Steve Herschbach

They have said all along the Gold Racer would be out in later 2015 so this certainly makes sense, especially if they want to catch the Christmas sales season. It bodes well that it is taking this amount of time. It would indicate the Gold Racer is not just a Racer with a different stock coil and a paint job. We were told up front that it would sport a 10" x 5" coil but other than that all is still under wraps.

Thanks Rob, good to know. I hope business is great but do smell the roses when you can! Say hi to Dawn and Dennis for me. Welcome to the forum Keith! To be honest you got the benefit of a good Google response. Interesting to see an east coast dealer stocking GPZ accessories. Are they seeing any use outside the prospecting world? Seems like the extreme sensitivity to tiny ferrous stuff would be an issue, but that is all high tones. Dig low tones only might work in certain relic hunting situations but unfortunately that trick would be no good nugget hunting.

Well, I have been getting in the hours and have wore out my GPZ 7000 scuff cover / coil cover / skidplate. New genuine Minelab covers are like everything else GPZ rare as hen's teeth. Part number 3011-0286 and very few places on the internet can be found that advertise having them in stock. $62 retail, and Ft. Bedford claims to have them in stock for $48 http://www.fortbedfordmetaldetectors.com/minelab-gpz7000-14x13-coil-cover Miner John has an aftermarket coil at http://razorbackcoils.webs.com/apps/webstore/products/show/5908106 that Chris alerted us to back in May http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/930-gpz-7000-coil-cover-available/ for about the same price. It is twice as thick and has fewer slots that would let dirt get in between the coil and scuff cover. Has anyone tried these out and can report on them?

AZO Gold Basin Outing added http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/calendar/1-calendar/10-2015

Well, long story short I really like the Garrett Pro-Pointer AT. I will probably get rid of all my other pinpointers. Wish I could find a copy of the review I did for the GPAA Magazine online but unfortunately I can't. Simple, intuitive, powerful, waterproof - I can't really ask for more. Main Garrett website page on the Pro-Pointer AT http://www.garrett.com/hobbysite/hbby_pro-pointer_at_main_en.aspx Color Brochure With Specifications http://www.garrett.com/hobbysite/pdfs/1140900_pro-pointer_at_lowres.pdf Operating Manual http://www.garrett.com/hobbysite/hbby-manuals/pro-pointer_at_english.pdf I do not use the pinpointer a lot when nugget detecting but it comes in handy when the holes get deep or just hard digging. Sometimes a nail throws me off and I go right past it, and the pinpointer lets me know the target is in the wall of the hole. Or, when the hole gets deep enough I worry about maybe hitting the nugget and the pinpointer makes sure that does not happen. This one was around a 1/4 oz and if I remember correctly was down around 16" plus.

I did finally try it. My WM 12 (GPZ module) will work on my CTX 3030 so it is backwards compatible. My WM 10 (CTX module) will not work on my GPZ 7000. Seems like they should just discontinue the WM 10 and ship both detectors with the WM 12.

The CoRe is an excellent prospecting detector, just need to get it in the right place. Good luck!

F3 is MPS Bipolar and SDC 2300 is MPF. You are on your own there buddy! I am not a techie so all I can suggest is you contact Ismael at the link above. I really need to get that ATX off the work bench. Just got busy and it got set aside. Might be winter though before it happens.

Great looking picks Ivan! Unfortunately I already have too many... 1. A very used Walco pick. Note the worn tip. This was my main pick for years before I left Alaska. The original handle has been replaced with a hickory sledgehammer handle for extra length. I dug a lot of deep holes and the longer handle was easier on my back and doubled as a walking stick for sidehilling and crossing streams. I do like the Walco design, light and tough. 2. A new Walco pick I got on my trip to Australia. 3. My current pick, an old Hodan pick I have had for ages. Handle cut down a bit to hang better on my belt and fit in my backpack. I do not need a big scoop as much down south and it hangs on my belt better than scoop style picks. 4. Unused 24" Hodan for backup. John passed away last year, may he rest in peace, so when current supplies run out no more Hodan picks. 5. An ancient Mag-Na-Pick from back in the day. I tote this around in my kit as a backup just in case I break the handle on my primary pick. 6. A little lightweight metal handle pick. Good for casual work hunting shallow small nuggets. 7. and 8. New style Estwing pick and old style Estwing pick, for serious digging. I can dig a hole in asphalt with one of these! Too much metal for normal use though. 9. Version one of hoe pick I nagged John for years to make for me. He instead made one as an AZO exclusive first which was irritating. Then this one, which I pointed out nobody would want due to round spade end. Actually digs great but no good for scraping flat surfaces. 10. The model that addressed my issues with the other one. Both are a bit heavier than I like though.

25 color pages of great metal detecting finds. Check it out! Ready for download at http://www.garrett.com/hobbysite/searcher_pdf/3500069_Summer_2015_72.pdf

I probably have not experimented with it as much as you Lunk but I do agree. Like all analogies mine is an oversimplification, and once you toss ground modes, gain, and audio settings into the mix it can get pretty complex. Obviously the ground conditions where a person operates most determines in the end what settings work best. These days I run the machine really hot and tend to adjust for extra noise more by modifying my audio settings than by "downshifting" the underlying horsepower. My post more than anything was a response to Scott querying on another thread what that Extra Deep thing was all about.

ATX waterproof to ten feet. Infinium waterproof to 200 feet. The Infinium also has more and far cheaper accessory coils, and comes out of box designed to be hip or chest mounted.

The Recon is basically a Garrett ATX that lacks a motion mode. It operates only in what on the ATX would be the non-motion mode. This means it must be operated very slowly and with constant retuning. It is intended to hunt land mines in small areas. I would consider it not suitable for any prospecting tasks that involve ground coverage. For slow, careful hunting of small areas it might prove suitable. If you need a waterproof ground balancing pulse induction machine a used Infinium may be a better alternative. Here is what Garrett has to say about non-motion mode: "Non-Motion Mode can provide additional detection depth and allows the searchcoil to scan very slowly, even stationary, over targets. Non-Motion Mode is better at isolating targets, as target signals do not produce the audio echo which is heard in Motion Mode. Non-Motion Mode may be less stable and noisier than Motion Mode, and more frequent Retunes may be required to cancel audio threshold drift and other environmental changes. Unlike Motion Mode—which automatically works to keep Threshold tuned to a constant level—the more powerful Non-Motion Mode leaves all Threshold tuning to the user. In highly mineralized ground, Non-Motion Mode may be more susceptible to ground variaions, so it is even more important to use proper coil swing techniques (see p. 21). The use of Non-Motion Mode requires practice and is not recommended for beginners."

In this and other forums running version 3 of IP Board the Calendar is not available in mobile. I vision has released version 4, a total rewrite of the system, and one of the many enhancements is that it offers a mobile version of calendar. However, version 4.0 as expected is very buggy. They just released version 4.1 which is more stable, but I am still not convinced it is worth the risk of upgrade yet. Frankly it may be next year before I go there as the benefits are minimal so far compared to the risk. None of the other gold forums have upgraded yet either.

I have commented in the past that as far as how it actually acts in practice the Minelab GPZ 7000 reminds me more of a "super VLF" than a PI detector. I want to carry that analogy a bit father in an attempt to help clear up a common question about the detector. What Gold Mode should you use? Minelab makes a unique prospecting VLF called the Eureka Gold. What makes it unique is that is can be switched between three frequencies - 60 kHz, 20 kHz, and 6.4 kHz. The high frequency 60 kHz mode is the hotter on small gold and in mild soils also gives excellent depth on all other sizes of gold. If you were to air test the detector this is the mode that would air test the best on a wide range of targets. It is the go to mode for mild ground and at high gain levels can be very impressive. The problem is a hot high frequency setting that really lights up the gold can also light up bad ground and hot rocks. This in turn can obscure desired targets. If the ground mineralization is bad enough penetration is severely impacted because sensitivity/gain levels must be drastically reduced in an attempt to reduce the response from the ground and/or hot rocks. If this is the case going to the 20 kHz mode will make the machine less sensitive to ground feedback and hot rocks. Some sensitivity to the smallest gold is lost, but by reducing interfering ground responses depth on larger gold is retained. In the very worst ground and hot rocks however even 20 kHz mode can be too hot. In a worst case scenario going to the low frequency 6.4 kHz mode can eliminate all but the absolutely worst ground feedback. Sensitivity to smaller gold again takes a hit but depth on the larger gold again is to a large degree retained under difficult conditions. The coil employed plays into this. Larger coils "see" more ground and are more susceptible to the ill effects of bad ground. This can be offset by using lower frequencies. In fact, the 15" WOT coil for the Eureka Gold comes with a note saying that best performance can be expected in the low frequency 6.4 kHz mode. The problem is that people are usually thinking about what mode gold responds best at. It is often more useful to think in terms of in what mode ground and hot rocks will be less inclined to create issues. If you can't get the machine to play well with the ground then finding gold becomes a bit of a moot point. Think of the GPZ High Yield Mode as being the equivalent of the 60 kHz mode on the Eureka Gold. General would be the equivalent of the 20 kHz mode, and Extra Deep a match for the 6.4 kHz mode. The GPZ Gold Mode names confuse people. Extra Deep should be the deepest, right? Well, yes and no. In mild ground General will outperform Extra Deep. However, in extremely bad ground or when employing yet to come larger coils Extra Deep will reduce or eliminate ground noise that keeps General from attaining the depths possible in milder ground. It is not that Extra Deep goes deeper. It is that Extra Deep is quieter allowing nugget signals to not be masked by ground noise. Which in turn delivers more effective depth. People are constantly confused I think by the fact that performance of metal detectors is not measured in absolute terms except in air tests. Which is why I consider air tests to be generally worthless when evaluating prospecting detectors. The most important thing by far is relative performance, that is, performance relative to the ground and hot rock situation. Machines can deliver spectacular air tests and fail miserably in the ground. In fact, the best air tests are most likely to fail in the worst ground. So for me High Yield is the go to mode because I frequent milder ground locations and unfortunately smaller gold is my bread and butter. In hotter ground where average nugget sizes are larger General might be the go to mode instead. It just depends. Extra Deep is a special mode that is very, very much equivalent to that 6.4 kHz mode on the Eureka Gold. It is going to actually be the less sensitive mode in mild ground. It only shines in the worst of ground and even more so when using a larger coil. Frankly, in 99% of the situations one might encounter with the stock coil High Yield and General are going to do the trick. Extra Deep is only really going to come into its own when a large coil is introduced for the GPZ 7000. If a person is running a large coil in really bad ground searching for multi ounce nuggets, Extra Deep is likely to be the go to mode. Hope that helps.

Obviously quite a few people have issues with Minelab as a company and Minelab would be wise to take note of it and perhaps try and address it in some way. Unfortunately because of my association with Minelab as a product tester I do not think that I am regarded as being totally unbiased as regards all this and so it is best if I just remain silent. The thread was started precisely with the intent of allowing GPZ owners who have used the machine for an extended time to express their opinions and I will leave it at that.

Don't take the GPS off my GPZ! Yeah it could be better but by simply mapping my actions on screen as I work an area it has proven to be a huge aid in my efforts. The issues really are more in the XChange software and that can be easily upgraded in the future. Besides, a GPS module costs between $5 - $15 at wholesale. It adds nothing to the retail cost of the detector. The only thing that would happen if they took it out is you would pay exactly the same price but get no GPS. Thanks Rob for the comment. On hold means a whole different thing than not going to make.

First off I want to say I am not advocating anyone do this. It will void your warranty. But I like to know stuff and this is interesting information. Ismael has opened up an SDC and confirmed that the coil is plugged into the control box with a plug connector. He has used an adapter to run some other Minelab coils and in his opinion mono coils seem to work well. http://golddetecting.4umer.net/t22372-coil-question-for-the-sdc-2300#216360 Further down in the same thread there is a picture of the connection, which is under the cover on the housing where the rod assembly pivots. http://golddetecting.4umer.net/t22372-coil-question-for-the-sdc-2300#217008 I hope someday Minelab stuffs the SDC into a standard detector housing, something like the Eureka Gold. And offers a couple other coils. A small 4" x 6" elliptical would be awesome for crevicing and an 8" x 12" elliptical would be great for better ground coverage. A standard control box should lower the price considerably and an ability to hip or chest mount would be really great. I would get one in a heartbeat.

Hopefully Chris will be able to help with calendar show dates since he finds out about most show dates before anyone else.

Good feedback jasong. The GPZ has not been abandoned but your perception that it is so should give Minelab pause. Where was the announcement they will not make a larger capacity battery? I missed that one.

Tucson Gem & Mineral Show added http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/calendar/1-calendar/02-2016

and added November Nuggetshooter Gold Basin Outing http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/calendar/1-calendar/11-2015

Way back in April it was suggested that I add a calendar or event scheduler to the forum http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/885-eventsfield-trip-calender/ This is part of most Invision forums but I had in deactivated for a simple reason. I am a bit of a privacy type person so you may have noticed that this forum does not display who is online. I guess it is supposed to be cool somehow but I do not think most of you want people to know you are logged in online. If you want to post, post. If not, nobody needs to know you are hanging out. Similarly, other forums display birthday info in various ways, especially on the calendars. Now I suppose this is nice as everyone wishes somebody happy birthday. But then others get no birthday wishes at all. Mostly, as far as I am concerned, it is just off topic clutter. Yeah, I know, I am an unsentimental hardass taking this on topic nonsense too far! But that is just the way I like things and so I have finally activated a calendar that does not automatically display birthdays so we are good to go. I should have done it sooner but better late than never. Right now the Rye Patch outing is the only thing on the calendar. I will be adding more stuff soon. You are welcome to also make additions but please keep them somehow related to prospecting, metal detecting, rock collecting, etc. The bottom line is all additions are moderated and will not appear until I approve them so no worries. If I think it is too far off topic I may not approve it. Then again, if it seems really compelling I may just let it go. You are also welcome to just email suggestions to contact@detectorprospector.com or better yet post them on this thread. Let me know if you can't see it or whatever. Link in the menu bar at top of forum or at http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/calendar/ Events also appear on the main forum directory sidebar at http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/ but it will take an upgrade to IP Board 4 to get them displayed elsewhere, and I am not going there for some time yet. I will see what else I can do in the meantime.

First off, sorry to hear about that. The list of machines Minelab considers obsolete is at http://www.minelab.com/anz/customer-care/product-notices/discontinued-products Even though the GP 3500 is on that list I would encourage you to contact Minelab first before you do anything else. Shipping to Australia and back by itself will not be cheap so a free call to Minelab first is worth a shot. Minelab Americas 1938 A University Lane Lisle, IL 60532 Service Centre: 1-877-SOS-MLAB (1-877-767-6522) Email: service@minelabamericas.com I and others here would be extremely interested in what you hear from Minelab. The only outfit I know of in the US that I would call is Keith Willis at East Texas Metal Detectors http://www.brokendetector.com/prodserv.htm I am not sure he can help you but they have been repairing detectors a long time so are worth trying.

Well, the GPZ 7000 has done again what nearly every new Minelab model has done. Introduction, big debate and controversy, slowly fading to acceptance of what is. It does surprise me how quickly the controversy just cut off however. We had one last burst from a couple guys on Finders Forum who were hating the GPZ, they sold them, and that has been that. Everyone now seems to have moved on and it is hard to find much discussion at all pro or con. Some people seem to think that means sales have not been that good but I do not think that is the case at all. I am more surprised at how many people seem to have a GPZ now because I thought the price would be a real obstacle. I admit to secretly hoping that might prove to be the case (sorry Minelab) as it would not hurt my feelings being the only guy out there swinging a GPZ. Just the opposite however - seems like everyone and their brother has one. Oh well. There is much a person could complain about but despite a couple tries I never could get klunker to really let loose on the forum with his unfiltered thoughts on the GPZ. The reality is all the negatives tend to get offset by one basic fact - the GPZ is a very powerful metal detector. I sold almost all my other nugget detectors and have been swinging the GPZ almost exclusively ever since. It packs both small gold sensitivity and extreme depth into one unit with one coil, and given that I can only swing one detector at a time I have every confidence it is what I want to be using. The only exception is in heavy trash, where I still might switch to a VLF. So those of you with a GPZ. Any thoughts now that some time has passed? Anyone that used one and still just really prefers to use a GPX or something else instead? Come on guys, let it all hang out one last time and give your best summary of what you think about the GPZ for those out there who may still be mulling the whole thing over.