Desert Dawg

You need to be on known placers, areas where gold has been found before of detectible size. Even if its old beat up patches that is better than out hunting just anywhere. Takes much research sometimes to find a decent area to nugget hunt. Not many places have nuggets next to the surface in the ground. Old timer workings with tailing piles from drywashers is also a good area to search out.  If it was easy everybody would be very successful at it. Its not easy. Also I would concentrate on more remote areas with less access to cut down on trash.

Lode mines are not the best areas to be detecting as there is much metal scrap scattered around, and most if not all the gold will be deep in the ground in such spots unless there are some tailing piles with ore dug from the mine. Stick with known placer surface gold locations and the more remote the better to help with the trash situation. Placer areas will sometimes have large dozer scrapes where soil has been hauled off to process if it was mined. These type areas can contain gold.

I hope the new machine will work well for you, be sure to keep us updated on what you think of the machine as you hunt and get used to it. I like the fact that it has a package where you get both a dd elliptical and a concentric coil. I am  used to that small concentric coil on my GB2. That multi point ground balance on the 24K sounds like it may smooth out the usual glitchyness  of a vlf.

What I mean by gpz technology, in general is, hybrid technology.

I wonder if Minelab will build a dedicated nugget detector in the style of the equinox, but with gpz type technology. This seems to be the way the CZX by Fisher is headed. I think the Equinox will open up many more machines in the same style eventually. I would hope for concentric and dd coils and more power in a lightweight dedicated nugget hunting package.

I am sure you all have seen the Whites double Coil package that comes with the new 24K, a dd elliptical and a concentric. If whites can do it, I am sure minelab could if they desired. There is a lot more than meets the eye about the properties of a concentric on a VLF.

Edge sensitivity being number one to me, also spot on pinpointing unlike the long thin coils overlap line of a dd. The first thing my hunting buddies wanted to know about my new detector, does the 6" coil have edge sensitivity,  I had to say no. 

I have used a GB2 for yrs, with the little 3x6 concentric coil, it beats out any dd in that size range. Due to its success ratio no dd was ever built for the GB2.

I am just not a dd fan. I find a concentric small coil pinpoints much better, and there is added depth over a dd of same size. I can get by with my 6" DD for awhile anyway. Til Steve gets his 6x10 dd.

Will there be a future concentric coil made for the equinox 800? I sure could use one for nugget detecting smaller gold.

I just ordered a Equinox 800 with the 6" and 11" coils from Doc yesterday. This morning I got this new cover on the way too, should keep the control housing in nice shape out in the desert. Headed for Rye Patch Tue for a few days. Am hoping the equinox 800 arrives before tue.

Looks like your doing great! Some of those pieces are not so small! I am sure a pi would pick up more that are beyond the depth of the gm1000, but its doing great for sure. Congrats.

Not too likely any off brand coils will be made for the equinox, there is a pretty good sized circuit board in the coil!!

I would say the 6" is far superior for small nugget hunting, less ground noise than the 11". If its larger deep nuggets you desire its time to get out the PI I would think.

I wonder if its possible to order the equinox 800 with just the 6" coil?

Wow, impressive this is well within GB2 territory in sensitivity.

Great easy to follow video of the 24K operation.

Great video! Great explanation of the machines functions.

Well here we are well into 2018 and no CZX nugget machine yet, I did hear on one forum a few months back its still progressing but several setbacks and advancing slowly, this comment was from Dave J. who is on this project. Whites has even beaten Fisher to the punch with the new GMT 24K VLF, with a new patented ground balance method of some sort, and 50% more power to the coil,  I will be at Whites while on vacation this next week for a 2 hour tour, gonna be asking questions about the new 24K. I am in the market for a new VLF nugget machine.

The way Fisher originally described the CZX it sounded more like a time domain detector than a VLF. Doubt that would be possible at 1,000 price range.

I wonder if a little 3x6 concentric would work on a GM1000? Or if any concentric would?  I see the new 24K comes with a dd and a concentric. I am partial to concentric coils on VLF machines.

I am with you Mike, I  will say  this does bother me. You may not get your moneys worth out of a detector with cell phone style technology. Could be it will only have a working life of 5-6 yrs and that is not enough for what we pay for new detectors these days. We are used to buying a well made detector that is repairable down the road if need be and will last us 10-15 yrs or more and then we could even sell it to someone else to use if we aren't using it anymore.

Very cool, your back in business. I ran a 1986 Honda CT110 for three yrs out at rye patch, it worked well for me, then I decided to upgrade to a 700 efi Rhino. Still getting used to that. I will probably be back out at rye patch this fall.

Yep, I normally carry the pi and a vlf due to different types gold. Will be interesting to see white's writeup on the XGB. 

Nope I havn't used one, just watched the Oregon Gold video closely, saw that the audio is on steroids compared to older vlfs. I recently sold my old Los Banos GB2 and am thinking about a replacement. Not in any hurry. I do well with my 4500 paired to the NF Evo 14x9, actually I rarely was using my GB2 anymore due to the NF Evo 14x9 being so sensitive. #9 birdshot at 3" depth is a pretty common find for me.

I am wanting to know more about the new pat pending XGB ground balance, how is this better than say a standard mxt or old GMT ground balance method? Does it allow more depth than older VLF nugget detectors? Does it smooth out the threshold noticeably.  The 50% more voltage to the coil is pretty self explanatory and you can hear the results of that with the super strong target signals the 24K creates on targets.

Does the patented new ground balance allow any more depth than older tech vlf nugget machines? Or does it just smooth out noisy ground?

I want Whites to succeed with their waterproof TDI, however if they do not address the timing issue and get the timing down to 7 usec, they will not compete with the new Fisher Manta. Sensitivity to gold will be much better with the Manta and its fast timing. Its one of the main selling points of the Manta.

From what I understand from reading posts about the Manta, its based on Eric Fosters machines, same as the TDI, the only advantage I see to the manta so far is the super fast timing, 6.5-7 usec which will allow small gold to be found. Remains to be seen what the Manta can actually do.