Steve Herschbach

It could go either way. There may be a version of the DEUS sold straight up with the smaller coil, or it could remain an option. Since XP sells all the component parts separately in theory one could cobble together a V4 small coil DEUS even if it is not sold in a box that way. We just won't know until they release it. I think they would be missing a bet not to sell it in a V4 small coil only version.

 I got my new V3.2 DEUS with 11" coil specifically to add the V4 update and smaller coil, giving me a large coil at a lower frequency set and a small coil at a higher frequency set. I have considered also that depending on how it works out I could sell the larger coil and just keep the small one.

If it overloads in air tests - bad coil. If it overloads on the ground - lower sensitivity.

Coils that overload in air tests normally work fine up to the point where the overload begins.

Existing coils will work as they always did at 4, 8, 12, and 18 kHz although there may be enhancenents. V4 simply adds the ability to use a new 5" x 9" DD coil with its own separate frequency set.

The controller is just that, a control box that wirelessly controls the detector (coil). The new coil is a new detector and so the software must be modified to control both it and the old coils (detectors).

That is confusing having too such similar events so close together in both time and locations.

There is a thread here in the forum on the subject with a photo of a prototype of one of these coils...

The information at that time from Garrett said mid-year release, but no news since. Running a tad late but what does not these days?

It is funny this thread got started, as I was going to do the same thing due to a recent find.

I run my GPZ 7000 as hot as it can be run, but I also do not chase faint surface signals most of the time when on a regular hunt for gold. However, if I find a spot that has more than a couple nuggets I get more serious about things. I found a mini-patch recently that delivered up a few nuggets. I did a bit of "scrape and detect" hunting and got a very faint but very repeatable target. It ended up being the smallest nugget I have found so far with the GPZ 7000.

As far as scales you need something real accurate for tiny gold. I use digital power scales accurate to 1/10th grain (480 grains per Troy ounce). There is a good thread on scales along with pictures of a couple that I use at http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/585-how-to-weigh-gold-and-such/

Anyway, this little guy weighs 0.8 grains or about 0.05 grams and about 1mm in diameter. Pretty amazing for a largish coil. I am convinced the GPZ 7000 with a smaller coil will meet or exceed the SDC 2300 for small gold sensitivity. The downside is the GPZ also will hit some ground and hot rocks the SDC easily ignores. Still, for areas or moderate to low mineralization a GPZ with smaller coil should outperform most VLF detectors on small gold.

It's TV guys. Not even new TV. Any resemblance to reality is illusory. There are plenty of shows doing similar things so no reason to think there is anything especially weird or dangerous involved here.

Hi Al,

I am talking about a true multi purpose machine, not a dedicated prospecting detector like the Eureka Gold. A machine I can use to hunt coins, jewelry, and small gold. There are units already on the market that are most of the way there, all that is really needed is a higher top end frequency. That is why I am interested in the XP DEUS V4 update with top end frequency of 40 kHz. Minelab or anyone else could of course do something similar.

I commented on this subject previously at http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/2298-xp-deus-changing-up-my-game/?do=findComment&comment=27062 but it is kind of hidden there. Here is most of the applicable part from that thread, where I do mention the Eureka Gold...

A DEUS with a smaller coil and at 40 khz might just be hot enough for me and enough of an all arounder that I could let the Gold Racer and Racer 2 go. I sill have too many VLF detectors and am seeing a selectable frequency model as being my eventual way out of that situation. The key is how high is the highest frequency?

White's DFX - 3 kHz and 15 Khz selectable
XP DEUS 3.2 - 4 kHz, 8 kHz, 12 Khz, and 18 kHz selectable
Minelab X-Terras 3 kHz, 7.5 kHz, and 18.75 kHz selectable (via coil change)
Nokta Impact (not yet released, preliminary info) -  4 kHz, 14 kHz, and 21 kHz selectable
White's V3i - 2.5 kHz, 7.5 khz, and 22.5 khz selectable
XP DEUS V4 (not yet released, preliminary info) - 10 kHz, 20 khz, 30 kHz, and 40 kHz selectable

I am not counting the Minelab Eureka Gold and predecessors as they are not really a multi purpose detectors but dedicated gold prospecting machines.

At 40 khz the DEUS V4 would be significantly upping the game to double the approximately 20 kHz range that currently sets the limit in multipurpose selectable frequency detectors. While it would not be as hot as the GMT, Gold Racer, or Gold Bug 2, it may very well be "hot enough". My DFX I only own because it runs my Bigfoot coil otherwise it also would be on the chopping block.

Well worth the trip Peg! It surely is not all about the gold. The first time going anywhere is great just from the seeing new country perspective, and the Aussie people are simply tops in my book. And gold luck can strike anywhere - there are still huge nuggets lurking in Australia, you just need to put your coil over one.

OK, travel to Australia and back. First step - get your passport if you do not have one. Other than that it is just jet travel, though halfway around the world. I found my old email from Chris with the flight we both ended up booking. Since we were headed for Western Australia around Meekatharra the flight destination is Perth, which requires flying across the entire continent of Australia from the initial touchdown in Melbourne. We would then drive out of Perth to the Meekatharra area.

Depart Wed 24 Aug. 2011 23:30 from Los Angeles Arrive 08:20 (Fri) Melbourne Qantas flight QF94  
Depart 10:45 (Fri) from Melbourne Arrive 13:00 (Fri) Perth Qantas flight QF475

Depart Wed 28 Sept. 2011 23:10 from Perth 05:20 Arrive (Thu) Brisbane Qantas flight QF652  
Depart 10:55 (Thu) from Brisbane Arrive 07:00 (Thu) Los Angeles Qantas flight QF15

Flights on  Sale Economy for  $1,432.38

The same flight booked just now five years later is $1340.33

Notice the nearly 24 hours spent in the air so longer than that with time in airports, etc. The nice part is on overseas flights even the cheapest seats are more like first class. Fifteen hours crammed in typical coach seating would probably lead to rioting in the aisles.

Travel was helped a great deal by JP providing nearly all the detecting gear including loaner GPX 5000 detectors. Except for a couple nights in Perth all our time in Australia was planned to be camping. I basically just took desert clothing and boots along with misc personal effects and picked up a small tent and sleeping bag in Australia, which came home with me. Chris packed a tent and bag, which I would do now if I had it to do over. Getting anything in Australia proved to be very expensive. It was not so much the exchange rate as the fact that an Australian dollar simply bought half in Australian stores what a U.S. dollar would get in U.S. stores. I tended to think of terms of a dollar being a dollar and that an even trade would be good. Nope, $100 Australian does not get you far at all in Australia. Look not just at the exchange rate but the actual cost of goods at your destination.

Chris was in Reno at that time while I was still living in Alaska. I had the extra flights from Alaska and met Chris in Los Angeles for the flight to Australia. Kudos to Quantas on everything - flights were nice, no issues.

Our flight arriving in Perth, Australia. Photo courtesy Jonathan Porter of Aurum Australis

I just received the following email.....

Hello Steve,

My name is Kate and I am a casting associate with Magilla Entertainment, a television production company based in NYC that specializes in non-scripted programming. 

I am reaching out because we are currently casting a new series for a major cable network about gold mining and prospecting.  This series will feature men and women who head out into the wilderness to look for gold in some of the few locations that have been untouched by mining, and will follow them through their individual prospecting journey and process. 

Through my research on gold prospecting I came across the Detector Prospector website, and I was hoping you would be willing to share our flyer with your followers, friends, or with anyone you may personally know who might be interested in this opportunity!

I have included the casting call below this message as well as our flyer, which you can feel free to share and post! If you have any questions about the project or our company, I would be happy to answer them, and I can be reached at 646-653-7292. Thanks so much and I look forward to hearing back from you regarding my inquiry.

Best,

Kate

NOW CASTING GOLD MINERS AND GOLD PROSPECTORS  

Magilla Entertainment and a major cable network are now casting a new series about people searching for gold.  We are looking for men and women of all ages with gold fever who have the knowledge and survival skills to go out alone, prospecting in the few locations left that have been untouched by big mining.  Do you have a family history of prospecting and mining going back generations? Or have you only recently become interested in striking it rich?  Have your friends been prospecting for years and you want in on the action?  Perhaps you are the only one in your family to search for a golden payday and no one else in your life seems to understand. 

  If you want to be considered or are interested in learning more, email us ASAP at castingdirector@magilla.tv along with your name, age, location, occupation, recent photo, phone number and any experience you have with prospecting and mining.  

Kate Cooper
Casting & Development
Magilla Entertainment
42 Broadway | New York, NY 10004
646-653-7292 
 www.magilla.tv

All I know is that if I had used that detector my entire life I would have walked over all the gold I have ever found without finding a single piece. If dowsing works for people - great. But if so make the dowsing instrument or buy it dirt cheap, there is no reason to invest large sums in dowsing devices dressed up to look like scientific instruments.

I never heard of a $4 gold coin until I saw the article. Of course California etc had all kinds of private tender coins but this one was almost official legal tender.

That's awesome KS Stick! I have returned a few but the majority I find are rather plain unmarked rings. You have done well to return so many - good for you!!

"In 1879, America's minister plenipotentiary to Austria, John Adam Kasson, successfully persuaded the Philadelphia Mint that the U.S. needed a four-dollar coin. The exact logic of the argument has been lost to time, though its thrust was that America needed a coin that would work as a form of international currency, and a gold coin that (roughly) measured the same weight as a French napoleon or a British sovereign would do the trick.

The project was given the green light, and the coin, which features a giant star on one side, was minted in a limited run of two versions. One version depicted a female personification of Liberty with her hair up, the other with her hair down. But despite Lady Liberty's multiple coiffures, the coin was a flop. "People never fully got on board," said Paul Song, the director of coins and banknotes at Bonhams. "It was too much of a reach to say that the average citizen in 1880 was thinking about international trade. They just lost interest." So Congress refused to approve the coins' widespread release, the original strike of 425 coins was sold to various politicians at cost, and the mold was scrapped.

Now, one of these 425 coins is headed to auction at Bonham's LA, estimated to sell for $50,000 to $60,000 on Sept. 6."

Read the rest of the story at http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-05/there-is-a-4-u-s-coin-and-it-s-now-worth-60-000

Stella (United States coin) - Wikipedia

The Scandalous Stella - GovMint.com

Very nice coin Rob - older than anything I ever found in the U.S. And in excellent condition!

Great finally meeting you and others at the big feed - thanks for the great cooking!!

And Fisher Gemini 3

Great video on the TM 808 from White's Electronics

It appears you are interested in VLF models, which makes sense for many locations in Africa. Don't forget one of the most popular detectors in Africa, the Fisher Gold Bug Pro. Unfortunately there is no one ideal detector but instead several that can perform well if used properly. Depending on the gold and ground mineralization one detector may have an edge in a particular area, but the situation might reverse and another detector be better just ten kilometers away. The differences between most models are quite small.

I would put heavy emphasis on which model is stocked by a nearby dealer who can provide knowledgeable answers to questions and who has a good stock of accessory items and spare parts.

It would also be advisable to seek out information from local users as to which machines are giving the best results.

I have detailed reviews of many of the most popular models used in Africa to prospect for gold at http://www.detectorprospector.com/gold-prospecting-guides/steve-guide-gold-nugget-detectors.htm

And you can see other threads with Africa as subject matter at http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/tags/africa/

1 hour ago, M Chuma said:

How does the AU Gold Finder compare and compete with other detectors in the market? What is success story so far?

I am guessing that the Nokta AU Gold Finder was designed primarily for the African market but I could be wrong about that. The only retail outlet that I know of in the United States is Kellyco. Since it is a new detector and with only one retailer, most people will never have heard of or seen this detector. I have one but it sees little use as I usually toss my Gold Racer in the truck instead. I guess I may have to get more hours in with the Gold Finder and will make a point of doing that over the next month.

On March 24, 2016 at 9:47 PM, tvanwho said:

It says the machine makes a Low Tone for Positive Hotrocks and Iron? What about Cold Hotrocks? My Lobo makes a Boing Boing noise over them. Will this Nokta make the Boing noise too?

Yes it will Tom.

I never heard of this one until you asked about it. Here is the website http://www.gerdetect.de/i/12

Any machine that incorporates a Long Range Locator (LRL) will never be part of my metal detecting kit. From the website above:

"This system very accurate in discrimination and identification and monitoring of the signal and guide you to the target by steering digital smart screen of the device. When detect a target will appears on the screen the direction of the target and the user can walk towards the detected target even stand up on the target completely and confined to an area of one square meter with the possibility of very accurate and high specify the type of metal to be detected. And also can select one metal in the search process, such as gold or natural gold or silver or diamonds or cavity or Meteors. With the ability to determine the extent to the front range of the device, starting from 500 meters or 1000 or 1500 or 2000 or 2500 meters and a depth of 35 meters underground."

My recommendation is that you stick with mainstream metal detecting equipment instead of what could most kindly be described as "experimental technology". I have reviews of the most popular and successfully employed metal detector models at Steve's Nugget Detector Guide

Hi Terry,

That sounds like a great trip! My kind of gig - I have spent a lot of time sleeping in my truck. It would be fun to do something similar myself with the focus on the gemstones and not the gold. Anyway, I sure appreciate you taking the time to write up the story and post it and the photos. I am sure you have inspired a few people and the tips on locations is a real bonus. Thanks again!!

"A bride-to-be is lucky to have her engagement ring back after it slid off her finger in Lake Michigan. It was missing for two days before it was found by a complete stranger."

Full story here

The July 2016 issue of the ICMJ magazine contains an article I wrote reprising my 2011 trip to Australia to hunt gold with Chris Ralph and Jonathan Porter.

There was of course a lot more to say about the trip than was contained in the article, and in particular I have a lot more photos to share. I kept a diary while on the trip, and this thread is intended to provide a much more detailed look at the trip. I will keep posting on this thread in a serial fashion similar to what I did with my Alaska gold adventures with my diary providing daily details.

It all started in 2010 at the old AMDS Adventure Forum when I made this post on a thread:

"Hi murph,

You know, for many years it was my dream to go hunt nuggets in Australia. I got Doug Stone's books and read everything else I could and dreamed of those monster nuggets.

But as years went by I read between the lines and figured it is a tough go to find the big nuggets in Australia these days. The fact is you only read about people making finds, but plenty of visitors to Oz find no gold. There is always the home team advantage. It is not so much what you know as who you know, and I'll always have a tremendous advantage in Alaska just because I've lived here all my life. Though I do have a few contacts in Oz that might give me a leg up on the average visitor. Still, it may be that my chance to visit Australia is coming as my circumstances have taken a turn for the better. So maybe in a couple years?"

That in turn generated a response from famed Australian gold prospector Jonathan Porter:

"Steve I will tell you this, if you ever decide to visit Australia it would be my pleasure to show you around. There is still plenty of potential here in Australia, the auriferous areas are just too extensive and in some cases very inaccessible so there just has to be good nugget patches waiting for someone gutsy enough to come along and swing their coil over that first lump. I intend to get into some tiger country this year and could do with a good partner who doesn't need a gold fix every day, interested? - JP"

It turns out that JP and ICMJ Associate editor Chris Ralph had been discussing the possibility of a joint prospecting trip in Australia. I had met Chris previously when I had invited him up to visit my Moore Creek pay-to-mine operation several years earlier. A few messages were passed back and forth offline, and I was fortunate enough to be invited to join in on the adventure. Trying to pick the best time as regards weather was a big priority, and it was decided that the fall of 2011 would be the best bet for putting a trip together. Australia is in the southern hemisphere, and so the seasons are the reverse of what we experience in the United States. Our fall is their spring and we timed it to hit cooler temperatures that would be warming while we were there. Jonathan's advice was critical here. We wanted several weeks to give it a good go and decided the entire month of September 2011 would work well. That gave us plenty of time to plan and make arrangements so we put it on our calendars.

To be continued....

Photo courtesy of Aurum Australis