sturt

Hi All. Thought I would put in my 2 bobs worth as well. I have used the 4500.5000,7000 as well. Decided to purchase the GPX 6000 in November last year. I was able to try out the new machine back in August last year with a mate who brought one and I was using the 7000. This trip was his first time using the new detector. It worked well, but I was a little surprised how often the machine lost its stability using the 11 inch coil. But I was well aware reading the forums that continuing the resetting/balancing etc. was normal to get the stability. Comparing to the GPZ 7000 that is.

It didnt take long to realize the 6000 was out performing my 7000. This location we were at has been flogged for years by all types of machines including my own 7000. I have found plenty there over the years and I was confident that the 7000 had cleaned out the nuggets. But my mate still picked up bits and pieces.

This sealed it for me and I went ahead a purchased the 6000 in November.

My first opportunity to use the detector was in mid December 2021. Went to the same area, bloody hot 43+ in the shade early start and done by 11.30am each day. Spent 5 days there. Found about 50 small nuggets approx. 4 to a gram. Good pickings.

However, now some issues started to show during this trip with the detector going off its tree if you touched the coil on a branch or ground. Continuing to reset all the time just wouldnt work some times. I was on my own this trip and being only 5 days I thought I would wait until after the next trip and experiment with settings and different heat/humidity etc.

The second trip with the 6000 was with my mate in early February 2022. This gave us two detectors to compare. We both found gold technically the same size working 50 meters apart, sometimes closer so you could hear the tone variations between the detectors, but my 6000 played up big time again. We took some video of it to keep.

When I went back home I contacted Minelab South Australia and gave them as much info as I could and sent it to them. I sent the controller assy and the 11 inch coil.

Minelab Service was very good. They listened to my problems and looked at the video. Spent a few days apparently running the machine but said they could not find a fault. But this is the good point, they completely replaced all the internal parts in the control housing and threw in a new coil. Got the detector back just before Easter weekend.

Went out Easter Monday to the same location and the detector was fantastic. You could not fault it. Sure you had to perform reset often but this worked once the detector found its sweet spot. I contacted Minelab to tell them the good news.

The second trip even with the unit giving me the s#@ts produced 22 grams and the last trip 26 grams. About 135 pieces. The hands are starting to get twitchy to get out there soon, cheers sturt

Hi All. Been away for a while. But im missing something here on this thread?  The Coiltek Nox coils are for the Equinox 600 and 800 series detectors? I didnt see anything regarding the GPX 6000. Please correct me if im wrong, cheers sturt.

Opps just seen the earlier information back last year regarding new 6000 coils. cheers sturt

7 hours ago, billdean said:

I really don’t want to charge the batteries in my car or truck. I want to charge my batteries in my RV with the supplied 12 volt plugs. I have 1500 watts of solar power, so time is not an issue to me. Charging direct from the battery uses less power than turning my inverter on.

Thats okay, but you need to realize that even if you have good solar charging capacity during the day you need to be either at the RV when the suns up to charge the detector battery or make sure your RV storage battery can handle the charging time of 5 hours when you get back home later and run the appliances on the RV during the evening. 

Still an issue for me is the voltage input regulator set at 1Amp. If the manufacturers designed the 6000 battery with 2 Amp capacity you could charge the battery in half the time. Experts can come in here if im wrong, cheers sturt 

11 hours ago, billdean said:

 

 

This is from Steve’s GPX 6000 accessories page. 

 

The following items do not come with the GPX 6000, but are likely to work with it based on what is known so far. This is preliminary guesswork, and it is not advised a purchase be made based solely on the information presented here.

https://parts.minelab.com/0302-0082-p/0302-0082.htm

Should not be a problem. The 6000 has a 12 volt charge system. From either direct off the car cig socket or a spare battery. Make sure you have the time because the designed charge rate is only 1Amp.

The picture shows the plug which has an inbuilt fuse which is probably rated at 1Amp. cheers sturt

On 11/6/2021 at 3:59 AM, Jonathan Porter said:

I’m not at liberty to discuss some of the testing information but I can assure you the chip in the coil does not interfere with the detector, if this was the case it would be especially troubling for X coils because they now have the chip much closer to the detector. I’d say the EMI in Northeast’s case could be a combination of factors one being having a camera too close to the detector whilst filming (mobile phones are the worst and really set the speaker off), secondly if the detector was laying flat on the ground the cyclic nature of the speaker noise is much much worse when the unit is placed on the ground compared to being hand held in a detecting position (coil in air not on the ground). All detectors will get a good warble up if placed on the ground so I would say in the case of the 6000 it is just exacerbated by the speaker issue. 

I’ve used the 6000 with the speaker for many hundreds of hours quite successfully, usually a quick EMI tune deals with it and you can go on your way. I recommend that if you do more than say 5 noise cancels in a session you should perform a factory reset to bring all the Geo-Sense back to optimal (easily done by long pressing the power button at switch on). This was the best work flow for me till I sorted out a good quality APTX low latency receiver unit from Amazon (I bought a fair few till I got one that was actually Low Latency). 

https://www.amazon.com.au/Avantree-Pre-paired-Bluetooth-Transmitter-Headphones/dp/B00OPVWHRY/ref=asc_df_B00OPVWHRY/?tag=googleshopdsk-22&linkCode=df0&hvadid=341774279437&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3581841827715156339&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9069194&hvtargid=pla-521485039859&psc=1

This one is the best value for money as it is Tx and Rx all in one.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Bluetooth-Transmitter-Gecen-Compatible-Headphones/dp/B07YCFHMXQ/ref=sr_1_224?keywords=APTX+receiver&qid=1636142067&sr=8-224

I then run a cable from the receiver to my booster and amplify out to speakers from there or bud style headphones.

Also an FYI I have had a bit of a play with the PRO-SONIC for the SDC and even though it doesn’t show up on the 6000 with the + sign to show it’s APTX the delay/latency in the audio wasn’t too bad, if you already have one its worth a shot.

JP

 

Hi again JP. I ended up going through Amazon Aust for AS70 Avantree unit. The Avantree USA site says nil stock but Australia had 4 units. Paid $10.00 for delivery and the unit arrived last Friday. I tried it on the back lawn and works very well. Didnt notice any latency delays on sound. cheers sturt

Hi all. I looked through my stash of old transformers after picking up the new toy last week and found  a 12 volt DC 3.5amp charger. I thought you bloody beauty. I checked with Minelab SA. They tell me No good to me as the Battery pack is governed by a amperage regulator at 1Amp input. 

Why would Minelab restrict the incoming power supply to 1Amp when it is written on the Battery that it can handle 10Amp input current?

Seems stupid to me. You may have restricted power supply out bush, only Dc power, no mains. Remember your car battery may be running 12 volt lighting and a couple of fridges etc. 

Took 10 hours to charge two new batteries using one mains charger straight out of the box.

Cheers sturt

Hi, About 4 weeks ago I went bush with a mate. He had the 6000. Now I got one. Works great in the back yard.😏

The battery is a pain. We got 8 hours in total (which is fair enough) but had to put up with the battery beeping warnings every 5 minutes for at least an hour and half. I think we had 9 warnings before we finished for the day.

We where using the onboard speaker and I know the machine uses more power.

What I did like though was no noticeable reduction in performance during that time, however I would be highly pissed if I was trying to find the nugget of all nuggets late in a day when the detector shut down in protest.

So I brought a spare just in case. cheers sturt

Thanks JP. Im hoping to get out bush shortly before things get too hot. Ill take a look at your recommendations for sound control, cheers sturt

Hi JP.

Did you have a chance in the testing stages to use the 6000 without the dongle in place? I was wondering if the dongle being electronic may contribute to the EMI issues people are talking about.

I also looked at a post from Northeast on 27th October who has taken the time to submit a you tube video of testing the 6000 with two types of Low Latency receivers and the supplied headphones. They all seem to work quite well but I did notice during the video a surge of EMI when he turned off the blootooth and the sound was coming from the detector speaker.

Im sorry if this is off topic. If you have a chance to take a look at the video would be fantastic. I have been on the fence for a while looking at the 6000 but I finally cracked and brought one yesterday, cheers sturt

37 minutes ago, goldenoldie said:

Okay that sound I heard would have been the first warning beep so from what you are saying sturt, then with no Battery bar showing (although my Battery icon was flashing with no Battery bar showing) I should expect to hear warning beeps around 5 minutes apart and at some time then the detector will shut down. 

Steve mentioned if using the External speaker the Battery lasts less in run time than if using a headphone.

Another thing I had wondered in regards to Battery run time is does the amount of targets the detector responds to throughout the days detecting have any bearing on the Battery's run time?

The battery bar does disappear after a while I think was about the start of the last hour. During the last hour the warning beep sounded about 9 times. We where using the detector speaker not using blootooth.

We did find some nuggets and we where sharing the finds, me detecting and my mate digging. It was a wonderful arrangement. But very funny when I would say "just one more, just one more" I would put a cross on the ground and say dig, dig. Then you hoped the detector would not shut down in protest before finding the target. A great afternoon 4 hours detecting and sharing the spoils, picked up 30 pieces in ground I already went over numerous times before with my 7000. cheers sturt

6 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

The battery lasts a solid 8 hours if you use headphones, less if using external speaker. Enough for most people, but I do exceed 8 hour days at times, and so I do have a spare battery. My solution is simply to charge both each night. There are many ways one might do that, depending on the length of the trip and available camp facilities. The simple route is a pair of 12V clips hooked to vehicle battery, one as supplied with the detector, and a second purchased set, part# 67-90204 (same as GPZ 7000, Gold Monster, etc). You would of course not want to do this multiple nights in a row without running the vehicle or keeping the battery topped off with a solar panel, or some other method.

Hi Steve, thanks for that. We where using the internal speaker because of situation awareness with cattle around. It just seems to me that if you buy a 6000 detector you need to be prepared to outlay considerable extra funds to ensure the detector runs how it should do. Keep in mind the detector started the power beep warnings before 3.00pm. cheers sturt

Thanks all. My use of the 7000 machine over 4 years has not required a second battery. Charging takes usually under 2 hours (never actually timed it) and I have never managed to drain it yet in one day. You cant beat that for service life.

I was with a friend using a new 6000 a couple of weeks ago. Started the day detecting about 8.00am. Stopped for lunch about 12.00pm for 20 minutes. Then used the detector solid until 3.00pm. We stopped for a drink then and changed the coil to the Mono. The 6000 had already started its beeping power warnings just before 3,00pm.  I think the detector had reduced the power bar to only one prior to swapping coils. We used the 6000 to 4.00pm. By this time the detector had sounded 9 warning beeps approx every 5 minutes with no battery bar in the display. Yes, thats 8 hours approx but I can use the GPZ from 6.00am to dusk say 6.00pm. 

It`s just not good enough with the cost of the unit and the days spent testing prior to release. That is not aimed at JP but firmly at Minelab. I also noticed when I had a chance to try the detector fitted with the 11 inch Mono that the unit is rear heavy out of balance. (thats even with the shafts fully extended to the red lines). If you pick up the machine only by the handle and not the back arm sleeve, the coil lifts into the air. Im used to the GPZ being nose heavy and when you pick it up by the handle, your lower arm rests against the back arm sleeve and you can locate your target. This out of balance creates more stress on the handle base if your arm is not inside the sleeve support. I found the 6000 is not easily picked up through the sleeve by one hand if you have a pick in the other.  cheers sturt 

2 hours ago, strick said:

Choices:

1. Wake up and change battery on supplied main charger 

2. Use supplied 12 v battery jumpers to charge spare at your leisure. 

Strick 

So, I buy a $250.00 battery and sit it next to my bed? Or I could lift the bonnet of my vehicle outside and connect the alligator clips and hope my $260.00 spare battery and vehicle are still there in the morning. This is just joking of course but I do think the 6000 should be a lot better in design and strength, cheers sturt🙂

Hi all. I use a GPZ 7000 at the moment. I will be looking at the new 6000 early in the new year. I spoke to a supplier today asking if the mains charger for the 7000 is compatible with battery for the 6000. WAS TOLD NO, as the 7000 mains power transformer supplied is 18 volt not 12 volt.

Looking at both systems firstly the 7000 series.   Tansformer   input 240 volt- 0.7 amp    output  output 18 volt- 1.67 amp

                                                                                  Goes to BC 10 cradle   input 11-30 volt  23w max   output  8.4 volt- 2 amp AND  5 volt- 0.67 amp

                                                                                  The battery states 7.2 volt  total capacity 72Wh

Now the GPX 6000                                                 Transformer  input 240 volt- .5 amp Max   output  12 volt- 10 amp

                                                                                 Trans plugs directly into battery   input 12 volt- 1.0 amp?  output 7.2 volt- 42Wh

What this tells me is Minelab have produced a new detector which uses the same voltage to run as the 7000 but the charging components are not compatible between the models. Should be.

The new 6000 uses a reduced capacity battery (weight issue?)which  does not last the full day, then you need a spare which you cant charge with mains power until the original is fully charged in about 5/6 hours. After a big day in the field I cant stay awake to swap the batteries so I need another transformer as well?

I am told by the Dealer though you could use the two car power leads as they are connected to a 12 volt car battery. Cheers sturt

2 hours ago, Aureous said:

Transmitter plugged into the detector and then the same brand headphones or earbuds paired to the transmitter.

Hi, sorry a little confused. I was under the impression that the transmitter side of the pairing system would not be required because the GPX 6000 unit would pair up with the receiver then you hard wire between the receiver and headphones/buds for sound. This would still keep you separated from the detector? cheers sturt

Hi all. I must ask if anyone has been using the supplied 6000 headphones and checked if noticeable time delay is present, and then try it plugged into the machine and the delay disappears? Would need someone to check a target in the field both ways before digging, cheers sturt

17 hours ago, Aureous said:

Yeah NE, I was trying everything I could to make them worth the $$ I paid. But that fraction of a second difference just sh*ts me to tears lol I thought I hit the jackpot last year when M-Pow made a new transmitter and 'Plus' earbud set combo....it looked like exactly the thing I was looking for, so I could wear my old army slouch hat....but NOPE. That slight delay was just enuff to irritate me and revert back to std headphones.

Hi, are you using a transmitter attached to the detector? or just reciever? I have been sitting on the fence regarding the 6000. I dont like headphones but would use plug in ear buds direct to the receiver.  I will purchase a 6000 but wait until cooler weather here in WA next year. Thanks for your efforts to report your findings, cheers sturt

1 hour ago, Tony said:

If the 6000 can hit this sort of nugget at around the 2 foot mark in heavy ground then I’m in 👍

This is not my personal photo but indicative of what I’m after.

 

Looks like a scene from "Aussie Gold Prospectors"   The nuggets too clean and the hand has no dirt on it. Lol

Cheers sturt

Thanks Norvic. Please dont get me wrong. I dont want to be classed as negative, but if Minelab wants me to part with $8000 then I would not be happy to find out one month after release in AUS you need to put the detector on the ground when a plane flies over. If thats the problem. I dont need to do that with my GPZ.

 It looks to me that as people get familiar with the GPX 6000, some answers to questions need to be addressed on this valuable forum. I dont blame people for taking the plunge.

I use the 7000 and love it and have found plenty. Although I realize the GPZ is a heavy beast, and to some difficult to set and use, at least it has the numbers on the board. We all know that even the GPZ had a software upgrade at the start. cheers sturt

On 7/15/2021 at 7:42 AM, Skookum said:

Mine still protests with every airliner overhead, but it’s usually only about a minute of waiting or so, which isn’t intolerable. On a related note regarding EMI, we experimented with two 6000s, today. The 11 inch coils managed alright as long as they were kept 20-30 feet apart. We did not run that experiment with the 14 inch coils.
Later on, we did put on the 14 inch just to listen the threshold and test the sensitivity to some of the smallest nuggets. Even in Auto 1 Difficult EMI Cancel mode there was some mild interference chirping along with the other machine off. Unfortunately, I didn’t remember to flip the headphones back on. With hindsight, I’m suspecting the speaker was the cause. Always curious to hear anyone else’s results as they come in. 

Hi, can anyone help me with the following. Is the speaker on the 6000 bluetooth connected or hard wired independent of that system. I take it that when you want to use the bluetooth headphones you need to activate or turn on the bluetooth system at the hand set? or will the headphones pair up when you turn them on. 

Looking at the issue of planes causing interference when using the speaker system tells me that the bluetooth system is still operational even when not in use?  But im no expert. 

Most aircraft do have a DME system which enables the pilot to fly towards a particular airport that transmits a radio signal but not all airport have them. I see that the GPS systems are taking over this role with newer aircraft. In the manual for the 6000 it states 1.225KHz. need an expert to google up that frequencies are in use around the globe, cheers sturt

Still sitting on the fence regarding purchasing a 6000, cheers sturt

Hi, just reading your text regarding the machine not liking other 6000 close by. Is this an issue of the bluetooth interference in the headphones and/or the electronics power? cheers sturt

Hi all. Anyone willing to say what size deposit has been paid? or asked for by the dealer?

Another issue, how secure your your deposit if the Dealer went belly up. Over here our Bankers will take your deposit to help pay the debt. Cheers sturt

On 4/19/2021 at 1:35 PM, echidna said:

https://www.nuheara.com/products/iqbuds-max/

I use these on both my GPZ and GPX5000 with their bluetooth transmitter plugged into detector earphone jack.  All are APTX LL.  They will pair with my Equinox without transmitter.  Aussie Product as well.  So far ahead of anything else on the market.  Programmable to your own hearing frequency losses as well as directional noise cancelling.

Hey, thanks both of you for putting up this info. I use the 7000 with the WM12 on my chest listening for targets but as you say windy conditions cause problems. I also need to be on the lookout for cattle in the bush. 

If I want to keep the sound away from others around me then I plug in some light ear plugs to the WM12 but then the cable catches on the face net and shirt etc but still enables me to be separated from the detector for digging targets. If the Bluetooth transmitter can plug direct into the 7000 port then I dont need to use the WM12? Turn off the WIFI to reduce battery power consumption?

I wonder if the ear buds(so no headphones) would connect direct to the new 6000 detector without requiring the transmitter or even with the transmitter connected, enabling low latency Bluetooth to the detector without any cables between operater and the machine? cheers sturt

We may see a flood of GPZ 7000 units on second hand market soon?  What price will they go down to? considering some of them are 4 years or more old?  cheers sturt

14 hours ago, 1515Art said:

It’s exciting when a new detector emerges, none more so than a new top notch gold getting machine from Minelab and the new GPX 6000 is as exciting as it gets. Just a little reminder about the virtues of the GPZ/14” an older brother he may be a little thick in the middle but this heavyweight can still sniff out a few crumbs in the pounded terrain in the desert of Gold Basin Arizona,  from a few recent hunts.

You are spot on with your post. I personally cant see why I would want to replace my 7000 for the new 6000. Sure enough the 6000 finds gold. Sure enough the 6000 is probably easier to set up, but adds another $8000.00 to your hobby costs. You could alternatively hope to improve the 7000 performance by adding other manufacturers coils to the 7000, again costly. I have found small gold weighing .07 gram or possibly less(seems to be the lowest my scales register) in terrible magnetic iron stone conditions using the standard coil.

 Time will tell as more info becomes available.  What I cant work out, is what has happened to the SDC2300? Has everyone put them in the bin?  It was not that long ago that the buzzing bee 2300 was the best machine out there on small gold, especially when you can buy one for under $4000.00?

cheers sturt