Jim McCulloch

Ballarat. Isn't that the Ozbloke word for "gold?"

Let me clarify some misconceptions, at least as much as I am permitted to do so. Sales of the 24k are steady, and improving. In my own case, for my White's/Minelab dealership in the Mojave Desert, my sales of Goldmaster 24k's are better than I would normally expect for the summertime here. And, I have noted a pronounced trend: MOST 24k sales are NOT to total newbies, but rather to experienced nuggetshooters who own other models of high frequency machines purchased before the release of the 24k. Why? Because most have "outgrown" the "entry-level, easy-to-operate" machines, and are seeking to capitalize on the greater number of user- adjustable, performance-enhancing features possessed by the 24k. One final thing: the 6x4 "Shooter" is to be released SOON, and work is progressing on the 14x8. 'Nuff said for now. HH Jim

It was a lot of fun. Most folks left Sunday afternoon, but Rob gave Craig and I, and Lisa and Bella, permission to stay until Monday morning. Lisa and Bella did very well bottle digging, while Craig and I concentrated on raking away the thick layers (up to 10" deep) of decomposing pine needles from several house sites, which resulted in several coins being found, including my first "fatty" Indian Head Cent (1863, the date Diamondville was founded) and my first Shield nickel. I also found a brass name plate, and was hoping to research it, by I can not now find it. Grrr! Craig found a really nice gold pocket watch, with glass cover still intact. And some coins. He also found a cool "Junior Pilot" badge, probably from the 1930's. James (Tough Run Metal Detecting channel on YouTube) and Larry scored their first gold. On the find's table the big quartz rock, which gives a "multi-gram" gold signal, was found by Craig. The 4 pieces shown in my palm in the opening scene were the first of 9 that I found. The video of the training seminar that Gerry and I taught was much longer, and well-received. Rob's video neglects to show the several hail storms we encountered. Note the cold weather clothing; as I type this back home in the Mojave the summer monsoon season has begun, I have to admit I'd rather be back in Diamondville digging for gold. HH Jim

Just be patient, that's I can say at the moment. Check out the Spud Diggers YouTube videos regarding the 24k. HH Jim

Spud Digger Johnson has just released the latest video on his "Spud Diggers" YouTube channel about hunting for gold, relics, coins, and bottles at the 1860's mining camp "Diamondville." One of the highlights was a lady who, using a detector, dug up a diamond ring... and then her boyfriend proposed marriage! Lots of good gold was found. HH Jim

On this Forum, what the New Zealanders lack in quantity of posts they more than make up for in quality of posts.

... the first of the 49'ers from the eastern US states,  Australia, England, and Mexico were now beginning to arrive in the California gold fields. Hopes were high that they would "see the elephant," an allusion to participating in a truly spectacular, life-changing event. The California Gold Rush, from 1849 to 1857, was one of the most significant world-altering events in modern history. While metal detectors have replaced gold pans and rocker boxes, those of us who pursue "the elusive yellow metal" are the brethren of those intrepid 49ers. A post-gold rush ballad states "... and I often grieve and pine... for the days of old... the days of gold... the Days of 49..." I hope you all "see the elephant." HH Jim

Simon, I'm confused; I thought cat was the other "white meat."

James of the "Tough Run Metal Detecting" YouTube channel just posted another video from the Idaho hunt showing more of the gold, coins and relics found. It was fun. HH Jim

Last Friday's hunt spooked up a 9-10 inch Red Rock (Crotalus Ruber) too young to have even one button. That's when things get dangerous, no warning. I think you Ozblokes who go bush around brown snakes must be "muy macho hombres..." HH Jim

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Rob, we ran the article "$75,000.00 Rock Found," in "Treasure" Magazine, back in '89, as I recall. Maybe somebody can haul the article from the archives. Bud named the nugget "Fred." Mitch, T-Bone found gold all over, and didn't always reveal the true location of the find locale. He told me that the 27 ouncer was found about 7 miles south of Quartzite, but who knows, maybe Terry fibbed to me, too. But I do know of a 24 ouncer found there, and the finder said it was located a short distance from where Terry got the 27 ouncer.

Finding a sunbaker that size would be truly wonderful, but the gold content is only 22 ounces. Terry Bone and Kevin Hoagland have both found 27 ouncers. And, as Flak mentioned, what about Rich Hill's "Potato Patch"?

Good finds, greater memories, and the scent of skunk is gone. WTG. HH JIm

Jim, sounds interesting. Would this be a difficult conversion for the average non-techie? Were you able to discern and additional depth? Thanks for the info. HH Jim

For more photos of the hunt see Gerry's "Idaho Mining Town Finds" in the "Metal Detecting for Coins and Relics" Forum. On YouTube the Tough Run Metal Detecting" channel the first of a four part series on the Diamondville hunt appears. James is one of the two hunters who found their first natural gold. On the "Park Rat Metal Detecting" channel under "The Last Day at Diamondville" video, the latter portion shows the wrap up and awards ceremony. HH Jim

If I may be so bold as to say so, the gold nugget field training team of McMullen and McCulloch is first rate :) I do like it when trainees express appreciation for what they've learned. Yes, the coins were found on Sunday, after everyone but we and Lisa had left. Removing the several inch thick layer of pine needles helped get us onto productive ground. Craig found a really nice INTACT gold pocket watch, with the glass lens intact. He also found a cool (1930's?) Junior Pilot's badge. Craig and Lisa hit the bottle dump hard, and got upwards of 10 bottles for their efforts. I found an embossed name tag, but somehow mislaid it. Bummer. Thanks for posting the picture of my gold. And no, the coins were not found under the painted rocks, but under yet more hail! Gang, to watch Marine McMullen stalwartly marching back into camp head high during one of the several hail storms was inspirational! Oh, yeah, Gerry,  thanks for letting a couple of California Desert Rats pillage more Idaho gold! Let us know when we can return the favor. HH Jim

Last weekend Spud Digger Johnson of the "Spud Digger" YouTube channel hosted another outing at the 1863 ghost town and gold mine located on private property near Idaho City. About 30 avid detectorists were in attendance, lots of goodies were found, and a good time was had by all. Two attendees found their first natural gold, needless to say they were delighted. My 9 pieces weighed in at 2.8 grams (GM 24k) but Craig's baseball sized chunk will far beat that in gold content. Several nice coins were found, among the ones I found were a Shield nickel and "fatty" Indian Head Cent, both "firsts" for me. Likely some video footage of the event will be posted on the "Spud Diggers" and "Tough Run Metal Detecting" channels. It was fun. HH Jim

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Simon, to answer your question regarding how far the 24k will air test on your 0.011 gram (0.169 grain) bit, I just ran tests using 1/20th grain (0.003 gram), 1/10th grain (0.006 gram) and 1/4 grain (0.016 gram) bits. To make this test REALISTIC I did not crank the sensitivity to maximum, rather, I set it up EXACTLY to the in-field settings I personally use here in the Mojave Desert. The reason I did this is that I deplore metal detector dealers who "demonstrate" the "performance" of their machines after adjusting them to settings beyond what can actually be used in the field, and then claiming such distances represent true performance. The settings I used were sensitivity 8, boost 2, and ground balanced to the actual soil, then locked those settings with traclock. I used the 6.5" Concentric. In short, all I had to do was tap the ON button, at which point the 24k automatically reverts to the last-used settings, without further ground balancing or adjustment.  The carefully measured results, using a clear plastic ruler, are .003 gram=1.0 inch, .006 gram=1.5 inches, .016 gram=2.0 inches. In each case the 24k gave clear, audible signals, not "hopeful whispers."  Since your .011 bit falls midway between the .006 and .016 bits, I would estimate it would be detected at 1.75 inches. Looking at the photos posted, I can guarantee you that the 24k is capable of detecting each bit shown. Hope this helps; HH Jim

Well done, brother, just exactly the concise, unbiased report that many have been waiting to see. Here in the Mojave Desert my 24k  has found microflakes as small as 1/20th grain (1/9600th of a Troy ounce). With gold at 1,300 USD per ounce, they would be worth less than 14 cents each. Looking forward to more videos! HH Jim 

Pursuant to Simon's comments regarding shipping prices from the US to NZ, I checked into the postage fees to ship an Export Pack from Los Angeles to Wellington NZ. Cost was NZ$300.00, US$200.00. Whoa!

Mitchel, show those Ozblokes what a California Desert Rat can do! Best wishes, bud! HH Jim

Sorry to learn of your disappointment. If you have any specific questions, email me or post them here, I'll do what I can to answer them. HH Jim

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"NHNZ",  although you addressed this post to Aureous, I thought I'd chime in and answer some of your questions. Reason being that I have used the GMT since it's inception, and has long been my favorite gold detector, and, I was instrumental in the testing and development of the 24k. For a White's dealer to be permitted to sell 24ks they must be "24k Certified," and my pal Jerry McMullen and I developed the Certification Process, and wrote the test. My Field Test Report on the 24K appears in "Western and Eastern Treasures," and my book "Advanced Nuggetshooting with the Goldmaster 24K" was just released, and is selling very well. Comparing the 24k with the GMT: 24k has greater power and sensitivity, due to having 54% more power to the searchcoil. (Therefore GMT and 24k coils are NOT interchangeable). The patented XGB ground tracking system is the most advanced VLF tracking system on the market today. With the 24K I have found specks of gold weighing 1/15th to 1/20th grain, in highly mineralized Mojave Desert soil. Other 24k advantages: the Iron Reject is adjustable, from black sand to hot rocks to iron, therefore you can use only enough as needed without loosing unnecessary depth. You can reject small hot rocks and still find 1/10th grain bits. The Ground Balance can be OFFSET, to permit enhanced black sand and hot rock rejection. The 24k has adjustable frequency, pinpoint mode, and tone ID. Plus all the regular features of the GMT, but usually in an improved figuration. The 24k has totally usurped my use of the 24K. My 24k, fitted with the 6.5" Concentric coil, is making my "worked out" sites productive again. Check out the "Spud Diggers" YouTube channel for some 24K videos. Hope this helps: HH Jim

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I was chatting with a detector distributor about the current gold rush in central Africa, and he informed me that nuggets as large as soccer balls have been found, but these don't hit the "nugget collector" market. Rather, big nuggets get cut into smaller pieces to prevent the finder from being robbed and killed, and these cut up pieces are going into the smelter like all other smaller sized nuggets. To them, big nuggets are just bullion, not collectables.

A husband and wife, experienced dry washers, but total newbies to nuggetshooting, both purchased my deluxe bundle, which included in-field training. When we met at the rendezvous site, neither assembled their equipment, explaining that they would prefer to watch me hunt for a while. To me, this was really odd. I mean, most trainees are supremely anxious to begin getting their training. Yet they had no interest in  even opening their boxes. They intensely watched each target recovery. After about 30 targets were recovered, 3 of which were of a gratifying yellow color, they smiled, nodded to one another, and headed back to the truck to assemble their equipment, to begin receiving their training. Curious as to what had transpired, they told me "we had to be sure that a person really can find gold with a metal detector. If you had failed to find any gold, we were going to cancel the purchase. But now we know that these machines actually work...."