LuckyLundy

“have there been any big (say 10g and up) nuggets found with the GPX6000 yet, anywhere?” GB, There is a huge difference between Australia vs Western States soil mineralization. When the 2300 came out it opened all of our old patches from California to Rye Patch area. Sure nothing huge, the old GP/GPX’s did well on those. The 7000, got what the 2300 couldn’t reach and was/is another break through in filling your poke up. Now, with the information I shared in my report. America’s hottest mineralized patches or new grounds will be where the 6000 shines, places where the ground gave the 7000 a problem. Like not being able to run it in High Yield/Normal with no filters on. Like many Hydro Pits in California to Southern California Desert and Arizona, the 6000 is what you want in your hands. Mild ground conditions, you won’t see a wind fall nuggets feast like we did with the 2300 & 7000’s on old patches (if swinging them correctly). But, like what was discussed above there’s always nuggets left in old patches. The 6000, is what you want in your hands...hands down! Now, if Minelab can have a fix to not hunting close to another 6000...my group can continue to share our labors on future patch discoveries! Rick

Valens, You have to know your ground! Vast majority of Northern Nevada’s nugget patches are shallow. Now, don’t get me wrong! I carry a shovel in my truck or Side X Side and have dug a few holes a little over 2 feet to retrieve deep nuggets. I’m sure back in the Hey Days of Rye Patch with many multi ounce nuggets some where deeper than mentioned with my shovel. But, normally, a foot or less deep. So, scraping a few inches off could make a difference. If you’ve pulled several nuggets out of a patch a foot or more it could be worth the expense of the equipment, fuel, permit, reclaiming push and seeding! For the most part, most gold detectorist search for the next patch instead of rolling the dice on hopes of deeper nuggets. Rick

GC, I’ve been going to Rye Patch for years! Have we ever met? I know you own a 7000 & 6000. I’m not saying all the gold is gone at Rye Patch! My group has over 40 patches there, that we’ve been swinging on for years. I didn’t swing the entire patch of any of the ones i visited, in the story above. Just the sweetest spots! It was 101 at Noon when I left. There’s gold on every patch we know there waiting for a 6000 to find it. Now, would it be enough to put a smile on my face? I’ll find a spot, that will if it ever cools down 😂 LuckyLundy

Mitch, Just means either California side of the hill or more out laying areas of Northern Nevada! I’ll find a new patch and then swing my 7000 over it, to see what the deal is 👍

Recouped from the 4th of July BBQ Party under the new Pergola. I loaded up my truck in the hot driveway and set my sights Eastbound I-80 to the Rye Patch area. Leaving at 1530 hrs (3:30 pm) and looking at my Thermometer on trucks dash bouncing from 99 to 101 for the 1 1/2 drive. I wasn’t smiling but, but eager! I wanted to put my thoughts to the information I received from a couple of my partners who hunted Rye Patch the week before finding 13 nuggets in a day and half, before the heat sent them home. The first spot I hit, was in the shade of the Eugene Mountain, I just hit the area we did best at with the 2300 and 7000’s. No Joy, but a few trash targets! Loaded up and off to the next spot to hunt till dark. This spot we killed the little patch with 2300 and 7000’s. Again, I hunted the heart of the patch! No Joy, with same results! Oh, by now you might be asking what settings was I using. Normal ground, Auto Plus w/Threshold and headphones. Machine was running great with mid day EMI’s down to minimal. I hunted till past dark with no Joy, same results with small trash targets! Putting my partners information together with my current results, I drove off in the Moonless darkness of the high desert to my next location. I’ve been to this area countless times and still missed my turn. I parked on a Patch we camp for the evening. Had some left over Baby Back’s from the party and was enjoying the cool breeze in my face! Up at 0500, boots on and geared up, I hit this patches best spots with no Joy! OK, now to a hottest dirt patch to put our thoughts together! This patch the ground is hot and we never could run the 2300’s on 5, and ran kind of ragged on 4. 7000’s High Yield/Normal was tiresome to your ears and mind to listen for targets! Again, I set my sight to the hot spots of this patch to see the power of the new 6000. I was surprised it would run in the same setting as I was using in the prior milder patches. Running great, in the still cool morning. I swung over to one of the sweet spots of this patch and Bam. Amongst, dozens of old dug holes a nice loud signal. There wasn’t hardly any trash on this patch, but it still had me thinking maybe we dropped something from out trash pouches? A couple boots scraps and looking at the family soil told me it’s not trash. Clearing off the area with my boot so the coil would cover the target. I tested it in different sensitivity setting. Seemed the highest Manual setting was louder than Auto Plus? But, it heard the target down to the lowest setting! Well, time to see what it is, 7 inches down and out, it’s in my hand! A little .549 gram nugget in a sea of dig holes that we pounded. I was impressed! Swung the area well with no other Joy. I swung over to another hot spot of the 2 acres patch. Seeing all the old dig holes, I wondered! I didn’t have to wonder much any longer and I heard a nice sweet little tone familiar to my ears! Couple boot scraps of the fluffy ground cover dirt and down to hard pack dirt! It sounded shallow. A couple more hard boots scraps and the target was out and into my hands a little .152 gram dink. Wow! This 6000 in my mind would be a fresh patch Destroyer! Mild or hot ground, it wouldn’t take long to empty the vault, just keep digging! Ok, the cool morning was evaporating with the Sun well above the Mountains shade lines. I wanted to swing some deep nugget spots on some old patches at Rye Patch that my Partners didn’t have time for. On the Move again, to beat the heat. Donned my gear and swinging on deep nugget ground with 1 bar left on my battery. Machine, still in Max setting and running well with the expected retuning of the rapped rising temperature. No Joy at either of the two different deep patches, I chose at Rye Patch. I didn’t swing the Burn Barrel, but my Partners did and pulled 5 off it the week prior, which they ended their sweat feast 1 1/2 day hunt there! Burn Barrel, will always produce! Well, I agreed with my partners assessments of their hunt to mine! 6000 is not a 7000 killer which Minelab says! But, it’s light weight and deadly and really is sensitive as the amount of little trash pieces I picked up in the heart of several whirlwind patches in this Beat The Heat hunt. I know there is gold left on every patch I stopped at, but I wasn’t there for extended amount of time! So, the patches we want to hit are the ones that gave our 7000’s the most difficult settings problems. My Partners in California, are having a blast in the hot difficult grounds of many Hydraulic Pits where running the 7000 in High Yield/Normal was impossible. So, no your ground with the 6000 for best results. Until the next Hunt! LuckyLundy

WTG! 👍 Rick

Mitch, A few where right in the heart of the patch, that we pounded. I know I don’t get every nugget out of a patch, but I do stop going to them if I can’t find anymore and this is one of them old patches!

These are today’s freshly dug nuggets from a Patch that’s had every metal detector known to man swing on it! My Buddy, is enjoying his 6000 to say the least. NorCal, Hydro Pit!

Of Course, I use to enjoy a nice cool Creek in the hot California Summers. Those days are long gone, I’m sure of? I’ve chunked a mountain of Cobbles to get to bedrock to see crevices stuffed with nuggets...miss that part of dredging.

Joe D, Your right! Covid Shot 😂 Flak, I’ve lived and worked in the heat. Before I joined the Military I was a Roofer in Arizona...one hot day on top of a Apartment Building Roof, I seen a Air Force Recruiters Office across the street. I found myself enjoying their Air Conditioned waiting room eating my lunch! Long story short, I still enjoy Air Conditioning and a hot patch of fresh nugget! Rick

Condor, Glad, you pointed me to your post I over looked! Art, is a great detectorist and picked up Nugget Shooting well with his years of Coin Shooting old home sites in Pennsylvania. He did learn to stay in the area I outlined and has helped him put a rattle in his poke. It’s a tough deal to loose a Spouse in mid life, may she, Rest In Peace. I look forward to his next Prospecting trip out West and his since of Humor that only another Fellow Veteran can understand. Rick

Valens, I really tried to keep her eyes off my Man Shed, but she had to put them flowers under my Window! Always something next, as you well know. Swegin, Rim Rock Detectors, moved to Arizona! Way to many Minelab Dealers to move the business with him. I’d like to think, I’ve search thru Steve’s Forum on how to delete that! Can’t find it and of course forgot how I got it there! If that was a patch of gold I’d know who to fix it, lol. Our group, moved our Minelab needs to Doc Detecting Supply. LuckyLundy

Strut, I'm no Electrical Engineer, it is what it is! Gold Catcher I hope I’m done, that backyard digs into my Beer Money! 😂. Glad to hear the batteries may last longer with progressive charging. But two is a must, for multi day hunts. Rick

What a time for the new GPX 6000 to arrive in the middle of Summers heat waves! Well members of our group couldn’t wait a day longer with their batteries fully charged on the 6000. Heat or not they found nuggets from Arizona, California and Rye Patch. As I, was busy in the backyard with Honey-do’s! As I, was doing my thing, the Boyz where filling me in on what they liked about the 6000 and what they didn’t from the Goldfields to my backyard! One was the Battery doesn’t last for a full day of Summer Swinging! Another, was even though super light weight hanging onto 4 pounds all day you need a Bungee System! We have extra batteries in order. The GPZ 7000 Harness is a hot one as I was thinking! I have something I’ve had for years somewhere in my garage! I found it, fitted it on and added a bungee on the 6000. I gave it a whirl around my garage! It’s from Doc’s Detecting Supply same place our new GPX 6000’s came from, it called “The Swingy Thing.” I tell you my arm even swinging the Monster needs a break now and then. Anyways, The Swingy Thing is super lightweight and has Alligator strength Clips to fasten to your pants like a pair of Suspenders! Should help out on Plumbers Cracks too! 😂 Also, seems the 6000 doesn’t like to swing next to other 6000’s. I asked my Partners how bad, well it seems no more patch sharing in close (25 yard) tight patches! Anyways, the Boyz are happy with the nuggets their finding on our old patches! Here’s to some new patches! I’m ready to hit the Goldfields and hopefully no more big chores around our new home in Reno. LuckyLundy

🤗

Skookum, I dream often of Prospecting adventures! Some have given me insight to fulfillment with and X in my GPS. The 6000, for the little time I spent behind it was amazing! On a old patch in 10 minutes I had 3 dink’s, I quickly handed it off to the caretaker (Condor) so I could float down from the clouds. Amazing machine, that will keep you up at night chasing the next nugget out in your sleep! Rick

Norvic, There will be a ton of American Prospectors changing their minds. Once they get their hands on one and find the advantages of the 6000 vs what they are swinging now. That old adage of “You can lead a Horse to Water, but you can’t make it drink” will come to light. I was out with Steve’s 6000 only for a day and a half. Seen a nice little poke of nuggets found with it during that time! I didn’t compare any targets against the 7000, but it handled the Salty ground way better at the highest manual setting and normal timing. I was suffering in High Yield/Normal with my 7000 and the 6000 was purring like a kitten. The lower section of the patch was just unusable with my 7000, sure it could have dumbed it down. But the 6000, ran well in that harsh ground. There’s only a small percentage of Prospectors that constantly find gold and with a 6000 in my hands, I’m sure I’ll continue too! There’s still gold to find with the older Minelab Models...but, I can’t imagine the amount I left in my old patches that my 2300 & 7000 cleaned up on. Here’s to less 6000’s in the Gold Fields and more smiles and fatter pokes to those that do! LuckyLundy

GC, Thats a good drive! I can’t get past Las Vegas or Laughlin, NV to visit my Folks in Mesa. Always, a 3 day trip to get to Arizona Home grounds for me, lol. My buddies down there now are roasting and crack of dawn hunts are what’s norm this time of year down there. Of course, it’s no bargain anywhere out West at the moment! I’ll make a morning trip to Rye Patch...but, will be looking more at Sierra & Plumas Counties in the High Woods of California Until it cools down in the High Deserts, no trees to cool off under out there 😂. Rick

Ok, I’m officially getting excited! I seen someone posted this a few weeks back. I’ve ordered one from Doc’s Detecting! Of course it’s Summer temps out in Northern Nevada! So, I might hit a few of my high country spots in nearby California!

It’s True! 🤗

WTG! Great job with that new Coil. Rick

Jeff, Congratulations! You’ll enjoy your new Monster. Rick

Memorial Day! Coming from a long history of Family Military Service, I learned early that it’s for the Veterans that never returned Home. My Grandpa, corrected me at a young age...”It’s not Happy Memorial Day, but it’s a Good Day”. His words rang true, as I visited many American War Fallen Cemeteries in European Countries during my tours of duty. Now that I’m a US Air Force Retiree, the old Military saying of “We All Gave, But Some Gave More”, rings loud and clear on this Good Memorial Day. Now, I live in the “Battle Born State” unofficially the “Silver State” or “Sage Brush State”. Well living in the 7th largest land mass State, you have to have a modern Mule to battle the Sage Brush to find the hidden treasures of the Silver State. My Kolpin ATV Gun Racks carry my Detectors and yes, the clean ones next to the roof are brand new. My Buggy is Ruff & Ready! If you see it in your Prospecting adventures, swing by. I may need some company on a hot patch and always have a pointy finger to other nearby locations! Good Memorial Day, LuckyLundy

Solitude, has led me on countless pokes of nuggets! The soothing silence of the open spaces help me put a Career in the Military to ease. I become one with my Metal Detector and never second guess my intuition when I’m in the zone. They say, Gold is where you find it and Metal Detecting the High Desert plains of Northern Nevada is a prime example. As many of you know, there’s a layer of soil covering the indicator rocks I look for in many different locations. It makes Patch Hunting a challenge as you may wonder out of your prime dirt area, if there is no bare spots showing rocks to keep you on track. So, Patch Hunting is time consuming and can be worth the time and effort. One Patch will lead to the next if you pay attention to the indicators, Mother Nature hides her treasures well. So, keep swinging that coil you never know where that next Patch will be at! LuckyLundy