Aureous

2 minutes ago, Gold Catcher said:

Definitely some good stuff coming. But to significantly outperform the GPZ something majorly has to happen. I don't know to what extent ZVT can be further improved, but it is hard to imagine that there will be a detector that blows the GPZ out of the water. Also, it is harder and harder to find gold that was not already picked up by the very good machines that exist today. I guess every detector generation went through this cycle of "there can't be possibly something better". But unless something earthshaking is happening technology wise the margins will remain slim.

GC

I remember this exact same argument being offered when the GP3000 came out. It only takes a 10% improvement in either depth or circuitry efficiency to achieve a performance increase relative to the amount of gold in our pockets. I'm still going over the same ground I detected almost 40 years ago....and I well remember telling myself back then: "I've found all the gold here, there's nuthin left".  Just a couple days ago, I was detecting a patch that was dozed and detected back in the late 90's and then rehab'd. I bet they thought they got it all then too, using SD2200's. The result was 5.5 grams. It was also a spot I'd detected heavily back over 10 years ago, resulting in almost an ounce. So, it doesn't take much improvement to get results....

3 minutes ago, Gold Catcher said:

I remain curios to what extend the new GPZ will find what the old one didn't, leave aside ergonomics and weight. The current GPZ is a pretty darn good machine. Beating it is currently only possible with the GPX6000 on very small gold. For the new GPZ to beat the old one, and pay for itself with gold the old GPZ did not find, will be a very tall order.

Just my 2 c

GC

The qualities, tech and engineering are already quantified to achieve this extra performance. These parameters have already been supplied to Nokta who are working on their upcoming prospecting PI detector. Code timings bias have a big role to play, along with coil energy increase and timing saturation to 'energize' deeper gold. Matching the correct types of coil design to these timings is also a large % of the potential increase. 

So, not actually a 'tall order', its a series of advances that were on paper several years ago and yet to be realized into an actual detector. Time will tell which company brings these parameters into fruition. I'm betting on Nokta being first, provided they add ALL of the key elements into the one machine. This will be the only way that Minelab and Garrett will be forced to 'catch up'. You can bet Nokta will release something way cheaper than the other 2 world players will compete with. I'm hoping (perhaps vainly) that this could be the 'big reset' in the Gold prospecting detector market.

2 hours ago, Gerry in Idaho said:

Australia (Kalgoorlie area) did not have any dredge tailing piles that I found.

Gerry, as a general 'rule of thumb', any dredging activity needs water..... Kalgoorlie is a semi-arid region where water is a very precious commodity as you may recall... But you're absolutely right, the transition to a new country, learning the ground, mining regulations, cost of getting there etc etc....not worth the effort to actually expect to make a profit coming from the USA. Its not like the 80's or 90's where you could reasonably expect to make serious $$. Those days are gone, sadly. But to experience it as a bucket list kinda thing, go for it! I want to come to Nth America one day and do the same.

There is so much wrong, excluded or delusional about that 'article'....not something that could be relied upon. It looks like some half wit spent a day selecting various inane, pointless and misleading web-page quotes and assembled them in a mish-mash article. Clearly no understanding of the subject matter. 

On 9/1/2023 at 9:56 PM, Gold Catcher said:

I think they know that in the $10,000+ price class just better ergonomics won't cut it.

In-field performance needs to show an improvement and the ability to find more gold for the end-user. A big ML price tag means that the machine needs to pay for itself. The GPX6000 certainly does that....mine has paid for itself 3x over now in only 15 months. Last year I found 774 bits of gold and already so far this year I'm at over 1,000 bits. The new GPZ needs to show this kind of ability.....plus ergonomics and comfort. For starters, the weight needs to come down to the GPX6000's kinda level for me to even think about getting one. As usual, we'll see......

Note that this report has no development timeline as in previous reports in previous years.... The GPZ replacement has already had the bulk of its development costs already spent so all that remains is the 'right timing' to release it, provided that the field-test units are performing as anticipated. A new competitor PI prospecting detector, general revenue decline or overall Minelab PI sales dipping should be the trigger point for release. Perhaps something will appear in the AGM report in late October. Failing that, we wait for FY 24/25 lol.

17 hours ago, Norvic said:

Scratching my head with what happened and doubt I`ll ever know.

Methinks probably the smashing to death of the Taipan with the Axiom had sumthin to do with it....  When you dispatch the world's deadliest snake and the detector still works, it says sumthin.... 😉 

16 hours ago, phrunt said:

The area of the coil outside of the red line marked with the X is completely dead on very small targets, the target needs to get beyond the windings to the inner area of the coil to respond.  I maybe a bit generous with my red line as it seemed with the nose of the coil the gold was under the sticker before it would respond.

This is a bit of a typical spiral coil thing, my 14x9" NF EVO was where I first experienced this with the centre of the coil being the most sensitive area, but I was a little surprised as I hadn't noticed the same on the stock 11" nor the Coiltek 10x5", I'll have to check that now but it means it's not an ideal coil for rocky areas for me with no edge sensitivity on small gold.

The Exceed is a multi-layer rectangular winding....squarish if you like. Its set about an inch into the cel-foam former from the coil shell edge. On mine, the pinpoint ability with tiny targets starts at the inch (25mm) from the edge...roughly where your 'X' is shown. I still think the Exceed is better at EMI rejection than any Coiltek coil. I can get closer to powerlines with perhaps a 25% improvement over all other mono 6000 coils Ive tried. For rocky areas or old diggings, the 10x5 Goldhawk is currently the only coil I use. The Exceed 12x7 is used for ALL other detecting options. This will no doubt change when the 15x10 Exceed becomes available.

6 hours ago, Chet said:

Interference is caused by the internal pinpointer tuned coil. It can be eliminated by shielding it with an aluminum foil lined holster.

Another great use for the copper tape. A friend had a cheap Digitech pinpointer that had this issue. Solved by lining the holster with copper tape.

....as a side note, has anyone seen any ML reference to this product in their FY 23/24 literature? I know its only a minor product in their line-up, but it goes to show that not everything they bring to market has a multi-month 'unveil' period. We're all still waiting on the GPZ replacement of course.....but thats gonna be a big woohoo 'whole shebang' type song and dance show when that happens. Waiting on the FY 23/24 report to be released to the public. Supposedly next month.

Theres a Minelab Pro Find 40 available now.....hopefully they have solved most of the issues...

Isn't there an embargo on Russian products? I suspect you cant buy direct from Russia due to payment issues anyway. Source from Kazakh, Poland etc most likely.

7 hours ago, phrunt said:

I have a Sphinx 03 on it's way to me now

Ha, if its new and novel, we can always rely on Simon to buy one and let us all know how good it is! 

1 hour ago, GotAU? said:

When my warranty runs out that may be a project too- just need to get adhesive backed conductive metal foil tape that can be soldered for grounding and with adhesive that can stand the heat of the sun on that dark cover, else paint the cover all white! 😆

Copper tape is available everywhere, common for shielding electric guitars. I got mine from Ebay for about $10 a roll.

Simplest way is to shield like a coil, except using copper tape. Once your box cover (or entire control box) is covered in the tape, run a screen wire (fine fuse wire works great) diagonally or zig zag to touch and connect every individual piece of copper tape and then use masking tape or cloth tape to secure the screen wire in place. Then solder or connect the end of the screen wire to your internal shield connection. The screen wire ensures that your overall shielding is resistance-uniform. It averages the resistance across the whole coverage. Next time I'm in Bendigo, I'll ask the ML technician there if he's up for allowing an internal shield connection to be externally connectable. If an official tech does it, it wont void the warranty....in theory... 

One of ML's biggest failures is that they dont attribute much weight to shielding issues. There are several noted examples in the past and currently that show electronic 'noise/EMI' from part of the internal circuitry that is inhibiting other parts of the circuitry. Shielding is either minimal or non-existent. 

The control box shielding on the 6000 is woeful. Basic graphite paint as per usual. A copper shield with a painted isolate would make heaps more sense and only cost a few extra cents. My copper taped CB cover improves perhaps 15%+ of noise reduction which is proof of concept (at least to my ears). One day I'll get a ML tech to create an active shield wire that protrudes out of the Control Box. I can then actively connect my exterior copper shield to the internal one. One day...

Oh, and their customer relations suck...  Love the 6000 though, for all its faults its an awesome detector. I found 774 bits of gold last year and already for this year, here in July, I'm up to almost 800. 

2 hours ago, Nedkelly said:

Yes , Miners Den . Hope your right and they do get priority because I don't think I can hold my breath much longer. Sometimes I think I've been scammed, no updates or communication at all.

 

Until Rohan & Co announce the 'ballpark' release date, there's little to update. Its happening....the prototypes were built and field tested but the delays caused by Minelab and the chip wiring diagram fiasco have set back the whole shebang by some months 😞 

3 hours ago, Nedkelly said:

Good question,  I'm still patiently waiting for the 16x10 exceed that I paid for almost 12 months ago

With the huge demand for the 12x7, expect later this year.... Sept earliest. Did you buy via Miners Den? Anyone pre-purchasing via them will get priority due to the proximity of MD head office and the NF factory.

4 hours ago, Goldseeker5000 said:

The 12x7 is by far the most stable coil out so far for the 6000

No question.... Agree 100%. I think a smaller DD in AI mode could beat it though lol. Prob have to wait a year for that though 😞 

6 hours ago, phrunt said:

I find it hard to pick up the 6000 though when the 7000 is staring at me like I'm cheating on it

I know that feeling..... not so long ago I owned 4 detectors and choosing only one felt like a betrayal to the others lol

3 minutes ago, davsgold said:

but can you do some kind of comparison between the the new 12x7 and the original 11" standard mono coil

What makes the biggest difference between the stock coil and the 12x7 is the winding type, the shielding quality and the 'footprint'.... The stock coil is a flat-wound mono (with some winding defects thrown in) which accentuates the ground noise signal. The shielding quality is low (less than half the ohms what it should be) and unequal with an ineffective screen wire. The footprint is 11" width versus 7" although the overall sq Inch is similar. That narrow width in conjunction with correct shielding and a more sensible & effective winding type (overlaid square bundle) makes for a far superior coil with a lot less ground signal for the processor to combat and pluck audible signals from. I've said it before....the stock 11" is a junk coil compared to the Coiltek and NF offerings. It works, but not well.

Well done on the 1/2oz per week average, I got half that here in Vic over the course of my 1st 3 months on the 6000. 

Checking my diary, I can see that I haven't switched over to the 12x7 for a couple months, so here's a selection of purely 10x5 gold found since May.....all on old ground that Ive already hit hard previously.

I have both the 10x5 and the 12x7. The 12x7 wins with EMI rejection and depth on medium to larger sized targets (say half .22 bullet and up) but the 10x5 wins thru sheer sensitivity and smaller size for getting closer to the ground and between rocks, bushes, sticks etc. Ive found almost 700 bits of gold so far in 2023 and 75% have been with the 10x5 on spots Ive flogged to hell previously. Horses for courses....the 12x7 gets used for open terrain and covering more ground quickly. For everything else, the 10x5 stays attached. When the 8x6 NF mono is released, the evaluation begins anew.....

My 2cW.... yes that was painful to watch. Made me wish I was there and get the target within a few seconds. Ive seen vids where other Axiom owners turn the coil USD to get a better response (Steve) but I see that as a minor detraction....annoying but tolerable. Ive done numerous tests with the SDC on tiny targets heard with other detectors and the ground balance needs about 5-10 seconds of swinging to get an accurate lock with the tracking system. A forced GB would have helped in that instance. The 10x5 mono is equally as sensitive as the 8" stock coil but is far more effective in handling ground and allows better depth on tiny targets....the size is smaller and the 'footprint' is smaller, meaning less ground noise for the processor to pluck targets out of the receive signal. Everyone I know who changed to a 10x5 on the 2300 significantly increased their small gold take....its like a supercharger. The SP-01 amp adds a noticeable % of performance as well.....Nenad did a wonderful job on both the audio patch lead and the Sp amp for the 2300. I am about to add another 2300 as a backup unit and for when the Brother visits to go detecting with me. I would never consider using/owning a 2300 without the 10x5 coil, headphone/audio patch lead and the SP-01. Its like driving a car and only getting as far as 3rd gear....

Always lots of tid-bits of info inside these reports and I'm guessing its due sometime in July? Current and ex investors normally get the juice early....