PeterInSa

James re (. I became aware of issues from a couple of prospectors in the Pilbara that blew their boards but so far so good for me.) Question did they do their own patch leads? or get an experienced person to do the plug/socket/patch lead?

I have found very small pin head size gold with the Z but wondering with the introduction of the 6000 what I have missed. Have read about the successes of the 10 Inch x-coil by Simon (phrunt) and Dave ( davsgold) and positive x-coil comments from jr (beatty)and AraratGold on this and other forums along with comments on the X-coil Facebook site. Was also influenced by the test comparisons between the standard Z coil and the NF 12 ( have one) and the potential wait time for a 10 Inch NF coil, so have purchased a 10 Inch X-coil, its in the mail (DHL). X-Coils give a detailed DIY on how to make a patch lead and in a past life working in Computers/Telecommunications, I could make up one myself but prefer to get a pro to do the job for $150Aud.

And in Oz a pressure bandage for snake bite ( and know how to apply it) preferably carry a PLB if out of Cell phone range, I carry a CB to contact my wife and have the Sat phone and EPERB ( out of our boat) back in the vehicle (not handy if I am 2miles out.) Plus GPS and Gaiters etc.

Erik, Make sure you can quickly ditch your detector if the snake wraps around your coil/shaft ( Quick release Bungee clip and wireless Headphone/speaker help)

Re (There will be a lot of people who won't fork out for the 12 inch,) I could be in this Group Re( but probably will for a bigger one, or a 10 inch.) I find very very small gold with the standard coil, What could be the expected benefit with the NF 10 inch or the X Coil 10 Inch other than weight eg faster to find the gold in the dirt after you have dug it out of the hole. ( me, it takes ages for very small gold) Or with a more sensitive smaller coil a faster swing. Or smaller size to get between rocks/bushes ( not a major consideration for myself)

For me it was the ML 4500 had the most success over the years, but still have great memories of the ML3000, ML2100 and the ML GT16000 also great machines in their day, compared to the gold machines memories between/after (Z). Re Coin detectors have had a number of ML units but like OneGuy like the Tesoro Golden Sabre.

Hi Ryan, a friend put up this Youtube Vid, it may help:

Re (What interested me was the orange swing arm on the detector?) Mate has a similar orange DIY swing arm, made out of electrical conduit available in Oz.

Re (My solution & the absolute best pin pointer I’ve ever used is the Gold Monster 1000 with it’s smallest coil and a shorter shaft) In the Good old days of the ML 2000, 2100 and the 2200 I used a ML 1600 with the control box on my belt and a 6inch coil on a small shaft in a hammer holster on my belt as a pin pointer.

In Oz when prospecting we leave our 21’6” Traveller Tandem Caravan in the bush unattended and have an MT600 Plus au GPS Tracker, connected via an RF switch to a 1m mobile phone aerial on top of our Wingard TV aerial. At the time ( maybe 3 years ago) I though that as well as 3G, this unit had the most 4G frequencies available so maybe a bit of future proofing for Oz. I just set the tracker up in the Geo Fence mode so if the Caravan moves more than 100 yards I get and SMS, thought about getting SMS message sent via the Tracker via a movement detector ( any movement outside the door of the van) but have not done anything about it. I can switch the aerial to a Mobile phone/ Modem.. laptop/Tablet or the Tracker when in the caravan. Depending upon the location ( and signal strength) the tracker still operates with the aerial flat above the van roof. www.mictrack.com/downloads/user-manual/4g-gps-tracker/MT600_Plus_User_Manual_V1.0.pdf I also have a wheel lock on each side of the van, one wheel only ( carried on the 2 spares on the back bumper)and of course the tow ball lock, as well as good insurance cover but which will not cover us for the additional gear, I have added to the van or the price increases that have happened to this model since our purchase, along with the Agreed Value Insurance of the Caravan diminishing over the years. Up to 3 years ago we went bush with 2 couples with older vans, so if one was going to be stolen, it would probably be ours, mate we now go with has a more modern Traveller Caravan than ours. Some in Oz use an old Smartphone with a good coverage sim card and if their 4x4/van goes missing just run the App "Find my Phone" on your phone, if in a good mobile phone signal area. To me the Bush in Oz is quite safe, but there could be exceptions, don't know about the US ( a friend in Oz some years ago had his Landcruiser stolen while detecting, not happy, with his wife waiting in a Caravan Park for his return, Thankfully 5 days later, his vehicle turned up 500Kms away unharmed and out of diesel.

Hi Chris, Great result. Re (Research, time, and lots of boot miles) Last trip, 2 days leisurely driving to get there ( ditto return), 9 days camping in known gold area, 2 mornings detected/walked for 4 hours into the distant hills for virgin ground with a zero result, so concentrated on known areas for the rest of the trip. In a similar situation a friend looks for new areas in the morning and known areas in the afternoon, me I would probably only do this if I was in the gold fields for a month or more. I think if you are finding gold in a know area on a daily basis you are less likely to look for Virgin ground. And agree on Research effort/time, Have used Google earth and.... and... for detecting spots in Wa (OZ) and still picked some Bummers.( and some Good)

Good Trip mn, well done, don't know about detecting in the moonlight in mid 80's though, in Oz I would be wary of not seeing a Joe Blake ( snake) and standing on it.

Hi Knomad re ( only 1/2 inch long magnets with the hole and plan on stacking them) I can only get magnets with a hole around 1 inch by 1/4 thick in Oz ( Or 1 inch magnet without the mounting Hole) Appreciate your source if possible, otherwise will look at stacking also. Thanks Peter

I realised ML had their own patented Wifi Transmiiters ( in their detectors) and Receivers but did not appreciate that the Wi-Stream Protocol was proprietary as well. As one WiFi 2,4Ghz Transmitter on the market uses a 34 channel frequency hopping transmission to get crystal clear audio. Ml could use different Frequencies, any number of Channel hops with variable timing for there proprietary hand shake. Just a pity there is not an ML option of a WM08 Transmitter.

Hi Am, I realise that a transmitter is built into the Nox, just wondered if someone has come across a Wifi unit that would hand shake with the WM08.

My question is not a substitute for the WM08 , what I would like to do its match it with a non ML Transmitter, is anything available? Background: Wifes 2300 did not come with Bluetooth Headphones like the Nox or a better, the Z's WM12 speaker with Headphone jack. I have set up an ebay Bluetooth Transmitter on the 2300 and a ebay Bluetooth receiver connected to the dealer supplied amplifier carried in her back pack to drive a speaker on her shoulder. The Transmitter and Receiver are the Bluetooth V2.1 + EDR which I understand is faster with less latency that the Bluetooth V4 or V5 but use more power than the V4 or V5 versions, so am not sure whether a charge on these small units will last a day. So am wondering if anybody has come across a transmitter than will drive the WMO8 so can use it on the 2300 ( ie with a longer detecting use) My Transmitter and receiver is similar to the item below https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mini-3-5MM-Bluetooth-Transmitter-Stereo-Audio-Music-Adapter-For-TV-Phone-PC-AU/264413046661?_trkparms=aid%3D1110001%26algo%3DSPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20190606144518%26meid%3D633c1a5c76af41c7ad83ca088d9075bc%26pid%3D101072%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D303247817326%26itm%3D264413046661%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2546172&_trksid=p2546172.c101072.m2109 Peter

A bit similar but not club orientated a town in WA Oz has purchased a lease to have tourists get interested in gold detecting and stay longer in their town. Probably the first town in Oz to do this. https://www.farmweekly.com.au/story/6371824/gold-rush-lures-new-prospectors/

Hi again SM2049 I am a Minelab Nox ( Z,2300,4500)Devotee, but a friend of mine is pro this range of detectors, to me this brand and other competition helps keep Minelab on their toes. You may not have come across this Youtube Vid. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eye3SsZLYwc

Hi SM2049 Since the Early 70's I have updated my Gold Detectors with new Minelab units roughly every 3 or 4 years, Ditto SWMBO, coin machines similar as I wanted to get a coin detector that could be used on the beach/parks etc and in mineralised ground in the gold fields, I'm over 65 and think that the GPZ will see me out along with the Nox 800. Recently the Nox found some very old coins in trashy mineralised ground in the Victoria OZ goldfields. To me if you purchase a detector you have mentioned above sooner or later you will consider/purchase a Nox800 and this route may be more costly, but less painfull, and you may also wonder if you had purchased a Nox would you be finding more gold. I appreciate your situation as years ago, I met a female new to detecting who purchased a Minelab 4500 Gold detector ( $4400Aud) as her first detector something that I do not think I would do. Below is a GM and Nox Comparison, I do not know these operators or the location in Victoria but to me the Nox seems better value. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITSYb4Tts_8

Thanks JP Re (try using Sensitivity 9, Audio Smoothing OFF, Ground Balance Semi-Auto, Threshold 27, Volume 12 for WM12 My settings which I will change to yours above were : Sensitivity 17, Audio Smoothing OFF, Ground Balance Semi-Auto, Threshold 22, Volume 8 for WM12 with SP01 at 7.5 ( I think if the volume on the Z goes to 12 for the WM12, the vol on the Sp01 could come down to 5 maybe) Peter

Currently using an SP01 and matching twin Speakers, volume on the Z is 8 volume on Sp01 around 7.5 if not using the Sp01 Volume on the Z is 11, with these settings and my hearing am not sure am getting the benefit of the Sp01, so as above would appreciate comments on twin WM12's ( Speakers are high on the Z Harness along with the WM12, the SP01 in the Z Harness backpack) Will look at setting up the SP01 and the Twin Speakers on Margaret's 2300 with a Transmitter/Receiver driving the Sp01. Thanks Peter

Re (the Swing Arm off of a GPZ-7000. I sell so many of those and if you swing an SDC-2300, the Swing Arm is a must.) Yes But its a mindset change as well, SWMBO'ed never used a swing arm on her 4500 or previous detectors, so it was a sell job. now its always in use.

Re ( I wouldn't understand the location no matter what he said. It surely would include a location which would say 'over next to the tree!') Years ago got talking to a Fem at a Caravan Park Laundry,she told me about a Patch that had been recently found out from Yandal WA (Oz) said I intended going there later, she said she had been talking to the finder and he was prepared to mark the spot on a Tographical Map as he was going home. Anyway she got the spot marked on the map and she/partner, me/wife left the next morning on the 60++mile drive over mainly dirt roads/tracks finally found the place in a real sandy area, no way was this the place of the patch. Next day grided the tracks in likely areas and found the patch, but so had a number of others, there was some controversy about someone clearing the area illegally so we left to detect elsewhere. So for me, Klunker can keep his location... near a tree or whatever. Peter

Norvic, I mounted ours on the Drivers side as well, Did not use the supplied mounting brackets but made my own, since I have an 80watt Solar panel on the front of the roof with fittings for a Broom stick mobile phone aerial and CB Aerial. At the rear of the roof a steel fitting to mount a 16inch wheel and AT Tyre. ( Go Bush with 3 spares) The Solar panel charges the aux Battery which charges the detector batteries when camping in the bush and we are not driving around. Between the Solar Panel and the Tyre Mount I have a surfboard rack/tube inside a pool noodle and a similar one in the front of the solar panel so I can load the Kayak onto the roof when needed.

We go gold detecting some/all day in the bush whether it be in Vic or WA ( Oz) away from our 21'6" caravan, and for my other half, a fem with her 65th birthday just a memory, this can have some inconveniences and little privacy. On our recent trip to Tassie ( Bottom State underneath the Oz Mainland) came across a campervan whereby the young couple had mounted a Kickass Shower/loo tent on the side of their Campervan. I have mounted similar on the side of our Landcruiser. I will bring the small porta potty from our 1/2 cabin boat to do the job. Did the Install just prior to the lockdown, ( cannot travel to Vic or WA) so have not used it yet. If you have a 4x4 and detect with a fem or if your Campervan is not fitted out with an inside shower/loo this item may be worth thinking about. Peter