Lunk

Awesome haul, WTG!

Good job you guys!

Lots of great information and resources there, thanks Clay Diggins; I’ve never seen the other side of things, just what I’ve read from other meteorite hunters. Looks like there is plenty of ammunition for both sides of the matter, but it appears that ultimately the courts have the final say.

Okay Barry, it seems that the courts have ammended the common laws of property to decide meteorite ownership cases, but it is certain that the federal government has asserted that a meteorite does not qualify as a “valuable mineral” as defined under the 1872 Mining Law. So I would now have to say that the legality of collecting meteorites on federal land containing a mineral claim would have to ultimately be decided by the courts. I for one would approach the claim owner beforehand to avoid any misunderstandings.

Meteorites found on public land actually belong to the Smithsonian Institution as laid out in the meteorite law. Being a meteorite hunter myself, I know there are definitely meteorite laws in the United States, and they have been used in court battles over meteorite ownership disputes. And also: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteorite_hunter

This is a common misperception and simply is not the case; the meteorite laws in the U.S. clearly state that since meteorites are not part of the earthly estate of minerals, they are not locatable under the mining law and belong to the owner of the land they are found on. https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/uploads/MediaCenter_PublicRoom_Nevada_Meteorites1.pdf

The laws regarding meteorite ownership in the U.S. are very clear, and it has nothing to do with the mineral rights: a meteorite legally belongs to the owner of the land it is found on. So technically on public land that has a mineral claim, one has the right to search for and collect meteorites. But since meteorite law is not common knowledge, trying to convince a claim owner that sees you detecting for meteorites on his gold claim could be problematic! However, there are new BLM rules in place that allow only a certain amount to be collected per person per year. Not only that, but if the collection of meteorites on BLM land is for commercial purposes, i.e., with the intent to sell the meteorites, then a permit must be obtained, the cost of which is set by the local BLM office.

Gerry McMullen also offers training classes in the Sumpter area in Oregon, and we train you regardless of where you purchased your detector.

They are both excellent nugget detectors, however the Gold Monster has the edge in mineralized ground, is very user friendly with it’s fully automatic operation, comes with two coils and costs less.

Jin, since nobody has commented on your post, I just thought I'd mention that you are correct in guessing that the threshold in the video is not that of the SDC 2300; I would recognize that sound in my sleep.

Thanks for the additional information, Phoenix; sounds like once all the details are worked out, the end product should be a winner. And just to be clear, I never doubted that you had seen the prototype...I always give people the benefit of the doubt and take them at their word...I was just fishing for more information about the subject. Well, I guess I have certainly ignited the discussion on this topic that I was looking for!? Cheers

So one solution to the problem would be to produce some sort of coil mount that fits onto the end of the lower shaft. And I’m assuming that the new coils have their own unique electrical connector that plugs into the SDC; if they didn’t, why develop new coils when there is already a plethora if mono loop coils of various suzes and configurations available on the market. Just conjecture at this point...?

No worries Steve.?

Thanks Steve, I stand corrected. But even at that, like you said, there is the warranty issue. And is the coil manufacturerer going to come up with a simple way to attach these coils for those of us that are mechanically handicapped?

Steve, looks like we were both posting the same thoughts at the same time, lol!?

Phoenix, While it would be nice to have other coils available for the SDC, I am just surprised that there has been no discussion about the obvious difficulties associated with replacing the 2300s stock coil, which is electrically hard wired to the unit, as well as being mechanically difficult to remove. Not to mention doing so would void the warranty. Also, I haven’t seen any mention of what company or individual(s) is developing these coils. Did I miss a post about this somewhere? Cheers

Okay, I can’t be the only one who sees the elephant in the room here...?

That’s a hard-won nugget Mitchel, you get an “A” for effort!!

Totally stonkered!???

WTG Chris, that's a dandy!

Amazing speci, Dave. Can’t wait to get down there! Oh, and welcome aboard the forum...it’s good to see you posting here, amigo.

There’s no probably about it...we can train you with any gold machine. Well, anything but a LRL anyway...?

I wouldn’t be surprised, Steve. I’ve seen more than one sign of an early winter. Hope to see you there.

Thanks for that post, Steve. Yes, anyone is welcome to sign up for Gerry’s detector training classes, even if they did not buy their detector from him. I personally struggled to find my first gold nugget with a metal detector on my own - it took nearly two years - and sure wish a training class like Gerry’s was available back then, so I really enjoy being a member of Gerry’s experienced training staff and helping folks learn their detectors and teaching them the tips and tricks to quickly Increase their chances of finding their first nugget.

Good point Steve. Since my GM has the falsing, I'll be sending it into Minelab, but not until they figure out exactly what the problem is caused by; I'm having too much fun finding gold with it to send it in just yet. ?