Steve Herschbach

Hi Paul, Here is a teaser. The ATX is hands down the best detector I have ever used in Hawaii. More soon!

Darn tootin' I like them purty ladies! I can see somebody now at Minelab thinking "hmmm.... If we made an ad like this I could hang with the pretty ladies".

I hauled the rocker to Chicken on first run and after realizing I was just going to go detecting left in town on next supply run. I did not want to haul it south so sold it unused; somebody got a good deal. It looks like an excellent unit and if I was inclined for a minute to shovel dirt while recycling water I would get another one. But I would rather detect for gold than dig for it with a shovel. It took me getting one to realize that - again. I think shipping weight was around 50 lbs but do not quote me on that. It all got mailed to me in one box. Company was quick and efficient with order which was appreciated. Rockin Gold Grabber at Gold Dredge Builders Warehouse http://www.golddredgebuilders.com/rockin.html

I do not think it means anything. It is an ad. The goal is to get people talking about it. Super Bowl ads are talked about almost as much as the Super Bowl. Given that a 30 second Super Bowl ad costs about $3 million to run and this is a 3:30 minute video I think we can count that out though. The main goal besides getting people talking appears to be to drive traffic to the Minelab YouTube site and to gather video contributions via a contest. Yes, you can win a free detector! The contest has five possible prizes: First Place - CTX 3030 Second Place - E-TRAC Third Place - Excalibur II Fourth Place - Safari PP Fifth Place - X-TERRA 705 You submit a video about why you like Minelab and metal detecting and videos with most votes win. See http://www.minelab.com/usa/consumer/sweetsymphony for details plus behinds the scenes video. I guess it worked. I liked the ad - it was fun. And I looked at the YouTube site, had not seen it before. Now I am wondering if I should submit a video! That said the style of the ad misses what I observe as the common demographic in detector users and so it will probably get a lot of negative comments also. Country music would probably go over better with the people I see at most detector meetings. Was that a cameo by Bruce Candy? Looks like they got him to sit still for a hair stylist!

Amazing set of photos Rob! Thanks for taking the time and making the effort to post them!!

The MXT is no better or worse than the other models at finding gold. The MXT is very well balanced and the weight is not an issue for most people. I spend a lot of time holding the detector at or above waist level so it is an issue more for me personally.

Hi Andrey, Like Fred mentions I am a bit busy right now. Sorry I did not reply sooner but I wanted to think about it. I am afraid of confusing things when maybe a one line answer is better. If you are looking for a mid-frequency VLF than there are many you might use. In my opinion they are all close enough to do the job, and vary more in the details. The long article I wrote at Gold Bug Pro vs AT Gold vs X-Terra 705 Gold vs Lobo SuperTRAQ vs MXT explains this in detail. The Fisher Gold Bug Pro, Garrett AT Gold, Minelab X-Terra 705 Gold, Tesoro Lobo SuperTRAQ, and White's MXT will all do the job. More expensive options include Teknetics T2 and it's cousin the Fisher F75 plus the Minelab Eureka Gold. There is little difference between 14 kHz and 19 kHz. Any decent unit from 13 kHz to 20 kHz will do the job for you. Since you have stated a preference for the White's MXT I would go for that. It along with the Gold Bug Pro and Lobo Super TRAQ are simple to operate options. The 6 x 10 DD coil is a very good coil on the MXT. My second choice in a PI at this time is the Garrett ATX. The ATX fares very well compared to the GPX and if packaged strictly for nugget detecting would be formidable indeed. My issues with it stem more from how it is packaged than in how it performs. It gets the job done more effectively than the TDI and is easier to operate. It is impossible to do depth comparisons on the GPX versus TDI since comparisons must be done in the ground where the gold is. The Garrett Infinium and White's TDI are closer to VLF all metal performance than GPX performance. The ATX is a step above both those detectors. See also my article at Steve's Guide to Gold Nugget Detectors I truly believe the mid-frequency detectors are functionally equivalent when it comes to prospecting and the real difference is in the operator. That is why they all have their little fan clubs that claim success. A good prospector should be able to grab any one of them and do well. If they are attributing their success to the detector that is giving a machine too much credit. The prospector makes the detector, not the other way around. I hope this helps and does not confuse even more. Good Luck!

Hey Rick, Air tests completely miss why PI detectors exist. Your Gold Bug 2 will air test the heck out of the SD2100. Tests of VLF versus PI or PI versus PI in mild ground also is not very enlightening. The old saw about PI detectors gaining depth in the ground is missing the real situation. The reality is that VLF detectors lose depth much faster as ground conditions worsen than PI detectors. The worse the ground gets, the better the PI looks by comparison. But as ground conditions worsen PI detectors struggle also. They just take the hit slower and handle it better than a VLF detector. The bottom line in milder ground and for smaller gold why even have a PI? For what it is worth I am thankful Minelab had faith in and developed technology that US manufacturers turned their noses up at. They all thought PI would never amount to anything but a niche market not really worth their while. Minelab simply did what anyone with an undisputed lead does - they charged for it. If the other manufacturers had not been asleep at the wheel for so long competition would have kept prices in line. It is only after all these years with the introduction of the Garrett ATX that I am seeing competition serious enough to force Minelab to pay attention.

Hi Merton, If you do I would sure appreciate your thoughts on how it works for you. Thanks!

Good on you Ray, you are getting out often and scoring consistently. Thanks for the story and photos and especially the inspiration.

That is a gutsy move replacing a GPX with an ATX. I could not do it. That said there is not much my GPX will find that my ATX will not also find. There was not much need for a land version of the Infinium because it can be chest or hip mounted. The number of people attempting to mod the ATX is proof a different design is a must. People want it to be lighter and they want the ability to easily swap coils. The ATX is in its own way is the best PI circuit I have ever run. It deserves a dry land version and I agree such a detector would serve many people very well.

You start by saying you want the XP DEUS to hunt in nails then segue into gold hunting with it. Well, as long as you do not sell your Gold Bug Pro it will not matter too much. I am sure the XP DEUS does fine on gold. The reason you do not see prospectors using it is the cost versus a Gold Bug Pro. If I was offered an XP DEUS in a straight up trade for my Gold Bug Pro and could only use the detector to prospect for gold I would have to pass. In the nails it is another ball game. The Gold Bug Pro will do the job, what we are talking about here is a usability issue of tones. That is a pretty nebulous area to be making a decision on. I suspect this all boils down to do you want to get an XP or not. The bottom line is it is a detector you buy for other reasons that might also do well on gold. You can say that about a number of expensive top end detectors. The Whites V3i is no slouch on gold in the right conditions. It just is way more money than you need to spend for a decent prospecting detector. What you really have to decide is whether you want to purchase all that extra capability and have a use for it. XP Deus Data & User Reviews

I have used the Garrett Infinium and ATX plus various White's Surf PI detectors. I have been tempted but never bit on the Sea Hunter. One of the "old reliables" on the market for 14 years now and bargain priced for a detector waterproof to 200 feet with interchangeable coils. It does offer some discrimination tricks but I always advise people to think of PI detectors as "dig it all" machines. That avoids disappointment when the discrimination does not prove as useful as hoped. I have a friend with a Sea Hunter and he likes it much more than the Infinium he previously owned. The Sea Hunter is a more stable platform in salt water and more EMI resistant than the Infinium. Anyway, nice to see the support Garrett offers with this video library Garrett Sea Hunter Videos Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II Information at Garrett website My big tip is that you may want to consider the adapter that lets you use alternative headphones out of the water. That way you can use headphones with built in volume controls on the beach. The Sea Hunter has no volume control and the underwater phones are very loud out of water.

The Story - https://sites.google.com/site/arizonapreppers/metals The Monument - http://seekers.metapath.org/Pictures/HandOfFaith_2010/slides/DSCF0372.html

Hi Rob, Thank you for the correction - I have made the change in the original post. I really do appreciate it as I do not want to be spreading incorrect information, no matter how small. Some things are opinions but other things are just facts or not. Now that you mention it I have nothing to back up my Groundhog statement beyond "I heard or read it somewhere". It does seem the facts regarding such a celebrated find have been kept rather vague. More details would be great. I am fortunate to have been able to see the Hand of Faith myself in Las Vegas. It is really something to see and anyone in Vegas should go out of their way to do so. Thank you for contributing!

The TDI has a noisy threshold. The TDI SL addressed the issue but with a small loss of sensitivity as the price. Compared to the ATX, GPX and TDI SL the standard TDI has the least stable threshold.

Yeah, same here. My TDI is very EMI resistant. It is nice when you are able to lay hands on a bunch of detectors like this and just let it all sort out. At the end of the day it is all about what you grab and what gets left behind.

Halves are a rare find, most of mine have come rom swimming holes, where they are more common. Never found a V nickel ever! Looks like you have some good hunting areas. The rings will happen eventually as long as you keep digging those tabs. Good going!

Coils are the number one reason for detector failures, not including dead batteries. Even scarier are coils working but at sub-par levels. This is a situation where air tests comparing known good units can be useful. A properly tuned detector and coil combination should air test to X. Anything less indicates issues. In the case of serious failures a coil swap is quickest, easiest solution. If the failure persists it is the control box. There are few options in new DD coils for Minelab PI detectors these days since DD coils have fallen out of favor. Used is certainly an option.

This is pretty neat stuff, and I think the applications for prospectors and relic hunters are obvious... http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/01/140103-new-england-archaeology-lidar-science/

In the United Kingdom instead of outlawing metal detecting for antiquities laws are designed to encourage and make use of proper metal detecting practices. More than 900,000 historically important items have been reported since the new law was instituted in 1997, including 8,500 designated as treasure. The law has "revolutionized archaeology" in the UK. News article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25748576 Basic explanation of law http://www.dutp.org.uk/laws-on-detecting More details http://finds.org.uk/treasure/

The iron check only works on shallow stuff so is no help when you need it most - on big deep junk. It appears to be very conservative and more likely to call iron junk good than call a gold nugget iron, as long as yow are getting a strong reading. Do not trust weak signals. I would not worry much about it making a bad call on a shallow large nugget but as always, when in doubt, dig it out!

Great work Fred! I would be plenty happy with that pile of silver myself and a little gold sweetener is nice.

Some rings can be returned - did you read my note at the end of the Garrett in Hawaii article referenced above? Pretty cool when it can be done and it can't happen if you do not find the ring first. Also http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/54-lost-ring-returns-to-alaska/ The CTX 3030 is a great beach hunting detector. I am a little less confident in it as a true in the surf type detector. I was planning on taking the Garrett ATX to Hawaii with me and the Minelab CTX 3030 as backup. The plan was use the ATX most of the time, and possibly use CTX on the beach or wading but keep it out of heavy surf. Frankly, the machine is just a little too nice for the real rough and tumble treatment. The ATX and CTX are both warranted waterproof to ten feet. Most real surf detectors are 100 feet or more. I have had two underwater detectors leak on me before, both brand new out of the box. The old White's Surf PI, two models back, prior to Surf PI Pro and newest Surf DF. My first water hunt to Hawaii died on arrival when that detector leaked. The box design was redesigned later and I have had several Surfs subsequently with no issues. The other was the old Tesoro Stingray II, model prior to current Tiger Shark. Both were replaced by their respective manufacturers. After that first failure in Hawaii I have never gone with less than two waterproof detectors on an important trip. It has also made me cautious about waterproof detectors in general. The CTX has had issues with the battery seal and to a lesser extent the USB port seal. Mine has been in the water a couple times with no problem but I still was not wanting to put it to the ultimate test in rough surf. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I was also placing a pretty big bet on the ATX, a detector so new it has no track record. I always wanted a new Surf PI Dual Field and so when by chance an opportunity arose to get one I jumped on it. I believe in serendipity and so decided at last second to take the Surf to Hawaii in place of the CTX. It seemed like better insurance as it is one of the waterproof to 100 feet models and I have done well with prior Surf models in Hawaii. Not to belittle the CTX however. Mine will still get plenty of beach use in the future. The first time in the water it scored me a nice gold ring, and on second outing also. One of the more successful beach hunters, Gary Drayton, has used the CTX extensively and has even written a book about using it available here. I have it and his book on reading the beach and hardcore beach hunting, all very good books. I would recommend any of his books based on what I have read so far. He also has a great blog at http://hardcoretreasurehunting.blogspot.com with tons of great tips and excellent photos of eye-popping finds. If it can't inspire somebody nothing can! The attached photo shows my finds from my first few outings with the CTX 3030. I took an immediate liking to it for obvious reasons.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Gold climbed to its highest in nearly six weeks on Monday as a dip in equities lifted bullion's safe-haven appeal and improved investor confidence in the metal. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/commodities/gold-hits-six-week-high-platinum-up-on-south-africa-strikes/articleshow/29104631.cms