Gerry in Idaho

So glad to see you out there with the new GPX-6000 and making EPIC GOLD FINDS Reg. Yes this detector is truly everything they said it would be. Each week there are more and more people starting to realize it's potentials. Tha's a bad ass find my friend and most certainly well deserved. You know what I like so much about the find and pics? Your smiling like a young lad and I'm sure you had a little extra hop and skip in your walk that day. Big gold certainly does do that for us. Again, well earned. Thanks Mr. Beatty for catching this rare moment of your friend and allowing us the excitement of seeing it. If there happens to be a video of the Reg Dance and shimmy shake, it would be well worth the watch.

I've never detected that low but I did notice in a few areas quite a bit of heavier rock material which would be great for catching nuggets. We did the burn barrel again.

Gold Catcher, I have yet to get one of the aftermarket coil for the GPZ-7000 as I don't like the idea of voiding my warranty. As for factory shipped vs factory shipped it not close at all. Now I would like to do a comparison for a day on undug targets just to know for a fact. I'll never go back to the GPZ-7000 though at RP as the GPX-6000 is just heaps lighter and easier to swing and handle. In the few areas I need the extra depth of the GPZ-7000 for really big gold, I'm certain the stock coils with it are most ideal. If you happen to be around Rp this coming June, maybe we hook up for a day and compare some nuggets. On a side note, I see the long thread of GPX-6000 issues and you folks know I've posted on that thread before, but I would like to say that of the 7 GPX-6000's I listened to were all good operation with no issues.

We never can get them all. I've thought I worked a patch totally clean to only go back another time and pull another or 3. So many variables from weather, EMI in the air, soil moisture, coil direction and or coil control, coil size, timing on the detector or even just doing a Noise Cancel. Those Rye Patch patches have been giving for years. As for interesting nuggets. I've found a few off shaped ones and YES some of them are crazy interesting to the mind. You know you are getting really good at nugget hunting and starting to be as good as the Master JW, when he invites you out, knowing you have a broken bone in your foot....😏 Hopefully it heels well and soon. My giraffe head nugget from Alaska is pretty interesting.

Rye Patch, Nevada. It’s the place so many prospectors dream about the chevron golden riches and yet so few actually succeed. The openness of the RP desolate dry desert has it’s own natural beauty with some amazing features when you pay attention. Yet at the same time the exact site poses the most unexpected of weathers, frustrations and or failures. In reality, Rye Patch area is a love/hate relationship for many. My Field Staff and I recently returned from our 1st of three Rye Patch Nevada Field Training/Camping Adventures. The 3 day weekend (Friday – Sunday) was surrounded by like minded folks who want to learn their gold detectors and how to be most proficient. Class size was subject by the amount of Staff I had present and we had to keep 3 eager students per Field Expert. Here’s a run down of how our 3 days unfolded and the knowledge shared/gained by all attending. Getting to RP is actually quite easy (if you are prepared for the unexpected) and one of the main reasons I prefer to train there is location. It’s kind of centrally located for the most of folks attending as many of the customers are coming from CA, OR, NV, ID and WA all though I have had customers from all over the world. Sacramento, CA and surrounding cities are an easy half day drive. Las Vegas, NV and Eugene, OR are both about 8 hrs. Salt Lake City is approx. 6 hrs and my home of Boise, ID is jus under 6 hrs drive as well. So many people from larger metro areas of surrounds states can all do RP in a day. We always have the few exceptions of distance folks and for this trip was Loren from Gig Harbor, WA., Steve from Zortman, MT., Mike/Sally and Maria from Colorado. The latter travelers had 11 hrs drive to the RP oasis. If you are prepared? This is part of the complete Northern Nevada eco system that makes it so adventurous in good/bad ways. In my 25 yrs of pointing folks to RP and Northern NV., I try to help get them prepared before they leave their home and start the trek to my stomping grounds. I have detailed directions, list of things needed and what to prepare for and or expect. It seems a good part of the class listen wisely and take proper protocol and then there are the few who enjoy winging it. Yes the thrill of “spare of the moment, off the cuff, just go do it”, is kind of exciting in a way, but at the same time could be a relationship nightmare. Actually the latter is very true as I’ve witnessed a few spats or a dozen in my times. I’m assuming part of the party was shared my notes of knowledge and then part of the family was not? Hazards of RP- Holy flat tires. Yes some folks will get one, a few maybe 2 and on a rare occasion you become the tire changing king. Just ask Steve who drove from MT. I passed him along the main road below camp coming in that Thursday evening. I could see a rig attached to a camp trailer pulled off the side and figured it was another of my students. Sure enough, as I inch up closer (don’t want to cover him with desert dust – fine tan power that ends up in every crack and crevice of our truck, campers, electronics, and even orifice of the body) I can see a flat tire on the trailer. I introduce myself while checking the scene and after affirming my hunch of it being one of my students. I calmly ask if he took heed of my tips for the trip notes. In it is, “please carry 2 spares, a jack and know how to change a tire”. Yes, Steve said and then went on to inform me that was flat #4. That’s right folks, Steve was changing the 4th flat tire and he had not even reached the class site yet. To be fair, he was only 2 miles away though. Yes, Steve is a Tire Flat Fixing King. His wife who was sitting in the passenger seat of the truck, I can only imagine….what a fun and exciting trip this is.. Hats off to Ma’am. The hazards of RP vary as much as the temps from day to night with occasional bigger swing than most realize. We started off Friday morning around calm 40 degrees and sunny. Heck one of the students was in shorts already. The noon break showed the high desert sun was more than a few expected as we were slapping the sun screen on cheek bones, legs, arms and nose tips. By that afternoon the temps reached 80 degrees and a cool water was a must. Come Saturday morning and we had a change of heart and 27 degrees with 20 to 25 mph winds and gusts of 35. No bear skin that day and all desire of a cool drink were denied while we looked for hats, scarfs, gloves and warm coffee. I realized 3 rigs had those fancy tents that come off the back of your trucks and all were near by that 1st Friday night and Saturday morning. But on Saturday evening not a one of them was near? Probably pretty wise, as the 19 degree morning on Sunday was a tough one for us. Snot rags, chapped lips and chattering teeth was the norm Sunday morning and all I can say is we were lucky the winds were not around to make it even worse. Around noon things turned to decent and the folks started to enjoy themselves in the NV desert again. We have no control over the weather so when I pick dates many months in advance and customers sign up to lock in those dates, we just have to go with the flow. Now for some smiles, a little gold and the fun. Of the 12 folks who were hanging around the class and learning what my Staff/I had to offer, all but 3 went home with a Rye Patch nugget (piece of gold). Yea I realize some of them were little picker nuggets, but to go home with gold is much better than going home with no gold. I make sure everyone realizes the purpose of the class is education and to not expect gold. If it happens, then you are doing things right and it goes to show you paid attention. The big winners of the weekend were the girls who attended the class. 3 ladies and all 3 dug gold. Sally was the Big Nugget Winner with a stunning 8.6 gram slug of gold. Her GPZ-7000 had no issues smacking that one about 10” down. We tested the GPX-6000’s and they screamed “Golden Glory” at the top of their lungs as well. On a side note, this is the biggest nugget to be unearthed during a training session in at least 5 yrs. Well done Sally and I heard the 2 of you ended up with over a dozen by the time your trip was over. Local lady Diane (below) from Winnemucca was on her A game over the weekend and her 3 nuggets proved she had the proper coil control down. Diane saved the best for last and the nicer nugget of about 1.5 gram. The last day Maria (below) from CO was able to pull a decent nugget at depth nearing 10”. Funny thing was the GPZ-7000’s had issues with this nugget and gave a goofy wishy washy response while the 6000 was smooth a s butter clear and clean. The lone GPX-5000 had not chance on the target until we were much deeper in the dig. No VLF machines could hear it as expected. Some of the other students with their 1st gold of the trip, a couple 1st gold ever and so they were all smiles. I too was able to pop my cherry for 1st gold of 2022 and of course as expected it came from Rye Patch. Steve (above) from MT was able to ease the pain of his pocket from 4 flats after he scored this chunky nugget. Andrew (above) from CA is proud of his GPZ-7000 nugget. I know more will be coming his way. Boyd (above) from Oregon was quite relieved when on Sunday morning he popped the GPX-6000 cherry. Loren (below) from WA hits a nice triangle piece at RP with his 6000. Randy (above) is proud to show off his 2 ounces of NV gold he uncovered with is GPX-6000 in less than a yr. He came to my class last Fall and has been scooping gold ever since. Another ounce (probably only take him a few more weeks) and he'll have his GPX-6000 paid for. Spencer (below) thinks the buggy can go anywhere. That mud hole is the only thing left of Rye Patch Reservoir which happens to be the lowest I've ever seen in my 25 yrs. . Sorry I did not get pics of George from Idaho and his gold with his GPX-6000 as I know he found at least 3. The overall results were as expected. The GPX-6000’s found the most pieces of gold. A couple of the small nuggets at depth, the GPZ-7000 did not hear at all. The old school and proven many years over GPX-5000 did not score gold, but was able to pop a strong signal at depth over the 8.6 gram slug Sally found. The lone VLF had issues with the moisture and many times we could not get an exact ground balance on it. Plus, it was running the larger 11” round coil when in fact I would have preferred the operator to use a smaller 6” coil to up his odds. Moral of the story on the detectors for Rye Patch is not going to be the same for other areas in NV or even for sites the customers themselves may be detecting in their states as each site varies. But as I new would happen for RP, is the GPX-6000 is the bread winner and will continue to be the nugget collector of machines for the near future. Yes the GPZ-7000 can still find gold at RP for those are on their A game and know the area, but when comparing signal after signal and target after target, the GPX-6000 walks away quite easily. A prime example of this is Mike/Sally from CO. They own both and swing both each day trading off machine the next. Mike’s comment to me was the GPX-6000 scores 4 or 5 nuggets to 1 on the GPZ-7000. Happy Hunting folks and we look forward to another eventful and fun filled session coming up in June.

Very nice.

The US Military Discount is something I fought for and asked many years ago. It was finally implemented when one of the better Minelab GM's, Gary Schafer was in charge in USA. The US Military Discount is a voluntary promo at dealer discretion (not mandatory as some US dealers are not supporters of the military) and can offer up to a 15% discount on 1 detector if the appropriate documentation is provided. As a US VET myself, I don't blink an eye for anyone who has served and I offer the full 15%. No it is not a complete 15% loss of profit for me. Minelab requires at the end of each month for me to send in all US VET purchases and then I get a % of the 15% added to the books as a credit. I have to use it within a certain time and have to purchase Minelab products. Does not apply to pin-pointers and accessories. Do I find it strange that Minelab Australia does not offer the same promo for their military customers? Most certainly and I feel the dealers in Australia should put their foot down and let Peter C. know their feelings. Hopefully this clears a few things up and for those who are interested to use the military discount, please contact Gerry's Detectors of Boise, Idaho www.gerrysdetectors.com and we'll be happy to provide, since you earned it.

Horst, I'll be happy to work with you on a detector at discount from your military service. My issue is Minelab contract does not allow US Dealers to ship new detectors outside of the US. I am allowed to ship used units though.

As a VET myself, I'm happy to provide the 15% military discount to those who have earned it. Some of my most loyal customers for the last 25 yrs have been Military and I thank you. Gerry's Detectors www.gerrysdetectors.com

As someone who travels many states and a few countries while collecting a variety of gold pieces with detectors and coils, I've realized the importance of having more than 1 detector tool. So many variables out there and each sites has different situations and sometimes varying gold types. If you want best potential for success you should have a VLF and a big detector. So many times I've planned on hunting an area with said machine and then get there to realize just around the bend is a more profitable situation to hunt but I need a different detector technology. Knowing them and when to switch is key. These two pics are the same rock from NV and I went down there expecting to use my GPZ-7000. When I seen the type of gold and the source, I realized my GM-1000 had best potential. It had approx 4 grams of gold in it and my GPZ-7000 heard....not a peep. Then down below, I was able to get a few others with the 7000 that were deeper than what the Monster could do.

Someday somewhere there will be a new list of names, sizes and finders of such mammoth Au discoveries. We keep reaching father off the beaten paths and deeper into the ground. So many places have yet a coil over them but time will tell. Thanks for sharing.

Stunning finds and amazing cleaning. Hopefully you are getting top dollar as those are museum worthy. Well earned and thanks for sharing.

Good catch on the gold in the pic and that's typically true. It all came from the same area, but the flash of the camera changed the gold a little farther away. You'll see the same thing when looking at the gold scale. The front scale looks darker than the back scale but they are the same. Yes the GPX-6000 is almost like a sensitive VLF that turned into PI depth and stability in my opinion. I've laughed myself a few times at the capabilities of the GPX-6000.

Great feedback everyone and I hope this truly does help some of the newer hunters. Let's play the odds for a bit and see who usually wins. That same thinking is true today and especially for the new nugget hunter wanting to dig a piece of gold. Old time Prospectors from years past running the sluice box, or a water cannon, gold pan and even big iron dredges played the odds of recovering gold. Even todays changing advanced technology and big mining companies play the odds at collecting Au. Their philosophy holds true today and is to find the most plentiful kind of gold that can be recovered at the cheapest cost. 100+ yrs ago it was the flour gold that kept the miners fed. Sure there was the occasional nugget found, but the majority of gold recovered in the 1800's and early 1900's was flour. Now jump forward 100+ yrs and the big mineral companies are collecting microscopic gold that naked eye can't see. Conclusion is nuggets are rare and the bigger they get the more rare they become. As a veteran nugget hunter myself of 25+ yrs, I know for a fact the majority of my recovered gold nuggets were smaller pieces. I've had 100+ nugget days on occasion and also found 40+ little nuggets in 1 hole before. The collection many folks share and pics tell the same story and show mostly smaller nuggets. Detector manufactures have caught on as well. Each time a new VLF gold detector comes out, it's usually compared to see how small of gold it can find. Heck todays higher dollar PI's and ZVT technology detectors do the same thing. They get better at finding the smaller nuggets than their older models before. It's the odds of having success at going home with a nugget, no matter what the size. I don't know if these numbers are fact and never did a google search but will say from my own experience. For every 1 pound nugget, there are 20 of the 1 ounce nuggets. For each 1 oz there's approx 20 quarter ounce nuggets. For each 1/4 oz (approx 7.8 gram) chunk I have probably found an average of 50 of the 2 gram size. Again, from 2 gram to 1 gram is probably another 50. Now here is where things really get going. I'm willing to say it, but I'm sure for each 1 gram pea size nugget, the average is closer to 100 .1 gram nuggets. I won't worry about anything less but hope you get my point. It holds true today just like it did 150 yrs ago. There's more smaller gold nuggets than bigger ones and more flour gold than nuggets and more microscopic gold than flour. So with my findings, the best chance of Success for a beginner detectorist is to set your detector up for the most plentiful size of gold still out there that a detector can hear (smaller nuggets). Pic below is from my customer in MT with his GM-1000 and when you look at all the gold, you'll notice much more smaller stuff. - On many detectors I have tested, the smaller coil is actually deeper on tiny gold than the stock coil. - Smaller coil sees less mineralized soils as it has a smaller footprint so you can turn the SENS/GAIN up. - Smaller coil on many detectors runs smoother, sees less EMI, and is more stable than stock coil. - The ID system on many detectors reads more accurately on a small nugget near surface than the stock coil as the bigger coil again sees more mineralization and it's harder to read the same small nugget. (note, I don't recommend newbies to rely on ID systems when chasing tiny gold). All detectors can be fooled. - Smaller coils can get under bushes, between rocks and in cracks/crevices easier and that's sometimes the places nuggets light to get caught up or hide. - Small coils give cleaner signal response to smaller nuggets than stock coil so you can hear it better. - Small coil is lighter in weight so the operator can hunt longer without fatigue, especially when side hilling. - The average person who purchases a detector uses the coil that comes with it. Many times, the VLF detectors do not come with the small coil (yes I know GM-1000 does). You don't want to be average and be using the same size coil in the same areas the other guys hunt. The above mentioned and a few other reasons is why when my Field Staff/I prefer that our customers coming to the Field Training to put on the smallest coil they have. It ups your chance of Success. For a beginner nugget hunter, SUCCESS of any size gold is better than NO GOLD. Getting to hear the rattle of those few tiny nuggets in the pill bottle on the way home is much more happier for the detectorist than his buddy with rattling nothing. Anyone else who wants to add to this please do..... This info is just my opinion and I realize there are always exceptions. Happy Hunting.

Any nugget no matter the size can be fooled by every detector known. There is always a certain depth that ID machines can not properly identify the target. The other thing to watch is the matrix of the soil and the more mineralized the soil the less accurate and depth the ID machine has. Part of the reason I prefer to hunt bigger gold in tailing piles is the lack of mineralized soils to mess with the ID of a detector, especially VLF. On the flip side hot rocks can mask a good chunk of gold as well.

Starting to see some great knowledge and tips being discussed and mentioned. Keep it coming folks.

Steve, The find is pretty much as is and has not been cleaned as it didn't need it. Yes some pieces have the orange/red iron staining like the find I made below in Australia. Then there's the ones that come out pretty clean of iron like below. As for the kind of host rock/quartz. I'm not a geologist so not sure if Bull Quartz is or is not the term.

I agree 100% that confidence is key. In my experience to help build the confidence, you need to find some gold. Well said Simon

We have a new season of gold hunting just about to start and I've already seen a couple guys out and about making some finds of the heavy yellow metal. With the new season about to start is a few beginner nugget hunter want-a-bees. Let's take the time to share some of the knowledge we have learned. I myself recommend newer users to the nugget hunting scene to run as small of a coil on their VLF gold detector as possible. I have my reasoning for this, but before I say, I'd like to hear from others, your input, thoughts and experiences. What's interesting is the manufactures stock coil is usually larger than what I prefer and recommend for newer hunters. Thanks for helping out the newbies everyone.

I've been fortunate enough to find a few bits in WY and witnessed a few ouncer size chunks as well. Nice write up and pics.

Very nice chunky gold Chris and I enjoyed your geology video as well.

Yes it's important to know where it was found as that could help with the value at the time of the sale. Another part of the story that some of us are missing and Rob brought it up as well: This is incredible monster find is pretty recent and that is amazing to me. Just goes to show, there are big one still out there. Remember, 2 yrs ago this (see attached pics) monster specimen was recovered in AZ by one of my customers using an SDC-2300. 38 ozt is the total weight of the specimen and it has over a pound of gold. Yes there are some big gold chunks still out there and more to come. Happy Hunting.

Welcome to DP Tom and hoping your new GM-1000 is as productive as you can make it. As for different pitches of the tone on the Monster and between it being iron and nonferrous. Yes some iron targets can give a scratchy or shorter chirpy sounds, but please do not rely on that 100% as you'll get bitten. I've had found tell me they can hear the difference of lead and gold. I call BS. I have folks who think they can hear the difference of bullet casings and gold, again I call BS. With a detector like the Monster and so many other gold machines, you should not rely on what your ear hears as much when it comes to IDing targets and trying to differentiate the difference. Now I will give an example of how my ear can help me ID some gold from other undesired targets. Say a particular site has small half grain of rice nuggets across a bedrock shelf or bottom of a gully and all these nuggets are about the same size. Lets also say a rabbit hunter was in there with a 22 rifle and there are casings scattered on the same area. At that time an experienced ear might hear the signal strength and width of the half grain rice gold nugget vs the .22 shell casing as they are different in size and density. Now if there happens to be a 1 gram nugget mixed in with the smaller nuggets and .22 casings...and you still tried to use the signal strength/width strategy, you'll miss the 1 grammer. Above is a prime example of the Equinox 800's identification capabilities as it will easily read and give different ID #'s of the small 1/2 grain rice nuggets vs the .22 casing. So with the NOX, I get the same signal with/strength and also VDI #'s. But as mentioned by others....when in doubt-check it out.

I like your way of hunting meteorites and you can certainly cover some ground. What's the best one you have ever found doing that?

It's worse than I thought. I tried to double down and order her a 2nd nice piece of jewelry. Ended up getting an XP Deus 2. I'm in serious hot water now.