Gerry in Idaho

On 1/30/2023 at 7:06 PM, Rob Allison said:

Hey Gerry,

    When the SD2000 first came out, several old-time electronic prospectors I knew couldn't wait to get this coil and Pulse Induction detector over some deep ground.  One guy I knew that traveled from Arizona, Northern Nevada, California and parts of old Mexico was doing a pound of gold per day with this set up.  He was smart enough to also get on one of the first flights out of the US to Western Australia and got 160 ounces the first season, which he claimed was a short season due to the time he arrived.  

I would guess 10's of 1000's of ounces were picked up in a few years from prospectors across the Globe using the Minelab SD2000 and the Trash Can 18" Mono (Fiberglass) searchcoil.  

I'm sure a lot of it was the right timing, the right ground with the right detector.  

Rob

Very Interesting to hear.  I know of 2 well traveled Electronic Prospectors who were swinging back then.  Would the guys name happen to be Chuck from TX and the other is the famous Pieter H.  I won't devolge the last name.

Fantastic videos Andrew.  What's cool is you were able to score a gold ring on your 1st dig.  You got me beat my friend as I dug that diamond ring the 1st day I used it, the 1st hour, but it was the 2nd target.

Anyway, I just watched a few of those videos and you really do a great job showing the results for that hind of hunt.   VLF's in that salt are actually better than the PI's as they get close to the same max depths but all targets less are providing more info to the VLF's.

Well done my friend.

My 1st gold finds with a PI were while swinging the green SD-2100.

I immediately noticed the depth difference vs VLF's and so I called Minelab to become a dealer.  The well known Kevin Hoagland (now with the GPAA) told me to wait a month and they would have the newer model SD-2200.  It was green as well but the 18" coil was a flat smooth hollow one.  Some of the deepest gold I've ever found was with that detector.  Not sure why I don't dig as many deep holes anymore, but I attribute it to, no nuggets of that size are left at that range?  You tell me.

Sure the newer technologies are finding smaller nuggets at depth, but I sometimes wonder on those 5+ gram solid slugs, why can't I seem to find those at 18 to 24"+ depths? 

Curious, if anyone has tested an old SD with big coil vs a GPZ on solid big gold?  I think it would be pretty close.  But then again, I could be dreaming and the GPZ might be doing it's job just fine.  I do know the battery size of the SD and the GP series was like a 4 or 5 pound brick.  I actually seen those batteries being used for Motorcycles.

Sure miss those deep holes, as many of the areas I hunted was no trash, so as soon as you hit the 6" and below mark, it was 99.9% gold.

Thanks for all your comments gents.

1 hour ago, Rob Allison said:

Hey Guys,

  This is coming from another Dealer, Gerry has his own ways .... LOL , but is a stand up guy and fights the good fight for the detector industry.  If I could of just tape recorded or shot a video of the handful of times Gerry has stood up against the Minelab bigshots during these conferences, fighting for better prices, better products and just to listen to us (the dealers and end users a bit more) on feedback about new products/detectors.  

P.S.  Ok, Gerry now you owe me a slice of pizza and a cold one from that Rye Patch bar/restaurant ... Hehe 

Rob

Minelab listening to dealers now?  Boy those days are gone.  Here's the good thing Rob.  You usually take the high road and stay out of gunshot range (smart man).  You and just a select few others were always sitting at the same table most of the time and agreeing.  Sure, we do things a little different, but we found a Nitch for our style of business model.  Options is a good thing.

Thanks for being there and not giving in and or up.   This industry sales margins have been cut so bad, it's hard to make a living just off detector sales and I see why so many dealers have a regular job.  I'm still trying to make it, just can't afford the steak and lobster the same night.

Most certainly will get the 1st round for you and Dawn, it's been a long time.

2 hours ago, blackjack said:

He's in customer service not consumer sales. 

I still like eating steak and lobster on occasion, so need a few sales here and there.

40 minutes ago, jasong said:

I'm curious where the idea that the 6000 fix might cause sensitivity decrease comes from? I haven't seen any evidence anywhere to indicate it might be the case, yet I keep seeing people wondering if it might and I'm not understanding why...?

The fix makes the 6000 work much, much better for anyone using the speaker in my experience. Is there a reason people think it might cause sensitivity decrease that I'm not understanding? Less noise = easier detecting/more ability to jack up sensitivity/less sensory adaptation, all of which greatly benefit a detectorist.

 

As I had posted above, I misspoke.  I was under the impression there was also a Software Update.  As a dealer I should know this.  Just as Minelab knows I'm a dealer but yet never did tell us about the hard fix either.

I agree with you Jason about the speaker fix, it should actually allow us to hear deeper and smaller nuggets, both.

Crap, Now I have to send mine in and get the speaker update taken care of and then go test it and see how it stacks up to Axionother detector.  Actually, I've done enough comparing and know where each shine. They both can easily sit at the Big Boy table and are fine detectors.

7 hours ago, Dutchman4 said:

It was my understanding that the Minelab fix for the "Internal Speaker Audio Feedback" problem was a "Hardware Upgrade".  Is there a "Software Upload" involved also? 

I misspoke.  It's a hardware Upgrade and you are correct.

Glad you are able to get a few meteorites from there as well.  The 2nd one is really cool.

While watching/listening to your video, my ears were pretty keene on the sounds your GPX-6000 was making and I was most certain it had not been sent in.  You are right, it's tough to send in the detectors when we need them for our daily use.  Unfortunately, I'm not quite caught up with you yet on the travel as needed.  Give me a few more yrs and I'll be there.

Yes the GPX-6000's can find gold without the updated, heck most of us on here have been doing it for over a year now.  I've yet to run side by side with a detector that has had it done, but I was informed there is a noticeable difference.  I sometimes wonder, if there is any loss of depth or sensitivity when getting it done?

Keep it up and hopefully 2023 is golden for you in many ways.

Tim, Thanks for taking the time to write such a fine detailed review of how I run my business.  Yes, as a Veteran myself, I enjoy working with and helping other Veterans earn 15% off.  You are also correct in that a Veteran sale is less profit in my pocket.  But sometimes it's not always about the money.  Heck, if that was the case, I'd sell the few Manticores I've received at full MAP, but instead, 3 of them has been Military.  I figure what comes around, goes around and if I do my part to try and help folks, I have a great chance of staying in business.

Thanks again Tim and everyone else for the great comments.

Hopefully I'll get some time on the Equinox 900 soon and be able to share my findings, knowledge and notes. 

You did well my friend.  I as well, hundreds of hours on my Equinox and yet to break the ears.  But I've seen it happen.

Those rings are nice and the gold nugget a great bonus.  I've seen a half dozen nuggets so far recovered from that storm and the beach hunters.  Still hoping to get down there next week, if possible.

Very nice and well earned. 

Nice speci find from Gold Basin.   That area has been a good one for those who are patient and know what to listen for.

I watch and listen to the video, thank you. That hot rock about fooled me as well but a little softer than the speci signal.  Question on your GPX-6000.  Did you send it in yet for speaker update? 

I haven't on mine as I might need it soon. Although I do have the Axiom...but my partner would then be without.

On a side note, anyone get any meteorites?

Well done. 

Mind over Matter.  Sometimes the mind, intuition and focus pulls us to a spot for a reason. Many times I've gotten to a site, looked around, grab detector, walk over, turn it on...and bang.   

Then the rest of the day is trash. 

Very nice golden way to start the New Year.  Well earned. 

On 1/4/2023 at 6:38 PM, dig4gold said:

The swing arm helps a lot in battling that inertia.

D4G

Back in the day when Minelab USA used to communicate and work with their more popular dealers who were in the field (those days of Minelab are gone), they sent me a prototype GPZ-7000 to test.  My Field Staff guy and I spent 5 days in Northern Nevada testing it and were pretty impressed with the detectors depths.  We didn't get a manual or did we know what we were really doing, but we did see/find/hear/feel things we had never done before.  Yes deeper gold, yest smaller gold, yes different sounds, and most certainly yes, a sore and worn out back.

He's (Ron) is standing up at the begging of the day, dug some deep gold throughout the day (just bungee, no swing arm) and was sitting down and worn out at the end of the day. 

The next version we tested actually did have a Swing Arm and that's the same one I recommend to many customer who hunt for longer periods of time or swing larger coils.

On 1/3/2023 at 2:30 PM, geof_junk said:

Gerry I was looking for the fish in your mouth, did I miss it. 😀

I'll double down on the next post for you..

10 hours ago, joshquint said:

Excellent work. I too detect from cootchie up😀.  Even though I  now live in AZ, I still go to the Caribbean.  I am a 11 year Excalibur user.  On our last trip, a friend brought his Equinox and was frustrated by it, not sure he had it set up properly.  I just ordered the Manticore and looking forward to the next trip. 

Waterproof headphones...what are you using?  Is there such a thing as wireless and waterproof that work with the Manticore?

Coils...what is your opinion of getting a smaller coil?

Thanks!!

Xcal's BBS technology was a game changer in the saltwater, glad to see you still using one.  I do wish they would keep the same technology, but redesign the complete shaft/body.  I've done well in years past with the NOX, but it takes time to learn, just like it did with the Xcal.  Tell him to not give up.

I used Tony Eisenhower WP headphones for this trip.  I actually purchased and used them on my NOX last year and they did fine until my full body was totally under, then I still had the weak target issues.  The Minelab headphones are just as bad under water, but worse above water.

No, wireless headphones for the NOX and the Manticore will not work when submerged, but the technology is getting close.

On 12/24/2022 at 5:55 PM, Daniel Tn said:

Wow!!  I have to admit, I was glad I didn't have a mouth full of drink when I read "coochie line" haha 

If I called it the "cock line", it just doesn't sound as glamorous. 

On 12/26/2022 at 7:43 AM, Rick N. MI said:

That was a worthwhile trip. You more than paid for the detector and trip.

How was sweeping the Manticore 11" coil in the water compared to the Equinox 11" coil? Could you tell if it was the same or worse. Was the thinner shaft on the Manticore noticeable when sweeping in the water?

It is impressive on gold sensitivity.

Not sure if I paid for the complete trip as the resorts I stay at average $400 a night.  Airfare for the wife and I, approx $1000, cabs/transportation for the trip is another $200, tips given out is another $150 to $200 = Average trip cost if purchased with credit card is $5K.  Some trips I use reward miles and points to save 25% to 50%.  This trip I saved $1000 by using rewards for the airfare, so out of pocket cost of this trip $4000.

Now me being a dealer, I get to write off the trip "business expense", so that's one of the main reasons I'm still a dealer, the benefits are there if you know how to use them.

As for the shaft drag in the water.  I never used the NOX on this trip, but the Manticore felt about the same.  Mathematically though, the thinner shaft will cut easier through the water and use less effort. 

Good point you mentioned.

Glad to see you down there in AZ putting some time on the Axiom and getting results better than many and most had expected.  To read that each detector responded on the same exact targets and just as importantly, neither detector found a target the other missed or could not, says volumes of how far Garrett has come along.

Now this part is even more exciting for me and should be for others as well.  I'll use example of the GPZ-700 and the GPX-6000 as I ran both from day 1.  The way I was using those detectors and even to the point of training customers, has evolved.  My operation and settings of those machines today is different than at 1st and who knows, maybe down the road, I find other ways to get more out of the detectors.

The Axiom is so new, many folks are just now getting them and already making finds.  Well 6 months from now, we'll have a better understanding of the detector and even possibly a few tweaks to our Settings.  A year from now, we might even get a bonus software upgrade and down the road, the results will be even better than today.  In the end, we all learn each time we get out and if we pay attention and always try to make our machine and skill better,, then our results will show.

I'm happy to read your knowledge and the time you put it to test both machines at the same day, same site with approx same size coils.  Not many folks have the luxury of owning both detectors.

Well done again Lunk.

7 hours ago, phrunt said:

I took my detector for a spin on a lake beach yesterday, remote, at least an hours boat ride from the nearest human inhabitants, found $21 in gold coins and 3 silver coins

 

I'm hoping you actually did find $21 in gold coins, but think a spelling error and it was $21 in old coins?  Either way, those off the beaten path sites, can be honey holes.  Nice quiet beaches in the pics as well.

On 12/28/2022 at 11:32 AM, dig4gold said:

While the 6000 is way lighter, & feels like it in its construction, It doesn't have the raw depth & power of the GPZ. That I know for a fact.

D4G

 

I beg to differ on your factual statement above.  Now if you are talking bigger solid gold, then yes.

What so many people don't understand is different kinds of gold and the characteristics of how their are in select specimens.  Some expensive gold can be missed with the older technology of the GPZ vs the newer GPX-6000 or Axiom.

That, I know for a fact.

Gerry's Detectors

Now that's one of the easiest ways to know the area has not been pounded clean, a sunbaker.

I know you didn't mention the detector as most any would have heard it, but are swinging VLF or bigger?

How did your brother do?  If I get back to WY, this year, I'll look you up and we'll see what the new Axiom can do out there.  I realize it's not a GPZ-7000, but it has features and things it can do for a price that you might want to add it to the arsenal.

That's a very impressive haul of Au nuggets and your time in the field was rewarded.

So you may be off a little in weight, but you gained in more pieces.  Was your body more thankful swinging the lighter and easier 6000 vs the 4500?  Plus, getting the extra pieces more often keeps a smile on the face.

Thanks for sharing.