works so well and is so loud I just assume the target is near the surface and then find out it's actually deeper. 6) The detector is so compact, it gets lost in my camper. Heck I even lost it in my truck one time and actually drove back home thinking I forgot to pack it. I'm wasting precious time trying to find it. In days past, the GPZ-7000 would take up the whole passenger seat or half the bed in my trailer. No more with the 6000, but I might put one of those beepers on it and keep the fob with me. I lost full size F-350 long bed 4 dr super duty truck one time in a parking lot. That beeping fob saved my ass. 7) The simplicity of the GPX-6000 is boring my brain. Who the hell sells a $6000 detector and all you pretty much have to do it hit the power button and a couple others. How can my brain grasp something I have no control? 😎 Not wearing a big bulky harness anymore is not what I expected. Now I have nowhere to pack my pick and I have no bungee to get in a fight with each time I bend over. 9) The cost of coils and battery is not inline with a $6000 detector. A GPX-5000 battery is $441 and this is only $165. A GPZ-7000 coil is $1000+ and this is less than $400. How is a dealer supposed to make a living selling accessories. 10) The amount of gold nuggets my customers are finding is the best Success of any high end gold machine in many years. Now I am getting accused of planting gold and taking pictures of the same gold over and over. I'm a Karma guy, just saying. Minelab, You ever pull this shit again and I'm done buying detectors. You could go out of business, me too.

In my almost 50 yrs of MD'ing across six different countries I find myself going back to the GOLD more often than not. Yes I've dug more than my share of Roman coins and even a few scare items dating BC when I swing the history rich fields of England's past. Yes I've pulled a few stunner diamond bling rings in the scoop from the salty seas across the warm water coasts of this world. Yes, I've been the 1st to touch a rare Civil War relic that was lost during battle of our freedoms in the rich soils of our original 13 colonies. On occasion my hand has been the 1st to reach down and pull a treasure from outer space that was sitting on the desert floor just waiting for someone to see/know what it is (meteorite). And yes to this day, I enjoy cutting a deep plug and popping out a silver dollar or even a Merc dime, for that matter from a 100 yr old house. But the reality is I seem to go back to the gold for most of my hunts. Why does it pull me/you more than the other kind of treasure metal detecting? For some, it could be about the money and value of gold? At times I probably think and direct my next hunt to that as well, but yet I've sold very little. I know my wife would rather see me spend more time chasing gold, as she keeps saying to find enough to retire. Is it really about the money though? Maybe it's the solitude of being out in the middle of nowhere and not having to listen to the constant hustle and bustle of everyday life? Being the only person on the side of a mountain and all you hear is sounds of nature around you? How about being in the isolate desert, the 1st (only person) to wake up, make your cup of Joe and watch the sun rise as you figure your direction and plan of attack to find a few Au dinks? I do enjoy my annual hunts with friends and the camaraderie we share. It's so exciting (for me anyway) when someone finds their 1st of something (gold wedding band, 1800's Indian Head Cent, 1st silver coin or even gold nugget. I was there and in a way helped them accomplish their goal. I try to capture the moment and enthusiasm as it's their first and may never happen again. As a pretty skilled detectorist (but always willing to listen/learn more) I do enjoy the challenge of Nugget Hunting as I feel it's one of the hardest styles of MD'ing to accomplish and succeed at. Maybe in a weird way we enjoy the defeat of not finding and or the hardships Prospecting seems to bring? I know for a fact I've had more talks with the man above when on such "trying to find gold" trips. For me, I think it's a combination of all above and probably other reason I've yet to bring up, but at different %'s. I really don't think there is a right or wrong answer on this and why we chase gold over other treasures. What's your excuse and some reasons as I'm looking forward to hear your thoughts?

It especially sucks that Minelab's policy is that if you don't find out your detector is defective within 30 days, they want to repair it instead of replace it. Unfortunately, for me it's about 45 days since I purchased the detector. It was way too hot here in Arizona to get out and fully test it until recently when it cooled down. I am pushing for a replacement because I don't think they really know what is wrong with it and I don't want an underperforming broken seal "suspect" detector I just paid $6k for. They know there are certain batches that have problems. Those need to be replaced not repaired. We don't pay that kind of money for junk. -Don

It is quite clear that earlier this year they were aware of problems with the 6000 yet they kept selling them.They could have done a recall on whatever run of detectors that were faulty or find out where the problem was during the manufacturing process. But oh no, they chose to keep sending them out and worry about it later at the expense of the consumer. Apparently they need to step up their quality control program and I don't care what the demand was a good company doesn't do that. JMO

I had some self inflicted issues with my 6 awhile back but thanks to the forum members and some advice it's now working as it should. My areas are trashy and emi can get real annoying so I don't use it much but it's always with me when I stumble onto a less trashy area. The issues I had were solved from advice got here and were loose coil wire and also a factory re-set. My coil wire was LOOSE as hell at power box. Today I dug 10 real tiny bits and working hard for them. Took a lunch break and realized I needed to do something different so I thought about an area I'd pounded with the Monster several times digging/raking and couldn't remember if I'd followed the spot up with the 6 or not? What the hell...I'll hit it again with the 6 as what I'd been doing wasn't going all that well today. The 6 ran pretty smooth (for a change) and I popped 5 more nicer nuggs so the 6 really added to the 10 previous smallest of bits. Today I was loving the wild sensitive 6 and quite impressed on depth on small nuggs. So sorry you guys are having issues....if nothing else check that coil cable at the box, it seemingly tightens first few threads...BUT then you need to push cable in a little further...tighten nut some more, and possibly one more time. Thanks to whomever told me about that as my cable was really loose.....that and a re-set fixed mine right up!!!!! Oh yeah...59 nuggs with the 6 so far and I rarely use it......

Enjoyed coin shooting for 26yrs focusing on older coins and for living in the youngest area(s) of the U.S. I've dug a pretty fair collection of Morgans, seated, barber, mercs, LC, IH's, V's, buffies, etc. etc. It finally got to where I hated trips to the city, people calling cops, sirens, traffic, people asking questions, people cussing you, dogs barking, etc. that I burned out on it. Always been a loner avoiding the crowd and my hobbies have been solitary things like trapping, shed hunting, trail cams (trapping without the hard work, blood and guts), cutting wood, hiking into the back country, etc. Always wanted to chase gold but never had the opportunity until recently when a guy said he was a prospector and would take me up to his claim and show me around, etc. Digging, sluicing, classifying, panning was fun until the fucking Forest Service came along and told me ALL the stuff I couldn't do and that pissed me off and I said to self...that's it I'm going to use a detector from now on....and damn glad I switched so in the end the FS actually helped me with their crap....lol that's my story......

With me it's genetic so I am absolved of any personal responsibility. My fathers family mined here in California before it was California.

Well Gerry I think the only thing you've missed and the main reason we hunt gold is simply we are a wee sun touched. Too much time out under the sun, right now that suns first morning rays are breaking and it's time to get up fire up the generator and get that morning expresso in hand and quietly watch that sun rise. Well that's my excuse.

All of the above plus trying to figure out where Mother Nature has hidden the stuff and, occasionally, getting it right.

I had to switch from belt pouches because the always slide off of me. (Gluteus Minimus) So I went to an across the chest sling pouch. It works great in the parks for me and carries a suprizing amount of stuff.

Simon, You've said exactly what I, others, and probably you, have said before!👍 ML is a business, and is doing the "right" thing for their shareholders; like it or not!! The warranty is "saving" their bacon; and ours, for now!! But they had better address the problem, (if not already, with recent detector releases) or it may end up affecting sales on future models! Not unlike the huge shift to Coiltek coils by users!! But then again, maybe that was a genius move on their part, and it's actually more profitable to just sell their coil "chips" to Coiltek, and not have to continue infinitely with their "problem" design/material issues for their own coils!? Time will tell!! But a word of caution, to those new to the problem! As we have said before, It's a crapshoot, if you permanently attach anything to an "under warranty" coil,(or Pod) that cannot be removed, if it still breaks! ML has given me several warranty replacements of various parts on two different Noxes! One was a tab l had too repair, just before a trip! Luckily, they replaced that coil, when I got back! But I called, and explained first, to get an OK! But they could have very well said no, due to it being altered! 👍👍

Gerry, there is nothing funny about people on here getting defective products. Sure the 6000 has advantages, and I will appreciate those advantages in a couple weeks. Remember the detector and coil sales I sent your way. I am still waiting for the $100 credit you promised in 2018. How much is the 17" coil? Surely you would apply that credit to that coil. Right?

Beach hunt # 6 is over! Not much has changed conditions wise, so I hit the same area I did last week, just expanding it a bit. I must have been working a newer layer, as most of the clad coin dates were at least 10 years newer than the last hunt. The chance for silver goes down quite a bit, but you still have to dig that deep clad, just in case. No gold this time around, but I did get 3 silvers - a Mercury dime, Roosevelt dime, and a war nickel. The ratio of copper cents to zinc cents was great. The amount of iron and aluminum dug was not so great. 😄 Also dug a Buffalo nickel and a transit token. Lots of work for just a couple of good finds, but it’s worth it if you consider I wasn’t at work and I got to view a beautiful beach. Keep digging!

Yeah not everyone enjoys speculating I suppose, but I'm weird that way because that's what I think is one of the thing that is fun about forums, speculating on what might be and the anticipation of that. I don't care if I'm wrong or inaccurate. It doesn't cost anything, stimulates discussion, and perhaps sends a message to the manufacturers on what hard core detectorists want in a detector. To that point... Great points, Melano, and that makes a great thread segue into what else people might want XP to include as features anticipating that it will be a MF detector - I personally would like to see XP retain the Deus fully wireless ecosystem but provide a more elegant way to shift into a water friendly mode. I like having the coil be wireless from the control box for most situations because it enables quick coil switching and allows you to place the control box where you think it is most convenient like on a vest or to tuck it away and just use the phones. I would like it to retain the multiple single frequency feature. I am hoping that MF improves Deus salt beach performance and Target ID at depth in mineralized soil. If XP can make it competitive with Tarsacci in this regard, then we might actually have something to sit up and take notice. Use of MF for better ferrous target filtering (along the lines of ML's Equinox iron bias feature) would also be good. It would be great if XP would allow the user, as an advanced feature, to continuously or discretely adjust the MF frequency weighting in some manner and to enable adjustments in signal processing to be SEPARATE from frequency weighting adjustments (e.g., on Equinox adjustments in signal processing and weighting are adjusted together by shifting the search profiles/modes - Park/Field/Beach/Gold) XP made some great tweaks to the user interface with Orx (pop up Target ID and iron probability bar) and I would like to see those migrate to the new detector as options if it is going to use a similar interface but also retain the Deus ability to cycle back and forth between the modes using the +/- buttons (which was not something the ORX was able to do). I like how Orx utilized the pinpoint button as a ground grab button for quick "auto" GB adjustment. I think the XP implementation of pinpoint mode on Deus and Orx is cumbersome. A dedicated pinpoint trigger or toggle membrane would be more convenient rather than having to switch between buttons to get in and out of pinpoint mode. XP should separate the non-motion mode switching menu from pinpoint mode. XP needs to ditch their cumbersome and fragile coil charging clips in favor of something more robust and convenient. Also, they need to update to USB C and the industry standard Power Delivery spec for charging their accessories. Target Auto scoop and plug digging/finds pouch placing would also be welcome. Anyway, those are some of my thoughts in what I am looking for in the next XP detector. Would like to hear what other people are looking for.

Nearly posted the photo too. Back in 1980 at Beggary Hills Wedderburn in the Golden Triangle a piece that weighed 84 ozs. was found by three boy had found it using an early Whites detector. Just after this was announced there was a rush there by everyone and their dog. The Wife, Me, and her brother went to have a look. I saw an old guy and his wife digging a hole about two feet deep. I asked if he would let me see how my detector responded to his target. I got nothing so he got back in the hole and his wife gave him he detector and said listen to this. I woke up straight away that he was getting his steel cap boots. He was not convinced till I told him to get out and let his wife have a go with her shoes. He was a bit upset as that ground was very hard to dig and he had been digging for over an hour. .....about the nugget.....

MF with 5 frequencies is what I heard.

I posted My Minelab Vanquish 540 pro review on another forum last week but have added quite a bit since then. Video link is at the bottom as well with some of the tests I performed for those that are interested. Ergonomics are good compared to most detectors out there, it’s light weight and I like the layout of the menus and screen. I can tell it’s aimed at the Garrett Ace series of detectors. The 540 pro pack is a good value for the money. But if a person is on the fence between a vanquish 540 Pro or the Equinox 600, I would pay the extra $150 and get an Equinox 600. Performance wise it’s a beginner metal detector and that shouldn’t be a surprise as the price reflects that. Menus are easy to navigate and straight forward. It’s a great metal detector for someone who doesn’t want to dig junk. ID is accurate and almost identical to the Equinox ID numbers. If a person runs the Vanquish in any of the modes and uses the stock high iron bias, virtually all iron trash and bottle caps are eliminated. I’m going to make some performance comparisons between the Vanquish and the Equinox for those that want to know how it compares. Not saying that one is better than the other because it’s all going to depend on what you want to use each one for. The iron bias on the Vanquish in high is about equal to F2 level 6 on the Equinox and on low equal to F2 level 2 as far as I can tell in side by side comparisons. Modes I’m sure have different weighted frequencies and it’s anybody’s guess what they are. So other than the weighted frequencies I think recovery speed is the big factor in each. All modes are 5 tones. Relic mode I feel is about like having the recovery speed on the Equinox 800 at 1, Jewelry mode about like level 3 and Coin mode about like level 4 or maybe 5. Recovery speed is not adjustable on the Vanquish. Recovery speed on the Vanquish vs the Equinox was based on coins with no iron near it. So, this is where it gets interesting. There’s got to be more going on than just recovery speed behind the scenes on the Vanquish because I was very disappointed with it’s unmasking abilities in any of the modes even with the small 5 by 8 coil. A few simple tests were performed. First, I laid 4 rusty nails in a row long way with a penny, dime and nickel between each nail. The coins were about 1.5” between the tip and heads of the nails. The Equinox 11” coil can easily see each coin at a recovery speed of 3 and even 2 with a controlled sweep speed iron bias at FE 2. The Vanquish couldn’t see the coins even with the small coil with iron bias set at low. I had to put the Equinox at recovery 0 iron bias 9 to perform as bad as the Vanquish. Next I placed a coin below a nail 2” the nail was 6 inches away. The vanquish couldn’t see the coin in any mode at any sweep speed with the V12 coil. It could see the coin with the V8 coil. In my yard I have 3 dimes buried at 4, 5 and 6 inches. My soil is bad 4-5 bars on Fisher F75. Most detectors can’t hit the 6” dime and not call it iron. For example XP Deus with 9” HF coil, Makro Multi Kruzer, Fisher F-19, and Teknetics T2 with 7 by 11 coils all call it iron. Equinox and eTrac hit it fine and ID it as a dime. The Vanquish in relic mode is useless in my ground I can’t even hit the 4” dime. In jewelry mode calls the 6” dime iron, in coin mode it hits it one way but ID’s 26, so not bad. But this is clean ground as in no iron near. I took it to my local park to try out for a few hours and I was pleased with it’s performance. But I wondered what I was walking over based on my test with recovery. My question was kind of answered on one signal I got. It was a long weird signal in the 25-26 range. Good but too big to be a coin or so I thought. So I grabbed the Equinox and sure enough there where 2 dimes about 4 inches apart. One was about 3 inches deep the other 4. The vanquish couldn’t separate the two coins unless in pinpoint mode. Next, I took a trip to the Great Salt Lake Marina and State Park here in Utah to see if it could perform in the mega salt environment. I ran the Vanquish only in the jewelry mode as I figured it was the one best suited for the beach. I was able to push the sensitivity to 8 out of the water and 6 in the water without too much falsing. This surprised me because I can’t run the Equinox out there unless in the Beach modes and even then, it’s pretty noisy. But stability comes as a price and that price is depth. I located about 9 targets with my other detector that were anywhere from 2” to 10” deep. Of the 9 the Vanquish could only see 2 of them and they were both junk, one was a piece of can slaw at 2” the other was .22 brass at 4”. The other targets were a swim cap buckle, .22 long brass, 1 nickel, 2 dimes and 2 pennies. They were all in the 7-10” range. Now on a normal salt water beach with no black sand the Vanquish will probably perform better. I haven’t had the Vanquish out to a relic site yet but will try in the next few weeks weather permitting. Most likely will do signal comparisons between the Vanquish and Equinox. I worry how it will perform in my iron infested site, we will see. It’s going to be a good metal detector for my daughter, which was my intentions of buying it in the first place. She won’t be digging many rusty nails or other junk and can cherry pick coins easy. It should also work good on the beaches in California when we vacation. Overall good value and I think Minelab did a good job for the market it’s intended for. Comparing the Equinox to the Vanquish is kind of like comparing the Simplex to the Anfibio. The low priced models just aren’t going to perform at the same level although they have good DNA.

Thanks, this is just my park/lawn rig. When I'm out in the bush, I carry my deep & dirty rig, the Dirt Devastator 5000! 😆

Your asking a lot for a $450 machine. There aren't many metal detectors in that price range that I would even consider. Fisher is too behind the times, Whites is out of business and XP is priced too high. So that leaves Garrett, Minelab and Nokta Makro. Yea you might consider some other brands that do exist but lets just stick with the main stream stuff. Garrett at $450 and under offers the Ace series which includes the Apex. So of the Ace series only the Apex is in the running IMO. Nokta Makro only has the Simplex. Minelab has basically the Vanquish series. You mentioned you want separation, mineralization and beach handling capabilities. What I don't know is are you taking about saltwater beaches or fresh water beaches because that will change my recommendation. So I'll make a pick for both. BTW I have owned or still own all 3 machines in question. Starting with fresh water beaches. The Simplex is hands down the best alternative and here's why. The Simplex is waterproof, handles mineralization quite well and offers the best target separation of the 3. My ground is 4-5 bars on the F75 and of the all single frequency machines out there (including the XP Deus/ORX) is handles my mineralization the best. By best I mean both runs quiet and offers exceptional depth. In the target separation tests I've done the Simplex is lightning fast compared to the Apex or Vanquish. For $450 you can have wireless headphones and 2 coils. Now saltwater beaches. I will say up front that I haven't tried the Simplex on a saltwater beach. But by default I would rule it out simply because it's single frequency and historically multi frequency machines perform better that single frequency machines in saltwater environments. So of the Apex and the Vanquish it's honestly a toss up but I would lean more towards the other in 2 different scenarios. If you're strictly after depth I would lean toward the Apex simply because it has bigger coils available and from everything I've seen the MS feature on the Apex is right on par with the Vanquish depth wise coil size to coil size. However, I haven't had the chance to work the Apex on a black sand beach. The Vanquish I've had on Southern California black sand beaches and it performs quite well. So the Vanquish might have to be the choice when you add black sand. In scenario 2 on saltwater beaches, which is trash handling I think I would have to go with the Vanquish. Neither one is outstanding at target separation. When all targets are placed on a flat plain like a nail board test the Apex slightly out performs the Vanquish with 5x8 coils installed if I recall right. But when places in a 3D situation the Vanquish MF outperforms the Apex. I would assume this carries over to larger coils, I could be wrong. Since the beach is more likely to be a 3D scenario. then the Vanquish becomes the obvious choice. Now the last thing to consider when looking at the Apex and Vanquish 540 for saltwater beach hunting is the price. For $438 you can get he Apex with the larger 8.5x11 coil. The Minelab Vanquish comes in at $369 with the 9x12 coil.

Certainly, for all the reasons you mentioned. Then, sometimes, I think there is strong physiology at play for to certain brains. I think it works similar to the same pathways as seen in gambling. Random reward systems can have a powerful dopaminergic/norepinephrinergic effect on us. Add to it the human inclination to look for patterns everywhere (even when there may be none) and the fact that experience and knowledge increase your odds. There are some powerful biological forces at play. For fun only, here are the DSM 5 criteria with the word gambling replaced with “gold finding” and other similar minor word substitutions. Gold-finding Disorder A. Persistent and recurrent problematic gold seeking behavior leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as indicated by the individual exhibiting four (or more) of the following in a 12­ month period: a. Needs to find gold with increasing expenditure of money in order to achieve the desired excitement. b. Is restless or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop finding gold. c. Has made repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop finding gold. d. Is often preoccupied with finding gold (e.g., having persistent thoughts of reliving past gold-finding experiences, handicapping or planning the next venture, thinking of ways to get money with which to find gold). e. Often seeks gold when feeling distressed (e.g., helpless, guilty, anxious, depressed). f. After losing money prospecting, often returns another day to get even (“chasing” one’s losses). g. Lies to conceal the extent of involvement with found gold. h. Has jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job, or educational or career opportunity because of seeking gold. i. Relies on others to provide money to relieve desperate financial situations caused by seeking gold. B. The gold-finding behavior is not better explained by a manic episode. Specify if: Episodic: Meeting diagnostic criteria at more than one time point, with symptoms subsiding between periods of gold-finding disorder for at least several months. Persistent: Experiencing continuous symptoms, to meet diagnostic criteria for multiple years. Specify if: In early remission: After full criteria for gold-finding disorder were previously met, none of the criteria for gold-finding disorder have been met for at least 3 months but for less than 12 months. In sustained remission: After full criteria for gold-finding disorder were previously met, none of the criteria for gold-finding disorder have been met during a period of 12 months or longer. Specify current severity: Mild: 4–5 criteria met. Moderate: 6–7 criteria met. Severe: 8–9 criteria met.

GL, I think they call that 'Noassatall"! Most with this "malody" just wear suspenders! But you found a great alternative to overcome your "disability"!😂👍👍

Finally got it back. It got delivered to the wrong house. The connection is tight now and no more coil errors. Left it turned on in the tub last night just to be sure. I will try to email the tech and ask what he actually did to fix it. Now maybe I can finally give 2.77 vs 2.78 a try again.

GhostLight; very nice rig. Looks like you are set up for precision recoveries. It is all much too clean though.

I remember reading about it when the kids found the nugget. Also remember that the Skylab bits and pieces in Western Australia started the electronic gold rush for many of us. Just reminds me I'm getting old. When I read about large gold finds I tend to research the area and look at the type of ground it was found in, helps me focus on the geology and improve my odds of finding the yellow. People have learnt to keep the location of the finds to themselves these days, who can blame them?

Perfectly said, Randy! Hope to see you at Gold Basin in 4 weeks 🤠

My 6000 was working perfectly straight out of the box. It was one of the first in the US to arrive. Perhaps the following production batches started to have some of these issues? I never had any quality issues with any ML detector I bought, aside the well known battery issue with the first SDC models. I am sorry to hear that you guys have so many problems with it. Bummer!

I bring enough sand home too 🙄 It doesn't seem like I dig that much until I get home and start to sort it out. I have a belt with 2 home made pouches on it, along with my pin pointer. One pouch is for trash, a screwdriver (for prying rocks loose) and a toothbrush (for unclogging those tiny slits that the Garrett pinpointer has for speaker holes). The other pouch is for a drink, an old vitamin container with a slice cut out of the top, so I can just slip the coins in. Also somewhere is a 9 volt battery in a baggie just so I don't have to go anywhere if the pinpointer dies. I also throw trash in this one too if I get a lot of big stuff. I usually empty them about half way through the hunt, when I do a bathroom visit. Each pouch has a plastic insert in it so it last longer from all that sharp iron I dig. It's no beauty by any means, 😶 but it gets the job done.

I don't mind digging lots of clad after many of the crappy hunts I've had. If there's clad , there usually is jewelry. It's been ingrained in me to expect gold , but am often disappointed. I went out last night in Diego for 1.25 hours. Looked good but only 4 targets ! Ugh.. Covering the weep holes are no good. I need new ear pads....wait...I need a new detector ! 2 companies I been looking at are putting on a major jerk show. I typically wear shorts and a long sleeved tshirt. Unless it's really cold , like below 50° ! Then I wear pants and a hooded jacket over my headphones. Otherwise I get too hot and sweat.

Right now, I’m that guy. My $70 Winbest Pro always finds at least a few coins. Mainly an excuse to get out of the house and enjoy some sunshine and fresh air. I must admit, however, that finding a little gold/silver ring last month has made me start contemplating something better.

The problem is, if they release a new model of the coil with stronger thicker ears the previous model owners will be demanding the new model coil as a replacement for their possibly weak coil. With the Equinox likely their biggest selling detector ever this is an issue. As a business would you rather swap out the occasional coil that hardcore users are breaking and the occasional weekend warrior breaks by very bad luck or would you rather adjust the design and have a massive PR disaster with many requests for new replacement better coils even without them being broken and with people even breaking their ears on purpose to get the new model? That also means admitting there is a problem that needs fixed? 🙂 Minelab have clearly taken the first option, with replacing coils quickly and easily for everyone who breaks one. They've made it a simple process to keep people happy and say how good their warranty was. It's a shame for them the problem was unable to be fixed with a better plastic formula that looks the same but is stronger but this doesn't seem to be the case with some users breaking the replacement coils also. I've got coil ear strengtheners on my coils and I'd imagine my 11" and 6" are out of warranty by now, my 15x12" likely still has warranty although I haven't checked. I like the idea of people using epoxy to glue the strengtheners onto the coils but I don't like the idea of epoxy to make a permanent change, to get around this I've used some hot glue on mine, I can completely reverse the process as hot glue can be removed with rubbing alcohol. I could make my coils look like I'd never glued the strengtheners on if I wanted to and it should serve the same purpose as epoxy by binding the strengthener to the original ears, so far so good. As someone that's very fussy about cosmetics I used black coloured hot glue sticks too, and when using hot glue you can make it very neat by wetting your finger and shaping and adjusting it as it cools so you really can make it a nice tidy professional looking job.

Thanks for your time and effort to do this little report, kac. It's really appreciated. 👍

From my infos ( local French dealers ) , XP will release a new SMF VLF detector by the end of the year.

As I said in my earlier post the returns I`ve had with Minelab detectors were 2 coils on the SD series, otherwise I`ve never returned a detector for repairs since year one with Minelab, although my Zs due to have its screen replaced, over those 30 plus years from the original GS15000. Their current coil chip use sucks, their coils while rugged have never been great performers but their quality and performance of their detectors I have little complaints. I have ordered each new ML detector since the SD2100 just on my experience with them, long before reviews, I`m no doubt a ML early bird user simply because they have always come up with the weight. I love the 6K and because I`m a wee slow it did take a few ounces to really get it singing but that is so with all new gold detectors. Perhaps my next ML will be the lemon portrayed in this thread.

Hey Gerry, Ya, great addition to the information I posted about warranty/repairs. The Minelab Dealers Conferences were great, especially when they were just US based for US dealers. I wasn't a big fan of having the Conferences bunched up, International and US. I felt like it took most of all the attention from the US dealers, that have their own issues and concerns. I have to give you a lot of credit, you are one of very few dealers that would honestly express your concerns with them in a public setting. I can remember all the times you would let the big shots have it. It always seemed like 90% of the dealers would talk a big game outside the conference doors, but once it was time to tell them our concerns, it was like "Crickets!" On another note, we both have won many "Customer Awards" from Minelab Americas, including the Customer Care Champion awards, which I still have 2 sitting on my desk. That being said, I'm still chasing you for that "Eagle" Award, the highest award any dealers is awarded. Congrats for sure! Rob

I'd like to see all of the suggestions made by Chase. While the odds are that the new offering won't be a simple matter of a new MF coil and an update for the current remote, that would be my preference. From the consumer's standpoint, that would be the most financially prudent option. If XP is putting out an entirely new machine, I'd like to see the new remote be a bit larger and easier to read (without reading glasses). I'd love a color screen (to this date I still think the V3i screen is the best on the market). I'd like to see the option to normalize VDI numbers at a frequency of the user's choice - mostly so the user could select a choice that allows for a larger spread (of the numbers) at the upper end of the scale. I'd like to see an option similar to the analyze function found in the V3i pinpoint mode - where the strength of each frequency (for the target) is shown. I'd like the new machine to be compatible with the W4 backphones, and the MI6 pinpointer. I'd like the new machine to be compatible with the current coils. I'd like the new remote to be very water/dust resistant (capable of withstanding heavy rain).

I used the computer gaming headphones "Razer Kraken" at hand and for the test at the handset I cut the cable, soldered to a small amplifier which is powered by a battery and connected to a vibration motor through the bridge. There was no sound of the loudspeaker in the detector, but when there is metal above the coil, the motor vibrates. If there is nothing, the motor turns slightly.

Love the Gold with Diamonds! One of my favorite wedding band design. You find a lot of sun glasses?

I recently picked up a Garrett Ace Apex with 3 coils for a very good price locally. This is the second one I have owned. I spent the last few weeks doing some indoor and outdoor tests as well as some park hunting to get reacquainted with it. I stated on the Garrett forum that I would give the Apex another chance and do some infield testing against the Equinox and Simplex and report back. I had a chance to spend about 5 hours at a relic site over the weekend and do just that. The site has had mixed usage since the late 1850’s and includes Military artifacts as well as more modern house site items. The site has been hammered over the last 6 decades and so I thought it would be the perfect test. Ground is 4-5 bars on the F75 and is for the most part loaded with iron except farther out where we will usually just find fired .58 cal bullets, shotgun and .22 brass. I started with the Apex 8.5 x 11 coil out where we usually just find bullets running MF, custom program where everything is accepted over 20 and sensitivity all the way up. My goal was to just see if I could find bullets, no comparisons were done. I quickly found out the sensitivity was too high as I got a lot of false signals and chased a few ghost signals. Once turned down 1 bar the Apex ran smooth. I managed to find 4 .58 cal bullets and a few .22 and shotgun brass. Deepest bullet was 6 inches and was a very jumpy signal. I’ve done a video in the past digging bullets with the Apex in this same area if you want to see it you can find it in the Garrett forum. It’s under 10 things I like and 5 I don’t like about the Apex. Unlike the Equinox in this same area, the Apex has a real hard time identifying deep large targets vs small .22 brass. The signals are jumpy in both regards and hard to determine depth. Next I moved to an area close by that has produced quite a few buttons and dropped bullets in the past. The area is very trashy in places with glass shards and square nails. I used the Equinox 800 with the 11” coil running Park 1, 50 tones, iron bias F2 0, recovery 4, Multi and sensitivity 22. The Equinox 600 can be setup exactly the same way. I proceeded to mark 8 targets that came in at as low as 1 up to the highest being 15 on the Equinox. All of these targets were located in the trashy areas. The Simplex 11” coil Park 2 was able to see all but 2 targets, one being a small pewter button about 3 inches deep the other being a fired percussion cap also about 3 inches deep. The Apex 8.5 x 11 coil unfortunately was only able to see 2 targets. The first being a large pewter button maybe and 1 inch deep the other being a fired percussion cap on the surface. A small Navy cuff button laying on the surface (that only read 1 on the Equinox) was surprising invisible to the Apex. Granted there were a lot of iron signals around it. Last area, the house site. This time I started with the Simplex 11” coil running park 2. Now I know what some of you are going to say. Why use the larger coils in trashy sites? I wanted to see what the stock coils would do, I consider the 8.5 x 11 the stock coil for the Garrett machines. Yes I may have gotten better results with the Apex using a smaller coil. Anyway, I located and marked 4 targets with the Simplex. The Equinox was able to see all 4 but did struggle with one, all explain in a minute. The Apex was able to see 3 out of the 4, but was totally blind to the one the Equinox struggled with. Target 1 was a modern penny about 1 inch deep and was not a problem for any of the detectors. Target 2 was a small piece of decorative brass about 2 inches deep which all the detectors saw. But the Apex numbers were all over the place where as the Equinox was a solid 14 and the Simplex a solid 44. Target 3 turned out to be a 1929 S wheat penny at 5 inches deep. The Simplex read 66-68 and could get the signal as I rotated all the way around it. The Equinox struggled, first direction I tried got nothing but iron grunts. But as I rotated around it, I started to get a choppy signal that would bounce up to about 17. The Apex got nothing but iron grunts no matter what I tried. Signal 4 turned out to be a 1946 dime at about 3 inches and was a good solid signal on all the detectors. I also located 2 old clay marbles while I was walking around the house site. In a relic hunting scenario, the Equinox and Simplex have a clear advantage over the Apex. The Apex likes round objects and does the best on them and has a fairly accurate ID. Odd shapes are not it’s strong point for sure. But for someone who only wants to dig coins, it could be great. I will also say that of the 3 the Apex was most comfortable to swing and I think I like the wireless headphones the best on the Apex. In the future I plan to take the same 3 machines to a ghost town and the beach to see how they stack up against each other. I will say that the more I use the Simplex the more I see just how great a value this machine is. For the money you can’t beat it.

Not a gold hunter here, but I would think that if you have a lot of free time, then hunting old patches is not a bad thing. It can also be therapeutic to visit places of fond memories. But if you are limited on time, then hunting new patches seems a better bet, even though you may strike out a lot. But hunting new ground also has a sense of adventure and can recharge you so detecting doesn't get stale after a while. I hunt my same areas a lot because they can renew themselves, where gold hunting can produce again generally only if you physically remove layers of dirt (discounting new technology). So to stay or move would be a choice that involves how you think and feel internally and not so much if the area is still producing gold. The is no logical reason to keep reworking the same patch just to get scraps, yet a lot of people still do that. So maybe it's more of a philosophical question than a logical one. I say this because I will be detecting the same beach I always do next time out 😆

Horseshoe ON. I always run with horseshoe ON because of the clipped audio as Hugh had stated above. I have not noticed any down averaging being worse with the horseshoe on or off. The Nox IMO down averages less than most when close to iron. That penny reads 22 on the Nox the Simplex 71. So in this case the Simplex both down averaged less and sounded better than the Nox. Overall I feel the Simplex just does better in iron trash than the Nox on high conductors. Low conductors the Nox had the edge.

S-handle mod. The Blisstool angle of the handle I felt was a bit too steep. Which tended to put my wrist in an awkward position. Didn't feel that comfy after awhile. This is a quick mod. Bliss S-handle Mod Part 3.pdf

Gain Control Mod Bliss Gain Mod Part 2.pdf

Beach hunt # 4 this past Thursday, and finally some more time with the GPX 6000. The difference between low tide and high tide was minimal, so it was a great time to do some tests with the GPX on a very high EMI beach. I started off right away with the 14”DD coil and ran the EMI option. It ran rather well even when the train approached. It did get chattery when the train was passing by, but it seemed to quiet down faster after the train passed. The 5000 would take a long time after the train passed to do the same. So that was nice to see. I spent a total of 6 hours with the 6000 almost exclusively with the 14” coil. I tried the 11” mono for about 15 minutes, but the train induced EMI made that futile. This is one of those times I would have like to have an old-style DD coil and a cancel mode option. The 14” DD did hit on some old style pull tabs at 12 -13” and gave a rather decent signal, even close to the train tracks. That was also nice to see. I also did notice that Steve Herschbach’s findings using the toggle between normal and difficult worked on the 14” DD coil as it did for his mono coils. I could (if I wanted) choose to not dig little bits of aluminum and other small targets by disregarding the high-high signal. I did not for most of the hunt just to see what comes up. I did after a while dig only high – low and low – high signals in an attempt to dig nickel type targets (nickels, pull tabs, gold rings) and also dig higher conductive targets (cents, quarters, big iron). One thing I can say that I noticed is the sluggish signal the DD coil gives as opposed to the mono coil’s sharp response. This is also true for the quality of the signal in the headphones, as I find the DD coil gives a muffled tone, whereas the mono coil gives a nice sharp, and quick loud tone. Let me know if anyone else has this happen. I don’t think under these conditions the 6000 will replace my 5000 anytime soon for beach hunting, but it still will have a place in certain conditions on the beach, mainly when some 6-12” of sand gets removed. With heavy EMI and some sand gone, the 14DD may go a bit deeper than the 5000 running in cancel mode. And finally, for the last 2 hours I ran the GPX 5000 in cancel mode and ended the day that way. I was not expecting much, and even the two other detectorists quit after about an hour. My one distraction was the 2 bus loads of either junior high or high school age kids that invaded the beach and surrounding areas. 😵 Honest to God, they never stopped scream talking the whole 2 hours they were there. Finally, they moved on to other areas, and continued their chants. A great day to be alive and hunting a beach.

I printed my own from this free Thingiverse file. Coil Ear Protector for Minelab Equinox I printed it with Polycarbonate filament using 100% infill (no internal gaps). I also changed printing orientation to print it from the side instead of the bottom. This aligns the filament layers perpendicular to the common break lines of the tabs instead of parallel to the break points. It is much stronger this way. I've had it on for a year with no problems.