anguilla1980

Thanks a lot for the advice everyone, much appreciated! It's given me much more to think about and consider. Good thing I asked before making the purchase.

I live in CA in an area where there are literally 1,000s of old gold mines. I have the gold bug and I've saved up to buy a GPZ 7000 specifically for detecting inside old mines for rich quartz ore and outside for buried nuggets (mostly the later). This will be my very first metal detector and I'd like to know if there are any "must-have" accessories or this particular detector for what I'll be doing? There seems to be a never-ending list of accessories and I don't want to waste money I don't have, nor do I want to cut myself short after buying the best. Also, separate from the detection rig, what other accessories are a must? I'd like to find a pick/shovel combination, an over the shoulder bag. I already have a hardhat with a light, spare flashlight, and a canteen. I'm also the sort of guy that will be refining the gold myself prior to sale to obtain the most value (unless it's a gorgeous nugget to sell as-is). I'll be doing a crushing > nitric acid > aqua regia > smelting > casting small bars setup. Of course, I won't invest in any of that until I have enough ounces of gold to start and pay for itself. Thanks in advance! This is going to be a weekend hobby for my 16 year old son and I as the next step of the mine exploring we have been doing for years.