Andyy

Very nice. Those babies sparkle. What did you use to clean them up?

Longhn - I wish I could offer some advice, but your area looks way different than those I prospect. I like to find areas that were known for gold and then work out on the fringes. But looking at your creeks, it is very important to know where the bedrock is at, if you are considering detecting, as well as the average size of gold you are looking for. This will better determine what tools you have to use. It sounds like you are looking for small gold, so the previous VLF recommendations may be your best bet. But you still have to get to near bedrock. So you are going to have to move some rocks around the typical locations that gold hangs out (around the large boulders, widening flows, inside bends, .... etc.). Either way it sounds like an interesting treasure hunt. If anyone tells me that there isn't gold on the surface anymore, I take that as a challenge.

I agree whole heartedly with phrunt. As I have stated on this forum many times, I believe people new to prospecting should start with machines which can detect small gold at least down to half grain. This way you increase your chances of getting "SOMETHING" so you continue your quest of learning much longer. And the same as others, I found my largest gold less than 6" deep with my smallest coil. So yes, a Radio Shack detector could have found it. Being a good prospector, in my opinion, is only about 25% the machine and 75% your blood sweat and tears into research and covering ground. Remember, there is much more smaller gold out there. so GM1000, GB2, SDC2300 have my vote. After you have found many pcs with one of these, then move up to gpx or gpz. Andyy

Very nice. I like hearing stories like that. Sad thing is, you wouldn't likely even be able to get back to that cemetery now, with all the gates and stuff. Andy

What I don't like is that when you invest in stocks and ETFs that hold gold, you get get hit with a much bigger tax hit than with other stocks. Commodities are treated much differently in the markets. Mining stocks would definitely be the way to go. Yet, I would much rather just walk around and pick it up off the ground for free or for the cost of a little extra sweat and exercise. :) Andyy

Sweet. Then maybe all those dinks I have will be worth something. ha ha.

If they can ever squeeze all that GPZ wire into a super D the size of the Sadie 8x6 coil, the SDC would likely be replaced, at least for those users with a GPZ. 10x9 is getting there, but will still need to be smaller. A 10x9 is not going to get into that many more places than the std 14" coil. It is likely the small coil will need to go more elliptical to be of use. My guess is that Minelab does not want to take business away from the SDC and Gold Monster and is why they have not jumped on the smaller coils. But that is just speculation on my part.

It also looks like gold to me, too. Looks like you just crushed the quartz out of it most likely. And it sounds like you learned a lot in that trip. Smart of you to stay in the area as opposed to racing around the mountain side. Keep walking and swinging that detector slow and you are going to have many more pieces. And you won't even question whether it is gold anymore. Nice job.

I'll give you the key that my buddy told me on the SDC (even though I don't use one). Listen to the squeaks. Don't dismiss them. I am sure Gerry already showed you the best way to set it up. Me personally, if I could have just two machines, it would be the GPZ and SDC. (I already have the GPZ and could only afford a GM1000 as a semi-replacement for the SDC) Good luck out there!! Andyy

Hey JW. I had a Sadie 8x6 coil as my smallest. The size limit for me, my settings, in my ground type (Arizona) was about .2 gram (couple inches deep) Flat wire coils may get a little smaller but at the time that I had my 5000, I did not have flat wire coils. The size gold I was referring to as small is .2 gram down to 1/2 grain. This is the SDC's, GPZ, or VLF world. Arizona has many locations that people think are pounded out. But if you bring an SDC or GPZ in there, they will be pulling out literally hundreds of pieces the un modified GPX cannot see .. (SDC will pull a little more just due to getting in places with the coil size). Also note, I do not have the wonderfully quiet ground that New Zealand has! But then again ... some people can do wicked things with their GPX's.

Interesting. I actually think beginners are better starting off with the SDC, for the sole reason that there is much more small gold out there and I have seen many times a buddy out perform my gpx 5000 in spots I have pounded. After the SDC teaches the technique and locations to a newbie, then I would move them to the GPX's. But that is just my opinion.

Night hunter, also look at the geology of the club claims. Figure out why they picked those claims. Walk around them. Then find areas with similar types of geology and walk some around those. Study the trash. Are there square nails, maybe boot tacks, wire ..? That is great. Stay in the area. Or are you hunting on the side of the hill where people are shooting at? I stay away from those areas unless I know there is good gold there. Also buy a .25g nugget if needed and bury it in a vial at one of those claims and gain confidence in your settings. And lastly, start out in washes with less than 2' of overburden, if you can. Otherwise you will be digging some deep trash and that really wears on your mind quickly. Research, research, research .... hike, hike, hike... and lastly ... BE THE GOLD :p

those are some nice painted rocks. You can tell it is fake because his hand would have been shaking like crazy on just the first one. And those rocks practically glow. Gold just doesn't come out that pretty. Oh, and the person is missing the scream that comes with such a find. He's just like ... oh lad-e-da .. here is another one... hmmm.... interesting... what's for dinner. LOL

Yes.... yes... yes !!! Stuff that wire into a smaller coil! While I don't really need smaller gold, deeper, I *do* need it smaller to fit around all the obstacles. If they can manage a robust design that is smaller, there will be a lot of people here in the states expanding their coil inventory.

I am curious of following up with the gridding of 90 degrees. Do you find more gold once you switch directions, more often than not? If so, it makes sense that this should be done in gulches, too. I was at a recent patch (really it was just a rich gulch) and I had flogged it multiple times. After checking gully after gully up to 1/4 mile away and coming up dry, I thought to myself, "what would Lunk's settings do on that area I pulled up all those nuggets, there must still be some there". Well I went back there, adjusted the settings to Audio Smoothing = High (and the other settings) and found a couple more pieces that were clear as day. So thank you for you sharing your earlier information on settings. And as the others have already said ... Really Awesome Finds!!

Way cool. Now those are beautiful finds!

It helps a lot to team up with people once in a while. You share your insight they share theirs. You'll be amazed. Sometimes you just don't know what you don't know. Keep at it. Gold hunting aint for sissies :) Andy

Very cool, Mitchel. Gold Basin can be less than friendly. You did well for your trip. Hats off you you!

Yep, sure do have a cover .. but it doesn't matter. Lag exists with or without. I thought of returning my machine to Minelab but like I said, I don't really know how to repeat it the silent threshold. If I took the time I could figure it out. But then again, I am not always trying new settings. Usually only when I am in a new area. I may make it out this weekend. I will have to see how repeatable it is. It just hasn't been a priority for me. Sending off my GPZ in the mail would give me nightmares. If you know how to repeat it every time, let me know. I'll see if my machine does it the same.

Hello, Ozgold. Yes it still happens once in a while when moving back and forth between the modes. But not too often. And more importantly, it has not gotten worse. The only other issue I have had is the time it takes to recognize a screen push. There is a noticeable lag in response, but again, it has not worsened. And more importantly, the machine still finds gold Both issues have been noted by others in varying degrees. I myself have not sent my machine back to Minelab because I am not exactly sure how to reproduce it (at least for the first issue) Andyy

Very nice. I usually don't use my pick when I run the Gold Monster, either. Usually, a flat head screw driver helps more. I generally carry my GM1000 on my backpack while running the GPZ. And then after running the GPZ over the bedrock, the GM1000 just finds so much more. Small, but more. It's really an amazing machine when you are hunting close to bedrock.

And - you remind me of my wife. wife: "Hey honey, which blouse do you like better the red one or the blue one?" me: "I like the red one" 15 minutes later, what is she wearing? the blue one!!! Well why did you ask?? LOL In all seriousness, And, I can still understand why you got the GPZ. In my opinion it takes a little getting used to but it can find gold below half a grain. Problem is (as others said) it does not have a small coil option. That is really the only thing that really kills the reputation of this detector (other than insane cost). It does not work well in rock creeks. And what do most creeks have … rocks. So I find this frustrating. This is one reason I wish I kept my 5000 with the small coil. Instead I had to get a GM1000 for these cases. And I have not regretted it. Good luck with that GPZ. Comb this site especially hard. It has many good GPZ tips and tricks. Andyy

Here is one more pic to show the bottom loop connection. The point of all of this is to be able to put the GM on and off without taking off the backpack.

All - I thought I would share an idea on carrying your gold monster. This is more for those of you that hike very far before you are ready to detect, or maybe you already have your hands full with another detector like a GPX or GPZ. It is not an original idea but one I saw recently for carry spare fishing poles. I recently tried it on a night hunt and really liked how it handled. It allowed me to use my GPZ and then switch to my GM1000 when I hit the bedrock. A major caveat is that I have converted my GPZ to telescoping rods, but I think the idea might still be useful for some people. For starters, this is for people who have made their own stand with PVC pipe fittings. you simply remove the elbow at the end of the stand so that you have a straight piece at the end. This is key, because the first contact point is low on your Camelpak (or other backpack). For this low contact point, you need a zip tie or similar method to make a loop. This is where you put the pole end of the GM1000, then you swing it over your shoulder and hook it to a caribiner that is latched to a high point of the backpack, typically the carrying handle. I used a caribiner but you could sew a velcro loop on there with back pack clips. There are many ways of doing this. Whichever way you choose, don't forget to bring the stand with you. ?

For overlays, and Birdsey, I use Garmin Montana. But realize they are in the very high price range. The Garmin Oregon has similar capabilities and is a little cheaper. Selling point for me was definitely the overlays and having a big screen. My small screen etrex drove me nuts .. but it was still a great gps.