Tony

For the MX7, I’ve got the stock 950 but also the flat bottomed 6” Concentric coil…….I’m going to try out that combination and see how it performs. The MX7 is an absolute powerhouse little machine and an absolute credit to White’s…..not many tried this machine but those that did really sang its praises. Thanks for the information. 👍

Steve……reading your Tesoro LST review now 👍

Just as a side note…..I can get a cheapish “new in box” Tesoro Lobo Supertraq. Aside from no warranty, etc…..is this a unit worth considering. Steve…..I was going to put this question under the Tesoro forum but left it here as it’s relevant to the thread. Yeah I know……I’m clutching at straws with the whole VLF idea but I’d like to cover more than 5 square metres an hour 🤬

Come on guys…….I just want a VLF to go: ”Beep”…….Gold 👍 ”Beep”……Gold 👍 ……..and with a rock solid threshold and nice “nulls” on iron. I’ll dig the 22 lead slugs if I have to 😄 Im trying to find a photo I had of the area……you can see where lightning has struck the ironstone outcrops and fused the area together……like a giant arc welder.

Thanks all……I agree the MX7 is worth a shot. Based on the MXT circuitry might be okay but I have heard that the MXT can struggle in bad ground…..but I’m talking bad ironstone ground. I may have to switch out the 6” Concentric coil to a smaller DD as Jeff suggested. Failing this then it’s time for a 6” coil on my 3500…….so long as the smaller coil/windings don’t get lit up by the hot ground. 👍

Maybe no one else wants them…….Limited model that is. 🙈

Chet…..awesome information as well. I’ll be putting these ideas to the test in coming weeks. I’m pretty handy with a PI but have to admit that I have never nugget hunted with a VLF…..although have heard of those that persevered back in the day when that was all that they had to swing. Small coil and low GAIN……

Thanks for the great information……I might just take out what VLFs I have and see how we go……not dedicated nugget machines by any stretch of the imagination but worth a spin. 6.59khz and 13.8khz here we come.

From what I can gather, higher frequency VLF detectors are more suited for smaller gold but ground mineralisation may be something to factor in. Would there be a “better” frequency for nuggets 1 gram and above in heavy ground? I’m not too concerned if I miss sub gram nuggets if there is a better suited frequency. The old Garrett Groundhog circuitry was legendary in this country…..I think it was around the 15 kHz mark. Is this frequency range a good starting point or do I need to consider other things such as better ground balancing capabilities or Garrett’s extra coil voltage. My Minelab PI units will be mainstay detectors but as mentioned in another post, I have ground littered in man made iron junk and the ground mineralisation is severe. There are plenty of nuggets in the 1 gram to 5 gram range (maybe bigger) but the iron signals are as dense as 5 per square metre 🤬 Thanks for any ideas.

…….especially if using a concentric coil. A DD coil will lose a bit of accuracy from my observations.

My XL PRO has a needle/meter and the ID accuracy on it is unbelievable. How do they get that resolution when the digital ID on my MX7 can dance around a few numbers……which is still very good btw.

Great review Simon…….I’d love to send you a few cubic metres of hot ironstone so you could build a test bed for me. I’ve got access to several trillion tonnes at short notice 👍 If possible, could you PM me where you purchased your 24K from (assuming you are happy to do so). I’ve got the MX7 so same size housing and battery tray. Also, Australian Customs have no involvement in any parcels stopped. Australia Post security initiate this when screening exports but the system shows a “Customs” status.

Hmmmmmm……I’m tempted but I would have to know upfront that it can perform okay in my ground.

Or did what I did many years ago when I first went prospecting……decided to go out in early February and by the time I got to Leonora it was 48C and not a single fly anywhere…..in fact, not a single anything anywhere 😄

White’s………the audio on all their detectors that I have used is just so “nice”. They are put together to a high standard as well, even their lower end models. I currently have the MX7 with the 950 and 6” shooter coil plus an absolute mint XL PRO with a nice pancake flat 950 coil, two Royal 800 coils (favourites by far) and the smaller 5.3 Black Max coil. Minelab is a close second……Excalibur and two older PI units.

Thanks Steve, I’m fully realistic about the limitations of VLF in this type of ground. I might even take the old XL Pro and MX7 for a spin…….both with 6” coils and definitely with the SENS/GAIN dialled way down. This is the type of ground where VLFs go to die and are probably buried there….which might explain a lot of the “ground noise” 😬 Strangely enough, my 2100 is one of the smoothest running detectors in this ground. We have a buried test piece and the old 2100 can’t be beat for the best target depth / noise ratio. Love the Alaskan gold……forgot to thumbs up that post. 👍

Thanks Jim…….I’ll check out those videos for sure 👍

Thanks for the reply….and of course that beautiful XL PRO that you kindly sold me. You’ve got me thinking about that suggestion…6.59 KHz with the small coil. It’s brutal ground…..highly mineralised clay/calcrete with purple ironstone and assorted hot rocks…..add in the man made iron trash……now go find small nuggets 😳 I’ve also got the little powerhouse MX7……based on the MXT circuitry. Maybe a solution somewhere ? Thanks

Not sure if this has been covered before but I’d love to know how the Garrett 24K can handle heavily mineralised ground such as that found in Western Australia. Looking for fairly shallow nuggets amongst eye popping amounts of old iron trash targets. Yep, I’ve tried the Minelab PI machines with small DD and mono coils but I nearly threw myself down a mineshaft such was the frustration. I’m thinking a 6” sniping style coil is the way to go. Thanks for any advice, Tony

In regard to the pull tab……that's about twice as deep as any detector that I have used for beach detecting over the past 30 years……including most top of the range VLF and PI detectors. But in regard to the nugget……this is heavy mineralised and very hard ground.

If the 6000 can hit this sort of nugget at around the 2 foot mark in heavy ground then I’m in 👍 This is not my personal photo but indicative of what I’m after.

Thanks to many for the great replies….much appreciated. I guess my concern is I generally try to hunt the deeper and bigger pieces whenever I can and in new ground……I’ve gone days without hitting any targets but I’ve also been rewarded with (perseverance and stubbornness). I don’t go looking for smaller bits over old ground…..they are incidental to finding bigger pieces. I still use a 3500 and 2100 with the bigger mono coils and only use a DD as a last resort……I get some strange looks and remarks when these machines come out 🤓 Will the 6000 hit a 3oz nugget at 2 feet in heavy mineralised and hard ground? I know 3oz can be any size and shape but let’s say one that is like a small egg that fits in the palm of your cupped hand. I’m the first to admit that I’m probably a bit too paranoid about missing the bigger deeper pieces……generally speaking, the timings in the 2100 and to an extent, the 3500, will minimise this. Thanks for the responses….👍

Thanks Matt…..that was some detailed reply. Sounds like things are similar to other releases so nothing out of the ordinary really…….then there’s always the buyers remorse but more likely from newcomers? There might also be a few wives and girlfriends catching a view of the credit card statement……”you spent how much ! “…….😡😡😡😡 Definitely not trying to stir the pot……I’d happily swing one 👍

Okay I’ve been counting the number of 6000’s that have either been offered up for sale or wanting to swap for 7000’s. The ads have been on the Aussie Gumtree site and to a lesser extent, other “for sale” sections online……the total so far is about 10 (over the past month or so). It’s clearly not an ergonomic issue as the 6000 is very strong in this area…….which leaves a performance issue or maybe the hype and excitement has been a bit too much and therefore expectations too high ? Are people tired of chasing tiny sub gram nuggets at depth all day or is it something else they don’t like. Early days I know but I was curious as to what was going on. Definitely lovers of the machine as well but not unanimous 😐

At the first sign of any seaweed…….I’m off somewhere else. Those light targets and general beach grade tell the story as well…….if I had to search that beach then it would be fresh drops past the high tide line and into the dry sand…..😬