LukeJ

Dang....

I've got a buddy who's looking to sell his TDI-Pro.

I'm sure he'd be happy to get $1000 for it.

Any takers?  PM me and I'd be happy to set it up.

Luke

You did all the 'work'.....

I just collected the money and shipped the coil.  

Congratulations on a great find.  Hopefully there are a few more like that out there waiting for you.

Luke

Nice going Mitchel.  

Those 3 nugget days sure are fun....

Luke

Hey all....

I was out last weekend in an area I had been a few times before.  After spending some time hunting the 'trashy' side of the gully.  I made my way over to a spot where I picked up a couple right on the surface a few months earlier.  The day I found the 'first two' I spent the rest of the day scouring the immediate area for any other 'easy' nuggets.  Ended the day with just the two...

So anyways,  I kept looking at that spot and thinking there is no way I got the last two nuggets from this little 'patch'.  My 5000 was running real smooth with the 11" Commander mono and I was running sensitive extra, gain 13, stabilizer 10, motion slow.  I was just creeping along, investigating anything that made a peep.  After 45 minutes or so, I picked up on an intermittent signal.  It was there about half the time.  I discovered that I couldn't swing directly over it because there was a large, buried quartz rock that the coil would bump if I kept it on the ground.  If I lifted the coil off just a bit, the signal wasn't there anymore.  I was able to get the target signal consistently if I swung the coil in a crescent motion hugging the side of the quartz 'boulder'.

So I started to dig.  Got down a couple inches and there's a dark grey/black rock and I'm thinking, 'oh, great...Hot rock'.  It was about the size of a grapefruit when I got it out of the hole.  Not a hot rock, and target still there and definitely a target now.  Two more grapefruit sized 'wannabe hot rocks' and now it's screaming.  I'm down about 10 inches and starting to scrape crumbly bedrock.  Another inch or two, and out pops this beautiful 1 gram nugget.  

Luke

Nice finds Paul.

"A Whopper with bacon....."   

Congrats.

Luke

I'd be lying if I said I hadn't wondered about what happened there, but now I know and it's much less drama than I figured.

The House makes the rules.  Simple as that.

You run a great forum Steve, and I'm happy that it exists.

Thanks,

Luke

I bought a 2300 used with just over a year and a half of warranty left.  I used it for a year and was starting to have problems with the knuckle being loose.  I couldn't tighten it much more without feeling like something was going to break.  I called up Minelab and they said send it in.  Cost me $50 with insurance.  A week later I got a brand new 2300.  No complaints about having to pay the shipping back to them.  Thank you Minelab!!

I've also had a couple coils now, one from White's and one from Makro.  Both with cable issues and each less than a year old.  Both replaced with new ones.  The White's I had to pay to send it in which I didn't mind since I bought it used.  The Makro, which I also bought used...  I just contacted them and was able to prove what the problem was and I got another about a week later.  The one with the problem still works as long as I don't flex the cable in a certain spot, so it's a 'back-up' in case something happens with the new one.  Thank you White's and Makro!!

Thank you Steve Herschbach for providing a great classifieds forum where I have saved a lot of money buying from reputable members.

Luke

1 hour ago, kiwijw said:

LukeJ: For me in my detecting conditions my GPX 4500 with sadie coil left the SDC for dead. If it didnt, then I would have stuck to the SDC. Again....horses for courses & again I believe the SDC is more in its element in hot ground. Maybe that is why your GoldMaster gets gold at spots your SDC didnt, because the ground is very mild. Is it/was it? I do know that I did get pretty tiny gold with my SDC, as I do with the GM 1000 & GB2 but when the 4500 & sadie got bigger gold at depths that the SDC didnt even register on, consistently. I had to take notice & why I lost faith in the SDC. Even more so when the sadie coil is smaller than the SDC's coil. You would think the 8" coil on the SDC would get that same gold deeper than the sadie on the 4500. But it didn't & I was running the SDC flat out, as I was the 4500. But then that is just me & my ground conditions. Probably very different for many others of you. And yes. Reno Chris made a very point.  Cheers.

Good luck out there

JW

Hi JW,

I wanted to try to clarify a few things and I wanted to say beforehand that I know, that you know, what you are doing when it comes to detecting for gold, so please don't take my inquiry the wrong way.  

I have spent at least a couple hundred hours listening to the 'music' of the SDC.  I can find things with that detector that other people just can't (or didn't).  When I started out, I was finding a fair amount of targets, some were gold.  After awhile, several of the spots I was visiting were 'hammered' by myself, and 'originally' by others in the past.  But then, over time I began to hear "beyond the threshold" and sometimes it almost seems like I'm 'willing' a target to be there, and as it turns out, often times it is.  I now find nuggets (.1g and smaller) at the very edge of detection of that 8" coil, things that a Sadie or any other coil or timing on a GPX just can not hear.  So with that being said, I'm very familiar with the SDC and it's capabilities.

My question arises when you say that the 4500 and the Sadie left the SDC for dead.  I know I must try to take the mild ground in your area into account.  The ground in my 'areas' vary from mild to fairly mineralized.  We both know that nuggets vary in shape and size and other conditions can also make a nugget easier or more difficult to detect.  One thing that is fairly common is shotgun pellets.  The ones I'm referring to are still perfectly round and the very smallest of the lead shot, the birdshot.  The ones that VLF detectors hear quite easily and the SDC can detect them as well. 

Can your 4500 and the Sadie detect those birdshot too? 

Once again, I'm talking about the smallest ones and they have to be lead, not steel or iron.  If they are deformed in any way, they become easier to detect, so those are not what I'm asking about. 

The reason I ask the question is that I'm wondering if maybe you didn't spend enough time with the SDC, and since I've heard people talk about their dislike for the 'warbley' threshold of the SDC compared to the silky smooth threshold of the GPX.  I know that my 5000 and the Sadie will not (so far) find those smallest lead pellets, at least at the settings that I have to run on 'my' ground.  I almost always run the SDC at '4'.  When I run at '5' it's just too noisy for me and when I switch back to '4' the magic starts to happen.   When I get tired of digging those tiny bits of birdshot, I swing the GPX and go for bigger stuff.  If I find gold with the GPX, I return and find more with the SDC or Goldmaster.   The Goldmaster is for particular areas that are shallow, or where I get too much EMI to run the Minelabs effectively.  At this point, I consider using the SDC to be 'cheating' and I like to use it to break the skunk that happens more often with the GPX. 

I would say that perhaps one difference and quite possibly a major factor, is your mild ground and that you can run your 4500 'flat out'.  Maybe that's why the Sadie was able to perform better for you.  There is no '6' on the SDC....

I know this may have gotten a bit off subject, but things are said all the time here and there, without clarification.  I just wanted to specify and be more clear so that we all can understand a bit better.  Hopefully I didn't ramble too much since it's late here and I should have been sleeping an hour ago.

Thanks,

Luke

I hear people all the time talking about how they'd like a bigger coil for the SDC or a smaller coil for the GPZ.  Which is pretty much what this thread is about....    I think either would defeat the main purpose of these particular detectors.  I also believe the GPX series covers all the 'ground' between these 'extremes'.

I don't think there is going to be a smaller coil for the GPZ and here's why.  The GPZ utilizes a 'DOD' type coil.  There are two 'ears' placed on either side of the transmit coil.  In order for a smaller coil to have the same basic properties that the Zed needs to have, it would require 'roughly' the same resistance and inductance and possibly similar capacitance.  Which means that the same amount (lengths) of wire would need to be coiled into smaller bundles.  Then the three coils would need to be 'tuned' and placed properly in relation to each other for the coil to function correctly.  Things get pretty 'tight' at that point and might not be possible.  If a smaller coil were to see the light of day, I'd guess an 11" coil would be the smallest.  Just my opinion.  Perhaps Minelab will prove me wrong.  I think that if making a smaller coil for the 7000 was a 'no brainer', that would have been the coil that came out instead of the 19".  As far as I have seen, most people who own a GPZ7000 wanted a smaller, lighter coil.  Not a bigger, heavier one.  Which is one reason for my thoughts here.

As far as the SDC is concerned.  I believe a coil much bigger than the 8" will not be able to handle the short pulse delay that allows the SDC to find things that a GPX equipped with Sadie are unable to see.  If a larger coil came available for the SDC I think it would lose it's edge and then find itself in the GPX range and then what would be the point of that?   The SDC has an edge because of it's 'special' technology in a specifically tuned package.  A smaller coil could be possible, but how much smaller do you want your 'nuggets' to be?  I take my Goldmaster to spots when I can't get anything else with the 2300.  My Goldmaster only cost me $250.

Reno Chris makes a good point too.

Luke

On ‎10‎/‎19‎/‎2017 at 2:06 AM, kiwijw said:

Oh goody....a 10x5 coil. Sweet. Where do I stand in line? Just need a smaller coil for the Zed now.

JW 

The 2300 IS the smaller coil for the Zed....   

Not me.  Never been to Rye Patch.  I find my own nuggets.  Thanks.  

5 minutes ago, benzyoc said:

Everyone I detect with always respects people's claims. If I'm not mistaken are you the guy I with his brother I met at dans place. I think I gave you a little nugget?

Who me?

1 minute ago, benzyoc said:

Wouldn't take a camera but you illegally run people's plates? That's funny. 

I'm not sure how it would be illegal to take a picture of someone's license plate.

Unless I'm misunderstanding something, it's the law enforcement officials that 'run the plates'.  I'm pretty sure they do so when a crime, like mineral trespass has been committed.  The pictures of the license plates and the pictures of the illegal mining are used as evidence in charging criminals with a crime.

I looked and there are some 10000mAh C batteries for sale on Ebay for $10.  Not sure if that's what you're referring to...

I'm a bit skeptical about the claims.  Especially for such a low price.  There is only so much power capacity for a particular type and size of battery.  If they were Li-ion, well then maybe....

Personally, I would stick with a 'brand name' even if they have less overall mAh and cost more.  Mostly for the possibility that those 'cheap' batteries could 'melt down' inside your SDC and then what ???

I use Tenergy Premium 5000 mAh C batteries.  They are like $16 for four cells and last around 6 hours on a charge.  I have three sets and have not had any issues.

I have also heard of a Li-ion upgrade available for the SDC that uses two Li-ion cells and supposedly has a greater run time and is a little lighter on the arm.  I haven't used them and can't say much more about it.

Luke

Nice !!  Congratulations !!

Where there's one, there's usually more.  Now you know for sure, a spot, where gold has been found.

You've only just begun....   

Luke

Hi Jim. 

Have you tried to detect any of the spots you are crevising?  I know it sounds obvious, but if you're getting gold out of cracks on the bench, maybe there's bigger pieces too?  Once the overburden is scraped away or the crack is 'cleaned out', faint deeper signals might be heard.  All you need to do is find one with that GoldMaster.....     You can get the ground balance dialed in very precisely when working small areas of bedrock and if you are removing the other mineralized objects beforehand,  then all the better.

In certain conditions like you have described, a metal detector could be employed successfully in a seated or kneeling position.  You know your own limitations, but if you're getting out and you're getting gold where you are, then maybe you might pick up nugget you would have missed if not for the detector.

Just some thoughts.  Take care...  

Luke

Jim,

If you're finding the tiny lead birdshot and you're hunting in a gold bearing area, it's just a matter of time.  Keep at it.

The gold will most times be not as loud as the trashy stuff.  It also has a sharper "Zit-Zit", kind of a zippy crackle if you will.  

Getting a small nugget,  .1g or less and practicing with it will help a lot.  Take it with you and bury it down as far as you can and still hear it.  Listen to it over and over again until the sound is burned in your brain.

When it comes to hot rocks and iron stones (cold stones, boingers)....   Make sure you pick them up and recheck to see if there is another signal underneath.  It is especially important with the iron stones, they will mask other small targets.

Several of the nuggets pictured were found under hot rocks or cold stones in areas that other people claim have been 'hammered'.  

Good luck, there is still lots of gold to be found for those who are persistent enough to find it.

Luke

5 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

An ultrasonic cleaner does wonders for gold nuggets and jewelry. Anything that might have dirt lodged deep in crevices.

I have been cleaning my nuggets in a super-saturated solution of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, with a splash of vinegar for good measure.

Basically, I just take a shot glass ( I'm in Arizona, most of our nuggets fit in a shot glass ) and fill it halfway with H2O2.  Then add enough baking soda so that when stirred vigorously there is still a layer of undissolved baking soda on the bottom of the shot glass.

Place your nuggets in the solution and after about 15 seconds or less, you will see some bubbling and dirt will start to float up to the top.  

Later, when the bubbles die down a bit, carefully add a small amount (maybe a teaspoon) of vinegar to the solution.  It will bubble and overflow if you add it too fast.  Vinegar and baking soda will neutralize each other, but there will still be extra baking soda at the bottom of the glass.

I'm not savvy enough with chemical equations to write it all out, but here's what I think is happening....

The hydrogen peroxide is just water with an extra oxygen atom.  When it breaks down, the oxygen bubbles off and you're left with water.  By adding the baking soda, you're now getting the cleaning action of baking soda with the addition of an oxidizer in water.  The vinegar is neutralized (no longer an acid) by the baking soda.  When this happens, the acetate ion is left in solution with the other components.  Not sure why this makes it better, but you'll see that the bubbles increase after the initial reaction when the vinegar is added.  I just think it's an ionic solution and the more the better as far as having ions to react with whatever is sticking to the gold. 

This method is very effective and yet benign.  You can stick your fingers in the solution and not have a second thought about dumping down the sink when you're done.

Personally, I like the way this method cleans my gold.  It gets the dirt off and doesn't change the gold other than that.

I haven't tried cleaning any relics or coins with this method, so use your own discretion when it comes to those items.

Here's a couple pics of some recently found nuggets.  All of these pieces came from the same area within a 100 meter stretch.  Some were found in dark red clay.  The shiny dime pic shows what the red clay nuggets looked like after only a 'spit shine'.  

Luke

Nice finds Mitchel.

That's a good lesson for all.  Whether you're looking for meteorites or gold.

Luke

This thread should have been called:   Apples or Oranges, which do you prefer? 

I mean seriously, the GM1000 is a dedicated gold machine and the Impact is a 'Do it all, I'm not sure what I want to look for today' machine.  How can anyone give a good comparison?

45kHz vs. 20kHz.  What's there to discuss?

It seems to me that you, Mr. Dawson, are trying to publicly justify your purchase.  After almost four pages of back and forth, where's the pics of the gold you've found with the Impact?  What's the point of all of this?

The people who have responded to you thus far have been more than obliging, in my opinion.

As far as I can see, the Impact made an 'impact' when it first came out, but as far as finding gold nuggets, I haven't heard much.  A good friend of mine purchased one and has already sold it.  He knows what he's doing and finds his share of nuggets as well as relics and coins.  The Impact didn't stay in his arsenal more than a couple months and he replaced it with an AT-Gold.

Kudos to those who have remained patient with you.  I guess I just needed to say something a little more succinct.

Luke

.....and since you brought it up.  

Here's some gold found last November with my Makro Gold Racer and the 6" elliptical.

I think it's fun to change it up every now and then.  Especially in a spot you've found gold with other detectors.  Often times, it's very surprising what turns up in a place you thought was 'hammered'.

Luke

I recently found a few 'sassy' bits with my Goldmaster V/sat.    The dinks on the patina'd dime were found with the DD shooter and the pieces on the shiny dime were found with the 6" GMT concentric.  The two smallest crumbs on the shiny dime were actually found by a good friend of mine using a blue waterproof foldable model of detector.  

Luke

Awesome!!  

That's a nice chunk of gold.

Congratulations

Luke

That's a handsome nugget Norm !!

Congratulations !!

Dang.....  

That's quite a haul !!  

I also wish the weather would stay like this.  We both know it won't, so better make the most of it and get out there again while the gettin' is still good.

Congrats !!

Luke