Doc
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Posts posted by Doc
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8 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:
Nobody ever said it was a miracle machine so this is a classic straw man presentation. This whole idea of this needing to outperform the GPX 6000 and GPZ 7000 at one third the price or less was brought up before, and I flat out said no, just go use the GPX 6000 and be happy. Same still applies here. If that is what anyone is looking for then look elsewhere.
You know what I see this detector as? For those of us who already have an AXIOM, GPZ, GPX5000 GPX6000? It's a great inexpensive PI to have when your Uncle Sal comes out for a visit and you promised him you would take him gold prospecting. You give Uncle Sal a lite weight PI machine where he might actually have a chance to find a piece. Or your grandson, or a friend.
Or like Phrunt said it may make a good beach detector.
And a big Thank you to Phrunt, he probably contributes more consistently good information and ideas than anyone.
Doc -
1 hour ago, Steve Herschbach said:
A reality check for those not made of money. The GPX 5000 has been discontinued. These are the near future options under $4000 new with warranty in the U.S. :
$3995 Garrett Axiom (two coils)
$3599 Minelab SDC 2300
$1970 AlgoForce E1500 ($1700 + $240 6x8 mono + $30 Power Bank)
I have padded the price of the E1500 to account for shipping or possible taxes/tariffs into the U.S. It should actually be less, like around $1800 fully outfitted with new coil and new power bank. In other words exactly 1/2 the price of the nearest other option. Now maybe that does not matter to you guys, but I’ll bet Doc and Gerry can both confirm it matters to a lot of other people they deal with.
Steve you're spot on.
I get guys all the time that want to get into gold prospecting. They have money. They don't want a GPZ7000, but they don't want a Gold Monster either. That just isn't their speed. They want something that they can occasionally go out and enjoy, but not feel bad that they only go out once a month and spent $3600 for a detector. I'm sort of the same way. I don't want the cheapest, but I don't want the most expensive item until I find out whether whatever it is something I'm going to stick with or if it's another tangent interest that becomes an occasional activity instead of a burning passion.
It's like golf. I love golf, but I don't like it enough to have the most expensive clubs. I have decent clubs at a price that I feel good when I use the clubs, but I also feel fine about letting them sit in the garage when I'm not using them. Does that make sense. There has to be that balance for me. If I was an avid golfer who played tournaments and my whole life revolved around golf, I'd have the best clubs.
With metal detecting, I'm all in. I would detect every day if I could. So I have the GPZ7000 because this is really my passion.
So I think a PI gold detector in that $1990, $2000 range is a VOID that really needs to be filled. I also think Garrett was very smart to have discrimination on their AXIOM. Minelab seems to have a mental block about discrimination on their latest detectors. We know discrimination isn't perfect, but it still helps.
Doc -
1 hour ago, Gerry in Idaho said:
Come on now Doc. I've watched you hunt and you're no Spring Chicken. Besides, how much ground do you need to cover in a day in that wheelchair?
You remember those good old days when you could be on your knees in a 10' area for half day (2 to 3 hrs for us old farts) hunt and be grinning ear to ear as you sniped another dink with a small coil on that VLF.
Pic of my happy customers finds using really small coils. And they didn't have to walk very far.
Glasses may be needed.
Any gold no matter the size...is always good for beginner customers.
You/I both have many happy customers with their SDC-2300's and small 8" coil.
And you I both know this. It's not how much ground you cover in a day, but how good you cover the ground.
Going home with any gold...is always better than going home with excused and an empty kangaroo scrotum bag.
I think this option of a value priced PI gold detector is going to be a smash...if not, then a splash... and we go back to our overpriced detectors. At least we are getting options.
Cheers my friend and good to see you on here again.
You are right as usual. Yes those were the days.
My thought about the Algo is that it's a "gateway drug'" It allows folks to get a pulse induction at an affordable price to introduce them to the hobby. If they get hooked then there are a bunch of great more expensive options. GPX6000, AXIOM, GPZ7000. How many times do we see newbies that buy an expensive detector, and 3 months later, it sits in the garage. Primarily because they didn't invest in training and never found any gold. Folks need an inexpensive way to enter the hobby where they can test the waters.
I'll bet that you have an amazing success rate with people who have purchased detectors from you that are still active, because you train them. I don't train anywhere near the people you do, but I bet 99% of the folks I trained are still out there loving this great hobby, and waiting for the next great advancement in Metal Detecting to come along.
Doc -
That Wide brimmed hat that Kevin Hoagland wears that has neck protection, and allows you to pass through your headphones and then the brim closes around it. It has never been cheaper that $55, that is the minimum advertised price.
Well B&H audio has them on sale for $42.90. they say limited quantity. They are sort of goofy looking but they certainly are functional. According to the owner of K-Tec they were originally designed for the movie industry for filming crews out in the sun using boom mikes and headphones.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1429727-REG/k_tek_ksh1_stingray_audio_sunhat.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A514&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAiP2tBhBXEiwACslfnoWFLXyGKaEvjwYVS0FIeezeZVLBFYSUvRGkO2pFckxPgdmDiDzT5hoCgtgQAvD_BwE
Doc -
3 hours ago, Jeff McClendon said:
I am just going to speak for me and not "all".
I mentioned the warbling threshold on the SDC 2300. That threshold warbled on every audible setting because the SDC's tracking ground balance system was incapable of keeping up with the high mineralization at the sites I was often detecting. I only had to drive 300 miles round trip to Colorado and Wyoming sites (with lousy mineralization) instead of 1600 miles round trip to get to areas in Arizona where the actual ground mineralization (not the hot rocks) are significantly milder.
The Goldmonster 1000 also had similar issues with it tracking ground balance system at these sites closer to where I live. So, at least for me, these two tracking ground balance detectors failed to live up to Minelab's claims of one size fits all ground conditions. The SDC2300 was outperformed at these sites by any dual channel ground balance PI that could do a ground grab ground balance. The GM 1000 met the same fate. An XP ORX, Equinox 800 and Goldmaster 24K found lots more gold for me at these sites simply because I could be in control of their ground balancing.
The warbling threshold is weird. In my area if I have a warbling threshold it would be because of EMI. I never had that issue with the SDC2300. I did find a lot of small gold with it, and like I said I was amazed at how immune it was to mineralized ground. While generally the ground here is pretty mild there are a couple of spots that I have never been able to run a detector in, and the SDC2300 paid no attention to the severe conditions and found gold.
I just wonder if you had a funky SDC2300?
Doc -
4 hours ago, Jeff McClendon said:
For me, the only performance the AF E1500 has to compete with match or beat is the SDC2300.
It totally beats it for coil selection, having a display and good settings adjustments and most of all ergonomics and price.
Anything more than that is definitely icing on the cake.
The SDC2300 has it beaten for being waterproof. Maybe AlgoForce will take the next mythical step and waterproof the E1500 into an All Terrain version.
Comparing it to a 5000 to 8000 US dollar detector as far as overall performance is way beyond its scope in my opinion.
Using the appropriate coils, if it can easily detect 0.01 gram flakes or even smaller and also hit a 5 gram US nickel at 18 to 20" and maybe even identify it with a conductivity target ID.......I will be impressed.
Hard to find anything that beats the SDC2300 as far as being immune to hot ground. However keep in mind I am in the U.S. our ground is not as harsh. However, I do have spots where the GPX 5000 would scream and the SDC2300 would purr. Very simple machine to use. My big gripe was that dinky coil. Can you think of the number of times you have to swing an 8 inch compared to a 14 inch. Makes my arm sore just thinking about it.
Doc -
On 1/28/2024 at 10:46 PM, Tony said:
Hey Doc,
I've been using my Aussie "Funnel Web" hat for at least 10 years......similar design. Mine cost $30 originally and now they want $60 🤑
I'd buy another one for sure....great design and protection.
Looks great!
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18 minutes ago, Northeast said:
Hmmmmm 🤔
Well, Dalas backwards is Salad. And we all know that...
...so, that can't be it.
And Dalas was a big TV hit back in the day with JR and he wore a big hat. But one L is missing from this version.
Is it, one 'ell of a BIG hat!?
Maybe it's salad dressing?
It's not a hat but a company beat me to an idea that I had two years ago and I just never followed through. It's a wide brimmed hat with neck protection The brim opens on the sides to allow your headphones to pass through. Then the brim closes back around the headphone via magnets that connect the brim back together.
It's fully adjustable.
I know I'll be wearing one I have had a horrendous time with skin cancers, basal cell and Squamous. In the last 12 months they cut my head long deep and wide to remove another Squamous cell. They got it all.
Now I'm suffering from some damn skin condition the doctor thinks is caused by long haul Co-Vid called Nodularis Prurigo. I have to go for light therapy 3 times a week for 8 weeks and give myself a shot of DUPIXENT in the stomach every two weeks. I never got the jab but I got Co-Vid according to the blood tests. I was exposed and I took Ivermectin and never got sick, but apparently I was asymptomatic. My blood tests show I've had it and have the anti-bodies against it. Go figure.
This Nodularis itches so bad it drives me to distraction.
Pretty cool.
Doc
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1 hour ago, Ridge Runner said:
Doc
I’m at a loss of what the Sam Hill is a Dalas ?
Exactly! What the heck is it?
Have to wait and see.
Start saving your dimes.
Doc -
Just think on that one for awhile.
It's in the proto-typing stage right now. The project is already past the design stage.
Next Proto-typeThen Field Testing - I've selected three people to do the proto-type testing.
Then Modifications if necessary
Then Production
Maybe 2nd week of May to be introduced to the market.
Doc -
Project DALAS
That's all I am going to say for now. But it's going to make swinging a detector very comfortable for everyone.
Doc -
12 minutes ago, Ridge Runner said:
That’s the way it is Doc some got it and others got to go get it. That was a great article on you and your products you sale.
Eat humble pie Doc and say thank you for the great write up on great products you have always put out.
Chuck
Chuck, Two lines above my sign off Doc it says:
"Thank you Kevin. Yoo made my year." Did you miss that part?
I did accidentally hit post right at the beginning when I had loaded the pdf file and had to go back and add some things because I wasn't finished with the post. Maybe you were reading the article when I did the edit?
Also you didn't see the slobbery email I wrote to Kevin along with hearing the phone call I made to him to thank him for such an amazing article. I did that the day GPAA posted the digital copy on their website.
I am forever grateful because as you can imagine you can't even buy that kind of advertising. Endorsements are hard to come by and are much more valuable than ads.
Also never read my posts for the first 30 minutes because I am notorious for adding, deleting, adding additional pictures, correcting grammar and spelling. For some reason I can never see spelling or grammatical errors when I am typing, but as soon as I post it and proof it, there are glaring mistakes.
Happy New Year,
Doc
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Welcome to the forum. You will find this a welcoming place. And there is a lot of good information here and people wishing to learn more about prospecting. So you came to the right place. I am sure people will appreciate what appears to be a vast amount of experience you have.
Doc -
Kevin Hoagland said he was going to do an article on his favorite detecting accessories and he said he was going to mention some of my products. He never told me the whole article was going to be exclusively about my accessories that he uses. 7 pages! Needless to say I am flooded with orders, which is very welcome.
The article is attached in a PDF format. At the end the article also directs you to a You Tude video Kevin did that ties in with the article.
Thank you Kevin. You made my year.
Happy 2024 to all,
Doc
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That's hot! Sounds like Las Vegas in July.
Doc -
Hope you and your family have a Blessed Christmas. May the Baby Jesus smile sweetly upon all of you. Doc and Diana
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On 12/18/2023 at 2:52 AM, peterinaust said:
Hi Qlden, these look/sound pretty good. Will they pair direct to the 6000? or do I need a separate transmitter? Thanks for posting.
Cheers.
No transmitter necessary as long as they are APTX Qualcom technology headphones.
All Aptx Headphones should pair with the 6000 no problems. I carry the AVANTREE Torus, which also pair beautifully as they are also Qulacom APTX. They are $90. They have speakers which are amazing, and if it is too windy then you can use the retractable earbuds. When it's 112 degrees in the desert not wearing headphones is a blessing. Sound is fantastic. I wear them to hear the television. I was watching a high speed chase and it sounded like the cars raced up to my right ear went right through my brain and exited my left ear. It was cool, but a little weird too. The thing that makes it weird is because they sit around your neck, you get a vibration from the speaker. So not only do you experience the sound of a racing car, you get the shifting vibration which makes it seem even more real.
Another really nice set of headphones is the Ncredible APTX. I don't carry them but they are good ear muffs blocks external noise, great sound and only $55 on Amazon. They also pair with the 6000.-Doc
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1 hour ago, jasong said:
Would you offer just a pick head option though? I didn't see it on your store.
Something to be aware of is that belt loop mounting is impossible with the GPZ and larger CC coils. I can hear my pick at shoulder level with a 22" (especially when working slopes), near sternum level with a 15" (I'm 6ft). I'm guessing if the 8000 ever comes out, people will discover the same thing too since I'd guess it will be of similar performance.
I wear it behind my back. I don't hear it with a 19 inch. When you are above the coil or below it the sensitivity to metal is strong. I like to try and get the head of the pick as close to being at the edge of the coil as possible. Wearing it behind my back seems to work for me But I'm not sure how that would work with a 22 inch. I understand on slopes because the angle is probably putting the pick almost directly above the coil.
I don't have just heads. I suppose the next time I have 500 made I should have some with just heads and no handle.
Doc -
My wife was bugging me about my hearing.|
To shut her up I go get tested. I need hearing aids. So I figure I'll get them to keep her quiet and after a month I'll throw them in the drawer and she will forget about them. She will have moved on to something else. Like when are you going to clean the garage?So I get the hearing aids. This is like 5 years ago. I wear them for about two weeks, and I suddenly realize when I wake up in the morning I grab my glasses and put in my hearing aides. It makes such a difference I had no idea how deaf I am and how much I was missing
When I was fitted in the audiologist's office with the new hearing aids, I told the audiologist, "These are defective. They have a click in them. CLICK CLICK CLICK. I take them out and the CLICK is gone. I hand them to the audiologist and said, "Here! You listen. Do you hear that CLICK CLICK CLICK?" He gets a smile on his face and says, "Oh I know what's wrong. Here, try them now."
I protest, and say no that didn't fix anything these suck they still have that CLICKING noise. He said, can you do me a favor? Turn around and look at the wall.
So I turn around and look at the wall. I start to get all emotional as I realize the CLICKING noise I could now hear was the second hand on the large clock on the wall TICKING off the seconds. I couldn't believe I had that much hearing loss.
So I'm a believer.
Doc -
22 hours ago, jasong said:
How long have you had this design?
This is essentially exactly what I was explaining the Hermit Pick should be redesigned/updated to be back in 2015, in some of those old pick threads. No one knew of any similar design other than that Supercede one which they wouldn't ship to USA, a member named Isaac or something made a similar one but then never offered it for sale, and that was the last I heard of this design since 2015 until seeing this thread just now - good to see someone making it for sale.
$99 is a good price - need 32" handles though or you don't get enough leverage for some stuff like hardpack or prying cobbles and can't use it for support/walking. What would just the pick head cost if you sold that alone?
I designed this style pick for S.H. Wallace, WALCO around 2006. Then because they could not keep up with my demand, they quit supplying them to the United States. That pick was called the Wombat.
So I found a U.S. Manufacturer.
32 inch handle sounds great until you have to pay for shipping. Here in the US. we get charged dimensional weight.A 24 inch pick shipping is $30 to New York
A 32 inch pick shipping to New York is $67.
32 inch pick is great until you want to carry it on a loop on your belt and it's whacking you in the leg. But it's OK, I've been married 53 years and nothing I do makes my wife happy either. 😆
Doc -
On 12/14/2023 at 7:52 AM, Dutchman4 said:
Hi Doc,
I have an Apex now and super sturdy but the weight is a bit much for the long hike exploration type of detecting I do.
What is the weight of your pick with the magnet?
I sometimes like to mod my picks and the Apex appears to be hardened steel and very difficult to drill. What type of metal is your pick and can it be drilled/tapped without having to buy expensive cobalt bits?
With the wide blade on this pick can this pick be carried on the hip with a hammer loop carrier or similar nylon carrier?
Weighs a bit over 4 lbs. I used to drill the pick head, but I did use a Cobalt bit. It is hardened.
Yes you can easily carry it with a hammer carrier.
Doc
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Thanks guys, this helps a lot. I'm not trying to duplicate the Hip Stick. It's a great tool but there are some shortcomings with it. I have been drawing in my idea book for 4 years. I have tried all kinds of different ideas. And I also know the way most prospectors think. I think one of the reasons the Hip Stick is so popular, is because it's not some big elaborate harness system.
I even got a rig from Australia that is an over the shoulder support system. Not for me, too much stuff, straps, big piece of curved metal next to your head, wants to slip off your shoulder. I get the concept, but the execution just doesn't work. Another thing sent to me from Australia mounted around your waists and it had an arm that stuck out in front of you from your waist, that pivoted right and left. Again just too much. When the form exceeds the function, no one wants it. OK it may do what it's supposed to, but it's big bulky and annoying.
Prospectors are happiest when the accessory does the job it is designed to do, and does it simply. Keep It Simple Stupid, "KISS".
So I think I'm getting there.
Doc
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I had mentioned one of my issues with the Hip Stick is it was not adjustable. You had to decide what length you want before you ordered.
So I was wondering what kind of length would be needed for different people of different heights.
So if you could help me out. Can you tell me how tall you are and what your measurement is from the top of your shoulder to the top of your pants at the waist.
I'm trying to get an idea if something like the Hip Stick could be made adjustable, maybe telescoping with a cam-lock???? What would be the minimum and maximum length it would have to be adjustable to?
For example I'm 5'7" and from the top of my shoulder to the top of my pants is 20 inches.
So if you could just give me your height and that measurement it would give me a lot of data. I think this is why the Minelab Pro Swing has not caught on because they did not take into consideration that the height adjustment needs to have a lot more variation than they provide with the screw adjustment. Because it is so short that is why customers complain that it separates at the joint of the support strut.
Thank you for your help,
Doc -
Well I have to get my two cents in.
$99.95 Doc's Nugget Stalker Pick. plus s&h Made in the U.S.A.Made with sturdy forged metal. The wide blade with curved edges moves dirt quickly and efficiently. The wide blade is sharp, it will cut through bushes and brush with ease. Comes with a 1 inch X 1/2 inch approx. Super Magnet. The magnet is screwed to the top and can be removed.
The handle is 24 inches long. The width of the wide blade is 5.5 inches, and from the point to the edge of the wide blade is 11 inches. The handle is made of Ash and has a little larger area at the end of the handle for a better grip.
If you order the Nugget Stalker pick with a magnet, the magnet will be mounted with a screw on the top of the blade between the point and the wide blade. Or you can request we send the magnet loose so you can decide where to mount it.
Doc's Nugget Stalker® Brand Gold Pick, the only pick for Metal Detecting you'll ever need. - Doc's Place (docsdetecting.com)
Doc
Belts
in Nokta / Makro Legend Forum
Posted
I never inquire but how big is your waist so I have some idea low large a person one belt will fit. I thought the belt was pretty generous in terms of adjustment. Obviously I was wrong.
Doc