Gerry in Idaho

Norvic - You are correct about the 6000 still being quite young and us still learning it. The Settings I used and trained customers with when it 1st came out are different than what I train/use today, as it took time in many areas and fine adjusting. Now the 6000 doesn't have as many adjustments, but I agree 100% that it is deeper than many folks think. Time across the many gold fields by a variety of hunters with great selection of coil options and we'll see improvements. After all, we don't have 16", 18" or 20" round coils for the GPX-6000 yet. Jasong - Yes I too would like a GPX-6000 housing and it's abilities to find the gold it does better than the GPZ-7000...but also have the smoothness and the few extra inches of depth on larger gold. What would you/I pay? Depending on what other detectors are on the market at the time and the price of Gold itself. If gold is $2K an oz and there is no other detector manufactures making anything close in performance, I'll bite and pay around $6 to $10K as I know I'll pay that detector off. If gold price is $1000 or less, then I'll not be as big to pay top dollar, maybe $3 to $5K. For me, the KING of these 2 models, is the one getting me the most gold...period. Aureous - I feel like you do about the gold is there, but just out of reach. Hopefully this dream machine comes out before I get too old to dig that 4 and 5' deep hole. Gold Catcher - I agree 100% that there are areas and situations the GPZ-7000 is BEST. Heck I still have 2 Field Staff Experts that own them and have not moved to the GPX-6000? But the majority of my Staff have with great success and smiles, moved from their 7's to the 6. There is no right or wrong in answer and my opinion is for the majority of my detecting in the variety of areas I hunt for the different kinds of gold. And yes there are a couple areas I know, the 7is the preferred tool. But the overall Success is how I award the title KING. Norvic - You said "Tis amazing that we debate passionately about two competing machines that are not made by competing manufacturers." Yes it's kind of funny and Minelab is sitting back and laughing at the other manufactures. It's kind of sad in a way to see but that's what it's been for the last 20 yrs. Hopefully other manufactures are trying to crack into this high end market more than what they have in times past. I don't know if it's been because of lack of the right Engineers or lack of deep pockets. You would think the old PI technology with todays new coil schematics and lighter materials would allow a different manufacture to come out with something similar to a GPX-5000 or GPX-6000 but at a better price point. I just think it's a matter of time.

As a dealer, I remember being told the GPZ-7000 is not a PI. Now it was not Mr Candy who said it, but the way I was explained, it's different that a PI. I agree with some of what you say Aureous but at the same time, I don't feel comfortable telling customers it is a PI. Interesting read and I am all ears and willing to learn.

NV-OR-ID-CA-Au - GPZ-8000? Why not a GPX-6500 with Updated Software and Iron Disc. Or better yet, why not another manufacture give us users another high end PI? Yes, getting the kids out to enjoy what we did as young ones, is priceless. Thanks for adding content. Phrunt - You said "I think everyone should just be happy with their own choices, and they likely have reasons for them and enjoy whatever detector they're using. Steve was a straight shooter on the 6000 from the start and for that I'm very appreciative, I just didn't like missing out but I'll give my 6000 plenty of use, it's so light it can tag along in my backpack especially with a smaller coil on it. We all like certain detectors for certain reasons, not all of our reasons are the same." Well said my friend and soon we'll get more coil options. JP- You said "In the past few weeks (since I recovered from the dreaded) I’ve done 3 or 4 x GPX 6000 sessions and 2 or 3 x GPZ7000 training sessions, in every case I have found 3 pieces each time in the 6000 sessions and nil with the 7000, because the gold is just not plentiful enough there now without spending considerable time and focusing hard. Going over my well worked training areas with the 6000 makes me look like superman, there is nothing more gratifying than scoring a nugget with a customer listening in, showing something is possible for real is very empowering. The GPX 6000 makes me look very good. 😊" Spot on my friend. The 6000 makes my Staff/I look like Kings at finding gold during the Field Training and that's the exact same area we've been training since late 90's. Beautiful gold btw and thanks for contributing.

Norivc - It's hard to deny ounces of Success and to gather it with a much lighter and easier detectors is even more advantageous. Nice coil cover life extender. Lunk - Your skill & success from the exact same patches just goes to prove it's really not even close for most folks in the US. Well said King Lunk.. Steve H - You have nothing to be ashamed of and in fact many of us listened to what you were saying early on. You have been a straight shooter for the 25 yrs I've known you and that's probably part of the reason you were selected to be the US Tester. Exactly as you stated buddy (a pleasure to swing) and more success on a variety of gold. You/I and the rest of us can't fix the Minelab reliability but we sure can tell the world this detector (at this time) is the best of the 2 for most US users. Your success is GOLDEN in more ways than 1 and I thank you for finally sharing some of it with the world. Heck Steve, if it was not for guys like you, look how many others would be at a loss. Your #1 DP forum is the best of the best and just like a GPX-6000, it may not always be running the way we had hoped but in the long run...it takes home the GOLD. Thanks again for opening back up. Lundy/Rick - I wish you were there to witness the whole thing. Very entertaining. We need to get back and find some more Au, toss some rocks and make memories.

Aureous - Yes it's KING of small bird shot as well as the Au. In fact it can pick them up deeper than most VLF gold detectors. Sooner or later experienced guys like you/I will be selling our VLF's for just that reason. On a side note and for those who are not seasoned. It's an odds gain for me. When nugget hunting a site and if getting constant bird shot, I start to scuff the top surface and if it moves, I walk. This can save you quite a bit of time in the long run. Will you miss a couple surface specs of Au, possibly. But the odds are surface targets are trash targets in most of the areas I hunt in the US. Always an exception though and if in a new site, you need to check a few of the top surface targets out before you make that decision. I do the same thing when I detect for older coins in yards. I get many coil signals and leave them for my buddy to dig. He gets more coins than I do and I end up with more older coins/silver than he does. IdahoPeg - Glad to know the hip surgery went well and you are back at the swing again. Lady, you are one impressive gal who can certainly hold your own when it comes to nugget hunting. Your pics of Success and to know your biggest Nevada nugget ever was found, was with the GPX-6000. Heck that's a lot of detector purchases from me and I know they all found you gold in NV, but the 6 is just something special. Well done Lady Digger and I look forward to seeing more of your Au success with a 6000 this year. Phrunt - I knew you were capable of a cartoon, but BK🤣 "Burger King"... Well you certainly didn't get it your way. Of all guys, well deserved. You my friend, had some very bad luck from the beginning with the 6 and so I feel your pain. Time will heel your wounds and I promise you'll come around, especially when you put one of those new smaller CoilTek GOLDHAWK coils on the end. Thanks for giving a little laugh on this special day. All good buddy all good.

I figured a big "fish on" 🎣 would come on to DP and bite on this post, you did.🙂 I had to look up Kellyco to see who/what they sell. Seems silly anyone wanting a gold detector would purchase from a warehouse in Florida. Now a beach detector sure. I think their customer and our customers are a little different, so we'll let them live a little longer. Now that I think about it, they also earned the same award I did. Purchased $1,000,000 in Minelab detectors in 1 fiscal year. Boy those were the good days and we all made a little money💰. On a side note, this is what you earn when purchasing $1,000,000 of detectors in a year. This little trophy. Heck I'd thought a trip to Australia or at least a free detector. Guess I have bragging rights. Yeah, Rye Patch and the ground holding gold could be in for a small seismic quake of change. Funny how you heard about a Rye Patch 👮‍♂️ing the area. It's all good, I hope🙊. Happy Fathers Day to you and Dawn.

Well said JP, many folks don't know in extreme bad ground to lift the coil a little. Those are advanced tips most don't know. Luckily we don't have that many areas in US. Thanks for input.

Well it’s been an amazing year here in the gold fields of the good ol USA. This month (June) is the 1 year Anniversary of the GPX-6000 getting into customers hands and into the gold fields. Wonder what your feelings are and if you feel it’s taken over as the new KING? As a well known Minelab Dealer who’s sold more GPX-6000 than most dealers and my Field Staff/I keeps in contact with many of the customers, I can assure you it’s earned the status of “KING” in the US. Is there still a few who think the GPZ-7000 wears the crown? Most certainly, but the reality is the FINDS & FACTS. No Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard dirt slinging coil swinging soap opera here…JUST THE FACTS. GPX-6000 SUCCESS - Finds more pieces of gold vs a GPZ-7000. I’ve had more customers finding more gold nuggets, even those who traded in their 7000 back to me for the GPX-6000. Just ask on here and most who have owned both will tell you 5 to 1, or 7 to 1 and maybe 10 to 1 ration. GPX-6000 DUMMY PROOF. More User Friendly. Yes the GPZ is leaps/bounds easier than a GPX-5000. Any we now know the 6000 is easier than a 7000. GPX-6000 ERGONOMICS. is easier to swing. This alone was my main reason for getting a 6000. Finding the extra nuggets is a bonus. So many of my customers felt the same way. GPX-6000 VALUE - is $2500 less money (at least today anyway). Now watch Minelab change the price and add another $500, like they did on the GPZ-7000. After all, the one year is now up so the introductory price is suspect to market change bla bla bla. If you have been thinking of getting a GPX-6000, best to move sooner than later or you just might be paying more. GPX-6000 SIZING is more compact and easier to store in RV, easier to hike or ride a motorcycle/bike and just around overall better design. GPX-6000 RESPONSE responds to a variety of different styles of gold better than a 7000 (if you don’t find it, you don’t know what you missing). GPX-6000 VOLUME is best, almost too good. Those little nuggets really POP…even to the weakest of ears. GPX-6000 ACCESSORIES. Minelab coils, coil covers, lower shafts and batteries are priced way better than those for a GPZ-7000. GPX-6000 FUN FACTOR – Just ask the folks who own them. I get emails and calls from my customers so much more often now...vs a GPZ-7000. Our 3 days Field Training is more fun and there are more golden smiles being shared. More happy drives on the way home and more happy wives to know their hubbies had success. GPX-6000 COILS – With the new CoilTek & Nugget Finder coils coming real soon, the options are even better. We all like options. GPX-6000 NEWEST TECHNOLOGY – Who wants to use a 7 yr old cell phone (GPZ-7000). Now all you Amber Heard fans can challenge the above facts, but you know the outcome already…. Anyway, I’m all ears. On a side note. Lets give some more FACTS that we have had happened to us, or observed. GPX-6000 has more background noise and EMI issues when compared to the GPZ-7000. I’m looking forward to seeing either a software upgrade (if possible) or a new improved model in a couple years. Doubt they will come out with a new model GPX-6000 for at least 3 yrs. GPX-6000 out of the box issues. Yes it’s not what we had expected from Minelab but at least they have taken care of every customer that I am aware of. After all, some of the original complaints was new to Minelab PI’s customers. Bottom line, Minelab let some of us down when compared to previous new releases. GPX-6000 timings on a rare occasion have issues with a certain hot rock or soil. I give the GPZ-7000 the edge for those rare occasions. GPX-6000 on Deepest nuggets of size. Yes the GPZ-7000 has a little more depth on those few rarest of nuggets. I recently witnessed a nice piece found at depth with a GPZ-7000 and know the GPX-6000 would be short a few inches. I did find more gold that weekend though than the GPZ-7000. GPX-6000 coils from Minelab seem to not hold up as well as GPZ-7000 coils. But Minelab does make sure customer gets taken care of. Yes there has been a lot of hashing and bashing (Jonny vs Amber) of the GPX-6000, but the bottom line is, not one customer has never been taken care of, that I know. Heck I have a brand new truck with less than a 1000 miles and it’s had 2 recalls already. Am I ready to walk away? Not as long as the manufacture takes care of me. I realize not every person across the world hunts the same kind of ground most of us hunt in the US, so on a rare occasion a 7 might do you right. I also know of a select few guys who are more focused on the biggest of deep gold at no matter what the expense. You are the rare occasion and not the majority of folks who hunt gold. I also know some of you have had such great success and still do, you are content trying to be Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s all good either way you swing a GPX or GPZ. As long as you are getting outdoors, having fun and finding a little gold. That’s life my friend. No rocking chairs for us. Attached are a few pics of customers GPX-6000 Success. Please don't take it wrong if I didn't share your pic since I have many happy customers

Be sure to test the boots for non metal with your detector. The last pair of Reeboks I purchased said they were "None Metal" and in fact that was not the case at all. I returned them with hardly any issues. Keep us posted and good luck.

Interesting signal response as it is REVERSED. Usually in our US soil and settings, that indicates a larger or more dense chunk of gold. I'm guessing you are running DIFFICULT Ground type timing? Thanks for sharing.

I promise you will be happy with the durability of the soles. You caught a smoking deal as I was happy when I paid $140 a pair and in fact purchased a 2nd (still new in box). In my 25+ yrs of nugget hunting, I've purchased and was not happy with the lifespan of Bates, 5.11 Tactical, Reeboks, and a few others. I own and wear Merrells for most daily used and their soles are better. But the soles on the Danners are TOPS and as mentioned the quick slip on/slip off is great. No laces to get cheat grass, no tongue to slide left or right and the other thing about a tongue is the grooves on each side seem to catch and hold more cheat grass and dirt. Don't get me wrong, I love my Merrell's (own 3 different kind), but they are not a serious Prospecting boot. They are great hikers and quite comfortable though.

The only way I have been able to keep the GPX-6000 from making extra background EMI noise is using the headphones and doing Frequency Adjust more often. This detector does not run as smooth as some of the older Minelabs, but it also finds more gold. Guess there's always a trade off. As for lose of depth on bigger gold when compared to a stock coil? The 10" Ellip will lose a little on the larger gold but those are the rarest of nuggets. It actually gains a little on smaller gold. The 9" round might be the happy medium for those who want smaller coil for rougher terrain but still great depth.

One of the other forum members mentioned these Danner boots in 2020 and I purchased a pair. I have to admit, they are the toughest soles of all my non metal boots. No they are not waterproof but the ease of putting on, taking off and durability is AAA+++. I normally go thru 2 pair of boots a year as I use my boot side scoop and heel as my shovel. These boots are steal going strong and I expect another 2 years. Add some mink oil and that should help with water. https://www.danner.com/stronghold-wellington-10-brown-hot.html?___store=default_danner&gclid=CjwKCAjwqauVBhBGEiwAXOepkS0vhM3-oratUzBy29EOOyOfw0aYi-_3BsItyMCdJ2gCS2aD3kvgbhoCjWgQAvD_BwE

The big rock, the clump of grass and that nugget near them at approx 6" depth. If a nugget that size was in the open we all know it would have been found. If a chunk of gold that size was right near the surface we might expect the outer edge of a coil to respond, but not at 6". The bigger coils don't respond as well on deeper targets right up against and near rocks/stumps etc. Or just maybe they did not swing the coil over it? I doubt that since we pulled near 40 targets in just a few hrs. All found with the new size GOLDHAWK coils. You do the same thing with the smaller coil on your GPZ-7000, but at a much greater cost. Be sure to get one Simon as I feel it will be the best investment on your GPX-6000. Heck you folks might even get them before we do here in the USA. The smaller 9" round is dandy as well, but I feel the narrow 10" Ellip takes the cake.

Most of you think I have all kinds of free time but the actuality of it is that my free time is very limited. Yes I sell detectors for a living and so keeping customers happy and income coming in is a must. As you seen the extra price of fuel makes for more of a challenge to get away and then trying to schedule the Field Training we offer along with testing of new and upcoming gear is challenging. To make things worse, we have had one of the wettest and most cool Springs in history here in Idaho and it seems about the time I plan for more testing a big storm rolls in. Anyway, I was able to put some time aside and run the new CoilTek GOLDHAWK (why do I keep wanting to call it GOLDENHAWK?) coil on my GPX-6000. I selected the 10" Ellip MONO as I knew the site had been pounded with a GPZ-7000 and a good year with the GPX-6000 and 11" MONO coil. I was not expecting much but either way, those are the sites that I want to test, the so called CLEANED OUT patches. It took all of a minute and 3 feet to find my 1st. The 10" Ellip MONO GOLDHAWK coil is lighter so I can hunt for longer periods of time. It's more compact and allows for hunting in tougher terrain and up against boulders and tree roots where nugget like to hide. It's greater sensitivity to smaller bits, certain specimens and or highly collectible wire gold. I won't go into detail of why a couple well known GPZ-7000 users missed this nugget and or how a veteran GPX-6000 user missed this nugget, but will say this. They missed it and I found it with the new compact 10" ELLIP MONO GOLDHAWK coil by CoilTek.

Interesting video to see how you set and run the GPX-6000 to find relics. Even though you and Mike both found more iron targets than non ferrous, your ratios were really good and the extra depth of the PI's is there. An added bonus of the GPX-6000 vs the GPX-4500/5000 or even GPZ-7000 is the lighter weight, better ergonomics and not being tethered to your detector. Also nice to see you finding more gold with it in NV. When you get into really tough terrain, you might look into the new CoilTek GOLDHAWK 10" Ellip coil as it will do 2 things better for you. Target separation in trashy sites and rougher terrain like in brush areas. Thanks for sharing.

I have sold very few (less than 10) but at the same time, I am not known as an active Nokta Dealer. My average detector sale is over $1000 and I really don't make the time for sub $1000 detectors at this stage of my 25+ yr dealership. Prime example is the Simplex, Legend and AT series Garrett's. I know they are great products as many people use them, but those are not my nitch. Yes, I feel as Steve does, the US was left out on the Gold Find 2000. As many nugget hunters we have in the US and they couldn't find a couple well known nugget hunters to go use their products, make some finds and share their experiences. Maybe they did and the known nugget hunters had nothing good to say? No worries as I don't plan on going out of my way for it. was more just curious if anyone had given it a good run.

Well it's hard to know if it is a better value or not until a good select handful of folks get it and put it through the tests. I figured after a year there would be results from a variety of folks. I realize it's not what some of us advanced gold hunters want, but at the same time either is the GM-1000. Hopefully others will chime in and give input (good and bad).

So it has been a year now since the Gold Finder 2000 by Nokta has come out. The advertising on the box talks it up pretty well and the price point is within most other VLF gold detectors. What I find interesting is the lack of success posts, photos and or stories. There is a pretty good Promo on it right now, but maybe that's because sales of said unti are not doing well? Also, this detector could be region related. As with the GM-1000, it was never intended for the US, but we wanted "turn on and go". Maybe it's just a matter of someone asking to see pics of your GF-2000 success so please let us know. Yes I am a dealer of said product, but I also have my favorites and already know them. With limited time it's tough to get my hands on all the new detectors coming out and giving them real hands on. In times past some of the manufactures and their hype was just that...hype. Anyone want to shed some light on your experiences (good and bad) of this detector. Thanks in advance.

Most of my biggest gold have come from tailing piles and a few of the multi ouncers from piles in AK. Location and a little luck is key.

I'll make a separate post (my 25+ yrs at Rye Patch) as I do feel it deserves it's own thread. I know many who will want to chime in. Give me a few days.

We teach them to put the pick on their shoulder or back. Having a pick there on his hip will not allow the user to get full proper sweep without interference when using a PI. Good catch.

I will answer some of everyone's thoughts/questions here. Yes the gravy is gone and actually has been gone for 20 yrs, but each new model did open up another layer/size of gold success. That continues today with the GPX-6000. Part of the reason any good quality VLF nugget detector can still find a few bits at RP, is the smaller coils. To me, a small coil and proper coil control is a must for Rye Patch and most other well known hunted out sites. Can I found 10 to 15 pickers a day out there with the likes of a Garrett 24K, Fisher GB-2, GM-1000 or EQ-800> Yes as long as I am using the smallest coil possible. No use trying to compete with the depth and power of a Pulse Induction at RP by trying to put a larger coil on a VLF. Any dealer who says a larger coil will give the same depth is foolish and uneducated. Yes on a rare occasion in non mineralized soils a larger coil on a VLF has an advantage, but not at RP. Yes we had many people find their 1st nugget ever. I even had folks who show up with a detector still in box. That's not how I prefer them to be, but at least they have no bad habits. Speaking of that. Experienced coin hunters are the hardest to train. They have to many bad habits from the yrs of success finding round coin size targets. Why do so many of my customers do better than most? I feel it's the style of Training my Field Staff Experts and I provide. 1st off, we have a vast knowledge and experience level of finding many different types of gold in their environments of holding places from many states and a few countries, with a variety of detectors. We teach things most dealers don't know and or haven't experienced. 2nd, it's a 3 day camping event with like minded people who enjoy the outdoors. The amount of time my different staff spend and explain things to each customer giving them added opportunity to remember more of what we teach/share/show, repetition repetition repetition. 3rd is location. We always train at the same area as we know how much gold has come from there. No spots at Rye Patch have ever had a coil void. I can assure you ever square foot as had at least 5 different detectors and 3 sizes of coils over each foot so many times it's silly. Not all of Rye Patch is gold ground. There are acres of dead land and we can't find a piece to save our lives. I know the old patches and the dead quiet ground. Keeping my customers in the better dirt is most important. Is RP hunted out? Yes, Yes Yes... Is there a few nuggets left? Most certainly and I can find them if I want to impress someone. Would I recommend a beginner to go to RP on their own? Heck, even if you are halfway ok with a detector, I would not suggest it. Why then do I train there? Because I know of you find a nugget at RP, you are certainly doing things right. I also know the average Joe on their own will go home with ZERO nuggets over a weekend. This is real life nugget detecting for many so if you can enjoy your ZERO nugget weekend and still have fun, then you might be the right kind of person for nugget hunting as it's one of the most patient styles of detecting I'm aware of. Just like Steve H mentioned. He/I and many others are spoiled from hunting/finding bigger gold and so to work our butts off for a couple grams is hard to be happy much more. Old coin/relic and jewelry hunting is actually easier and more productive. But we also like to still go back to RP and sharpen our skill on a new model, new coil or etc. Me personally, I feel area out Sawtooth, Rabbit Hole Barrel Springs, Blue Mountain, Seven Troughs have better potential and I know for a fact they have not been detected as much. I was recently asked if I plant the nuggets for customers. Heck, I've had dealers say that for years. Bottom line is those lazy asses don't know shit about Rye Patch. Ask any of the customers who are lucky to find 1 2 or 4 nuggets during the 3 days. I'm most certain, they'll laugh in your face as they know how many hours of swinging and how hard they worked to find those few little pickers. Is Rye Patch still worth going to? If you want a challenge and are a top hunter, then you'll find a few. For most, as mentioned before and go see Danny at Gold Diggers Saloon. I know his land has been the least hunted and feel has the best chance of success. Yes it might cost you $20 a day, but I know how hard the other areas have been pounded. Having the newest technology GPX-6000 will certainly up your chances. Does anyone remember Chuck from Texas? He made a killing out there in the 90's. On a side note. Don't get gas at the Rye Patch station on south side of Interstate at dam exit as it was over $6 a gallon for gas. Either fill up in Lovelock or Winnemucca. On side side note. The pic is the biggest non solid nugget (specimen) I have witnessed being found at Rye Patch proper. Scott found this rare piece close to the burn barrel with a GP-3500

Just getting caught up and returning from Rye Patch NV and the 3 Days Field Training class my Staff/I offered. Even though I stress to folks that finding gold is not the most important part of the class. The 3 days with my Field Staff/I is really all about knowledge and how much of it you can retain. But the feeling of a rattler in the bottle makes for a better ride home. With the drier soil conditions and the majority of customers using the newest technology detectors, we were able to have a very high gold nugget count. In fact, this is one of the most Successful 3 days trips I have held in the last 5 or 6 yrs. Approx 40 nuggets were recovered by the group as a whole. Yes we had and always do have a few who did not go home with a nugget. As I feel, that’s really not as important as going home with detector knowledge. Part of the training is to compare undug targets with the different detectors in the class so we all get to see, hear and learn from those rare opportunities. When you get to swing your own detector over the spot and hopefully hear the signal, you start the process of building confidence in your detector and your coil control to get optimum signal response. On occasion we find some model of detectors do not do as well as others and that is knowledge gained, even though sometimes hard to swallow. The best wow target was approx. 10” depth and found with a GPX-6000. From the surface none of the VLF’s could hear it, the GPX-5000 did not, as well as the GPZ-7000’s. After 2” removed, the GPZ still had issues. 2 more inches removed and the ZED gave a dirty signal (kind of like a small piece of wire), but the 6000 was just simple loud and clear. At about 6” depth the VLF heard it but their target ID read IRON. (realize every detector on the market has a max depth of proper ID before the system is unreliable). Finally at 8” the NOX had proper ID of a non ferrous target and we were all getting excited expecting the customer to score his 1st Rye Patch nugget. Well you know gold hunting, it turned lead. The most nuggets recovered were by 2 of the repeat customers. One of them has been on top of the technology change and realizes the importance of hunting the old sites with the newest machines for best chance of success. He shed the weight of the GPZ-7000 to shine with the new lighter GPX-6000 and his efforts were golden. The other (his hunting buddy) stepped up from an SDC-2300 to the 6000 and this was his best trip to RP ever. Just goes to show those old patches can still produce nuggets if you have the new GPX-6000 in your hands. We had 2 hard chargers in the class (GPX-5000 and a GPZ-7000) that went home with plenty of knowledge and education, but did not find a NV nugget. I’m not saying those models of detectors are no good, but just realize this is Rye Patch, the same area hunted with every PI since the early 90’s. The good thing for these customers of those models, my staff/I were able to shine light on when we’d be using some of the features/capabilities of those model of detectors. The GPX-5000 has IRON ID capabilities for trash areas and the GPZ-7000 can find the biggest of gold at near 4’ depth. The dangers of Rye Patch are still there. 4 flat tires that I am aware of, 1 dead battery on a truck and a caved in tent from the high winds. The snakes are out and the Mormon crickets were on the move. If you are going to go. I highly recommend for those who are not familiar with Rye Patch to check in at Gold Digger Saloon. Danny, the owner has some of the better ground (claims) that have not been hunted as hard as the surrounding area. I think he charges $20 or $25 for a day which is pretty reasonable. The best part is you get a map so you know where you are and not on any others persons claim. If you enjoy Pizza, they absolutely have the best pizza and coldest beer around. Summery of the weekend. Older model detectors don’t stand much of a chance when compared to the new. Still a few nuggets left, but they are getting smaller and fewer. Even if you have a new detector, if you don’t know what you are doing, the deck is stack against you at Rye Patch. The lake is gone…it dried up. One of my Staff said it best. Cell phone = detector. Who owns a 10 yr old cell phone and goes to Rye Patch and expects to find gold. Pics are of my customers and some of the Rye Patch gold success/smiles shared.

Love your description of how you enjoy the outdoors. The ability to get out and swing a detector in pursuit metal treasures/history and at the same time... seeing some wildlife many folks only view on TV, is what keeps so many of us going. Love the gold, the meteorite is MINT, and the rustic mining trash. The bird band is always a thrill when doing the research. Great short story and pics... Looking forward to seeing your view from this summer in NV and upper CA.