Steve Herschbach

Flood away, awesome finds! I hope now that I have moved to the "real world" that I have a shot at stuff like that.

Looks like you figured out you can post on every post, no limits here to speak of. I like big pictures.

Yes I have Ray and it is the basis of my last couple posts. Everyone seems to be desparately craving something that beat to death technology is not going to deliver. Nobody is going to deliver a single frequency detector running from 12 - 20 kHz that does anything for depth and sensitivity on gold nuggets better than what you can buy already. The difference is in packaging and price, how it sounds, how it looks, how it feels. Yes, some advances have been made recently in target separation and ferrous/non-ferrous handling. But not depth/sensitivity. Everyone is barking up the wrong tree. You want major advances in depth and sensitivity keep watching the PI and emerging hybrid worlds.

I play around with air tests and it is easy to get excited. Hit the high mineral ground, all the differences compress and disappear. From my perspective for in field use the 15 kHz FORS units and 14 kHz Racer have equivalent performance. I am optimistic Gold Racer is going to be worth my wait.

I am impressed with Racer but I am not going to make it something it is not. The main difference in the Makro/Nokta detectors versus for instance the Fisher units is the use of blended/rolling audio versus a gated audio response. In theory that can be better but in reality it requires a trained ear, a more professional operator. The more I do this the more comparing in field audio differences is key to everything and what works for me may not work for you.

The VLF world these days is endless exercises in hair splitting and counting angels dancing on the head of a pin.

Inert dirt = air test. The depths I attain on any machine are usually about 50 - 60% of what Tom gets. Disc modes suffer more in mineralized ground compared to all metal modes. No, the Racer is not a magic wand. But yes, it holds its own with machines costing much more.

The Racer at 14 kHz performs remarkably like a 19 kHz Gold Bug Pro so I am very curious the see what the Gold Racer delivers whenever it finally becomes available. That could be the machine that I end up ditching all the others for.

That is all covered at Tom's thread http://www.dankowskidetectors.com/discussions/read.php?2,72545

JAMFD (Just Another Mid Frequency Detector) but a well thought out one with some unique features.

Well as of this moment I would say that trying to get a clear winner on small gold between a 13 kHz Fisher F75, 14 kHz Makro Racer, and 15 kHz Nokta FORS Gold or FORS CoRe is an exercise in futility. The threshold based all metal performance is nearly identical. I feel more comfortable that the Makro and Nokta in discrimination modes are going to be less prone to misidentifying a gold nugget as a ferrous target than the Fisher but I would not be surprised if the is a price to pay in perhaps having to dig more ferrous items. The Racer is a sweetie though, the fact it runs neck and neck with $1000 detectors is impressive. But I am getting ahead of myself. I will do up an initial impressions post with photos tomorrow afternoon or evening.

Teaser - http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=http://urklad.ru/novinki/zakry-taya-prezentatsiya-novogo-metalloiskatelya-minelab-go-find/&prev=search

All I know is whatever you do, do not ignore it. I detected so much one year I developed tendonitis in my right arm. It was very painful, and at work it hurt to even use a mouse on a computer. I had to adapt to using the mouse left handed and pretty much laid off serious detecting for nearly a year. Beware digging with a pick and overextending - it can get you also. The good news is with a proper harness and bungee setup I do not get tired. I can run a heavy detector on a harness for far longer and with less strain than using a much lighter detector for shorter periods of time without a harness.

The manufacturers need to do their part. Any detector weighing over five pounds should come with a decent harness setup. Someday somebody is going to cripple themselves using a detector that came without proper ergonomic protection and proper warnings about the dangers of repetitive motion and sue - and win. Then maybe we will get more and better attention to ergonomics.

I am just guessing but I think it will be some time yet. Months? Not sitting around holding my breath that is for sure.

I am very curious myself as the FORS Gold and FORS CoRe are basically the same 15 kHz performance and the Racer at 14 kHz by all accounts so far nearly identical. The big question for me is how high will they go with the Gold Racer.

Don't forget that performance on a U.S. nickel is a fairly good substitute for performance on a 1/4 oz gold nugget.

Well and there is the rub. Everyone else has all sorts of things on their minds not really on my own. I see this as a Gold Racer preview in the physical aspects. What the Racer does on gold interests me but tells me nothing about how the Gold Racer will do on gold except that the Gold Racer should do better. So my personal interest is mostly in weight, balance, feel. For what it is worth I will do some playing around with small nuggets in the morning. I will do what I can but for me the Gold Bug Pro/G2+/F19/F75/FORS Gold/FORS CoRe/Racer/Gold Racer project is going to be a summer long thing to sort out. There is a lot of really hair splitting stuff going on with all these machines and without actually having a Gold Racer none is flat out trumping all the others. The good news therefore from a performance perspective is I do not see how anyone can go really wrong with any of them.

The biggest difference is in the gated audio response of the Fisher models versus the blended audio response with the Makro/Nokta models.

Had a shiny new Makro Racer waiting for me when I got home, and a sweet little detector it is. Bad timing because I am ridiculously busy right now but I hope to have something to post by tomorrow evening. It already is the most over analyzed detector on the market though and all of it is just adding up to what was said all along. FORS CoRe in a lighter, more elegant package.

In the meantime for others who do not follow such stuff here is Tom Dankowskis report so far http://www.dankowskidetectors.com/discussions/read.php?2,72545

http://youtu.be/nvw4o8J3wFo

The thing is this is not a first machine by an unknown company. This is the company that has delivered the best technology ever since the SD 2000 was introduced. Not everyone is a skeptic. Many have waited for five years for what is said to be the next level in gold prospecting technology. Those who bet against Bruce Candy have generally been shown to have placed bad bets. So yes, there are indeed serious prospectors who will not blink at buying one immediately whatever the price. Their only concern is being first in line, and a deposit insures that.

Two years from now this will all be history and the GPZ 7000 will occupy the top of the heap with as little controversy as the GPX 5000 has enjoyed the last couple years. Hopefully by then the speculation will be on the GPZ 7500 and what improvements it brings to the table. The GPZ 7000 is not the end, it is a new beginning.

Well Rick, the shorter the pulse delay, the hotter the PI, but it can also introduce ground issues so it is not quite so easy as just cranking it up. Some coils may not work properly. Reg can elaborate if he wishes but that is the gist of it.

Reg, what we are talking about is a spongy little specimen I found with my SDC and called Rick over to see it dug. It was several inches, loud signal. We could not get a peep out of his TDI no matter what settings, with specimen on coil. Even I was surprised, thought the coil was bad. We tried the 5" x 10" Sierra coil. Still nothing. The gold is also low purity, so just a perfect "invisible specimen."

Here is the answer I got:

Part number is "8005-0080 Strap, Shaft With Buckle" for this item. It is not set up as a standard accessory item to purchase, but I suggest anyone wanting one to quote this part number to their dealer and see if it can be ordered.

I do not know the price and have been too busy to contact any dealer friends about it. Not likely to change for a couple weeks so I just figured I would post this in case anyone else can find out price/availability.

None of us know what tomorrow will bring or if it will come at all. We can try and make some educated guesses though.

Yeah, something wrong. The Ace is a simple silent search machine. Totally silent except when over a target.

Believe it or not I had a blast with the Ace 250. Actually a unit I would have not problem using as a park jewelry hunter where depth is not the goal. Very impressive unit for the price.

Gold has been pretty steady in the $1200 - $1300 range for around three years now. It seems to have set a strong floor in that range. Now Citigroup is calling for gradually rising average prices going forward. http://blogs.barrons.com/stockstowatchtoday/2015/02/09/gold-miners-cheap-oil-strong-dollar-boon-for-newmont-mining-barrick-gold/?mod=yahoobarrons&ru=yahoo

"We remain positive on our gold coverage with Citi’s Commodity team expecting gold to average $1239/oz in 2015, $1260 in 2016 and $1340 in 2017."

Actually looks like a reasonable and sensible forecast for once instead of all the hype about $3000 gold or $500 gold.

I had a bet with Minelab it would not take a dealer long to ignore the signed NDA and start posting. Already started, and hype dial being cranked as high as it can go.

Funny thing is people say otherwise but they really want hype. They want to be sold. Not everyone of course, but many. There is a deep desire for wish fulfillment at work, and people basically being told what they want to hear. It is no fun being told you still have to work at it, and the 20% will go on making 80% of the finds. People want a magic wand.

I have always been a believer in understating things so that people get pleasant surprises and to in effect lower the bar for success. Boosting the bar as high as it can go may get people all fired up but it also raises the risks when the bar is inevitably not cleared by some. The higher the bar, the more people that will come up short. It can backfire in a big way.

I just have a feeling this new detector release is going to set records for forum frenzy. I am glad I constructed a fortress here to hide in where I can keep the craziness out.

What do you mean Harry. I used the Ace 250 a lot. Great little detector. Only went beep when I went over stuff.

TDI is great choice due to ability to disable ground balance. Excellent beach detector and a true shame that White's never put waterproof version into production.

Thanks Jeff. All I can say is I am not holding my breath. Good news is that what you have is probably about as good as it is going to get. I am a big Surf PI fan - tremendous bang for the buck. The ATX serves me better personally because I use it on dry land more than in the water but if I get in the water it works also. The Surf really is a dedicated water machine.

Water machines cost a lot to develop, sell in relatively small numbers, and are a big source of warranty issues. Just not something the manufacturers are anxious to work on. In theory if Fisher ever makes a PI again they have the CZ-21 housing which was the housing for the old Fisher Impulse they can use. But again, not holding my breath.

And welcome to the forum!

Hey Rick,

No, I am not much for attempting electronic mods. The ATX is only the second time I have done a body modification and that will be the last of those when I ever finish it up. From now on detectors either do what I want or they do not. I will leave the mods to other folks - I would rather be detecting!

I had every intention of testing the porous gold on my TDI but frankly it seemed like a waste of time so I just went ahead and sold it. The TDI has joined a very long list of detectors in my rear view mirror.

Take that Australia, and found by eyeballing it even! Life just got better for this herdsman http://www.ecns.cn/2015/02-06/153910.shtml

Even the Aussies were debating that, apparently at least four of them in Australia.

Nice photos at http://golddetecting.4umer.net/t20751-large-nugget-found-at-inglewood

Supposedly about 6" deep. There are still monsters out there you can find with anything if you can just get over them. And are smart enough to dig the giant "obviously junk" target!

Reg is "the man" on the TDI these days. He normally hangs out on the Findmall TDI forum at Link deleted since Findmall update broke old links but has not posted in a couple weeks.