Steve Herschbach

Welcome to the forum! One of the most popular detectors in Africa is 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

The Infinium lacks horsepower if compared to any Minelab PI and so gets a bad rap from many nugget hunters. However, I prefer to focus on what detectors can do and compared to a VLF the Infinium will easily ignore ground mineralization and hot rocks that will drive your G2 nuts. Use the G2 when you can as it will hit smaller gold than an Infinium and you do have iron disc at your disposal. Use the Infinium when ground noise and hot rocks make using the G2 problematic. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Infinium http://www.detectorprospector.com/gold-prospecting-equipment/garrett-infinium-ls-pulse-induction-metal-detector.htm

I am sorry to hear about your problem. No issues with mine but that is beside the point really. Good news is it is not possible for a GPZ to be out of warranty yet.... http://www.minelab.com/usa/customer-care/product-warranty/warranty-conditions Electronic control boxes (with the exception of the Excalibur II and GO-FIND Series detectors), Minelab branded search coils, handles, shafts, headphones, bags and battery chargers are under warranty for a period of 3 years (36 months) from the date of retail purchase as set out in the Warranty Registration Card (“Date of Purchase”).

The heat does suck the life out of all but the most die hard people but you did great anyway Rick! Big photos and phone connections sometimes do not mix for uploading. I found a great free photo resizer - Simple Resize Apple http://simple-resize.appstor.io Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.tekunodo.simpleresize&hl=en

I would rather have discrimination capability and decline to use it than not have it available at all. I am not as tough as you guys that dig everything all the time!

I have never used small coils to hunt micro jewelry because the extra sensitivity is not needed (stock coils are hot enough for micro jewelry) but mainly because of ground coverage. Then again I have not run into target separation/masking as an issue on beaches.

Public companies are not required to let loose secrets in advance. Otherwise I would just read Apple annual reports to find out what they are going to do next. Regardless Rick, I think you and I have differing opinions on what it all means and where it is heading.

http://www.minelab.com/anz/go-minelabbing/news?article=290610 http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/i-couldnt-believe-my-eyes-victorian-prospector-unearths-145ounce-gold-nugget-20160824-gr0g4h.html The weight of the nugget is 4121 grams so the weight in Troy ounces is 132.5 ounces versus the 145 avoirdupois ounces quoted in the articles.

Great post! Nothing to add on my part other than - when in doubt, dig it out!

"The pearl was found 10 years ago by a fisherman who was unaware of its value and kept it as a good luck charm, Palawan official Aileen Amurao said." more at http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37167179

From http://www.xp-adventures.co.uk on metal detector rally being held Sept 17 - 18 in the UK.... "XP Metal Detectors Team demonstrating the full range of XP Metal Detectors, products and new releases." "Hopefully some new XP products will be on display and available for you to try." "XP tutorials of new products" "Over 150 XP prizes including 10 XP Deus, 20 XP pin pointers" (the pin pointers are one of the new products) All points really hard at new product release Sept 17 - 18 as has been rumored for months.

Ok, in the first post I mentioned how I kept a journal on the trip with daily notes. I had intended for it to provide lots of tiny details about gold finds, etc for this thread. After starting the thread I realized I had no idea where the journal was and so started two weeks of looking through boxes shipped from Alaska to Reno and never opened. I found lots of stuff and have done some much needed cleanup work leftover from our move to Reno, but the notebook never did come to light. I am afraid that because it just looked like a nondescript notepad (picked up at last second in store in Oz) that it may have got thrown out when we were packing up to move from Alaska. Or I still have not found it. Whatever, the show must go on! I will do the best I can from memory. There were a couple things everyone that goes to Australia looking to bring home gold needs to know. First, depending on where you go detecting you may need a permit or license. In Western Australia you need to obtain a Miner's Right. From the information page at http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/Minerals/Miners-Rights-2427.aspx "A Miner’s Right must be obtained prior to commencing prospecting activities. This allows the holder of the Miner’s Right to pass and re-pass over land, in order to gain access to Crown land for prospecting purposes. A Miner’s Right can be obtained for a fee of $25 at the Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP), Mineral House, 100 Plain Street, East Perth, or at any Mining Registrar’s office, upon presentation of proof of identity. An application form is available within the attached Miner’s Right pamphlet." These were obtained in advance for Chris and I. From http://www.australiasgoldenoutback.com/things-to-do-australian-outback/Outback_experiences/Gold_prospecting_and_fossicking "This gives you authorisation to prospect on: Unoccupied crown land that is not covered by a granted mining tenement. A pastoral lease that is not covered by a granted mining tenement – provided prior notice is given to the pastoralist. A mining tenement - providing you have permission from the tenement holder. A granted exploration licence, after having been granted a three-month section 20A permit. It is important to note that gold prospecting and fossicking cannot be carried out in national parks, nature reserves, on Aboriginal land and heritage sites, within townsites or other classified areas such as cemeteries. You must seek permission from the landowner to enter private property, such as farmland." OK, you find some gold, now what about taking it home? I have never heard of anyone having trouble taking gold nuggets from Australia to the U.S. unless they are extremely valuable or historic in nature. Unless you are talking pounds of gold you just put it in your carry on and take home. Still, I tried to find some legal guidance and there is not much out there. This is from https://www.border.gov.au/Exportinggoods/Documents/111026volume12version5.2.pdf (pages 143 -145) Class B Objects – Export Permit Required Class B objects, include: • Natural Science Objects of Australian origin as prescribed in Part 3 of the control list: - any palaeontological object; - any mineral object (not otherwise referred to in this item) with a current Australian market value of not less than AUD$10,000; - any gold nugget with a current Australian market value of not less than AUD$250,000; - any diamond or sapphire with a current Australian market value of not less than AUD$250,000; - any opal with a current Australian market value of not less than AUD$100,000; - any other gemstone with a current Australian market value of not less than AUD$25,000; - any meteorite; and - any type specimen of present-day flora or fauna, a palaeontological object or a mineral if: - it is not lodged in an Australian collecting institution; or - a permit or an authority issued under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is not in force. Unless you have an extremely valuable find there appears to be nothing to worry about, but if anyone can add any clarification or details I would appreciate it. In any case, rules do change and anyone traveling to Australia will want to seek out the latest information.

Well, hard to beat the price and the fact you have remaining warranty! However, the 950 coil is a coil for low to moderate mineralization so a 6" x 10" DD might be in order as an accessory.

White's has a two year transferable warranty as does Nokta so the age of the units may matter in that regard. That does sound like a good deal on the MXT.

Yes, G2 and Gold Bug Pro are same circuit board, different package

I can do as well with any of them. My default recommendation for beginner nugget hunters is the Gold Bug Pro. Why? It has all the features required for VLF nugget detecting and is one of the most popular well proven machines ever sold for the task, with dealer support everywhere. It is just a really safe choice. I highly recommend not obsessing over VLF performance when looking at 13 - 19 kHz detectors. It is hair splitting. Just look hard at what you intend to use the detector for and make the choice based on the feature list. Steve's Guide To Gold Nugget Detectors

This does not look to have anything to do with actual detecting per se and in fact appears to be a renewal of Dave's old method for scavenging flyback energy to extend battery life in PI detectors. A similar method was used in the Fisher Impulse metal detector.

Hi Joe, Welcome to the forum, and thanks for being the inspiration for the thread!!

That's my favorite scoop. Flat edges are better for scraping bedrock, and gold settles better in low points along the edges. There are even tiny riffles for panning in a puddle. I believe they are made by the Blue Bowl people at Pioneer Mining http://www.pioneermining.com/cart/prospecting_tools/scoop

It has never been said that all metal detectors CAN'T pick up fine gold in a vial. I can do it with super hot machines. It is just that MOST metal detectors won't. That is the entire reason detectors like the Gold Bug 2, GMT, and Gold Racer exist. They run at higher frequencies purely to enhance their capabilities on small gold. You are just observing that enhanced capability. How the gold packs in the vial, how clean it is, the amount of gold, how well particles contact each other, wet or dry - it all makes a difference.

More seriously, hot detectors like the Gold Racer will detect a bare hand, let alone one holding a bottle. Just a note for those who have not worked with super hot detectors.

Well, many coils are made to a pretty tight tolerance but not perfect, so a small tuning board or components are often included in the coil for final tuning. It may be nothing more than a couple capacitors. Nothing proprietary about the Bigfoot that I am aware of.

My standard digging pouch for many, many years has been the White's Digging Pouch. You can find them at dealers for as low as $14.95 and here is an Amazon link online for $19.94 including shipping. I like the three large main compartments plus two side compartments with velcro closure flaps. I use a Lesche Digging Tool for all my park detecting when I am cutting plugs though I do also have an old military surplus style stout metal knife as a less obtrusive alternative tool.

I meant in November....