beekbuster

Thanks Doc. That's what I meant by the "people who promote the product". I hope Minelab has put some thought into their decision. I just don't see their logic. It's a sport that is a very small pool of people participating. If I want a new detector, Gerry, Rob, Doc all have a website to order from, and often times they work to get me the best price they can. eBay fees are 13% last I looked, with other strings attached also. I make a point to order directly from the seller if they have a website, no matter what. If Minelab sold out the lesser models and kept the premium detectors as a dealer only that would at least not be a fatal blow.

That would be a very short sighted move. How are they going to continue attracting new people to their product if the people who promote them will become unemployed essentially.

Cheer up guys. My first minelab was a sdc2300. I was finding gold right off the bat. Paid for itself in less than 6 months going out 3-4 times a month. Bought it from Gerry's detectors. Then I bought a 4500 with the coiltek elite. Found a new patch and that settled that. Bought from Rob's detectors. Then I tried to duplicate my success with the gpz, bought from Gerry. Unfortunately it met its demise along with all my other possessions, except a couple guns and my gpx4500. The things I had with me at the time. I would never think about buying from Australia. There's too many strings attached. I would much rather support the few reputable sellers in the US. It's not a growing sport, that's plain to see. It will be a very sad day if I am not able to buy a minelab that is in the usa.

I would start on that bench

Look for bedrock. Shallow ground. I was a gold seeking machine back in Redding. I found several patches that produced several ounces at each spot all in a span of one year. Now I'm in Winnemucca working my arse off and can't get a day off. Have been out about 20 times. Saw tooth, rye patch, Eugenes, it just doesn't jump out at me like Redding patches do. Everything is so monotone, homogeneous, with the exception of sawtooth, I'm confident I can find gold there. But so far not a speck of Nevada gold in the poke for me as of yet. Anyway if you put in the time, you will learn the area. The fact you're finding gold right off the bat, you're doing good. If the gold is not big, a dry washer or recirculating sluice might be a better bet. Good luck and keep us posted

I carry mine in my sock. I usually find gold when I forget my bottle, so now I just use my sock. When I first started doing it, I walked 2 miles with 2/3 oz of nuggets working their way under my sole. Good times.