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Lunk

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Posts posted by Lunk

    ZEDHEAD

    in Detector Prospector Forum

    Posted

    I decided to take the mighty Zed into an old patch where I haven't been able to scare up even a crumb for the last few years. Some large deep nuggets were originally found there, so I thought I'd try it in the General gold mode and Normal ground type settings. With the sensitivity at 10 there were a few ground noises, but nothing too bad. The first pass through the patch yielded the same results as before...nothing. So then I went over the same ground again, but this time I shifted the Zed into hyperdrive by switching to the High Yield gold mode, and suddenly that elusive gold that I knew was there lit up like the Fourth of July! It was literally like a new patch with several nuggets within a ten foot stretch in one area, or two nuggets in one hole in another. Nothing real big was found, but everything was at depth. The one that really blew me away was a thin four-tenths of a gram nugget at a measured twelve inches that sounded great on top. Though the sensitivity had to be cut back to 8 because of ground noise, the amount of performance was staggering; a fat half ounce between 13 nuggets in just a couple hours, all on a patch that had no gold left...I'll definitely have to go back and grid the entire patch now!

    post-401-0-73838100-1428123310_thumb.jpg

    post-401-0-70311300-1428123373_thumb.jpg

    • Like 8

    Lunk's Zed Settings

    in Minelab Metal Detectors

    Posted

    Hey Lunk, great post! I appreciate your honest settings and tips after many, many hours in the NV gold fields with the ZED. I'll try to use them during the RP training session with Gerry and his team later this month. Hope to see you there,

     

    Bill

    Thanks Bill, and yes I will be training at the 3-day detector training at Rye Patch...see you there!

    Lunk's Zed Settings

    in Minelab Metal Detectors

    Posted

    Lunk,

    The more I experiment with the Audio setting of the GPZ the more I love it, it's and amazing machine. Thanks for sharing and to your continued success of filling every poke bottle in your truck!

    LuckyLundy

    Hey, how did you know I have more than one poke bottle?! I have yet to use the wide-mouthed coffee can poke...let alone the 50 gallon drum poke...

    Indeed though Rick, for a machine with a simplified amount of settings (compared to the GPX range) the Zed's audio functions still provide many different combinations and perrmutations that can surprisingly affect the overall performance of the machine; to me, experimenting in such a situation is a must to squeeze out maximum performance.

    Mitchel: Sorry I missed you; please just shoot me a PM next time you'll be in the area and we'll hook up for a hunt.

    • Popular Post
    • Popular Post

    Lunk's Zed Settings

    in Minelab Metal Detectors

    Posted

    After logging 200 hours behind the Zed pod and unearthing over an ounce of nuggety yellow goodness, I'd like to share my settings with my fellow forum members who would like to take them out for a spin.

    Since settings like the Gold Mode, Ground Type and Sensitivity are dependent on the local conditions where one is detecting, my focus here is mainly the audio settings. As some of you may know, my audio settings for the GPX range of detectors were very unconventional, and it is no different with the GPZ 7000; at first glance these settings may seem counter-intuitive, but give them a try because you may just be pleasantly surprised.

    Before getting into the settings proper, I want to mention that they are intended for use with the supplied WM-12 Wireless Module, utilizing its external speaker. I haven't tried it with headphones yet, so feel free to experiment if you use them.

    I noticed right away that the Zed's pre-set audio out of the box is extremely weak, especially on faint target signals. Using an aftermarket signal enhancer like JP's B&Z booster would work wonders for it, but I surmised that a $10,000 piece of technology would have some kickin' audio amplification and modulation, and the Zed certainly does have!

    It is VERY IMPORTANT to make the adjustments to the audio functions in the order that they are presented below:

    A key component to this audio setup is enhancing the signal via the Volume function, which controls the level of amplification of a target's audio response, relative to its signal strength, so we'll start there: adjust the Volume to 15. This will really amplify any faint signal from very small or deep targets.

    The next audio function is the Threshold Level, which we will adjust to 35. If the threshold level is set too high or too low, faint targets will be missed. A setting of 35 is optimum for this particular combination of audio settings.

    The Threshold Pitch setting is a matter of personal preference, so adjust it to a tone that is comfortable to your own hearing. I personally prefer a setting of 25, as it supplies a nice full tonal range from a booming bassy bottom through to a crisp, clean high tone when a target signal is encountered.

    The next function we will adjust is the Audio Smoothing: set it to High. This may seem counter-productive, but it is essential to getting the most distinct target response possible, nice and crisp. I learned this technique long ago from my mentor Larry Salee, a great detectorist whom some of you may remember from his famed "Zip-Zip" series of publications.

    This leads us on to the next function, Volume Limit, which sets the maximum loudness that a target can make; set too high, it can over-modulate or distort the external speaker and potentially damage your hearing, especially when using headphones. Turn it down to 1, and while swinging the coil over a large metal object such as your pick, gradually increase the setting until the sound is uncomfortably loud; then back it off until the sound is comfortable to listen to. For my hearing, a Volume Limit setting of 3 is perfect.

    In summary, here are my audio settings back to back:

    Volume: 15
    Threshold Level: 35
    Threshold Pitch: 25
    Audio Smoothing: High
    Volume Limit: 3

    This audio set-up works with any combination of Gold Mode and Ground Type settings, and is very stable in conjuction with a Sensitivity setting of anywhere from 8 to 15, depending on local conditions, and provides a pleasant, silky-smooth threshold while at the same time delivering a crisp, distinct target response.

    Please feel free to let me know what you think of these audio settings after giving them a go in your favorite goldfield or nugget patch, especially if you have the oportunity to compare them to your own settings on undisturbed, un-dug targets - preferably gold nuggets!

    Now for those of you interested, I'd also like to share my complete Zed settings for the greater Rye Patch region of northern Nevada; they handle the area's noisy, variable ground found in most nugget patches extremely well. In addition to the above audio settings, they are:

    Gold Mode: High Yield
    Ground Type: Difficult
    Sensitivity: 15
    Ground Balance Mode: Auto

    Thanks for reading, and happy prospecting!

    • Like 13

    So Many Good Choices...

    in Metal Detector Advice & Comparisons

    Posted

    Bada Bing, did you try JP's suggestion here:

    Sounds like there is a fair component of salt in your ground down that way, to get less salt signal try the General Xtra Deep/Difficult mode and increase the Gain/Sensitivity to compensate for signal response reduction. Best way to determine Salt is to lift the coil above knee height, if there's a strong signal as you bring the coil away up to knee height and above then salt is present.

    JP

    ZEDHEAD

    in Detector Prospector Forum

    Posted

    Hey Lunk,

    Congrats on the finds. Sure wish I could be there with you guys. Some day I hope to retire and get to play. :wub::minelab:

    Thanks Rob, sounds like your doing alright with the Zed in AZ during your spare time too, but I'll try to miss a few nuggets just in case you make it up this way.
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