Steve Herschbach

Nice but small, and that's the point. I can easily hit bits of gold weighing under 1/10th grain (480 grains per ounce, so 1/4800th ounce) which puts the Equinox with 6" coil squarely in the league of the best VLF nugget detectors when it comes to tiny gold, and in mild ground you can get PI like depth on larger gold with the 11" coil. My GPZ is still my bread an butter gold detector, but my Gold Monster has not been used at all this year as I prefer the extra control and features offered on the Equinox. Most of all I like the fact that the Equinox is deceptively simple but as you learn more about it there always seems to be more to learn. The power is there in spades - it's just trying to control it in high mineral gold prospecting scenarios that is challenging. Especially with the 11" coil - the 6" coil is far easier to tame. The Equinox is still the best all around detector I have ever used, and it just keeps getting better the more I use it.

Great info Steve... thanks! There certainly are times a small coil works better than a large coil. Better see through in dense trash, and sharper hits on tiny targets. But I think we can sum up and say that on coin size targets in the open, the 11” coil gets a couple more inches depth than the 6” coil.

Ah, the classic dilemma! Ground really hot, so you need a PI. But lots of trash, so you need a VLF for discrimination. But the VLF gets no depth so you need the PI. But the PI gets the trash...... Steve's Law Of Target Depletion

Geiger counters are used to look for radioactive minerals, and more specifically for uranium prospecting. They have no real application outside of that. Any information about something like using a Geiger counter to look for silver would involve some rare situation where a radioactive mineral is being used as a tracer. Anyway, not much use for gold but possibly of use for platinum group metals which may be associated with uranium in some cases. https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/jres/64A/jresv64An1p107_A1b.pdf http://www.minsocam.org/ammin/AM38/AM38_463.pdf

Lots of people proofread it, including me. Hopefully Minelab will achieve the level of inhuman perfection people expect of them someday. God forbid there be an error in an appendix in a very detailed manual. The manuals come out as a pdf first and don’t get printed until later, just so errors like this can get fixed..... before sending off to the printer.

Welcome to the forum! Well, it is an entry level detector so I would not expect too much. In theory any detector can find gold nuggets, but the reality is you are competing with a lot of people swinging far more powerful detectors. The area you are in does not have a lot of large nugget gold, and so you would typically want something hotter on tiny objects than this 6.6 kHz machine is going to be. The good news is I just saw these at Costco myself so I know you got a smoking deal. What you have really got is a good general purpose coin and jewelry detector. It does have a manual ground balance option, which is kind of a marker for a unit that is a “step up” from a basic factory preset detector. Should be decent for typical park detecting or walking a beach. Bottom line is Bounty Hunter has some good value deals when the price is right. Bounty Hunter Discovery 3300 Owner's Manual Newer Thread On The Subject Here

Depending on ground mineralization you might get more gains at 3 or even 2, but I find the ground signal does get harder to deal with under 4. Three is not too bad (depending on the ground) but I would not use 2 unless right on the gold and at a crawl. Another tip - rejecting any target id numbers at all robs sensitivity but may be needed to deal with the ground. In milder ground you can get smooth operation with no target id rejected. Basically just tune up like you would any VLF all metal unit using a combination of Gold Mode, sensitivity and SAT. Sensitivity Control = Sensitivity (Gold Bug 2), Gain (GMT), Sensitivity (Equinox) Recovery Speed = Mineralization Switch (Gold Bug 2), V/SAT (GMT), Recovery Speed (Equinox) Gold can read as ferrous so dig all targets. Depending on the ground or the settings or both, ground signals can start showing up in the -9, -8, and -7 range and hot rocks at other locations, like positive 13 for example. The normal way to deal with this is just like with the Gold Bug 2 or GMT - tune to smooth them as best as is possible. The Equinox does allow you to do the same. Blocking these readings will come at a cost in reduced sensitivity. However, you can block these target id numbers, and then boost the sensitivity higher. In some places you will be better off accepting all target id numbers and just tuning appropriately. In other locations, typically more difficult ground, being able to block target id numbers and therefore part of the audio return can be a significant tool, but there is a trade off. I will be honest with you all - I have been sandbagging for quite some time as regards Equinox and gold nugget detecting. There seemed little point of getting into the subject much prior to the arrival of the 6" coil, although there is magic to be had with the 11" also once it all sinks in. A few bits found with the 6" coil....

What makes you think there is a frequency weighting difference between Gold Mode 1 and Gold Mode 2? From EQUINOX Technologies (Part 3): Let’s assess Multi-IQ for the different Detect Mode search profiles: Park 1 and Field 1 process a lower weighted frequency combination, as well as using algorithms that maximise ground balancing for soil, to achieve the best signal to noise ratio. Hence being most suited for general detecting, coin hunting, etc. Park 2 and Field 2 process a higher weighted combination of the Multi-IQ band while still ground balancing for soil. Therefore they will be more sensitive to higher frequency (low conductive) targets, but potentially more susceptible to ground noise. Beach 1 also processes a lower weighted combination, BUT uses different algorithms to maximise ground balancing for salt. Hence being most suited for both dry and wet sand conditions. Beach 2 processes a very low weighted frequency combination, using the same algorithms as Beach 1 to maximise ground balancing for salt. This search profile is designed for use in the surf and underwater. Gold 1 and Gold 2 process the higher weighted combination of the Multi-IQ band while still ground balancing for soil. However, they use different setting parameters better suited for gold nugget hunting. The way I read this is that there are five "weighting schemes" being employed, with any differences beyond that merely in the default settings. In other words, no difference between Gold Mode 1 and Gold Mode 2 except for the Recovery Speed default setting. That's just my interpretation though so I am not going to argue the point.

and we will leave it at that.

If you really want decent performance in saltwater it really needs to be either multifrequency or pulse induction. No matter what anyone claims, single frequency is not as good in saltwater as either of those options. And with pulse induction being “dig it all” technology, most people prefer multifrequency. That being the case the Equinox 600 does stand out. From Underwater Metal Detector Comparison...

That’s correct - the early manual has misprints that are being corrected as they are found. Another reason not to print the manual immediately. Latest Equinox Owner’s Manual Page 62...

All that matters is the case now. It sure seems hard to get a clear answer on exactly who will be stocking the Goldmaster 24K for purchase in Australia. I suppose I could contact each of the listed suppliers and find out but I am not looking for a 24K in Oz myself.

Not many posts from the Nevada and California folks this summer - good to see the Idaho prospectors giving the Kiwis some competition! That is a great looking work area you have there Peg. I like the methodical way in which you are working the ground.

Other way around - thanks for joining!

This video is just what the thread calls for Published on Mar 30, 2018 by DetectorComparisons. Two newer detectors; both claim to be able to handle heavy mineralization. Don't forget the basic 14 kHz Kruzer and Equinox 600....

White’s list four dealers in Australia. One is shutting down. Does that not leave three other dealers? Or have they all closed their doors?

Hi Clive, I turn my pinpointer on, turn the detector on, do a detector frequency scan, and go detecting. Seems to be good for the day, but if I shut down and move, I repeat the process. Since you have both an Equinox and the F-Pulse you could answer the other questions as easily as I can.

Published on Apr 12, 2018 by steelPHASE In this video I talk about the settings on detectors, aiming mainly at the Minelab GPX, SDC and GPZ series. My aim is not to tell you what settings to run, but rather give you the knowledge to make informed decisions on settings out in the goldfields. Now I am no Einstein so I do stumble and fluster in a few spots but I have edited in some text to make things clearer (hopefully).

There is no real difference between detecting gold nuggets or platinum nuggets. You ask specifically about four detectors: 1. Whites Goldmaster 24K - brand new, not in the hands of general public yet so too soon to know. Likely extremely hot on tiny targets, also likely to struggle in bad ground due to that very same small target intensity. 2. Fisher Gold Bug - Which one? The Gold Bug 2 is the “old reliable” and so a pretty safe bet. Though if it were me personally I would lean towards the 24K above as being a couple decades more up to date. The basic $499 Gold Bug is a very good performer at an entry level price. 3. Minelab Equinox 800 - a general purpose coin, relic, jewelry, prospecting unit. If that is what you are looking for it might be a good option. 4. White’s TDI - unlike other units above, a pulse induction detector. You get a detector like this to deal with intense ground and hot rocks, because in milder ground the units above will usually serve better, especially on the tiniest targets. But if your ground is so bad that the units above all fail, a PI is the automatic solution. For a deep dive into more information about the various options see Which Nugget Detector?

They will be Gray Ghost Amphibians, waterproof to 30 feet, with the Equinox waterproof connector. I was excited by these when they came out for the Garrett detectors because unlike nearly all underwater headphones they feature a volume control. Unfortunately, on my first trip to Hawaii with a new set for my ATX, the volume was so low I had to rush a set of Garrett headphones to Hawaii to use instead. The volume control is useless unless you have enough volume to control. The Amphibians were good enough for above water use but too quiet for in water use. Long story short I still like the idea but somebody else will have to be the guinea pig and find out if the new version for the Equinox have sufficient volume. So far that has been a poor bet as regards the aftermarket phones for Equinox. Not that the Minelab phones are all that great, but at least you know what you are getting.

thesearchermag Published on Jul 23, 2018 - Minelab Equinox 800, Minelab Excalibur II, Quest Pro, Makro Multi Kruzer, Quest Scuba Tector. How to stabilize machine. thesearchermag Published on Aug 1, 2018 - Garrett Sea Hunter Mark 11, Garrett AT Max, XP Deus, Whites MX Sport. Stable beach settings part 2.

As far as I know Gold Mode 1 and Gold Mode 2 are identical except for default settings, unlike Park 1 and Park 2 for instance. In all the other modes there is a frequency weighting difference between mode 1 and mode 2. The modes have a built in inherent difference. Again, as far as I know, the frequency weighting between Gold Mode 1 and Gold Mode 2 is the same, the only difference being the setup default for recovery speed. The default recovery speed is lower in Gold Mode 2. That being the case, if you reduce the recovery speed in Gold Mode 1 to a setting of 4 you should have identical performance to Gold Mode 2. The manual (see below) says Gold Mode 1 is suitable for milder ground, and that Gold Mode 2 is for “difficult” ground conditions. I believe this is backwards. Again, the only difference as far as I know is that Gold Mode 1 has a faster default recovery speed. This makes the machine less sensitive to ground noise and coil knock sensitivity. Therefore the detector will be easier to handle in bad ground using Gold Mode 1 defaults than Gold Mode 2 defaults. My take is Gold Mode 1 is a default “standard” nugget hunting mode, while Gold Mode 2 with its lower recovery speed default is slightly more of an “expert” nugget hunting mode with slightly more depth possible but requiring more careful coil control. Personally I never use Gold Mode 2 - I use Gold Mode 1 and if I want a lower recovery speed, I simply reduce it while in Gold Mode 1. Reducing recovery speed will definitely add to target signal strength in milder ground. I am however quite skeptical that reducing recovery speed in real bad ground will be beneficial. Increased coil knock sensitivity, more difficulty in obtaining a smooth ground balance, and hot rock masking could easily offset any theoretical gains that can be had. It is quite possible that reducing recovery speed will result in poorer performance in some extreme ground situations. As always, real results will be obtained via knowing how the controls interact and experimentation on the actual ground to be hunted, not using canned settings. If you are wanting to maximize gold performance in either mode, reducing the default Iron Bias from 6 will reduce the chance of gold being misidentified as ferrous, but will also possibly result in more positive false signals from both ferrous items and I suspect even intense hot rocks. In milder trash free ground, I would definitely be experimenting with lower Recovery Speeds and reduced Iron Bias settings.

The first forum I ever frequented was the Alaska Gold Forum hosted by Jim Foley. After many years the forum appears to have shut down permanently, though a replacement format is in the works. I just got this email from Jim Foley: "Subject: Forums Down Permanently" "Email is the only way I have of communicating about the forums. As I expected and told everyone some time ago, something strange has happened at Best Boards whereby the owner could not be contacted and no one seems to know what happened to him. Consequently, with no one at the helm the boards would go down at some point. This is that point. Now there is only a message that the account has been suspended when anyone tries to access the forums. I am sending this email to everyone I have an email address for, which is not everyone registered on the forums. So, if you will, please spread the word that the forums are down, I know about it and they will not ever come back as they were. I am actively working to find, download and publish new forums. They will not have the same look , but will be fully operational and easy to use because I will make sure that any forum format I choose will be the best available. Please spread the word to anyone you have contact information for. I will send another email to this email list with a link to the new forums once I have new forums online. I hope to see you all online again in the very near future. _____________________________ James Foley Administrator Alaska Gold Forum"

Published on Aug 20, 2018 by White’s Electronics. Check out this air test on our new Goldmaster 24k. We used a quarter of a #8 birdshot weighing in at about .25 grains for this test. At 1" the target gives a solid hit and at 2" we get a very slight threshold raise with no target ID. Impressive!

The heart is a “like” button (changed now to a "Thumbs Up" similar to Facebook). You activate it to tell a poster you like their post. You can’t like your own posts, so the button is grayed out. People with the most “likes” each day are listed on the Leaderboard