Steve Herschbach

I have the original Bluetooth setup for the Racer and mine works just fine. The only issue I had with it was the headphones themselves were a bit muffled sounding compared to the Sun Ray Pro Gold headphones I normally use. The microseconds of delay that seems to have been a huge issue with the few people that ever reported on them was no issue at all in my case. But if success is a product being well received and wanted by all, then they were indeed a failure. Problems with new releases does seem to be industry standard these days and hard to set any one manufacturer above another when it comes to new model teething issues. First Texas blew the last F75 revision and prior releases of several models all had issues. The Garrett AT detectors had numerous hardware issues. Everyone complains about Minelab - their actual problems have been less prominent but they continue to grapple with service issues. I used to put White's on a higher plane than the others but the MX Sport really blew that perception. XP 3.0 was quickly followed by 3.1 and 3.2 as bug fixes - at least you can do those at home! I just do not see any solution for the consumer but to avoid new releases of any sort by any manufacturer for the first 6 months minimum and possibly up to a year. Let others be the guinea pigs and only purchase well tried and proven products. Even that will not avoid a bad apple now and then, but it will avoid the systemic issues that seem to plague so many new releases. I agree that Nokta/Makro as new players, especially as they are based overseas, can less afford this kind of thing as many people are skeptical of newer brands. Perceptions are formed early on and are hard to change later. Nokta/Makro I would guess has people out there who will not consider the brand due to the various issues, fueled by so many new models so quickly. The competition tends to be much slower at model releases, and so the furor dies down and people forget - until the next new model comes along with a new set of issues. No doubt the new headphone issue will get sorted out. In the meantime it is just another thing that will reinforce a reputation for issues and problems that Nokta and Makro can ill afford when trying to make progress in new markets.

Wireless headphone and dongle set for the Racer 2 and Gold Racer is now shipping, but early reports note some volume control issues. http://www.metaldetectingforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=259&t=85902&start=20 Just a reminder - these work with the Makro Racer 2 and Gold Racer but not original Red Racer.

OK, I almost forgot about this thread but finally got back to it. First off, my apologies, because I am going to first give you exactly what you asked not to get - owners manual excerpts. The Nokta AU Gold Finder is basically a Makro Gold Racer in a different box, the main difference being a lack of LCD screen. Both machines have the iMask function. However, the Gold Racer manual goes into detail about how the iMask control and ID Filter interact specifically, and so provides a missing piece of the puzzle. The key passage in the Gold Racer manual makes clear that iMask interacts with the other settings and that it is also a setting of last resort. Ground balance, sensitivity, and ID Filter should all be adjusted first. If that does not work, put them at back at initial settings and then try iMask. I do not know this for a fact but it appears to me that iMask simply attenuates or suppresses extraneous ground noise. It may therefore also suppress weak target signals. In my use of both the AU Gold Finder and Makro Gold Racer I have found the effect to be very subtle and not anything near like the magic bullet implied by "increase the iMask level until the false signals are eliminated". My experience is that iMask does help eliminate weak chatter in bad ground but that the majority of the chatter in the worst ground remains if the other settings are too high. It is probable that even at the max iMask settings sensitivity will have to be reduced and ID Filter possibly increased to deal with the worst ground. The good news is I also note minimal loss of depth or sensitivity running at high iMask settings - again, the effect is quite subtle.

They are as different as GM and Chevy

Running a shovel fed sluice box rarely removes material from a stream. Nearly all material fed into hand sluices is excavated bank run material, though that material may once have been underwater.

65F100GUY - welcome to the forum! The Nokta AU Gold Finder is essentially just a Makro Gold Racer in a different package. They share coils, except coils for the Gold Finder do have longer cables in case you want to hip or chest mount the detector. The only two coils made specifically for the AU Gold Finder both come with it. To get a concentric you would have to get the Gold Racer coil with standard length (3') cable. Gold Racer coils (short cable) GR26 DD Search Coil 26 cm x 14 cm (10" x 5.5") Sensitive to both larger and smaller gold nuggets, it provides convenient use in all kinds of terrains. GR19 DD Search Coil 19 cm x 10 cm (7.5" x 4") Excellent on exposed bedrock or hunting around rocky areas or tight spaces. GR13 DD Search Coil 13 cm (5’’) More sentitive to smaller and shallow metals, it also provides convenient use in heavy trash areas. GR40 DD Search Coil 40 cm x 33.5 cm (15.5'' x 13'') (Optional) This waterproof search coil provides more depth and offers greater coverage enabling you to find targets faster. GR26C Concentric Search Coil 26 cm x 14 cm (10" x 5.5") (Optional) Especially in low mineralization, it may be more sensitive to small gold nuggets and may provide more depth compared to DD search coils. It also provides a cleaner target response and better discrimination on shallow targets. However, it gets more affected by the ground compared to DD search coils in highly mineralized areas.

No doubt you scoff. But did you know that stream fed sluice boxes and even a gold pan can be considered a pollutant "point source" under the Clean Water Act? Which can lead to this.... http://vtdigger.org/2016/06/27/state-reminds-gold-prospectors-to-obtain-permits-for-sluice-boxes/ http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20160628/THISJUSTIN/306289995

When I saw a video showing the Makro Gold Racer recovery speed using two nails and a gold ring, it caused me to reflect on the various internet nail tests. Nearly all employ modern round nails, when these items rarely present issues. The common VDI (visual discrimination scale) puts ferrous items at the low end of the scale, and items with progressively increasing conductivity higher on the scale. The problem is the size of items also matters. Small gold is low on the scale, and the larger the gold, the higher it reads on the scale. A silver quarter reads higher than a silver dime, etc. All manner of ferrous trash including medium and smaller nails fall where they should when using discrimination and are easily tuned out. The problem is large iron and steel items, and ferrous but non-magnetic materials like stainless steel. Steel plates, large bolts, broken large square nails, axe heads, hammer heads, broken pry bar and pick tips, etc. all tend to read as high conductive targets. Usually it is just the sheer size pushing it higher up the scale. Detectors also love things with holes, which makes for a perfect target by enabling and enhancing near perfect eddy currents, making items appear larger than they really are. Steel washers and nuts are a big problem in this regard, often reading as non-ferrous targets. Oddball shapes cause problems, particularly in flat sheet steel. Old rusted cans often separate into irregular shaped flat pieces, and roofing tin (plated steel) and other sheet steel items are my number one nemesis around old camp sites. Bottle caps present a similar issue in modern areas. These items produce complex "sparky" eddy currents with both ferrous and non-ferrous indications. Many thin flat steel items produce remarkably good gold nugget type signals in old camp areas. Two general tips. Concentric coils often handle ferrous trash better than DD coils. A DD coil is often the culprit when dealing with bottle caps where a concentric coil often makes them easy to identify. Another thing is to use full tones. Many ferrous items are producing both ferrous and non-ferrous tones. Blocking ferrous tones allows only the non-ferrous tone to be heard, giving a clear "dig me" signal. This was the real bane of single tone machines with a simple disc knob to eliminate ferrous objects. You still heard the non-ferrous portion of the signal. Multi tones allows you to hear the dual ferrous/non-ferrous reports from these troublesome items, helping eliminate most of them. Certain detectors can also show multiple target responses on screen at once, like the White's models featuring the SignaGraph (XLT, DFX, etc.) and CTX with target trace. These displays show target "smearing" that stands out differently from the clean VDI responses produced by most good items. A machine with a simple VDI numeric readout can only show you one number at a time and the only indication you might get is "dancing" numbers that refuse to lock on. Usually though the predominate response overrides and fakes you out. This is where a good high end visual display capable of putting all VDI response on screen simultaneously can really help out. the bottom line is there is not a clear line between ferrous and non-ferrous, but an overlap. Many detectors offer a variable control to deal with this - the iron bias setting. Higher settings eliminate more ferrous, but also runs more risk of missing the desired non-ferrous. Conversely, lower settings reduce the risk of missing desired targets, but you dig more trash. I have been collecting these odd iron and steel items to practice with and to help me evaluate which machines might do best in ferrous trash. The main thing I wanted to note here is contrived internet videos with common round nails often present a misleading picture. Many machines do very well on nails yet fail miserably on flat steel. Steel Trash Testing Tech explanation from Laurence Stamatescu at Minelab:

Typical contrived test in that a gold ring is a near perfect target. Still, I am noting that the Gold Racer at 56 kHz is different than most machines and does have some unique ferrous handling capability. The only problem is the machine is very hot, and can produce some really sparky responses on flat steel that will fake you out. The response time as shown however is near instantaneous and quite impressive in some locations.

I am glad the MXS is working out for you Chuck. If anyone has earned it I would say it has to be you!

We did hear this about the Garrett ATX way back in January, and nothing since: "Garrett additionally released details of two new, larger 11”x13” closed searchcoils for the ATX pulse induction detector. Available in either a DD or mono configuration, the new ATX coil will be lighter weight and offers increased depth versus the standard ATX searchcoil. The new closed style provides more resistance to scrubbing of the coil against the ground and allows gold prospectors to use the upper coil deck to sift/find tiny nuggets easier. The new ATX searchcoil includes an exclusive Garrett design slide-lock system that creates a center-mount style while still allowing the ATX to collapse into its soft cover carrying case. Designated for a mid-year release, the new ATX coil will be available as the new standard offering on ATX detectors and can be purchased as an accessory coil by existing ATX customers. More details and pricing on the new ATX packages will be forthcoming." Note the part about mid-year release. It sure would be great if a new ATX package did include a repackaged lighter weight less expensive version. I am not holding my breath however.

Nice nugget Chris Ben!! I have found stock coil to be best overall and use 8" mono for surf detecting. The 15" x 20" mono had so little advantage over the stock coil I sold mine. About all it is really good for is ground coverage and an edge on very large targets. In my opinion. Well, at the time the ATX was released the SDC 2300 had not appeared yet, and the GPX machines were still at much higher prices. The ATX circuit in my opinion is second only to the Minelabs as a ground balancing PI detector. If I can't use my GPZ for any reason the ATX is a credible backup, and another reason I own it. It actually does better than the GPZ in salt ground and in basalt hot rocks. My tests of my ATX vs my old GPX 5000 left me sufficiently impressed that I was able to sell my GPX 5000 without fear of being caught out were my GPZ to fail. Garrett had one heck of an opening and I think they blew it. The SDC 2300 was introduced and if money is no object, is a better gold prospecting machine than the ATX. Then Minelab lowered the GPX pricing and we are now where the ATX does not look so great by comparison. If Garrett came out with a Garrett LTX tomorrow there is still room in the under $2K market for a better alternative to the TDI. I think Nokta/Makro knows this and is hard at work on an under $2K alternative, and probably Fisher also. The TDI is what it is and it is the only real option under $2K. Unfortunately it lacks a bit of punch, and I would go head to head with my ATX gold prospecting against anyone with a TDI of any type and feel I have an edge with same size coils. Where the TDI smacks the ATX is on coil options. An ATX styled and priced more like a TDI SL would be a great little machine and I would have one in a heartbeat were one available. If Garrett waits much longer however somebody will beat them to the punch. The wildcard is always Minelab. Their old discontinued machines still beat the competition, and a repackaged SD 2200D or better at under $2k would beat any alternatives. Something like that could really take the air out of any attempts to unseat Minelab for PI gold prospecting primacy. Don't know, just an early morning ramble really. I do know if all I had were the two detectors below I could do pretty much anything anywhere as far as metal detecting goes and be quite happy. My First Year With The Garrett ATX

I did a bit of Google searching for posts in the last year to see if I could get a feel for how much use the Garrett ATX gets and what people are finding with it. Not much to see though. The Garrett Australia Facebook page has some gold nugget finds https://www.facebook.com/GarrettAustralia/ The Findmall ATX Forum would have you thinking the ATX is strictly a beach detector Link deleted since Findmall Forum update broke all old links and other than that a few relic hunters out there using it. The ATX is one of my favorite detectors and quite a capable nugget detector, but after some early nugget detecting it now only gets used seriously as a beach and water detector. The problem is with ATX at $2120 and 6.9 lbs, limited coil selection, it is a tough machine to recommend for prospecting with a Minelab GPX 4500 running only $2699 at this time. I still consider the ATX to have been a missed opportunity. At $1699 in a lighter weight dry land package and sporting less expensive dry land coils the machine could have made a real impact on the prospecting world. Instead it is a rare sight on the goldfields.

Wander in over to Rob's at http://forums.nuggethunting.com/index.php?/topic/11991-big-deep-gold-nuggetspecimen-found-with-a-gpz-7000/&do=findComment&comment=83576 to see what the nugget looked like out of the ground.

Nice gold Randy! How was the weather? I heard it got quite warm in Nome not too long ago. Gold is non-magnetic so all you get is the conductive effect. Iron is both conductive and magnetic and a double whammy for detectors.

Wondering about that token or button you found? There is of course Google but this site has links to over 150 websites specializing in this kind of information. Check it out at http://exonumia.com/links.htm

All the more reason to take the time to get Version 4.0 right. Too many botched releases are giving metal detector manufacturers a bad name these days.

Thanks for that comment Nenad. I had myself half talked into buying the universal WR setup. Then I realized the only two detectors I have that do not have wireless capability built in are the ATX and DFX. The ATX gets nearly all its use underwater, and so making the purchase came down to something for only one detector and so not really worth it to me. I see the next unit out for Deteknix will be a Deteknix Quest Pro MK II which is basically a Quest Pro with suggested improvements incorporated. At this rate a Deteknix Quest Gold will probably be next year.

I posted this back in April http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/1368-xp-deus-goes-high-frequency/?do=findComment&comment=22257 "earliest late summer 2016 possibly longer" I am guessing you were too busy digging gold nuggets at the time to see it! Personally at this point I am just figuring the V4 update by end of year... I hope. I do have a Deus 11" with WS5 phones that is waiting patiently for a new coil.

"Three years ago we introduced a cloud-free mosaic of the world in Google Earth. Today we’re rolling out an even more beautiful and seamless version, with fresh imagery from Landsat 8 satellite and new processing techniques for sharper images than ever before. Satellite images are often cloudy, but not always over the same place, so we looked at millions of images and took the clearest pixels to stitch together this cloud-free and seamless image. Landsat 8, which launched into orbit in 2013, is the newest sensor in the USGS/NASA Landsat Program—superior to its predecessors in many ways. Landsat 8 captures images with greater detail, truer colors, and at an unprecedented frequency—capturing twice as many images as Landsat 7 does every day. This new rendition of Earth uses the most recent data available -- mostly from Landsat 8 -- making it our freshest global mosaic to date." Details at https://maps.googleblog.com/2016/06/keeping-earth-up-to-date-and-looking.html

Anyone can use ATVs on BLM and National Forest lands unless those lands are specifically closed to ATV use. So I assume you mean using ATVs in areas closed to ATV access. BLM The BLM is legally mandated by the Architectural Barriers Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and 43 CFR part 17 to provide accessibility in its programs and facilities to all people with disabilities. The BLM works closely with its permittees to ensure that disabled veterans can experience their own unique adventures on America's public lands. Learn more about the BLM’s Accessibility Program and find facilities and qualified BLM outfitters offering trips for the disabled. For more information about events for disabled veterans in your area of interest, please contact the local BLM Field Office. For information about BLM's accessibility programs, contact a BLM Accessibility Lead. Accessibility Leads National Accessibility Coordinator - Tina McDonald, (202) 912-7251,tmcdonal@blm.gov Note: The use of permittee names on this page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute endorsement of any of the businesses or organizations listed. Alaska - Mark Paprocki, (907) 267-1314, Mark_Paprocki@blm.gov Arizona - Chester Gawin, (602) 417-9438, Chester_Gawin@blm.gov California - Paul Fulkerson, (916) 978-4439, Paul_Fulkerson@blm.gov Colorado – Geoffrey McManus, (303) 239-3921, Geoffry_McManus@blm.gov Eastern States – ELynn Burkett, (202) 387-5711, ELynn_Burkett@blm.gov Idaho - Cynthia Kowalczyk, (208) 373-3952, Cynthia_Kowalczyk@blm.gov Montana/Dakotas - Lance Brady, (406) 896-5339, Lance_Brady@blm.gov Nevada – June Loreman, (775) 861-6400, June_Loreman@blm.gov New Mexico - Elaine Lopez, (505) 954-2175, Elaine_Lopez@blm.gov Oregon/Washington – Todd Curtis, (503)-808-6103, Todd_Curtis@blm.gov Utah – Trent Duncan, (801) 539-4090, Trent_Duncan@blm.gov Wyoming - Jim Honn, (307) 775-6233, Jim_Honn@blm.gov The Forest Service Accessibility page is at http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/accessibility/

25 color pages of metal detecting finds - free download here

OK, I am an Alaskan and so no stranger to foul language. This video is great just because it is real and yes, you do not want to watch if cuss words bother you. Me, I have to admit I just smile watching it. You have been warned!

The first rule about product development is - YOU do not talk about product development. That is what makes it better being on the outside looking in sometimes. It can be more fun to speculate about what I do not know than having to keep my mouth shut about things I do know!

Thanks for the clarification Tom. That kinda sorta confirms something I have been thinking. The Beachhunter ID has always been an odd duck and many people were disappointed when the MX Sport turned out to be single frequency, which frankly is poor for salt water. So my guess is new multifrequency machine stuffed in MX Sport housing for the salt water guys is in the works. Only makes sense really, as the company will want to leverage the development cost of the new housing by using it for multiple models.