Aureous

One very good suggestion that Ive heard for massive ground coverage is..... <wait for it>.... Buy a QED and mount one of the affore-mentioned large ellip mono's onto it. They are the lightest PI detector out there and if you buy one for the single intention of chasing patches with one coil, its a killer outfit. No need to change the settings of the detector, just set it up once (for the one task) and use it that way always. Cheap, lightweight and ya can swing it all day long.....

I've helped a couple of mates build a drag coil. Issues that arise are: Getting the coil windings to the correct spec when dealing with large sizes. Getting the shielding values correct. Allowing for a longer than normal lead (which alters said specs). Getting the ideal size calculated due to the GPX's ground tracking ability not keeping up with large coils (as Reg has said). Finding the ideal matting material to mount the coil to and bonding it well enuff to stay on for the duration. When dealing with these issues, it becomes quickly apparent that they are always towed from a quad bike or larger vehicle due to the weight of the coil and mat. The lightest one I've ever seen was about 8 kilos. The heavy rubber matting is required to sustain wear from dragging (which is multiple times more abrasive than swinging). Mounting the coil to your body and dragging will never be a comfy option. One fellow I knew even used an old Postie bike to some effect so ya dont need any large vehicle. So, when taking into account the fact that you need a vehicle and THAT requires the electrics of that vehicle to be nullified, you are left with an AI design. This design assists with the ground balance effect also. But a bit of sensitivity is lost. Best option for ground coverage Ive ever seen is to get a 24" elliptical mono and train yourself to efficiently swing at a brisk walking pace. The 30x7 NF patch mono is also a great option. Geof is correct in that a lot of great patches are missed due to the lack of sensitivity in drag coils. This is something that the large ellip monos mentioned above are great at.

Seems like an odd and rare event, in all my years of detecting I've never seen nor had a thorn do that. Am thinking maybe a split had already occurred and the thorn just wedged in it??? Outer sheath damage occurs a lot with people who don't wrap their cables well enuff and allow the cable to flop around....you'd be amazed at just how much damage occurs over time even with just vibration from knocking on rocks etc. The inlet point of the cable into the coil is often the worst affected from internal wire breakage and outer sheath damage. Rocks can also damage the sheath....ya just gotta be unlucky I suppose. But, for years I've shown people how to wrap their coil cables and allow a bend in the last few inches next to the coil to allow for flexing when the coil angle is altered. Takes a bit of time, but keeps the coil at its best for a longer period.

The ONLY APTX LL system I've ever personally used that IS fast and I will always use, is the system that comes with the GPX6000. If anything is slower than that, I wouldn't use it....nor recommend it to a family member or friend. I'll have to look into the Garrett system and check out the specs. Thanks Knomad :-)

I've tried a few of the Cheap Chinese transmitters and even Avantree and Mpow branded ones are NOT Low Latency. To my ears, they are waaay too slow for Pulse Induction prospecting detectors. Ive wasted several hundred dollars trialing the cheap ones and done my dough on all of 'em. Appreciate the feedback on the Quest products though....seems like ya gotta be real careful with the charging connections ports?

Awesome, thanks. Have you had personal experience with this kit on an SDC or know someone who has??? Many years ago when I owned my own SDC, I tried another type of transmitter with the same brand headphones and it was woeful. It not only lagged too much but it lost the detector a large degree of sensitivity (the whole point of owning an SDC). I know if the GPZ's are successful with it, then the SDC should follow suit....but its always good to know that someone else has done the 'hard yards' before you. <Huge thumbs Up>

I've been told the Same, it works but mine is still noisy and has altered sensitivity spots. Compared to the Coiltek and NF offerings, its poor.

The stock 11" is a junk coil. I've seen 2 cut open now and the shielding is poor (40-65 ohms per inch and an entire width measurement of only 50 ohms on one in particular). The bunch windings had bulges in them both, some almost a cm wide. This explains the noise and the altered sensitivity in sectional areas of the the coil. A chip on one had a re-soldered joint where the pcb etching was destroyed. Amazed it still worked TBH..... If the first 2 are anything to go by, it seems likely that the stock coils were made by the lowest bidder in Malaysia. Both of these 2 coils would have been rejected by any QC team in Australia, Japan, USA or EU. Thankfully we have the Coiltek and NF coils now.....I haven't used either of the ML coils since owning a 12x7 and a 10x5. Just need a smaller DD coil and the NF 16x10 to complete the arsenal.

Thanks NE, I could just message Nenad (Phase Technical) for confirmation but I'll wait for his input here so that everyone else can obtain the info from him also. Cheers for the suggestion <thumbs up>

Has anyone in this big blue world converted their 2300 for use with true APTX LL wireless transmitter & headphones?? Not looking for 'maybes' or 'perhaps', but actual 2300 users who have actually 'been there, done that'. Someone who have found a pairing of gear that uses the Qualcomm APTX-LL system and uses it to good effect. A family member wants to do away with the wired headphones. I expect he will need the Phase technical headphone adapter to start with, but a bit of advice for what gear actually works in a fast fashion would be ideal. Thanks in advance

As long as you don't use an Optus-based carrier, YES. Tibooburra phone signal coverage

Ethan, your best bet is Tibooburra. Comfy place at the Van park or at the National park camp ground. Walking distance to gold at either spot. Obviously the van park is more amenable, being right in town. Fees are applicable to detect on 2 stations plus a lower fee for the town common. All the fees are payable at the roadhouse nowadays. Your GPX6000 will be the go-to detector, get yourself a 10x5 or 12x7 mono coil and crank it up to auto 1 and try 'normal' mode. Listen for whisper signals. Your 7000 will only be useful in creek beds and sandy flats where its depth advantage will be suited. The gold is generally small <1gram but good operators can often find 1-2 grams a day even on the common. Tibooburra &nbsp;accom

I can use all those high frequency VLF's, coz I started back in the 'good ole days' when thats all we had, just like Steve. But the 2300 and the 6000 (and maybe the Axiom) have pretty much dealt a death blow to all VLF prospecting detectors. Ive used a Nox800 and loved its performance as a true all-round detector. With the 6" coil on it, its easily a close or exact match for all other HF VLF units now available. Ive been buying too much other camping junk lately to buy one but soon......

I started detecting in 1981 and only used low-end TR machines on the beach, which was very financially rewarding. But when a school friend showed me the gold his family got in WA (it was kilos), I went gold crazy lol. My Family moved to a near-gold location and I bought an older version Garrett which was (unknowing to me), totally impractical for Goldfield use. After some advice from a detector shop, I got the Garrett modified and after a quick trip to Tibooburra, I was finally on the board! Only .2gm and several more afterwards. Only 2 years after starting detecting I was regularly finding gold. By 1986 I had over 5,000 pieces to my name. So, I suppose after actually obtaining a useful gold-finding detector, it was only 3 months from go to whoa..... If only I realized just how much gold I was walking over.....if only I knew then what I know now

The field Im referring to is NOT the geomagnetic field but a 'flux' type field that is resultant from the spinning of the Earth. It is present horizontal to the Earth plane. So when you tilt a coil, the field flows into it. On a micron level, Copper appears to have a higher shielding 'rate' than lead. Also half the weight

Surface Quartz is a good start, it means that any gold bearing gravels are not too deep for a detector to scan. An old saying is "Gold is where you find it" meaning that even terrible looking ground sometimes has gold too. Local information is key....if you know anyone there, ask them.

True story....my Father rode through Wedderburn during the 'Main street Goldrush' around when this video was taken. It was at dusk and he told me he saw a rough sign at the North end of town warning about 'holes' and took no notice....until he rode his motorbike into one of them! He was stuck in Wedderburn for a few days awaiting repairs on his front wheel. He saw some gold at the local pub, dunno how much. Newspaper reports suggest that over 500oz was won by only 10 claimholders alone!

Copper tape (coz copper has the highest ability to block EMI) with one sided adhesive. Cheap and one roll can cover a lot of boxes or box covers.

@GotAU? The shield I have right now is passive, no ground connected. But, to do it completely right, ya gotta run a wire from the shield to the earth wire which is taped to the graphite-paint shield on the inside of the control box. To do this, ya gotta crack open the box and 'presto', your warranty is null and void . I'm gonna try and 'double up' and apply copper tape direct to the control box exterior (provided that it peels off Okay). Y axis noise is the Earths own magnetic field being detected by the coil. It runs parallel to the ground. You tilt the coil off its preferred 'X Axis' and it appears, more or less depending on the detector type and coil type.

I couldn't agree more. Its the ONLY way to cross test detectors and coils for complete accuracy. I (mostly) didnt have 2 detectors but had to mark the signals and change coils... very annoying and time-consuming. But its the only way to have complete trust in your detector and coil combo's. I also detect for income and have done so for 41 years.

On my 'Y Axis noise level score', if the stock 11" mono is a 100, then the Xceed 12x7 is a 60 and the Goldhawk 10x5 is a 25. Lower the score, the lower the noise. Hope thats indicative enough :-) The powerline EMI noise is a totally different matter....the 12x7 wins hands down.

Ive cross-tested over 30 different targets between the 11", 12x7 and 10x5 mono's. Everything Ive seen with the 11 could be heard with the 12x7. True, the 11 was better on a few targets but heard non-the-less. In Aussie conditions, the mineralization noise is a killer and the narrow cross-section of the 12x7 assists a lot I suspect. Plus the different wire winding is inherently quieter too. I am anticipating that the new 15x10 will be a better option when detecting in open terrain. I havent used my stock 11 (apart from testing)since I got the 12x7 and 10x5 coils. Now gathering dust in the cupboard.

The stock 11" coil is poorly shielded and suffers from ground noise saturation. The NF 12x7 is on par with it for depth except it is way quieter and more sensitive to small targets. A much better choice as a general purpose coil. The Coiltek 9" round also is a match for the stock 11.

Channel 7 in Adelaide did a similar April Fools joke many years ago, no doubt inspired by this BBC effort.

Not generally known for big nuggets like the previous quote. The 'Bealiba' nugget was found by a guy repairing a bicycle chain on the side of the road between Bealiba and Gypsy Flat. Just sitting there.... he dug it out of the dirt with his bare hands. A mad rush ensued but little else was found on the spot.