Off Grid

Jeff Thanks these comparisons. I know Steve and others have cautioned about comparitive tests in the past, and with good reason, but some data is always better then no data. I recall you had good things to say about the Legend some time back so I've decided to get one to back up (or take over from) my trusty GB2 that at 71 kHz probably has left stuff in the ground in my patches. One question. What is the makeup of the AZ dirt that you used? It looks like weathered granite wash to me. If you were to run a fridge magnet over it what percentage of magnetics would you get? Other stuff?? I was thinking of trying to replicate it, see if I get your results, run the GB2 over it and then add to your data. Be a while, mid-year or so. Of course there's probably someone down the street from you with a GB2 already 🙂.`

Why did you choose the ATX rather than the Axiom? If you are going to try out an Infinium coil with the ATX make sure there is zero cable movement relative to the coil. The slightest movement will make the coil noisy (as I found out. 101 stuff I know, 😬). After fixing that snafu if anything the Axiom was quieter than the closed ATX DD.

Search "mylonite textures" on Google and have a look at the images.

My GB2 with the 10" coil is still my workhorse detector and I never used the 6" until recently. The 6" did find very small gold in an area that the 10" no longer produced from. Say, another 2grams from where the 10" had found forty. I think the main reason for the extra was the 6" could get into spots the 10" couldn't. Prior to the GB2 I had the original GB with the 6" and the 14" and my limited experience with that was that, all other things being equal, any depth gain from the larger coil was more than offset by the fact that in patch hunting it was, on average, further off the ground to avoid legions of small bushes and rocks. If you are in WA say detecting a gravel strewn billiard table I guess that wouldn't matter as much. I've thought about getting a 14" for the GB2 as well but when the price delivered South Africa isabout 3x US price I'm not that interested. The theoretical depth gain over the 10" is about 5% (15% over the 6"). A lot less than than scan height loss. Yes, you can kick the rocks aside at a huge loss in ground covered per day. In my case I'm not usually short of ground to cover but I am short of time and energy. I do have the 13" DD on my ATX and so far I never found anything with it that the GB2 10" couldn't also detect but I do have bone dry, low mineral, thin soil. Perfect for the GB2. My advice? Take the wrapping off your 10" coil and try it on an area the 6" thas already thrashed. If that works buy the 14". If that doesn't work let me know and maybe I'll buy it off you. Put it in a padded envelope and post it. There's a 25% chance it won't get stolen en route. Glad to hear there's still GB2 believers out there. I was getting lonely.

Probably vesicular basalt with zeolite crystals

Are they more sensitive than even a GB2 with the 6" coil and running at 71 kHz ?? I thought that, because of the frequency, the GB2 was hard to beat on very small gold.

I'd leave it be Steve. I've had a shot are identifying the specimen once or twice. They can be interesting to the person responding and maybe educational. I still cringe when, as a geologist, I overthought one post that turned out to be quartz 🤐

Reg, these days there are likely more expat South Africans in Aussie than there are left in South Africa so there can't be a butcher far from you that doesn't stock biltong and/or droewors (dried sausage). Ambrosia! Suspend disbelief and try some. Ostrich if you can get it. On my trips (usually about a week and under pretty rough conditions) I tend to pack a couple of whole salamis, sardines, hard boiled eggs, oranges and dried fruit for the field. The biltong has usually disappeared within 200km of leaving home. Pasta and a variety of bottled sauces for camp. Always open to other ideas.....

If the density is correct then my guess would be impure barite. If you have access to a really hot flame, like a brazing torch, stick a corner of your rock into it. If you get a pale green flame it's barite. If your density is high then maybe magnesite (3-3.2).

Boot nails are one thing but I figure that firing off No.5 birdshot in gold-bearing areas should be a capital offence.

Thanks for the post Phrunt. I was really interested to see the incremental finds from this patch. The nuggets look more elluvial than alluvial; is that so? Any idea to what extent the extra finds were due to the 6000 & 7000 seeing deeper in previously searched ground, the size of the patch expanding over time or something else?

Thanks for these replies, very useful. Like much else, this topic was all done and dusted long before I joined the forum. Being a retro sort and a GB-junkie it looks like I need to add a GB Pro to my collection.

This recent video features the Nemo. If I were 20 years younger I'd be tempted but dry-land detecting is my limit these days. They earn every gram they find.

I don't recognize the detector but I do recognize the general setup. They are probably chasing vein gold. If it was alluvial under thick overburden you'd see it blocked out into little squares. The first guy down to the gravel wins as he's tempted to skim his neighbours reserves. Of course they are aware of this so it only works when the gravel is below the water table (I'm not kidding). Take a deep breath dive, grab gravel, surface, repeat to fill bucket. Sniping Africa-style. It's a measure of desperation I guess. At one locality in Angola back in the day some genius decided to make an underwater crosscut with predictable results. The whole digging was then abandoned because of the dead spirits.

It's an enduring mystery to me why anyone in their right mind would take jewelry to the beach in the first place.