Doc

By the way for my international customers, here's a sharp stick in the eye, and then some eye drops to sooth the sting. To order one Scoop the shipping to Australia is $33. OUCH! However, if you have friends who want a scoop you can order 6 scoops for the same $33 shipping. Crazy right? Well the thing is 7 ounces to 32 ounces is the same price, $33. One scoop with packaging weighs 6 and change ounces so I have to round it up to 7 ounces and 6 scoops with packaging weighs 31 ounces. So 6 scoops would be only $5.50 per scoop. (Eye Drops) That is about the same shipping cost per scoop as it is here in the U.S. It averages about $5.35. So get your friends together. Doc

Some posters on other forums rightly questioned whether the Gold SPOT™ Treasure Scoop was really any better than a regular treasure scoop. Well I already knew the answer to that question. You see for a year I have been working on the Gold SPOT™ design. I played with it I re-designed it, I proto-typed it 5 times. I wanted a design that would speed up nugget recovery and make it easier to keep the nugget in the scoop and not lose it. Remember, I'm the guy who had a catastrophic failure with the SAGA swing arm, and within days of release I recalled them all from the field. They just did not perform as they were supposed to. I went back to the drawing board and sunk thousands more dollars into re-designing and perfecting the SAGA™. I won't sell something unless I know it is a significant improvement over anything on the market. But just to show you what I already know, I decided to do a little impromptu video, an experiment. The video is unedited, except for the very end where I panned across an invoice with a customer's address on it that was sitting on the shipping table, I clipped that out. Watch the Gold SPOT™ in action and see what you think. Not to over-hype the Gold SPOT™ but one of the unique features of this scoop is that you can "HEAR" the gold. I know that sounds like an outrageous claim, but let me explain. When you get down to a small amount of dirt in a regular scoop along with a nugget and you agitate the scoop back and forth, the nugget does nothing but slide back and forth on the smooth bottom of the scoop. When you get down to a small amount of dirt in the Gold SPOT™ along with the nugget and you agitate the scoop the nugget rattles back and forth in the trough or channel clicking against the sides of the channel. Cool, right? I know we are getting quite a few Gold SPOTs™ out in the field and I would like to hear some feedback. Although if you are like me you are probably staying in out of the heat. -Doc

Congratulations Steve, You have an international following which is great. It brings other viewpoints and experiences to the forum. Doc

Thank you Frank, yes it's off and on the way. Your order was the one I was looking at that got me to thinking. It just so happens that the shipping was way off and you saved about 20 USD, as the shopping cart did not figure in the dimensional problems with it being over 24 inches and it didn't charge enough for shipping. But that's OK. Happy to get someone over in Australia to give them a go. Take care! Doc

I have not had any issues with product making it to Australia, but it is extremely slow. Apparently because the post office can not find flights to Australia to piggy back on. Australia is not allowing any citizens other than it's own to enter Australia, (a wise choice in my opinion) there just are not that many flights going to Australia. This virus has caused all kinds of issues. I personally look to be out around $4000 USD, because Minelab canceled their dealer conference for which I had flights, I obviously can not go even if I wanted to because no U.S. citizens are allowed. And now Virgin Australia has filed for bankruptcy. Your package will get there now that it has left the U.S. They have been doing the same thing to every package. They fly it all over God's green earth trying to find a flight that will actually make the journey. You have the additional problem that it is being sent from the east coast which has been hit particularly hard with this virus. So everything is really backed up. Doc

Hey gang, How many of you have old or extra lower rod to an SD/GP/GPX Excalibur, Sovereign laying around? The reason I ask is because I am getting a lot of interest in the SAGA™ from overseas, especially AUSTRALIA. however, the big bug-a-boo, is the cost of shipping. Because the package is over 24 inches long the postal service charges an enormous surcharge. Shipping for one SAGA rod is literally $66. I about choked. Now it just so happens, I was thinking ahead on this issue, and I made the SAGA so it would also use a spare fiberglass rod from an SD/GP/GPX Excalibur Sovereign etc. It fits perfectly. If an international customer could supply their own rod, I could just send a parts bag including a 1 ounce tube of Silicone sealant to glue the handle on and shipping would only be $32. USD. And get this, if a customer ordered two parts packages, the shipping would still only be $32 shipping for two packages. So if you had a mate that wanted a SAGA, you could share the cost of shipping. The only thing the customer would have to do is cut off the head of the rod they have where it attaches to the coil. The other end has the adjustment button which on most if not all Minelab lower rods is metal. That's not good because that adjustment button end is the part that goes into the SAGA pivot joint close to the coil. However, I would just include a plastic button to replace the Minelab metal button. So bottom line is I wonder how many people have those extra lower rods laying around or how readily available they are and if offering that option of the parts bag would be more attractive for an international customers than paying $66 for shipping? I know I wouldn't pay $66 USD for shipping. Actually the same goes for U.S. it cuts shipping from around $12 on a package going to New York to about $6, by eliminating the rod. It only makes sense if you have an extra rod laying around, if you have to buy a rod especially for that reason Minelab charges $42 for a lower fiberglass rod. Really interested in hearing from forum members in Australia. Doc

Gerry what do you mean by Doc's Digger? I'm confused. Doc

If you think the SAGA™ is just a Swing Arm, it's not. It's a steering wheel for your detector. Start at the 3-minute mark on the video, and watch what the unique design of the SAGA can make your detector do. If you know of any device on the market that gives you this kind of control please let me know, because I know of nothing that even comes close. If what you see intrigues you then watch the entire video. You're going to find that the SAGA will make detecting much easier and less stressful on your body and give you control over your detector you have never had before. - Doc

I take a 2 inch piece of webbing, about 9 inches long. I fold about 2.5 inches of the webbing back over it's self and stitch the sides leaving a little pouch. I slide a Super Magnet in the pouch and stitch it shut. I stitch the sides first without the magnet, that way I only have the one side that I have to fight the magnet trying to jump onto the sewing machine needle. So now I have a 2 X 2.5 inch pouch, and a 4 inch tail. You take the tail and stitch it onto the shoulder of your harness. Best to have another person person see where on your shoulder your pick should be positioned, and then put the magnet pouch there and stitch it on. Now you put your pick on your shoulder and the magnet jumps up grabs the pick and holds it there. I think I did a You Tube video on it. Let me look. Here it is. Start at 4:45 it explains and shows the modification. Doc

She's a beauty just the way she is! Big time Congratulations. They talk about finds of a lifetime, well that is one, to be sure. Doc

I'm not going to bore you with the details of the first attempt. Valuable exercise because the New SAGA™ really is exceptional, if I don't say so myself. If you currently use a Swing Arm, you will throw it away when you use this one. • No more breakage at the pivot point where Swing Arms attach to the detector. The SAGA™ is designed with a pivot point that allows for the typical movement that allows you to swing the arm out and away from the detector, but it also is designed with a rotating Pivot Joint that allows for up and down movement of the arm. This eliminates breakage, but it also gives you better control over the coil on your detector. (Watch the 2nd video start at 6:30 minutes) • No more wishing there was a Swing Arm that would fit your detector with it's weird shaped rod (SDC2300). Nothing could be more weird than the upper part of a GPZ7000, yet look at the picture to see how well it fits even that weird shape. The unique design of the attachment base, allows you to easily attach it to regular round rods, or irregular shaped large rods, depending on how you thread the UV resistant rubber straps. • No more trying to store the arm, if you need your hand to do something else. The SAGA™ has a proper storage clip. • Feel like detecting without the Swing Arm for a while? No worries! Push a button remove the rod and handle from your detector and stow it away until you decide to use it again. • You're a tall person and you like the rod long, or you're a short person and like the rod short? Got you covered. You can easily trim the rod to the perfect length then glue the handle on with the included 1 ounce tube of silicone sealant. If you have never used a Swing Arm, well, you are spending a lot of energy swinging one handed and you are unnecessarily stressing one side of your body, your arm, neck, and shoulders. When you take a walk, do you use both legs or do you hop on one? If you are hopping around all day, that one leg is getting mighty tired. That's why using your muscles bi-laterally helps fight fatigue and strain. Not only that, but you will never have so much control over your detector. You will execute perfectly level controlled swings effortlessly, when you are using both hands. Watch the videos to better understand the unique design of the Swing Assist Guide Arm. It's the last Swing Arm you will ever need, or want! Retail $74.94 Discounted Introductory price $59.95 plus s&h Watch the videos below. On the second video go to around 6:30 minutes mark to see the kind of control the SAGA™ gives you over your detector. Call your favorite dealer today! Thank you for your patience and all of your suggestions. Doc

The new Gold SPOT™ Treasure Scoop portable gold pan. (So have the SAGA Swing Assist Guide Arms, but I am waiting for some nylon nuts and bolts to arrive.) This unique tool is designed to increase your recovery speed of detected nuggets. When you give the scoop a little shake and agitation gravity causes the heavy gold to be channeled into the recessed bowl in the bottom of the scoop; the "Gold SPOT." When you start dumping dirt into your hand to isolate the nugget, the trough of the recessed bowl ramps up and channels any gold towards the riffles. The riffles hold the nugget, as the lighter material spills over the tops of the riffles into your hand. Ever cleaned out a crack in bedrock and the material in your scoop is setting off your detector but you're having a difficult time locating that little speck of gold? Add a little water to the material and you have the fastest most convenient portable gold sniping pan ever. I was prompted to redesign the standard conventional scoop that has been around for over 30 years because with the popularity of the Minelab Gold Monster 1000, smaller gold is really hard to isolate with a standard scoop. Included with every Gold SPOT™ is a plastic lanyard and EZ on/off security clip. How many scoops have you lost? Well not this one. The security clip is designed to allow you to always keep your scoop "at the ready" and be able to remove it and replace it in seconds using only one hand. See the video. The G SPOT comes in Green and we have a limited number of Yellow. I'm pretty sure you are going to love the unique features of some of the innovations I have incorporated into this scoop. Looking forward to your comments. The G Spot Scoop: Retail Price $17, discounted price, $14.95 or 2 for $27 plus s&h. Thanks! Message me with questions. Or email docsdetecting@gmail.com Doc This is the load I had waiting for me after it cleared customs.

I just read this and to say I am shocked and bewildered is an understatement. He just purchased a new bungee cord a couple of months ago. Fred was just a great guy and a good customer. From time to time I would send him a new prototype to test. He was always very straight forward, honest and helpful in his recommendations. Damn, he will be missed. Fred I know you will still be out there with us where-ever our travels may take us. You will not be forgotten friend. My prayers and thoughts are with your family. Doc

Waiting for the final production run. When they get to me I will announce it to be sure. Been a long wait to get this right but everything happens for a reason. I am super elated with the final product. Thank you for hanging in there with me. Doc