Jim in Idaho

I've got the raft drawn up in CAD. I decided I don't want a long headphone cord, because of the difficulty of keeping it dry. I need a wireless headphone setup that will reach 15 or 20 feet. Any ideas? As always, I appreciate any help. I have a Garrett wireless, but though I haven't tested it, I doubt it will reach the distance I need. Jim

Actually, the gravel is really deep. No way to know if the bars are actually there. The story says there were 3 bars, and one was found on a gravel bar, a few years later, by a cowboy chasing cows. I had thought to wait until later in the summer...that's a good point. Jim

Yeah..I got that wrong. Should be about 7 x 16 x 1 1/2 And, these bars are about 80% pure...what they call Dore' bars. Jim

Many thanks! Looks like a couple of tools I should have around. Jim

Nice work. Where did you get the tools? Jim

I'm guessing from that the VSat doesn't have the GM3's variable frequency? Jim

LOL...the results are going to be "I didn't find anything" no matter what happens. Jim

Hey Clark, Hope all is well with you. I'll take a rain check on that offer. because of the great depth it offers, I'm going to try the TM808, which I already have. If that idea doesn't work, I'll get back to you. Jim

Ya know, Steve, when I think more on this, I could probably figure out how high to set the sensitivity to preclude seeing most of the iron targets. I'm starting to think the TM808 might be just the ticket for this. Should be able to come up with some sort of cover to keep the water off, too. I appreciate the help. Jim

LOL...I'd as soon not give out the name, thank you. Jim

I'd probably get WAY better simply be cause of the bar size. The lead bar I have is about 8 x 16 x 3 and weighs roughly 50lbs. Looks like I'm going to have to do some testing with my TM808, and if that isn't going to work I'll have to shop, for an AT Max. Jim

Wells Fargo shipped these large bars to prevent theft. This theft had nothing to do with Great Falls. The gold probably originated at Bannack, MT., or maybe Virginia City/Alder Gulch and was headed to Utah. Jim

I'll tell you one thing. if I find one of them, no one will ever know about it...LOL As George Patton said "all glory is fleeting". Jim

I've got a Delta Pulse with a 1m x 1m coil, but no discrimination. On iron it's better than the TM808, but not as good on the lead test bar....probably because of the lower frequency. Jim

Thank you, Cudamark. I'm thinking of the AT Max, sorta. But, wish it had larger coils. I may just go with Steve's suggestion, and make a watertight bag to go over the entire TM808, and make an extension for the headphone cable. I've got a lead bar the exact size of the assumed gold bars, and the 808 sees it at 33", which is about as good as it gets...but no discrimination, and that might mean a whole bunch of under water digging, which would be a deal-killer. I may be over-thinking the need for discrimination, however. I'm also thinking of the DFX with a 14" coil. In Prospect mode it sees the lead bar at 30", and I could set it up to discriminate, even in prospect mode, I think. Jim Jim

Thanks, Steve! I'm considering that, but the lack of water resistance worries me. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong...LOL But, you're right...the other attributes are hard to beat for this use. And, I've already got TM808. Jim

According to legend, in a creek not too far from home, there are two gold bars from a stage robbery. Typical bars in these cases were 125 lbs, and would be about 8 x 16 x 3". I'm going to build a small raft, with a detector mounted on it. Said raft will be controllable by me, so it can be caused to sweep back and forth across the width of the creek as I wade behind it. I'd probably be 10-12' behind. because of barbed wire, and other iron trash, I need really good iron discrimination, and the size of the target means I don't need super sensitivity. A large coil would be a help, as would auto ground tracking. Wireless headphones would be a big help, assumin they can reach that 10-12' I'll be behind the detector. Also I'd need the coil to be waterproof to 24", Though I'm not planning on having the coil that deep. The detector being at least water-resistant would be a help. I'm thinking a lower frequency VLF of some sort, for depth, and will probably be buying on the used market as I'm happy with my current fleet of detectors, except for this specialized task. I'm looking for suggestions from you hotshots, and appreciate the help. I guess it doesn't need to be said that I'd like to keep the cost as low as possible. Jim

Give me the 24K with wireless built-in, and a Signagraph screen like the DFX, and I'd be a buyer, and I've already got the whites version. Jim

Many thanks, Locator! That's apparently exactly what's going on. I hadn't picked up on that. I'm going to try that, and see what happens. Thanks again, Jim

You don't need an expensive "smart" charger. You can buy a buck converter on Ebay, that allows setting the max charge voltage, for about $30.00. I've been using mine for several years. I can use it for both my 16volt 4-cell packs, and my 3 cell 12volt pack. I can use it for any pack from 1.5v to 30v. https://www.ebay.com/itm/DROK-DC-3-5V-15V-to-DC-0-6V-30V-Buck-Boost-Converter-5v-to-3v-12v-24v-2A-15W/333937403216?hash=item4dc0386550:g:aCgAAOSwjRlgYAxb Jim

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That's correct. Another part of this story is that your battery pack will last longer (more charge/discharge cycles) if you don't charge to the max voltage. I use a buck converter to charge my packs. That converter allows me to set the max voltage I charge to. That adjustability also allows me to use the charger to charge both 3-cell and 4-cell packs. In the case of my TDI SL, I like to limit the charge to 16.0 volts. That both protects the detector, and increases the pack life. I get about 4 hours of use, but with both packs I'm good for an entire day. Jim

It depends on the number of cells. 14.4 volts is the nominal voltage for a 4-cell pack. max voltage for that pack is 16.8. The nominal voltage for a 3-cell pack is 11.1. Max voltage for that pack is 12.6. Using a charger for a 4-cell pack to charge a 3-cell pack is NOT a good idea. Jim

Really Nice! Welcome to the forum. They're much nicer than anything I've found. Jim

For the most part, you can only discriminate ferrous from non-ferrous. You'll have to dig all the shell casings, and birdshot, and pulltabs if you want to find the nuggets. I usually dig everything when nugget hunting, as using discrimination will cost you some sensitivity. Each person has their own view on discrimination, however. Sometimes the site your detecting has so much iron junk, you simply have to use it. Jim