Gold Catcher

Hi Steve, for me it would be a hard shell case with foam molding for a collapsed 6000 and 7000 upper part (shaft + control box) with two separate foam moldings for 2 coils and lower shaft with adjustable and expandable molding size from 10 to 20 inch (could be done with extra inlets to adjust for coil size). A combination lock on the case would be great. Could be two separate cases for the 6000 and 7000 to make the case not too big. Hard shell because it would be better for air travel. Thanks for working on this and have a wonderful trip!

Hi Oneguy, just wondering if you have anything on you that could contribute to the EMI, like a cell phone or GPS device? But it might also be the area where you are in. The 6000 threshold can go nuts if an EMI source is around, but the noise cancel usually helps quite a bit. When the coil lies flat on the ground without movement, does it get better? Backing off with the sensitivity followed by frequent noise cancels and strict coil control (slow swing speed, keeping coil height steady and with flat coil angle) helps a lot for me. Plan B would be to change to the 14DD. Regarding metal, I definitely recommend metal free boots and keep the pick away from the coil. But metal interferences will sound very different to EMI, more like a howling similar to what you would get from ground saturation if the gain is too high. GC

Can't beat those old faithful hydro pits. Everyone has their favorite ones. Gold every time (almost).

The battery performance get's better on the second and third day of discharging/charging. But it is good to have a spare one. BTW, nice backyard !

Thanks, Mitchel. It is actually Bill's video who took me and two friends, Randy and Craig, out to the San Domingo placers. It was fun (until the big red was rising...).

So, I managed to spend a few hours in the desert until the temperature hit >100 deg C, which was at around 10 am or so. Let me tell you, this machine is incredible. I charged both the battery and headset over night and paired it in the morning without a problem. I followed the manual and held the 11 inch coil steady over the ground while turning the machine on so it could do it's start up cycle. The first thing I noticed is how quickly the cycle completed which was less than 10 sec. It started in Auto 1/difficult which is the default setting. The first thing I did was to turn on the threshold (hold ground mode button for about 3 sec) followed by noise cancel/ quick track. The quick track is best done by first pumping the coil with QT button pressed and then swinging from side to side at the end, close over ground. This does a very good job in ground balancing. There was still some EMI noise remaining but it was manageable. Switching from difficult to normal did not make the EMI noticeably worse, this was a nice surprise. For most of the morning I was running in Auto 1/normal/ threshold-on without a problem. What I did however was a noise cancel fairly regularly as I moved along, probably every 10 min or so. I highly recommend everybody to do the noise cancel often during detecting, it can really make a big difference in keeping the EMI in check. One observation I made was that right after the completion of the noise cancel the threshold was rock stable, but after 5 sec or so the EMI noise slightly creeped back up (without any movement of the coil). Not sure why that is, but it was no big deal. Overall, the noise cancel works very well and allows to run the machine at higher sensitivity or Auto1. I was even able to detect in Auto 2/normal, something I would have never thought possible since this area is known to have EMI issues. The 11 inch coil is incredible sensitive and picks up very small targets at good depth (4-6 in) that would otherwise fall into surface GM territory. I now know why ML gave it a 5 star rating for small gold, it is just incredible what it can pick up. I do recommend that you turn off all electronic devices, like cell phone and GPS units, while using the machine. Just airplane mode on the cell phone won't do it. Also, metal free boots is really recommended as the coil hears everything, similarly to the 7000 when running in HY/Normal at high gain. The 11 mono works very well for pinpointing, with the max sensitivity somewhere around the 12 o clock position, where the ML sign is. But this is just my first impression. You don't need a pinpointer at all with the 11 inch. In fact, when you turn on your pinpointer an EMI concert starts that is so horrible that you never want to turn on a pinpointer again, ever. So don't even bother. This might become an issue though with the 17 inch coil when you dig deeper holes and a pinpointer would be needed. The 7000 you can turn away from the hole and using the pinpointer is then not too terrible, but with the 6000 this appears to be a bigger issue, at least with the 11 inch coil. But as I said, you don't need any pinpointer with this coil. I then played with the sensitivity and noticed that you can go all the way down to the first level without loosing much. The threshold becomes rock stable but you still hear small targets almost without any loss. This has been reported by others as well and I can absolutely confirm that. I suspect though that you take a hit with depth (something has to give...), but I need to experiment with it further. One thing that I can highly recommend is to pay close attention to coil control and speed. The 11 inch will miss targets when you swing to fast, so take your time. Slow steady swing speed will not only ensure that you pick up targets much better, it also overall seems to be of great benefit for managing ground mineralization and even EMI (for whatever reason). So, swing the 11 slowly and you will get the most of it. Overall, the 6000 is an incredible detector and all the reports by others who praised the 6000 are absolutely correct. It is almost like ML opened a new chapter for metal detecting. This detector is a quantum leap away from all other detectors that I have ever used thus far. It is light weight (with the 11 inch coil it feels easier than swinging a GM-I kid you not!), ergonomically designed to perfection, ultra sensitive while at the same time being easy to manage. I do not miss at all the settings that the 7000 offers and it almost gives you a good feeling to just run in Auto1 and let the smart electronics do all the work for you. It shifts the focus more on the ground and on your being in harmony with the detector, instead of constantly having to think about adjusting settings. Really, guys, this detector is outstanding and will blow your mind. After just one day of detecting I almost feel that I never want to swing any other detector again, ever. I am absolutely in love with this machine and I applaud ML for their unmatched ingenuity. I managed to pick up two small pickers in a heavily hunted area before a heat stroke was looming. Many more will come with this machine I have no doubt.

Got mine today, at last. I put a spare GPZ cover on and tightened it with velcro (see pic). The cover is a bit big, but better than nothing. My first impression is that it is just incredibly easy to hold, from and ergonomic perspective truly fantastic. I does of course weigh more than the GM, but it almost does not seem that way. Of course this is old news as many have said before how well designed it is, but you really have to feel it for yourself to believe it. Tomorrow 5 am is testing (and learning) time in the AZ desert 🙂

Have a great trip Steve!! We will miss you.

yes

The Nox 8 is a good machine that also works for gold. You could stick with it for a while longer until you are able to buy the GPX 6000. This is likely one of the best detectors ML has ever made and you don't want to miss out on it (I get mine in less than 24 h) 😁

"The exterior is covered in gold-plated tiles, the interior is golden, and rooms feature real 24-karat gold-plated bathtubs, sinks and fixtures, door handles, and yes, toilets." Pretty amazing. I should spend a night in that hotel and bring my aqua regia bottle (hydrochloric acid/nitric acid). I wonder if anybody would notice that the room would "weigh a bit less" after I checked out 😉

Hi Krandino, both machines are pulse induction detectors (PI's) and are very different from the machines you are currently having. The SDC is a more specialized detector designed for shallow gold in mineralized ground. It has very fast timings, meaning that it switches very fast between pulse and sampling times to capture small gold that has very fast decay times of the induced currents. It is foldable (great for backpacking!), water proof and very rugged. It also is very easy to use, albeit a bit clunky (I use a bungee for longer detecting times). The 5000 on the other hand shines mostly due its huge versatility in coil options and it can be configured to meet various needs. In stark contrast to the SDC, it has many different parameters that you can select, almost too many. It requires that you familiarize yourself with all the settings and use them in the appropriate conditions. It is a bit cumbersome to use with a separate battery pack that you can clip on your harness. If I had to choose one machine between the two, then it would be the SDC without any hesitation. In case you buy the SDC, make sure you also have the knuckle guard that you can buy separately. The new SDC's already come with it in the box, the old ones don't. I highly recommend you check out Steve's reviews on this forum and the advice he provides on the various detectors. One thing to remember, the SDC does not have discrimination, the 5000 has an option for that, albeit not very useful (from what I hear). These are just my personal views, others might think differently. But the SDC is a great entry PI detector that has a focus on shallow gold where VLF's sign off. But, it actually punches also pretty deep, deeper than what you would think given it's design. The threshold is a bit chirpy, but you get used to it. Listen to the mellow faint warbles, often hi/low/hi. These are my favorites and are often indicative of deeper gold-but it can also be a hot rock or deep sitting mineralization. Shallow gold (but also iron and lead trash...) mostly gives low/hi/low. Over time you get familiar with the various sounds the targets are making (i.e. iron trash can sound a bit raspy, gold more smooth and articulated), but I highly recommend you adopt a "dig it all" philosophy. 🙂 Also, I highly recommend to buy the SP01 signal enhancer with it. It makes all the difference in the world, especially for the SDC. Hope this helps GC

Of course they could have opted to leave the chip out at least in the coils 😉.....Just an innocent little joke guys. But in all seriousness, yes the chip supply is a huge issue and felt across many industries. Thanks for you assessment, Steve. As usual, spot on.

4 more days for me until it's X-mas

Looking good! Do they provide good ankle stability?

Thanks, GJ. I will definitely seek some advice where to go and also hook up with some locals that I know. I like the rough but honest Au-attitude. I take it over the shallow and fake politeness here in CA any day.🤠

There is only one answer: buy the 6000. I can't imagine anyone recommending the 7000 for someone who wants to join the high end club. And I haven't found a 10 pound gold nugget yet, Steve, despite swinging the 19 inch coil in 100 deg heat for days at a time (I made good use of the skid plate you sent me). So, unless I move to Au where I might at times need a "submarine type detector" there won't be many reasons left to keep the 7, other than nostalgia (of which I seem to have plenty of-for whatever reason) 😄

Thanks, Northeast. Yes this makes sense. Without a doubt the 6 will be my daily detector. Over time, I will see what I will do with my 7 that I have with 3 coils (NF-12/14/19). It might very well be that the 7 looses in all aspects to the 6, doesn't matter what configuration the 7 has, then the time for the 7 is up. For sure, detecting with the 6 will be a much more pleasant experience, leave performance aside.

Not many people have the luck to see their vision completed in their life times. Congratulations to that, Steve! And thank you for having so hard fought for it. We all benefit from it greatly. Not just by enjoying an exceptional new detector, but also by the passion and spirit that you are sharing with us. A true inspiration and also a reminder that life is worth living when you want to make a dream come true. GC

This will be my next big prospecting trip for sure. I already had plans but then Covid hit. I plan to come in 2022, loaded with gold fever and espresso. 😃

What we heard thus far from Steve, Norvic, JP and others is more than enough to convince me that the 6000 is an exceptional detector. No Youtube needed for me. I trust Steve's judgment that for the US the 6000 is all you need. After all, he was part of the development team and I haven't even used one, so who am I to say anything. Come Friday next week and I will see for myself. And who knows I might put my 7000 up for sale the week after. Or maybe not. I am a hoarder and have a hard time getting rid of something that I truly cherish. But the word is that the 7000 might still be of some use in Australia. And since I continue to threaten Norvic that I will pay him a visit, I might as well keep it for a while longer 🤠😁

Personally, I am not too keen to watch Youtube videos to get informed. We have plenty of info here on DP 😁 And direct comparisons between machines is not very useful IMO because so much more needs to be considered. But if someone makes these Youtube videos I have fun watching them. Anyhow, I am just a sad 7000 owner who wants to build a case to not abandon what was once a shining star and a loving relationship with joy and reward 😪

One thing I am in particular keen of finding out is how to make best use of both the 6000 and the 7000 in combination. From all what I have read thus far, there appears to be a fair amount of redundancies but the 6000 appears to shine for fast timing gold, perhaps better than the 7000 in HY? On the other hand, the 7000 might have an edge for slower timings at depth. So, the first patch sweep could be with the 6000 in normal (or difficult as per JP's comments) followed by the 7000 in general/difficult. I totally agree with Steve that if one only wants one detector then the 6000 would be the best choice. On the other hand, there should also be a play book for new 6000 owners who just refuse to give up their 7000.

Smart move Rick, yes this area I have in focus as well for the next few months. Looking forward to run into you one day 😀

I ordered the same one LL. Did you already get yours? I will drive down to AZ to pick up my 6000 Friday next week.😁Hunting/testing between 4 am and 9 am on Saturday and Sunday in AZ (to not die of heat stroke), then driving back on Monday to bring my new baby back home. 800 miles each way, no problem when you are insane.