auminesweeper

Cool Jim, and good to see you, you handsome devil. Jim, to be honest I only knew of the hi power version that fits the TDI SL, which is why I was a bit concerned, I can't count the times I've wished that I had left well enough alone, Me and Murphy's Law have some explaining to do and we don't see eye to eye, lol. I will check out the other packs when I get time so thanks for that. John.

Rick I don't see anything wrong with the RNB packs because I think they are great, But I have just got my A/P doing / behaving as I knew it could and knowing my luck it would not end well, If I want more power then I just change Coils. I don't post about the power of the Coils but they can see from grains of sand sized items to huge things way down deep, And that 14x10 will have a person digging way deeper than they want only to find a Beer Can, so heaven forbid what a large paint or Gerry can would come up at, I have already dug a small toy soldier at 17" using 10"DD on my old Sov GT and the 14x10 can be Brutal when it comes to depth. The RNB as far as the TDI SL is concerned is a must have Item because the hardware is built in to the SL in order to run the RNB packs but as yet I have not managed to get my hands on one for the SL, But as soon as the truck is sorted I will get my hands on one. John.

Sorry Fred but I am not selling it, Lol John.

Yeah Rick, they a great battery packs but I would not use them In any of the E-Series machines because they can put out well over 14 volts which is a bit risky because there is very little known about what the limits are in the E-Series machines, Where as Duracells and Energizers can put out 12,6 to 13.0 volts +/- and Energizer Ultra lithium's can put out 1.84/1.87 volts per cell which is 14.72 volts to 14.96 volts which is a 25% increase in power on the input side of things, These machines were made with the current Battery tech in mind back in the 90's /00's and these newer batteries are tempting fate, "Yes" they will work but for how long ? that is the question, The V3i and the TDI SL are battery hog's and the SL has a bit more wiggle room when it comes to Voltage but the older E-Series are voltage controlled and have much tighter tolerances so over powering them is not a risk I would be taking. Unlike the SL the E-Series does not benefit from the higher voltage, I was playing with an LED Lantern and I saw it had a charging point/plug socket, being fed up with cranking the handle I pluged it in to a power adapter and it was charging good, and after a few minutes it started to get warm and every thing was fine but after about 30 minutes it melted the solder and the wire to the charging circuit became un-attached,, The thing I am pointing out is that if you go putting to much power in to the MXT/DFX you stand a good chance of melting the solder joints where the battery Tabs on the circuit board are soldered to the board, I repaired the Lantern and now I use a solar charger hooked up and it is always ready for action and no more worries, personally I would I would not use the RNB in anything but the TDI SL because it is adding about 33% more voltage and where there is voltage there is Heat and although you can't feel it buried within that big metal box does not mean it is not there, so just be careful, Ok. John.

A while ago I weighed the MXT and it proved to weigh a lot more than the factory claimed weight, Which is not an Issue for me because If I like it I will use it, But you can lighten the MXT by quite a large amount just by Coil and Battery selection alone without voiding your warranty, Assuming that you can get away with using the 9.5 or the (Better/Lighter) older 950 Coil, We already know that the 950 weighs 4.7oz/134.40 grams lighter than the 10"DD, Well battery selection can also reduce the overall weight, using and off the shelf generic Alkali Battery brand weighing as little as 23.916 grams/0.843602oz X 8 = 191.328g or 6.748oz Now using NiMh batteries, 1x AA = 30.031g/1.0593oz X 8 = 8.4744988oz / 248.24g. Add the weight of the 10"DD the difference between the two types of batteries Is, 48.92g / 1.7264944oz. Now add that weight to the weight difference of the Coil So 48.92g +134.40g = 183.32 or 6.466 Ounces Lighter. Now Get it wrong and you will see a massive weight difference, As much as 191.302g / 6.748oz which is the same as removing the standard battery pack when fitted with the 10"DD,, REMEMBERING how many Ounces there are to a pound Although Air Tests don't mean much these days But the 10"DD Coil breaks the rules in that it Air Tests as good as the 950 Concentric So again unless you have fairly hot ground then you are loosing nothing by switching to the 950 coil or the 10"DD. but you are saving a lot of weight along with using less disc, less EMI, better Iron ID etc. Think about batteries for a second,, if you use NiMh batteries and charge them up, The MXT uses such a small amount of power that unless you are detecting 24/7 then the next time you use the machine there is a good chance that they will be flat, and then you have to waste another day charging them back up, But by using Duracells or Energizer's you will get over 60 hours out of a set, One thing we see a lot of is when people are posting how their brand of machine runs for 20 or 30 hours using 4 AA's and yes that is good But the MXT will run for over 60 hours using 8 AA's so it is six of one and half a dozen of another, Running Duracell/Energizer's will hold their charge just make sure you don't leave them in the machine or bad things can happen, Using NiMh batteries in machines like the MXT is a very Grey area due to the power consumption and their weight and to be honest I only ever use them when testing or for the TDI SL. So if your MXT is over weight just take another look at the Coil and batteries you are using. food for thought, Aye ? John.

Sorry Mate I just wrote a report and my computer just eat it, £%$& it, So I will try again, 10"DD Vs 9.5/950. the claimed figures for the 10"DD 17.9oz/507.45g actual figures = 23.670oz/671.10 grams =5.77oz heavier/163.65grams the claimed figures for the 9.5 (Con) 18.4oz/521.63g actual figures = 20.617oz/593.0 grams = 2.217oz/71.73grams figures for the older 950 coil 18.931oz/536.70grams = 4.7 ounces/134.40 grams lighter than the 10"DD, If I am going to use a DD then I prefer the Detech 14x10 because not only does it cover more ground but it has much better balance than the 10"DD and I bought 2 of them because one weighs about 5 or 10 grams lighter than the 10"DD and one weighs the same But the bonus is that it gives quite a few inches more depth. and again the balance is great, where as the 10"DD makes the machine feel nose heavy. As for the 4x6, One would think that for a small coil that it would be able to see smaller things, well it "can't", It is no more sensitive than the 6x10DD. Now as for the depth 4x6 = 4"+6"=10" / 2 =5" so 5 maybe 6 inches is the most depth that you can expect from a DD of that size on Coin sized targets,, It's a well known fact that a Concentric can and will achieve up to 1.5 times it's size In Depth , Some claim as much as 2X the size. I prefer to error on the side of caution and say that 1.3x the size is more realistic, so with the 5.3 (6") Coil the 6" X 1.3 = 7.8" but 8 to 9" depth is not unheard of on coin sized targets when using the 5.3 Coil. The 4x6 has been the go to coil for Snipping etc but when you compare it's sensitivity to that of the 5.3 it is blind as a Bat. Where the 4x6 will struggle to see bits any smaller than 0.03 to 0.02 grams on the surface, The 5.3 will see bits down to 0.006/0.003 grams "or" 0.0002oz and 0.0001oz which is close to the size of two Sugar grains., So the 5.3 has at leased 2 or 3 inches more depth on coin sized targets but on tiny nugget type targets it is also 3x hotter than the 4x6, because what the 4x6 see's at 1 inch the 5.3 will see at 2.5 to 3 inches. and because it is so small mineralization does not seem to worry the machine as much as the larger concentric's. So what are the benefits 1) weight is a major factor with the MXT/DFX/V3i where coil choice can add almost Half a pound in weight to the machine not including the 12"/300mm Coil and as a side note as these coils have been released the above machines have got heavier and heavier which gets stated more and more these days. 2) the depth can be up to as much as 1.5x deeper than it's size. 3) the sensitivity of the smaller Coils really come in to their own, hence why the GB II is still the King of the specks. and 4) EMI does not seem to bother the machine as bad when running the machine up at Max levels. Don't get me wrong DD's are great coils but picking the right time to deploy them is one of the most misused or misunderstood things about coils. Like I said before if your GND meter is reading from the mid 70's IE 75 to 78ish then that is the time you might start thinking about using a DD, But anything below that you are loosing depth because DD's only come in to their own when ground really hots up, you only have to watch GPX users to see that, because most of the time they want the depth and sensitivity that Mono Coils offer, And a Concentric Coil is a VLF's version of a Mono. hope that helps. John.

As noted by Steve, the MXT is a fugitive from weight watchers but I love what it's simplistic features can achieve, I have at leased 8 Coils for mine and I did some pretty in depth testing, I have both DD's and Concentrics and my ( Go Too ) coil is the Detech 14x10 Excelerator EQ2, it has a few inches more depth over the factory 10" DD or the 9.5 concentric and it is lighter than the 10"DD, I do tend to try and use concentric coils over DD's as much as possible because I found that they ID Iron better, I was playing around with my 5900 Di Pro and noticed how little disc I needed to knock out a 6" adjustable wrench with the factory old blue label 950 coil fitted, So I I put the new 9.5 X-type concentric on the MXT A/P and it knocked out the wrench/spanner with the disc set to about 3.5 to 4.5, Then I hooked up the 14x10 DD and the 10"DD and they both required me to turn up the disc to 6.5 to about 7.8 in order to knock out the wrench, Another thing that happens is the machine ID's Iron a lot better too, What this means to me is that in prospecting or jewellery hunting is that being able to keep the Disc below or around the 1.7 to 2.0 yet still ID the good targets from bad and still maintain a high level of sensitivity for those smaller targets, Ground conditions willing, Nokta and Makro have also taken these findings in to account because they make both types of coils for their machines, If I find my self in Hot rock laden ground I try to ground balance on the rocks and tighten up on my coil control, switching to a smaller coil works well because I try to run a concentric as much as possible and where the 9.5/950 might struggle with hotter ground the 5.3 is more tolerable because it see's a lot less ground than the 9.5 and not only that what the 6x4 see's at 1" the 5.3 will see at 2.5 to 3", Add that to how it ID's things better when the junk is pretty thick means I am not loosing targets due to using too much disc. John.

Thanks JW, great info, this little machine has been well thought out, J.

RDD you can never have enough recovery gear in the bush, a lot of what I bought is through trial and error, Driving down an old logging/PMG track I once ended up with two wheels in the Air one on the front and one of the rears, Not having locking Diffs I ended up with each wheel about 2 feet off the ground and I had to hand winch it back about 30 feet to get my truck back on its wheels, A Hi-Lift would have saved the day if I had one on board, I jumped out the truck and the seat base was level with my head. I have the 9500lbs electric winch and a Tirfor hand winch and a small hand winch for minor jobs, It is faster to deploy and easier on the body than humping that Tirfor up and down the track, those Exhaust jacks/Bags are great in sand and mud, I have 2 of them one is a 3 ton one and the other is the bigger/taller 4 ton version, Touch wood I have not had to use them yet. Because you own a Troopy, a 60" Hi-Lift would be a bonus, even more so with the off road base or a 2" X a foot square of turpentine,, I have used them to level my truck if I have been camping on a bit of a slope, I know I go on about them a bit but I keep finding a new use for them when all else fails. Here is a useful little fridge/cooler, now I tested mine and this thing uses very little power, but this fridge/cooler is really handy because not only does it keep things cool but at the flick of a switch it can heat things up or keep hot food warm, It goes down to normal fridge Temps but it also goes up to around 65*c or 149*f and it gets warm pretty quick too, On the cold setting it uses 1.36 Amps and on the Hot setting it uses 1.14 Amps, so if you put food in there when you set off by the time you want to take a break its ready eat in an hour or two, or if the food is hot when you put it in there then it is ready when you are, The last one I bought lasted me about 6 years and they only cost about 30 or 40 bucks,, I use to lay 9 cans of coke in there so I had a cool drink on my way home from work, I also have a 29 litre version that runs on 230v and 12v which I am going to test out it's power usage because there are many stories where people claim that they use 4 or 5 Amps per hour but so far from what I have seen that must only apply to the huge ones because so far I like what I am seeing with these fridge/coolers, John,

JW, thanks for your kind words life has been eye opener that's for sure, Here ya go this is how to use a Hi-Lift jack correctly, any other way is asking for trouble, after this video there are many more showing how to use it for other tasks, take care. John. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrfbR4REV-s

By time I have finished it won't be no Chelsea Tractor, lol. I think these will do

No mate, The truck is here and I won't bother taking it to OZ, the cost of shipping would be a bit OTT, I would go there and buy a Troopy or a Cruiser Ute. J.

I just added this Tyre repair kit to my ever growing list, And if you are a bit squeamish about Tyre abuse then don't watch this video, John.

No worries Chuck, don't forget to take a camera of some sort, Chris R's second video is another one to file in a safe place because he shows you how the GM will wipe out unwanted targets, be it hot rocks or Iron etc Good luck on the Gold, Fingers crossed for ya mate. John.

G'day Chuck, It's not my video but I thought that people needed to see it because it is detecting 101, There has been so many misguided comments about the GM but I think it is one of the most misunderstood features, and an easy mistake to make. Most of the videos out there show people fighting with the Gain and the Auto feature where the signal disappears and people are misinterpreting what is actually happening in the Auto mode, where what is in fact happening is the machine is ground balancing out the faint targets "Not" loosing sensitivity / Depth, Having to sweep either side of the target might sound like a real pain or strange but it is very much the norm when we are detecting and the only difference is we stop walking, I am glad it was useful, and if you have time let us know how it works for you, good luck, John.

I just found this video about the GM-1000, One thing that I have noticed about the GM all along is that it has a fairly fast GB system and this can work against a person, Anyone who has owned certain Whites machines will already know the effects that a very fast GB system can have on target response which is why most of us who own or have owned such machines prefer to work in fixed / or lock the tracking, I have always thought that Minelab's tracking systems have always been a bit on the lazy side when it comes to speed where as Whites tracking systems can GB them selves within One or Two pumps of the Coil, The GM has about the fastest tracking system ever fitted to a ML machine and I think this is why loyal ML users are having trouble with the GM, because in some settings it will track out targets where as some Whites machine will hold on to some targets when in the Tracking mode, So if you find that signals keep vanishing with your GM just stop swing over the target and ground balance over a fresh piece of ground to your right or left of you and then re-sweep over the target area, The GM machine is not alone in this tracking out the target and it is not a fault in the machine either, It is doing what a tracking system is meant to do in tracking out the ground and if there is a target in that ground then it will be tracked out, This is why many of the testers have said that "Once you have found a Target" that you should sweep past the target so the GB systems stays focused on the ground and surrounding area and not the Target, In this video you will see and hear what happens when you keep swishing the Coil over the targets and see and hear it vanish before your eyes, This is very important for you Lads and Lasses who swing them big ML thumpers that ground balance at sun up and sundown, The Gold Monster is a rocket ship in comparison, Not as fast as some but quicker than most anyways I hope this helps, John.

Yeah Monte I agree, I have been saying for quite a while how hot the 5.3 is, The smallest bit of metal I have detected weighed 0.006 grams or 0.0002 ounces, It was less than 1/4 to 1/2 inch below the surface if that and took me over 20 minutes to find it, The 6x4 could not see it. The thing I would like to see go from the 5.3 is the big empty void so the actual coil can be got closer to the ground, The 5.3 is the hottest Coil Whites make. John.

I think so because the end clamp on the standard model is rated to 750lbs and the X-treme version end clamp is rated to 5000lbs and is more versatile and it has 3/8" Chain locking slots built in and the base plate is easily removable so you can use it for other tasks, where you need tools to remove the base plate from the standard model and the handle is Gold Zinc coated so there is no paint to wear off. I bought the Red one years ago and there is nothing wrong with it, But I got the X-Treme because it makes so much sense, So I think yes it is worth it, IF you use the standard model for clamping or spreading being rated to 1000lbs the end clamp will break if you go over that pressure limit and of coarse you have no way of knowing when you are getting close to the limit, Although they can lift and pull 5000lbs and they are tested to 7000lbs. The X-treme can clamp 5000lbs,spread 5000lbs lift 5000lbs ?? (4660lbs) and pull 5000lbs and it is Tested to 7000lbs.Which is great because you only lift one side of the vehicle at a time, They are tough, Some U.S. Serving Guys in the Gulf even bought and exported their own jacks to have in their HumVee's, Although the X-Treme was not made then, see below. http://www.hi-lift.com/hi-lift-jacks/testimonials.html, Hope that helps. John.

They warn you how not to use a Hi-Lift but so many people ignore the warnings, the key to safety using a Hi Lift is to keep both hands on the handle and you control the handle keeping both hands on it at all times, and hold the handle up against the upright when moving the direction lever, and then keep both hands on the handle. John.

here are my Hi-Lifts, the Red one I wrapped in plain cotton sheet because I have oiled it and I don't want it making a mess in my storage room, lol EDIT:- If you own a Lifted Truck or a Hi Lux then buy the 60" version of either if these jacks because you will run out of height using the standard 48" models, And if you own a full size pickup you will also need the 60" models because although it might not be lifted, due to the weight of them you will find that it takes a lot of height to get the wheels off the ground because the springs compress quite a lot under the vehicles own weight so save your money and buy the big one, hope that helps. John.

Well I have owned my Red HL-485 since around 2000-ish and The Extreme turned up a couple of months back, I won't use any other, I would rather not have one if it is not A Hi-Lift, I am proud that it is American designed and built, and I think we should support such companies regardless of cost, It was the American Hi-Lift that made me want one all them years ago and I feel the same now, No Hi-Lift, No Sale. John.

Well this might look a bit excessive from an equipment point of view for UK standards but I have done a lot of research in to what is good and what I can do without, And a lot of the equipment I can use for other things too, so I have tried to spend the big money on the things that matter, Drawing a line between want and need. John.

Thanks Rick, In all the years I have been detecting here I have got by with just a standard 4x4, But this venture is a bit different in that it rains a lot and once I get off the sealed roads there is about 5miles of farm tracks and then it's more of a cross country Bash for a couple of miles or so to get to his camp, As you know I have not been the best, so there is no way am I going to rough it, but it won't be 5 star living either and it will be an adventure if nothing else, John.

No I am still in the UK but a friend contacted me and has asked me if I want to prospect on some land he has just got hold of back around Christmas time and he is pulling quite a few ounces a month out of it so I jumped at the chance, from what I have seen this is a worthwhile investment, But it is well off the beaten track and a 4x4 is the bare minimum required to get there, so I am hoping it all works out, past year or so I have not been in the best of health, but I think that I am on the mend, so fingers crossed.

This is the Truck I bought, I wanted an SUV so I could sleep in it, Also I will be adding a roof top tent and for long trips I will be buying a camper trailer, But at the moment I need to start bolting on some of the things I have bought be cause I am running out of space, This one is a Mitsubishi Shogun Sport 2.5 TDI and it does about 33 to about 40mpg if I don't lead foot it, It has only done 81,000 miles so for a diesel it is almost run in and I should get about another 600K miles out of it, With all the extras I have bought I am going to put a lift kit in to cope with the extra weight. This is the Fridge Freezer I bought,