Leaderboard

Attended Gerry's class this weekend and did not go home empty handed. Found my first two nuggets! A .42 and a .25 gram. Using my Manticore and the M8. Dime is for size reference only. Happy as could be! - Dave

This is not a discussion forum. Please limit posts only to ads or inquiries directly relating to the purchase of the items for sale. Thanks.

Nokta Gold Pie Generated with AI ∙ April 23, 2024 Nokta Relic Pie Generated with AI ∙ April 23, 2024

Congrats on the first gold nuggets... Gerry, Lunk and the rest of that crew have helped many a newbie get hooked on gold fever... My first time out with them and my first nuggets back in 2014 and yea I got hooked good times... strick

Good going UT Dave, nice gold, beware of picking up one of Gerry's" toothy" habits when finding gold.

Apex/Axiom style control housing and menu layout is definitely one of the best setups on the market right now. Nice wide screen and LCD that's easy to read and don't have to wear a pair of reading glasses to see the screen. Menu on both machines are great too. You don't have to have the user manual in your hand trying to figure how many sub-menus and hidden options there are or try to decipher icons on the screen. I would like to see a 3 piece rod system with camlocks similar to the Axiom (maybe not as beefy) on the next model so it can be collapsed down nice and compact.

Gerry included, there have been several very helpful people here that I would have to thank for their help, the well-knowns like Gerry and Steve, Chris, Rob and Ron, and the other members whom I was able to meet up with and go detecting with. I was recently fortunate enough to meet up with one member here who brought me out to one of their detecting places and gave me some great tips and pointy fingers, and as a result, this is what I found with my 6000. A little .21g nugget, and my first. They’ll go unnamed, but they know I’m very appreciative to be able to go detecting with them. Thank you!

A few weeks back my buddy and I braved a snow storm to get to a site that had an open window of opportunity. If we didn't go now we wouldn't be able to get back in until early June because of ranch activity. When we arrived there at 9 am there was 1" of snow on the ground and the storm had subsided. I had both the Deus 2 and Manticore with me but decided to start off with the Manticore and 11" coil. Manticore settings were AT General, 1 region all tones, recovery 5, sensitivity 22, stock ferrous limits, normal audio with a simple profile. Worst part about hunting snow covered ground is the build up you get on the coil, requiring cleaning every few minutes. We hunted for a few hours and for the most part finds were few and far between. I think I had a few small cuff buttons and a percussion cap in my pouch. At about 1 pm the snow started to fall again, so we decided to call it and work our way back to the truck. As I rounded a bush I got a solid 24 on the Manticore and in my mind I thought this could be a gold coin, knowing from testing that the type 1 $1 comes up 23-24. As I was digging the hole I heard thumping and brush crashing to my left to see a moose running past me, stopping just long enough to take a look at me. Taking out a few shovel fulls of soil, the edge of the 1850 $1 gold coin was visible in one of the dirt clods and came from a depth of about 7 inches. I called my buddy over to take a look and take pictures as I broke it from the dirt and put some water on it. Turns out it was worth braving the elements. For those interested, the ID for US gold coins on the Manticore are Type 1 $1 23-24 Type 2 & 3 $1 20-21 $2 1/2 37-38 $5 50-51 $10 65-66 $20 76-78.

I was a little late in getting more done. Did get a small batch of park probes out. https://www.ebay.com/itm/276423995110?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=-5lIdJmkRTe&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY HH, Ken

In a last ditch effort to find something cool today I went out into my pasture this evening. I found a gun. Judging by the barrel the kid used too many caps at once. 😱😂

In hopes that this post finds everyone doing better than they deserved, i here in hopes to learn this hobby, I'm currently researching and hoping to find a decent metal detector, looks like the NOX900 would make a good tool, so any info or point in the right direction will be much appreciated. time to burn a hole in the tax return. Y'all have a blessed day!

https://www.minelab.com/community/treasure-talk/specific-ground-balance-on-the-gpx-detectors I was curious if anyone uses the specific ground balance method with their 5000’s in areas with high iron content and uniform ground conditions that are hard to get a ground balance in Gen. ground balance. Attached is Phil Beck’s from Minelab’s write-up on it.

Thanks Steve.... After reading about the Li's and the melting, maybe I'll stick with NiMH! Yes, the brand I'm using now is the same, Tenergy, and they have been really lasting a long time. I originally bought a whole box (8) of the same early "blues" you show and most sat in the box never to be charged, still had the wrapper's on them. I should have rotated them because they eventually perished from non-use and no charge. Then I moved on to only a few of "low self discharge" version I talked about above which I will rotate. I still like devices where the battery is not hard-wired and can be replaced, rechargeable or standard.

I did nibble a little caliche off the first one to make sure I wasn't seeing things. It was mostly encrusted with it and I wasn't trusting my eyes, so I did chew on it slightly to get some of the crust off.... - Dave

I like the looks and function of the Axiom too, even though I wouldn't have use for a pulse in my venues. I think they used the pod from the Apex nicely( if it was second to the Apex)... I can't remember. The only thing I'm not a fan of is that little "patio chair" armcup on top of the battery compartment, but that's the graphic designer in me! 🙂 I like collapsible too, especially if I can fit it in a backpack! I have reading glasses on a cord around my neck and I still couldn't see the display on one of my recent detector purchases! Just love the backlight on the Apex display when I'm thinking, "C'mon, one more old coin!" 🙂

Agreed: When I'm using my Legend in an aluminum trash site and looking for gold, I don't dig 11, 46/47, and 28/29. For me, 11 has always been small foil, 46/47 has always been a penny, dime, or a full size aluminum screw cap, and 28/29 has always been a rectangular pull tab. Granted those lower numbers could be a gold ring, and the penny / dime signal could be a very large gold ring, but I play the odds...and the odds overwhelming tell me those numbers won't be a gold ring.

Welcome to the forum.The Nox 900 is a great machine and is currently on sale at a $150.00 savings best of luck.

Overall, I will use probably use the Legend more hours than the Versa. The Versa is my primary choice for the more difficult conditions; very heavy iron trash, deeper targets in mineral red dirt, but I will have worked the Legend there too. The Legend would be my first choice for hunting in Aluminum trash, but I will later go back with the Versa. These are the scenarios that I have found where one has an advantage over the other for me. Except for in these "special" conditions, both machines are neck & neck on performance. Both are equally rugged. Like any detectors, each will "see" things the other will miss. That is why I will use both on a site. That is why I will also work a good site with the Tarsacci, Vista X and/or some of my other units. They each have unique qualities. That is why I will also try to get Nokta's relic PI they are to introduce.

Maybe backed up by the Turkish government...................so funds are limitless ,been twice to work in Turkey they manufacture a lot of good stuff, pleasant people and very hard working never heard a complain and the food is amazing.Whats not to like RR

This is an Amazon only detector. If you look up “metal detector” on Amazon, it’s mostly Chinese brands. Bounty Hunter TK4 holding strong. ACE 300 a little ways down. Interestingly, having “13” as the lead is good for another hundred bucks. The MINELAB X-TERRA VOYAGER is doing well. It worked for Minelab, Nokta trying to move up that list. Hundreds of units a month, thousand if you get to the top. Everybody wondering what First Texas is doing, they’re shoving 1,000 Tracker 4s out the door every month. What, me worry?

From https://cornellpubs.com/manufacturer/hubley-toy/ "Hubley — Founded by John Hubley in about 1894 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the Hubley Manufacturing Company made cast iron toys. Its earliest products were trains and trolleys powered by live steam, electricity, or spring mechanisms. Hubley produced stoves and still banks beginning in 1909. It later added horse-drawn fire and circus wagons, cap pistols, trucks, cars, motorcycles, and, in the 1920s, dollhouse kitchen appliances. By 1940 Hubley had become the world’s largest manufacturer of cast-iron toys. Increasing freight charges and foreign competition made the company switch to die-cast toys of a zinc alloy. Hubley was acquired by Gabriel Industries in 1965 and now produces die-cast zinc and plastic toys as well as hobby kits." Photo of a similar model for sale here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/256318411250

I seen your pic on Fb earlier today. Congrats on now being ruined for the rest of your life with gold fever.

Thanks Chuck. Yes research is a big part of success. But most of these camps I hunt have been hit for decades before I ever got to them. Maybe a pocket of untouched relics here and there where I found a bunch of stuff concentrated. But more importantly, the people that hit the areas were after the high conductive targets. Big bullets, big buttons and silver coins are all but gone. Plenty of the low conductors left if you don't mind sorting through the .22 brass, .22 lead and percussion caps. Generally speaking, officers were paid in gold and enlisted men paid in silver. Enlisted men's pay in the 1850's was about $11 a month if I remember correctly. Whereas an officer would earn anywhere from $30-40 a month.

Here we go again. Sigh. I'm just burnt out on this empty speculation about yet another upcoming detector. Nokta's naming contest is nonsense. Who gives a crap? I'm not criticizing anyone but gad, this same reaction occurs every time a new detector is mentioned. What is it? What isn't it? What will it have? What won't it have? What should it have? It reminds me of off season football. No one is playing but every day the airwaves are filled with talking heads speculating on what if's that never happen. If we didn't all play this game then the companies would knock off the early intro campaigns. But we can't, hence this rumor-filled, speculative purgatory we have once again created. Lesson to all of us: just go out and hunt. And try this on for size: post some finds. Walt Kelly said it best. Bill

If I were to compare the Rutus VERSA with other detectors... it has a really good performance on highly conductive targets...,, on medium conductive targets as well,,, and on low conductive targets it has a performance .. which can really exceed the best detectors on the market...... regardless of the price class...

Totally agree with you on that. The Deep Target ID feature is perhaps the most useful thing from 1.14 That Beast mode is just not for me. I don't see any real world application of it for myself. Why in the world would I want even more instability and guesswork from a detector I'm trying to get more stable dependable operation from? It is rare if I can run sensitivity up to 22 around here. The Black Beard pirate in the Nokta video had the thing cranked to 30. Just not realistic use for me.

Can it catch it up to the Manticore for depth though as this video makes it look terrible by comparison, seems a lot of messing around when you have other detectors that natively hit the same depth without doing anything, especially switching into a tricky to access mode to check a target? whenever you get a suspect deep target. I read a lot of people saying the Legend is a bit of an 8" max detector and many comment on it's not very deep compared to others, the same thing I found with my Simplex and a guy I know in NZ sold his for that very reason, although that was very early on in the firmware updates, he didn't give it much of a chance. Every time I think I'll jump onboard and buy one I read stuff that puts me off! Although as soon as I can get my hands on a Nel Snake for it I'll buy it regardless for a waterproof creek gold detector, albeit second hand as even though we are a tiny market they're regularly available second hand, usually they're on multiple owners though. The Deep Target feature sounds more viable to use than Beast mode. I think the naming of Beast mode was a poor choice as it makes it sound like it's something super powerful and perhaps got people's expectations too high.

I live on the property of a 1400 acre conference center that also has two summer camps for kids. Up on the mountain behind my house is a former camping area. There’s also an old spring up there where I’ve found old relics and two silver dimes. The camping area probably hasn’t been used in at least 20 years so there’s older stuff mixed in with newer stuff. I hiked up there Saturday afternoon determined to find something good. I’ve hit this area quite a few times, but I never really scoured the camping area that hard. I immediately stared hitting some modern clad and then I got a solid 57 using the Tekkna program. About two inches down was a 1.43 gram 10k ring! Soon after that I hit a shiny silvery looking ring (not silver😧), and then not long after that what looks like an old copper wedding band. Here’s some pics. The pic of the spring was taken back in 2022 when I discovered it.

This is a great buy for someone and he’s giving you lots of pictures so you can see what you’re buying. Heck I even know the guy he bought it from . I know for sure when he bought it that detector hadn’t had it’s coil on the ground and never been outside the guys door. He sold it because it was just sitting there running the warranty down and he knew due to a sick wife he wasn’t going anywhere . I know this because I’m talking about myself Chuck Anders. So look it over and make yourself a great buy. Chuck

I recently obtained permission for my club to hunt a sizable piece of property with historical group usage going back over 100 years. Over 40 of us showed up on the designated day. I heard several people say their first signal of the day was a silver dime! By the afternoon, I was getting a little discouraged with a wheat or two, some bullets, a fishing weight and a couple modern coins. I had also found a 12 pound section of an old brass pot or urn. Based on the radius of curvature, that thing must have been huge, not to mention extremely heavy! I had to make a special trip back to the car for that thing, as it was too heavy to carry with me all day. I finally broke the silver drought with a 64 Rosie after lunch. A while after that, another club member hunting near me found a beautiful Ben Franklin silver half. I told him it was gorgeous, and mentioned I had never found a half outside a seeded hunt - let alone a silver one. He encouraged me and said I will find one sooner or later and it might be a Walker or even a Barber. As he moved on, I hit a nail patch and decided to slow down and go over it. I was using my Deus 2 with the 11x13 coil - not optimum for dense nails, but I wasn’t going back to the car for the 9” that late in the day. After a little comparison, I switched to the Tekkna program. From what I have read, it might not be the best program for a large coil and dense ferrous targets, but it was more stable and much quieter in the dense nails than my custom program. After walking two lines through the nails, I had recovered four wheats and a worn cuff link (?), and figured there may be more hiding. Sure enough, I hit a nice mid-90’s signal that was so strong it had to be a can lid or the like. But, with multiple nearby wheats, I was digging it anyway. About three inches down, I caught my breath as I saw a silver disk emerge. Surely, it was an aluminum punch like another one I had found, but then I saw the reeding on the edge. I was flabbergasted to see Lady Liberty emerge from the dirt! Despite the dense iron (based on the stain, it would appear the coin was actually in contact with iron) using Tekkna and the 11x13 worked well. I would say this is the best coin I have ever found! In hindsight, I wonder what would have happened if my club member had said I would find a $20 gold piece…🤪 I also found a maple tree tap and what I think is a musket ball. The wheats range from 1911 through the 1950’s, with only the 1920’s not represented. We are working on permission to go back again!

I don't see why anyone would think prospectors don't need ferrous disc. A gold PI is typically going to be designed to hit the tiniest bits possible and that can also mean tiny ferrous bits. A relic PI might be more tuned to hit bullet size targets at max depth while being less sensitive to every tiny bit of ferrous trash. In theory though you can do both in one detector so interesting to see why they feel the need for two models. It could be nothing more than what coil the machine comes with. We have no idea what the detector really looks like but let's go with the fuzzy profile as being real. Standard configuration with collapsing three piece rod, fairly large underarm battery. Big question - it it submersible? Beach hunters will be disappointed once again if the answer is no.

Hopefully it's a good one, I'm always wary about second hand coils.

Before selecting any timing change, lower your gain as Steve suggests. The legacy GPX units ALL have receive gain only, NOT transmit (until you get them modded). ML's idea of 'gain' is akin to cranking open your ears, allowing more audio reception rather than any actual increase. Its a filter allowing more % of receive signal into your perception for your own ears/brain to determine audibly whats an actual signal and whats ground noise. Only modding accesses the transmit circuitry to allow actual gain.

I once hoped this forum would recapture some of the magic of the old days at the Alaska Gold Forum. It is obvious now that is not to be, with almost no posts here anymore about gold dredging. It makes sense as I gave that up in favor of metal detecting myself over 25 years ago, and without me driving discussion about dredging here the idea was doomed to failure. By and large the main posting action on these forums is about metal detecting. I got curious where if anywhere the dredgers ended up at, and a brief search of Google results has me thinking the TreasureNet Dredging & Hi Banking Forum is now the place to be if you have an interest in the subject. Looks like lots of good posters and posts there. Not much has changed in the dredging world from what I can see except the dubious fascination with whiz bang magical mats. I doubt anything will change here as regards gold dredging so best bet for those interested will be to head where the action is, and as far as I can tell TreasureNet is the only place getting any substantial number of new posts on the subject on a regular basis. Back when I used to go gold dredging......

You guys have it sooo easy dredging that calm water. I would like that.

I thought you guys wanted to see E1500 finds, didn't realize you had size and depth requirements. I'm sure more performance orientated finds and testing will show as deliveries continue. I'd still be happy knowing it's finding these Nuggs and not missing them.

Not a very big market for a single tone analog machine so to build even just one model and try to recover the costs involved makes it a losing venture. Deeptech does have that niche covered and have some innovative models for those looking for analog machines. Hard to outsell all the bells and whistles out there even when those single tone beepers are still so effective.

Ndplumr You have good feed back from Hardpack & Phrunt. The big thing with the frequency of detectors are these days related to size of the target (Gold as you asked). The availability of nuggets are now limited as the easy medium size and shallow nuggets have been detected. What I would add to your knowledge by getting a target the size that is commonly found where you intend to detect and redo your tests with it. Having the right gun to hit the target is the way to go.

And the Tesoro "Cazador" after a number of years, that everyone was waiting for, never materialized. It never made it into production, they had no engineers to bring performance up to snuff. So it was quietly canned.

I knew Monte very well and we corresponded frequently. He was a wonderful guy. Sure miss him. I still wonder what happened to Troy's design for a visual target ID detector. He and I corresponded about that detector a lot but as I recall he could never put the whole package together to get it made.

I remember when Troy was designing the X5. It's been a long time but didn't Fisher make that one? I seem to recall that he was working on another detector with a display screen but it never happened.