karelian

vanursepaul, I've seen that video and we are on the same page with the bandages. In addition to the snake bite kit, I got a few larger bandages as extras for my vehicle first aid kit and for my home also. Those indicators make it easy to get the pressure just right. Hoping I'll never need to use them. Karelian

Taipan or Inland Taipan aka Fierce Snake, untreated about an hour, if you don't run around panicking and pumping the poison through your body. Stay calm and apply first aid without delay and you can at best, multiply that by seven. That is seven hours max, sometimes much less.. too many variables involved. Australia's worst snakes, Taipans and Brown snakes have shortish fangs, the poison is effectively prevented from spreading by using a pressure bandage, ie immobilizing the limb. Given the vast distances in Queensland and Western Australia, an optimistic seven hours may not be enough. In most other states it is probably long enough, just don't take too long smoking that cigarette. Please don't stop for a beer either.. My GPS and digital maps keep me up to date on my location at all times. I also carry a 5W handheld UHF, mobile etc Enough for Victoria and the Golden Triangle, not good enough for the greater outback. Rent a Satellite phone for the real remote areas of Australia and upgrade vehicles and equipment accordingly.. My first aid kit contains an excellent snake bite first aid kit, with extra bandages since the beggars sometimes get more that one bite in.. I do the best I can to protect myself and others I travel with. Technology is allowing us to be better prepared and equipped to meet the challenges that we may encounter. Yep, worst case scenario at least they will know where to find the body. Karelian

Good boots and hats are nice, a Personal Locator Beacon is a life saver. A hot topic among prospectors in Australia, particularly for those who are out of mobile phone coverage areas in remote regions. For the price of my boots I purchased a beacon, it is registered in my name with vehicle details and phone numbers etc. I can go online and update details of trips and plans etc in my beacons account. A cheap life saver that has been credited with successful rescues not only saving lives but also lots of tax payer money when it comes to searches for lost individuals or groups. Local authorities and police love the idea of PLB's and are not shy about denouncing people who get into strife and are poorly prepared. The size of a pack of cigarettes with a ten year battery, for less than the cost of a good pair of boots... ability to summon help anywhere, I ran out of excuses and opened the wallet. It is now part of my kit whenever I venture out into the bush. With poor mobile phone reception in some of the areas I travel in, this technology provides peace of mind for a reasonable cost. Karelian.

vanursepaul cannot help but notice how much surplus or military style gear has found its way into my prospecting camping equipment. Often the only criteria I have is functionality, price and durability. Watching the video I noticed the boots, often the most undervalued item by many, but not by ex infantry. I learned the value of good socks and boots when still in my teens, a life long lesson. At the moment I use the Haix Black Eagle Athletic boots in desert tan. No metal to set off the machine and superb in hot dry environments. Work or play, I take pride in my kit. It might not always be the best or most expensive, but I'll have looked after it and be confident it is up for the job. All the best, Karelian P.S. In summer, just amazing how many people venture out into the heat and blazing sun without a hat. Maybe I'm old fashioned but a good hat is invaluable in my book.. mine is a bit 'distressed', or well worn. I hear people pay extra for that...

Mugsy you are spot on. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, you can see how solid and well designed it is. Well used by the time I got it, but built to last. Weighty compared to lesser picks but that translates into hitting power. The dinky fibreglass job was my second pick after a lightweight Garrett pick, then tried a local home made one, fitted with heat shrink rubber for crevicing, finally found the CC Pick and there is no where else to go after that. All picked up at Sunday markets second hand. Chap that sold me the CC Pick told me it was a Walco, either way for the price I was on a winner. The purchase of the CC pick meant I had to give serious consideration to how it was carried. That led to the rig I use today. The journey was worth it. Karelian.

vanursepaul I hate the nasty plastic taste of water from new bladders, so I used denture cleaning tablets, mint flavoured to clean 'treat' the bladder. After a while problem solved. Also used sugar free diet cordial, lime flavoured, a very weak mix was ideal. Just make sure it is diet sugar free. Not sticky and easy to clean. Yes if there is a deep hole to dig, the rig comes off and the gloves go on. Can never dig too many deep holes when chasing 'those deep pesky lumps.' Karelian

flakmagnet yes water is key in Australia, adequate supply is a life saver. Bladder is 2 litres with 3 litre upgrade possible. I can add two milspec 1 litre water bottles into the set up pictured. One bottle into the utility pouch that holds the trowel, plus another into the pouch on the back of the bladder holder. In summer I carry 4 litres of water, and I tend to drink a lot of it, at other times of year I'll put a thermos into the pouch with hot liquids. Versatility is key, set it up as circumstances dictate. I use the water bottles that are milspec, so will not melt in hot Australian sun, large opening to allow ice cubes. Gave up on the old school bottles after getting used to ice cool water on a hot day.. Karelian.

If memory serve me correctly as a 17 year old I found myself swinging a Garrett A2B in one arm, the other arm holding a pick over my shoulder. No hat, no water, not GPS, just enthusiasm. Those days are long gone, getting back into electronic prospecting I found myself using a sling bag, it held water, gps, phone and a 5w handheld radio. A small pick hung off it and until I got myself a larger pick it was adequate. Problem was that I always had a reason to return to the car for something, which ate away at my swing time. I needed to equip myself so that I could operate for hours without needing to return to the vehicle. The addition of a decent size pick forced me to adopt a rig that allowed a large degree of independence. A molle battle belt and suspenders combined with a heavy duty leather belt formed the basis of my prospecting rig. A leather holster for the large pick, first aid kit, two way radio, GPS, phone, water bladder and water bottle, etc. I can simply add or detract as circumstances dictate. In remote areas I have a Personal Locator Beacon and additional safety gear, at other times an Ipad and phone replace the PLB. Snake first aid kit at all times, one in the car and one as part of the permanent first aid kit on the rig. I always leave trip information and details with family before going out, keep my first aid training up to date and maintain my gear, with particular care for keeping the car up to spec at all times.. I can now go out detecting without needing to return to the vehicle for a whole day. No more time wasting going back and forth, more swing time results.. safety and convenience. Pays to keep the gear mounted on the rear panels of the belt away from the front, less interaction between the detector and stuff. Easier to bend and dig. The water bladder carries 2 litres of water with ice cubes to keep it cool all day. The weight goes unnoticed and the pick is back far enough to not interfere with the detector. Set the rig up correctly and balance your load, the weigh disappears.. The rig in the pictures is my second attempt using a better battle belt and harness. Easier to thread the leather in and out between molle panels to hold the leather pick holder. Because of this rig I tend to wander off further and further, making the GPS and a map even more essential. The GPS to mark the location of the vehicle and to mark interesting locations, the topographic and geological map allows trip planning on the go. All a far cry from the 17 year old swinging the Garrett A2B with nothing but a pick.. All the best, Karelian.

Minelab GPX series lower shafts. Doc's detecting lowers are made for GPX machines etc. Yes perfect fit for all TDI uppers. Just need to fix the spring clip set up. Karelian

When using Minelab compatible coils such as Nugget Finder Sadie or Detech 8" mono, I use Minelab lower rods. They are the same diameter as the White's. Just need to fit a new spring clip. Use quality steel spring clips. Fit the coil to the rod, use the cam lock to hold the lower rod in place after you have adjusted it for length, balance etc. Use the White's upper to work out where to drill new holes in the Minelab lower rod. Drill holes and fit new spring clip, works well. The Docs Detecting carbon fibre rods I use are longer than the standard White's rods and are close to the length of the 'tall man' rods. There will be no flex and your detecting rig will be tight regardless of the size of coil. All the best Karelian.

Looking for more information I Googled HI-Q, encountering articles on building higher output coiled antennas. So antenna technology or research translates to metal detector coils? Hence the new patents? The name intrigued me. Mentions of different materials, copper and coatings, spacing, different frequencies, thickness of wire etc, in the antenna article. Good luck to White's if they have managed a step forward. Karelian

White's evolution vs revolution. Given the reality of the fires that impacted Miner John it is clear White's has been forced to make other arrangements, taking the opportunity to repackage the Tdi SL. Same machine with just a new coil? 'New Patent' could mean it is not a folded mono or duel field coil but something new. Something to get excited about? Need user input and better photographs of the new coil.. White's needs to step up and communicate with customers. Karelian

Before you know it, more shelf space is required.. just a glimpse not including research materials etc.. you have been warned! All the best, Karelian.

PhaseTech is a dealer in Australia and has tried the Evo coil on a customer Tdi, seemed to run well. He mentioned it earlier in this thread. He had a good reputation for calling it the way it is, so I'd say it's probably more than just OK. Sadie has well established reputation on Tdi machines, Evo coils also on GPX whilst new to TDI series.. takes us back to PhaseTech who could provide more relevant info. Karelian

Still plenty for sale in Australia, new and second hand. Evo could be the future, I'll get around to trying one after I've completed my coil cull.. Karelian

The Detech works well with both Tdi Pro and Tdi SL just don't advertise it I guess. I had the opportunity to try and then buy. . If your coil is stable and performs quietly etc in your soils then performance improvements will be marginal or insignificant. If the duel field is noisy and unstable in your ground then a mono will see improvements across all fronts. Again Jim In Idaho made a video doing a direct comparison, could answer some of your questions.

The duel field coils do well in low to moderate mineralization, but when the soil is hot in Australia they transmit more ground noise and are more difficult to ground balance than mono coils; in my experience. This is particularly true for the larger coils and less so for the small ones. I only have experience with the White's 12" duel field and the Jimmy duel field coils. Most of the mono coils beat the duel field Jimmy in Australian soils. The Sadie was the best of the small coils and the Detech equals it. Slight advantage to the Sadie on small gold and slight advantage to the Detech on larger deeper targets. If the Jimmy coil is equal to the 7.5" White's duel field then I can say the Detech 8" which is near identical to the Sadie mono, will have a clear advantage in hot ground encountered in Australia. This would be reflected in the coil chart results between the Jimmy and Sadie. Hard won life lessons, plus an army drill instructor have pointed out that behind every stuff up there is an assumption. The above opinion is based on at least one assumption... since I've never seen or used the White's 7.5" duel field coil, only the Jimmy. Also White's didn't promote the duel field coils in Australia, instead providing the mono versions on local machines. Jim In Idaho has posted a video comparing the White's 7.5" duel field and Sadie in the USA, probably more useful than my Australian experiences. Seems that in the US soils, the performance is very close.. Type of ground and levels of mineralization seem to be the determining factor in Australia and probably also in hot US ground. Hope this is not a confusing or contradictory answer and is useful to some degree. All the best, Karelian

Darn it, my MXT with 6x4DD and 5.3 Eclipse is going back into the boot. Too easy to forget that VLF machines, although somewhat difficult to manage in hot ground; have some interesting capabilities.. karelian

First day out into the Golden Triangle, last day with decent internet for a while.. Always present my new machines to the mother of all nuggets memorial. 'Christened' at the golden alter so to speak... an old habit, just hoping the luck will rub off I guess.. The 'Welcome Stranger' was found at a depth of an inch according to Memoir 12, which is the list of nuggets found in Victoria. The 16v pack is working well, no issues with heat or reliability. The TDI SL LE is super light and well balanced, very easy to swing for hours so I'm enjoying it. Great weather, the flies and ants are not an issue so far. Best time of year to get out into the goldfields and swing your thing.. all the best. Karelian.

When I first got a Tdi it was a SL bought over to Australia from the USA by my brother. It came with the Duel Field 12' coil, a Jimmy Tdi Dual Field mono and the mini Jimmy mono 6 x 4. The mini never saw any use, just too small and the big 12' was my beach coil for a long time. Everything else fell to the 10 x 6 Jimmy and it was my first choice on the goldfields until the Sadie came along. Never could work out how to employ the mini Jimmy, should I consider it as a probe to poke into a crevice? When there is so much ground that 6 x 4 mono looks so small and on a PI it didn't make sense to me at the time. I think these coils were made for Jimmy by Whites? Certainly rare beasts in Australia. Karelian

The Tdi Pro is in my humble opinion a very stylish and functional design, as is the Tdi SL. In a sense they are brothers so your confusion Jim in Idaho is understandable. Karelian

Jim in Idaho those lithium cells are 1.8 volts + when fresh. I started with name brand disposable lithium cells for emergency use, always keeping a few packets handy. After a while I used them in radios and torches and finally the Tdi SL. Found a cheaper 'Wallaby' brand available from a local seller in Melbourne. A bit hotter to start with than the big brands. Too expensive to use on a regular basis but when a new machine arrives in the mail..... why not? Special occasions and for emergencies only because of cost. The new battery pack will save me a few dollars in the long run since I have lots of 18650 cells. That 12 x 8 MJ did well, should improve with the more powerful 16v pack on the SL and I have not jet mounted it on the PRO. Best time of year for Victorian goldfields, the flies have not hit peak numbers, the ants and snakes are still a bit slow from the cold. Looking forward to it. Karelian

The White's Super Pulse 220 coil was intended by me for beach use only. I was surprised that it performed so well on the goldfields. Quiet and stable with good performance in hot ground. If you can get one it may be an excellent alternative to the 12 OZ mono. Good size and not bad on smaller targets. No bump sensitivity or issues at all, very good all rounder. I remember White's sold these off at bargain prices in a sale, so there are some very lucky individuals out there who scored a bargain. I like it. Karelian

Jim in Idaho, very soon I've got a week long trip into the Golden Triangle here in Victoria. Both the Tdi Pro and SL have space in the boot. For the first time the MXT is staying home. There is a reason White's chose the 8 x 12MJ coil for the Limited Edition and I look forward to trying it in the goldfields. The new battery pack and a good supply of batteries will allow me to give the SL a good run. Generally the Tdi SL is my loaner machine and 'urban PI' (Who coined that phrase?). I suspect the Pro will see the most use but curiosity demands the new SL gets a workout. Jim in Idaho I did a quick air test on the Limited Edition when it first arrived in the mail. Used the standard battery pack loaded with cheap disposable Lithium batteries for a total of 14.7 volts. I did record the results, as always.. Karelian 1 grain ingot 8cm 0.5 gram gold coin 25cm 1/2 Sov. 34cm US 1/4 30cm

AllenJ, the air test was conducted with the White's Super Pulse 220 coil. The coil that came with the Tdi SL Special Edition has so far not seen much use. I also used an external speaker, Nokia MD-11 which works almost as well as good headphones. I like the Miner John coils for their weight and performance, but I'm spoiled for choice. Because the Tdi SL has seen mostly beach use I have used the Super Pulse 220 and the Jimmy Sierra 14 x 8 mono that was made for him by Miner John. I don't use the folded mono coils on the beach. Because of the Coiltek Tdi 6' mono and Sadie I rarely use the smaller Miner John folded mono coils. I do like some of his larger coils for their blend of performance and super light weight. That 14 x 8 is good on all sized targets encountered on the beach and is as close to a 'bigfoot' coil I can get. It covers a lot of ground quickly. Karelian