hayesman76

On 1/24/2018 at 3:27 AM, Reg Wilson said:

Recently my wife and daughter gave me a drone for my birthday. Being a bit of a technical dinosaur, I am still getting the hang of it. These things seem to be rapidly advancing, and it occurred to me that it may provide a way of seeing what is over the next hill without all the footwork. Seeing how America seems to be leading the way with this technology, this seemed to be the ideal place to pose this Question. Any ideas?

Kudos to Mr. Wilson, this is one of the best original posts I've seen in this great forum! 

FWIW, it seems that silver production was down last year as high-producing lodes are increasingly hard to come by. 

The argument has been made that there will be VERY little relatively easily mineable silver left on the planet in a few decades. 

It's also claimed that at any given time there may actually be more above-ground useable non-bullion gold on Earth than silver because most gold is kept "intact" i.e. not used in manufacturing but instead kept as jewelry or bullion; OTOH, most non-bullion silver is used-up in manufacturing. The silver bullion market is incredibly small compared to gold.

Remember a few years ago when waste companies would offer free "recycling" of old computer motherboards? They were doing that to salvage the tiny amounts of gold those motherboards contained. Since silver is only about 1/80th the price of gold on an ounce-to-ounce basis at this time it's just not worth it from a financial standpoint to salvage all the silver deposited in landfills across the nation. If silver rises to a few hundred dollars per ounce, as some speculate it eventually will, it might be a good idea at that point to invest in companies specializing in the recovery and recycling of silver used-up in manufacturing. Some financial experts say that the "normal" ratio between gold and silver in terms of price should be more along the lines of 1:15 than the present 1:80. Time will tell. If it does, look for metal detector companies to begin marketing machines specializing in finding silver.

15 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

A 15" x 20" DD would be a real beast, and since the discrimination only works at shallower depths it does not help you when you need it most - on those real deep targets that have you digging pits.

The 12" x 10" was not discontinued and since many people buy the ATX for use in the water it may be the more popular option.

Thanks very much for your feedback, Steve, it makes a lot of sense.

If you were deciding between the 11"X13" closed coils (either DD or Mono) and the 15"X10" Deepseeker Mono for use in the U.S. West/Southwest focusing on large nuggets which would you choose and why? Despite the Deepseeker's greater depth (BTW, do you have any information on that issue?) on deep targets vs. the 11"X13" closed coils which would you choose? Initially I was favoring the Deepseeker but the thought of digging one deep hole after another only to discover iron would make me reconsider.

Regarding your observation that the ATX with the Deepseeker coil is already quite heavy and that the same-size coil as a DD might even be heavier, my view is that the added weight of a 20"X15" DD coil wouldn't make a lot of difference. I assume most ATX users use a harness when swinging anyway; the added weight would be well worth it if it resulted in more nuggets. 

On 1/21/2016 at 5:41 AM, Steve Herschbach said:

Garrett is releasing two new, larger 11”x13” closed searchcoils for the ATX pulse induction detector. Available in either a DD or mono configuration, the new ATX coils will be lighter weight and offer increased depth versus the standard ATX searchcoil. The new closed style provides more resistance to falsing due to scrubbing of the coil against the ground and allows gold prospectors to use the upper coil deck to sift/find tiny nuggets easier. The new ATX searchcoil includes an exclusive Garrett design slide-lock system that creates a center-mount style while still allowing the ATX to collapse into its soft cover carrying case. Designated for a mid-year release, the new ATX coil will be available as the new standard offering on ATX detectors and can be purchased as an accessory coil by existing ATX customers. More details and pricing on the new ATX packages will be forthcoming.

http://www.garrett.com/hobbysite/pdfs/Garrett_New_Products_2016.pdf

Well Steve, you wrote the above almost two years ago. So why is it that when I visit websites selling the ATX the accompanying photos invariably show the (supposedly former) open 12"X10" coil as the stock coil? I don't get it. 

The main issue that would concern me were I to consider purchasing the Deepseeker package is that the big 15" X 20" coil it comes with is Mono. It would've been great if Garrett also offered a large coil of that size as a DD, as well. I would hate to have to deal with frequent false-signaling because when using the Mono Deepseeker coil the ATX's iron discrimination function can't be used.

Jin, so glad you brought this topic up, as it’s one I’ve given some thought to recently.

Probably most of us have heard the expression, “There’s gold in them thar hills!”

In light of that expression — and the thing that’s been on my mind recently — is the fact that almost all gold prospecting videos I’ve seen take place in flat areas. (True, those flat areas may or may not be at high elevations.)

Is gold actually frequently found in hills/mountains? If so, I would assume that the sheer difficulty of climbing up such elevations while swinging detectors that can weigh over 8 lbs. is the main reason why prospectors tend to focus more on scouring more level terrain for gold.

On 12/3/2017 at 4:18 PM, tvanwho said:

Are you gonna drag a backhoe along with you?

No, I hear the new Minelab GPZ 7000+ comes with one. The whole setup only retails for $500k but you can get them a few dollars cheaper on eBay.

Now that I've got your attention ...

One interesting alternative I've seen to traditional walkin' 'n swingin' metal detecting is called the Hot Foot Rug. I'm sure many reading this have heard of it. Basically, from the looks of it it's a search coil apparently embedded into a flexible, rectangular carpet-like piece of material measuring from 18" to 6'. The carpet must, of course, be attached to a box, which the user can keep by their side or clip to a belt.  The carpet itself can either be attached to a harness and pulled while walking or dragged behind a vehicle, enabling detectorists to cover a lot more ground -- and with less walking required -- than traditional "stick" detecting. The only thing that makes me not even consider buying one is what I consider to be the excessively-high price (then again, in my opinion MOST metal detectors and search coils are way overpriced.) 

Especially when dragging the carpet behind a vehicle I would assume the user absolutely must use a good set of noise-canceling headphones.

I'm very surprised that the device mentioned above is about the only one of its type I've seen for sale. In my opinion -- and especially with so many detectorists being middle-aged and/or retired folks who aren't as mobile as they used to be -- you'd think there'd be quite a variety of such carpet-like search coils available.

Does anyone here prospect with such metal-detecting rugs? My main interest is in prospecting for large, deep nuggets and this technique -- especially with my bad knee -- really appeals to me, as the rug search coil can be several feet wide, which dwarfs even the largest traditional round/oval coils. Any feedback or information on such carpet-type detectors would be appreciated. 

On 12/1/2017 at 12:23 PM, phoenix said:

OK, going off at a tangent, about 6 months ago I was put onto this stuff.  I`ve had bad knees, elbows and wrists for years and for me this stuff is a miracle cure.  I don`t think it`s a placebo thing because the first time I applied it I really didn`t think it would work.  You may notice it says not for human use but for horses and dogs only, and I don`t care. For the first time in 25 years I am pain free in my wrists. I put a mate onto it a month ago and he now uses it daily for his knees. The guy that put me onto it has been using it for 20 years for arthritic hands. One of our chemist chains over here even sells the stuff.  The funny thing is, they don`t sell anything else for horses or dogs. 
Try it or don`t try it. Completely up to you.  Dave
Sorry Steve if this is too off topic.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=rapigel&_sacat=0

Now that's interesting. Apparently the main ingredients are menthol and camphor -- which in the States are widely found in over-the-counter (i.e. no doctor's prescription required) arthritis medications. No idea why in Australia/elsewhere it would be specifically labelled for horse and dog use only. 

I hear you. One of my cousins had a knee replacement and he says it’s one of the best things he’s done. He does go to the gym and does the recommended physical therapy. OTOH, a former colleague who had a knee replacement after retiring wasn’t so lucky and has had major problems with his — probably because (as I’ve been told) he didn’t do the required post-operation exercises/physical therapy.

I’ve seen mention of a plastic-based knee replacement and, assuming it contains no metals whatsoever (doubtful) it’d be a Godsend for metal detectorists with knee problems. I’ll see if I can find any more info about that variety of replacement.

No, not talking about carrying around the patella of Jeff Williams’s buddy Slim while prospecting with a metal detector but, instead, the possibility of metal detecting after having had knee replacement surgery.

Probably due in part to excessive jogging and running before, during and after military service, I’m now the owner of a very arthritic knee and considering getting a knee replacement. Almost all such replacements use some type of metal as main components.

Just wondering if anyone reading this metal detects despite having a knee replacement. Does/would a metallic knee replacement make metal detecting impossible because the materials used in the replacement would constantly be giving false readings?

I checked for previous threads on this topic and, to my surprise, didn’t find anything, which is why I’m bringing the subject up now.

Since a lot of baby boomers, who probably comprise a large percentage of detectorists, may have/will eventually have knee problems I look forward to any insights they or anyone else can share!

19 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

VLF is maxed out tech and so you can take your pick from dozens of detectors that all will do about as well on 2 gram and larger nuggets. "Best" is in the eyes of the beholder.

http://www.detectorprospector.com/gold-prospecting-guides/steve-guide-gold-nugget-detectors.htm

I actually downloaded, read and actually printed your guide to detectors a few weeks ago and  probably should've reread it before posting. Thanks so much for writing and sharing this outstanding and extremely helpful guide, it's by FAR the best one I've seen.

I know that many, if not most, prospectors are usually thrilled to find tiny gold. More power to them. Undoubtedly finding a lot of such small gold will eventually translate into a lot of gold when it's all put together.

However, personally I'm solely interested in larger-sized nuggets of, say, 2 grams and up. I have no problem with missing nuggets any smaller than that. Not particularly interested in relics, artifacts or silver.

I was originally leaning towards buying a GB2 until I realized that they excel in finding the tiniest gold, not the larger, deeper nuggets. Also, I would prefer something that has something of a graphical interface along the lines of the Garrett AT Gold.

If the Garrett ATX Deepseeker Package was priced about $800 less I'd buy it, but at $2500+ It's just too expensive (aside from its exceptionally-heavy weight.) 

What would be the best VLF machines for someone who's *only* interested in prospecting for *big*, *deep* gold in the Western USA?

23 hours ago, madtuna said:

Around 6oz and your GPZ has paid itself off.

 

Just how fast do you think you'd be able to find that elusive 6 ounces of in-the-ground gold? Not to mention the other miscellaneous costs involved in the endeavor.

With gold valued at less than $1300 US/ounce a strong argument could be made that you'd be way better off buying 99.999% pure gold bullion by the ounce rather than trying to find that 6 ounces with a $7000+ metal detector.

I'm absolutely amazed -- and disgusted -- that Garrett Deepseeker Coils for its ATX are priced at over $500. The coil probably costs the company less than $25 to manufacture. For this reason alone, along with the fact that the ATX only accepts proprietary coils specifically made for it, I'm boycotting Garrett. If I did buy a Garrett product it would be a used unit, as I have no desire to subsidize price-gouging companies.

(For those who plan to reply, "Well, it's a free market, they can charge whatever they want" save your breath -- I get it.)

By the same token, I refuse to buy a MineLab PI detector new and would only buy a pre-owned model. $7,000 for the ML 7000? Are they KIDDING? Again, look at the size of a metal detector box -- the electronics they contain is pretty minimal. 

I strongly suspect that people with good electronics/electrical engineering skills could make a killing selling PI detectors that rival anything Garrett and Minelab manufacture for a FRACTION of what those companies' products sell for.

Thanks very much for your welcome and reply, Steve!

Do you know of many detectorists who drive a 4-wheel vehicle as close to the site as possible and then ride an off-road motorcycle to the exact spot they'll be searching? The reason this is an issue for me is that I have pretty bad arthritis in my knees and would like to minimize walking to whatever extent possible. 

New member here and glad to be a part of this great forum!

As someone who's looking forward to actually going out into the field with a metal detector for the first time, I'm interested in finding out how experienced nugget shooters actually "set-up camp," so to speak. Do you drive right up to the area you're going to cover in a 4-wheel drive vehicle? How close can you usually get to the exact ground you're going to search? Does anyone ever take a travel trailer out to those areas and stay a few days? Again, if so, how close are you usually able to get? Does anyone drive to the area in a 4-wheel drive and then ride to the site on an off-road motorcycle (or even off-road bicycle, if that's even feasible)? 

I'm interested in getting started in Arizona and Southern California but would eventually like to do some detecting in different regions of the West Coast up to Alaska.