Tony

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.

7 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Some ground is just very difficult to detect. If you can’t get a PI to settle down, I’m sure a VLF will also be challenged. The key is the one thing people hate to do - reduce sensitivity until the detector is stable. Small coils are also helpful. At the end of the day you simply have to accept whatever performance you can get from a detector, and there is actually a reason the sensitivity controls go as low as they do. So will a 24K work? Sure. Will you be happy with the performance you get once you dumb it down enough to make it stable? Only you can answer that one.

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. 👍

9 hours ago, Jim McCulloch said:

Tony, thanks to the XGB system the 24k handles mineralization far better than any other VLF operating at a similar frequency, including it's predecessor, the GMT. On my 24k I use the 6" concentric most of the time, and it has no problem operating in Mojave Desert black sand washes. What is really astonishing is that the 24k works flawlessly even with the huge 14x8 coil. Check out the video "White's GMX and 24k: ALL 4 coils tested" on Rob Johnson's "Spud Diggers" YouTube channel, where we do an in-ground comparison. To see how the 24k fared in Idaho, see Rob's "Metal detecting a gold mine - gold, bottles an relics found." HH Jim

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

1 hour ago, karelian said:

The 6 inch concentric coil on the 24k/GMX is fantastic, excellent in moderate ground but still usable as  the ground gets hotter. For hot ground with trash, the 6x4DD or an equivalent would be a better choice. A time goes on there may be more coil choices available. WA is an area that makes any VLF hard work, not sure the 24k would be any different. For exposed bedrock, surfaced areas or very shallow ground the pain may be worth the gain. Trashy areas combined with very nasty ground, I'd walk away or reach for my MXT with the 6x4DD. I know the MXT well and have more confidence with it in such a demanding scenario. A few more hundred hours with the GMX, maybe I'd have a go. 

Tony, put that small coil on the Xl Pro, run in hot rock reject,  SAT GEB, with low gain and see how it goes. I took mine out to Dunolly for a run, found a six pence and a half penny hidden among trash. A bit of fun. It's old tech but it id's iron well enough.

I'd be very interested to see if the old girl can run smooth on the Mars landscape you have out West.

 

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

4 hours ago, GotAU? said:

If an Equinox 800 can detect a .01g aluminum pull-tab using the 11-inch coil at almost 2-feet, a 6000 better be able to pick up lunker nuggets like that one at least as deep because I know a Nox sure could! 😉

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…..😬

Hello Strick,

Im sure your local battery store could make one up for you……they are a simple 8 x 18650 Lithium setup.

Can you get these made locally or bought in the USA. They fit the detector just fine.

They are a 4S2P battery…..8 x 18650 cells  in series. I think the connector is a 2.1mm barrel style. 
 

Tony

Seating the O ring needs silicone grease….which can cause the oring to dislodge before the top case is fitted BUT the grease prevents the top case from grabbing the oring and pulling away. A second pair of hands is very helpful to keep pressure on the top lid as you gently secure the screws. Swearing several times is normal 🤬🤬🤬🤬

TDI Beach Hunter……..great brain but terrible body……Skully, I’d get her fixed up and sell as they go for good money. I guess the “Beach” in “BeachHunter” says it all really. 😬

Glad to see you back in the water……..hopefully warmer waters for you this time of year ?

………nice gold as well 👍

One of the benefits of prospecting in parts of Western Australia is a lot of areas have little to no aircraft flying overhead……it’s rare to see a contrail.

By looking at Flightradar over the USA is something entirely different…….I’m guessing this generates a great deal of EMI ?

Yep, me too, too 😎

Is this detector really a case of a good brain but bad body…….🤓

1280 can be chatty in the saltwater as it’s a single frequency. I had one years ago and I didn’t keep it long……freshwater is where it does well. 
 

Some great posts here. My main issue is the “entry level price point” for a Minelab PI detector which here in Australia is either $6000, $8000 or $10,000.

Minelab have chosen not to have a simple no frills PI model (for example, priced at $4000) because it will likely eat into the higher priced models. I don’t think it will because some people will simply never step up into the higher priced detectors. We could have a GP3500v2……..priced at $3500. Tooling, R&D has long been paid for. I’m guessing Minelab will only do this if the competition brings something to the table. I’m also guessing two things;

1. The pricier machines won’t take a hit on the sales sheets because your regulars will generally migrate to the latest.

2. Minelab revenues increase by tapping into new buyers keen to try the hobby without selling a kidney.

I recall a conversation I had with my local Minelab dealer about the time the SD2100v2 and SD2200v2 were being released……he sold them as fast as he could order them and then they were gone for good. Most sales were to newcomers to the hobby !

I think it was the TDIBH’s big floaty box and big floaty coil that beat me in rough water......I thought about rehousing the board into another enclosure but someone made me a great offer on the detector. Another PI in the future.............more than likely.👍

Imagine rolling that specimen back to the group campfire.....”boys, I decided to investigate that ground noise after all”.........

I think I will go take a look this weekend......Mission Impossible style 😎

I’ve been fooled by “low areas” that are part of a larger high area many times.......bit like looking for gold in the bottom of a mountain lake 😬