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Showing content with the highest reputation on 01/26/2023 in all areas

  1. The storms are a few days behind us but there are a few good waves coming in to make some patches. I found one patch today on one of my 'go to' local beaches and got a couple of golds! One has some stones (10k/2g/diamonds) to go with it. The other is a 14k gold earring that is not so rare this year. It is my 2nd one after many years of the similar style being always junk.
    16 points
  2. Produced over 100 buckles and plates. The only Groundhog with motion disc.
    9 points
  3. I think this statement is the one to pay close attention to instead of those by YouTubers that are nearly as inexperienced as me since I don't own a Manticore yet or from those that are making statements about the Manticore who will not own one. Detecting in thick USA Colonial iron trash is no easy task even for people with lots of experience on their chosen detector. The same holds true for Western USA ghost towns. Using a newly obtained high end VLF detector at these type of sites and coming to a quick conclusion.........not smart. These newer online updatable higher end VLF detectors are using Beta software whether the manufacturers like XP and Nokta admit it or those like Minelab don't. We who use them are also in a way Beta users. My opinion about one of my newer detectors like the Legend, Deus 2, Nox 900 and even the Nox 800 changes a bit every time I use it as does my knowledge due to detecting different sites with different parameters. I am really glad that I can dig deeper into these detector's sub menus and make the adjustments needed. Unlike some, I don't have the kind of ground conditions that allow "out of the box" default settings use. I need many hours behind these detectors and many settings adjustments on ALL of them to get the performance that they potentially can provide.
    8 points
  4. VLf costs less and has better discrimination, but can't even come close to top PI performance in very bad ground. That's why nearly all the top gold prospectors use PI detectors. It's not because they like spending lots of money. How Metal Detectors Work by Mark Rowan & William Lahr - Originally published by White's Electronics as a booklet P/N 621-0395. Basic but rather technical information on how induction balance and pulse induction metal detectors work.
    7 points
  5. It is mostly the market. Steve is right, there is an R&D aspect to it but the hardware costs are only marginally more than a VLF. The real problem is lack of competition. As the technology matures (read: patents expire) then prices could drop, assuming more companies jump in. But by then, Minelab may have another design that sells for $10k and the cheaper PIs just won't do. The TDI-SL was specifically designed to support an MSRP as low as $700 but what people wanted was ML performance, and they were willing to pay for it. So, yeah, it's mostly the market.
    6 points
  6. You did nail it here, Colonel. šŸ‘ Nothing pinpoints (or X-points) better than the 9", except maybe a 10x5 elliptical šŸ˜. I'd be first to pre order one of those despite the price if XP decides it's heard enough of our "kvetching" about it, and makes one... šŸ¤£ 10x5 10x5 10x5 10x5 10x5 10x5. Did I write 10x5? Yep. šŸ˜€ Check.
    6 points
  7. Couldnā€™t make up my mind soooooo. Good side by side for judgement.
    6 points
  8. Apologies, I skimmed the thread, but ... The length of the stripped section of cable should ideally be 31mm, which is a quarter-wavelength at 2.4 GHz. That then makes it an impedance match to 50 Ohms cable. It's probably not going to be far 'off-spec' using 25mm / 1 inch, but the correct length may just give more leeway on antenna placement etc.
    6 points
  9. Yesterday I went to a park in Albany, OR. I was using my custom General program. Discrimination at 10, 11 through 40 notched out, Sensitivity at 95, reactivity at 2, and pitch tone. It was about 6 inches down in the ground. It came in at 54 vdi. When I opened the plug, I could see it shining in the bottom of the hole. It is a 10K white gold mans ring with a star sapphire stone.
    5 points
  10. In mineralized ground the PI's romp all over the VLF's. Saltwater beaches not so much, you might gain 2-4" over a VLF (Deus 2/Manticore) depending on the salt strength. But if you have both salt and minerals then yes PI all the way. I'll give you a few examples. In Culpeper VA where Civil War relics are dug. You can take any VLF including the Tarsacci and you might get 8" with an ID that would tell you it's ferrous or non-ferrous. With a GPX it's common to dig bullets and coat buttons in the 14-16" range and be fairly confident it's a bullet/button. Belt Plates have been dug at depths over 24". Now it does take some experience to be able to tell iron from bullets/buttons. But a VLF will not even hear a 14-16" bullet/button. Gold nugget hunting is generally done in moderate to highly mineralized ground. VLF's are basically good for surface to a few inches deep on small nuggets and a little deeper on the bigger ones. I've seen in multiple instances where a VLF has called a small gold nugget iron at just a few inches deep or not see it at all. PI's are at least twice as deep on gold than a VLF in mineralized ground. I have used both VLF and PI machines at saltwater beaches for almost a decade now. I've seen the development of VLF's get to the point that it's almost not worth using a PI at a beach anymore unless there's a lot of black sand in the area. You can see many videos on YouTube that show the slight margins a PI will get over a VLF on a low mineral saltwater beach, it's usually a few inches at best. VLF's have gotten better at handling salt so the margins are slim on ring sized targets. The exception may be the Fisher AQ but it never made it to production, so IMO it's not even in the running.
    5 points
  11. Bill, Just my opinion, but I would NOT put much stock into most reviews of the Manticore that are currently out there, with respect to how it "performs in iron." The reason is, the way the unit behaves in iron can be altered to an enormously immense degree (I hope I stressed that enough) SIMPLY based on your limits settings. That is the entire POINT of the limits settings...to give the user enormous amounts of control over the machine's behavior in and around iron. AND SO, when you couple that with the newness of the machine (thus making pretty much EVERYONE very "green" in terms of their understanding of such a powerful, somewhat complex, and potentially misunderstood aspect of the machine), I will therefore state fairly boldly that almost NO ONE has yet mastered this aspect of the machine. Unmasking is an "expert-level" skill to begin with, and then when you couple that with the fact that you can make many nails report anywhere from "100 percent non-ferrous tone" to "100 percent ferrous tone," and ANYWHERE in between, simply based on how you have your limits set, you can see how this would be arguably the most difficult aspect of the machine to truly master...taking many, many hours of dedicated use of the unit in the iron, before one could offer a somewhat "definitive" statement about the unit's skill in the iron. I am not sure how many Manticore users yet fully understand the 2D screen itself (especially those with no FBS background), LET ALONE the proper (and often site-specific) limits adjustments, to even BEGIN to comment on the machine's skill, or lack thereof, in the iron... Just my two cents... Steve
    5 points
  12. Well done Klunker; the vigilant guardian of our foothill treasures.
    5 points
  13. Has the ability to help eliminate unwanted targets in the first few inches. Mint condition.
    4 points
  14. George This old boy has cried over the loss of a dog than some family and because I knew that dog loved me. Chuck
    4 points
  15. Now you've made me feel ashamed of myself. I will expect you here sometime between June first and September 30th but first read Mn90403s' article so that you have astronomically high expectations. I will loan you my 2 quart pressurized container of bear spray, a gold sniffing hound, a Jeep with the steering on the right side (which would be the left side), Your choice of a gaggle of detectors and Sourdough Scott.
    4 points
  16. Yes but with a Deus ( 1 or 2 ) , the machine is already excellent in the irons using the default modes , this without having to change any setting and to spend hours to find the best settings . Going a little off topic as it is not a Detector comparison thread but I could not resist to react to this ... Just my two cents too ... šŸ™‚
    4 points
  17. I'm a full time beach hunter and use the 11" coil exclusively. In my view, and my view only, I look at the 11x13 as having the advantage over the 11" only in its ability to cover a little more area per swing. The "east-west" dimension of the double D 11x13 i.e. 11" is the more important dimension in terms of determining depth capability. So, the 11" is fine for me as it nicely covers enough ground over the time I can physically spend on the beach these days and goes just as deep as I want to dig! šŸ˜… Additionally, my experience with larger coils, on the CTX for example, is that they may not be as precise when pinpointing than smaller coils and they're just a mite heavier....which I don't need. So, the conclusion from my foxhole....I'm happy with the 11" šŸ˜‰
    4 points
  18. Well that`s bloody lovely, here us downunders have invited you folks over here, chauffeured you around like nobility, helped you get gold on our fields. And what!!!! Can`t even find if California is even in the US never mind the Sierra Nevada mountains. I`m dirty............
    4 points
  19. Now that is fashioned the "reactions" to a video (Hi Shakira!) , I share with you a video of a beach that gives a lot of gold, but very very mixed with iron. I recorded the audio with the headphones just to show you how difficult is this beach, and what are your thoughts about it. The video is not a search, is just to show, with my left hand (I'm severe right-handed šŸ˜‚). I hunt it (successfully) with the 6" coil (sometimes I use Coiltek 10x5), Beach2, 2 tones, 4-5 RSpeed, tracking GB, F2=0. Would you use any other configuration? Other coil? Let's talk!
    3 points
  20. There are two parts to the equation. First is the development of cutting edge tech. For PI that pretty much means Minelab, and they pour many millions of dollars into development. Those costs must be recouped. Then there are simple hardware manufacturing costs. Something like a GPZ 7000 really does cost more money to make than a simple PI , though that alone does not account for the price. There is that development cost, plus the fact that they can charge extra for cutting edge product. It might surprise people, but making new coils and housings can be very expensive. So a brand new from the ground up design like the Axiom has a lot of costs going into designing the housing, then getting all those new parts made. Putting a new circuit in an old box costs far less. Nokta can take out of copyright designs, for instance Minelabs older GP type circuits, and tweak with the latest hardware and microprocessor designs. They could also use something like the existing Impact housing. If they do that, both development and hardware costs are kept to a minimum and a very good product can be made at a very low price. Even the Fisher Impulse models are nothing new, just old circuits tweaked and tuned for maximum effect. No new copyrights at work there. There is no shame, and none of the shadiness some people like to imply, in using out of copyright designs and making them better at lower cost. Do any of you buy generic drugs? No difference at all. So yeah, there is no reason we can't get my desired near 4 lb under $2000 high power ground balancing PI. It will happen, it is just a matter of time, and who will do it first. But there is also room at the top for another $10,000 GPZ 8000 design. If it can genuinely make played out gold patches come to life again, gold prospectors around the world will line up to buy them. Most of you approach this from a hobby perspective. People who literally find gold by the pound look at it differently. I'll easily spend 10K on a new detector if I think it can put an extra 5 ounces of gold in my pocket in reasonably short order. But blah blah blah and yes, I agree with Carl, it's mostly the market that sets the price, not the outright manufacturing cost. Especially given my last point. Minelab churns out many millions of dollars in profits, and that all comes from the spread they are making on the product.
    3 points
  21. I certainly wouldn't say I'm skilled in iron, put me in some of the places you guys hunt and I'd panic not knowing what to do or how to deal with it, I've been spoilt with my hunting areas that trash has never really been much of a problem, even in my worst spots all that is required is a smaller coil and I'm pretty good. Masked targets are relatively uncommon for me, big areas, few targets. I even hear people saying their gold prospecting areas are loaded with trash, here I've rarely found any modern trash in a gold area other than bullets and shotgun pellets. Some of the more rare trash items like old metal match boxes which can be a pain as they rust away and break apart into bits and the odd square nail there isn't all that much junk. I think I've found less than 10 nails prospecting my entire time. If shotgun pellets didn't exist I'd dig more gold than I would junk when prospecting, something like 10 bits of gold to 1 bit of junk wouldn't surprise me. Even in my park type areas coins are often more common than junk, the worst place for junk I've been finding is lakefronts which is such a shame as the lakes are beautiful clean clear things and clowns throw bottle caps down on the rocky beaches when they're sitting there drinking I guess, sadly this is more common on the heavily used tourist beaches more so than the more hidden spots locals only go to. I detected this beach for 4 hours with my Manticore, it was one of my first times using it once it arrived, I found ZERO targets, not one target in that 4 hours. If I didn't know better I'd not have a good impression of the Manticore after that hunt, but I was at the same beach a year ago and with the Nox and only found one target, someones car key from memory. The surprising thing is this beach is a 10 minute drive from the city center of the second biggest city in the South Island, and has suburbs go right to the beach and houses all along next to the beach, why there is no targets on the beach I have no idea, people just don't litter so all I can find is something someone has lost.... not an easy task. At this beach I would have been happy to find some junk, at least then I'd find a target to experience my Manticore finding targets! So no, I'm not a skilled detector user although I thank you for the comment, I am just lucky I live in a place with not much junk, very few detector users so more targets in the ground to find, and by the looks of it some of the more milder soils around, all this makes for some easy detecting so generally I am just a turn on and go detector user, not needing to delve deep into settings. I don't think Manticore owners are beta testers, 3 years in development based on existing technology of the Nox that's been around for 4-5 years now, it to me is an Equinox where they've put on a better screen which then allowed them to add on 2D target trace visuals which is just a modified simplified version of the CTX target trace which has been around what, a decade? If anything the original Nox users were the beta testers as it was the first detector based upon Multi-IQ, and for the most part Minelab did a fine job of the software on it, a few updates were required, they never did fix the pinpoint volume bug on it but overall it appeared a well tested machine with only build quality letting it down. They've now improved that on the Nox 700/900 and Manticore, based upon data they gathered from the original Nox, the detector that would be more likely considered a beta detector, being the first in the range. I'd be interested to hear if the pinpoint bug is fixed on the 700/900.
    3 points
  22. Ditto that! 10x5... 9.5x5... 9x5... any of those will do! šŸ˜
    3 points
  23. Let's take a look at some considerations: 1) No one that I know likes to have to return a detector (or other device) for a fix/repair. 2) Modern detectors, at least most of the higher end ones, now have the capability of software upgrades available to the user, so no physical return is necessary for a software fix/upgrade. 3) Some modern higher end detectors (e.g. XP Deus 1 and 2, Nokta Legend, Minelab Equinox and Manticore) take considerable time to learn for most people, at least for those who want to optimize settings for the highest performance in their sites. 4) There is no requirement to buy ASAP, even for people who know they want the new model. So, short of hardware issues that require a return, there is zero downside for those who want the detector ASAP, and those who want to wait for things to settle down have that option. It's a win-win. It's an easy choice for me. Rather than waiting months for the manufacturer to find every bug, small or large (and realistically we all know, or should know that is just about impossible today) I can be using and especially learning this detector on-the-fly. Will I have to 'unlearn' something because of a future change? Maybe, but I'll still be months ahead on the learning curve. P.S. Back when I bought my first new vehicle (1977), there was already a piece of advice tossed about -- wait for the second year of a model before purchasing. So unless 45 years is like yesterday (and it does seem like that as I've aged ), this isn't a new occurrence and it didn't start with consumer electronics.
    3 points
  24. Thatā€™s tough. Sorry to hear. No creature on earth as companionable and loyal as a dog.
    3 points
  25. Sorry to read this George, it's tough to lose a buddy, and especially a detecting buddy. My Maltese is also named Sammy (for Sammy Hagar), he doesn't go detecting with me but he is always happy to see me when I get back from a hunt and always "inspects" my gear to ensure it is clean. šŸ˜€ I have experienced this same loss not too long ago with an 8 year old Maltese. My condolences to you. The one great comfort is the memory of all the wonderful time you spent with a faithful companion. A long run indeed. RIP Sammy.
    3 points
  26. One thing that may be an advantage to the 11ā€ is that, since it being a stock coil, there may be more used ones available. Thus cheaper.
    3 points
  27. Indeed it does, well said. BUT -- if the performance of the 11x13 over the 11" justifies it (and I am in no way speculating as to whether it does, or not), that extra 100g is nothing that a bit of counterweighting can't offset... Steve
    3 points
  28. Short answer: Yes Why? It is the new business model anytime technology is involved. Technology changes and moves so fast and there is usually a gap between what the IT and engineers feel is ā€˜rightā€™ and what happens off the bench, in the real world. Examples before Minelab are Apple iPhones and iPads, Tesla, new vehicles, certainly new RVs rely on the consumer to provide feedback and the end user sometimes report safety issues which initiate recalls. Even the Airbus has been updated as real world events ā€˜testā€™ the engineers best guess at real world use, sometimes with bad consequences.
    3 points
  29. Just commenting on the original topic, all of the air tests I've seen to not do the AQ justice in salt water. 16" is V LF depth and not the reason we look to pulse machine for extra performance. Having gotten a few bugs out of this machine and developed a few precautionary measures (Co-Axe Seal, high quality dielectric grease to keep any corrosion out) this machine is a smooth performer in salt, that has no problem hitting targets at much greater depths than any VLF. These are not the ultra faint threshold changes I've seen in air tests either. It's a question of running a balanced signal and using the coil well with smooth, even sweep speed and flat axis. Having tried to run a TDI in salt many times--the AQ is much more stable and can be run down at prime gold delay ranges. This machiine continues to amaze me with the many things its capable of. cjc
    3 points
  30. I don't think so, while other brands such as First Texas have certainly used buyers as beta testers the Manticore seems a finished product to me, all modern detectors will get firmware upgrades to fix issues found once out in the public domain, look at the Legend, fix after fix for it's firmware, hardware issues too with a bad brand of speaker prone to failure used in the first released detectors. It happens.... although some might argue the Legend was rushed to market not ready for release. I'm sure many old detectors from the 90's and 2000's could have been improved a lot after release too, the facility just wasn't there with USB updating. Overall so far I'm very happy with my Manticore.
    3 points
  31. yep, I have to use a US VPN to see it, worried we will flood over there and start a new gold rush I guess.
    3 points
  32. Good. I don't want you driving over here to my gold fields and discovering how easy it is to become filthy rich detecting the Sierra Nevada mountains.
    3 points
  33. Just received my check from Midwest Refineries. I mailed them my 10K and 14K scrap gold jewelry finds and my .925 silver scrap jewelry finds for the last 18 months for processing. I removed as many gemstones as I could before mailing. It all fit into a USPS Priority Mail Small Flat Rate box. I added some extra insurance. Midwest received and processed it on the same day and I have a check in my hands for $2,400 or so after a one week turnaround. They paid 95% of melt value on the gold and 90% on the silver with no additional fees. Very easy to deal with, no questions asked, just follow their instructions. The amount they sent me is within $200 of my estimate too, so very happy.
    3 points
  34. 2 points
  35. Lots of different types of machines are used with different size screens , etc. Have seen them up close and every operator I've talked to looks for treasure. Mainly bigger finds that catch their eyes like chains and phones. One of the reasons we find so many dimes here is because they fall through the holes. Beach cleaners by no means get everything. The key is finding where they dump the piles from the bucket. Sometimes at the high tide line bit more often in a dumpster. Which I have gone through with a sifter. Have made some great finds but generally very time consuming and labor intensive.
    2 points
  36. One of the areas with the marked boulders Jacob showed us. Were there actually some with the circled X he talked about? Yes. We were 65 yrs too late as usual.
    2 points
  37. Based on info we got as to buried treasure and gold from the mysterious person who stopped by our claims as well as advice from Jacob we went treasure hunting. Not with a pick and shovel but with a proper digging tool. I won't say here if we found anything but keep reading.
    2 points
  38. April 24 2002 Part Five I didnā€™t want to ask Jacob any questions about this sensitive subject and left it up to him to decide what he wanted to tell us about the old days on the claims. He said that he wanted us to know most of the story as his days were numbered and there was no one left to give the information to. Jacob told us that Jed was very secretive about the hiding places for his gold back in 1936. Jed didnā€™t even tell his brother but for some reason Jacob believed that when Jed was murdered and his gold stolen the robbers didnā€™t get it all. Jacob seemed to think that Jed had hidden a portion of the gold on the mountain. Possibly some of it off the property. One time Jed had told him that the mining property was the first place thieves would look. Jacob said that he didnā€™t think Sargeā€™s gold from the 1937 season had ever been found either. He said he wanted to spend his time looking for hidden gold, including his own. His memory of his hiding places had faded with time and he never made any maps. I told him my crew was here to mine gold but we would also help him as much as we could. Jacob told us he also wanted to help us mine and could assist with likely locations to prospect. With that we all got in the truck and headed back to camp for lunch. After that we planned to head north up along the creek where the marked boulders were located. He wanted to show us this area for several reasons. TO BE CONTINUED ...................
    2 points
  39. So sorry to hear this. My little buddy is fading fast, has a mass on his liver. only 8 years old. He is a yorkie Maltese mix, mostly yorkie, and is a very good boy. I never felt such grief about losing a pet before. I will be devastated. I don't take him detecting but every time I come back he smells the dirt to see where I have been digging.
    2 points
  40. I can only say they actually work much better in highly mineralized ground so many times. Yes they are better, and yes, itā€™s the hardware. It cost over $10 million dollars to develop the GPZ 7000. If anything allows for higher prices it is probably the fact that just one company has dominated this area for so long, and so can to a large degree dictate the prices they want. But these machines are not cheap to develop, and those costs must be recouped, and fair shareholder value delivered. As time passes and the tech becomes available from other manufacturers the prices will come down, That has already started. But proven top tier performance will continue to demand top dollar. The GPZ 8000 will not be a cheap date. Itā€™s not even close. We are talking twice the depth or more. VLFs excel at finding small surface gold, but for larger gold at depth there is no comparison at all. Frankly, Iā€™m surprised this is even a question. The evidence is obvious by examining what detectors have been making the bulk of the gold finds for over 20 years now. You canā€™t just wave a magic wand and ā€œadd PI to VLF.ā€ That displays a lack of knowledge of the technologies involved and is why I attached a link to a document above, so that people might educate themselves on the differences. You can find many more free books and articles at these links: https://www.detectorprospector.com/magazine/steves-guides/metal-detecting-and-prospecting-library/ https://www.detectorprospector.com/magazine/steves-guides/steves-guides/
    2 points
  41. I'm sure that the gold will show up soon for you, as you are determined to find it. Good luck and stay safe.
    2 points
  42. Yes, now Veronica has 6 Everlasting Roses in 2 vases cheers dave
    2 points
  43. I enjoyed re-reading the story with lots of little extras added in it makes for good read thanks Mitchel. strick
    2 points
  44. Are The Minelab Manticore Users Just Beta Testers? Not ANYWHERE near what Deus 2 users are!
    2 points
  45. Thatā€™s a great idea I put hockey stick tape on mine and I was completely happy with it until now!
    2 points
  46. How are you liking its performance in iron? The reviews on this aspect of the Manticore are quite varied and it is very hard to discern who knows how to use the detector and who doesn't.
    2 points
  47. Gotcha. I just figured the the further you run it up the metal shaft, the more attenuation occurs, with the mid point probably being the worst. The closer you are to either end of the upper less attenuation. Couldn't say where in the upper Parkgt terminated the waveguide so I just assumed it was being attenuated by the upper shaft metal. I'll have to run some tests myself because the "cut to suit" coax solution seems best. It also looks like that's where XP is headed with their new antenna pack.
    2 points
  48. Here's another picture from the southern kettle. I'm in the bottom if you can't tell LOL.
    2 points
  49. April 24 2002 Part Four After looking over the old northern faultline digsites Jacob wanted to head over to the Eastern Drift Mine. I offered to go back to camp and bring the truck up as it was nearly a mile hike from here and the road was still usable over to that area. Jacob agreed and I hiked down to camp and drove the truck to the point where the northern road was not passable and Yā€™d to the east. The crew was waiting there for me and we drove over to the mine. When we got there Jacob climbed out of the truck and had a good look at the ground. He tried to find the original tunnel that went into the mountain but there had been many slides in that area over the years and he could only point to a general area. He said they had cut channels into the mountain and had found a rich kettle in there somewhere. Jacob said that if he could find the original drift then he might be able to find the kettle. He said the gold in the kettle was richer than anything the old crew had ever seen and he figured that there was still a fortune in gold sitting in that mountain. He said the crew was just getting started on working it when they were attacked by the army of thugs. Jacob told us he never found out who had attacked them and killed his partners. He walked back and forth across the base of the mountain trying to remember where the old mine was but wasnā€™t able to do it. It would take some serious work to find it by hand. Jacob said that the entire area up there had gold in the gravels and there were a few good hot spots. We would need to dig into the base of the mountain to get in behind the slides and overburden. Jacob took a seat on a log and just stared at the mountain. He rolled another smoke and took out his flask of whisky. We took a seat with him and he told us about something that wasnā€™t written down in the journal. Something about his brother Jed and his gold. TO BE CONTINUED ...............
    2 points
  50. They're pretty much back to normal now.. I had a looksee at a spot that keeps spitting out old silver coins and bits of gold jewellery after high tides or storms undermine the embankment along the foreshore.. The sea claimed a few more trees and a huge amount of sand was spread along the beach.. Also the creek that flows into the bay has changed course, it now snakes its way along instead of a straight channel to the sea.. The changes never fail to amaze me.. This morning I hunted amongst the exposed tree roots and the strips of sand washed out off the embankment.. I ended up with 2 three-pence, 1 six-pence and an old copper ring.. That gold sovereign remains bloody elusive.. I'll find it yet.. šŸ˜
    2 points
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