rexhavoc

Which parts are 3D printed - the crossbar mounts and/or the mat, and what mateial? I notice there are a few sluice designs on Thingiverse.

Around here those are referred to as nuggets lol. Quite the antediluvian flood needed to move those chunks :) Anything +30 mesh around here is a nugget. rex

Thanks to all suggestions, and the cross post Steve. For a dedicated device, I'm leaning towards a Rino 750 because of the 2 way radio; the 755t looks loaded with unnecessary bells and whistles. Although the huge display on the Montana is a draw.. Like the Montana the Rinos are compatible with "Garmin Custom Maps" function. I doubt the phone based apps have hardware that is as accurate under foliage, are as power efficient, or robust. With a dedicated device, there is also something very cathartic about turning off the phone stuffing it in the pack and going walkabout. The OziExplorer app for Android seems a tad sketchy - searched the Google Play store for it on two different devices - each diverts to "Soviet Military Maps Free". Odd that the only way to get it is from a non-certified 3rd party web site - I'll take a pass. The Backcountry Navigator looks good though for the Android. rex

My "Old Faithful" Garmin GPSMap 60CSx appears to be reaching the end of its serviceable life, after years of being dropped on rocks, bikes, down slopes, drenched, fallen into rivers, taped onto dogs, and being the point of contact on its bike mount between Terra Firma and myself head over heels on my mountain bike. Starting to malfunction a tad if you can believe it! Can't say enough good about it - some of the best money I ever spent bar none :) I do a ton of work with Google Earth plotting targets, claims and such. My stompin' grounds are devoid of cellular data, so any device that is DetectorProspector approved and might have some capabilities for satellite imagery, overlays - I would really appreciate guidance. rex

I would consider larceny to get my hands on a turbo diesel Landcruiser like that in this country. But you don't know the half of the story. In large swathes of this continent it's STILL perfectly legal to buy a kit to turn your efficient and clean burning diesel into a "rolling coal" nightmare from hell - from a "respectable retailer" or "performance shop". If you're not familiar with the term, Google it. Just one of these abominations emits more pollutants than God knows how many thousand "dirty" VW TDIs ever will. So yes, an 8100 gas engine isn't even blinked at.

You didn't specify anything about a) towing capacity or b) interior volume other than be able to sleep in it. Sounds like you aren't planning to haul a 5 YPH trommel into no mans land over boulders. So I'm going to disqualify larger vehicles including my favourite - Yukon XL 2500 4x4 with the 8.1 litre engine (and the same interior space as the Carlsbad Caverns) - on point 3 fuel economy alone :) Lots of good suggestions - I like the all Toyota and Isuzu options mentioned here myself. One point that maybe should also be on your list of criteria is "reliability" - which rules out Jeeps IMO. I'm also disinclined to go off-road with "newer" vehicles suffering a +/-30% annual depreciation (not to mention top to bottom wear and tear on everything from paint to frame , from overgrown bush, rocks, sand, mud, and cargo). That, and the needed on-board factory trained technician Luigi connected via a high speed internet connection to a Cray supercomputer to converse with the electronic toys on board, to determine which one put the vehicle into "limp mode" at the worst possible time, because the filler cap is loose. Not joking. Stuff it if you can't fix it with a 9/16 wrench and get an alternator at the gas station in Outer Podunk. Please trust me, BTDT - helicoptering in a Jeep electronic module can really, really ruin your day. So, all things considered, in your application I suggest an Audi Allroad Quattro with a Thule roof box on it for your detector, and go wild. rex

Haven't had any issues with 4.1 and MI-6 so far. Just curious what issues you are seeing and what configs you might be running?

Thank you for that info. I know someone who is now getting one for Christmas ;)

Thanks! Interesting video but inconclusive - too bad there was no gold in the area he demonstrated the technique in. On the other hand, Jeff seems to lend credence to the method... ? Rex

I find this all very interesting - including Chris' comments. I'm very new to detecting and so don't want to disagree but I wonder if there might be occasional real world conditions in which it could prove useful. Locally, we have diffuse fluvial flour gold everywhere, but reasonable concentrations are rare - neither the diffuse or concentrated varieties are detectable with current technology afaik excepting perhaps a Goldspear. But I would be interested to read the river, detect for relative magnetite concentrations and then start test panning from there, should there be any value in that approach. Trying to track down that Hoagland video... any pointers? Rex