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I got the 15 inch concentric X-coil onto a patch today and 6-7 hours later I had a new personal nugget record at 14 for a day. My previous high was 12. Those were a bit bigger found with the stock 7000 coil. The depths ranged up to 6 inches or so but most of the small ones were easy to hear at 3 inches. The sizes from left to right are .44 (far left), then 2 x .2+, 6 x .1+ and finally 5 nuggets less than .1 g with the small one at .03 grams. It was also a nice sunset.

The river is extremely low near the house so I took the kayak out to a place where a bridge used to cross the river but was burnt during the Civil war. I turned up some Civil war bullets both Yankee and Confederate a homemade fishing sinker some iron relics and two handguns! You never know what's in the river I guess.

Or maybe we should call these “Stupid Steve Tricks” for now. I’ve only begun delving into these weird settings but figure I may as well toss them out there for other people to experiment with also. I’ll post more somewhere down the line when I come up with something more definitive. But for now, I’ll just give a brief summary. Minimum Sensitivity - I was working a location that was dense with trash, way too many signals. Sensitivity 1 really worked some magic in making it possible to use the machine in dense trash. Way too early to say much on this yet, other than that I did find it useful for cherry picking coins in a park by digging low tones only, which eliminates low conductors in favor of mid to high conductors. I was able to get more coin than trash targets. I still dig trash with a VLF so this was a good resultant in my limited testing. I am going to see what happens on depth on a 1/4 oz nugget going from high to low sensitivity in a future test. Salt Setting - yes it tunes out small gold. But how small? I don’t know yet, but it’s not as bad as people might think. It can also shut up some ground and hot rocks other settings will struggle with. I need more work with both this and Large Mode. My initial sense is that the differences between the modes are more subtle than dramatic. Minimum Threshold - this shows the most promise for developing a silent search “Bogenes Settings” methodology for the Axiom. -7 still has some audio break through. -9 is pretty much dead silent but seems too aggressive? I’ve settled on -8 so far as a preference, and was surprised at how well small nuggets jump out still, and with good depth. It also allows for a bit higher sensitivity setting, so I would highly encourage people to try these very low Threshold settings with either a normal or slightly boosted sensitivity setting. For some situations I’m thinking I might be employing this a lot. Super pleasant way to hunt for those that hate a threshold. I just wish there was more nuance as right now the jump between -7 to -8 to -9 is coarser than I’d like. I put it on my wish list for an update. Forced Frequency Setting - default frequency is 50 with range from 0 - 99. The automatic frequency scan is fairly simple. It scans all frequencies looking for the quietest one. It is therefore imperative normally that you do not introduce extra noise by moving the detector while it scans. Normally I’d have the coil on the ground so it is picking up anything it would pick up in normal sweeping, but aiming the coil at a nearby EMI source like another detector can help eliminate that source, so it bears playing with if it still seems noisy on the first go. If you have an pinpointer, turn it on and set it it 2-3 feet away while doing a frequency scan - this will let most pinpointers play very nicely with the Axiom. And do remember that going to a lower sensitivity or DD coil vs mono also help reduce EMI. The interesting question here is that for areas with no EMI, is there any difference in the frequencies? There very well might be, though in my limited testing so far I’ve found no smoking gun. But if you want to try, here is the trick. If you want a frequency of 99, start the scan going, then wave a metal item over the coil while the machine scans 0 to about 90, then get the metal away, and let the scan finish. Very good chance you’ll end up at frequency 90 or higher, if not try again. To hit the other extreme, start the scan, and when it gets to about 10, now wave metal over the coil until it gets to 99, then stop and let it finish. You should end up at 10 or lower. With a little practice you can force almost anything, but I think the main interest is in the two extremes. Can anyone find a discernible difference on any target between the extremes? In theory there should be one, but again, my very limited tests so far have not found anything. So there you go. I do like the fact that the Axiom does not have too many controls, but on the other has enough to give me things to think about and experiment with. Early days still, new machine, people need to experiment and share notes. So that’s mine so far, hopefully a few of you will take up the challenge and add your own observations.

Guys, the MXT is no more analog than the MX-Sport. They are the same basic design: analog demodulators, everything else is digital. The MXT used an 8-bit PIC micro and assembly language. The MX5 moved it to a 32-bit micro and "C" language, and cleaned up the analog portion a bit. Otherwise, same design. The MX-Sport is the same design as the MX5, with feature changes. The T2 is also the same design as the MXT, with feature changes. None of them are any more analog, or more digital, than the others. Tidbit: When the MX5 was released, there were also MX7 and MX9 models ready to go, with progressively more features. White's did not want to release them, because they didn't want them to impact the sales of the MXT. No, I don't understand that logic, either. Years later, a different MX7 was released. I still have an MX9 prototype, the only one in existence.

I had a search yesterday in the sand out front of an exclusive Malibu beach club. I had a two-hour max window to find a ring lost the night before at the wedding. I brought my D2 and my 800, unsure of which I would use. As I arrived, I gave it a moment and took the 800 out and left the D2 in the car. My reasoning? The 800 is a turn-and-go hunt detector, and it has never let me down. It was like riding a bike, I felt like the 800 was the simple machine we all think we need to improve upon when the reality is it works and works really well. I'm not saying I've lost confidence in my D2, but I don't want to spend time tuning my detector as that's not what I want or need out of a detector. I found the ring and all's well that ends well but the point of this is you really don't need the latest and greatest machine to have fun and find things. The 800 is more than enough for 98% of all your hunts.

The first batch of 10 Manticores all sold out in NZ I was one of them, the second batch struggled to sell from what I have seen as they just sat in stock and demand here certainly is nothing like it was for the initial Nox release. Since the first batch there has been no lists and dealers have had stock sitting there. I can't see the Manticore being their best selling detector like the Nox was, If they are trying to say demand for the Manticore is the highest in Minelab's history I would assume that's another lie like their statement about the Manticore having better more stable Target ID's than the Nox which is still on their website even though it's widely acknowledged it does not. Saying things like that though is intended to help sales, if people believe its the best selling detector and selling like hot cakes it makes other people want one too. They have never cared about cols, they're always last on the to-do list. It's all about money and to get the most money they want to sell the most detectors so lets pump out so many new models of VLF that our contracted factories don't have time to make Manticore coils as they're too busy making X-Terra and Nox coils to go in with detectors. It's a management decision like all bad decisions out of Minelab, the buck always stops at the top. It's fine for them, they can sell their detectors with limited accessories and gain more and more disgruntled customers and one day it will come back to bite them when customers just get so sick of it they move on to other brands even if they like their detectors and other brands are coming in with great products now that either are competitive with or in some cases exceed Minelab's products so it's only a matter of time. I would think if Minelab personally can't provide us coils for our flagship detectors, let someone else do it too, Detech would make fantastic Manticore coils, I would be so happy with my Manticore purchase if I could run Detech coils on it, let Coiltek pump out their coils too, they seem to be able to get coils to market quickly as demonstrated with the GPX 6000, once they were "allowed" to make coils they had them to market rapidly in all 3 sizes at once. I think Minelab's a bit too big for their boots.

Brad - thanks for providing that link. Much appreciated. Access to Tom's forum has been spotty of late and frankly, the way its laid out is severely dated and makes it difficult to follow and find information. However, I'm not buying into what ML is saying because the view from the outside kind of contradicts that statement. First, if it's a supply-demand issue, why did they decide to simultaneously take on Nox 700/900 and X-Terra Pro production which utilizes and exhausts many of the same hardware components and consumes precious assembly line capacity and resources at their manufacturer in Malaysia? If anything, the problem is not external demand but an internal self-inflicted wound. I seriously doubt (but can't prove) that the Manticore demand, at its Price Point, is higher than Nox was at its peak in 2018, and while accessory coils were delayed there too, based on similar release time frames, accessory coils should have been released by now. If demand is so high, and supply chain management so challenged, then why take on additional demand and models that would just exacerbate the problem? Despite ML's claims, they seem to have no problem feeding the beast at Cabela's and other big box retailers at a 50 detector per shipment clip, because big box can move vast quantities of product faster that individual dealers. Note also that ML does not have to directly subsidize their advertised manufacturer US military discount like they do with individual dealers, because Cabelas does not participate in that program as they have their own. I think the bottom line is that coils simply do not bring in as much revenue as detectors so as long as ML can focus on cranking out Manticores, Nox's and Xterras they can make money hand over fist and since they've already captured the Manticore buyer, there is no hurry to get the accessories out, because in their misguided point of view, having accessories available on day one does not accelerate detector sales. I disagree and think it is a poor business decision and is sort of a slap in the face to Manticore buyers to keep dragging their feet on it. But it is what it is. All I can say is don't hold your breath waiting for those coils to hit the streets as they apparently aren't even willing to project a release date at this point, 7 months into the release of the Manticore...and nine plus months after simultaneously announcing the Manticore and the accessory coils, with photo renderings.

Mitchel, with your 15" CC if you are recovering very tiny gold 0.02 type stuff it's also beneficial to turn your detector upside down to use the center of the coil. I think the Axiom hot spot on some coils in the very center too. The guy sure has an interesting way to recover tiny gold, not how I'd be doing it that's for sure 🙂 From what I can see the Axiom, SDC, GPX 6000 and GPZ 7000 are all brilliant detectors, so people can just use whichever one they like the best and be happy knowing they're using a very high performance machine. Each have their strong points and each will beat the others at something.

June 18 2002 Jacob had the cleanup done early and there were 1.4 ounces in the jar. Then he went up to the pump to act as watchman while Vern came down to the tom and helped me feed the beast. Even with the extreme heat we made good progress and by day’s end we had managed to process just over 28 yards. I was beginning to adjust to the heat and hand shoveling. Vern said he actually enjoyed the heavy labor but he is also half my age. I cleaned up down at the creek and the cool water felt good. The cold beer tasted good as well. There is no word on when we will be up and running with the trommel so we will be doing hand labor for the time being. TO BE CONTINUED ..............

Updated the software on both the M-core and the headphones. It was super easy, even for a technologically challenged guy like me 🙂 Yesterday, I took my updated Manticore to a heavily worked area and managed to pull out this Mercury dime. Been to this site a few times over the past couple of months and this is the first silver. Did the update seem better to me? I dug less iron during yesterdays outing. Based on my one time use with the new update, I do feel that it performs better. Will be heading to the Kenai Peninsula in a few weeks and will be putting it to use looking for those elusive gold nuggets. Happy hunting! John

Quote:"One thing I might add is a mineralisation meter, like on the Fishers. Not sure if that was mentioned." Yes, I posted some thoughts earlier in the thread about using the '88' display to show mineralisation level: earlier post

Rick. I got a response from a comment I made on that subject on another forum and the guy said in an e-mail from Minelab that the update would be posted when it was ready. So I'm assuming there is one coming. But we all know what it means to assume. Haha. I was ready to part with my 900 but will see what the update brings. Have to say I have not been too keen on its performance as of late. My loyalty to Minelab has been fading as well with the misleading adds BS claims and failure to meet what was promised in the announcement of the Manticore. I read on one forum that the reason for no extra coils was the demand for the Manticore is so high that they don't have time for it. But they have the time to pump out 700/900s and E-Terras. And in case you wondering what any of this has to do with the 900, I originally had a Manticore ordered because in the video Mark Lawrie said the other coils would be available on release and even inferred that the coil of your choice could be ordered with your Manticore. I'm a small coil hunter so I went with the 900. Sorry to rant, just really disappointed with Minelab. Taking a second look at the D2 with 9in. coil. Mark

The MX-series is still one of my favorite, I have an MXT, MX9, and MX-Sport. Except for salt water, they are still competitive detectors. I never liked the T2/F75 (again, same design) because of the single-button interface, which I found to be awful. The F70 is a much better experience.

I would stick with the 4Runner.

These minis remind me if the '60's CorVans we used to call em. Rare 1963 Corvair 95 Rampside Pickup Is the Ultimate Hauler for ... https://g.co/kgs/8y83Jg

This is a brand specific forum for people who own and appreciate Garrett metal detectors, or who want to learn more about them. It is not for people to point out how they think some other brand is a better choice. We have a forum for advice, criticism and comparing, the Metal Detector Advice & Comparisons Forum so take it there if that is what you want to do. This applies to all the brand specific forums in general - dropping in on them to say that brand or model sucks will be considered trolling, and such posts moved or deleted. Let people enjoy what they have without the negative commentary please. I don't go to the Ford Forum to tell them they should should have bought a Subaru, and the same general rule apples here when on a brand forum, be it Garrett, Nokta, Minelab, or whatever.

I have an abandoned public swimming pool near me that dates back to the 1950’s. I’ve blanketed that entire area with an array of detectors over the years, including the Equinox and Legend. Recently, I returned with with my MX Sport and recovered two silver coins at 6+ inches each… So definitely still a competitive detector in my opinion.

Its really been a disappointment all round I would say. They certainly haven't made many friends, I would think they have lost more than they have made.

It would be nice to have coil options. But I'm not that worried about it since I still have the Equinox 900. I would say I use an 11" coil 90% of the time anyway. If I need depth I switch to a PI, if I need separation I grab the Deus 2 with 9" coil. I really find it hard to believe the Manticore is the most sought after detector in ML history, at least here in the US. I know people that wanted one but have now said no way after seeing some of the videos on YouTube. I've got 2 friends myself who have decided to pass on it after using mine for a few hours.

Thanks Rick. I found some crumbs and I kept pulling them. I showed a couple of guys with 6000s where they were and what I was doing and they could only pull out 1! This area had some very old dry wash diggings before metal detectors and some very old dig holes that filled in over the years. I think this is why I didn't get any larger nuggets. There was bb trash and a few wires but all the obvious signs I wasn't the first one to detect this patch of desert. I did leave more for others but not much in that 100x100! Mitchel

Kind of nice to reflect back to what got us here.

My neighbor had a 1961 Corvair Loadside. A very rare one, and all original. I got in touch with a Corvair club nearby. One of the members picked it up and it is being restored. snakejim

Hmm, the Suzuki Carry looks to be a pretty capable 4x4 to me. Light weight gives you a distinct advantage in sand, having owned both an early Subaru and a Toyota Forerunner [Surf] on the beach and in sand dunes the Subaru was better, the Toyota was better in mud, mainly because with its better clearance it tended not to bottom out as much and the tyres were more aggressive. For most prospectors clearance would be the key criteria I guess, but my Subaru got me to some remote places.

New to the forum. I’m on several other forums and started with an AT Pro as my first detector. Now I own a Nox 800 and 900. I use all three regularly. Each has its own. I’ve been lurking this forum for 5-6 years now. Good stuff.

Spot on but I would like it to include a module as well improved battery and run time.

A modern .58 cal Minie bullet cast of dead soft Lead is 510 grains in weight. A Civil War era original should be the same or very close. .58 cal was the most common size but there were also .54, .56 and even .69 Minie bullets.

I am not buying the 900 is much more than a 100-TID scale 800 with better waterproofing. I figured fully, there would be no 800 updates.

The night the crew met Slim Saunders. April 18 1937 Part One We are continuing to get wild hooligans from town who want to come out here to the mine and either meet us or work with us. Last night I heard Ben and Sarge holler out at someone who was trudging up the side of the creek toward our camp. The crew came over and had a look at what the hollering was about. I nearly laughed but held it back. Sarge was not so kind and began to laugh and hoot. There in front of us stood an old guy dressed like a cowboy from back in the 1800’s. He wore a large cowboy hat that nearly covered his face and also some old jeans and fur leggings. He had on boots with spurs as well as two six shooters in holsters. He was smoking a home rolled cigarette and gave us all an evil stare. I walked over to him and asked what he was up to. He said his name was Slim Saunders and he was from a ranch just outside of town. I reckoned him to be about 60 in years or maybe a bit more. He told us he had done everything from ranching to mining to logging and even bounty hunting in his day. I started to like him. John asked him what we could do for him. He said he had heard quite a bit about us in town. Some of the groups that hung around in the tavern said we were the mining crew from hell and we took names and kicked ass. He said he was looking for work and wanted to join up with us. I asked him what kind of job he was looking for. He said he was a scratch shot with his 45’s and could work as security. He said he could also handle a rifle with the best of them. Before I could say anything he pointed to a limb on a pine tree about 100 feet away. He said to look toward the end of the limb and there was a small branch starting off to the right with a pine cone hanging on. I said that I saw it. He slapped leather with both hands and quick drew his Colts and fired off a round from each gun. The pine cone flew off the limb. Then he twirled the pistols and put them back in their holsters as slick as grease. Then he told Will to set out two empty tin cans about 100 feet away. Will set them up on a rock and came back over. Slim said to watch and he pulled his right hand quickly and shot as the gun cleared leather. One of the cans flew off the rock. Before the sound of the shot died he pulled his left hand with the Colt and did the same thing. The can flew off the rock just like the first one. He twirled them back into the holster as slick as could be. I asked him what kind of pay he wanted. He said just his grub and whiskey, a dollar, and a little taste of gold from time to time. I told him to hold on while I talked with my crew. Everyone liked Slim. We decided to give him a go. I went over and asked him when he wanted to start. He just looked at me and said “Well, I’m here aint I ?” and that was that. Then he asked if we had any whiskey. I handed him a new bottle and we all sat around the fire as darkness fell. Slim took a couple of pulls from the bottle and began to tell us his story. April 18 1937 Part Two Slim told us his father had worked in a wild west show back in the day. He did all kinds of tricks with guns and ropes. His father had begun teaching him these skills from even before he could remember. His father traveled all the time and when Slim was sixteen he and his mother and sister never saw him again. He just left on a show tour one day and never came home. He had no idea what happened to him. Slim kept practicing his father’s trade until he figured he was better than him or anyone else around. However, by this time the wild west shows were all dried up like the dust in the western wind. There was no market for his trade. Slim developed a real bad attitude and began to pull strong arm robberies when he was still a kid. He used his gun skills to intimidate people all the time. Not surprising, the law eventually caught up with him when he was nineteen years old and he spent two years in the Wyoming state prison. When he got out his mother and sister had moved on and abandoned him. He never saw either of them again. Prison hadn’t helped his attitude but it hardened him as a man. He had been in many fistfights and brawls while in lockup and had developed some good hand to hand fighting skills to go along with his gunplay. He was a truly dangerous individual and didn’t think twice about using his guns or fists at the drop of a hat. By now Slim had downed a third of his bottle. Then he told us a wild story. We all leaned in to listen closely. April 18 1937 Part Three Slim said that back when he was just out of prison he got a job working on a ranch. He didn’t have a whole lot of cowboy skills when they hired him but learned real fast and was soon one of the best cowboys on the ranch. He was in a poker game one night. It took place in the main bunkhouse and Slim was losing real bad. The cowboy who had all the money was the best bronc buster on the ranch. Or so he thought. Slim challenged him to a bronc busting contest. Slim put up one of his Colts against the money in the purse. The other cowboys got the meanest horse out of the barn. They called him Freight Train. He was bad to the bone. The first cowboy took a turn on him and got thrown after just a few seconds. Slim got on and rode out the horse and broke him. The cowboy who lost refused to give up the purse. One of the other guys was holding Slims Colt & gave it back to him. The losing cowboy challenged Slim to a duel. Slim said this guy thought he was pretty quick on the draw. They walked out fifty paces and stood looking at each other. Slim told him to make his move when he was ready. After a wait of about thirty seconds the cowboy slapped leather. Slim came up with both guns firing just as they cleared their holsters and the slower guy went down on his knees firing off a round into the dirt. Then he slowly rolled over on his side. He was dead. Both of Slims shots had pierced the chest in the area of the heart. Slim calmly walked over and took the money out of the cowboy’s vest pocket. It was covered in blood. The ranch owner had heard the ruckus and came out of his house with his rifle. It was way past midnight. When he saw one of his top hands laying dead on the ground he wasn’t happy. He pointed the rifle at Slim and told him he was going to shoot him dead. April 18 1937 Part Four Slim said when a man told him he was going to kill him he took him at his word. So he raised his right hand as if to give up but as he did so snapped the six shooter out of its holster with his left hand and fired three times. The rancher dropped to the ground lifeless. Just that quick he had taken two lives but felt he had no choice. The cowboys were real upset now because their boss and one of their friends were eating dirt. Slim said there were five of them left and some had sidearms. He told them not to make any moves and walked backwards towards the barn. He saddled a horse and rode off into the night leaving what few belongings he had. However, he did have a full poke now. Within the space of a few minutes he had become an outlaw. Then he told us the rest of the story. April 18 1937 Part Five Slim said he lasted until the law dogs caught up with him in Cody, Wyoming. He said there were two of them and he could have easily gunned them down but didn’t want to kill any more men. He got thirty years and got out when he was 51 years old. More than half his life had now been spent in prison and he had no one to call a friend. He was on his own in a strange world. He was forbidden to own or carry a gun and had no training except in gun play and cow punching and bronc busting. He thought about the rodeo circuit but everyone told him he was too old. He decided to give it a try anyway. He got on with the Cowboy Contest circuit in Cheyenne and found out he could still hold his own in the bronc riding division. He made himself a living for nearly ten years and was the oldest cowboy to qualify for a trophy and prize money. Then he eventually hooked up with a ranch in the area and now he was sitting at our campfire drinking whisky with us. We all pulled out some cups as he talked about his life and drank whiskey with him deep into the night. Around two in the morning we all turned in. When we got up none of us were feeling too good and took the day off nursing bad hangovers. There was no gold made that day.

Here is one example of why you wouldn't want to mess with John. April 15 1937 Last night we had a visit by four hooligans. It seems they had liquored themselves up with false courage at the tavern and came out to the mine for a visit just before dark. Sarge and Ben had stopped them before they made it all the way into camp and the crew went down to see what was going on. They were running their mouths and talking about how they were ruff and ready guys and thought they would be a good fit as a part of our crew. They said they could handle themselves in a fight and were hard workers to boot. John was getting a laugh out of all this and asked them who the toughest one in the bunch was. They immediately pointed to the biggest one who was probably in his late twenties. He said he would take on any one of us in a brawl and prove he could handle himself. John surprised me and took him up on it. I knew that John didn’t mind a good fight if he had the reason to do so so maybe he just felt like he had been challenged. John asked the hooligan if he was up for a game. He said they would stand toe to toe. They would flip a coin. The winner would get the first punch and then the other man would return it. This would continue until someone gave up or was knocked out. The hooligan was all for it. I flipped the coin and the hooligan won the toss. The entire crew and the other three hooligans formed a circle around the combatants. They squared up and I saw John brace himself. The hooligan delivered the best punch he could throw from the close quarters. It caught John square on the jaw and his head snapped to the side. He looked at the guy and smiled. Now it was his turn. John is about as ruff and tuff as they come and he let his right fist sail into the hooligan's jaw. The guy’s knees started to buckle but to his credit he stayed on his feet. He was a little unsteady as he threw another haymaker that found its mark. John just shook it off again with the same smile. Now John let his hip turn as he threw a cross from his shoulder. I saw the hooligan's lip split open and he spit out a tooth. He was still on his feet but more shaky now. He let a good right hand fly once again and John’s head snapped back and he started spitting blood. He was still smiling. John kind of gave a grunt as he let his right hand fly once more. It was a crushing blow to the nose of the hooligan. There was blood everywhere and the guy sank down on one knee. He got up and gathered himself. John braced himself for the next punch which connected but it was a weaker punch and only grazed John's face. John asked him if he wanted to quit. The guy shook his head no. John let one fly and there was a sickening crunch and more teeth were spit out but the guy stayed on his feet. He was tough. He let John have another punch but this one was weaker still. John delivered his next punch into the gut and the guy doubled over and went down on his face. All the fight was gone out of him now. His friends picked him up and they left camp telling John they couldn’t believe what he had done to their friend. They said he’d never been beaten in a fight. They said they were going to tell everyone in town that the rumors about us were true, that we were not to be messed with. The next day we worked the kettle. John’s face was badly bruised and he couldn’t eat solid food because his teeth were sore and one was loose. We did a good day’s work and ended up with one ounce of gold. John was eating oatmeal for supper.

Here is the entry where Jacob finds his brother's killer. April 11 1937 Part One Last night we were visited once again. Sarge brought a guy into camp that said he wanted to talk with me. He told me he hangs out in the tavern in town. He claimed to overhear a couple of guys talking about us. One of them was talking about a large amount of gold he had gotten and laughing about someone working hard to mine it and he took it without having to do any work and now he was wealthy. The guy was getting drunk with another hooligan and he was there now. I thanked him and asked if he'd go there with me to identify the men. He said he would. He told me they were bad news and carried guns and knives. One of them was called Slugger and the other Jim. Slugger was the bigger of the two and he was the one doing most of the talking. I took John and Sarge as well as the informer into town and we parked the truck in front of the tavern. When we walked in, the informer pointed out the two guys. I thanked him again and told him he’d better clear out for his own safety as this might get real ugly. April 11 1937 Part Two I told Sarge to go outside and keep the informer at our truck. We might want him later. I told him John and I would go back outside as well and wait for the two hooligans to exit the tavern. I didn’t want anyone seeing us in contact with them because if they were the ones responsible for my brother’s murder I would kill them both. John wanted them as bad as I did. We all had weapons in case of a shoot out but killing them that way was far too easy for them. I also wanted to get back Jed’s gold. Sarge moved the truck away from the tavern parking lot and kept the informer inside the cab with him. John and I waited in a secluded area across the street from the tavern. It was getting late and I hoped it wouldn’t be too long before the suspects came out. Around midnight we saw them going out the door and starting to walk down the street. The big one was laughing and joking about how easy it was to steal gold and rob people. The other one was laughing as well. My fists were clenched in rage and I told John “Let’s get them.” I was going to make them talk. April 11 Part Three We walked up behind them and they were drunk and didn’t even notice us. John carried a weighted billy club and pulled it out and I had brass knuckles on. We also had sidearms. John eased up behind the one they called Slugger and pretended to know him. He said he had a bottle of good whiskey over at the truck and pointed over there. Slugger acted like he recognized him or knew him and said let’s go drink it. His buddy Jim went along easy until we got near the truck and spotted me wearing brass knuckles. Before he could say anything I let him have a right hand square in the face and took out his front teeth. John clocked Slugger in the knee with the billy and he went down and started hollering and cursing. John cracked him across the face with his fist twice and we threw them in the back of the truck and jumped back there with them. I told Sarge to get the hell out of here before someone sees us and he drove back toward the mine. The two thugs were moaning and cursing and we let them have more of the same and told them to shut their mouths if they wanted to live. We pulled off the main road and drove up to our camp. Ben,Will, and Hudson were waiting for us. We threw the two goons off the truck and onto the ground and the entire crew and security team was staring down at them.

This entry shows just one example of the fights they had back in 1937. It seems the crew had beaten up the brother of these two guys in the infamous town tavern the previous year and they had come looking for trouble. This mining crew was as tight as tight gets & if you mess with any of them you are in for a fight. Kind of like jumping into a pit of rattlesnakes. April 8 1937 Last night we were awoken to the hellish sounds of the bobcats once again. I had forgotten how loud they could be with their screeching. It was around 3:00 in the morning and the stars were all shining and it was cold. I couldn’t go back to sleep so I sat up and got the campfire going again. I could see the silhouette of Sarge over at his post with his trusty BAR. Ben was down near the road with the Thompson. I poured a small whiskey and thought about Jed. I was sure he was watching me from somewhere. Just before daybreak I heard Ben holler from down below and there was a burst from the Thompson. Sarge hollered out to wake the crew if they weren’t already up. They all came out of their tents with weapons in hand. Ben hollered up that a couple of guys had gotten past him. Then I heard Sarge holler out halt and he fired the BAR. I saw two guys standing near camp to the south. Ben had come up behind them and Sarge had them at gunpoint. They were both drunk. They were cursing at us and said they wanted the dirty cowards that had beaten up their brother at the tavern last year. It seemed that the town folk already knew we were here. John walked over to confront them. Will and I walked over and so did Sarge. John got within a few steps of them and told them their brother was a thief and got what he deserved. I told them we were here to work and wanted to be left alone. I said that if they wanted a fight then now was the time. They just stood there cursing and calling us all kinds of names. John walked up to them and cracked the closest one on the jaw with his fist. Sarge rammed the other one in the side with the butt end of the BAR. They both went down hard. One of them had a pistol and Sarge relieved him of it. The first one got up and John cracked him again. The other one didn’t want anymore. We dragged them down to the creek and threw them in the icy water. They came crawling out cursing and hollering and staggered down the mountain to where their car was parked. I told them not to ever come back and tell the same to all the rif raf in town. After all that we had a good breakfast while we talked over the situation. John didn’t think they’d be back. I wasn’t so sure. Then we got to work setting pumps and running water line. Tomorrow we will take the tom up to the dig site and start washing gravels. I am hoping for a quiet night.

I think the crew had made a huge gold discovery. They were probably being watched. Then they were murdered for their gold. The pack of thieves most likely came back to the area weeks later after things had cooled down with the law and mined out the new found rich gold deposit. Just my theory as well as Jacob's. We never found it when Jacob tried to locate it again after all those years. That was most likely because it had already been mined by the new group. As Jacob often said, the law in that area was worthless. As far as we can tell there were never any arrests made. Here are the last two entries in the journal Jacob was writing in in 1937. July 3 1937 There was nothing moving on the mountain last night except for a bear and some mule deer. At breakfast we had a brief meeting and were concerned that whoever had taken those buckets out of the mine while we were in Nevada most likely knew we were on rich ground. We would need to keep a close watch on the mine. Will and I got an early start as the sun was coming up behind the trees. The intense heat was back once again. We worked at a good pace and cut a trench trying to find the depth of country rock. We hit it at twelve feet. I took a sample pan over to the tub with Will and we couldn’t believe the result. The pan was full of small nuggets and pickers as well as coarse gold. We had never seen a pan like this. It was even richer than last year's kettle dig. We still didn’t know how far back into the hill the kettle went. The deposit had the potential to be massive. I kept a thermometer in the shade and it was already reading 98 degrees. It had to be 110 or more in the sun. I sent Will back down to the creek with a lode of buckets filled to the brim with rich gravels for John to wash. I told him to bring up more water and some cool Lucky’s we kept in the creek. When he got back up to the site we found a shady spot and drank a few of them. I have to say that I have never had beer that tasted better on a sweltering hot day. We got back to work and didn’t stop until dusk. We had removed a total of 170 buckets of super rich pay. The weigh tomorrow was going to be a good one as most of the material we took down to John was from deep in the kettle. July 4 1937 I am hurriedly writing this with the aid of a three quarter moon while trapped at the watchpost. It is 3:00 AM and today was to be a gold weigh and celebration of our country's independence. Instead, we are fighting for our lives. I took the second watch last night and all was quiet until an hour ago when we were suddenly attacked by what seems like a small army of well armed men. There has been heavy gunfire until the last ten minutes. I hear no more return fire from camp and I am nearly out of ammo up here on the mountain. I am taking occasional rifle fire and volleys of rounds from at least ten positions which have me surrounded. I am unable to move from cover. I can only think of the Shaman who warned me of our demise. I fear this may be the end. I am seeing my brother Jed and Whisky Jack coming down the mountain towards me with their arms stretched out to greet me.

I haven't read this whole thread but I can tell you that TT can tell irregular shaped targets from round targets. I've called it many times while I've been hunting with the Manticore. Can slaw is especially evident on TT. Doesn't work on deep targets but it does work on targets down to about 5".

they can be made street legal in AZ. i see a few driving around. i looked into getting one. they sell for 6 or 7k. one problem is they max out at about 55 mph. the other problem is that they don't have the articulation needed for old mining roads here. i could see it being useful on a farm or ranch, not so much off road. Mike Festiva has 7 or so videos on his suzuki carry 4x4 Kei mini truck camper build. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB3OZUVSNZc if you scroll through he has some interesting off road builds.

quite a few folks drive those around here most are ag use related.

The fact that things went south after the rain suggests to me that you may have some degree of salt in your soil, such as fertilizer, cow urine, or salt from a lick. I have a site that I can hunt in Park 1 on the Equinox when dry, but need to switch to Beach mode when wet. Lots of cows and evaporation of flood irrigation water at this site. You may want to try the Beach mode on the Pro when the soil is wet. Let us know how it goes.

I've not done enough testing yet and because there is no little coil it's been 11" vs 11" and prior to the update the Nox 800 was better than the Manticore on small gold, since the update the Manticore has improved, I'm not confident to say its equal to or better than the Nox yet as I haven't had enough time to figure it all out but it's certainly improved. I am sure all of the Nox series and Manticore share a very large amount of code with modifications to the code between each model so many of the Manticore updates will or could end up on other models, I think because the Nox 600/800 has been out a while they will neglect to give it any updates the 700/900 get even though it would be easily possible for them to give them. So I would expect to see a Nox 700/900 update soon now the Manticore update is out, the primary reason on Minelab's behalf would be sales, releasing updates and the buzz around them is great marketing. So many excited people with the Manticore update it now puts a lot of focus back on the detector. It also shows they're working on and improving it.

I hear ya Chase. I'm not as anxious as some to get the new coils because I'm having a ball with the 11". I understand that some really need the smaller coil due to iron infested or heavy brush covered areas or just wanting it for gold prospecting. I don't really NEED the 15", but I want it for my beach hunting. I'm trying to imagine how hard it may be to swing in the water chest deep, or how much heavier it will be to swing in the dry compared to the 11". So....I want it, but I can wait while entertaining myself with the stock coil.

Grandfather gave me his 800, and I can honestly say why get another detector when this one gets the job done. Yes I know that I don't know everything about it, but when I want to go detecting I just turn it on and do a small setup and I'm detecting. They are a great detector for sure.

Good story. I too use my 800 as a go to Detector because I have confidence in it. I wish I had the same feeling with my golf clubs.

It actually is annoying but has the potential of giving non-ferrous alerts in dense iron in that we now have a positive and a negative. Hate to say it but any keen "studen't of the game" shoudln't need a flashing red light to tell iron. 😆 cjc

I only know of the Suzuki Carry available with 4x4 auto trans. and air con. a Japanese Kei vehicle [ the smallest road legal vehicle with restricted dimensions and engine size ] makes you think twice about an expensive ATV doesn't it ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_Carry

In situations like that i would tend to use a much smaller coil,so you dont get the ground coverage but when you have so much junk you have the high probability of target masking ie 2 targets under the coil at the same time but the discrimination is knocking out both targets,so this why my personal opinion a small 6 coil could well be the best way forward.

I left the house at 7am, not particularly confident, but I went panning anyway. There were a few reasons why I didn’t have my usual “ get up and go “ attitude when wakening up to the sounds of “ I’m happy “ by Pharrell L Williams. The first reason was the weather, it’s hot. Well it’s 26 degrees C which is far too hot for a Scotsman, I mean our natural skin colour is pale blue. The second reason was that I had all but done with the area I had been prospecting for a while. I thought with the heat that maybe a leisurely stroll along some bedrock outcrops would be much more economical than the usual set up, and that actually was the third reason. I had never seriously done any dry land crevicing before. Pharrell Williams really put the tin lid on it with the lyrics “ no offence to you, don’t waste you’re time “. These lyrics were in my head and on repeat all day haha! Arriving at the car park deep in the Leadhills an hour after leaving the house I was cussing the weatherman for getting it correct again. They’ve did this for the umpteenth time this year and nobody seems to complain. WELL I AM. Anyway, it was hot and the Leadhills are barren of any cover whatsoever, making the walk from the car park to my familiar stomping ground that extra bit tiring, so I took the opportunity of a few photos as an excuse to pause now and then, though pausing only made me more lethargic, as like I said there’s no shelter from the sun at all. A green desert. The views when walking along the old railway line are lovely on the eyes due to the elevation of the old line. The green hills roll on into the distance, and when stopping to take it in, so too does my mind. Looking out and over the valley from the old railroad, i can almost feel the presence of the old timers are still here with me. The burn winds it’s way along the valley floor like a main artery, fed by the veins that run straight down off the hills and that provide fresh water for the flocks, and replenished gold for the prospector. The farmhouse stands alone like a kings guard in defiance of the elements. A constant feature of the valley it helps to protect. The burn offers life for its flock too. The great thing about walking an old railroad is that it’s almost perfectly flat until…….. you reach a hill😃 At least it was downhill, and ideal for a perfect approach. At the bottom of the hill I would cut left and walk the short distance to the start of the bedrock outcrop that I wanted to work. Made it, phew! The plan for the day was to first head uphill along the bedrock looking for easy areas to work before removing the small amount of gravel still remaining in the pool on the bottom left of the photo. I planned things in that order because I knew there was still a flake or two of gold in the gravel, and therefore if I blanked with the crevicing then I still had the gravel as a last resort. I also knew that once that tiny amount of gravel was removed then that was me finished in the area, an area I’ve sort of became attached to over the last few months. I was prolonging the inevitable really. After a quick look at the pool I made my way up and over the rock wall. From now on in the only water I would see was the stuff in my bag, for up this high the stream dries out completely. On a positive note the lack of water means I can take my time to reach far down into the crevices where I could study them without the chill of the water that charges through in autumn and winter. A pleasing change indeed. I wasn’t long before I reached my the decent looking area to work. Doesn’t that in the photo just scream gold. The way the bedrock slopes down at angles that trap. No doubt this spot has been worked judging by the gravel that not just looks loose, but I can confirm was loose, and after what seemed like an eternity to reach bottom, I found nothing. The bedrock crevices started wide, but by the time I reached as far down as I could they were too narrow to empty out. Moving on I found the next good looking area not much further upstream, but like the last area looks can be deceiving. I like the way the bedrock funnels down in a v shape into the pool, helping to concentrate the gold. I opted to remove the gravel near the tail of the pool, thinking the water would plough through like a jet wash near the top, making it all but impossible for the smaller flakes to settle. Again the bedrock crevices went down a couple of feet, progressively getting narrower, and again too narrow for me to properly work. “ No offence to you, don’t waste your time” ,there’s those lyrics again, and this time I took heed and decided to refill the confidence meter by heading back downhill, and onto the second part of the day, removing that gravel. I would sluice and pan out each bucket as I filled them. The last thing I needed was to empty it all out at once only to discover no gold, that wouldn’t be good. After two buckets and very little gold I contemplated moving, and here’s where I believe our lives are planned ahead of us. You see I decided to pack everything away and move on to an entirely different stream in an entirely different area of the hills, but after packing everything away and hoisting the backpack up and onto my aching shoulders, I only mane]aged to walk around 30ft to where I saw another bedrock outcrop. This outcrop was different to the one I had worked earlier. For a start the stream below the outcrop widened out as it exited the narrow rocky stretch. The stream slowed as it broke out over an open gravel bed. The actual gravel was very soft underfoot, obviously well worked, but directly below the bedrock was an area I could work by digging down the wall of the outcrop. As I removed the rucksack from my shoulders in a writhing fashion I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the thought I had only walked 10 paces before I had to unpack it all again. Sure enough the gravel down the side of the bed rock was packed fairly tight and I had to fight my way down through rocks that were difficult to remove. The thought of packed gravels alongside bedrock got me digging like Barney rubble, and after removing and sluicing the 4 buckets it took to reach the bottom of the rock I couldn’t resist the urge to pan it out. What would it contain I wondered. Well the answer was sweet sod all haha! Not even a dust particle of gold. I was a little upset. Why had I just not moved on to pastures new when I had my chance? Why had that bedrock took my attention and stopped me in my tracks, and turned out to be a total waste of time? What was I supposed to do now? I will tell you what I was supposed to do, because like I mentioned earlier, I firmly believe our lives are set out on paths that are impossible to veer from. What I was supposed to do at that point was finish off the last remaining couple of buckets of gravel that I had gave up on earlier after only finding a few flakes in the couple of buckets I did remove. So everything was carried back to the original spot and the sluice set back in place, where it was an hour before. I seem to do more walking than anything else these days🙂 Walking back up to where the pool is, and the last of the gravel didn’t fill me with confidence. The gold I had spent collecting over the past while had all but dried up, but I needed to finish the last of the gravel to remove the “ what if “ factor that would have played in my head, had I not removed it, but before getting the pump in action I took a last look at the bedrock face where it meets the water level. I used my fingers to scrape out any small pockets of stones that were still trapped in the crevices in the vertical wall, and that’s when something caught my eye. It looked like gold, but all my sinews were saying it couldn’t be, I mean how lucky would I have to be to have such a bad day, only to literally walk onto gold. Well it was gold, and a fine gram nugget too. I was overjoyed at my find that was just sat there on the bedrock. I’ve seen this happen in videos, but for it to happen to me was unreal. I still had to remove the last of the gravel in the pool, which I did, but as I suspected there were only a few last remaining flakes. I obviously wasn’t bothered. I had polished off everything I could in that stretch of the stream and I could now move on without looking back, and it’s a good feeling knowing I would be prospecting new ground when I next go panning. The walk back up that steep hill and along the old railroad back to the car park in blistering heat virtually went unnoticed thanks to my find. Now that’s what I call dream prospecting👍 til the next time, happy prospecting to you. Ian 🇺🇸🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🥃

I know this is an old thread, but since it's been bumped recently, I'm going to throw my .02 in for whatever comes next. 😁 "What Features And Performance Improvements Would You Like To See In The Next High End Minelab Coin Detector?" 1) As lightweight or even lighter than the current Deus 2. Use carbon fiber wherever possible. Even on the coil casing, arm cuff and grip. 2) Lower shaft should be mounted in the CENTER of the coil. Not offset. 3) Entire shaft should be very rigid. Again, using carbon fiber. This is a high end machine, so why not? 4) Shaft should be keyed like the current Deus 2 and Legend, so that it doesn't rotate. 5) Shaft should be clearly marked with adjustment lines so that we can quickly extend it to our desired length. 6) Coil cable should be concealed inside the shaft, similar to the CTX, or make it completely wireless like the Deus. 7) A comfortable ergonomic grip, yet still easy to clean. 8 ) A functional stand. This really shouldn't have to be mentioned, but.... (ahem, XP). 9) The display should be in color and easy to read without glare. 10) The pinpoint button should be trigger style. Activated with the index finger. Similar to the CTX and the older White's units like the V3i, XLT and DFX. 11) All other buttons should be within thumbs reach. No more buttons mounted on the SIDE of the detector. 12) The menu should be well thought out and easy to navigate. 13) Give it descriptive audio like the Deus 2, good visual aids like the Manticore. Audio should be highly configurable to the user's preference. 14) Depth, separation and EMI handling should be as good or better than the current crop of high end detectors. 15) Lots of coil options upon release. 16) Charging connections should be as quick and easy as possible. Magnetic works well enough. 17) Bonus points for a wireless pinpointer running same disc as the detector. Similar to the old Sunray probes, but smaller and wireless.

Your dealer should read the manual. If such a procedure was required it would be in the manual. That said, a reset is not required but is something I do personally on the Axiom and most any detector where I won’t lose a lot of settings in the process. Never have the power on when switching coils on any PI detector!

Nuggets The same thing happen to me with a new detector and it was a Minelab. So now I carry extra batteries extra detector and extra anything just in case. My trip was over a thousand miles. Chuck

Hi everyone, I'm new here, and I had a friend tell me that there is a website that has someone talking about your Deus 2 for Dummies book. That is what led me to this site. I have been metal detecting since 2007 and purchased the Deus 2 last fall. I got a couple months of detecting in with it before the ground corked up and during the cold winter months I made a little book that was originally going to be just for me to use as a field reference guide. My wife said that I should publish it and sell it. I told her that I just want to dump it out there on the internet for people to use if they think it will help them get more comfortable with the Deus 2. I put it on the Facebook XP Deus 2 Group page. I told everyone that the book is free, but if they want to take their appreciation to the next level, they can send me an old coin to show their appreciation. I have been receiving coins in the mail over the past week from all over the world. I had some help turning the book into a single PDF document that you can download on to you phone and pull up the information while you are out detecting. The trouble is that I can't find a safe place online to put a 11.6 MB file where everyone can latch onto the PDF. I did put it in the "FILES" section of the XP Deus 2 Group page on Facebook. Here is a link to that file if you are a member of that group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/deusii/posts/3507171489562326/

I've recently been detecting with the new axiom and honestly I really like that machine. I've been running the sdc for the past 6 years I've gone through 2 of them, my current sdc I've had for 3 years now the knuckle is completely worn out, the cams on the collapsible stock are gone, I have half a dozen popsicle sticks and 2 rolls of electrical tape holding it together and the external speaker is completely dead. think the materials used are junk and the headphone jack is nonsense. Now i'm not knocking the sdc its an outstanding machine and I've found some incredible gold with it large and small. The sdc is not the most comfortable machine to swing alot of times I hold it past the hand grip. No I'm not a sugar foot I swing my 7000 all day and don't use the harness or the 3rd shaft. This is strictly my honest intake of the sdc and the axiom. Now the axiom. I've only taken axiom out less than a dozen times since I recently got the machine. I revisited old patches that has been creamed by the 7000 the sdc and a 4500. Signals are rare at these spots now how ever I've hit small gold at depth the sdc or the 7000 didn't hear. I did hit a 12dwt specimen the sdc hold not hear that the axiom hit, I'm not sure I swung that same spot with the 7000, I do know the axiom hits smaller gold stronger than the 7000 I've proven that. The axiom is well ballanced it pendulums against the forearm which makes it comfortable I like that the shaft clicks into position, I do think the axiom is a little noisy but not as bad as the 6000, the settings for the axiom do exactly what they intend to do except the iron ID. To adjust the tone to your hearing ability is great, swing speed is cool but if your in slow and you swing to fast you miss targets that is the most important function of the machine you have to follow. If I'm drinking around I'm in medium until I find that tip off piece then I go into slow mode and go over everything low and slow and it works that's how I got that 12 dwt specimen I had mentioned and a hand full of dinks. I'm not a fan of the z link head phones, I do have the z link wireless I used for the sdc I just link the receiver to the axiom and use killer b's wasp headphones. One thing I like the sdc over the axiom is the ground ballanced, the sdc is pretty much a 1 and done type ground ballance the axiom I have to treat as if it's a vlf every time I see a ground change. I absolutely like the fact I can change coils on the fly with out any special tools and the coils being submersible unlike the coil teck coils for the sdc not sure why a coil company would make coil you can't dunk in water for a water proof machine. I think the axiom has a larger potential over the sdc, I really hope garrett comes up with software updates I read they from non garrett employees they do but I heard they dont from a trusted source. I do think the axiom has some improvements to make but in all reality I just replaced and will continue to replace my sdc for the axiom. When I'm not doing welding jobs I prospect gold is part of my income so I can't pussyfoot around. I run 3 detectors, 1 was the sdc now the axiom to locate shallow patches, 2 the 7000 to bring in after a patch was located and 3 a vlf to cherry pick through trashy areas like mine dumps rock piles things like that. Good luck out in the gold fields

I hunted hard Saturday. I was in a modified Deep High Conductor program most of the time. The coil battery indicator on the remote control started flashing empty after 7 hours and 40 minutes. It didn't die on me but I was tired so it flashing empty was a good reason to stop. All finds are from Saturday except the seated which I found today. I'm not used to finds like these, I just got lucky and got permission to a good spot.