Reg Wilson

Just keep your 'cotton picking' drone out of my spots. At about the two minute mark I can clearly see where I worked four different patches, one in the company of JR Beatty, which yielded over a hundred bits. The land owners were on percentage All of that lower country is private property, and if an eagle doesn't get your drone a 12 gauge just might. (just kidding) Fence jumpers not welcome.

What? No Xcoils, which in my opinion for what it is worth, are superior to any of those.

"stumble across something clever". Nice subtle little put down. When Minelab come up with something new it is due to massive R&D, huge investment, hard work, and long hours of testing, but the after market 'guys' just 'stumble across' new development. Yeah, right!

I guess I'm just lucky with detectors as my 6000 is working just fine, although it did take a couple of outings to christen it with three small colours. I can't recall having problems with any Minelab detector from the GS15000 onwards other than when I was testing prototypes. Prototype testing is essential for sorting out bugs, and manufacturers should undertake rigorous field testing before any machine is introduced to the buying public. When I was testing the Australian built QED pulse induction detector the early versions were quite impressive, however the builder decided to produce a new model and put it on the market without testing. When I did finally receive the new machine it had more bugs than a Bangkok dormitory. The builder refused to accept that his baby was flawed and after a less that pleasant exchange we parted company. What could have been a good performing detector at a very competitive price turned out to be something less. Thorough testing is imperative for avoiding product dissatisfaction.

A mate and I were detecting Beggary hill when the boys found this slug down by the fence where there were a lot of old tins. It was just off a surfaced area. The kid that found it was Adam Turner (not Yerner as printed in the paper). His dad was a friend with whom I drank 'moonshine' rum at Wedderburn. Luke Turner had a prospecting shop in Wedderburn and had loaned a detector to the kids for a school project on gold prospecting. I dropped in one night with a large bottle of Coke for a rum sip when Luke said to me "I've something to show you". He unwrapped the slug from a pillow case. It weighed about 85ozs with a bit of ironstone in it. A nice lump. Problems arose when the parents of the two other kids got greedy and involved lawyers because it seemed that they did not trust Luke to sell the nugget, which was stupid because Luke had the contacts to get an above spot price for the nugget. Gold brings out the worst in some people. The end result was a forced sale where the best price was not obtained and the lawyers ended up with most of the money.

Thanks James, great times and great company. We sure had some fun on that trip, and the odd bit of gold to pay the bills.

Gerry in Idaho, Funny you should mention Pieter Heydelaar. I spent a bit of time with Pieter in Western Australia. It would have been around the turn of the century when he and Debbie joined John Hider Smith, the late Jim Stewart, James Beatty and me around a campfire out in the bush. I was lucky to be in the company of some of the best detector operators that ever swung a coil. John's first trip to WA yielded him over 400 ozs, and I worked with him for a number of years. Pieter of course is an absolute legend who has detected world wide, and I have a photo of him holding a fuel cell from a Russian satellite that came to earth in WA. My 7000 paid for its self in a couple of weeks and I found a few virgin patches with it, but only one 'real' nugget (27.7ozs) and while it was a brilliant machine, it was just too heavy, and I could never come to terms with the hip (cripple) stick. The 19" coil was a joke, the weight being ridiculous, and after swinging it for a while my busted wrist (motorcycle accident) just put me in a world of pain. James Beatty and I almost went down the road of cutting it up and rebuilding in a lighter form, but I chickened out in the end and I sold it rather than risk frying it if we got the wiring wrong. I'm still tempted to get another and try it. With an Xcoil it could be something else. James is good with electronics, so one day it may eventuate. When I realize that I have something big in the bottom of a hole, my first instinct is to look about to be sure that I have not been observed. I was once, and it led to my patch being moonlighted. With Covid lock downs I have not found a lot with the 6000, but like it a lot. I use the Quest Mate Wireless system rather than the Bluetooth audio, and when linked to Bose noise cancelling ear buds it is my weapon of choice. I have very little EMI issues using this set up except for the odd occasion when lying the machine on its side while locating target.

This village was created by transporting old buildings from the gold rush era and locating them on the edge of a major shallow lead where the Eaglehawk lead meets the Porcupine lead. Nearby is the old dredge that worked the Porcupine lead. The village is very authentic in that the buildings are original even though they have been moved here. A wonderful film set.

All gold is good gold, but 'real' nuggets are what turn me on. I like to hunt unproven ground, but by doing so I can go months without colour. This does not bother me at all as I just think that each day without joy is one day closer to my next virgin patch or good slug. Many people like to get colour on each trip regardless of size, and get disappointed when returning home empty handed. There is one area nearby where the gold is all small (120 bits to the ounce) but not far from there I got a 27 oz nugget. Both these areas were virgin situations. There is nothing like the feeling of hitting the first colour in an area never worked before in modern or old times, but the 'one nugget patches' are frustrating to say the least.

New owners are doing a lot of work to get this happening again. About ten minutes drive from my place.

Still getting used to the 17" coil but liking it more by the day. I would not make any statements about the 6000 or the different coils at this stage, nor will I post any finds until something worth bragging about turns up. Another learning curve that an old bugger must master. Getting there.

I think JP has explained the 17" coil situation. The African market is the big one for Minelab these days and 17" coils are already being delivered into this market. Now, let's think this one out. As testers do Steve and JP already have 17" coils, and if so, how effective are they? The 19" GPZ 'dog' coil was a fizzer, but maybe, just maybe, the 17" 6000 could be a 'goer'. Not poo stirring, just curious.

Good grief!!! It's all gone to hell in a hand basket here. Got to Queensland to see an old mate awaiting serious surgery with plans to go on to Darwin in the Northern Territory. Covid Delta variety has escaped and run amuck within a few days, forcing Jannine and myself to make a run through two borders, abandoning our plans to continue north. We got permits to cross borders just before a full lock down. The only positive is that I got to check some 'leg wetting' ground that I would love to prospect with my good buddy and geo wizard JR. Some serious research required mate.

I have only have had a few hours with the 6000 and am still in the learning stage. No gold as yet, but have dug a lot of targets missed by other machines. After reading a number of posts on the Bluetooth headphones, about pairing and battery life, I decided to see if there is an alternative to have as a back up. I did find the pairing a bit fiddly, although the sound was quite good with more than enough volume, and very comfortable. Being a big fan of the Quest Mate Wireless system, I decided to experiment on the feasibility of using this set up which would enable the use noise cancelling headphones or ear buds. As it turned out the wireless system worked quite well with the Tx mounted with Velcro on the arm cuff. This is far enough away from the electronics to avoid interference. The Rx has a volume control that gave ample sound when dialled up, and the n/c phones when switched on also gave a slight volume increase. I now have the security of knowing that I have a viable option to the factory Bluetooth should it at any time give problems.

It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good Steve.

Firstly my thanks to the guys at Coiltek. After dreadful weather here in central Victoria, and recovering from surgery, this morning dawned clear and sunny. Nice hot coffee and before the dew was off the ground I had the 6000 cranked up. Rudimentary reading of the manual the previous day saw the new detector humming sweetly after a short warm up. JP had been most helpful with a few tips on the local Finders forum, so it was quite easy to feel a certain amount of confidence as I ground balanced and paired up the headphones, which are surprisingly good compared to some of Minelab's previous offerings. There is a shallow but substantial lead running west to east across my fifty acre property which yielded a small amount of gold to my GPZ a few years back. I had gridded out the most promising area at the time, so it seemed obvious that this would be a good place to test my new toy. Not bothering to take a pick I headed off towards the east end of the block. Where on earth did these signals come from? A number were I am sure just shotgun pellets, but a few were at a reasonable depth as I tilted the coil to get some idea of just how deep. The more interesting signals I marked with boot scuffs and will check out within the next few days. I did not get to go back for my pick as a visitor turned up to have me check his detector. Initial impressions; Pretty damned good.

I have to agree with Norvic and jasong in regard to the future. For me though things don't look too bad. I have been in this game for so long that I have accumulated so many prospects that I will not live long enough to sniff out more than just a few. I have access to many private properties that the average detector operator does not, due to my working in that field for so many years and playing a straight game with these people. I have also sorted the 'chaff from the straw' and will never work with dodgy people, and believe me I know who the dodgy people are. The dodgy people talk big and 'big note' but do not have 'the figures on the board'. For the 'new chum' it's a hard road.

These days I am very reluctant to show off finds. Some years back a mate of mine showed some serious gold to a female he was trying to impress. (I purposely avoided calling her a lady) This woman had some nasty acquaintances who paid my friend a visit at his secluded farm house armed with shotguns. To prove they were serious, they blew a hole in the wall above his head. Gold gone. Now I only ever show photos after the gold has been sold, as I too was robbed of about six ounces a couple of years ago.

Got a collection of broken ends in the shed. I even have a couple that I have repaired using epoxy and Kevlar. Split shafts bound with Nylon thread and soaked in epoxy. DetectEd lower shafts fit GPX and QED coils just fine. Minelab locknuts are rubbish. Most of the breakages occurred using Minelab prototypes with huge heavy coils. So heavy they used to bow the stems. Hence damaged shoulders, elbows and wrists.

Sandy Shafts and Detect Ed are two companies that produce after market upper and lower shafts with stronger coil fittings. I have used both and had no breakage, where as the original ends had a tendency to break when large coils were used.

In Australia there are at least two aftermarket parts manufacturers that produce end pieces that don't break so easily.

Rick Kempf, I take on board your remarks about 'the job to be done'. Quite right. I guess my 'job to be done' differs from yours. I reflect on the remarks of John Hider-Smith, the best detector operator that I ever met. "Oh, that's the sort of gold you want to find?"

If consumers just happily gobble up poorly designed machinery without complaint, then that is what will proliferate. Sure the detectors in question have some desirable features, but that does not excuse the lazy aspect of much of the design. If a company has little or no competition it will tend to produce a product that is convenient for themselves rather than being ideal for the consumer, who, if they tend to fawn all over such offerings, simply encourage the manufacturer to continue a less than desirable practice. If the automobile industry behaved in the same way the Ford Edsell would still be in production.

I thought that Bi-polar was an unfortunate mental condition. Why use such a dodgy design in the first place? I saw some time back where a clever bloke stripped down an SDC and made a sensible ergonomic machine with much less weight. James Beatty and I contemplated doing a similar thing to my GPZ, but decided against it in case we did something wrong and fried an expensive detector. Sold it instead. What is interesting is that when I changed detectors my gold recovery did not suffer but remained static, due partly to the fact that a machine with much better ergonomics, faster signal response and way less weight made it possible to detect longer with less fatigue. No more harness, and bungy cord. Freedom.

I sold the GPZ because is was overweight and overpriced, and just a bit over hyped. The electronics were pretty good after the bugs were sorted out, but just lazy design. Instead of a light weight prospectors tool, we copped a converted military monster with not much more than a colour change. Then to add insult to injury we were informed that to operate it properly it was advised that one had to use both hands (cripple stick) like a line trimmer, and go 'low and slow' ( due to very slow target response). Not my idea of a user friendly detector. The SDC2300 was another example of lazy design, and once more a colour change from military green to blue. Dodgy battery contacts, laughable headphone jack, ridiculous 'knuckle' coil arrangement and limited to small targets as it was originally designed to find tiny wiring in ceramic mines. Even if you could put a large coil on the thing its depth on large targets would be poor due to the fact that its internals were designed for small bits of metal. Coiltek have a test site just out of Maryborough in Central Victoria with a number of simulated nuggets of various size and depth. The SDC could barely pick up the smallest target only, whereas the QED could pick them all up. (witnessed) The next time you are in Victoria Jonathon bring your SDC and a pocket full of hundreds, and we'll visit the test site for a comparison. Bring your ex prison guard mate with you as well. I'd love to take his money.