ophirboy

Thanks Steve . I have not tried general searching using the manual as you would on knob detectors , I tend only to use it that way in pinpoint and dig mode . Bhogg was interested in the discrimination tests so I thought I would throw in the details . I had a 2 gram nugget ( see picture)that was slightly crystalline found first time out with the Gm that I buried in a test spot in what I would call medium to high mineralization soil ( see ironstone sample from that test spot in picture ) . I then drilled a 3/4 hole 5 inches deep and dropped the nugget in as not to disturb soil density. I then set the monster to auto plus and scanned from multi directions and through the ground was noisey a typical non ferrous zip showed the presence of a good target ( the meter was pegged to the left on all passes) . I then switched to manual 5 but the ground was to noisey so backed down to 3 to get a comparable noise to auto plus. ( the meter would still show no movement to non ferrous . But the signal was good . After retrieving the nugget I tested it in the same loose soil and the meter showed positive non ferrous around max 1 1/2 inches from the coil , it bounced between at 2 - 3 inches . So let this be a lesson to all you Aussie GM owners who only dig by the meter reading . And as Elma Fudd would say " be vewy vewy careful. .

G,day Bhogg . Yes it's certainly an interesting machine . A nice machine for first timers if they can't afford a PI . As others have said , you have to punch up the sensitivity for specialist crevice work , but the auto and auto plus are great for trouble free switch and go detecting .users have also commented on its beach ability so it might end up being a general purpose detector for a lot of people . I have found the user friendliness of the discriminator depends very much on how tough the mineralisation is your area . The Americans seem to be able to wind up the sensitivity a lot more and the ferrous - non ferrous bar graph becomes more reliable . Try it yourself with a lead shot or small nugget down around 5 inches . The monster pings it as sweet as honey but the graph won't budge to the right for love or money until you get it out of the ground . Sometimes just one swing to the right on another coil direction gives it away . I have become totally dependent on sound identification until it's in the surface pile .ive watched 2 videos of guys in Victoria passing over and missing larger nuggets with the GM , but they are running full sensitivity in high mineral conditions and simply overloading the ground response , running in auto or auto plus would have shown much better results . And your right Gold is not a renewable resource when it's gone it's gone. Good luck. Paul

I had a really comfortable pair of Merrel boots , however the two part soles seperated and rendered them useless and they where an expensive item , I think about 300 Australian . So I have gone back to senthetic toe cap work boots .Less comfortable more durable as I'm always scraping leaf litter of the ground with my right one.

Hi Robbie The detector you have purchased is the cutting edge in automated high frequency vlf detector capability . It won't penetrate nearly as deeply as Pulse induction units on small to medium nuggets in mineralised soil but is certainly on a par with its vlf competition . Earlier vlf detectors using lower frequencies could penetrate a little deeper but could not pick up the very small pieces , hence the move to higher frequencies in the 40-70 Hz range to pick out the bits the Pulse induction units and older vhf units missed . The Sdc 2300 is a Pulse induction unit aimed at finding small gold in heavily mineralised soil and has been in circulation for a few years now , accordingly a lot of targets that may have been found with the Gold monster have been cleaned up by the Sdc.Its always a hard ask to expect a vlf unit costing around a thousand dollars to compete in our soil as well as units costing 4-8 times as much . Having said that, I have a Gold monster that I use with some success in areas that have conditions or depths that negate the advantages of Pulse induction and give the vlf a chance.If you look at some of the other posts regarding the Gold Monster you will notice that most users are adapting the detector to a particular type of specialist use such as cleaning up smaller pieces after the ground has been worked with Pulse induction at depth , or chasing gold caught in bedrock with the small coil in tight spaces . So in essence the gold monster is on a par with its high frequency competition , and being fully automated it is a great choice for beginners in mineralised soil ,it's not the best detector for general use in the oz goldfields that's the domain of the long list of PI units, but it's certainly a long way from the worst. Pick areas that you believe could hold small gold trapped in areas close to the surface And your on your way to success with the Gold Monster . As you say , better out there looking than sitting home dreaming . Good luck with your GM Paul

Hi Mike Having used all types and brands of detectors for well over 40 years . I have noted not by chance that the most successful electronic prospectors are the ones who research gold bearing areas and who have confidence in whatever machine they choose to utilise.As others have said ,it's only splitting hairs as to what vlf machine suits one person over another . The Nokia impact runs at a frequency similar to the Mine lab x terra machines and I know quite a few people who have had success prospecting with these ,and thousands of nuggets where found with vlf detectors before Pi units emerged.The abundance of reports on the GM 1000 are simply due to the fact that minelab has not released a purpose built prospecting vlf detector since the Eureka many years ago ,and the fact that it is the first fully automatic machine on the market .One thing that has changed in 40 years are my expectations knowing that the ground has been covered by people using sophisticated PI machines and so naturally gold is harder to find and I now have to concentrate at using higher frequencies in a vlf to find the smaller bits left behind , you will notice a lot of people using the GM and Gold Bugs to snipe bedrock gold that is shallow , Rather than search general ground where the PI machines fair much better at deeper larger nuggets .Take little notice of the you tube videos pitching vlf against Pi machines.its a non contest especially in highly mineralised soil .My advice would be to learn where your unit excels and then find gold deposits that match the machines abilities to locate them . You really do have to target your efforts these days to have a fair chance of success. I am quite sure there are numerous people on this and other forums who will tell you are wasting your time with a vlf detector in Australia in 2017 and in some respects and in some areas they may well be right. However we all have budgets and time restrictions as part time prospectors and the Nokta is no slouch and I,m sure can hold its own amongst others of the same ilk .ignore the knockers and get out and enjoy your hobbie ,learn your machine until your confident in what it's telling you ,the Aussie bush is just a wonderfull place to be gold or no gold. Regards Paul

Thanks for the review Steve The ghosting you refer to in the GM I have always believed to be the overload response to large , close to the coil ferrous items or foil aluminium cigarette packet liners or similar and I usually ignore them as they are most commonly in the leaf litter on the surface , most other vlf machines normally just keep emitting an annoying over response but the GM cuts it down to a recognisable response that is unlike anything I can recall in other detectors Iv,e used . It's a shame our soil is so difficult as I would like to own some of the other detectors like the GB however I think I would simply spend most of my time adjusting ground balance and sensitivity to keep up with conditions , however if it,s true that the one who dies with the most toys wins you have the completion beat hands down.

Good luck Kiwi , I had a look at some spots near skippers canyon a few years ago , nice country but cold in winter. Let us know how you get on. ?⛷

Hi Mike The main thing about detecting is that no one has struck it rich with there detector in the cupboard . I'll read you a quote from a newspaper correspondent at bendigo in 1852 " The new chum arrives believing that nuggets can be dug up as easy as potatoes in a farm paddock but soon discover that they will blister there hands and knock there shins on many a boulder before they see even the specks" If this sounds familiar your in good company . Detecting is about persistence and luck . You sound like your going to areas that are likely prospects however I purchased my first detector in 1976, it was a whites coinmaster 5000 D and I thought it was the ants pants it took me 2 years to find my first nugget but I just loved being out in the bush meeting and talking to other diggers. The Aussie diggings have been hammered for over forty years with all manner of detectors . And the PI detectors go very deep compared to vlf, so try and concentrate your efforts where the diggings where shallow or where the distance to the washing area was far away . Lots of dirt fell off wheelbarrows on the way to puddling machines or creeks. Or search out bedrock areas exposed on terrace or bench deposits as the yanks call them . These areas are obvious by the stacks of rocks with pathways between where the diggers washed the soil down to bedrock and needed to stack washed stone from the sluice boxes. If your finding small lead pieces then your in the lottery with a chance , but as I have said before , ferrous junk can be identified by its irregular or wide signal . Rusting iron slowly leaches into surrounding soil giving a small item a much bigger signal " halo effect" and a nail will even give a double signal because of its dual polarity like a compass needle. On the other hand non ferrous items with little corrosion give clean clear signals . These include brass bullet shells , eyelets, lead shotgun pellets , bullets and gold . I find detecting more enjoyable when you enjoy your surroundings and accept the junk as education that is slowly giving you the experience to find a nugget when your lucky enough to walk over one . I wish you well with the Nokta Impact and remember to share your knowledge with others when you become an expert. Happy times on the diggings Paul ??

Hi kiwi i would think in the sort of ground you work and in the high sensitivity setting you use , you would be a contender to suffer this problem as much as anyone . That said , this model is a mass produced item , sold around the world and could well suffer from inconsistencies in manufacture the same as any other . And if it is fallsing to some degree for most it's quite likely that a certain number are a little better or a little bit worse. And a small number could be a lot worse. I'm sure minelab would look after those that are finding abnormally high problems with there machine.remembering that the detector was designed principally as an all auto concept . I don't think the designers had in mind people turning the sensitivity to full in manual and scrubbing the coil into very irregular ground . It's all about compromise and making the best of things. Happy specking ⛏

I have had issues with both coils , but only in manual settings and only at near maximum gain . In auto and auto plus the coil rarely falses . If you are searching over quartz dumps and banging into large jagged rocks it will probably be a problem , however in most ground running over small pebbly scree I have not been greatly inconvenienced . The small coil seems to be used by people trying to get the coil down in between broken shale schist in bedrock areas and are more likely to bang the coil in between gaps . The specialist niche this detector fills is probably why the problem is most noticeble , but personally I have not found it causes too much distraction , the noise is easily identifiable for what it is ,and if your hand is still vibrating after hitting a dirty big rock you don,t have to be rocket scientist to work out what has just occurred. My advice would be to turn down the sensitivity (it works better that way ) at least in my soil ,and slow down so you minimise rock strike. Fixing the coil wire to the shaft only seems to restrict the movement of the coil in general although if you use it in full sensitivity in bedrock areas it may be beneficial .

I don't know about eating lizards Rege but I had a goanna run up me one day and I had to pry his claws of my head. And I've seen a few feral boys out there but no looneys in grocopters like mad max 1 , what we are seeing is people using drones to scout locations in the bush more often and if the price of petrol or gas as you yanks say keeps going up we may start chasing tankers as well. As Steve has found out , The most annoying Australian trait is the knocker who fails to appreciate anybody else's point of view and as we have a saying here "wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire"These people are there own worst enemy and miss out on a wealth of information that could turn them in to better prospectors and more importantly better people, as the Administrator would say "A Hex on them ".

G,day Jen58 , just seeing those photos makes me want to head west and sit around the campfire at night and sip a nice port. My favoured way to use the discrimination feature in the Aussie soil is to use the detector in all metal mode and differentiate by sound alone in the first instance , and then when I get a promising signal I scoop it out off the hole and flatten it with my boot . I then switch to discrimination mode and scan the target that I know is only an inch or so under the coil . I can then be confident that the target is probable. probable "what" is then the next issue and as you point out that's more likely to be shotgun pellet or a brass eyelet or something just as annoying . However the PI detectors also love them too especially the sdc 2300 , The good thing is those tiny pellets are the best indicator that a detector operator has that he is doing everything right and a piece of gold is just waiting for his coil to pass over it . I just wish I was out in red dirt blue sky country with you.

Hi Mike . Good to hear from another Aussie on the forum . I don't know a lot about the Nokta detector although a lot of people have mentioned them as one of the brands that led minelab to develop the GM 1000. A lot of members from the states seem to work in much lower mineralization and therefore there reports can lead you to believe that the detector sensitivity can be ramped up and give good results. Be cautious as our conditions can cause what some call fogging to the receiver circuit ( like headlights in fog) that can hide small targets if an unsuitably high sensitivity setting is used . Quite often a more conservative setting can give much better performance. this would certainly apply to the Golden triangle. It also makes your discriminator marginally usefull . As I said in the report , learning the machines strengths and weaknesses is vitally important to success , Good luck and I hope you do well down there. PM ??

Thanks for the information . it's good to get alternate views on how to run this machine rather than get stuck in a rut and forget to experiment with new ideas . Cheers PM??

Hi Ghansen It depends how long you detect each day . But generally you can expect around 8 to 12 hours continuous use , the pack discharges quickly when nearing the end of its charge , more so than the penlight battery set.

Good work Peg . Similar structure gold as to what I get in places . Those pieces have not moved far from the source. Being semi crystalline these pieces are quite hard to find with detectors . The gold monster seems to sniff them out quite well. I have quite a few specimens that sound off strongly yet the gold is hardly visible on the quartz surface. It's certainly visible on yours.

Hi Kiwijw This is the largest Iv,e found ,in amongst scattered quartz it is slightly water worn and rounded on top, I also have some quartz pieces that have given a positive result but I have not crushed them I also have about 4 smaller pieces similar to what I have seen on the forum. The areas I detect have been heavily hit with sdc2300,s so you have to be persistent and lucky.

Having used the GM now for 2 months on the Eastern goldfields in oz I think I can give a fair assessment of its performance so far , The machine is always set up as per JP, s preffered method and in my areas the sensitivity is left in auto normal as auto plus is just a bit noisy. Auto normal allows those smaller signals to stand out without the background falsing. Some of the YouTube videos of prospectors in oz pitching the GM against the SD show the operators using the monster with full sensitivity and scrubbing the ground trying to compete on performance and understandably suffering accordingly . As has been stated on this forum don,t try and turn the detector into something it's not ,instead trust the manufacturers have designed the machine to reach its full potential in auto mode . let's face it we wouldn't, buy a new car then rip the computer out and replace it with points and distributor. The GM is a vlf machine and as such suffers the same joys and pitfalls of the family it was spawned from . luckily we can use that knowledge to trust that the charecteristics we have learnt on previous machines still hold true for the monster. This brings me to the addition of the probability meter, that on this machine is a left or right LCD bar graph that shows ferrous to the left and non ferrous to the right ( nail or gold bar ) As on any vlf we know that as the machine has to balance ground noise effectiveness of the discriminator diminishes , so operators in lightly mineralised areas can put more emphasis on the accuracy of their discriminators than those in heavily mineralised areas like those in some parts of oz. I have found recently while detecting over ground that could be described as ancient high plateau gold deposits ( cemented river sand and quartz pebbles ) that my machine could easily find and give a good clean signal on a 2 gram nugget buried at 16 centimetres ( (about 6 inches) , but the discriminator was showing always to the left on the meter telling me it was junk , only after the piece was dug up and placed on the surface and waved within a few centimetres of the nugget was it showing as gold , for those in the states that's about 1 inch . So once again use your knowledge on vlf sound identifying methods for discrimination if you have prior experience with one ,and if your a first time buyer dig everything and till you learn the art yourself. Generally good signals give a nice clean chirp while the rusty iron items give a multiple or yawn type noise . As I say dig all if uncertain . So to sum up trust the machine to run in auto the way it was designed and in Oz stay on the conservative sensitivity setting until your confident you can run it higher without falsing ,or your gridding a rich area and can put up with it. Don't trust the discrimination , if it sounds good "DIG". The rechargeable battery lasts for about 2 full days of detecting that's great for weekenders . The shaft does tend to turn loose and is the reason some just buy a wooden broom handle as a replacement , I have found in oz our wood weighs the same as the supplied shaft. some people have mentioned coil falsing when knocked , however I have found this happen only when using really high sensitivity levels or when hitting large rocks . don't put the battery in the wrong way as it would be easy to break the the catches on the battery compartment lid , Enjoy your Gold Monster and above all persevere , be realistic and above all have fun on the goldfields.

Interestingly , Holterman wasn't, present at the time (the face was blasted during the night shift and the shift manager was Mark Hammond , himself a child miner during the 1850,s on the Turon diggings at Sofala . Bernard Holterman later had a picture of himself leaning on a hat stand in a studio and had the nugget superimposed at a later date . The actual photo shows the specimen with slate and gold intermingled throughout .The reef gold " nugget " had an average thickness of 4 inches . Before the premier of New South Wales could decide to purchase it for the international exhibition it was included in a 270 ton crushing that yielded nearly 15,650 ounces.That week nearly 25,000 ounces left the Hill End goldfield by escort.

Thanks Steve . It's seems a fairly forgiving machine , and any number of operating techniques can be used to good effect without upsetting the machine.

Hi guys I have a question regarding the Gold Monster and how the sensitivity should be set while on the ground during target retrieval .In Jonathan Porters article on mastering the GM he states that it should be set to the level that the target was first identified .As i use auto or auto+ does that mean the detector is left at this setting or switched to a manual setting whilst sitting the detector down before digging and pinpointing. I have used the monster for about a month now and except for the issue with the loosening shaft connections (i now use a 1 inch broomstick permanently) and some noise when bumping the coil, i have found this detector a pleasure to use on the central western goldfields of eastern oz and managed to find a 2 gram piece on my second day within 2 inches of a of a boot rivet down about 4 inches.