nugget hunter nz

What’s peoples thoughts on if on is coming next year ?.

personally I reckon the time is right the gpz has been around for awhile now , it’s heavy and can be killer after 9 hours swinging even if they brought out a mark 2 just a lighter more user friendly version Like what the 6000 brought to the gpx lineup . 
 

It just feels like the time is right for them to bring out the new flagship ..

On 2/12/2020 at 9:33 AM, phrunt said:

I'm blocking my ears!

You can always borrow mine if you want to have a play with one I can send it down to you 

On 2/7/2020 at 6:27 AM, LarryD said:

I recently purchased the Goldmaster 24k. In preparation for my first outing I made a test bed of different materials in my back yard. I also printed of the Conductive Order of Metals which was set up based on the Whites Spectrum XLT.

So my test bed consisted of a nail, pulltab, penny, nickle, dime, quarter, gold ring. After setting up my detector based on Whites quick start guide I did my testing. Here are the visual target id results. I wanted to compare them to the Conductive Order of Metals

GMT 24k reading.                        nail 39   pulltab 91  penny 95  nickle 89  dime 97. quarter 98  gold wedding ring 94

Conductive Order of Metals       nail 0     pulltab 35  penny 56   nickle 28  dime 70  quarter 82  gold wedding ring 40

As you can not even close. So am I wrong in thinking the GMT 24k should follow the Conductive Order of Metals listing? Is there some other listing I should be looking at or is there no corelation at all? Thanks for any help.

I have had the 24k basickly since release the simple way to look at the I'd is not like a conventional I'd like say a nox it's more of a digital iron probability bar. Like the old gmt has the actual bar so irons will be lower numbers gold silver alloy will read high numbers.. Unpure metals with give inconsistent I'd  small small gold comes in around 50 to 60 but if in the ground may jump around but it its hitting anything above 50 I dig, tho I normaly dig everything as I have found gold that read low because it was so covers in. Black sand or iron type material. As a coil relic machine you would probley have to test your targeted things like coins etc to get your own I'd readings 

On 1/20/2020 at 10:09 PM, Steve Herschbach said:

Looks like it will finally be available for purchase by next month along with a new 8” x 14” DD coil. The will make four coils total for both the 24K and new White’s GMX. The coils are interchangeable between the two models.

Thank God I've been waiting so long for a few new options, especially the 4x6 one for bedrock work I had lost hope that they were ever going to follow through

20 hours ago, Winterwood said:

So does the coil simply stop work with water ingress?  I have had mine in water a few times, probably around 20 cm, no obvious problem from water.  I do have the issue falsing when knocked but expect this is not water related.  Out of warranty unfortunately.

 

No no didn't stop working just started going crazy like sevear EMI with target like overload spikes if you held the coil still and flat it would sort of settle down but any change or angle or coil movement sent it nuts... I did dtill find gold with both after taking on water but was only booming obvious signals 

On 2/9/2020 at 3:38 PM, kiwijw said:

Yes....they are not waterproof.  I did make mention of this as a warning to nugget hunter nz (Craig) on his post on making his own adapter for the X coil/Zed. I repeat it here.  "On a personal note....I will never be putting my Zed coils in water, but the areas where I mostly detect there is no water up in the hills any way. I even hate using my detector out in the rain, of which the other day out with Simon it was raining most of the time. I shouldn't have gone. I wouldn't have normally but knew that Simon was eager to try his "new" set up. After a few hours & 4 bits of recovered gold & two lost ones I had had enough & called it quits as I reckoned the detector was starting to act a bit weird. I didn't know at the time that Simon had text me to say his back was giving him grief & he had had enough to. I didn't take my phone with me but must have timed it right when I caught up with him. I put it down to the coil getting drowned as I have a good cover on the actual detector control box & the handle pod. I honestly don't know how the coil can be waterproof with that pressure vent valve.  The guy I got my Zed off is from the West (wet) Coast & he killed his ML 14" coil detecting in West Coast creeks. It was warranted as being waterproof so Minelab replaced it under warranty. The West Coast & its weather is not very detector friendly. I am not prepared to risk it. My thoughts always were that the ML or any 14" size coil of that type construction & design ( foam filled) is a beast of a coil to try to subject to using underwater with fighting the buoyancy & water flow." End of quote.

But what would I know?? Hopefully Craigs coils will dry out with no ill effects. He now knows not to put them in water. Learnt the hard way. Warning for others so thanks Craig for bringing it to peoples attention.👍

Good luck out there

JW 🤠

Yip defanitly my fault not any of the coils i know the new nugget finder coils are waterproof and they are releasing a small coil mid year with more to follow. 

I guess if I hold out for those and try it if that doesn't work then guess I'll have to sell the zed go back to gpx modded with the nf coils I never had any issue with those and water the zed is amazing just wish it was more water friendly 😂

So took the gpz out for couple days were I hunt managed to find out that my extra waterproofing didn't work after 20 mins of first day with xcoil so was back to std 14 on day to all and all we had good trip pulled 5 grams for 2 days and 3 nice bits including this one 

It was all creek hunting and was defanitly impressed the the zeds depth 

Just hoping with few days sun in a bag rice the xcoil will work normaly again.. Guess I will have to wait for nf coils to be realesed for water ones as the std 14 took on water to even tho they ment to be submersible to 1 mtr 

So I couldn't resist having a crack at my own adapter soon as my x-coil turned up today. 

I was pooping my undies on the enitial turn on but all in all wasn't to bad to do it you take your time I started with number 3 blue wire at bottom first as hardest to get to to solder then worked my way up to 2 and 1 the 4 and 5 spent a good 20 mins thoroughly checking for any shorts or anything when I was happy I hot glued all wires and invetween stopping them from being able to move or that in future then heat shrink followed by lots isolation tape I then put the female plug back on the std 14 and works like charm  I also waterproofed the xcoil by adding marine silicone in and around the plug and a thin layer along the joining lip were skid plate goes

all and all thought for a first attempt wasn't to bad and I didn't make it go boom so that a bonus 

2 hours ago, phrunt said:

I used the ring on my first time using my GPZ a couple of days ago with the same 10" X-coil you're about to get.  I just did the quick start that did the noise cancel then the ferrite balance.  It only took one sweep over the ferrite to quiet it down and by 2 sweeps I didn't hear it.  I kept going until it told me to stop and it did a Tick saying OK.  I'd only tested the 14" genuine coil for about 30 minutes when I first got the GPZ before putting on the X-coil, I didn't do the ferrite on it so there was no ferrite balance to carry over I guess.

I'll do it because I can, and it takes 20 seconds so I see no point not doing it.   I'm sure it won't take me long to lose the ring though, then I'll stop doing it 🙂

Yea that was my first thought was man I'm guna loose this in no time 😂 maybe I'll make we clip for it on my pack 

So my gpz turned up on Friday and I'm super loving it and my 10"x-coil should be here Wednesday, as soon as I got it out the box I grabbed my we test gold ranging from 0.025 to 1.71 gram and shot out to my we test area that happens to be gravel pit in known gold area.. I found for my area in NZ I was geting the best depth and response on general and high yield with audio smoothing off.. I had a play with the ferrite ring with ground balancing then factory reset and ground balance with no ferrite ring.. So my question is does the ferrite ring gb affect depth and sensitivity at all in low to medium ground. What I noticed was our soil and were I hunt in creek beds you hit pockets of high black sand then less etc. I didn't realy notice any difference in performance but I do think that the ferrite gb did run quieter in the ground over all. Does anyone have any tests or input on ferrite balancing vs no ferrite? 

I plan to get out this weekend for my first hunt with the 10 xcoil all going to plan. So will be sure to put up a link for the YouTube video when made and my finds if any lol I'm checking out new spot 

Congrats Simon mine should be here Monday I'm like a kid 2 days before  xmass bet you can't wait to got out hunting 

Thanks for the comments guys I managed to Pic it up few hundred cheaper than the advitised price almost felt bad for the fella selling it I could tell it was the old timers pride and joy but I'm super happy now own a gpz something I never thought I'd own like Simon I thought it was jusy going to stay a myth to me 😂. I'm in prosess of ordering the yummy 10 x-coil for it will be sure to post some pics and gold if I m lucky from its first outing 

8 hours ago, GB_Amateur said:

Concerning these flags, could you guys be more specific?  Metal poles or plastic, etc.  It's not that hard to post a link to a retail site.  A lot of us have done it many times, and it sure helps the readers.  Thanks.

 

 

Sorry I'm here in New Zealand so got mine there mitre 10 think you can get them on ebay if you search builders flags 

1 hour ago, Gold Catcher said:

I like that! Just the other way around then (pi then vlf). Need to buy little marker flags.

I got mine from a building supply store cheap or you can make your own.. It's defanitly an effective method in trashy areas 

I wonder if any detector company's will look into GPR sonar for detecting making fast wave sonar tuned to bounce back off gold this would give massive depth improvements. Whether the tech or knowledge is there yet who knows.. They already use it to find large stashes etc 

On 1/23/2020 at 9:13 AM, phrunt said:

I think Nugget depletion largely depends on where you live.  I've spoken to a few guys in Australia now that still make their living out of prospecting.  A guy I was talking to yesterday on the phone in QLD goes out for a month or so a year and makes over $60,000 AUD in gold for that month, he's about to go on a short trip next week which he'll get more on than I'll likely get in my lifetime prospecting in my area.

He SMS'd me photos of some of his gold after the phone call to show me.  I won't put the photos up as they're not mine to display.

He wouldn't blink an eye and paying for a newer better GPZ if it appeared.  It wouldn't even have to be better performing, lighter would do.  If you're out swinging all day everyday in the heat getting good gold you'd pay anything for a lighter detector with the same performance.

I imagine people in Russia and Africa and other regions of the World with gold would think the same.  I guess a majority of the successful prospectors don't spend their time on Internet showing photos of their finds 🙂

I don't think Minelab need to worry about nugget depletion yet, prospectors like myself who do it for a hobby would be a small insignificant part of their market.

I'm seriously considering a trip to Australia for prospecting.  The flights over only cost about two drives fuel to a local prospecting area.

Let me know if you do haha I've been waiting to do same maybe we could get a group all go together cut down on costs etc 

Sorry I'm abit late to throw my 2 cents in I've hunted old tailings simalar to your pictures here in nz. Like mentioned big stones means you loose the depth of the stones but big nuggets can end up there so ounce plus nuggets will sing at good depth the smaller piles you can rake down if you want. As for trash these can be really trashy. When I've hunted them I went over the area with gpx and placed we builders flags at every target then when I was done I went over each one with my monster 1000 dug the good targets left the bad and anything I was unsure off I took top layer off to get Beter signal. This alowes you to search with the more powerful pi but saves you digging 50 holes for nothing.. Just an idea but flags can be your friend even in creeks they work a charm 

Hi guys 

So I have my eye on a gpz 7000 here in nz for sale it's a good price 6500 nzd with 3 battery's and few other extras  looks in good condition coil still has original skid plate.. My question is does anyone know the expected life of gpz is buying a 5 year old Machine worth it? Or do I spend extra 3k to get brand new.. Has anyone had any issues on there early model ones through age etc.. 

Thought I'd just see people opinions before handing over any money etc 

So I was verified today by someone I cant name for obvious reasons that minelab will be anoucing a new pi in May at the ballerat dealers conference whay that pi is is a unknown it could be a new sdc a new gpx or new gpz that we have to wait and see but I'm excited either way and hoping I won't have to sell my house for it 

So I herd we rumor and please take it with a grain of salt. But it got me thinking the russian outfit that made x-coils could they be bringing there own pi gold detector to the table sometime soon.. One would think if the can come up with the x-coil that I'm most account's seems to out do most other brands in  all aspects.. Could they be the dark horse and bring a high end pi to table to challenge minlabs reign in high end pis. One does wonder 

28 minutes ago, phrunt said:

Well, I can tell you now the GPZ with 10" X-coil isn't far off running something like a Gold Monster, but with more depth from what I've witnessed with JW using it.  I've seen JW dig up these tiny little bits of gold from stupid depths for their size.  Basically the GPZ with 10" X-coil is my dream machine, my wife is just resisting me buying it as she sees it as a waste of money but if I had the chance I'd most certainly own it.

The SDC seems a more popular detector in countries with hotter soil, Nugget hunter NZ's opinion on it basically mirrors what JW has told me about his SDC which he never uses, it's just not as good as a GPX in our soil conditions, we can crank the GPX up and it performs better than an SDC when you use a smaller coil on the GPX, and now with the flat wound small coils like the 10" X-coil........ It's crazy sensitive.

Now, as for getting another GPX, if you can afford the GPZ in my opinion from what I've seen I'd buy a GPZ over the GPX any day especially if I was also going to be running that killer 10" X-coil on it in our NZ soil conditions.  When our soil is so mild with cranked up settings the GPZ and 10" X-coil should be illegal, it's unfair on us that don't own it.  The coil adapter is the sticking point for a lot of people but you can get someone to make it for you if necessary, there are plenty of electronics repair shops in NZ that will do it.

If you were going for the GPX again I'd seriously consider the 4500 over the 5000, no point wasting the money on a 5000 when you won't use the extra timings anyway, use the money you save there to get the new 10" X-coil for the GPX, It's by far the most sensitive coil I've ever used on my GPX, it see's tiny gold sizes my 14x9" EVO was blind to and I felt my EVO was far better than the Sadie for sensitivity.

I hope JW notices your post so he can put some photos up of the tiny gold he's found with the 10" GPZ X-coil and the depths he''s got it at, he's been over bedrock I've done with my GM1000 and got tiny gold I've missed as they were just too deep for the GM for their size. 

We'll see what turns out with the NF coils, I suspect they'll be making them mostly for use in tough Australian conditions and made so they run stable and quiet as they can in those conditions so I expect the X-coils will remain the stronger coil of the two but we'll have to wait and see on that one but as a comparison the GPX X-coils are far quieter/more stable than my Nugget Finder EVO even though they're more sensitive, I wish manufacturers made coils for Mild soils and another coil for use in Mineralised soils, I don't want a dumbed down coil just because someone in another country needs it, the same probably goes for detectors to an extent.

Glad to see you back after laying low and no poachers stole your giant nugget 🙂

Yea I'm defanitly leaning towards the gpz there's one for sale for good price near New so if I can raise the money in time I'll get it.. Don't have a wife to stop me doing stupid things 😂 not sure if you saw my post about nf thier email to me about them trialing a new option to DOD meaning they can make smaller coils for gpz but seams 10 inch is about as small as can got with the DOD configuration.. I'm hoping John would be able to help me make up the conection for the 10 xcoil if I do manage to get the gpz 

So after my last post in my search for a decision on what detecter to get, between another gpx or gpz knowing NF are working on coils for the gpz and the lack of small coil options is what has kept me from a gpz I thought I'd email NF and ask if a small coil was in the pipeline and got a interesting email back. As you can see I found it interesting that they can only go so small with DOD configuration but lookomg and testing a new alternative allowing them to make small coils... Fingers crossed 

On 1/3/2020 at 7:43 AM, Steve Herschbach said:

I'll tell you manufacturers what I really need and am will to pay top dollar for. A detector as powerful as a GPZ but with 100% accurate ferrous discrimination. Even the best VLF detectors pick up too much flat steel and broken square nails in old mining areas. If there is a payday waiting for me it is in areas full of ferrous junk where a VLF does not go deep enough but a GPZ or PI will kill me digging junk. Forget more depth and give me genuine, accurate ferrous discrimination in a detector more powerful than the best VLF. For that, I will dig very deep into my wallet, and that's a promise.

Totaly agree Steve I've been saying for years why can't someone come up with a pi detecter with target I'd or like you say some kind of accurate iron I'd that works and doesn't mask out gold.. I know Nokta were toying with a ground scan style detecter that somehow analised the target and gave you a chemical make up reading simalar to the white t3i but in pulse detection. Like you said that would open up a whole new lot ground to search. Also like you mentioned the gold is getting less and less so its not more power we need its smarter searching options thay can tell gold from junk etc

On 1/2/2020 at 10:17 AM, Steve Herschbach said:

I agree Keith and was not really trying to predict what Minelab is up to. I am just talking about the weight perception issue with an apples to apples example. There is no doubt Minelab could never ask close to what a CTX 3030 sells for when they came up with the Equinox because it just seems like there is less detector there even though performance is close. Does the $2500 CTX perform three times better than the $899 Equinox? No way. But the CTX feels more substantial, better fit and finish, and pretty carbon fiber rod. No doubt an extra $1000 there just for the build and the look.

My personal opinion is the GPZ 7000 set a high limit both for weight and price that will not be repeated. The tide has turned in the other direction on both counts. Equinox points the way to the new Minelab philosophy. And by year end there will be a new player in the game that Minelab no doubt is watching carefully.

New player do tell whites came to mind or qed but direct competition to minelab high end is what we need. 1to keep them honest and 2 to keep prices fair.. You always see in any situation where you have one stand alone entity they can do as they please demand what ever price.. So I'm defanitly hoping that someone does come to the party to compete at flagship level. I know I've been more than impressed with the whites 24k in comparison to gm1000 both go tit for tat. Be nice to have the same thing on the pi level 

1 hour ago, WesD said:

Sounds like you had a good mod job.  Our sdc cleaned up behind  the 5000/sadie patches. Just as deep and smaller gold.  Sensitivity on 4 or 5, and the little ones sing out.

Yea the sdc is an amazing MA Hine and don't get me wrong I found lots small stuff with it but side by side my gpx was defanitly hitting harder and deeper on smaller gold.. I had the max mods by  woodland in aussie and I could run it flat out in normal.. I'm defanitly regretting selling it hence my predicament now if I get a gpx5000 and mod it it will owe me as much as a gpz..