Digger Bob

Chris, got out today and snagged a 1.5 dwter. My first since last year. Been a tough winter.

For those of you just waking up, check gold prices today. As of 8 AM Pacific time, it's up $44 an ounce.

They were all buried about 16 inches deep. In a line out from the fence posts. Yeah, the wire fence was a problem but more so the surface trash. Once those were cleared out, then the boxes were big broad signals. His reasoning for burying them was the home was way out in the woods and subject to a forest fire coming through. He works out of town, sometimes weeks at a time. No other savings or retirement accounts, so this is his retirement stash. Yep, people still do bury money, probably more than you would think. Imagine all the drug money that is hidden like this. Banks are not trusted much more now than they were a hundred years ago, what with failures, government seisures, lawyers, and ex wives. And against popular belief, rarely is anything buried more than 2 ft deep. Deep enough to be hidden, but shallow enough to be quickly retrieved. Well within the range of any good detector.

Exactly. That's $25 an oz. I never would have believed there was a collectors market for something like this.

Well, I haven't a bar yet. He says there is still about 1000 oz. still out there in another place. I'm going back next week. There was a lot of surface trash that made it hard so he's going to clear off some area down a few inches and I'll give it another go. He claims that all of these are "collectors" bars. Different mints, weights, and years. I saw one that dated back to the 1920's. These are valued far in excess of their bullion value, up to 20 times spot. I'm not sure I believe that or not as I've never heard of anything like that. But, people do collect the craziest things. Here's a picture on one from this hoard that I thought was unique. I'll research the providence next week. A 25 oz. bar embossed with the Whites logo and name. I'm guessing from the early 70's. This is the one I want, if I can talk him out of it. I didn't ask for any bars this time, just a bit of cash for my time. So, we shall see. Stay tuned!

Ok, here's something new. I got called out today to help a guy find some silver bars he buried and then couldn't find. I took the MX Sport prototype I still have and was able locate about 1000 oz. of his hidden silver. I played around with Relic, Prospecting, and Hi Trash modes. The prospecting seemed to work the best for this application.

Guys, you all need to remember one thing. This is NOT a true prospecting machine. Just like the MXT is not. It is a multi purpose machine, designed for being able to do a little of everything. The coin mode may end up being the best feature. The prospecting mode is good, but it is not dialed in to be pure nugget hunting machine. This, like the MXT, was designed to be the "one fits all" detector for the guy who wants to try detecting for everything. They took the best features of a top of the line coin machine and an excellent nugget machine and combined those into one. One machine for the guy on a limited budget who can't afford to get two or three machines to cover all the bases well. Wouldn't it be nice if there was ONE machine that operated like a GMT, a V3I, a TDI, and a 2300, all in one package? Not going to happen. Digger

Yep, fishing weights work good too. Cut some split shot in half, hammer it flat, glue it to a poker chip, and you are good to go. Works with any detector in simulating gold. Believe me, you will find a lot more lead than gold out there unless you get lucky.

In the limited testing I was able to do, the iron ID works very well in the prospecting mode. Think of it as an MXT on steroids.

There is one thing I discovered accidently in field testing. I'm not sure if, or how, they adjusted to this, maybe color coding. The pod connectors for the loop and the headphones are almost identical. Even though one is 4 pin and the other 8 pin, it's possible to plug the loop connector into the headphone plug on the unit. Do this and the detector will turn on but nothing happens, won't detect obviously. It could lead to someone thinking the detector is malfunctioning. Just something to remember if one unfamiliar with it.

Steve, Remember when I asked you last year to give your opinions on what Whites could do to revive the line? I asked several other prominent detectorists for the same thing. I then took those suggestions directly to the head people. They may not implement everything, but they listened and acknowledged the needs. We may not get everything we want all at once, and some not at all, but they know now. The people out in the field have spoken, and not just the nugget hunters. This machine is just the first, well actually the third, in a long line of upcoming innovations that will, hopefully, redefine the market and increase our finds. Stay tuned, there is a lot more to come! Digger Bob

Hee Hee, Oh, you'll like it!

The price has now been revealed to dealers. It is what I thought it would be. But I'm still swore to secrecy so someone else will have to find it. Should take less than a day :-)

Just saw this thread. I guess the cats out of the bag now. I've been one of the field testers for this beta unit for months now and can't say much about it. I can say it is NOT just an MXT in a new box. It has been completely redesigned from the ground up. We have, we hope, ironed out most of the bugs and I think it will be a winner. Stay tuned, it will be available soon and I believe you will be impressed. Digger Bob

There is a product that we all swear by called Oral Ivy. You can usually get it at a health food store or online. Those of us who hunt in that nasty stuff start taking it in the spring and continue all through the fall. If you hunt year round in it, then take it year round. A couple of drops in your morning coffee or any juice will do it, it's practically tasteless. It builds up an immunity in your body so you don't get it, or at least it will minimal. Now, if you already are infected, it is supposed to relieve the symptoms within a few days after you start taking it. Give it a try, you've really got nothing to lose and it's a lot cheaper than a doctor visit. Boericke & Tafel - Oral Ivy, 1 oz liquid Digger Bob

Just to add this bit to the agenda. Looks like I am commited to go. Whites has authorized me to add to the prize list; a TRX pinpointer AND a GMT gold detector! Guess I'm going to have to say something after all. I'll be there Friday afternoon through Saturday night and will have a few extra items of interest if anyone is interested. Miner John will also be there and speak on his knowledge of loops and their design. I believe he will have a loop to donate also. Digger Bob

Looks like I'm going to try and make it. Miner John of Razorback and I will be there Friday afternoon, as long as nothing serious comes up. My knee replacement is doing well and I should be able to hunt for a bit. Besides, I'm getting bored sitting at home recouperating from this surgery. Digger Bob

John, I just answered to the best of my knowledge, your question. I didn't see your PM until today, since I've been out of touch for awhile now, having a full knee replacement done recently. What everyone else here said is correct, as far as the gain and battery life. Digger Bob

Are you near Callahan? Being from Yreka, Scott Valley (and Etna in particular) was always one of my favorite places.

Also keep in mind that the 2100 is almost 20 years old. Minelab has said that repairs might not be possible if parts cannot be had. If something serious breaks, you are left with a big paperweight.

And they know it too! Haven't been able to catch up since.

Yep, used one of those for years on my old 2100. It's an amp as well as a speaker. But then Coiltek came out with one that was better suited and have used that ever since. I still have one of those Radio Shack speakers, brand new in the package. I was afraid they would discontinue them so I bought two.

I finally figured out how to post pictures. Here are a couple of it being dug.

On the Big Foot coil; I still have one that works on the older detectors, 6000-1, on up to when they went to a different frequency with the blue max loop I think. I have the list at home of which ones it works with. Anyway, it still works and if anyone is still using those older machines, drop me a line, I'll sell it cheap. Digger Bob

Sweet Jeep. But, I have many gold places that I can get to on my quad that a jeep couldn't get within 5 miles of.