Steve Herschbach

The higher the frequency the "hotter" a single frequency detector is to small gold but the more likely it is to sound off on wet salt sand. On dry sand you can use most anything but wet sand calls for lower frequency detectors, generally 15 kHz and lower. Even then most 13-15 kHz machines struggle in wet sand and therefore have salt or beach modes that define the machines to deal with the situation as it occurs.

I absolutely share your concerns and want Minelab to improve the system, most importantly by offering a straight forward export function. The system should work for EVERYONE not just those who are not as worried about the security issue. From a functionality aspect I would much prefer to export to my already existing Garmin database/software. It should be easy and I expect it will happen at some point. So I thank everyone for reinforcing the need for changes in the system. But I am still going to just ignore all that and try and help those who are interested with a few tricks I have learned. I might even have a surprise or two for those who do have security issues. The system has functionality that does not have security risks.

Thank you AjR and everyone else.

Norvic, I get it. I have built and administered large computer networks and done a fair amount of programming. I get it. My options are: 1. Tell people to just leave the damn thing turned off 2. Explain to people who regardless of the issues you have brought up how the system might be used to advantage The problem as I see it is the very mention of the system always does just what it did here. It devolves into a discussion over security. I understand your concerns. Can you also understand that I am using the system, and if you or anyone else wants to have a go at hacking Minelab to find out where I am detecting, that I just do not care? The number of people who prospect with detectors and who also happen to be world class hackers and who also have direct physical access to the areas I have access to is so vanishingly small as to be non-existent. If they did exist, with enough effort they might discover exactly where I am detecting. Frankly, that information would do them little good. Not everyone is detecting the kind of high value ground that demands the levels of security you are demanding.

I 100% agree Norvic and I am certainly passing my thoughts on those issues to the powers that be. There is a lot that could be done differently with the GPZ. Not only could it be done by Minelab, but by anyone with basic programming skills. Regardless of all that though, my goal is to work with what is and to try and help those who also interested in using what is. As far as security goes my understanding is the location data is not passed to Minelab and there is nothing on their server to hack in that regard. The GPZ Instruction Manual includes the following privacy declaration by Minelab (at page 35): To protect the privacy of your GPS and GeoStore data: • GPS is ‘Off by default. • GPS and GeoStore data is only ever stored locally on your detector and locally on your PC (if transferred using XChange 2). • The detector does NOT transmit GPS or GeoStore data wirelessly. • GPS and GeoStore data is NOT transmitted to Minelab from your detector or PC. • Your data is NOT accessible by others via the internet and NOT stored online (cloud storage).

Yeah looks like a spammer. Be interesting to see what you think of the zed argyle. I think hardcore VLF operators have an edge running it.

Hi joe, Welcome to the forum. I have never used any other Nokta detectors other than the Fors models and know next to nothing about them. Sorry.

Previous forum thread on dry washers http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/28-drywashers/

Minelab has stated multiple times that they are not interested in and do not access the data. It remains either on the GPZ or on the computer you use. Some people simply choose not to believe that. I have decided therefor to not spend much time trying to change paranoid minds but I do have a few good ideas for those that are. But again, that will be another series of posts soon.

Oops stupid fat fingers! Fixed that thanks Argyle

I am writing a series of tips and "how to" blogs on the zed GPS system. Sure it can be improved, but it is actually something I am finding it to be useful. There is something to be said for it being up front and in my face at all times that makes its use compelling. I like it.

Whoa folks! Posting on multiple forums is not a crime. We have a new member, let's give the benefit of the doubt before making assumptions. Hopefully Cindy is legit and if so she is welcome here. If not.... I will handle it. Thanks!

I do not want to collect money or any such thing. Not a bad idea at all, just more than I want to get involved in at the moment. I am up to my neck in alligators, so to speak, at this point in time. People with really great stories they think might be worth a buck should consider submitting them for publication in the ICMJ Mining & Prospecting Journal. Scott and Chris ALWAYS need articles.

Well, I guess I am not sure what you mean. You want to run a competition and offer some sort of prize?

There are no small concentric coils for the Goldmaster series. Well, excepting a prototype I had but sold some time ago. The coils made for the White's Goldmaster/GMT series are pictured at http://www.detectorprospector.com/gold-prospecting-equipment/whites-electronics-gmt-metal-detector.htm

In my case none. The battery gets me through a long day GPS off or GPS always on. I never turn the GPS off now.

I have had separate GPS units and still do, but find using the GPZ map screen as my main hunt screen to work better for me. The screen and current hunt are just right there in front of my face so I can see gaps in my coverage as they develop. I can reload a previous hunt map and work off it. Having a built in method for recording a nugget find location, weight, and depth are also handy. Far from perfect but having it as my main hunt screen makes it compelling for me. I eyeball and use landmarks and boot scrapes to get the best coverage I can but it is easy in some ground to go astray and the screen alerts me to double back and give a missed spot proper coverage before moving on. There is no having to watch a separate GPS screen; it is just right there in front of me at all times.

This year has not been going exactly as I imagined it would. My stated goal for the year was to set a new record for days in the field detecting. So far however, it has been anything but that. No complaint - I have been devoting myself to visiting family and other things that took precedence over prospecting. Weather has also been a bit dodgy this spring leading me to sit out things a little waiting for better conditions. What time I have had for prospecting has mainly been spent in northern Nevada. I am really taken with the desert and am very partial to the sagebrush and grassland country. It reminds me a lot of the time I spent in Australia with huge wide open spaces to wander. I enjoy the idea that gold can be found nearly anyplace, the exact opposite of Alaska, and I love just wandering from valley bottom to hill top because, well, you just never know. There is some old and interesting geology here that leaves nuggets in what might seem to be pretty unlikely locations. I did find one nice little patch that produced about half my gold this spring, but the rest were just strangely random isolated nuggets. I would find one and get all excited, then after several hours of methodically gridding the area wonder why that one nugget ended up there all alone. My largest nugget, at 3/4 oz, was just such a find. I wandered out of what looked to be the "good area" and just lucked into this nugget all by itself on a hillside far above the valley floor. Where did it come from? Why nothing else near it? I like to wander around freely but due to the nature of the gold deposits I am relying heavily on the GPZ 7000 map screen and GPS track to attack areas in chunks. I just start someplace and then use the GPS mapping screen to fill in all the pixels as completely as I am able in a given area. My goal is to completely hunt that area and then write it off forever as being hunted. Each hunt area is dumped to X-Change building my master map of hunted areas. I am approaching it much like building a jigsaw puzzle, each planned hunt taking in a segment and filling it completely. I still like to wander around a lot but the main focus is long term - the many years I have ahead of me hunting these areas. I could just do what I have always done and hunt piecemeal but I decided it is time to switch gears and get more methodical about things. I figure there is a lot of that random "scattered gold" out there and that a slower long term goal to gather it up is a major part of my plan going forward. Using GPS mapping is key to getting good coverage while eliminating the chance I might waste time hunting and rehunting the same locations over the years. The GPZ is also critical to this effort as I have great confidence in its ability to sniff out almost any gold that finds its way under the coil. Small gold, flat gold, wire gold, deep gold - the GPZ is my gold vacuum. All detectors miss gold, including the GPZ. But right now if I have to hunt an area once and once only, and have my best shot at finding what might be there, I do not know of a better option for me than the GPZ 7000. One detector, one coil, one pass over the ground ever - what are you going to use? If gold is found a person of course has the luxury of coming back with different coils and different detectors and trying to find gold missed before. The problem is finding that first nugget. If it does not get found, you just wander on, never knowing that maybe you just missed a great patch, for the lack of finding that first, most important nugget. I am convinced there are many undiscovered patches out there still. The patches with the big easy to find solid gold may be very rare now, but "weak" patches comprised of smaller, or deeper, and harder to find specimen type gold surely exist. They will be found by people hunting outside the commonly known popular areas. That is what I have been doing. Hunting locations where other prospectors are rarely if ever seen. I honestly think I have been a bit lucky as of late but the methodology is sound and it is what I will be doing for as long as I have left to swing a detector. I continue to follow the various posts around the world about the GPZ 7000 and people's experiences with it. Mine are pretty boring. I turn the machine on, maybe do a quick ground balance routine, and go detecting. I may not even go through the ground balance motions. I just turn it on and pick up from where I left off the previous day. I usually run in High Yield, Normal Ground, Gain of 12, Smoothing Off, Ground Tracking On. I leave most audio settings alone. The detector will often run noisy with these settings, especially in alkali locations. I may lower the threshold to 20 to knock out some excess noise, or just lower the overall volume level using my headphones. The GPZ lacks a master volume control that lowers all sounds at once, and so benefits from the use of an external booster with master volume control. The problem for me is that is one more battery operated gizmo, and so I often just use my headphones instead to gain the overall volume control I crave. I tend to run my detectors noisy but like it to be quiet/noisy not loud/noisy. When the ground responses get a bit much, as is the case with ground salt, I react more by slowing down and modifying my swing than changing detector settings. So far I would say about half the gold I found was pulled out of fairly high salt response ground with the attendant moaning/groaning or hee/haw responses the GPZ produces in that type of ground. That seems to be a show stopper for a lot of people but I don't pay much attention to it myself. I have this theory that killing those responses might kill my gold finding capability on this ground to a certain extent, as I know some of these locations have seen other detectors that ignored the salt. They also missed the gold. Coincidence? Maybe. I have plans for more experiments regarding this but have had a hard time tearing myself away from my limited detecting time to do more comparative tests. Later. Anyway, I have quietly picked up just over a couple ounces of gold with my GPZ 7000 so far this spring. The largest nugget is 3/4 oz and there are several other nice pieces I am very happy with. Nice solid, clean gold, my kind of stuff. An odd mix from very worn appearing to rough. I am unfortunately getting waylaid again with things I must attend to before I can go prospecting again and so I decided I may as well post this update now. It could be weeks before I get out prospecting again. Until then, here are some happy pictures to enjoy. More Information on Minelab GPZ 7000 Click photos for larger versions... This post was promoted to an article

My hearing sucks. I have no idea what I am not hearing because - I can't hear it!

The new White's TreasureMaster is now on the White's website at http://www.whiteselectronics.com/treasuremaster and available at select dealers. You can download the owners manual for the TreasureMaster and TreasurePro in this website's download area. It should not be much longer before the TreasurePro is available.

The Nokta and Makro detectors sense the proper coils and give a message on screen if the coil is not right. In theory a 14 kHz Racer coil might work on a 15 kHz FORS but the reality if you try it (I have) an error message appears. I would not be surprised if a 5 x 10 for FORS is made if enough people request it.

Hi Art, That sucks. I do hope it gets sorted out for you post haste and to your satisfaction. I will not be shutting up about the GPZ. I am just not going to get stuck being in the position of being some sort of Minelab apologist. As far as I am concerned, the less people who have a GPZ the better. That would not be good for Minelab, but too many people in my area have one already.

Chris Ralph brought up freq around 30 kHz idea but it was just speculation. We have to wait and see what it is. A dual frequency like you suggest could certainly be done. Can't say it is what I expect but maybe they will surprise me.

The one I had (early version) came without cover but I see new versions of the coil as being advertised as coming with the scuff cover. I would ask any seller to be double sure.