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Hi everyone, I wanted to start a new thread so I could update everyone. As you know I lost a gold ring in 1981 and have been hunting for it for 40 years, here go’s. I went out Friday night and Saturday night until 10:00 pm and continued my grid search and marked promising signals with wooden stakes. I went back to the yard Sunday and began digging what I had marked with no luck, it was all junk. As I got further and further out into the yard the targets got fewer and fewer and I couldn’t imagine the ring could be that far away so After about 3 hours of searching I moved back up to where I had always thought I had lost the ring, up near the fence. I spent another hour or so digging the few questionable signals that were left and this time using mainly the vanquish and pinpointing with the Tesoro because I have a hard time pinpointing on vanquish. I scanned over a spot I had crossed over literally hundreds of times and I got a faint signal of an 8 on the vanquish and occasionally jumping to 9, I circled it and it was faint but solid 8 and the depth gauge had all the segments filled, it was very deep. I used the pinpoint and dug and come up with nothing, I scanned the hole and still had that faint signal so I got the Tesoro and used pinpoint but heard nothing. I decided to dig a little deeper and still didn’t find anything, scanned again with vanquish and still had the signal so I Got the Tesoro and put it in all metal and was able to run sensitivity maxed out. Next I scraped off some dirt off the top so I could get the Tesoro a little deeper into the ground and started scanning and I got a faint/whisper on pinpoint. While I was pinpointing I noticed this time the pinpoint seemed 2-3 inches North of the hole I was digging. I plunged the digger back in the hole and pulled out a shovel or two of dirt and looked in the hole and saw nothing. I pushed the pinpointer into the hole and immediately it sounded off. Now before I go further I want to say that this had happend literally hundreds of times before, maybe only a few times Had they been this deep. I stuck my hand down in the hole and grabbed a handful of dirt and when I pulled it out I saw it....for the first in 40 years I laid eyes on the ring that had twirled off my finger so long ago. I can not describe feeling. From the day I lost that ring it never left my mind, everytime I stepped in that yard I wondered where that ring was for 40 years. It would not be an exaggeration to say that I probably dug 300-500 holes off and on over the years starting back in 1992/93with a Garret freedom two plus, then on to the Tesoro silver then on to the ML vanquish. Why was I unable to find until now? I believe I have a better understanding now after finding it. When I started back in 92 I didn’t have very much knowledge and was digging anything that fell between iron and pull tab. Next at some point my mom had dug up a small row of dirt and planted monkey grass right thru where the ring was so I had at least for the last 5 years when I went out there I could not detect there because of the grass, I thought about this maybe 6 months ago and ran over the monkey grass and it all died out, this allowed me to search on top of it. I believe though the number one reason I could not find it is because of what you guys call “iron masking”...I had swung coil over this exact spot literally hundreds of times and dug trash out of it and within inches of it several times, I think I finally cleared out enough for the ring to come through, it is actually much smaller than I remember and a minor miracle I was able to find it at all. i want to thank everyone that replied because I did everything you guys said but the number one thing was everyone gave me hope, I was literally fearing that I would never find this ring but the reply’s gave me hope. As you can see from the pics the ring probably wouldn’t get me 20 bucks at a pawn shop but it is priceless to me, my grandfather was born in 1915 and this was his childhood ring and now I don’t have to live with the regret that I Lost it or wonder the rest of my life what happend to it. One more thing, when I lost the ring I mentally logged in my mind where it fell off and vowed to never forget it and find it one day...after 40 years it was exactly where I thought it always was....right where if fell of 40 years ago. I’m not exactly sure how but the ring was probably 9-10 inches deep. Enjoy the pics.

Ozzie took me out to a new site he has visited previously. It was a working farm from somewhere in 1700s, but is abandoned now. Things are grown up so badly around most of the property that even though the house is only 30 feet from the road, i bet 99% of folks have no idea its there. There was so much undergrowth, hunting close to the house was impossible, so we split up and worked on areas of what would have been fields and some yard. Pretty typical mess for around us....buried large metal who-knows-what probably up to and including farm equipment. The sun was out, but it was brisk, alternating some blowing rain squalls...jacket on, jacket off, jacket on, jacket off. Got a couple spoon parts, partial harmonica reed, lead blobs for awhile. Another really loud lead blob sounding tone, but a hair cleaner, and out pops the most likely civil war era rosette for on a bit. 30 feet further, and the nicest Indian I have gotten in a long time. love those greenies. To end the day, found the '40 merc and '43 war nickel under a nice big sycamore. A big shoutout to Calabash for the videos you make...i watched a couple of them a bunch and worked this summer on FE and FE2 settings, making sure I kept the values low enough to mask as little as possible. When digging the IndianHead, i had plenty of iron tones with it, but decided to dig because the non-ferrous was mid, and not high so was fairly certain it wasnt just falsing. first target out was a rusty blob, then scanned again for the high tone, which was still registering, got the coin out, and re-scanned and was still getting another iron object in the hole. all you folks, have fun digging!

You're only as good as the ground around you is to hunt, so for me size and success can't matter. I just take pleasure in hunting in such a nice part of the world where I never can get sick of the ever changing scenery. The drive to the locations, exploring the areas and enjoying the days are all part of the experience, I also love learning my detectors and the technology behind them, it amazes me what they're capable of doing. A good day for me around here. But I get to hang out in some nice places And drive past even nicer. So, I'm happy with my limited success. It's good training for when I go for a prospecting holiday to somewhere with larger size gold 🙂

Guys, Gal's -- A few basics, if the GPX6000 has a battery rated 100 Watt Hours, you take that and divide it by rated system voltage of 12, to get Amp Hours, thus 100 Watt Hours is equal to roughly 8.33 Amp Hours. TOTAL CAPACITY. An average car or truck battery has an Amp Hour rating likely around 80 to 150. So 8 Amp Hours is really not much total power to drain from a battery that size. In other words an 80 AH battery can charge Ten GPX batteries before being completely drained to below a useful level. Keep in mind it is not a good practice to charge two batteries hooked directly in parallel, especially if they are not drained down to the same point and not the same type of battery (starting vs deep cycle for example) because one is always going to drain more amperage than the other, and if the alternator sees the voltage of the battery that charges first it will stop charging both, then the low battery will pull power from the fully charged one, eventually they will even out, but it's not recommended for battery life. A Battery Splitter is about the best way to go unless you physically disconnect and charge one at a time. Also, most alternators put out 60 to 180 amps per hour, so even a 60 amp alternator can make up that 8 AH in about 8 minutes run time, 4 minutes with a not uncommon 120 amp alternator. As for Me, I carry a Cat Brand combo Battery Jumper, Air Compressor, LED Light, USB Charger, just in case I need any of those in the middle of Nowhere.

Based on those numbers if the charge rate is only one amp then it will take about 5 hours to fully recharge, even with system losses it will likely be under 6 hours. But any alternator can make up that power used from your vehicle with just a few minutes run time, so vehicle battery drain is no real concern if using the DC charger, if using the AC charger it will it cause more battery drain just because of the AC to DC efficiency losses, but still no big deal. Be Aware - Many things take more power than recharging detector batteries, it all adds up. If your lighter socket goes off with the key I would just hook it direct to full time power wiring or directly to the battery, in either case I would put in an inline fuse rated at about 5 amps in case of a short.

A newer faster processor would likely use less power not more. The faster processors were getting the more heat they were generating so it became vital for processor developers to lower the power draw of CPU's to try keep them cooler though new technology, CPU speeds stopped increasing at dramatic rates and size and heat became a focus for some time. Now some ARM CPU's run without a heatsink that have the clock speeds of older CPU's that needed a massive copper heatsink. I wish it was as simple as banging in faster processors, surely it can't be or they would have done it. Although the code for the software is likely written based on the processor in the detector so would need ported over or rewritten/highly modified. Employees move on, so in the case of some detectors like the older Fishers are the people who wrote the code even there? are they capable of modifying the code to modernize the detector? Maybe they didn't keep up with the times themselves. The GPZ seems like it could desperately use a faster processor right from new, you'd think they'd be able to get a higher clock speed CPU for it now without a dramatic code adjustment, it's menu system really lags while navigating, especially if the GPS is turned on putting further load on the processor. I don't think we give the engineers enough credit though as we armchair engineers think they can just buy a faster processor for $20 and make a whole new better detector by just switching the part order. Although ideal it's unrealistic, it has crossed my mind many times why they don't take advantage of newer processing technology in older detectors though.

Steve had it right attributing much of the lag to arrogance. That arrogance is steeped in delusions about where the current lineup stands relative to the competition and what features they can neglect in the future. Excuses are also an issue, as they were at whites. “Minelab is part of a large corporation and can afford to invest more in R+D.” “Nokta Makro is government subsidized and can afford to invest more in R+D.” “Most people who say they want waterproof will never set foot in water.” “Built in updates lend to hacking.” “Wireless headphones are not the best performance option.” On and on. The idea that many of our asks are unnecessary or extraneous is pervasive. I don’t accept that the financial advantage some companies have can’t be outthought. They have to be, or there’s no sense continuing on. The Simplex needs an answer. It can’t be in continuing to charge more for less no matter how much they personally think their F75 is worth. Equinox needs an answer. So did the E-trac and CTX. It wasn’t the CZ-3D. Deus, ORX and now whatever XP is cooking up next need answers. First Texas has no single selectable machines after watching XP climb from below the radar to sharing the top with Minelab. How did they do it and FT can’t or couldn’t. Even AT Pro needed an answer, but it seems like they struggle to develop waterproof housings they don’t think are necessary anyway. How do you compete by sitting out on the competition? Eventually you have to dig in, bite the bullet, decide to rip off the band aids and just facilitate implementation of features fast becoming industry musts. To get back on top they have to go further than that. Inertia is powerful. Much of the base tech is maxed out. It’s all about innovative features and peripheral enhancements now. People aren’t giving up an equinox unless you’re bringing an equinox and then some to market. People aren’t giving up a Deus unless you’ve got a Deus and then some. Same with Simplex and Vanquish. Competition is really heating up right now. I hope these moves FT is making means they are ready to really get in the ring.

I'm pretty sure Coiltek made this coil for water use. Besides the downward force of gravity, a coil in the water is subject to an upward buoyant force (see Archimedes' Principle) which is proportional to the internal volume of the coil. (Think about the extreme of a closed coil vs. an open coil of the same diameter and windings -- definitely prefer the open coil when water detecting!) Not only does a heavier coil help offset the buoyant (upward) force but it also provides inertia against water currents from waves, undertoe, etc. The downside is that the coil still needs to be swung by the detectorist so more effort is required in that respect, not to discount the fluid dynamic drag the water provides, requiring even more effort. Now you know why Popeye the Detector Man had such huge forearms and ate so much spinach. In an air test the Coiltek 9"x14" coil should perform about equally to the 11" stock in terms of max detection distance. (I say that based upon a relationship I determined experimentally and posted here a while back, that the depth in air is proportional to the square root of the product of the length of the coil's two axes.) As Abenson points out, in the field the effects of ground mineralization, even moderate amounts, will lead to performance degradation and that may not (and probably doesn't) track according to this simple relationship.

I bought the 15" Coiltek a few months ago used, for the beaches this winter! Only tried it out in the hot weather twice, and it is heavier! But I only had the stock 11" and didn't want any more coil tab issues🤞🤞, so I waited for a used Coiltek to come up! I've since built my counterweight to compensate for it, so we will see in a month or two, how it does on extended hunts! But so far, I like it's coverage! And it also gets tiny targets, the same as the stock 11"! Had i more trust with ML's coil tabs, I would have had their 12x15 already! Also, got a 5x10 Coiltek on backorder, as I don't expect any used ones turning up for a long time!!👍👍

Quick release Li-Ion rechargeable battery for GPX 6000, 7.2V, 5833 mAh, 42 Wh (input 12V 1.0A), approximately 8 hour running time per charge. part# 3011-0432

A few years ago Steve H submitted a post addressing this problem by recommending a battery charging/booster. I bought his recommendation and have had no problem charging my detectors for several days with power to spare. Link below: NOCO Genius Boost Pro GB150 4000 Amp 12V Lithium Jump Starter

Super patina on that IH. Solid, even patina. Great coin. A little tooth picking and soft tooth brush on the remaining dirt and that's all I would do to it. Nice find. Why didn't you find an 1877 like that? 😄

I pointed this out earlier. No need to speculate on the reason for the weight of the 9x14, the Coiltek site states right on their Nox coil page: "The 14 x 9 NOX coil is the ideal weighted coil for beach hunting." Coiltek says "beach hunting" but I'm certain that they mean water hunting. I love the 5x10, but I personally have no use for the other two coils. 14x9 is too heavy for land use. 15" is too heavy to justify the minimal performance gain and I can get equivalent swing coverage from the ML 12x15 with much less weight and a miniscule delta in depth. Money down the drain AFAIC.

I recall in the early days with my ML4500, detecting for the day, then putting the 4500 battery on charge via a rear 12volt power point at the rear of our Landcruiser on the way back to camp. Left the battery connected over night, in the morning the battery was not charged. Turned out it was a blown fuse in the charge lead. Replaced the Fuse and used a spare nearly charged battery for the days detecting. A couple of days later did the same thing charged up on the way home. However I did check the battery charging when I got back to camp. There were no lights on the battery indicating it was charging, and another blown fuse. To me what was happening was that when I was starting the cruiser with the 4500 battery in parallel with the starting battery it was helping to turn the engine over and excessive current was blowing the 4500 charge fuse. No more charging the battery on the way home. This problem could have been eliminated with a diode in the 4500 charge so current can only flow one way to the 4500 battery and not from the battery, and may well have been included in later 4500's and probably in the 5000 and 6000. Now always charge my 7000 over night back at camp. Re my overnight charging in the back of the cruiser, maybe the battery should be outside in a tin box, just in case of fire, but no problems in the last 5 years. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-07/lithium-batteries-in-phones-laptops-cordless-causing-house-fires/12483756.

I don’t mind at all, go ahead and use....a man who walks his dog and had seen me out there digging many times works for the local newspaper and said he was going to see about printing the story and would I go on local news. I told them Inprobabaly would t want to be on the news but paper I don’t mind.

Gerry, I'll be staying in a Winnemucca RV park with full hookups and can charge a few batteries for the class. Bill

I like the 5 x 10 and it took me quite a while to get ahold of one. I've been using it at ghost towns and with the right settings it does pretty good. I had the 15" and didn't care for it. Too heavy and no depth advantage over the 11". I have mineralized soil though and big coils often times result in little to no depth advantage here. Can't see any point in the 9x14 especially if it weighs more than the 12x15 coil. So for me it's the 6, 5x10 and 11" if I need more depth I just grab a PI.

Sounds like your smaller truck has a switched 12v that turns off with the ignition. My last trip to NNV I brought a solar panel and battery bank. It kept both the GPX and EQ800 charged, plus my phone. Still took about 6-8 hrs to charge but at least it left my truck and camper batteries alone. I would recommend this since it leaves less chance of draining a weak vehicle battery. Nothing worse than a no start situation when you are the only person in a 50 mile radius. At a popular spot like Rye Patch this will be less of an issue though! One other thing to consider is starting batteries don't like being drained down. Deep cycle batteries are fine with it. So if you end up with dual battery system or decide to bring a second battery, a deep cycle is the way to go.

Well, by now the jury should be out on these coils.... I have the 10x5" and find it beneficial, while the Minelab 6" has the depth advantage on tiny gold it's only at the very center of the 6" coil where as the 10x5" has the hot nose so getting gold in areas with a lot of obstacles gives the 10x5" the edge as you can't get the center of the 6" coil up against a rock to get the gold right next to it where as those nose of the 10x5" can get it. I've not bothered using it in a coin hunting situation as I don't hunt junky ground so it'd be of no benefit for me when all I desire is maximum depth. As for the other two sizes I'm not so sure, I know a guy with the 14x9" Coiltek and he said it's got less depth than the 11" stock coil which I guess you'd expect, and it's heavier than the 15x12" ML coil by a significant amount. I'm struggling to see where this coil would provide a benefit? Maybe in the water the weight wouldn't be an issue but still, what benefit would it provide over the Minelab coils? He's now got it for sale for a significant reduction on the price he paid new for it... I so far can't justify buying it. The 15" Coiltek has a little more appeal to me as I want maximum depth but reading around I've not found people claiming it to be a depth demon, I've only read it's comparable to the 15x12" Minelab coil. Has anyone got it that actually finds it deeper? Coiltek claim demand for these coils is massive, and they can't keep up saying orders for them are months on backorder. To me this seems unrealistic other than for the 10x5" coil but it seems more like they just can't produce a large number of coils being a smaller sort of business and when you make coils for the worlds most popular VLF detector you have to expect sales numbers would exceed their production capacity. Sure the 10x5" is popular, but the others I can barely find anyone using, certainly no one is posting about their experiences with them other than promotional people Coiltek are using for marketing. So I'm chasing feedback from anyone that owns the 14x9" or 15", are they worth it? Should I pick up the cheap 14x9" my friend doesn't want, should I just buy the 15"? The coils are massively overpriced in NZ with the 15" Nox coil costing about half the price of a new Nox 600 and costing over $100 more than the 15x12" ML coil for the 15" Coiltek so it's hard to justify their high pricing.

Some more pics and pics of more junk I took out recently. I want to also say that the Tesoro silver would never have found this ring. It just couldn’t punch down deep enough, if I set it On “iron it will only hit this ring down to about 4-5 inches as you can see from the pinpointed in the hole it was probably 9-10 inches deep. Happy to answer any questions. The football pic is of me in 1976, if you look close at my hand on the middle finger is the ring.

Please try to stay on topic folks. This is one of those threads that might get the “cleanup on aisle 5” treatment later on once it runs out of steam. Just a FYI I sometimes clean up old threads that way for archival purposes, so people finding them later don’t need to wade through the off topic stuff. It’s like reading two separate threads mixed together, or listening to two conversations at once. If I can I split stuff into separate threads, but sometimes it's just random commentary. Not a huge deal, and if people want to run off topic I don’t go worry about it most times, but people who post off topic should also never expect their posts to last for eternity. My sensitivity to the issue varies with the importance of the subject, and I consider this to be one of the “subjects for serious, sober discussion”. The SD2000, SD2100, SD2200, GP Extreme, GP 3000, GP 3500, SDC 2300, and GPZ 7000, all had/have a built in warble that could be interpreted as an unstable threshold. So does the GPX 6000. Only the GPX 4000/4500/4800/5000 could obtain a rock solid threshold under normal circumstances. In my case, my GPX 6000, to the best of my recollection, seems no worse, and maybe better, than the SDC 2300 when it comes to threshold. Then on occasion it gets worse than that. On average, in an 8 hour day, I might apply the EMI cancel about a half dozen times. I am not normally in areas where there is EMI, and I think the issue is internally generated in some way by the software going off track. This seems to be related to using the external speaker, so perhaps a feedback loop in the circuit, or the software seeing the magnetic field generated by the speaker magnet/circuit? Long story short after 48 years of detecting I don’t hear metal detectors so much as make them an extension of my ears and mental audio processing makeup, and I think this does differentiate me from other detectorists at some level, as I seem to hear things others miss. I have a high number of what I refer to as “imaginary signals”, signals so faint I don’t actually hear them so much as experience them at some gut level. I do think we are all wired differently to some degree, and I think listening to detectors for 48 years has tuned my audio processing brain circuit in the way a violin players skills are tuned through decades of practice. I always ran my GPZ 7000 maxed out and noisy, and treated the noisy threshold as a threshold in itself, compensating with relatively low volume settings. I use the GPX 6000 external speaker a lot, and when I do, I run the unit at the lowest volume setting. My brain does not mind a noisy threshold, in fact in some ways I prefer lots of audio feedback, as it keeps my brain focused on the audio. If a threshold is dead silent, I will lose focus, and so I very much prefer a faint threshold. Noise is tolerable to me as long as it is consistent noise, as my ear rapidly calibrates the noise level as “normal” and just part of the threshold itself. I am highly tuned to abnormal signals, things that break the norm, whatever that may be. So what drives other people crazy, I do not hear at all. My perfect machine runs a threshold, with the machine hot enough that there is continuous faint ground feedback, and my ear “rides the threshold” looking for signals that break whatever norm is established through use. So it’s a hard subject to describe in words as I do think we all have a genuinely different experience of what constitutes noise. Some people can’t tolerate any threshold at all, and have to run silent. I’m at the other far end of the spectrum. So again, the several SDC 2300 I had all had the “Minelab warble” familiar to people who ran older Minelabs. My GPX 6000 normally runs at least as good, and I’d say better, than a normal SDC 2300. Yet it is never as rock solid as the other GPX models. Then, maybe a half dozen times a day, regardless of external EMI sources, it just seems to go off track. The EMI cancel may settle it, or may need to be applied twice, even three times in the rarest cases. I’ve recently switched more to just doing a full reset, but have not done that enough to know if it’s any more effective than the EMI button. I think many people are experiencing genuine EMI issues, and seriously, that’s a different problem. The machine is super sensitive, and I would expect EMI sensitivity to be part of that mix. What I am experiencing and describing is more something I think is inherent in the machine and it’s processing, like a software glitch. I’m not swearing to that, but it’s my best gut feel about what I’m seeing in the field in areas where genuine EMI simply can’t explain what’s going on. Overall, I consider the issue a minor annoyance at worst for me personally, so don’t what to make it sound like more than it is in my personal situation. But I do think there is something going on, and it’s not impossible it varies by machine. Toss in genuinely experienced EMI, bad coils, and peoples different tolerances for even normal noise, and it’s a hard issue to get a full handle on.

Gerry: Reg and his nice little colour :) Reg reported not super deep and an easy target: Ah yes! Pieter and Debbie Heydelaar: Bad boys and girl in WA (early 1990's) L to R: Me, Jim Stewart, Debbie, Reg Wilson, Pieter, John Hider Smith: Pieter with fuel tank from Soyuz spacecraft. Gwalia, WA. Pieter, Me (with video camera) and Jim Stewart. Early 1990's:

Riddle of the rainforest coin. Ancient Egyptian visitors to Australia or miner's mishap? ....Link to Coin....

I’m in line at chic filet in Vegas and to the southwest about an hour ago a very bright fireball appears in the sky and disappears behind the mountains landing I’d guess somewhere in the California Desert, no dark flight so pretty far off so must have had some size to it. South west of Vegas someplace in the desert if you find any other reports.

schoolofhardNox, i really don't want to...then I would have to agonize over selling/not selling/selling/not selling/selling/not selling it !

Simon, All those dinks had to shed from something bigger!! Hope you find the source material one day!! I don't know that I could even detect, with all that fantastic scenery you have access too!! So much area to explore!!🍀👍👍

Well they better consider it. Equinox and Apex and perhaps even the forthcoming NM SMF (as evidenced by Simplex) all project a decreasing price trend not the other way around. Even with "CTX-like" display and disc features, XP would be hard pressed to justify even the existing Deus price point, though Deus units are still being sold at a decent clip, particularly discounted used detectors. CTX is clearly overpriced for what you do get and I am certain that ML is working on the next gen CTX replacement with higher end features and (hopefully) build quality vs. Equinox (and of course, a likely higher than Equinox but not "CTX level" price point). Whether the XP SMF emulates Equinox or CTX in features is anybody's guess, but like I said previously, ability for the user to manipulate the the SMF spectrum and processing independently would be welcome (with accompaying simplified, default turn on and go modes). I like the color graphics display (readable in sunlight or with an accompanying high contrast mono mode) and peripherals as features approach you are advocating. Other thoughts: Touch screens and/or a USB interface for ease of off-the-field programming backed up by physical controls (dirty detecting gloves and touch screens do not work well together) would also be welcome. Also, something else I forgot to mention in my previous wish list is an option for an inexpensive "dumb" wireless headset a la Orx would also be desirable.

Well said, Norvic. Having used the 6000 for quite some time now I can say that this detector is without doubt the most sophisticated but yet easy to use detector I have ever come across. I don't question that some unfortunate users have problems due to technical issues with the detector itself. However, I also speculate that some users are not operating the detector correctly, or are in environments where the detector is challenged to begin with, in particular when using the 11 or 17 mono coils. The enormous sensitivity of the technology comes at a price and you need to be fully aware of that. Strict coil control, slow swing speed, not changing coil height while swinging, avoiding bumps, frequent noise cancel and every now and then factory resets work all great for me in concert to avoid most of the issues that I have heard on the forum. I even can live with the bit EMI that the speaker is producing, although I often use the BT headset anyway. Just like Steve said I can hear through EMI pretty well for the most part, unless it really gets too crazy. But this is not different to the SDC or 7000 where you also need to learn how to listed through threshold chatter. SDC users know this very well and so do all the HY/normal/smoothing off users out there. It is always said that the 6000 is great for beginners who want a high end machine. I totally agree with that. But I also believe that it actually takes some experience to "calm down" or trouble shoot the 6000 in case it runs unstable, something new users might not be very familiar with. GC

if you mean rinsed off with water, yep.

A consideration.... from watching Minelabs Detector Development over many years, We as consumers who want the best performance out of detectors should be very clear that the problems that we as users are having with a ML detector are in fact a problem and not user orientated, since the use of coil chips and subsequent discussions on this forum, I believe ML are in some ways dumbing their detectors/coils down as an attempt to make them more user friendly. If you mainly want performance above all else I suggest if you are having trouble with a ML detector and it is possible for you to firstly discuss such with dealer/someone you know is not having problems, please ensure your problem is not in your use. Steve H on this the Premier World Detecting Forum has clearly from his first review shown the GPX6000 is a "magic" detector, there is no endorsement better then that in this world, also DP has had many other experienced operators endorse the GPX 6000. Sure there is plenty of negative opinions out there on social media, always has been, always will be.

I have been curious about this myself. My Tacoma won't charge from the cigarette lighter socket without the truck running as well. I am trying to figure out if I should get a gas generator or a gas/propane generator or a solar generator. I am leaning away from the solar an more towards a regular generator with one or two deep cycle batteries as I will need to charge three detectors, GoPro/Canon batteries, computer, 2 phones, and a portable dual zone fridge/freezer. I will be living out of my Tacoma all this winter and next spring and Summer. I am not savy to all this electrical/ power consumption stuff. I am looking at two thousand watt generator. I want to get away from running my Tacoma in order to charge my detectors.

Impressive results under any conditions, but particularly in thick vegetation. That IHP sure didn't see much time in circulation. Might even have graded out in the AU range but looks like it's been cleaned....

This won’t be much help answering about charging with your vehicle, I use a Honda generator to charge out in the field. The 6000 batteries take forever to charge and if you have two batteries as I would assume most will eventually have, well be prepared to wait. I did a little digging into my electronics parts box and found an old netgear power supply that was 12v and this ones output was 3.5 amps (the factory one is 1.0amp the battery will only use what is needed) with both the plugs size and polarity matching the factory 6000 battery charger. Doing a little research the important points are that the voltage matches, the plug is the same size and type, the polarity +/- are the same and that the output amps are equal to or greater than the original power supply/charger, more amps is fine as long as the voltage is the same. Using the old netgear power supply to charge my second battery works exactly like the one supplied with the 6000 and takes the same time with no issues.

That's awesome! I'm so happy for you. What a great story, would you mind if I submit that to my metal detecting club for their newsletter with a few pictures? I think everyone could use an uplifting story of perseverence paying off. 🙂

Gerry, there are a couple options you could use. A 100w or 200w solar panel would keep your truck battery topped off if it is parked the whole time you are camping and will accommodate detector charging or running a small portable refrigerator for a couple days…. I put in a two-battery system on my truck and use a folding 100w suitcase solar charger around camp. There are many different solar panel brands out there, just be sure to consider getting a deep cycle for the second battery you are charging from as it will allow for more charging cycles.

The guy doesn't sound like he was the sharpest tool in the shed! Just out of curiosity though, if he was posting his finds on social media, anyone know what he actually found? As previously surmised, I'd assume just modern tourist junk, but who'd post that on social media. Odd.

To my frustration they did a pretty good job of masking any details on this machine in the video lol. I tried every trick in the photo editing book to get a closer look at it. I’m consistently hearing that it’s waterproof, as any SMF should be, and loaded with options to manipulate the frequencies, some new to the game. I take the former with a grain of salt since XP is now synonymous with wireless detection, but the latter sounds like a good bet with XP. There’s little to nothing else out there in the wild. They’ve kept it quiet. No ideas about whether it has a color lcd or entirely new remote though it would seem like it would have to be if the waterproof rumors are true. But no specific features or frequencies. Personally I expect a top tier innovative foundation to build on. The future of metal detecting is already headed toward feather light selectable and simultaneous multi as standard features. Nowhere else to go but standardizing color LCD graphics and adding peripheral gadgetry, like smart glasses (likely built off of or integrated with headphones), and some level of cell phone integration. In other words enhancements you can attach to your head or arm rather than adding weight to the detector. The days of bulky detectors are coming to a close. There will come a day, not far off where people will look at a CTX like we look at a tube TV and it will likely be partly on account of the evolution of this machine over time. I know it would be their first SMF, but everyone has the benefit of studying how all previous iterations function and how they might be improved. XP doesn’t strike me as a company willing to settle for less or an “also ran” model.

But this issue (in my eyes) isn't how Minelab should handle the coil ear problem. The issue is why it became a problem in the first place.

So far so good for me. No problems and finding gold. It does sound a bit warbely compared to the other GPXs but there is no question when there is a metallic target under the coil. Solid, repeatable signals.

So far, my GPX 6000 has been fine. The 11" mono is highly susceptible to EMI for sure. The 14" DD......I can run it in my backyard which is actually kind of nice since I can do plenty of testing especially on non-gold nugget targets. The threshold is definitely more lively than the usually very steady threshold I was used to on my 4800 and 5000. So far for me anyway, it has not been as annoying as the threshold on my former SDC 2300, and doing a sensitivity adjustment and lightening quick noise cancel on my GPX 6000 has helped so far when it gets a bit unstable. When I have been prospecting and relic hunting with the GPX 6000 so far, I have also had an Equinox 800 with me. Anytime my GPX 6000 has gone "crazy" with very strong disturbances in the threshold that weren't target related and which a noise cancel with sensitivity adjustment could not correct, I have also turned on my Nox 800 in Gold 1 multi and checked for EMI. Some EMI has always been noticeable on both detectors simultaneously and I had them well away from each other and only one turned on at a time when testing for EMI, so I will chalk it up to that and not a GPX 6000 internal/software issue. Those of you that have had broken/damaged/dead coils right out of the box, intermittent coil warning codes and intermittent power issues right out of the box......that is not okay and I hope you all are able to get these issues resolved to your satisfaction.

Yes to all the above. The old Minelab warble used to freak me out a bit at times. My brain does lock to the threshold, and back when I was running my GP 3500 at Moore Creek for 12 hour days, weeks on end, I would hear the warble for hours after I shut the detector off. Like laying in my cot before I fell asleep, this continuous warble going on in my head, an echo and after effect of listening to it for long hours. I actually worried about what would happen if it never went away, as it was a bit maddening, like tinnitus but worse. I was relieved when the GPX series came along with that rock solid threshold, eliminating the issue for me. It's not reoccurred with the GPX 6000, as there is a difference in the tonal makeup of the warble, plus I'm not putting in those 12 hour days very often anymore.

Mono will go deeper, but has no iron rejection and will be more troubled with EMI especially if in an urban area. In low mineralisation you'll have the benefit of being able to crank the settings right up. If in very high mineralisation or hot rocks the DD may work better than a mono but in mild soils mono all the way for depth.

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.

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......

I too was contacted a couple of times about doing a detecting reality show. When I stated that I wanted to play everything straight, and not add phony drama with petty infighting or have planted finds, I never heard back. Maybe they found a photo of me and decided I didn't have enough "beefcake" to get anyone excited! 😄

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.

I’m not trying to argue with you, and if you want to believe that everyone that buys a nugget detector is finding lots of gold, that’s fine by me. It’s certainly what the manufacturers want everyone to believe. Just buy one, run right out, you’ll pay for it in no time, be making money fast. Yup, that’s the ticket!

Quote:"Persons in England and Europe detect "Stone Age sites" all the time" You're missing my point... If you have a METAL detector, you're going to take it to a place where there is metal to be found. Assuming you have total disregard for any rules/restrictions/trespass/theft laws like this fool, you're going to aim for "Site of Roman Villa" / "medieval Fort" / "Abandoned Saxon Village" / "Civil War camp" / "Ruined Castle" etc , and the last place you would choose is a 5000+ year old temple that PRE-DATES the use of metal objects by a few thousand years. And if you weren't familiar with my postings, I called myself Pimento UK to draw attention to the fact I'm in The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. And regarding the modern detritus, it's been a popular tourist site for a long time, but since the 1960's there's been huge festivals, hippy gatherings to celebrate solstices, and all manner of anarchist/anti-establishment groups seem drawn to the place. See here, for example: image: http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/henge-84-township-herb.jpg Articles: http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2015/06/21/stonehenge-and-the-summer-solstice-30-years-after-the-battle-of-the-beanfield/ https://blog.english-heritage.org.uk/stonehenge-1965-77/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonehenge_Free_Festival

jrbeatty - Thanks for allowing us to peak into your and Reg's history book. I can only imagine (no I can't) the amount of knowledge of detectors in the minds of those 6 in the pic. Heck, think of this. What would the treasure pile look like if you took all 6 of you and the finds you've all made through your careers. Heck I get excited and thrilled just being around accomplished TH'ers. Getting to hear stories and read your posts with pics is very rewarding. The ball is most interesting as well and another treasure of its own kind. Thanks again. Steve - Hey now...lets keep it on the low for a few more years, I'm not retired yet and still trying to mine the miners. 🤑