AussieMatt

Re: headphone charging 

When I put mine on charge after use the light is initially solid red. I've worked out when they've charged up the light flashes blue/red rather than go out like the manual says.

My GPX6000 was a first batch release & the headphones have never gone flat or otherwise failed despite the charging light anomaly. I've used them 2 days in a row without charging & without issue. IMO it's not a concern.

Wi-stream is Minelab's own proprietary Wi-Fi system, not cross compatible between Minelab units i.e. WM12, WM08 etc. or with Bluetooth.

Maybe Minelab need to look at a module for the GPX6000 with Bluetooth Aptx LL compatibility. Looks like it would be a seller.

p.s. I converted to headphones a few years ago. I no longer use a booster & wouldn't want one for the 6000. Not required IMO.

2 hours ago, Northeast said:

Bloody beautiful!!!

Bloody oath! 👌

Very nice speci Reg! 👍

On 4/1/2022 at 11:29 AM, jasong said:

Nice! Please post back here as soon as you hear about sizes and price, definitely interested to try one out.

Also, is there an availability date yet?

Coiltek comment online "Thanks for your interest in our new GOLDHAWK coils! We're planning to release them mid-year, so stay tuned. 🙂 Cheers"

I've personally seen 2 x failures.

The first one out of the box would try to start up - the display would start the start up process & then just shutdown. Thought it may have been a dud battery but same thing with another brand new battery.

It went back & although it was a pain they said it was a 5min fix. Ribbon cable not connected/clipped on properly between boards due to a new manufacturing process (2 × boards in the 6k - others only have 1).

2nd one probably got about 10-20hrs max. without any apparent issue. We stopped for lunch one day then it kept coming up with a coil error after lunch. Changed it with 3 x other coils but still occurred.  

Reading between the lines, (I didn't talk to the technician about the 2nd one but did with the first one), it read like it was the same or very similar issue from the warranty repair report? That's just an assumption though.

To me it's more of a manufacturing quality control issue & not so much faulty parts etc. Either way it should be better for an expensive detector but can't fault the service here in Australia with both.

Good news is both are now well used & fingers crossed no further issues. 

Yes it does charge the 6000 batteries.

So do other cheaper ones that have the correct plug & polarity.

On 10/31/2021 at 1:43 PM, oneguy said:

Does the 6 eventually ground balance out a faint target that repeats from multiple directions in the beginning....like the GM1000 will do in auto?  I run the 6 in manual mode 99% of the time.....  This one area I've been working off and on lately has me frustrated because I've had quite a few faint repeatable targets that I end up walking away from because I loose the target and move on because time is too precious. My thought is that SOMETHING set the machine off....so something is there and I can't even seem to dig up even a hot rock or whatever set the machine off?  It's driving me nuts trying to figure out WHAT is setting the machine off?  I've dug many tinys with the 6 and currently at 98 nuggs with the 6 but this one area has me baffled with my walking away from several targets?  Only this particular area has me scratching my head....I do ok anyplace else.  Here's todays 5.5g nuggs despite the frustrating disappearing targets thingy....

Thanks for any input.....!!!!!

I haven't had an actual metallic target balance out as yet. I don't tend to keep sweeping over anything I consider a faint or suspect target though (like Steve says some are like an intuitive response rather than a signal response).

If I get a suspect noise I'll move to the side a little & do a quick track then re-sweep - in all circumstances I can recall where a signal has remained it turned out to be a metal target of some sort. With that I've assumed any suspect noise that disappeared after the quick track was due to the ground/unsettled ground balance. In a lot of cases I find metal targets can also be a little brighter after a quick track away from the signal.

One interesting thing I had the other day on a piece of gold was a clear, bright signal from one direction & absolutely nothing from 180deg (GPX11). Possibly due to picking up better on the side of the coil rather than nose? I nearly walked at one point but persevered for a little sub gram piece.

I think this issue has been around in some shape with all auto tracking detectors & the solution is much the same with all where you have no fixed option - limit sweeps over those faint/suspect type targets, quick track/balance to the side away from the suspected target (to eliminate possible ground noise) & then repeat if necessary during recovery.

12 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Hopefully the rumor that Coiltek is working on a similar, but plug and play option, comes to pass. Otherwise by spring I guess I'll be in line for my first X Coil, as this is just what I want for my 6000. I've got no problem sacrificing my 14" DD coil if that is what it takes to get an adapter. But winter is here, no rush for me right now. However, the clock is ticking...... 

By using the chip out of the 14" DD coil I'd assume the GPX6000 will then act like you've got the DD on & run in either ground or emi cancel?

At this stage I wouldn't "sacrifice" either of the mono coils. They are very good & I can't see that the 10x6 in the videos is finding anything that they wouldn't in most situations.

Obviously there are areas where a 10x6 will be better at getting into tight spots though so hopefully Coiltek (or Nugget Finder?) can come to the party with plug & play.

It's certainly an issue that seems more common with this release (GPX6000) than with other recent releases (GPZ, SDC 5k).

Thankfully in Australia Minelab service is still pretty quick & good. It has probably dropped off a little but I reckon it's still ok.

Minelab & Plexus Inc. really need to have a good look at this + why it's happening. It's too easy to just blame current world events IMO. Maybe Plexus have become too comfortable in their manufacturing contract & quality assurance + Minelab have taken their eyes off the ball a bit?

Hopefully it's sorted sooner rather than later cause I believe the 6k is truly a terrific detector that deserves better.

49 minutes ago, Tony said:

One thing I do know is the WINDIER and DRIER the conditions, the worse the EMI is.

We used to notice that a lot with the SDC in particular. Windy conditions used to cause us no end of frustration some days. Being dry is just a usual Aussie summer & sometimes winter condition (depending on north/south location).

I've read a theory on it somewhere that sounded plausible. Electrostatic discharge which can occur due to rapid movement of air near electronic equipment. I'm assuming that this could also occur with coil movement on still days too but just not as likely or prominent?

In the attached video is an example of the tracking being thrown out by the pick. When the second target is found from about 8:10 you can quite audibly hear the ground balance get thrown out by the pick pretty subtly at first then when digging 2 × very audible pick strikes at about 8:40 & then again when he moved it pretty close by the coil at approx. 8:42 to 8:43. He then say "carrying on now isn't it".

Les doesn't re-balance or auto tune afterwards & the 6000 continues to be very erratic until the end. I've seen a few comments on that section of footage say how bad the 6000 is with EMI but to me it's pretty obvious that the pick being too close to the coil caused the bulk, if not all, of the erratic threshold.

6 hours ago, Skookum said:

My observations have been that there is obvious EMI related to air traffic and other unstable threshold due to unknown factors. For instance, overhead airplanes always disrupt the balance. Those at lower altitudes are noticeably worse. Then there are times it just seem to get a little wacky without any obvious cause. Some of the time a noise cancel seems to quiet it down and other times not. The latter leads me to wonder if EMI is indeed not the end all cause of the erratic episodes. 

One thing I've noticed, & it's pretty obvious in a couple of videos I've seen, is that the 6000 hates having the tracking thrown out. In some videos you can see (& hear) where the pick etc. has come too close to the coil while it's set down to search for the target & it becomes erratic. Seen many comments wrongly say that it's EMI. 

Good thing is it's very easy fixed once setting off again, a quick track & a few broad sweeps seems to fix it up. 

I guess that's one price you pay for a very sensitive detector. I know I'm a lot more conscious of where my pick is or keeping things like phones out of coil detection range than I was with the 4500. GPZ was similar from memory.

I always use the headphones while detecting & only use the speaker for short periods if showing someone else the 6000 so my experience is based on headphone use.

I've had very little issues with EMI in comparison to other GPX detectors. I've used the 6000 with 11" mono in places I couldn't use the 4500/5000 with a mono coil. Air traffic has also been less of an issue with the 6000 over previous GPX's IMO. The 6000 to me seems to settle down quicker or if it does get erratic after EMI interruption is settled down heaps easier & quicker via the auto tune.

I'm actually finding mine to be closer in EMI handling to SDC/GPZ, although in similar areas I did find my SDC's could require a number of auto tunes on start up to get stable then more during the day while detecting so in some cases I'd rate the 6000 as better.

Edit: Will add that 90% of the time I detect with an old mate of mine & he uses a 6000 too. I keep fairly close to him most of the time i.e. within line of sight. We've not had any major dramas with machine interference either unless getting within about ~20m (60') of each other. I usually get him set up & on his way then set up + auto tune my machine.

For me it's a very minor annoyance barely worth worrying about with the 11" mono at least. I find I like the handle/user interface screen cocked slightly in towards me too so button lock locators would really be a custom set up to suit me.

Last couple of times out I took a little extra time at set up to concentrate on tightening the shaft locks up as tight as I felt possible without damaging them & that's worked well for me.

I have purchased some nylon shaft button locks but haven't found a need to install them. In saying that I haven't had the 14"DD or 17" mono on all day yet so that may change. Was thinking of buying a whole new shaft assembly to modify so I keep the stock shaft original (as per individual custom mod above) but ATM can't really justify the cost vs this very minor issue.

Personally the EMI "issue" hasn't been an issue for me?

I do mainly use the headphones at the moment being winter here but I'm finding the GPX6000 with GPX11 mono is markedly better with EMI than previous GPX models. Any EMI I have experienced has been easily & quickly dealt with using auto tune &/or settings. I haven't needed to resort to the GPX14 DD at all as yet even though Minelab recommend it for EMI situations. 

To put this into context the public ground in NSW that holds gold prospecting opportunity is also regularly home to public EMI producing installations i.e. LV/HV powerlines, phone towers, railway, air traffic zones, fences/electric fences etc. etc. that I deal with at least one of mostly every day (if not 2 or 3) I detect. Granted we don't have the amount of air traffic that the USA has but the 6000 to me noticeably  handles what we do have many times better than previous GPX's with mono coils. Even private property here has a lot of various man made EMI sources. None of this, private or public, includes the different natural spherics encountered also.

I find the GPX6000 up with the GPZ & SDC in these areas with the correct settings etc. 

Now I'll duck for cover 😮

Reading between the lines + from what I've personally seen with a couple of operators a lot of issues could be attributed to the operator IMO.

I've seen a tendency for operators to try to run it flat out in auto+ or manual ~10 in areas you just can't do that with the mono. Less is sometimes more!

I've also seen a tendency for those using the speaker to turn it up to high levels or even flat out. All this does is amplify everything - ground noise, EMI, target signal etc. Again less is sometimes more & targets will still be very apparent even with lower volume levels, test some targets & adjust. Some tend to think they'll miss something at a lower volume but have it so loud it just becomes a rude, confusing noise to me.

A lot are also confusing EMI with the ground balance getting thrown out. This machine is very very sensitive & large targets or inadvertently getting the pick near the coil can & will throw it out of balance. Very quick & simple to fix using the quick track button in most cases + re-auto tune if necessary. You can audibly hear it happen on a number of videos when digging holes & the pick starts to upset it. I've learnt to keep the coil well away while digging. It seems much more sensitive to this than previous GPX's etc.

The sensitivity of the 6000 seems to be taking some getting used to IMO.

I think it's great 👍

Video from Lesgold using the soundPEATs aptX LL receiver into a Steelphase enhancer on GPX6000:

On 6/30/2021 at 8:47 AM, phrunt said:

The guy using the 6000 needed one of these set to 3 minutes for his auto tune button, an auto auto tune 😉  It got quite bad on the second target, I didn't continue watching after that.   The speaker volume was much louder on the GPX than the WM12 was so it made it difficult.  I wonder if the GPX was using the external speaker causing the EMI issues on that second target.

I'd say it was a combination of turning on/off a lot (not setting for continuous detecting), using the camera + when it got bad on the second target was after you can quite audibly hear the ground balance get thrown out by the pick when digging & then again when he moved it pretty close by the coil (approx. 8:40 to 8:43). Les never re-balances/settles the machine down after that happens.

I used mine with the GPX11 mono (& found 2 x small bits) on an old patch under + near some LV powerlines. Last time out there I didn't get anything with the SDC. Previous GPX models have been all but unusable here with a mono coil unless right away from the lines. I'd originally gone there thinking I'd try the GPX14 DD under the lines but didn't need it.

The ground, which is red/orange clay + scattered ironstone & basalt in places, was also heavily saturated to the point of water ingress into some deeper holes while digging.

The GPX6000 ran great there & I only noise cancelled 5-6 times in 4hrs (mostly after moving back towards the lines it needed another cancel).

Mostly used auto or auto+ but did drop back to manual 5 in one of the more saturated areas due to ground noise & it was also directly under the powerlines. It then ran nicely.

P.s. Les has been using a Bluetooth aptX LL receiver to his Steelphase enhancer on the GPX6000 & says the set up works well but I'm assuming it was the built in speaker used in the video?

2 hours ago, Norvic said:

I am a betting man Jeff, I`m tipping you are going to love the 6K, not because it replaces the EQ, it wont, but because it is the most easiest PI to swing in your and my billy goat rugged environment, Steve is as usual on the money with his 6K review except I extend his conclusion to include most of OZ.

+ 1 on that 

My local areas here can go from mountainous, rugged terrain to steep gullies to wide open flat areas. There's a huge variety of ground conditions & topography.

The 6k seamlessly handles it all with the ergonomics making it easy to use in different terrain to boot.

I don't disagree with the GPZ7000 still being the top dog but personally for me, here in NSW Australia, the GPX6000 is making it seem unnecessary & cumbersome for a lot of my detecting areas. Just my opinion.  

I don't see the issue?

I've only seen one dealer asking for deposits on the GPX6000 & the rest were expression of interest lists.

I voluntarily paid a deposit on mine knowing full well there was no firm release date & was prepared to wait. My aim in paying a deposit was to secure a GPX6000 within the first few batches released. As it turned out my deposit secured mine on the day they hit the dealers shop.

I had put my name down on 3 x expression of interest lists prior to putting the deposit down. Without a deposit only one of those three had contacted me in regards to actually purchasing an available unit, one contacted me to attend a demo day where it would be available to look at but not buy & one has never made contact.

IMO putting a deposit down on something sets you aside from others who may be just tyre kickers & not 100% sure if they'll purchase or not.

There are a fair few consumer items that you won't be able to purchase without a deposit but they do usually have delivery estimates. It is common with furniture, new cars etc. in Australia.

6 hours ago, Northeast said:

Thanks Matt.  Reckon the Saturn Pros might be the earlier version of the 'Lock' just from the outside appearance.  

If I was able to use just one of them as the Receive unit that would be OK.  Although not keen to buy the Transmitter if not required.  

The original Saturn Pro's are switchable between tx/rx & you can buy as a pair or single. The link is for a single one. Have seen them cheaper but they are hard to get now.

Not sure why Avantree moved away from the single switchable tx/rx units or that compact design?

"Your shafts are already working loose after a couple of hours ? Lets see how they are going in a few months, or a couple of years !"

No they sometimes do & not to the point of flopping around loose. It might rotate slightly like 5-10deg. if that. Mine doesn't flop around or anything like that. It's barely noticeable & only minorly annoys me because the user interface isn't symmetrical with the coil (overly attentive to detail disorder I think).

Norvic has it nailed in that it's more the top clamp which can be difficult to fully tighten due to the coil lead. I'm sure we'll work it out.

Mate I wouldn't put much stock into the "user" reports thus far. Long way to go yet. I can remember experienced prospectors who shit canned the SDC & GPZ too! One took a SDC for a test run & complained that a $4k machine had no noise cancel - should've read the manual first. The list can go on & on. Many sold the GPZ quickly!