Rob Allison

Hey Doc, Thanks for sending those two huge cases, I wasn't sure what the hell I ordered when I seen them .... LOL We have a good stock of them and they fit the GPX 6000 very nicely. I highly recommend this GPX 6000 cover kit to protect your new Minelab GPX 6000. If you haven't found one yet, we have them here - https://www.robsdetectors.com/?s=gpx+6000&post_type=product Wishing you all great success with the new GPX 6000 metal detector. Rob

Hey Sheppo, I prefer headphones for the best signal response to very small or faint, deep targets. I really only use an external speaker when I'm doing some videos stuff or training. The nice thing about the GPX 6000 is you can use headphones or the external speaker, the GPZ 7000 does not have an external speaker option. Hope this helps, Rob

Hello All and Strick, We are using both detectors, one (Minelab GPZ 7000) to make sure we didn't leave anything potentially deep and the other (Minelab GPX 6000) to clean up any small pieces overlooked. We are using a placering method, which means if you find gold in a wash for example, you can come back and remove all the larger rocks/cobbles by tossing them to the sides or behind you and digging and raking until you hit bedrock. Once you get down to bedrock or near, you start detecting that ground. For the most part, gold nuggets are at or near bedrock. We have searched a lot of the tossed out material, normally all overburden and never found any nuggets, just iron rubbish and such. This method can be used even with a drywasher and vac-pac if there are enough smaller gold and fines. In this area, the really small gold is minimal and not worth the effort to run buckets. You have to figure out the ground by testing, but spending hours or even days running material that is not productive is not worth my time and effort. Keep in mind, not all locations will warrant this type of placering. You can toss rocks, shovel and rake for hours down to bedrock and not find a single piece of gold. I will only use this method when I have found a number of nuggets in a small concentration, then I will work that section. There are several really good Youtube Channels out there that will show this type of placering and detecting. Check out "I brake for bedrock" channel, these two great friends use the same method that myself and others use to work dry wash beds that contain gold/gold nuggets. P.S. Yes, the EMI on the GPX 6000 can be a pain. The best method is to try tuning often if needed to keep the EMI to a minimal amount. If you are close to any EMI source, then there isn't too much you can do besides maybe lower the sensitivity down, moving to the DD coil and such. Hope this helps a bit, Rob

Hey Guys/Gals, Well the forum is back up, wasn't sure if I got banned or the forum actually crashed .... First, Welcome back Steve, hope you had a wonderful trip. Looking forward to seeing a post or two about your adventure in Alaska. On another note, been using the Minelab GPX 6000 a bunch. Really impressed, still haven't let the GPZ 7000 go, still believe it's got it's place. Here are a couple of short videos of some of the gold we have been finding placering a dry wash. The gold is normally in pockets (normally cracks/crevices). You can shovel, rake and detect large sections with minimal nuggets, but then hit a nice hot spot. Hope you enjoy.

Hey JP, I have to agree with you on this statement, as I made this conclusion months ago but got toss over the fire .... I have been using the GPX 6000 since it's been released here in the US and love it. It has some great features, super lightweight, very sensitive to small targets and probably the easiest detector to learn and use. That being said, I have no sold my GPZ 7000, as I have used it for nearly 6 years now with great success. I don't care for the extra weight, but some of the stuff I love about it is better mineral immunity (in my opinion), less EMI noise and more outright depth. I'm finding the same size gold as the GPX 6000 with my new Z Search coil, but have nearly $9100+ dollars invested vs. $6000. I love both detectors, not going to say what one is best for anyone. There are a lot of variables that determine what is the best metal detector for any one person. It's best to do your research, talk with other prospectors and figure out what is best overall for your budget. Wishing everyone the best of success. Minelab, no question is the KING of metal detector technologies.

Hey Guys, Here is a short video of some nuggets we dug up on the first trip out with the Minelab GPX 6000. The detector is super lightweight, extremely sensitive to small targets and probably the easiest detector to set up and get detecting! Like always, we are here to help anyone with learning how to search for gold. We encourage all questions and comments, as we have a great passion for metal detecting for gold nuggets. Wishing you all the best of success out there! Rob

Hello All, I haven't had much time to post, but did manage to get about 4-5 hours on the new Minelab GPX 6000 metal detector. I didn't download and read the manual, just charged the battery and headed out with it. I figured it was so simple to use, didn't need to really read about it. It was pretty simple to set up, about 10-15 seconds and I was off detecting. A few things I noticed right away was the super lightweight and the fact it can compact down very small with the 3 piece carbon fiber shaft. I took it back over a few spots I worked with the GPZ 7000 in the past. There was still targets left behind, as it was originally a very trashy placer area. I was finding small pieces of wire, bits of iron and tiny pieces of lead and birdshot. There is no question, it's a bit more sensitive vs. the GPZ 7000 with the NF 12" Z Searchcoil. After about 4-5 hours of detecting and digging probably a hundred small targets, I managed to pull 6 small nuggets out. I didn't even get to weigh them, one is super tiny (far right on the coil), maybe a grain in size. All the nuggets combined might be a 1 to 1 1/2 Gram total. I didn't do any side by side comparison for anyone wanted to know how it does vs. other GPX detectors or the GPZ 7000. I can see this unit being very useful for prospecting & exploring due to the high sensitivity, lightweight and how it can compact down very small to fit into a backpack or even a quad box. I was fortunate to get a good batch of them, all pre-sold prior to the arrival. I'm expecting another batch soon, so if anyone is interested in one of these great new Minelab detectors, give us a call. I'm sure there will be many great reports on them, hopefully more when it cools off a bit. Wishing you all the best of success and stay safe out there! Rob

Hey Guys, Great reports. I managed to get just a bit of time on mine this weekend, but made sure I ran it across some ground I hit pretty good prior. I managed to find 6 small gold nuggets I missed with prior detectors. I didn't even read the manual, just took the unit out of the box after the battery charged and winged it. I might have been running it wrong ..... LOL, but still managed to find 6 dinks. First impression, super lightweight, extremely sensitive, like the fact you can use the external speaker, headphones (wired or bluetooth). The unit does compact down very small, perfect for a quad, quad box and such. My GPZ 7000 won't break down small enough, have to always take break it apart to travel in my quad box. A few things I have to get used to, the 3 piece shaft seems to be much more flimsy than I'm used to and hope there is a headphone jack conversion to 1/4" as I prefer other headphones (wired). I should have another batch soon, the first batch was pre-sold and gone the moment they arrived. Wishing you all much success with your new GPX 6000's! Rob

Congrats on the new nugget finds and meteorites. Always great to get out and swing the coil and be rewarded with a little of Mother Nature's treasure. Rob

Hey Reg, Great to hear your initial field report on the Minelab GPX 6000. I have followed your post for many years on the forums and know you always have been a larger coil guy and depth (from what I gathered). That being said, keeping as much as we can similar, despite the different technologies, what is your overall opinion on larger gold at depth between the two? I'm well aware that the GPX 6000 is going to be better at small gold and there is more small gold out there for the most part. This question might be too early in the game for you to answer as it sounds like you just got the Minelab GPX 6000. Wishing you much success and hope to hear more successful stories as it gets over more gold. Rob

Hey Phrunt - I have to agree, I have been in business nearly 25 years now and always hated taking any money up front. However, this time, I requested no one send me funds, but I ended up getting checks in the mail ..... I understand, everyone wants to get one of the first units. I have my fingers crossed we get more than expected on the first couple go arounds. Furthermore, I'm sure most US dealers have a good list of pre-orders on the GPX 6000. I'm sure many customers, which do purchase from multiple dealers, have their names on multiple lists in hopes one dealers get more or some before the other. No question, there is always a lot of excitement on a new product release. Rob

Hey Art, Congrats on the success with the new NF coil. No doubt they are performing well. I have turned out two good batches of them, so hopefully we can get some more great feedback on them soon. I have a small gullie I want to get out to this weekend and try the coil over in hopes of missed smaller gold. Rob

Hey Guys, Last weekend I tried them out for a few hours and they worked great. For the last 10+ years I have been using most DetectorPro headphones, such as Nuggerbusters, Gray Ghost and Black Widows. However, a friend about a year or so mentioned I should try the Sun Ray Pro Golds, so I did and love them. They fit my head better and not as tight and allow a bit more background noise to be heard. These new Universal Sun Rays are better than the original and have the ability to use on all 1/8 and 1/4 inch headphone jacks. I have about a dozen customers using them now and hope to hear their feedback, which I’m sure will be great. Now you can have “one” pair of quality headphones to use on you GPZ/GPX and you Gold Monster/Equinox!! Rob

Gotgold - Agree, the real treasure is the experience, friends and memories made. Rob

Hey Gold Catcher, My GPZ does the same, over time it will get a little more worn, but not too big of a deal. After about 3 years and knock on wood for the lower not breaking, I replaced it with a new and it helped. As the shaft gets more and more worn and continues to rotate around, then re-adjusted, then rotate ...... it will wear. Just my thoughts, but minor compared to some of the issues I hear on other stuff. Rob

Hey GotAu, You can definitely work as a team and get better production if the gold is present. We used to double team a Keene 151 drywasher, both shoveling in as fast as we could for hours and the drywasher would keep up. Unfortunately in many of the yearly areas we drywashed, we figured more yardage/production always meant more gold. This is not always the case, which we experienced handfuls of times. The good old drywasher would leave you covered in dirt by the end of the day! Good times, great memories, minimal gold. Rob

Hey Purple, If you have any doubts, always have it checked out. That being said, I have found hundreds, probably in the low thousands of common chondrite meteorites, mostly Gold Basin region (7-9 known types), Franconia (irons and stones) and a few other spots on dry Lakes in the Southwest. The most common ID for meteorites is the fusion crust, which on 99% of the ones I found it's obvious. Then things like flow lines, thumbprints, condrules-metal flakes can be visually seen. I'm sure you have read all the stuff on meteorites and IDing them, so I won't go over that. There is tons of info on the forums, books and Google search. I'm 99.9% it's a common Southwestern Ironstone, but check it out to be 100% sure. Nickel is very rare on Earth, but is present in all meteorites, so this is a test that most Universities can do. I believe it's at least 5% Nickel-Iron to be classified as a meteorite, but I could be wrong. Rob

Hey Purple, Typical Ironstone in the Southwest. I have kicked, tossed and dug hundreds of them. We also call them "Hotrocks" meaning anything that is hot to the detector beyond the normal soil you are detecting. I'm not too technical, but I tell people a hotrock is anything that will sound off on the detector, mostly volcanics/irons, but also to investigate all rocks until you know its the "typical" hotrock for that area. Some placer areas are laced with a variety of volcanics and ironstones. There are some quick tests, such as streak tests, the old magnet test and worst case, I always tell someone if they don't see any visible metals, break in half and test the response to the detector. If both pieces sound about the same, they I just toss them. If you broke it in half, one side screamed, the other didn't respond, then you might have something or probably would see it by that time. Hope this helps. Rob

Hey AfreakofNature - Well, when it comes to video's, someone will always have their criticism. I couldn't tell you the number of "negative" comments I got over the years on my Youtube videos where I was hammering and chiseling nuggets from ancient caliche gravels and someone would say I planted the nugget there! LOL I guess the bottom line, congrats on new GPX 6000 owners that gotten over gold nuggets already. Hundreds, if not thousands of us here in the good ole' USA are still waiting ..... Yawn! I have a buddy in Africa right now giving me weekly reports. Him and his family have a large placer operation with 30 locals working for them. Most of the locals do all the hard labor and some detecting. He said most of the gold is smaller, up to 3-4 Grams, so the GPX 6000 is doing really well. He didn't discuss how much gold, nor did I ask. However, he mentioned most of the ground has been hunted hard with VLF's (lots of Goldbug's), plenty of Counterfeit Minelab's, and some genuine Minelab GPX 4500's & 5000's. They are finding gold that was missed. Rob

Norvic, I agree, Minelab could, if they really wanted to, hurt or really eliminate the aftermarket coil business, but they again why? I think the aftermarket companies have probably increased Minelab sales over the last 20 years, allowing the customers to even have more options over other manufactures. The one advantage to date is there are so many items such as coils, headphones, boosters, battery system, headphones, covers, heavy duty skid plates and more available for the Minelab metal detectors and very little for other manufactures. Just my thoughts, Rob

Hello Robert, Well with service like that, I wouldn't look anywhere but Minelab. I'm sure they know if they take care of the end user, they will continue to come back and tell others. Wishing you much success on your next Minelab purchase. Rob

Hey Guys, I have a few testimonials on it so far, but here is one - Hey Rob, got the coil yesterday and got out for a couple hours in the evening. Worked an area where I’ve found good gold and have worked to death with the stock coil and a gold monster. I like the Z search

Hey Cascade Steven, I have a Youtube Channel that I'm sure you seen at - https://www.youtube.com/user/Nuggethunting/videos I haven't done any new videos in months, but need to get some new material up. Thanks for watching. Rob

Hey Mike and all, Yes, there were several other videos, I'm trying to dig them up. I guess I never uploaded them to Youtube, but I did have more footage of the wash completely gutted out and me walking down it and the gold! Thanks for all the comments. Rob

Hello All, I came across a really old Youtube video I made back around 2008 here in Arizona. There are only a number of places in the last 25 years of metal detecting that I can say were honestly rewarding and worth all the effort to drag down a drywashing/vac-pac, set it up and run it all day or weekend. This happen to be one of those locations where we found a number of very rough gold nuggets using metal detectors, but the amount of smaller pickers and fine gold was unreal. Practically ever nugget my partner and I dug up, we saw a half dozen or more small pickers and a good amount of fines. You honestly don't find this too often, but they are out there and it does happen. We worked the small gully (as seen in the video) for several weekends, getting whatever we could metal detecting with a VLF and PI's. We then started down lower in gully and drywashed/vac from side to side, digging all the cracks and crevices up the best we could. The wash wasn't too long, nor very wide, maybe 3-4 foot in the widest spots. However, after about 2-3 weekends, we had the entire gully down to bedrock and ended up removing about 3 ounces of very small nuggets, pickers and fines. I believe we did so well due to the nature of this type of gold being very crystalline in nature. The source was probably weathered away as we never were able to locate any type of real vein or source. Overall, with all the gold, fines and gold nuggets, we ended up with about 6 ounces of really nice placer gold. There are hundreds, if not thousands of these locations still to be found, so a good metal detector can lead you into one of these hidden gems! Heck, at todays gold prices, just over $1900 per ounce, that's a nice $11,400 payday. It probably took about 5-6 days to recover it all. Wishing you all a bedrock-gold rich gully. Rob