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Rob Allison

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Everything posted by Rob Allison

  1. Hey Chris, I agree with you on the training. If someone is a seasoned prospector with experience with prior PI's, they normally can get away with a day or so of training. The new customers that are jumping into a PI or GPZ are so green at detecting, terminology, techniques, that normally these guys/gals will need much more fine tuning along the way. One reason I always honor unlimited support beyond the sale. This allows customers to always email, call or visit our forums if they have questions or issues beyond the field instructions. Some people's learning curve is also much greater than others. I've had some jump right in and take off like they have done it for 20 years, while others really struggle. Today there is so much research material such as the Internet, books, publications, geologic maps, Google Earth and much more. Chris Ralph's Book, Fist Full of Gold is a must have in my opinion as it covers pretty much everything you can think about and more.
  2. Hey Steve and all, Ya, Geology training would be great, but let me just toss one thing out there. When I was in college, my passion was in Economic Geology. I have hundreds of books on mining, ore deposits, mineralogy and much more. I focused my studies more on gold, but there is nothing real specific to just gold. That being said, I was doing the electronic prospecting pretty heavy at this time. In my opinion, I found less gold nuggets knowing too much about Geology. I know this sounds a bit whacked, but I chased too much "Textbook" knowledge about vein/ore deposits that I overlooked smaller areas that had better potential for gold nuggets. The old saying is, "Gold is where you find it." I learned his the hard way, chasing too much textbook info and less field work information. If you want to be the best prospector, have an open mind. I walked over a lot of gold as I had too many "textbook blinders" on. Hope you understand where I'm coming from. Learning about geology and ore deposits are great, but don't allow that to take over your thought process when you're on the ground. Gold nuggets normally (in my opinion) are from much smaller seams/veins, which the geology on this don't always follow the same as the larger, more distinctive ore deposits/veins. That being said, some dealers like myself spent an entire day training. We are more than willing to train customers on whatever they need to know beyond the detector use. I always recommending buying from someone that is willing to train and cater to your personal detecting needs. Some great dealers here in the US that are more than willing to help get anyone up and running! Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Rob Allison
  3. Hey Scott, Got solid confirmation they are shipping today (Friday) and the remainder Monday per Minelab America's. My best guess, any dealer that had a pre-order in a long time ago will at least have some coils allocated off this shipment. I will have yours for sure! Take care, Rob Allison Rob's Detector Sales
  4. Hey Idahogold, Yes, there are tons of knowledgeable guys here on Steve's forum. Thanks for the purchase of the units. You will love those detectors!
  5. Hey Guys, Hear some rumors on a GPZ sale, but nothing has been announced that I have heard of. The GPX 5000 Pro Package that used to be at $5995.00 is now reduced down to $4000.00. You can still use the 15% Military Discount on top of this to reduce that price down to $3400.00. I can't believe the GPZ on that site is down to $7400.00 Take care, Rob Allison www.robsdetectors.com
  6. Hey Jim, The GPX 4500 Metal Detector + SDC 2300 bundle is current until Dec. 31st for $3,999.00. You can also purchase a GPX 4500 Universal package (includes the 15x12 Mono) for $2699.00, or the GPX 4800 Metal Detector for $2649.00 (now discontinued unless dealers still have in stock). Just some words of advice, the GPX 4800's are discontinued now. There was a promo back in Oct. where you could get a FREE Eureka Gold with the purchase of the GPX 4800. That being said, the panel was in spanish, but English software. Some individuals "were not telling" their customers this, as I have already got some feedback about this. I sold a bunch of these bundles, but told everyone right up front that the panel(s) were in Spanish, but the the menu screen was in English. It's not that big of deal, but always best to let people know what they are getting. I think some dealers might have been bundling the 4800 or 4500 with the SDC 2300 for $3999.00. If you have any questions, I would be more than willing to help, but the deadline is Dec. 31st. I also don't want to interfere with anyone's purchase through another dealer. Just trying to pass some information on about the current and past promo's from Minelab.
  7. Hey Steve and all, I will chime in with what I have experienced with the three Minelab units over the years (GPZ 7000, GPX 5000 and SDC 2300). I used the GPX 5000 for well over 3 solid years here in the Southwestern US. I've had great success with the unit. To date, I would say it was the best Pulse Induction metal detector on the market all around for small, medium and larger gold. Then the SDC 2300 got released. I figured it will have limitations due to the coil size, but with the new fast timing they claimed it would find much smaller gold than the GPX and even stuff that is larger, but more porous. Well after about 300 small nuggets missed by the GPX 5000, I knew this unit was a winner. I never used it to chase large gold at depth, but more as a lightweight, exploratory unit. Hike in long distances, pull out the unit, start prospecting. If I found something that warranted a return, I would bring back a PI that would punch deeper. Overall, the SDC in my opinion, was and is a winner. Then shortly came the release of the GPZ 7000. Ok, a $10,000 MAP priced detector, I think it hit most off guard! With the rumors floating around from Australia on this unit, I think most expected a $6000-$8000 MAP priced unit. The high price tag surely keeps a lot of guys out of this market, so one reason the bashing. It's human nature when you can't have something to say it's an overpriced, over rated product. Hey, I get it ..... but I bought one anyways. It's wasn't more than 3-4 hunts until I felt I understood the unit well enough and found enough small gold at depth the SDC missed. I placed both the SDC 2300 and the GPX 5000 up for sale. I felt the GPZ 7000 had better mineral immunity, much better depth, better sensitivity overall on small and porous gold, there was no reason to have 3 units when one did them all combined. I have found nuggets under a grain in size with the GPZ at the surface, Gram sized pieces at a foot depth (many witnessed finds) and some larger 1/3 to 1/2 ounce pieces at even great depths, missed in old patches. They all are great units, but I found the GPZ 7000 was worth the $10,000 and managed to recoup a bit of that cost selling the SDC and GPX. Just my thoughts.
  8. Hey Nenad, Great article as always. I copy/pasted it over to my Nuggethunting.com forums, but placed a courtesy of Steve's Detector Prospector Forum as the source of info. When the SDC 2300 was first introduced here in the US, I couldn't keep them in stock. At one of my large training sessions several of my customers were having trouble with their SDC's resetting. By the end of the day, just about all the SDC customers had at least 1-2 power failures, then the unit would power back on. We concluded pretty much the same, the terminals on the stock Minelab C batteries were too small, allowing the terminals on the door to move off the battery, causing the unit to reset. With C batteries with larger terminals, the issue is minimal. I also sell a set of 6000mah batteries since this became an issue. The best solution, even though it sounds silly is placing a small wedge between the top two batteries. Once you do this, you will never have another issue, even with the stock blue Minelab C batteries that came with the unit. I just use a small piece of cardboard, easy to push in or pull out during a battery change. Just my thoughts on the battery issue with the Minelab SDC 2300 Metal Detector.
  9. Hey Condor, Is that that general area 10 years ago where Bill had all the secret maps, but we couldn't see them? Remember that gully I hit all that gold in? Did you try that again? I haven't been back to that spot since I found it, so its well worth running the GPZ there. Congrats on your success! Would love to see a picture of the 11 Grammer you hit.
  10. Hello All, Just wanted to say "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year" (if we can still say that) to Steve and his Detector Prospector Forums. I have known Steve for a very long time and he is one of the most respected and knowledgeable guys in the industry. This forum has been a wealth of information for not only the seasoned metal detectorist, but newbies also. Merry Christmas to you all. Wishing you all Health, Wellness and many nuggets to boot!
  11. Hey Lunk, Ya we are probably ZEDI Apprentices compared to JP. JP had shared some great knowledge about the GPZ since the introduction of the unit. How long are you staying around Quartzsite? I still remember our last hunt with the SDC out that direction. We did quite the clean up on smaller gold over some hammered patches. Hopefully we can meet up again for a camp over soon.
  12. Hey Lunk (good buddie), Congrats on your recent success with the ZED (or Minelab Jedi Detector) It wouldn't matter where you went, the nuggets would pop up. You're dedication and time in the field contributes to your success. Your willing to help others has also inspired many that gold nuggets are still out there to be found. Wishing you many more handfuls of nuggets and Happy Holidays! Your friend and "Zedi" Knight,
  13. Hey Mike and others, I must say, one of my good friends and very successful nuggetshooter loved the Fisher Goldstrike! For shallow areas (mostly bedrock hunting and areas with only a few inches of overburden) it worked great. He loved the 2-tone response on signals and had it dialed in to where he would know if the targets was iron or gold. I never used the Fisher Goldstrike much, but seen him find hundreds of shallow nuggets using this technique that "was or wasn't unique" to this unit. Congrats on finding a Goldstrike and wishing you much success with it!
  14. Hey Steve and the forum, The XP's are great detectors. Many are waiting for the new coil. Some great finds with the XP popping up. Probably one of the best detectors to use in highly trashy areas. Congrats to the finder. I would love to find a gold coin at some point.
  15. Hello Usefy_eng, The Minelab GPX 5000 can find large objects at great depths. I can't recall my deepest target, being iron rubbish, but it was probably pushing the 3 foot mark. I found that the Sharp timing was one of the better timings for pure depth as long as the ground mineralization would allow the timing to work smoothly. Sensitive/Extra was my go-to timing for all around metal detecting and prospecting new areas due to the sensitivity of small gold and small gold at depth.
  16. Hello All, Great information on the new Makro Gold Racer Metal Detector Steve. A handful of customers have already asked about pre-orders, so we are doing them. We have been promised some of the first ones in the US due to our request for them many weeks back. For the time being, we have copied Steve's information and added to our page at - http://www.robsdetectors.com/makro-gold-racer-metal-detector Hopefully Steve didn't mind, but it's the only updated information right now on the new Makro Gold Racer. Hopefully the manufacturer will have a page up soon with all the technical data and pictures. Paul - Got your email, you're down.
  17. Hey Guys, The GPX 4500 Promo ended Oct. 31st, but the price on the GPX 4500 will remain the same at $2699.00. You just don't get the freebies (Pro-Find 25 Pinpointer, Carry Bag and Vest). I still have a few promo's left, just can't advertise them now since the Promo expired.
  18. Hey Steve, I agree with you on that. I was talking more from a experience gold nugget detectorist standpoint. To get high end Pulse Induction Metal Detector and a high end VLF gold nugget detector for that price, it's hard not to consider either deal. Right now Minelab has some shocking promo's along with the ability to add the 15% Military Discount to them. Not sure what this is going to do for the other manufactures that aren't offering these types of deals or incentives for active/retired Military. It's going to really benefit new and seasoned detectorist to purchase new or upgrade to the latest and greatest for the best prices I've ever seen.
  19. Hey Steve and All, I'm completely opposite, I would take a 4500 any day over a 4800 here in the Southwest US. There are benefits of having Enhance and Sen/Smooth in heavy ironstones and basalts. I also like using the "Boost" feature on shallow bedrock to really make the small nuggets sing out twice as loud. The 4800 has been a very slow seller, reason they are bundling the Eureka Gold with it. If it's not about money and trying to re-sale a VLF bundled with your detector, I would take the Minelab GPX 4500 with extra 15x12 coil for $2699.00. Just my thoughts.
  20. Hey Steve, I haven't used the Razorback GPZ coil covers, but sell both Miner John's heavy duty cover and the stock white GPZ cover. We also have the stock, replacement GPZ covers in stock, which can be seen here - http://www.robsdetectors.com/gpz-7000-replacement-stock-cover The price difference from the Minelab stock coil cover vs. Miner John's heavy duty is only a few bucks. Some like the heavy duty one, some like the more flexible Minelab replacement one. Hope this helps a bit.
  21. Hey Guys, As for the GPZ Batteries, we do have the standard size in stock, along with the smaller CTX battery that works fine. We haven't placed them on our site yet, but have them in stock if anyone is interested in the standard, replacment sized GPZ battery. I did hear the larger 13ah battery is on hold. Don't know anymore solid details beyond that.
  22. Hey Babeinthewoods, I will let Steve give you the best advice as he probably has the most experience here in Alaska metal detecting with a PI. Here are some of my thoughts on places I visit in Alaska. Many of the "pay-to-mine" locations are based on old bucket/dragline dredge operations. You're working a lot of oversized tailings from material that went through the sluices to oversized cobbles that got screened off. In some of these locations there are "Volcanics" rocks that can cause hell on even a good PI. In these locations I preferred using a DD or DD Pro to help eliminate or null out some of these volcanic hot rocks. Other places might just have hot ground mineralization or hot bedrock like Serpentine. The DD's also allow you to have some "discrimination" in very trashy areas like these piles. Keep in mind all the rubbish got tossed in them, nails, wire, bolts and .... If the ground mineralization is low to moderate and has minimal trash, you might benefit from a Monoloop. A Mono will give you better pinpointing, more depth and sensitivity overall. I would also always recommend taking two items for backup. This would include headphones, power cords, batteries, handle and searchcoils. If you break an important part of your detector in the bush, you might be out for the entire trip. Many even take a backup detector like a smaller VLF. Just some thoughts before heading to Alaska. Wishing you much success!!
  23. Hey Jasong, I tested one of the first Coiltek Elite's here in the US with my GPX 5000 and was impressed over prior coils on the market. It was a huge improvement. Once they actually hit the market, there was a small rush for them. Most of my customers have had good success, but most are not posting. I'm sure it's new, most want to get back over spots before others, along with the heat keeping some from the field right now. I wouldn't give up my GPZ 7000 for a GPX 5000 and Coiltek Elite, but if you're someone looking to get more depth/sensitivity and own a Minelab SD, GP or GPX (especially on specimen gold) a Coiltek Elite Searchcoil might be the ticket. Nugget Finder should be releasing their version soon.
  24. Hey 1515Art and others, Thanks for posting that, as you're one of many thousands that really pay attention to what the experts say (J. Porter). I guess this is what I really meant from the beginning, JP might not know how many people really follow his postings, articles and watch the DVD's. I think it's awesome as we need more guys like this out there. Reno Chris - Great picture of you guys. I was fortunate enough to meet JP in person many years ago when we came out for one of the AZO Outings at Rich Hill. No question he has a great sense of humor and an enjoyable person to be around.
  25. Hey JP, Sorry if it came across that way, that wasn't my intention by any means. Your articles, videos and such are seen by thousands of prospectors and metal detectorist around the Globe, many take what you say as "Gospel." This is great to have such an influence on people and their success JP. Thanks for always writing great articles and providing us with outstanding DVD's. Hope to see a DVD from you on the GPZ 7000 soon. Your friend, Rob Allison
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