Aureous

A few little curious discoveries lately, the 24K is definitely a quirky machine. Its more stable and sharper on tiny signals when in locked GB, creates much poorer signal when you're trying to find said targets in your scoop and sometimes has a complete fit and wont ground balance after a loud signal. I have thrown away good targets because I didnt hear them in my scoop! Only by slowly bring the scoop towards the edge of the 6" concentric coil, can you confidently hear if you have the target...and even then its far quieter than in the ground. When the ground balance issue happens, I simply lock the GB and give it an instant ground grab.....solved! I'm currently at 26 bits of gold and approx 300 bits of trash, all off ground Ive hammered for the past 30 years. All in only 6 hours total. I am sold on this machine....love it!

Yes total waste of 5mm space....every serious detector prospector could use that 5mm to send the coil field deeper into the soil....so glad the 6" concentric is fully flat ?

Jim, is the 6x4DD coil available yet for the 24K???

I've now used the 24K in the field for only 3.5 hours and although the gold is flowing, its all small bits on ground I've already flogged hard. But still fun finding a little bit every few minutes ? The iron discrim I haven't had an instance where I needed to change off factory settings yet. But that time will no doubt come one day. One thing I WILL say....that 6.5" concentric coil continues to surprise me with its ability to handle mineralized ground and its sensitivity. The threshold stays solid and hot rocks are easily cancelled out. 18 bits of gold and counting......

Mike, Ive used a 5" concentric prototype round coil on the GB2 and I am positive it would leave the GM1000 for dead if that coil was ever put on the market. Sadly, it was only a proof of concept coil and was gutted to trial a new design later. ?

Ive had LL Chrondrites track out and thats only because the metal within them is so miniscule in size. H's never could (at least all of the ones Ive ever chased) as the metallic content is so significant. But, like you say Dave, know the terrain and the types of meteorite found there and if possible, use a local meteorite sample to tune your detector, wise advice. If the soil conditions are mild, there is zero requirement to run any detector in tracking anyway. Whenever possible, use a manual GB detector or just stay in fixed.

The metal in meteorites is usually Taenite or Kamacite, both Nickel/iron alloys. These will not be tracked out unless miniscule in size and at depth. Some (much rarer) meteorites are non or low metallic and can give a negative, hot-rock type response. A few Carbonaceous Chondrites and LL Chondrites fall into this category. Best bet is to be certain which area has what type of meteorite known already, and 'tune your ear' accordingly.

Soon as the weather cools down a little here, I'll be out buzzing every day with it. All on ground Ive hit hard before. No holds barred either, I'll say it like it is ☺️

The Monster has the edge in actual sensitivity and power, but the audio/signal processing lets it down. But its great in quiet ground. The 24K has the edge in smooth audio and ability in mineralized ground. The 24K is my go-to detector now and my monster is being disposed of. Even my Gold Bug 2 is semi retired now lol

I dont own an Equinox (but would like to), however I own both a GM1000 and a 24K. Out of ALL the VLF gold prospecting detectors out there, the GM1000 has the greatest power and ability to find small gold. BUT....and its a BIG BUT... the GM1000's audio and signal processing creates its own 'monster' in that if you use this detector with high sensitivity (where all the real power of the unit is exhibited) and you encounter ANY mineralization, the clicks, clucks, pops and farts that the machine makes can mask most/all of the signals you're trying to hear (except for those rare individuals who are able to master the nuances of the monsters audio). If you reduce the sensitivity or use Auto 1 or 2 (sensibly) you bring yourself back to a level of performance that is matched by the Gold Bug 2, GMT etc. Now, Ive used my new 24K for a few hours and quickly came to the conclusion that this high frequency VLF actually DOES have some new tech that is practical. For instance, Ive never used a round concentric coil with such a detector that wasnt utter crap before.....here in Oz, we have 'mild' ground that equates to 'Hot' ground in most other countries. Couple a concentric coil with high frequency and its completely unusable here. Not so with this 6.5" 24K coil. Its not far off the ability of the 10x5DD that is supplied. Yes, its a little noisier, but not much. Couple this with the great XGB ground tracking and fixed GB/grab, its quite promising. I can vouch for its performance and ability and the gold has already started flowing for me with it. My Gold Bug 2 has been retired for now and my GM1000 is being disposed of. I think that says it all....

Hi, I just had to register and reply to this thread. I own a Fisher Gold Bug 2, a Gold Monster 1000 and now a Whites Goldmaster 24K. Ive also owned a Goldmaster Vsat, Goldmaster III and a GMT. Having used all of these, I have to say that the 24K isnt the most sensitive of the high frequency VLF's out there. Right now, the old Gold Bug 2 with the 6.5x3" is still king of the heap and the GM1000 is able to beat that under some circumstances. BUT, the 24K has the smoothest ground balance Ive ever used and rock-stable threshold. It finds deeper sub-gram gold than all of them using that 6.5" concentric coil. I had the opportunity to run side by side with a friend using a GM1000 and although he got 6 bits of gold to my 2, all but one of them was under .05, whereas my 2 weighed .4gm. I also found 22 bits of junk, versus his 4. All of this was from a patch that has been completely hammered over 3 decades. Last few times I used a GB2 there, I got nothing. Methinks the higher coil power and the matched concentric coil along with the XGB tracking make for a very powerful new machine for small gold. I am very keen to try the upcoming 6x3 shooter DD coil soon as the 10x5 seems pretty good on hotter ground here in Victoria. I'll keep you all posted with my finds. One thing I MUST say about the GM1000 in comparison though....some guys here are using them to great effect by ignoring the basic rule of reducing sensitivity to allow proper ground balance. They run them flat out at manual 10 sensitivity and then cannot even ground balance....but on quiet or mild ground, the digital audio of the Monster eliminates much of the noise and the tiniest gold can be 'plucked' from the pops, clicks and farts of the SAT adjustments and hot rock re-tunes.....but only by those people who have their 'ears tuned' to the sounds properly. Me personally, these noises are maddening and I rush back to the smoothness of the 24K and listen for the bigger, weightier targets. Stay tuned for results here folks!