Gold Catcher

We just got the claim a few weeks ago but the preliminary findings by the team have been very promising. GC

This is such an important point, Norvic. I read your comment just now. We are so used to hear the screaming signals that the 6k is producing for shallow surface targets that we kind of expect this all the time. But there is a whole different world where the 6k produces faint subtle target responses for deeper gold. Quite remarkably, actually, and I experienced this just yesterday. It shows you that our brain tends to focus on what it is used to hear, rather than what it hears in totality. The 6k continues to amaze me! BTW, love the Avantree!!! GC

Yes, try the 14DD next time. This is why it comes in the box. The 11 inch coil is absolutely not recommended near powerlines and is the wrong coil choice in high EMI conditions. Hence, no surprise with the bad result. I have no problem detecting near/under powerlines with the 14DD in EMI cancel mode and it runs much smoother than my GPZ (and SDC). GC

Welcome to the forum, Mark. I own a claim near Bagdad together with a few friends. Perhaps we can meet up one day. GC

Thanks, Goldenoldie. I was about to change the title of the thread..... Yes, it's always good to check those hot rocks and not just automatically dismiss them. Some of them (but far to few) will give you the golden smile. GC

I hear the hissing as well, but it actually sounds more like a faint electrical humming noise, but not always. It doesn't really bother me though. And of course, there is the constant ringing in my ears too (hells bells....). GC

Age has not been a big factor for my hearing decline over the years. Instead, an AC/DC concert that I attended with 16 is to blame....🤪

Exactly my situation. Although I have to admit that if it's not perfectly aligned it drives me nuts. But that's just me. GC

They must have changed it then, because the old manual that I have says the light should turn off when fully charged, not solid blue. But I see in the newer version of the manual they corrected it.🤔 GC

Not a bad idea. I am not a fan of dragging around the GM when I am out there hiking with the 7000 and digging 2 feet holes. But some sort of collapsible mini-SDC for the pocket would be good to have, especially when using bigger coils that are hard to maneuver in deep holes. Some sort of super pinpointer that can also be used in crevices with much better accuracy. I would not care so much about discrimination, just to better pinpoint the target. I think this is a real market niche. None of the pinpointers that I have used are really that great. I would not mind a higher price if it really would make a difference. I am not that often using pinpointers but I can sure think of situations where a high performing one would come in very handy. But I don't want to be off topic, I know we discussed pinpointers several times already. GC

Yes, the coil surface is susceptible for scratches. I guess a price to pay for low weight. I made myself a habit of not scraping the coil to hard with the scoop, which is also not really needed IMO. I just briefly shake the scoop so the heavies are on the bottom before I lead the scoop over the coil, barely scratching it at all. The detector is so sensitive that the full scoop-coil contact is not needed, not even for recovering tiny flakes. Just my experience. GC

Great going, Aureous. Welcome to the 6000 club! Regarding headphone charging, mine is red when charging and then turns into a solid blue when fully charged (just like the SP01). I always thought this is the way it's supposed to be until I read your post where you cite the manual saying that the light should go off when fully charged. I missed that in the manual. I think there is some lack of consistency with the headphone charging procedure. They should fix that. But I actually really like the headphones, although I am a bit worried about the somewhat fragile material of the muffs (when compared to the rugged grey ghost muffs). I got my aventree torus today, I finally ordered them after so many praises here on DP. Will check it out on the weekend although I am a bit worried having something dangling around my neck when I am digging. Have fun with the 6000, despite all reported issues it is just an amazing detector. And don't hesitate to go down with gain and difficult on. It will be much tamer while still keeping practically all of it's punch. GC

Thanks, Sheppo, that's what I always thought. I do recognize my own accent. GC

That's precisely why IMHO both detectors have a right to co-exist and are not redundant, even not for here in the US. Not everything here is shallow or medium shallow gold, and I have recovered some quite deep gold here with the GPZ too. In addition, I use the GPZ for shallow gold (although not it's design intent) in cases where I don't care about microscopic iron filaments. Regarding easiness of use, I think the "ready to go detect" statement for the 6k only holds up when the sensitivity is dialed all the way back (which is perfectly ok). For maximum gain or for any of the auto functions you need to do more work to keep the machine really user-friendly. This is certainly no problem for more experienced users, but I don't think new-beginners will be able to do that effectively (or at least not as easily as advertised). Just my 2 c. GC

I think if it weren't the business team would have long been fired... 😉

All of her videos are the real deal and are superbly made. She is also totally fun to watch. GC

I think redundancy is always a problem for every manufacturer's product line. IMHO, all ML detectors are somewhat different with respect to their technology and scope, and I personally don't see that severe redundancy. At least not to the extend that one machine completely would make the other one obsolete. That being said, that's just my view and I can see how others might think differently. The question to me is just how one would prioritize them, and that would depend largely on your individual circumstances and the grounds your are hunting and the detector requirements you are having (and budget of course). I would certainly say that the 6000 has the broadest scope of the entire fleet and is the most pleasurable to use. So, if I had to buy just one it would be for sure the 6k. GC

For sure, works better than the Pro-Find 35....😁

Yeah, if I would not have already owned the 7000 I would have just bought the 6k. But on the other hand having both makes quite a powerful ML package and I like what additional options the 7000 brings. However, one could certainly ask the question whether the steep price tag for owning both would really be worth it for US prospectors. GC

This is an excellent comparison from one of my favorite Youtubers. I don't necessarily agree with the initial intend of the video (which one is the better detector?), but the comparison is well made for surface detection in difficult ground with hot rocks. Overall, the 7000 (run with her settings) is much less susceptible to hot rocks, but looses some sensitivity for small gold (not much however). I can very much relate to this video, for instance when detecting in iron rich volcanic ground that is littered with hot rocks (i.e. many places in the Mojave desert). The 7000 is much more benign there but still catches much of the smaller gold as well (NF-Zsearch and X-coils). I like her conclusion at the end, both detectors being absolutely superb. I totally agree, but having the 6k will not make me sell my 7k as I view both detectors as being complimentary, at least in some aspectes. PS: Man, those flies..... GC

I think the reason I might have some more tolerance for it is that I was (and still am to some extend) a heavy SDC user, and that pretty much right from the beginning when it came out. I then added the GPZ and bypassed and never owned any of the older GPX models. Hence, a smooth stable threshold was never something I was spoiled with (aside from the screeching GB2 tone that probably cost me my sanity after years of hearing it...). I totally agree with you regarding threshold jittery of hot 6000 vs "hot" GPZ. When I use the GPZ after having spent the whole day using the 6000 it is very much noticeable how much more stable the GPZ is in the same ground/location. And that is at HY/Normal/Gain 15/ smoothing off ( however using the NF-Zsearch which appears to be more stable than the stock coil). Added benefit: less microscopic trash 🤩 GC

Hi Simon, when you dial back on gain to about 4 clicks and below the threshold becomes rock stable, almost like a smooth single tone with practically no variation. That is assuming "normal" ambient EMI conditions and no source on your body. For higher ambient EMI reduction to gain 2 or 1 will again make the threshold super stable. I don't have a video of it but could make one. The good news, only little sensitivity will be lost and most targets will stand out without any problem. In those cases I increase the volume on the detector and decrease it on my headset. Conversely, when I run on full manual gain or on auto+ I dial back the volume on the detector to one and increase my headset volume. The latter case helps me to get the machine a tat more stable (or better: helps my brain to process the jittery ground responses better). GC

What a bummer, all these reports about poor quality. My 6000 runs without any issues and I am very happy with it. It was one of the first ever to arrive in the US, perhaps the early production models where higher quality? Regardless, ML better fixes these issues before releasing a new flagship detector (or any new model for that matter). GC

I don't think I have ever found any gold on the surface of gravel bars. The low pressure deposits are usually all the way on the bottom, so dredging there would be better. Look for dry bedrock crevices, those that are sideways to the stream, not parallel. If there is hard compacted gravel-good, start cleaning them out and look all the way on the bottom. Also, sampling with the gold pan is helpful to orient yourself where gold has traveled. As Steve said, the area should be known for coarse larger gold nuggets. Sometimes, all there is is fine flood gold. Also, check higher up benches, if there are any. The GB2 is not easy to operate on bedrock which usually has a fair amount of mineralization, I use it more for very mild soil and shallow small gold. Just my 2 c. Good luck! GC

The 14 inch might also be a bit too big for this area. I usually use it more in the open field.