Gerry in Idaho

Steve, That is the best looking gold nugget I've seen so far in 2022. you my friend are on Cloud 10 (Cloud 9 isn't good enough for that find). I'm so proud of you and all the efforts you have put into it. Now you are a proud member of the 1 pounce club. Sure it's a specimen but that vein looks pretty thick and I'm sure the GPX-5000 will hear it. 21 is pretty high on the NOX, so when you go back and check again, I would expect it to read 12 to 14 range (I could be wrong). I know you were not a fan of the GPX-5000 as you did see some of it's weak points. But in areas with good size gold and if quite a bit of man made iron trash, the DD coil and DISC mode work well with a GPX-5000. Just make sure you learn the blanking and keep it separated from the hiccup of a big nugget. yes there are differences. Anyway, Glad you took the class, learned from my Staff and then went and found Big Heavy Rocks. That Equinox 800 is such a dream to sweep all day in rough terrain and trash areas. I know you are hooked now so the GPX-6000 is getting closer to being in your hands. Well earned buddy.

And I listened to every single word in each of your sentences, paragraphs and phone calls. I also took advice and doubled down on my order. That was the 1st detector in all my 25 years of being a multi line dealer that I blew past 100+ units in a year. And YES, Yes, yes even to this day, there are a few dealers who do not talk the Equinox 800 as a Gold Detector. So sorry for the customers who talk with such unknowledgeable dealers as it really does not leave the customers with as many options and or give them the same opportunities as the Multi Use Equinox 800. Here's the kicker and even to this day. Minelab Marketing folks are clueless as to what their detectors can do. If I was in charge, they'd certainly have a different job. Go to their website and type in Gold Detector. No mention of Equinox 800? I've told them so many times, but yea like they really listen to what one of their best dealers selling gold detectors who has been with them 25 yrs actually knows. Oh well. https://www.minelab.com/usa/metal-detectors/strike-gold And don't tell me it's because it's not a genuine gold detector. Heck it will walk up and down the back of an X-terra 705 Gold and they have it up there. Just totally clueless so many wasted minds. Hey, I'm just a stupid guy from Idaho who likes sticking rocks in my mouth. Yea, big flipping heavy rocks and I love heavy metal too.

The GM-1000 is a fine machine and I sell many of them. It's the most dummy proof, user friendly, turn on and go VLF gold detector on the market at this time. But it has it's faults and when compared side by side to the Equinox 800, the issues show up. What's cool about the NOX, I can make it just as User-friendly as the Moster and still get the extra benefits the 800 provides. Or I can fine tune the additional features and walk all over my Monster. I'm not going into details where the NOX shines as it's been posted on here a few times. I'll close with this and these are facts. All of my Field Staff Experts owned, loved and found gold with Gold Bug-2. After the Monster came out (and we learned it's capabilities, +/-'s) we all went to it, some faster than others. When the EQ-800 came out, Lunk and I were the 1st to start using it for gold. In fact it hadn't even been really touted as a gold detector, but we were of just a few dealers who actually took the time to show up to the Dealer Equinox Showing with Engineering there to answer our questions...and boy did we have fun. Now, all of my Field Staff use and own at least 1 NOX and some of us own 2. I can also assure you, we've found more gold with the NOX than any other VLF gold detector. These are facts and not by 1 or 2 guys, but at least 10 of us. Happy hunting.

Many great answers for you already mentioned. Here is how I sell a customer one or the other (of the 2 you requested). If you are only after gold and need a simple Turn on & Go detector that can easily be handed over to a friend, relative of buddy on occasion....go Gold Monster 1000. If you like fine tuning performance and having the ability to be in control of your gold detector, then the Equinox 800 is much better than GM-1000. Having the added features of Coin/Relic/Beach, 100% waterproof, software update-able and blue took wireless is just a bonus. As always, All VETs of all US branches get 15% discount. Good Luck. www.gerrysdetectors.com

That's a fact as I have experienced lost friendships because of gold.

F350Platinum - Those are incredible history saves for such a short time swinging/pinging. It just goes to show the majority of treasure finds have to do with location. Very seldom do we see silver reales and cut coins out west. Yes it happens in a select few locations and or incidents, but nothing like what East of the Mississippi produces. That bicycle fob is really cool as well. Thanks for sharing some of your better finds golden finds of 21. BTW. The horn still works, so I'll go back and give it the goose a few times to see if my odds improve.

I would think Gold Mode #2 is better than 1? Thanks for sharing.

I enjoy a variety of MDing styles which keeps me on my toes with different detectors and models. To me, "golden find" a term and has many meanings. I'd like to share some of the Golden Memories I was able to make in 2021 while enjoying my metal detectors with many friends in different states. 2021 is finally over and even though there were many restrictions and some negative in our lives I did manage to escape on occasion and enjoy what I've been doing for near 50 years (metal detecting). Here's some of my better digs while on adventures with friends as we shared laughter, made cool discoveries & great memories. These are my besties of 2021. Best Nugget, coin, ring, tag, Railroad, space rock, silver day & non metal eye find. May the 2022 year bring your recover tool many treasures of golden memories. I hope to see you share with us all on Detector Prospector those precious treasures and memories about to be made. Let's see your Besties of 21. My best piece of gold dug in NV while swinging a GPX-6000. . Best coin was an 1875 Seated Liberty Dime found at an old mining camp in Dakotas while chasing gold, with EQ-800 and CoilTek 10" Ellip NOX coil. Best ring was scooped just last week in water off a Cancun beach, it's Platinum with at least a 1/2 carat diamond while swinging an EQ-600 and stock 11" coil. Best tag is a pretty ornate 1913 Dog Tax Tag from Ogden, UT found in Idaho with EQ-800. Best Railroad item... is a NNRY lock found in NV at a RR stop with EQ-800. What's so unique about this find, besides it being rare? We were on our way to hunt gold in NV and I wanted to stop at a RR site on the way down. I told them I wanted to spend 1/2 day looking for a lock. Just before the end of the hunt...bang a Northern Nevada Rail Way lock is in my hand. Best find from outer space. A nice meteorite sunbaking in the AZ cactus fields while swinging a GPZ-7000. Best silver day was in Idaho the 1st day I used the CoilTek 15" round NOX coil on my EQ-800, 8 silvers. Most interesting unexpected save happened in Nevada while Lunk and I were detecting a mining camp. We were using the CoilTek 14" Semi Ellip and 10" Ellip NOX coils on our EQ-800's and found a mini cache of (over 30) early American gold gilted rings from the 1860/70's. This was a fun day of digging. Best non metal find was near a high desert spring in Nevada while hunting gold. It was a surface find with my eyes. Nice arrowhead of milky white quartz. Most odd and funny find of 2021. I was hunting gold in Nevada desert and literally in gods country. I get a beep and in a sage bush is this clowns horn. I laughed at myself and the horn for at least 10 minutes and still to this day have no clue how or why it ended up where it was. Most valuable find of 2021. All the friends by my side on the adventures I took part in. At times were treated to 5 star meals, top shelf liquors and plenty laughter/stories to tell. Getting to meet some of the most respected names in the industry and at other times helping to teach new folks who will eventually be on here sharing their own experiences for the future. Memories were created, history was saved and friendships made. Happy New Year DP Friends, After I look back at it all, maybe 2021 wasn't all that bad, it least not while having a detector near my side.

I feel the kind of beach you plan on detecting is what will dictate the detector you need for best results. I've hunted beaches with beautiful soft fluffy white sand and learned really fast I needed depth so the PI would be best as those heavy rings will sink pretty fast in the soft sand. If I'm on a beach with a good cut and there is old hard rusty dirty sand thats been exposed from a storm, I'm all about speed and proper discrimination/identification is best. Many more targets will be within reach so I use the precious time (short window) to grab the best targets/tones/ID's. Many times I don't even go after hi tones as I know they are usually coins. Now if my goal is gold rings, then that totally fine. Now if I'm at a beach thats very popular and has or had a pier, I will use the VLF vs the PI to get the gravy as I want to spend my time digging non-ferrous signals. I do this exact same thing in a few of the old mining camps where I like to hunt for natural gold. Getting to know your detectors sounds, it's limitations and the beaches rhythms is a must. Lastly, as Steve as stated, sometimes it's wise to be different. Here's a prime example. I just returned a week ago from Cancun. The resort I planned to hunt had just been worked pretty hard by an American hunter and he even found 2 weddings rings that I know of. His wife posted them to FB and was trying to reunite them (good on her). Anyway, I was getting very few targets at all and actually starting chasing iffies for something to do. After 3 days, I was wishing I had a PI water machine just to get more depth so I could get more targets. Finally I had to think outside the box and go to other nearby beaches so I could get a target to dig. Problem with flying is I usually only take 2 of the exact same machine so all the parts are changeable in case something goes down. As you know the EQ is much smaller and lighter than a PI. I did manage 16 rings, but only 4 gold and 1 platinum, so I did save a little bacon from the trip.

Very nice gold indeed folks and I love seeing such varieties/characters and who/from where. It just goes to show there is still good gold being discovered and will be in 2022. My total pieces are tough to count as I probably gave 20-30 nuggets away in 2021, even a couple nice specimens. I'd say I recovered probably only 120 to 130 pieces of gold with a few nice specimens. Never did find a really nice whopper this year, but I did manage to see some amazing gold recovered by my friends. I found the most nuggets in 2021 with a GPX-6000 but also found them with EQ-800, GPZ-7000, Gold Bug-2, Gold Monster 1000. Next year I'll add the Garrett 24K and the XP Deus II to the (been there done that) list. Hard to tell what my total weight was for 2021 as some of them were specimens but I would say 12 to 14 ounces with 3 to 4 ounces of gold. I know for a fact I found over an ounce of solid nuggets with the GPX-6000. Was able to detect 6 states in 2021 and had success in all of them. Hopefully I can add CA and CO to 2022? Again, just like I have done the last few years, the majority of best pieces were found in trashy areas using the VLF detectors. Here's a few pics of 2021 success.

Nice story and glad to see you get back on DP. We all go through periods were we get focused on other things for a variety of reasons and so at times our regular reading/posting gets behind. I'm just as bad and especially after a vacation as it takes me a couple weeks to get caught up. Hunting with friends is one of the best parts of metal detecting to me. Sure I'll go do it alone, but I prefer to have buddies along so we can harass each other and also celebrate our successful digs when it happens. Your gold in the pics is certainly very nice and to be able to dig those with friends , just adds to that adventure. Keep it up.

That was the nicest pebble I've ever seen. Now I do have issue with his comment about never finding them pebbles anywhere except the bottom of the ocean. Either way, very interesting video.

Nice finds indeed and glad you were persistent enough to learn the ropes for that area. That 18K yellow band with platinum is tops. Well earned and thanks for sharing.

Lanny, Glad you too have been able to learn the benefits of Discrimination and VLF detectors. In those old workings it's so critical as a person only has so much energy to dig X targets a day. Part of the other equation is many VLF’S are lighter weight vs PIs. Alot of my time working old placers is side hills and swinging the coils in non traditional swings while using more arm muscles on the up swing. I can do it for longer hrs with a lighter detector than traditional PI. The GPX-6000 is such a great improvement on the ergonomics side. But as noted, the lack of Discrimination is still a weakness. I still keep the big machine around though, as the non trashy sites still allow me a few Yellow stone, just not quite as big.

Gold catcher, I bring it up since so many folks I speak with really don't understand. Part of the 3 day training my Field Staff and I offer does talk about the importance of the VLF detectors and why. I also show a variety of gold the VLF’S can easily see, but the PIs can't detect, or do at a much lesser depth. Thanks for adding to the discussion.

Norvic, Oh yea I found them with the GPS coordinates I purchased on eBay. Best $100 I ever spent. Now if I was smart or I didn't care about hunting my old sites again, I'd just do exactly as I mentioned above. I could sell the GPS coordinates for each nugget at $100 a pop or all 4 for $299. You and I both know there's folks who would buy. I could milk those nuggets for a few more grand. Or...maybe I could give the coordinates away for free to anyone who purchases GPX-6000 or GPZ-7000 from me? Now you have me thinking outside the box Norvic. You are a great man today, not sure about tomorrow?🤫

Beatup, Those few rocks area hundred thousand hours of digging the more lead that you can imagine. On a rare occasion I win a nice prize. I don't think the average person realizes how much non gold they'll dig to find one of those rocks. I don't think the average nugget hunter will take the torture and spend the time of multiple days with nothing to show for other than blisters, busted knuckles and sore feet. But there are a few more still out there.

If they are all cleaned and smoked to perfect, we'll talk. Nice backyard my friend.

Bill, I use Predator brand T handle Piranha as I'm over 6' tall and I like the 40" length. Been using it for approx 6 yrs and have never bent it yet. It's dug a few $$$ in treasures with the most rare was when it dug 3 Barber Quarters in 1 hole. One of them was the prize winning 1913-S which is a Key Date.

Most certainly will be more little nuggets in Eastern Oregon deeper than what a GB-2 can do. Yes if the wife gives the OK look me up. I might take your detectors in trade as well.

That shovel is amazing, I have the same one with longer handle. You'll enjoy it.

I have yet to look under the tree, but Merry Christmas to you and yours. So funny to see someone out on this morning trying to get one more nice beach find from Santa. That digger is the same one I use, well built.

Merry Christmas to you Simon and thanks for taking the time to keep us posted on all your testing, adventures and humor.

Thanks for sharing some of your other interests Gary. Glad to see you still out there digging a few treasures. Yes that square nail is a monster. Love the coffee can and tobacco tags. I found a shoe heel with hundreds of those little boot nails will have to look for a pick. Merry Christmas and hopefully 2022 is more eventful in a good way.