HardPack

A Garrett Storm hint? Check out the photo above, there’s a wooden post on the hillside right, the post has a beveled top. Could this be a “mining claim marker” ?

The Nokta Name that Detector Facebook window is apparently open: The Nokta Pulse Storm Gold, The Nokta Pulse Storm Relic Sender's message was sent successfully.

Firmware update notice from Nokta DT Facebook: Nokta Detectors Dear Valued Legend Users, Thank you for testing the Legend software update v.1.14 Beta 1 & 2 test versions and your valuable feedback. We have now removed the Beta versions from our website and we're ending the testing stage here. We'll work on a few more tweaks and release the final version in the upcoming weeks. Please use v.1.13 until we give you the final update of the v.1.14.

Texas vs Texas, maybe that’s the storm a comin’. I would enjoy reading future posts about an Impulse AQ and the Axiom Lite at $2,500 US. How about an upgraded ATX WP lite version with TID for coin, relic, jewelry, beach & salt water plus gold?

Back in the day when a kid could purchase caps by the roll, missing the old Fanner Fifty with its hand crafted plastic ivory grips. Slap leather pilgrim.

The reservoirs are reaching capacity with rain and more light snow in the forecast for Friday April 26th.

After re-reading the posts plus multiple months of using two separate SMF MD brands compared to a 56 kHz single frequency MD on highly mineralized ground saturated with hot rocks at depth neither type of metal detector SF or SMF had more than 3 inches of detection depth from target ranging from boot tacks, lead bird shot and 5 gram round lead balls. Both the VLF SF & SMF MF are great for scrubbing bedrock. However, if I am required to physically raked down to gain detection depth why would I ever be in the market for another VLF MD for gold prospecting, with the emphasize on “prospecting”. I am not, a pulse induction MD on the very same claim will hit the same targets at 8 inches plus without the rake and the required time commitment. Garrett already has a SMF in the Apex, adding AT plus a higher frequency range would hardly amount to a storm on the horizon. There have been multiple requests and recommendations on the Detector Prospector Forum for a light weight fully waterproof version of the ATX within the $2500 range. If not I am completely satisfied with the ML SDC2300 & 8 inch mono coil for prospecting.

Submitted my choice of names for the new gold/relic Nokta PI today and received the following reply: ”Submission was referred to as spam.” Double checked the correctness of the “Naming Contest” submission https address, apparently my ideas for naming was rejected immediately by Nokta Detection Technologies.

Nokta Detectors The Legend - Version 1.14 Beta 2 Test - RELEASED! Updates Made: 1) When switching to Beast mode, All Metal discrimination pattern will be selected automatically. When switching from Beast mode back to Gold Field mode, the last selected discrimination pattern in Gold Field Mode will be restored. 2) Update in the Ground Balance Menu a) When selecting between FerroCheck (FC) and Mineralization Indicator (GI), the 'FC' or 'GI' indicators displayed on the right side of the screen have been moved to the left. b) The 'FC' or 'GI' indicators which remain on the screen until exiting the menu will be automatically cleared from the screen after 2 seconds. c) When the Tracking feature is activated, the ground balance level flashes on the screen. In Beast mode, when the Ground Balance 2 is activated while the tracking feature is on, the ground balance level will be shown steady to avoid confusion. 3) General improvements have been made.

That would be consistent to what I was seeing, the primary ground balance would be approximately 42, the hot rock 2nd ground balance was approximately 47. While sweeping the coil away from hot rocks the Legend was still balanced to the mineralized ground. The ground balance reset operation may be a benefit on sites where hot rocks widely spaced.

In Multi BE mode, A discrimination pattern, I have performed the primary ground balance over the mineralized ground; then performed the 2nd ground balance over a hot rock. Question: Which of the two ground balances is the Legend now utilizing or is the Legend using both the primary and 2nd ground balance? Question: In Multi BE mode, how is the SMF weighted.

That’s where the Iron Rejection (Ir) setting kicks in, the video demonstrates the setting at 2. You will get a lower tone response over iron targets. The audio response/volume for non ferrous targets will vary based on target size, shape & depth and ground mineralization. If you use the G discrimination pattern you will lose TID 1 & 2. In Beast Mode I have yet to see a TID over 3 so you would be losing the majority of the target TID. Try using the Goldfield mode on some buried coins and listen to the target audio response & volume. Beast Mode helps dealing with hot rocks that will often suppress target TID and/or mask small or deep targets.

Note the low TID for coin size targets (dime, nickel & quarter 1 thru 3). Similar results I experienced prospecting a claim with mineralized soil plus saturated with both basalt and ironstone hot rocks. Lead bird shot, small ferrous boots tack and 22 caliber lead bullet were within the same TID range, no higher than TID 3. The hot rocks would also TID at 1 but there was either no audio response or the response was broken. Worked for me in the all metal A discrimination pattern with both the LG 30 & LG 24 coils. I always do a frequency scan and ground balance. The 2nd ground balance over any hot rock(s) is critical.

Found this notice posted on the Nokta Facebook account: Nokta Detectors ATTENTION! Dear Valued Legend users, It seems like many have not understood the Beast Mode! This includes even some of the more experienced users. Please be patient and we will make a demonstration of it for you! Please refrain from making comments such as ''it doesn't work'' unless you really understand the goal of it and how you can test it. Testing it with coins that you can already detect in other modes will not demonstrate the capabilities of the mode! Hang tight...we will show it to you soon! Thanks in advance for your patience.

Spring in the Sierra foothill gold country. The runoff is flowing. GPAA Founder George "Buzzard" Massie and his sons may recognize this river canyon. If I remember correctly their take was 880 ounces.

The Coiltek Nox 10x5 DD coil for both the EQX 800 & 900. After using the EQX 900 & CT 10x5 for gold prospecting the trick is the Sensitivity setting. The CT 10x5 is very sensitivity to EMI, ground mineralization, hot rocks and small shallow metallic targets. I have found sensitivity settings between 10 to 14 on mineralized soil works. On highly mineralized ground loaded with hot rocks a VLF detector is probably not going achieve depth on small gold targets. The ground mineralization alone will mask and/or eliminate small gold with increasing depth. An advantage I have discovered regarding the EQX900 compared to the Legend when prospecting for gold is the EQX 900 TID range. The EQX 900 wider TID range from -19 to 0, 1 to 99 allows for a slightly wider detection range for small gold in mineralized ground and hot rocks within a lower range of 1 to 5. Ground noise will normally be in the -19 to -16 TID range with hot rocks at TID 1. Highly mineralized soil will suppress the TID for small targets including gold, often between 1 & 5 with the EQX 900. The Legend TID range of 0 to 60 has a tighter lower range of 1 to 3 which allow hot rocks (TID 1), small ferrous targets, such as boot tacks, combined with the soil mineralization to mask small gold. The new Legend Beast Mode suppresses the volume level of hot rocks, such as ironstone & basalt, but the small ferrous and gold targets are still packed into the tighter lower TID range of 1 to 3. I have also experienced “coil knock” with the Legend Beast mode even at lower sensitivity settings.

Just an observation but don’t see either the AT Gold nor the ATX currently listed on Garrett Direct. A lot of existing AT Pro, AT Max & AT Gold inventory would be directly impacted by a release of a AT SMF. Perhaps a AT PI under $2k?

I’m suspecting a waterproof, rechargeable, wireless headphone, collapsible carbon fiber shaft upgraded version of the GoldMaster 24k. Or at least I’m holding off until the storm fills the sails.

I did notice “coil knock” on ground stubble in Beast mode. Lowering the sensitivity did reduce but not eliminate the knock. Good coil management is a challenge on a 60 degree brush covered slope but possible. The big plus with Beast mode was the ability to prospect for gold on a site saturated with hot rocks at depth. The Legend 01-60 TID range does concentrate a lot of small shallow targets in the narrow lower range. The LG15 6” coil may be better for those tight rocky target holes.

https://a-storm-is-coming.com/. “a storm is coming in 2024.” …. just in time for Christmas?

I am thinking the 6 inch LG15 might be the best for this site. Plus a trackhoe to get down through the basalts slope sediments to the slates. Found a few stranded wire ties left behind by whoever packed bags of pay down to the stream. May explain all of the boot tacks. Spring is bringing the poison oak and snakes up & out. I am liking the “deep target” (dt) combined with a LG24 on a site with far fewer hot rocks. At least the Beast works to reduce the hot rock impact on small shallow targets. We need input from a cache hunter.

Climbed the slope above the EMI claim, far less iron trash but an abundance of basalt and ironstone hot rocks. In Beast mode Multi started with LG 30 coil with Recovery 1, Iron rejection 1, sensitivity 15 to 22, Discrimination All Metal, Volume 2, Audio Gain 3, normal ground balance 44 to 45, 2nd ground balance over hot rocks 47 to 51. Detected with the 2nd ground balance. Found the “S” hook and smallest boot tack with the LG30. In Beast mode Multi changed to the LG 24 coils with the same settings and ground balancing procedure. Found the remaining targets in photo with the LG24. In Goldfield mode Multi with Deep Target (dt) at 1 was hot rocks on steroids at this specific mineralized/hot rock site. In the test garden hit all 8 inch coins with LG30 (1, 5,10 25). In Beast mode Multi with the Legend headphones to insure all targets were heard, not necessary unless you want to heard hot rocks. In 2nd ground balance all hot rock were a very low volume TID 1, none of the targets in the photo TID’ed above 3 when buried in the mineralized soil, maximum depth 3 inches. The 22 caliber lead bullet TID 3 at buried depth of 3 inches. The remaining targets in photo were either TID 1 or 2 at a depth of 2 inches. All ferrous metal target volume increased above the low volume hot rocks. The hot rock responses were either silent or broken depending on size, depth or concentration. The higher volume response of the ferrous targets allowed for detection, separation & recovery. The 2nd ground balance is the key, the metal detector will let know if the balance is off with loud chirping when sweeping. All targets found were ferrous and magnetic, except the lead: air TID: “S” hook 7, boot tacks 3, rusted iron 2, 22 cal. Lead 30, red ironstone 1 with very low volume (two separate stones).

The Sept/Oct 2023 BM update indicated a search mode for relics, is it now very deep relics/coins and large masses?* Come Thursday I’ll run the BM over some basalt hot rocks to see if I missed any small lead, boot tacks or masked gold out at the EMI claim to check out the following statement. “Beast mode offers users a 2nd ground balance feature to overcome mineralized/hot rocks…” *If anyone has a Facebook account you can post any questions regarding the software release under the comment section of the Nokta Detection Technologies Facebook v1.14 Beta 1 release video. I believe the factory is closed for the remainder of the week so a reply probably wouldn’t be until next week.

Nokta issued the following clarification regarding Beast Mode: Nokta Detectors Hello everybody! Just want to clarify a confusion. Beast mode is a mode itself! We didn't have enough space on the screen to have a separate icon for it. Therefore we use the Gold Mode icon to go to the Beast Mode. Beast Mode is a separate mode. Hope it's clear!

If interested there are few new videos popping up on YouTube. Here’s a link to Nokta’s release: