Lacky

Thanks for the tips Chase! I do actually have a second detector, a lobo supertrak with a DD and a concentric coil. Don't know if it would do any better, but if I make it back there I'll take it along and try everything. 

21 minutes ago, phrunt said:

Fiddling with iron bias helps but too time consuming for me, I haven't tried switching frequencies on big iron as I don't find it often enough however I find the quickest easiest method is just to use pinpoint and if the target feels way too big and it's a number 12 to 15 (usually 13 for me) it's not worth my energy digging it 🙂  When I am fooled lately it's usually a big old rusty washer.

 

I mostly ask because there is a ghost town/mining site that is just horrible with it. I havent been back again, it's a summer only option, but I am soaking in all the tricks I can in case I go back next summer.  Honestly I think the best option is probably picking outer spots, nice views, picnic spots, etc and avoid the heavy iron areas.

12 hours ago, phrunt said:

I notice on the 6" Iron washer with the iron bias at low it picks it up as a 13 on the ID's, likely the same thing the Nox would do, drives me nuts getting bigger iron as non-ferrous usually around 13....  I do love that little coil, I wish they made that for the Nox too.  I guess it is just a mini-me of the Nox though.

The guy in the video bought that Vanquish at a place called Dicks Sporting Goods on a black Friday sale so they obviously do have some on sale in the USA.

Does the switch to single frequency and watching for number changes work on big iron? Hoping, hoping

(Thanks Steve,  I felt a bit guilty hijacking that thread) 

Beautiful work, my compliments to the jeweler. 

I hope you wont take this the wrong way, but the comically bad technique,  filming and target recovery,  combined with the shaking hands with the first hint of gold made the whole video charming and enjoyable.  Well done!

12 hours ago, Smithobx said:

You might want to take a look at the Root Slayer Nomad. It’s available on Amazon for $39.00, lifetime warranty and very tough. A bit longer so you don’t need to bend as much while digging and doubles as a walking staff if that’s important to you.

I have this as it came with the equinox in a package deal. It is definitely sturdy and works fine, although I dont have much to compare it too. 

Which begs the question,  why the hell did you spend $110 or whatever on the fancy one? Detectors and coils we are stuck paying for, but it baffles me why people spend so much on common item accessories.  Anything "specialized" for detecting is 10x as much and apparently not much or any better.

Or I'm just cheap (hint-I definitely am)

Btw Simon friction tape on the handle grip and some paint will solve your pink issue.

Welcome aboard! Equinox 800 will be the consensus choice around here. Can't go wrong with it for saltwater beach and inland hunting. If you took out the saltwater requirement you could get by with others, but for the beach as well the equinox is going to be the best choice. 

6 minutes ago, Chase Goldman said:

People ARE doing that, check this site out for plenty of DIY detector build info.

Sweet, I'll spend hours checking that out, and likely never build anything. The knowing and learning is usually as far as I go.

12 minutes ago, phrunt said:

Oh yea, they make a fortune selling detectors, I am betting the GPZ circuit board costs about $40 to make, $80 including the screen and so on, that detector has to be one of the highest profit devices made in the world 🙂 Even the Chinese are making a massive profit on their $800 fakes of it, including free worldwide shipping.

We really are suckers 😀

Honestly I'm surprised nobody has build a raspberry pi based open source knockoff self build, just for the challenge and being able to say "yeah, I built that". Up for a challenge Simon? I double dog dare you!

Summary of this thread...

"Geeks gonna geek"

I will say go into that fully aware of the dangers and real possibilities of death going into long abandoned mines entails. I personally believe if someone has weighed the risks with eyes wide open and still wants to climb that mountain, fly that wing suit, or go into that mine, hey, gotta love freedom of choice. Just make sure you know the risk you are taking and are ok with it.

Are you moving dirt around, raking, etc, or just detecting.  Seems pretty good for hammered grounds.

4 minutes ago, phrunt said:

Nice intro and backstory, thanks for taking the time to do that.

Your best bet is a Fisher F19, it's basically a Gold Bug Pro with more features and it's for some odd reason currently cheaper than a GBP even though it's better

https://www.bigboyshobbies.net/fisher-f19-metal-detector

$449 with

BBH Metal Detectors offers FREE with your Fisher F19 LTD (or standard F19) the following:

1 Lesche Hand Digger With Sheath

1 Free Fisher Padded carry bag

---

It has the option of the 10x5" coil which is the one you want for prospecting, I have the 5" and 10x5" and I much prefer to use the 10x5" over the 5", It's just as sensitive to the small gold but has better ground coverage.

It has a backlight on the screen, and although they're marketing it as a coin and relic detector that's just so they can keep the Gold Bug Pro alive and kicking.  They're exactly the same in performance on nuggets with the F19 having a few features that benefit the coin hunters too, such as adjustable notching.

It would NOT make sense to buy a Gold Bug Pro when the F19 is cheaper and comes with the 10x5" coil which you'd have to buy separately if you buy a Gold Bug Pro.  They really are the same detector under the hood.

As far as I'm aware there are no F19 fakes either.    It does only have the 1/4" jack, but you can buy the low profile adapter for a couple of dollars.

 

Haha, or just do that and be under budget.  Phrunt's pretty smart on this, mostly because he has one of everything 😃

It might be a good idea to start a thread laying out exactly what you would like to do with the detector,  not just this trip but in general. As in do you coin/jewelry hunt sometimes or focused only on nugget hunting.

Also think about and decide if there is any wiggle room in the max budget. Going up not too much brings in some of the most popular/highly recommended detectors like the Gold Monster, equinox,  goldmaster 24k, etc. If there is no wiggle room in max budget clearly state that so all the advice will be under it, although you are also in the range of used prices on those machines,  something to consider. Also include where you plan to hunt and how mineralized the soil is if you know.

Anyway, if you clearly state your needs I'm sure you will get lots of advice.  Buried in this thread it might get overlooked though.

1 hour ago, JohnnyRox said:

Wait...what?  

I'm guessing he is saying if you are getting constant chatter it's going to be hard to distinguish the actual targets from the random noise.

Where are you, roughly. Like what state or country,  not what gully lol.

Considering you are shopping on Amazon instead of a dealer you should also read this thread if you haven't

6 hours ago, geof_junk said:

Around 2002 I looked up every states mining data and filtered out every  historic non gold mines and set up a site were they can be accessed.

..................Link..............

Read the first post and select the state you want and see if your area has any historic gold mines.         Hope this gets you started. 

Brilliant awesomeness 

What I was talking about is here when you "file a claim" it is filed with a government office and you can go in and ask to see the paperwork,  even if it was filed 100 years ago usually.  There are sites, including pay sites that compile that kind of information for the internet,  but walking into the government office and asking to see the paperwork is where the information comes from.

I dont know how it works in Australia,  but in the US you can look up info on old, expired mining claims. That could help in finding the old locations. 

Yeah Joe, I always have a couple pairs of wired earbuds with me just in case for the same reason.

17 hours ago, castleberry said:

Dang,

Well... did a factory reset and back to not pairing .. this should not be so difficult..

Ok, now your describing my exact situation. I can sometimes get them to pair, most of the time not.

Edit to add I assume the equinox is fine, as it always pairs right away with the minelab headphones.

Looking on Amazon, Night Owl (First Texas brand of night vision) is the third brand listed and they have scopes,  binoculars,  and security cameras.  I suspect it's a pretty large business for them, possibly larger than detectors already.

I'm also a gold ring virgin, but from YouTube I can tell you that when rings are resized it creates basically a solder joint that often breaks. If that happens the ring is no longer an continuous circle of metal and can be scratchy and all over number wise. If its solid its stable. Just another nice little quirk to make us dig more junk 🙂