Jim in Idaho

I try to avoid snake country when the snakes are active. I always have Heidi with me, and I worry more about her than myself when it comes to snakebites. I know you guys down south don't have the luxury of avoiding snake country....they're everywhere...LOL. I keep Heidi's snake shots up-to-date, too. Wish they had them for people. Jim

LOL...me too, but I haven't had the reward you've obviously had. Jim

LOL...yes, Clark, and the belief that nature never hurt the heart that loves her. Jim

Every time I leave home, especially now at the age of 71, Chris understands she might not see me again. But she also understands I'd rather die with my boots on. Preparedness is fine, but luck also plays a role. And luck can turn on you at any moment. Most of the time, nobody knows, or cares where I am. Get 2 or 3 miles from the pickup, usually off any trails, make a misstep and break an ankle, or any of a dozen other possiblities, and you're in real trouble. At my age, I watch every step I take. Also stop more often and check the country all around, and pay attention to smells. And hope Heidi is on her toes. And I avoid each and every person I might see. When Dave and i were in Nevada in June, we had a guy carrying an ARr-15, and a large caliber pistol, walk right into camp and start asking questions. He didn't realize that's a good way to get shot. Didn't holler from outside camp, or anything. Just walked in like he owned it, and started asking what we were doing, etc. He was one of those checkerboard land squatters. Owned a place a mile away and was worried we were up to no good. Obviously nobody ever taught him outdoor etiquette. Two-legged critters can be more dangerous than four-legged. Jim

I've often thought that we are, more often then we think, on the ragged edge of serious trouble. I've spent a really large part of my life in the outdoors, and usually alone. I've called in mountain lions, alone. many, many coyotes, bobcats, and other predators.Been stuck in snow in high mountain passes. Waded raging rivers while fly fishing. A large number of those situations could easily haven turned from good stories to tell, to tragedies. All it would have taken was one small misstep, or piece of bad luck. And we've all BTDT, and have the T-shirts, and the hats. Jim

Run time on a set of batteries in the DFX is more like 25 or 30 hours, not 5 or 6. Jim

I look at what you call prospecting from two different perspectives. IMHO nugget hunting, and using a highbanker, sluice, etc., isn't prospecting. I define prospecting as trying to find unknown deposits of marketable metals (a prospect). Real prospecting involves, at least most of the time, going to places where the odds of finding anything are low, but there is the chance of a big payoff, in the event you do find something. They are separate disciplines of the same overall activity, and to some extent, they use some of the same tools. I'm sure not everyone would agree. Jim

I'm hoping you succeed, Jim! Jim

I looked NW....it was right below the "pan" of the Big Dipper. About 1/2 way between the bottom of the "pan", and the horizon. Jim

Chris and I went out and saw it last night...spectacular! It was about 10:30 MDT. I'm surprised there isn't more about it in the news. About 15 or 20 degrees above the horizontal. Jim

Steve Howard took care of my warranty issue...I now have a new 6 x 10 coil. I had told Steve I'd buy the old one back. I thought I could cut the mounting ears off, and make a new top, including new ears, and bridge over the spot causing the falsing, and I'd rather have that than no backup at all, and no new products since they were closing. He sent me back the old one at no charge! I also needed the handle and shaft for a GM2 I was trying to buy, and he sent me a the handle and travel shaft at a discounted price! Obviously, the old culture at Whites continues, even though they're going to close. Thanks Whites! Jim

OK guys....got the assay results back. It's roughly 83.5% copper; 5.62% aluminum; 7.33% silicon, and 1.7% Titanium. I'll attach the file, in case anybody is interested. I was surprised how little manganese was in it....much less than then earth's average. Jim J Nelson 7.7.2020.PDF

Ya know guys, I was a little concerned about my warranty right after Whites made their announcement, because when I called I got sent elsewhere. I stayed concerned until Paul at Centreville told me he'd act as my go-between to the factory until my warranty issue was resolved. This again proved the wisdom of not hiding from your creditors when you're in business. I was given that advice decades ago when I started my own business. I never forgot it. Your customers will put up with far more than you would imagine, assuming you maintain contact with them. When communication fails, people ALWAYS assume you're trying to screw them. A good lesson in business management. And a warranty is the same as a credit to your customer. When you owe the customer a warranty, the customer is your creditor until that warranty expires. Jim

My answer wasn't based on the GMX, Steve. That's why I rarely answer hypothetical questions. I know zip about the GMX, or any other "waterproof" detectors. Don't use 'em. You are correct about the lack of parts. I'm concerned about that with my coil issue. On the other hand, I've done so well with the used Whites detectors I've bought that I don't worry about failures very much. But, that's my choice. No way I would tell anybody else which detector to buy. I try hard to avoid those discussions. Jim

Will do, Jon. I've got your email, so we're good. Jim

I generally don't answer hypothetical questions, but if what you're really asking is "do I trust Whites to take care of their warranty issues?" yes I do. And were I in the market, I'd buy one of their remaining detectors. Jim

Sure, but not criminal. if they failed to live up to the warranty, you could take them to court. Of course, it would be a "losing money" proposition, given what attorneys charge...LOL I think they still have a lot of unsold inventory. If word got out that the warranty was no good, it would really devalue that inventory. but mostly, I think they're doing the warranty work because they're decent people. It's the culture of the company, and always has been. That's the saddest thing about the closing....we lose that great culture. Jim

Hey Jon, Hope all has been going well. I'm so busy with projects I don't know if I'm coming, or going...LOL. I do have some shaker table plans available. I got the Wilfley-copy of the driver finished, and have a video of it operating, but not connected to a table. I'm waiting on another machinist who is working on an aluminum table design which will use my driver. Jim

I was using Sawyers, but the last gallon I bought was labeled Farm Gard. Cost me $80. For .5% solution, for clothes, you mix it 5 1/2oz/gallon of water. So, that gallon I bought will make about 23 gallons, or $3.50/gallon, or less than a dollar/quart. if you buy the premixed sawyers, at Walmart, it's about $13.00/quart. I think that gallon I bought was around a 10% solution. Jim

Got a message while I was out of touch in Nevada. Holly? said they were reopening their Oregon repair center for 3 or 4 weeks. She said they'd take care of my GM24K problem, under warranty. Best news I've had since Tuesday Morning...LOL Jim

I just got home from a 3 day Nevada trip. Went back down to the drywash where I found the multi-oz nuggets in June. Boy, was I in for a surprise. The 6 x 10 coil on my GM24K is bad, and I really wanted at least a 10" coil, so hauled out the old GM3. It rewarded me with a multi-pound hunk of copper....or at least it's got copper in it. Same grayish metal clear through. Weighs just over a kilogram. I sent the bigger nugget I found in June to an assay lab. Should, know what the metal is in a couple of weeks. This nugget, along with another golfball-sized nugget were found about 100 yards up the wash from the last one I found in June. This morning I covered the area carefully with the 6" coil on the GM3, but found zero gold, or other nuggets. I think this one is close to it's origins. I can't see something this hefty moving very far in a relatively dry climate. I need to go back and do some digging, but just can't manage it in this heat. Going to have to wait for late fall. Jim

.5% is the correct dosage for clothing. I buy Permethrin concentrate by the gallon, and mix it myself. Jim

First mod is easy. Second mod is difficult only because the components, and board soldering pads, are REALLY tiny. Jim

Another thing that would enter Ken's thinking on this is "who will take over the company when I'm retired, or dead?". Maybe he didn 't see a line of succession into the future. like his dad did. Jim

Well, I figured out where my coil has the problem. It falses when any pressure is applied to the top, just to the right of the right mounting ear. So when it hits anything on the right side, the rod flexes the ear to the right, pushing down on the top surface. Also when the bottom on the right hits anything, that results in the ear pushing down on the top, and it falses from that. Without the rod mounted, and provided nothing impacts it, it works fine. That means, if Whites don't come through, I can figure out a work-around for this....might be ugly, however 🙂 Jim