auminesweeper

Good Idea, You know Steve used the MXT for this Very Same Job for Many Years, Back when Noah was Prepping for the big Flood, So Much So he has Many stories about them Right here You should Read Them, I do every winter, Truly Inspiring, And the MXT Is The GO TO Machines, as for the Fors Gold It is quite Good at doing the job, I know the Importer over here and he swears by them, I just insist on buying American Made Products because they have Changed my Fortunes Over Night, Anyway Good Luck, and here's the Link to Many of Steve's Epic Adventures, http://www.detectorprospector.com/steves-mining-journal/steves-mining-journal.htm This is a Great Story, http://www.detectorprospector.com/steves-mining-journal/minelab-gp3000-whites-mxt-fortymile-gold.htm John

I would be Looking at the MXTs or the GMT for Tiny Gold, They can Handle Hot Ground and you Get A Choice of about 20 Coils with the MXT But look at the Pro Models because of the GRAB Feature, HH,,, John

Chuck, If you want some Batteries that will give you a good 6 and a half hours I got Loads here, I Have Found some German 2850s I am going to check out Today and see if they are any good. Check out those Energizer Ultra Lithium they put out 1.83 volts.

Well it was Just as I thought those So called 2900s are in fact 2500s because I got 6 house and 11 minutes because the 2650s and the 2700 give you 6 hours 38 minutes so I need to make a phone call to them tomorrow and buy Another Batch from somewhere, so far I have 44 AAs, Nearly enough for an Electric Truck, Shame Aye?? John

Well I have Changed the Power Supply and during charging they were reading 11.897 MAX and 11.889 volts minimum, when I took them off charge they Read 11.61 volts which is Higher than Yesterday @ 11.3volts, So Hopefully we Have A Winner This Time. So Far they have been running the Machine for 12 Minutes,lol so I will report Back in A Few Hours, Ok Good Luck,, John

G'day everyone, Well I put those 2900 batteries on charge for 24 hours (using a Stop Watch) and I think they are Re Badged 2500s or 2600s because they Lasted for about 6 hours 10 minutes so I have Changed the Power Supply to A Car Cigarette Lighter Type into A 1 AMP Wall Wart and I am going to charge them again, Hopefully I am Wrong about them being Rebadged 2500s etc But I will try test again Tomorrow, Ok Sorry about that, But DO NOT Buy any Batteries with the EXTREME BRANDED LOGO until I have finished doing the test on these Batteries Ok, Sorry Guys,,, John

Chuck, I just bought 16 2900s and I have them on Charge right now so I will post the results tomorrow, I paid £24.67 OR $37.00 USD for 16 including postage John

Good, I'm pleased it's all coming together for you, even the 2650 will give you 6 hours 40 minutes +/- a couple of minutes so anything above them will be a Bonus and that extra battery will give it the power, I did a back to back test with the TDI Pro with A Mate and everything the pro saw My SL could find and on some targets the TDI SL was deeper BUT ONLY because of the smooth threshold made it easier to hear the rise in threshold that told me a target was there and I tested targets down to 1.6 Grains or 0.004 ozt or 0.10 grams which is bordering in to VLF territory, Baring in mind we ran both machines with the gain set flat out and when we backed them down to about 8 to 8.5 they were the same also which is what I was hoping the Mod would do, The Main issue's with this battery mod that I think is important to all TDI SL User's is the Higher Voltage boosts power and Sensitivity along with almost Doubling the Run Time, BUT The Most Important thing is Maintaining Reliability of the Original Battery Pack, because we MUST HAVE a good dependable system when we are 2 or 300 miles or more out in the Bush, Anyways Chuck Buy the biggest batteries they have and let us know how you get on, BUT don't be surprized if the bigger batteries add an extra hour or so to the charge time, Ok Good Luck Mate, John

Cool, well done, did you put higher amh batteries in ?? because that is how you get the longer run time, I have just found a place over here that sells the 2900s for $10.00 for 4 yahooooo when you have charged it as soon as it is finished charging check the voltage with a multi meter and tell us what it reads Ok ,, Thanks Chuck.

The Batteries on that link Involves A Higher cost and running LiOn Batteries which has a down side of Travel restrictions and if it goes wrong it cant be replaced with out major surgery and electronics know how, where as using the Batteries I have Listed are off the shelf Items which means if a Cell does go down it only involves sliding the Lid Back and dropping in a new one, and buying 8 x2900mah AAs and getting over 7-1/2 to 8 hours by far the best and safest Route to take, As LiOn batteries do have The risk of catching fire and do not like getting hot, Like charging them in your truck or in the sun when your out Prospecting, As soon as I get hold of some 2900s I will post the results, John

Thanks for the Info Reg and the Link, and thanks for the email you sent me,, John

I agree, I would always go back to the dealer purely because they are the people that I buy things from and I think it is a bit Rude Side Stepping them and going over their heads so to speak, Plus the fact the dealers have more clout with major companies than we do, I have found the Best Dealers over here and they are more like family than a company and what ever I need they get and the price is always cheaper than every where else, I can see how shipping those Ski-Doo's would cost A Quid, Not exactly a small Item but they are part of every day Life In Alaska, I think it is incredible the Depth that the OP on that site found that 5 gram Nugget, I guess you have started to see the results of this new Technology, and the more time you get out there the more tricks you will discover, I cant wait to see the finds as time goes by, HH, John

Steve, there is an impressive report there, But on page two I can't believe they made the guy pay out for postage after spending $10,700 AUD for a Brand New Machine ??, I did check out the price over here and it is the cost of a compact Car at £8000.00 / or $12,000 USD or $15,760 AUD so I don't think they will sell many and when I spoke to the Importer he said he is only getting ONE machine, Still its a Beautiful Thing and Dreams Are FREE,lol I get a kick out of seeing all the Nuggets the Users post and the stories, It is only a Matter of time before a Monster Nugget is Found and I hope it goes to the Bloke who is down on his Luck, I like happy endings. John

G'day Chuck, Your most welcome,, A Problem Shared is A Problem Solved, I'm Glad you find it useful, Try and get those 2900s and let us know how they work for you, it might Take a couple of cycles to get them up to 8 hours But 7 and a half hours should happen straight off the Bat, Good Luck,, John

If any One here Owns any of the GREEN LABEL DFX Type Batteries that are Retired and wish to Up Grade Then Don't throw them out because I am working on A MOD to give them A new Lease of Life and A Longer Run Time, And will be Suitable for ALL SL Box Type Machines and Will Boost The run Times As above but with ease of Charging, So Call your Dealers and Plead with them to give you these Old battery Packs, This will work out cheaper than the Newer Li-On replacements and you wont have Issues with Aircraft safety when going on Holidays ETC, Take Care Be Back Soon,, John

Bring your MXT, I have tried them All and the MXT is the Machine I keep going back to, It's deep and fast enough to deal with the junk filled sites and finds the good stuff,

Impressive report Steve, I remember back when they came out I was really thinking about buying the Gold Strike, It still looks like an impressive machine but from what you say it makes me wonder if I would of had the Patients to Learn it, That double tone feature would drive me nuts, Still A Good looking machine, I hope you do find one so we can hear how it goes, 30khz That's A Nice balance in between Frequency?? John

Whites UK, Because I have been asking them to get one in for me for A few years, So I have spoken to A Very Nice Person At Whites U.S.A. and they got the wheels in motion for me,,, Great People for Sure So in A week or two I will be Ordering the Pro, But I need to build up the funds again because I have just bought another Whites Machine Last Week and I have A few more on the List. john

Cool,, you can order the TDI Pro Now because I have had words with the Powers that Be and they have now agreed to Supply the Pro if you want one, Ok John

Where abouts are you??

I just wanted to share this with people because the Battery Life is the Only Grey Area with this machine and to put their minds at Rest, Ok, Here is the Modded Battery Pack with 9 AA's Fitted, To remove the Lid Completely open it as far as it will go and turn the Box up side down and press hard with your thumb and pull the lid out further because there is A Lug that stops the Lid from coming right out, First off I removed the centre Metal Double Spring set up that connects the two centre Batteries and Cut it IN TWO, then get A Dremel type Gizmo and remove the two Black plastic dividers Seen In Picture 8, NEXT get a Single AA Battery Holder and Cut The Back out of it, WHY?? Well when you fit the battery in it the Lid will not sit down Flat, Then get the Dremel fitted with A Flat Bottom Grind Stone and grind down the Floor out of the Area where you Are going to fit the Battery Holder, Next Solder 2 wires on the Holder and solder one to each piece of the metal spring part you cut in Half Next fit your battery and then Wrap the 2 metal Flat Contacts with insulation Tape to prevent the Battery from shorting out and put them back in their Slots, Now put in the Other 8 Batteries and replace the Lid Holding down the Contacts as you slide the lid Back, At first it may seem tight but it dose get smoother PS when you are grinding out the bottom of the Pack be sure to keep trying the extra battery and the lid but be careful not to go through the Base ok, I have not Added the Thermyster and the 3rd Contact Like the Factory pack has Because I have not Got the extra parts as of yet but once fitted you have to cut the Tongue on the Lid so it Slides into the Charger other wise you have to take the batteries out to charge them and there you have 13+ volt Supply Hope this Helps, John

I don't think the 3000 will match the TDI Pro, But put either in experienced hands and such a person will drag the last mm of depth out of them, and for the Cost of a second hand 3000 you could get A New TDI under Guarentee

After Reading many post about the TDI SL The Topics always Returned to the Issue about Batteries so I thought I would Buy A Few Dozen Batteries and put it to the Tests Because I think that most people are Holding Back or putting off buying a really Good Machine based on the Issue of the Batteries, So I am posting this in order to let people see that The problem is easily solved and is A lot Cheaper than you might think, HH I have done Tests with Batteries here's what I Got, 1) The Standard HD 2200mah NiMh Pack 4 hours 20 minutes 2) The Dry Cell Pack Fitted with 8 X 2650 mah NiMh AAs =(11.63 volts) 6 hours 37 minutes 3) Modified Dry Cell Pack to Fit 9 x 2700 mah NiMh AAs =(13.009 volts) 6 hours 38 minutes NOW IF YOU USE:- Righto If you use 2900 mah NiMh Batteries you should get Around 7 and A half to 8 Hours Run time, which is more than enough with out Taking A Break, So My Advise to All You Fellow TDI SL Brothers and Sisters, Is To Use the Dry Cell Pack with either 2650s, 2700s or 2900s As Your Main Pack and use your Standard HD 2200 Factory Pack As Your Backup, Using the 2650s and the 2700s works out 4 X Cheaper than Buying the RNB Pack. NOW YOU:- Now You might of noticed that I Modified the Dry Cell Pack To Except 9 X AA's, Why you might Ask??, Well many People have Claimed that By Increasing the Input Voltage That you would Get More Depth?? Well It Did To A Degree But it helps the Sensitivity more than depth because it is running at A Peak Voltage, Is it worth the $10.00s to buy an extra Battery and the Single Battery Holder, Maybe?? But for ease of Use I am Going back to using 8 X 2700+ Batteries, Although I was Running A Higher Voltage It did Not Give me more Run Time as I expected, Because when you increase the Input Voltage that has A Down Side, Because The TDIs will Consume more Amperage as with all things Do although that 13.00 volts does give you a Happy feeling Inside, If you are going to Carry Disposable Batteries then Only Use Energizer Lithium's as they have A Much higher Voltage than Duracell's and Normal Energizers at 1.61 Volts, Where AS The Energizer Lithium's Have 1.83 volts which @ 8 X 1.83 = 14.64 Volts, DON'T PANIC Because the TDI SL Can Run 16.00 Volts Safely, OK, NOW These Energizer Lithium's Have A 10 Year Shelf Life, and have Working Temperature of -40*c to + 40*c++, and they are the only Battery that Is Guaranteed Not To Leak, So If you Own ANYTHING of Value to YOU Only Use these Batteries In It and Even more So with your Detectors because The High Voltage Makes the Machine A Bit Deeper and A Little More Sensitive and A Longer Run Time than Normal Energizers or Duracell, Please Note That Duracell's work Better than the Normal Energizers because Duracell's power slowly goes down, Where as Normal Energizers stay Bright and then the Voltage suddenly drops Fast and if you are using them in a flash light/Torch Then Don't Be Surprized if you find your self in the Dark, Anyways I hope this Helps, John,

Sorry Steve but my laptop has a very vacant attitude, heres the link to their site, http://www.garrett.com/cmerwsite/recon_pro_aml_1000_tech_specs.aspx I will try and send you what they sent me, again sorry about that,,john

I hope this works but this is one of the documents that they sent me and I got the houres mixed up,,,,Sorry about that as they infact claimed 15 to 20 hours per supplied pacl =2off Rest easy Steve I want this machine like I need oxygen and your Holiday just confermed my ideas, Im doing ok but Im trying to get them to opperate on me again,, heck I was 54 yesterday and I still got my bucket list to take care of, John I dont know how you add the attachments of the Doccuments they sent me,,,does'nt matter anyway but I still got to buy one just the same, I just cant help myself,