Steve Herschbach

A break in a threshold is just a break in a threshold. It can happen for numerous reasons, ferrous, non-ferrous, EMI, ground mineral…. all it really means is possibly something to investigate depending on the detector and the exact circumstances.

Awesome finds - congratulations!!

well, there have been a few submissions, and a download, so I guess it's working. Thanks for the feedback, and do let me know if anything seems to not be working right.

Thanks guys. The forum is well past 10 years old now. The major building effort is behind me, and I now am just tuning it to be for the core participating membership. I'm not trying to be the biggest forum or anything like that. The current membership levels are fine, and the kind of members I am interested in won't care a bit about the new restrictions. If people really care and want to genuinely participate with a group of really good people, then 10 posts and 30 days is nothing. Guys like the last one that wanted to grab a file and be gone are just takers, and nobody here will ever miss them. I'm not sure what the future of forums is and I have no grand plans for this one. At this point I'm content to try and keep it humming along with as little oversight as possible on my part. I have zero online presence anywhere but here at this point and honestly am just barely checking in here these days. So if anyone sees things that seem not right please let me know. The key thing is drama. This website is for people that hate drama and if anyone is causing drama please let me know via PM or a report so I can either get them in line, or get rid of them. My thanks to those who have been assisting me in this manner.

My 800 and other detectors I have owned do the same. Nothing more than targets in close proximity to coil windings and normal high gain detector/DD coil behavior. It's a shallow target indicator.

As far as the Garrett purchase, a less than speculative answer might be to have kept the name out of Chinese or India counterfeiter hands. Fact is those people were already making near perfect copies in low cost facilities. All they needed was the rights to the name to be able to legitimately sell those copies in the U.S. market. Instant capability to ship with just a few decals changed. Making the buy basically eliminated a potential low cost competitor for Garrett, armed with a big name. Because otherwise as you and I know well, despite what many seem to think, the company had little of value. People should thank Garrett for at least making sure we are not looking at dirt cheap “White’s” detectors made overseas.

Suction dredging?

I always use pinpointers in vibrate mode. They work that way with any detector, and keeps it simple. I do like the Pro-Pointer series. I have a Z-Lynk Carrot and never use it linked up. My main pinpointer is the regular AT version and I got the other for backup. I figured I might try the Z-Lynk feature but never get around to it. Bottom line for me at least is I don’t need audio at all on any pinpointer, and wireless audio even less. But I’ve tried lots of pinpointers and always come back to the Garrett. Loved my F-Pulse for a while but it just up and died on me, and with two Garrett’s in hand I doubt I’ll be needing anything else for a long time. That said, for those that want it, a Garrett WT-1 transmitter box, WR-1 receiver box, MS3 headphones, and Z-Lynk AT Pro-Pointer will give you instant pairing high speed wireless, including integrated pinpointer, that will work on every detector you own.

First comment - chill out folks. Like seriously take a chill pill. It's just metal detecting. Of course just changing base frequency can reduce EMI by shifting away from what caused the EMI. And no, there is not and will not be any magical fix short of basic trade offs. The detector is just a dumb machine and can't tell signal generated from a target by that caused by spurious EMI. Reducing a particular EMI problem can also reduce a certain target signal because they are identical as far as the detector is concerned. The engineers can shift frequencies or use frequency comparison tricks to try and sort this from that, but the bottom line is any filtering always comes at a cost. A trade off where you gain something but lose something else. I'm not just speculating here - I was very involved in working on EMI mitigation with Equinox and it is not ignored at all. The solutions are just not as simple as people think. Well it is I guess. Go back to using a lower gain 1980s detector that will be nice and well behaved. It's the fact we are pushing the tech to the limit and running extremely high gains that are the source of the issue here. The solution is simply turn down the sensitivity until the EMI goes away. Happy?

No it's not illegal to pan for gold or metal detect for gold in California unless you are doing it where you should not. I locked the thread temporarily as it was veering into politics. Open again now. Please people, remember the prime directive on these forums. Zero politics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And be decent to your fellow forum members. It does not seem like too much to ask. Thanks.

No there is not and your attempt to circumvent the system by spamming the forum now has you banned.

In a lot of ways VLF detecting maxed out years ago, and all we get now are different flavors. Some things have got lost it seems along the way. Like true unfiltered all metal detection, something the T2 and F75 excel at. The new digital models process and filter everything by the nature of how they work. The result is not the same. I often think about getting a T2 or F75 or even F70 just to have a machine with a real solid VLF all metal mode, but then I realize I’d probably still just grab my PI instead. There is nothing wrong about owning and using old models, nor nothing wrong with the machines themselves. I’m the guy that often makes the case that VLF tech has largely hit a wall when it comes to max depth. But when talking about interest in US detectors I think we are talking about interest in current offerings. That’s where Tesoro and White’s failed, and that’s where FT and Garrett have to survive - on current models. The forums provides a good analogy. Some people still use Tesoro detectors. But when the company failed interest and discussion dropped to almost zero. When White’s went away the same thing happened. If there are lots of users they don’t care to discuss much, but the real truth is most people just moved on. Technology does not advance on the backs of people who keep using their rotary phone when everyone else is getting a cell phone. My rotary phone never got lost, never dropped calls. For just making phone calls I might say it was even superior to cell phones as a hard wired device. But the times and the tech have moved on. But the advantages of mobile far outweigh the advantages of hardwired, so most of us no longer have a landline connection. Like it or not detecting technology is no different.

My comments had nothing to do with how well Whites detectors work, and I could care less what you choose to own. I’m not selling you on anything. It’s like I insulted your wife or something - get a grip. They are inanimate objects. My comments were about the future of the industry, and detectors made by a company that went out of business because it lost the thread of what most customers are looking for are not relevant to that future. I worked with Whites in many ways for very many years, and tried my best to get them to see reality before it was too late. Arrogant mismanagement ran a once great company into the ground, and I’m more unhappy about that than most.

You are as entitled to your opinions as I am to mine. What you are not entitled to on this forum is attacking people instead of ideas. I only own the DFX to run the Bigfoot coil, and even then it's not been used in nearly three years. If you think detectors made by a company that is out of business will have any substantial impact on the future of metal detecting you are dead wrong. If my saying so irritates you to the point where you have to make sly comments impugning the character and motivations of people on this forum, then feel free to find the door.

All gold rushes eventually end, and it looks like the metal detector driven part of the African Gold Rush has collapsed. That's normal. Easy surface finds by individual prospectors always play out quickly, and then the big boys come in and consolidate the business of mining the harder to find gold. For Minelab though this means real trouble, as it will be very hard if not impossible to generate the kind of numbers that they saw with 6000 and 7000 machines. High price detectors with huge margins. No doubt the market there is flooded with used detectors and Chinese knockoffs making it even worse. Then add in the fact that anyone ignoring the goldfields playing out in Oz and the U.S. is just whistling past the graveyard. Add it all up and the gold prospecting juggernaut that Minelab rode for so long is now over, and no new whiz bang nugget machine is going to change that. They are instead trying hard to fill the gap with coin and relic, but $1500 detector sales will not replace $8000 sales. They face growing competition in coin and relic and so can't just name the price, but instead are pumping out low cost machines to compete. The real answer for Codan will be to continue to diversify away from detectors into other areas. The future is not bright for growth in metal detecting, more like a hard fight for lower margin sales with stiffer competition. There very well might not be a CTX 4040 as the ability to sell very high priced detectors may be at an end. What could another $2500 model realistically do that would get people to shell out the bucks? Will people really line up for a $8000 GPZ 8000 like they might have done in the past? I won't be in that line personally, and I'm not sure I'll be alone standing on the sidelines when the time comes. It's just too much money to dump into what I am sure will be a very marginal improvement at best. More ergonomic? Sure. Better on small gold? I doubt it. Maybe another inch on a 6 ounce nugget? Maybe. But are there really that many of those at depth that have been missed as people imagine? Not in my locations. I'm glad I'm not in the metal detecting business anymore, and sure won't be buying Codan stock.

White's is long gone as is Tesoro so their models don't matter anymore going forward. All we have left is First Texas (Fisher, Bounty Hunter, Teknetics) and Garrett. In the tech world you either innovate with a constant stream of "new" products, or you get left behind. First Texas seems out of the running at this point. Garrett is doing well with the Axiom, and the Apex fits for what it was intended for, but it is quite obvious their almost their entire VLF lineup needs to be refreshed, and like last year. They simply are not part of any discussion. I will point out that the online world is a bit at odds with reality. Go to any large detector club meeting or hunt here in the U.S. and you will see plenty of Garrett product. But that will change if they don't get with the program soon. GTI 2500 as flagship after over 20 years - embarrassing.

Great commentary Rob. Yes, the day of the small dealer is coming to an end. However, a big reason is that people like you and Gerry are not the norm. Most small dealers are just order takers selling at discount. No actual store. No real inventory, just drop shipping. Maybe just a guy selling stuff on the internet, his “store” nothing more than a corner of the garage. His main strategy selling quietly at under MAP price to gain sales from those that honor MAP price. There are the coin shops that stock a few detectors, and really know nothing about them. There are lots of dealers like this, that sell a dozen or two detectors at most a year. They service nothing, any problems, they say “call the manufacturer.” They take up valuable time and resources the manufacturers can ill afford for minimal returns. Imagine trying to supply and deal with 50 small dealers, or just making one deal with a Cabelas type operation. And if a dealer is just a drop shipper, why are they needed at all. Companies can go factory direct, as some are already doing with Amazon. It’s really just Business 101. Small dealers are only needed as long as having them provides a real benefit to the manufacturer. They are not in business for the benefit of dealers, but for themselves. The real nail in the coffin however is the simple reality that most of us have no small dealer nearby. We are not going to drive to the next state or two to find a dealer. No matter who it is, we are getting online and shopping. So if it’s just get on my iPad or computer and order a detector to be mailed to me, how much does it matter who I order from? People are going to shop for the best deal, and it matters little where it’s at or who it’s from. That’s just the way it is now, and it’s a really good thing you and Gerry are about ready to retire, because there is no future in being a small metal detector dealer.

Did it hurt so much his asking? Like everyone knows everything and that people are supposed to adhere to some kind of "ask anything you want but don't ask that" etiquette? I've given people explicit directions to places to hunt in Alaska and even made a list. And collected more nationwide locations here. Sharing knowledge never got me less gold. The guy was as explicit as could be he was not asking for anyone's honey hole, and then got told, "oh yes, that's exactly what you are doing." And even if he was, what of it? Not everyone is greedy and protective - some people do share locations. Maybe not on a forum, but privately by PM… but you never know unless you ask. I will take the time to thank all the people who generously shared with me over the years! Alaska Akau Alaska Gold & Resort (Fee) - New detect for gold operation near Nome, Alaska. Bertha Creek Panning Area - In the Chugach National Forest south of Anchorage. Cache Creek Cabins - Gold panning and dredging on Cache Creek near Petersville. Caribou Creek Recreational Mining Area - On Glenn Highway east of Palmer. Chicken Gold Camp (Fee) - Gold panning, suction dredging and a real bucketline dredge at Chicken, Alaska. Crescent Creek Panning Area - In the Chugach National Forest south of Anchorage. Cripple River (Fee) - The GPAA operation near Nome. Crow Creek Mine (Fee) - Near Girdwood south of Anchorage. Possibly Alaska's most popular public mining site. Dalton Highway - Gold around Wiseman in the Brooks Range. El Dorado Gold Mine - Two hour mining tour near Fairbanks. Ganes Creek Gold (now closed) - World class nugget hunting locale near McGrath in Interior Alaska. Gold Fever Prospecting - Opportunity to run large suction dredges near Chicken, Alaska. Hatcher Pass Public Use Area - Scenic public mining area along the Little Susitna River. Independence Mine State Historical Park - Gold panning at historic old mine. Indian Valley Mine - Historic mine location on Turnagain Arm. Jack Wade Public Gold Panning Area - Non-motorized only in the Fortymile River region. Kennecott National Historic Landmark - Once the largest copper mine in the world. Nome Beach - The famous gold beaches of Nome, Alaska. Nome Creek - 60 miles north of Fairbanks, 4 mile stretch of creek open to hand mining methods. Petersville Recreational Mining Area - Remote but road accessible site north of Anchorage. Resurrection Creek Panning Area - Popular public mining site near Hope, Alaska. Sixmile Creek Panning Area - In Chugach National Forest south of Anchorage. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve - Gold pans only!

The moon DOES have an influence on life here, and people often scoffed about things we now know to be true about that influence. There is an impact on the earths magnetic field, and that in turn might affect detecting. Is it enough I’m going to worry about it? Doubtful, but the real answer frankly is I just don’t know. Weird things happen at times when I’m detecting, and maybe the moons position combined with extreme solar activity explains them. https://www.iflscience.com/even-the-earth-s-magnetic-field-has-moon-driven-tides-67410 https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en/solar-activity/solar-flares.html

Coil covers? Make your own. Or shop eBay etc but since they don’t make them anymore eventually it’s going to be something people have to make. And welcome to the forum! Posts that mention Lexan

Use 1950s USGS topo maps to find mine and prospect symbols in gold bearing locations. Do research to see if they are claimed or not. If not, check them out, if they are, contact the claim owner and make a deal. Chewing people out for asking advice is really not what this forum is about. I’ve given people pointers over the years, and if you can’t or won’t do the same…. silence is just as helpful as the lecture. Especially as regards new people who come here because this is supposed to be a place where people help people.

Great reporting Jeff, thanks. I have always and to this day still think the Equinox was the machine that made the clear and undeniable jump beyond what came before. My expectations for anything since have been minimal, and everything I’ve seen has told me I was not wrong in that.

I remember showing a big handful of jewelry I found in Hawaii detecting at a show, and a gal approached me and said "yeah, but you really did not find it." I actually was so caught off guard I was flabbergasted. It simply never occurred to me in my life to fake a find. I actually don't care about the stuff I find - it's the fact I found it that means everything to me. Back when I collected rocks people wanted to give me rocks for my collection, and I had zero interest. A rock somebody else found or bought meant nothing to me. I told that gal that no, I found that stuff, but she clearly did not think it was possible to find jewelry like that. Wasn't really calling me a liar per se. More like I was a person that claimed I saw little green men and believed it, when she knew they did not exist. I will say I am extremely cautious on ever calling anyone out - in fact I don't do it. Not my job in life to be the finds police. With the amount of lies and BS that occur on social media faking a coin find has got to rank pretty low on the scale.

Silver coins often pop out of the ground looking like they were lost last week. And clad coins often look like they were lost 200 years ago. Just a soil and type of metal thing.

That’s just a personal call. If you’ve been detecting since the 70s then like me you are near the end of your journey, and the detectors you have may be all you ever need. There is no genuine reason to ditch them, as they are unlikely to fail. My DFX is not going anywhere. Or maybe like me you just want to try something new. But it does mean going from being expert with a detector to learning a new tool, and your knowledge and expertise with the old tools does actually matter. I’d not get a new model and expect the finds you are making to change a lot. You’ll just be making them with a different detector. So what is it? Stay with the tried and true, the one you are comfortable with? Or try a new toy? Your call, there is no right or wrong answer. Best of luck to you either way, and welcome to the forum!