~LARGO~

Steve Herschbach, on 12 Feb 2015 - 5:07 PM, said: This is it folks - most of your questions answered, and fodder for forum controversy for sure! All except the price. Curious minds want to know!

Hi Steve, There is and interesting story called: The Diary of Jules De Foe. Basically it is about my area of Idaho, way back when. Here is a link in the interest of time: http://idahomojo.com/random-info/the-diary-of-jules-de-foe/ I have a paper back book about the story. What is interesting is this guy Defoe tells specific numerical compass readings about his wanderings in Indian country. I don't know how folks back in the trapping era or any other era could travel by using a compass. I can find those very locations hereabouts, and really lend credence to his fascinating journey... Gary

HI all, I just saw this big hunk of gold on the national news...along with it's finder! It really looked very nice and fat on the tv screen, the gold nugget did... I don't know where it was the finder was showing it. It was in someone's office, and Steve Herschbach was shown unfolding his Minelab SDC 2300 to the news people... Beautiful find, Steve! That would surely make anyone's day! Gary/Largo

Let me preface this post by saying there will be a show on the Travel this Thursday 2/12/15 at 9/8central. The show's focus will be on the Viking Sunstone,(calcite) how it was used, etc. With the now popular t.v. show about the Vikings, this show should shed a little light on how the stone was used, and how it was developed as a navigational aid. This is all supposition on my part, as all I have seen on the presentation, is a short few seconds of a preview... Below is essentially a rehashing of a post I made a while back on celestial navigation, on another forum: I have always been interested in celestial navigation for a very long time. One of my heavy construction partners I worked with, had been a sea captain on an oil tanker, according to him, his ship was the first to pass through the Suez Canal after WW2, his destination being his home port at New Orleans, Louisiana, to offload its cargo of middle east crude oil. This old weathered hard working, hard drinking, heavy construction carpenter was always surprising me, by how much he knew about mathematics, calculating angles for complicated concrete forms, etc. He would tell me about all his experiences about coming "around the horn" down at the bottom of Africa, just for starters. He told me he had utilized a sextant by which to chart his ships courses. A sextant is a pretty ancient tool by which folks eons ago could use the sun and stars by which to navigate the seas of the world, and as his function as the ships captain, he needed to know how to use the sextant in order that he could accurately and safely guide his huge ship across the worlds great oceans to his home port. Back then, and still to this day, the knowledge of celestial navigation was a must for being able to navigate around the world, without the aid of modern communications, radar, and GPS, and all that gee whiz stuff. The need for this ancient method of navigation has not changed, as one of my friends who had become a navigator on a C-130 transport aircraft, told me one of his most difficult requirements to become an aircraft navigator,was that he had to learn to utilize a hand held sextant while in flight, in the event the aircraft navigation instruments quit working. He did, finally... I eventually wound up with an old brass Leupold sextant, made in Portland Oregon, which I purchased from a retired professor of oceanography at one of the Oregon universities. Nope, I never have learned anything about the thing, but it is cool to look at. What this is all leading up to, is an article I found about celestial navigation, which is especially interesting, as it talks about how the early Norse seafarers in open boats, were able to utilize this stone, calcite, as an aid to navigate across thousands of miles of open water. Here is a link that will tell you all about the wonders of calcite... http://www.nordskip....ss.html#karlsen NOTE: If this link does not work here for some reason, cut and paste into GOOGLE and look for links that will have my handle mentioned as to calcite/sunstone. I don't know why this particular link is reluctant to open here, I do know it is a viable working website... Maybe there is something I did wrong in the post, but my link below seems to work here... There are lots of things to read about on this website below. It tells you about the almost magical properties of calcite. And, to those old Norsemen, it WAS magical. http://www.nordskip.com/navnotes.pdf Thanks for looking! Gary/Largo

Hi all, I think I saw one of the Minelab 8005-0080 Strap & Buckle arrangement on one of our premier nugget hunters detector, in a dealers SDC 2300 field test video. That arrangement would be very good to use on any machine. Thanks for the stock number, and photos, Steve! Gary/Largo

Hi all, Ray hit it on the head with his "flutey" description of the detector sounds which are somehow irritating. That is exactly the word description I was looking for. That detector sound just grates on me, like fingernails dragged across an old chalkboard. I can tolerate it for a while, but it seems to take the enjoyment out of the process somehow. These days, chalkboards are something to be found in a museum, so we may have to find another comparison, so the younger set will know what we are talking about... Have a great day! Gary/Largo

Hi all, A new detector is only as good as the new owners ability to set it up properly, and understand what he/she is seeing/hearing... I agree on some detectors sounds being acceptable, where others may be very irritating to the ear. I don't mind the Minelab pulse detectors sounds, as well as Gold Bugs, and Whites Goldmasters, BUT while I would like to like the sounds of a Minelab Explorer and the CTX 3030, they just annoy me, for some reason...maybe there is a way to internally make their sounds more acceptable??? I am all ears... Gary/Largo

Hi Paul, Thanks for the photo! As far as the little amplifier causing your odd sounds, I doubt if it would be an issue. Turn on your detector and your little RS amp at the same time, and see what it sounds like, then turn the RS amp off, listen again to see if it makes a difference in your erratic response. As far as the aluminum bracket mount, it is possible that the coil sees it, causing the erratic sound, like a coil being held close to an aluminum can, and the distance never changing. If you could remove the aluminum can, and still maintain the exact same distance, your audio should change. It isn't like the test where if you taped a nickel on a coil, it won't make a difference in the audio, as the nickel on the coil is intimately close to the coil, where your aluminum bracket is not close, it is 2 feet or so away from the coil. Get some polycarbonate, from which to replace your aluminum bracket, from a plastics supply house, perhaps Lowes or Home Depot. The material should be at least 1/4"inch thick, which should give you a robust mount that shouldn't flex much if any. Don't use Plexiglas as it can fracture when drilling it. Hope you have a great day! Gary/Largo

Hi Steve, What a wonderful and fortunate conclusion to your story! I believe it is being the eternal optimist that helps keep most of us going, with that vision of the "big one" we all hope will be the next signal we hear. Thanks once again, for allowing us all to once again dream of what is possible if we persist in the search! Regards, Gary/Largo

Hi all, RE Digger: I did the same thing, bought extra..."just in case" the new ones don't have the nice "s" clamp on the back, so that needs to be dealt with. If you can, let us know what you did to manage this... I do have the adapter cable, that is almost a "must have" unless the stock headphones work for your situations. I normally use Detector Pro Black Widows headphones, or Jimmy Sierra Maxi-Phone II, which are made by Detector Pro. Those headphones are very well made, have a good warranty, and are rebuildable by Gary Storm. They do seal out outside wind sound quite well, which is so important in the North Nevada area where wind is pretty much a constant. For the RS Mini-speaker, I intend to make a mount of lexan, which is my go to plastic, as it is so durable, and won't crack for any reason, as Plexiglas will, guaranteed... I do like the price of the RS Mini-speaker, as with everything, they have gone up a bit in price over the years. You may have to buy a 1/8"male to 18"male electrical cord/cable, as well as a 1/4" male to 1/8" female plug adapter to make it all happen, but I have found I have a most of that stuff left over from other projects. I have all of this with stereo plugs, but not sure if that is necessary, but I'll let someone else chime in on that. I did this, as my headphones are all stereo: 2 bands on the male plugs. One other thing I noted in a photo from "Prospecting in Australia" forum, the SDC shown appears to have some tennis handle wrap on it to make the detector handle a bit larger to grip, while also making the grip a little softer in the "feel" department... Give me more thoughts on the matter, it is fun trying to make our detectors "our own"... Have a good day! Gary/Largo

Hi all, I have been thinking about the directionally challenged speaker on the SDC 2300. Yes, I tried the mini speakers, but that is a story you don't want to hear, as it deals more with principles, and less with utility... Here I am wondering if there is a way I can utilize some of the box full of gear I have bought in the past 25 or so years? There must be a way. I dug around and found a little Radio Shack Mini Speaker, that I had used on my Whites Goldmasters. I also have a Depth Master, as well as a Barrie Johnson Nuggett Finder Signal Enhancer, MKIII (Yes, that is the way Nuggett is spelled on the label...lol) I am pretty sure I can strap that thing on, using some gender benders...yeah, there is such a thing... So I do have a pretty good supply of "stuff" to toy with. I know Digger Bob was a fan of the Radio Shack Mini Speaker, but I don't know if he has tried an SCD 2300 yet... So if it's good enough for Digger, it will be good enough for me, depending on if I can make it work on the 2300. Here is a link to it...http://www.radioshack.com/radioshack-mini-audio-amplifier/2771008.html#.VNEQ1mfwugw I know the dealers will hate me for this, if it works! Give me some feedback if you have tried a Radio Shack Mini Speaker, or at least some thoughts on how well you think it might work... Thanks, Gary/Largo

I have had several campers over the years, nothing terribly expensive, as all I have owned fit my needs at the time, and could handle the places I might go. At present, I have a cargo trailer, a whopping 12 foot long body, with a single axle that can be adjusted up or down in height, which is a nice feature for back unimproved tracks. The cargo trailer has a drop down ramp door, so I can easily load/unload an atv, or motorcycle, or both. When I get to my camp spot, I back out the atv, set up a folding table on the inside of the trailer, as well as a folding military type cot, or more recently, a folding cot/recliner, which is nice for day or night use. I have a porta potti, folding chairs, coat hooks in the trailer walls, and a camp stove I can use in the trailer or out. The trailer has a side man door, and leveling supports at the rear of the trailer. This little trailer meets all my needs for comfort, and the ability to sleep in the dry in all sorts of weather. That leaves my pick up truck bed for my spare tires for both trailer and truck, water supply, a gas/electric portable freezer that I paid $50.00 for at a yard sale, which turned out to have cost the previous owner around $600.00 plus dollars... My truck holds my more valuable items, metal detectors, and Honda 2000ei portable electric generator, for cooking, or lighting, or running a heater. More recently, I have acquired several solar panels, as well as a Yeti 400 solar generator, some stringable camp lights I got for free when I bought my solar gear. My camp lighting now consists of solar powered Litehouse 250 portable lanterns, which, besides lighting my trailer, are capable of recharging any cell phone, or e-reader... For the most part, my needs are all met, as I usually go by myself, or meet folks at a certain location. I have just about decided now, that just because I have the money, I don't really need an expensive trailer with all the goodies, as the roads are usually rocky and crappy, and are not kind to the trailer body, and mechanical parts. In my photos I have posted here, shows my previous '92 Chevy, with the little white egg looking trailer, a '97 Casita, which is totally self contained, fiberglass body, which is prone to heavy damage from the sharp rocks in the back country. The other two photos show my cargo trailer with a '94 F150, that I have since sold. You will have to forgive the appearance of my little trailer, as I am either unloading or loading in this photo... The nice thing about this little cargo trailer, is that it is handy for more local trips, for moving items, and storing things inside of it during the winter months... One thing or two I just remembered is, you can drop the rear ramp to the level position, while supporting it with a spare tire on either corner or a home made support, which would be preferable, and you have a small elevated patio, where you can place a couple of chairs, AND if you are a little inventive make a patio cover over it. I did see a cargo trailer locally, which had been made into a stealth camper, it had a retracting awning attached to it, just like any other r.v.... Those magnetic curtains you see on t.v., could also be utilized, if you chose to keep the ramp open at night, to keep the mosquitos out. I haven't tried that, but I do keep the ramp up, but left open a bit at the top, so critters won't be wandering in, looking for a bite to eat. Gary/Largo

Hi all, Many years back, I suggested to one of the big dogs at Coiltek or one of those down under manufacturer/supplier/designer of Minelab , that they needed to come up with a detector battery recharging means, by using a solar set up on a hat or even a small solar panel on the battery enclosure itself, and contacts within, that would complete the charging circuit, with the battery in place,to make it all happen. The response at the time was "we'll have to put on our thinking caps on that one." The way things are going right now in regard to the battery systems that we have in the new metal detectors, I wouldn't be surprised to see something in the works where are solar might very well be utilized to recharge while we detect. Gary

Hi Steve, That Velcro and hook idea you shared with us, stayed with me last night a bit, as have most of my nagging solutions to construction concerns have over the years. I am looking towards a hook and buckle arrangement made with a sturdy plastic as well, although not molded as the one you show, but very similar in construction. The saying, function dictates design, resonates with me... I will share a photo here, when I finally get one done... Don't hold your breath, I do have some other irons in the fire right now. Gary/Largo

Hi Steve, As you say, it IS a very good looking detector. The screen face is well thought out and designed, and I do like the way one can easily move through the various options, similar to the F75, but I think a little better. In all likelihood, one can move over to the all metal options easily, and still retain the selected discrimination options, as in the F75. But, with this detector, your selections are done in single stack, on one side, which, IMO, which makes scrolling and making changes easier to follow, than by going from one stack on one side, then to the stack on the other side, again as with the F75, if you know what I mean. The 2 tone options I like as shown, however I am not a big fan of four or so tones to deal with, but this feature, likely there could have more tone options than shown here, just a button push away to more or less tones. The colors of the discrimination ribbon lend itself to be more easily discerned, than the blackness and somewhat hard to see segments of the F75. Now, coming soon, is what all of us are interested in, just what is all this innovation going to cost me? This is an issue which all manufacturers have to deal with, price the new product too high, then the item will sell to a more limited group of people, who can afford anything, but on the other hand, price it too cheap, so more people can afford the newest of the new, then company profits suffer. So somewhere in between, the balance of making everyone more or less happy, will have to be struck. Add to that, there can be one more issue, and that is, this can be a one shot opportunity for a new company. Grab new and happy customers before the competition can jump in and provide a less expensive, however similar whizz bang metal detector. It happens all the time... Gary/Largo

Hi Steve, Just throwing out ideas for us "old" guys, to help us manage our frailties! I will have to look at the Velcro wrap around that comes with the Pro-Swing you mentioned above. It all boils down to choices and abilities! Thanks again for all your comments you make daily. Gary/Largo

Hi all, Jonathan, I like your idea! Now I need to find my Minelab bungee! While you guys are about it, I need to have you think about mounting a swing arm, that can be installed quickly and without a tool of any kind. A swing arm combined with the Hip Stick, is a serious detectorist's salvation, in my view. There is little or no load on your detector arm, more or less a pushing motion with each arm, making your swing time and ability to continue searching day in and day out, much more comfortably, and much less painful... At some point, there could be an attachment point, a "d"ring, for the bungee, located near the balance point, possibly even secured on the fabric detector cover, that is quite popular right now. I may have one put on my SDC 2300 cover, when I decide what the closest balance might be for my needs. But that is down the road a bit right now, with my upcoming distractions. I believe that Minelab did not include a bungee, as well as a means to attach one, simply because the new detector was touted as more or less "lightweight", and to include such devices, would be an admission that it is not a real lightweight machine, but that is my view... Have a great and golden "New Year"! Gary/Largo

Hi Steve, Congratulations on your ICMJ photo! Now I feel better knowing I am not the only one wearing my battery harness high waters! You know what "they" say, "Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery". I think that is what they say... Gary/Largo

Hi all, I am curious just how you guys that use a bungee on the new Minelab SDC 2300 have rigged your bungee,for your own use. I know you knuckle draggers:) will say "it isn't heavy to me, so I don't need to use one", but you may not spend as many hours in the field as some of us. Even a Gold Bug II will get heavy over a long swing time, day in and day out... So, if you have one, let's see what how you did it. It doesn't need to be complicated nor expensive. I made one for my SDC, I can leave it on, even when it is folded up, is made of 4 items. A piece of parachute cord, a parachute cord clamp you can buy wherever that cord is found, and either a rectangular or triangular piece of plastic to run your cord through, as well as to hook your bungee to, all of which can be found at the same location stated above. A short piece of flexible plastic gas line, left over from some motorcycle repairs completes the unit. I used the plastic gas line to minimize wear on the carbon fiber lower shaft, but your method could be a whole lot more imaginative. Thanks for looking! Gary/Largo

Lunk & Gerry: Just stay out of my patches, you guys! Gary

Hi all, I am warming up real fast to this Notka/Makro thing. Steve really got me primed when he came up with his beautiful gold specie. "we also want the pro pack to be at an affordable price point for most users. The large coil will be sold seperately." Now this is impressive, and has my ears really perking up! Unheard of! This is going into uncharted waters... Like Steve said, people dealing in the selling of detectors, need to jump on a dealership for this fast emerging and growing company. I suspect by now, the leading gold detector manufacturers are sharpening their accounting pencils, to see if they will be willing/able to compete with new company. In my view, they really HAVE to. I agree with the headphone thing. I have a drawer full of extra this and that, which I have accumulated over time as well as pricey $pecial adapters made for earlier Minelab$ but that will fit present day detectors, but some say will not. I made a drawing when I found out how one would fit/work, so I wouldn't have to refigure out how I did it... The dealers just want to $ell you the newest and latest stuff. A person can't remember everything, you see, that is why books, paper, and pencils and now computers, were invented... White's picked up an old expired Minelab patent a long time ago, so long I don't recall too much of the specifics, but I guess they sat on it so long that they kind of missed out on making a really good p.I. machine for a lot of years. Not saying what they have is not good, but it is a bit dated in comparison to the competition, same with Garrett. As Steve indicated, Garrett also missed out, putting great technology in a heavy detector. That is EXACTLY why I went to the SDC 2300, along with a boatload of other people. I already had a GPX 5000, so this little (but a bit heavy) 2300 is a real blessing... Enough of this drivel...You guys have a nice day! Gary/Largo

Hi Steve, Congratulations on your beautiful find! I am so happy that you have come up with this fantastic find! I am pretty confident that you have truly have made a world class find! What a wonderful way to wrap up the year! A combined team as you guys have now, anything is possible! I hope to see you guys this spring. Give my regards to Chris Ralph, if you would... Gary/Largo

Hi all, I have no idea HOW Steve Herschbach does all that he does every day! I have marveled at his tenacity, shear grit and determination, for quite a few years. It doesn't really matter what subject you want to talk about, Steve is a been there, done that kind of guy! I must say, that with all the time and talent that he provides to all of us every day, I am HAPPY that we don't have to pay him for he what he does, because we could never afford him. Thanks very much Steve! And thanks as well to Chris Ralph for his meaningful contributions and commentary. Gary/Largo

Hi all, When buying these acid materials, and wish to share some with others, who might be in need of such products, such generosity may have its downside. To wit: Visiting my brother in another part of the country, I noted a big jug of an acid based product in his shop, I asked if I could have some. He said I could, found a plastic peanut butter jar, cleaned it, and put about 8 ounces of the acid in it for me. Now being a happy camper, I brought it home, put it on a metal cabinet shelf, with a hand written label in it, as to the jars content, I forgot about it, until one day I smelled a vaguely familiar odor. The plastic jar had began to leak over time, dribbling from its perch on a metal shelf down about 6 feet to the floor. All the way down, the acid did it's job, etching everything it could. Then I had the job of neutralizing the acid in areas it had touched and damaged. Even the concrete garage floor. In another shop, we had a bricklayer doing some work, who asked if he could store some of his tools in an unused and fairly new birch cabinet, at nearly floor level. Time went by, apparently the bricklayer had apparently forgotten the few items he had left, one of which was a gallon of muriatic acid, which he used to clean the brickwork he had been contracted to lay. The acid degraded the plastic jug, spilling on the wood cabinet floor, eating it slowly over time. The vapors ate the finish off every metal shelf clips, door glide, and cabinet lock, anything made of metal was affected. So, the point of all of this is, just because you can get a good deal on a BIG jug of acid, be mindful that the acid can and may, clean up more than you intended it to... Gary/LARGO

I watched some of those guys using a paint brush to move gold particles in slow moving water in a metal trough, like a sluice, without the riffles, for a simple description. It had a small header box, with ball valve to control the speed of the water. Worked really good. I learned one of the secrets of the thing was the black finish was none other than a metal primer spray, which provided a slight slowing action of the descending gold and other particles. There could be primer that is more coarse than others, but I wouldn't know which might be best for the project. **(If the sluice is aluminum, as most are, I would be sure to use primer spray paint FOR aluminum. Don't know about sluices, but it does make a difference with boat motors.) Boat motor primer is usually a yellow color, so maybe the guys used what they had, being plain old black primer. Regulation of water control amount and speed, angle of the box itself, is key, obviously. Once you get a few of those few items, and with experimenting, you may have a relatively inexpensive method of fine gold recovery. Oh yes, don't forget to have a capture bucket at the end of your setup, in case you think you may have lost some of your fines. Hope this helps... Gary