Northeast

Christ I think I'm slow but if you can clarify something for me - especially Z users. 

The point of the B&Z is obviously to boost the sound so you can hear the faint signals.

But with particular reference to the Z and JP's thinking that turning up the Z volume is akin to turning up the sensitivity and thus increasing the erraticness of the machine does the B&Z allow........

- me to turn the Z volume right down - maybe only 2 or 3 - thus assisting a really smooth threshold  

- a target signal is sent to the WM12 and if it was a very faint signal maybe it wouldn't be heard through the external speaker or headphones.  

- but with the B&Z it boosts that signal and importantly it is an undistorted signal and I actually do hear it. 

Is that the real benefit with the Z??  That the machine will run smoother with a low volume but you can still hear targets?  

Please tell me I've finally got my head around it 

Straw hats Fred - is that what we were talking about? 

Yes Jakepilot, something like this. 

But after reading the external audio vs headphone thread I'm going to try a few experiments next time I'm out.  

Steve had already sent an email Minelab - now that's priceless 

Or have a look here

http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/1489-what-kind-of-gps-unit-and-boots-do-you-use/

It's a good read too. 

Paulito, 

You could always use one of these. 

But I use these so I can wear whatever hat I choose. Similar to what Steve has suggested and they do come with the other fittings - not just the over ear hook. They are made by Phillips. I like these ones because they are not ear buds, rather they sit just at the edge of the ear canal and allow in some ambient sound - good safety measure.  They were designed for runners so they can still hear traffic while listening to music. 

I've been wearing Keens just on 12 months. Waterproof and comfortable. High ankle version - can't remember the model. 

Been ok but won't be buying another pair as the sole is quite soft and when scraping a bit of gravel when you might have a target it hasn't taken long to shred it. 

I might get another 3-4 months and they'll be dead. 

Link here is useful - but maybe more for us in Oz.  https://www.prospectingaustralia.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?id=19333

Thanks Steve. Well worth the watch ??

Very nice JP.  Picked up a few more bits of info again so thanks 

MadTuna, is there an entry charge????   

Thanks phoenix - appreciate the info  

Ok, thanks. How long has this speci been in the wash?

Real purdy.  

What sort of acid are they bathing in?  

I was thinking of the same thing a few days ago. Nice to know roughly where people are from. 

Northeast Victoria, Australia. 

Short term = 

- crack the gram mark (thought I had yesterday but it was .94).

- average at least 1 good days detecting a week for the year.

Medium term = 

- crack the ounce mark.

- recoup the cost of the Z and SDC by Christmas this year with gold finds. 

Long term =

- stay healthy enough to continue detecting.

- find a virgin reef - even just a little one.  Would be very cool to work it from go-to-wo.

- previously I would have said to "make a living from detecting" but as with all things if you make your hobby your job sometimes the shine wears off.  Happy to leave it as a significant (obsessive, all encompassing ) pastime.  

Great question GoldEn 

In the third pic - is that a dead roo a bit further down the road??

Ashley, Lunk and Steve - thank you. I really appreciate the time/effort you have taken to respond. 

And Steve, your response in particular - I was happy just to know the what but find myself now knowing the why...and actually understanding it 

Hopefully it will answer the question for someone else too. 

Thanks again 

I think I once read that the GPZ will " make the goldfields new again". 

It is ringing true for you. Well done 

The Gold Monster is sparking my interest in VLF to supplement my detecting arsenal. 

But I have a question - what exactly does a discriminating machine discriminate out?  

I am assuming ferrous and non-ferrous, which in my simple terms means magnetic and non magnetic.  Please correct if wrong.

So on the iron/ferrous side do we have - nails, tin, bottle caps, metal buttons, please add things in here. Where do meteorites fit in?

On the non ferrous side we obviously have gold. But do we also include lead, aluminum, I think most coins aren't magnetic (never tested them), please add things in here. 

With VLF am I still going to be digging every bit of lead, aluminium can and coin?  Or does is narrow down to just gold?  

I have done a brief search on here that got a lot of hits for the word discriminate but nothing specific.  I also know I could google a lot of these answers but I know the very experienced on here will be able to give a very succinct list of what is discriminated out and I can only assume that this is a question many other newbies would be interested to know the answer for.  

I hope you can help. 

Adam.

I've never had a VLF.  Watching this with a lot of interest. My kids have been turned off detecting simply from the amount of nails and crap that they have watched me dig. More their size/weight too.  And I'd be happier with them carrying a slightly less expensive machine!!  Will be very interesting to see results from everyday detectorists.  

I can only assume that JP will have a review coming out on Minelab website soon considering he spent has spent some time with it.  Waiting patiently now 

Hi Matt - never had mine under water except for the coil.  Will be scared to now!

Idaho - definitely not the loose battery issue. Very different to turning off and immediately restarting.  It did do that about 6 months ago and taped the batteries and no further problems. 

Also rang the service dept at Minelab in Adelaide and spoke to a very helpful chap there.  He said that it sounded weird and definitely send it back.  He also said that it sounded like I had tried everything that he would have suggested to try - which made me relieved. 

Now I am very nervous about my most expensive ever postage parcel 

Spoke to dealer.  No suggestions as to the issue. Please post back to Minelab. 

Will post today and see what happens. 

Will keep the forum informed.  

Digger -About the first 4 times I used the SDC it drove me nuts - random warbles for no apparent reason.   Finally dawned on me that the mobile phone in my right side pocket would bump against the control box. Moved the phone and no more issue.  

Steve - I will certainly keep the forum updated re: what the issue ends up being. Still under warranty so that makes me happy. 

Chris - that is my gut feeling. It seems that it is something loose that triggers on movement. Have never used it under water (except the coil) so confident that water ingress isn't the cause. 

We will wait and see. I mostly use the Z anyway so I won't be too lost whilst it is away. 

Trying to ground balance was the worst - went really spacko then!

Actually, jokes about German sausage - they are the wurst