Reno Chris

I just put up the first of several videos on using the Axiom. I'll do some others on using it in the field, but this one is an introduction to the Axiom filmed mostly in the office.

Its an old channel and shoreline area that has weathered and much of the overlying gravel washed away. The general area is where some of the old tertiary channels emptied out into the basin lakes of the central valley in CA.

It just depends on the location. There is very little exposed bedrock at this location and what bedrock there is consists of very well weathered rock. There is no hard,outcropping bedrock as with many streams. I have found gold in the old workings that they just missed as well as along the workings but just outside them and in some place where there are no workings within a couple hundred feet. They tested this are and planned where they would work by panning samples of gravel.

I was out again in the same environment and same general area last weekend. The weather was beautiful - and it can be hot this time of year in the lower elevation country, but it was not hot last weekend. There was scattered gold here and there in and around the old workings of the miners. I dug a number of loud, non-ferrous targets, but they were all lead - got over 2 ounces of lead. I got 6.7 grams of gold in 17 pieces. All were dug with the GM 1000 and wireless headphones from Fossickers. The wireless headphones are nice, I should use them more often.

I dug both types. Targets that flash both ways are the detector telling you "I dont know" - so you must dig them as they are sometimes gold.

Went out a few weeks ago to prospect in California at the same location I was at a few weeks back. Did pretty well with the GM 1000 - its a pretty trashy area and if you dont want to dig 200 pieces of rusty iron junk, you will be using some discrimination. I did try the SDC and the 7000 in a few areas, but eventually the trash got to me and I was back on the GM1000. I know that a lot of guy preach dig it all, but there are places which have gold but the amount of trash will make your head spin. What do you guys think? This is the gold I dug last time - 5 grams. I'll be returning soon because success breeds more success.

They are 12 mm outside diameter, which seems to be an unusual size. California side of the Sierra Nevada in the low foothills. The guy I went with has tent camped there at that same spot a number of times with no problem. However there were maybe 35 cows - not just one or two. Yes, getting out was good for mind and body, I have a feel for the area now and I'm looking to return and give it another go. This time I'll be putting up an impromptu tarp tent in the back of my pickup.

I freely admit a bear attack would be far, far worse than a cow attack. I'll be out there again in the coming weeks. This time I'll be prepared for the attack cows. I'll also be trying some different things with my detectors to find gold. When I get the results, I'll post some photos here.

They urinated on the tarp, but a plastic tarp is easily cleaned. They wrecked the tent while I was off detecting a few miles away. It was a great trip and I'll be back.

With a bad auto accident in spring and all the fires later, 2021 was not a banner year for me to get out and search for nuggets. So I started a bit early this year with a invite from a friend to the low country in the far western edges of the Sierra Nevada. It was a great trip with excellent weather in the mid-70s. I got some good gold but my tent was attacked and stomped on by cows! I think these were attack cows, specially bred by the military for stealth counter-terrorism. 😉 Or something like that.....🤣 The tent is repairable though I needed to buy a new section of tent pole and give the tent a through washing. The photo below shows the gold, 7.4 grams, just a bit shy of a quarter ounce. The largest piece, at 3.5 grams was a partial sunbaker - partly covered but some of it was showing. It was good to get out and find some gold, I enjoyed it so much I did up a Youtube video if you are interested…

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, l but I see the coil as the front and the operator as behind the detector. The controls are at the back of the control box facing the operator. I guess you see the armrest as the front of the detector and the coil as the back?

You own one but have never used it? I explain part of why the screen helps in the video. seeing what the little toggle switches were set on wasn't always easy at a glance. Name recognition only goes so far before it causes confusion. Imagine if Ford called every vehicle they made the F150 pickup.

The Fisher Gold Bug 2 has been around for decades and is well known as one of the most sensitive metal detectors on the market. It has been the gold nugget detector of choice for many over the years. There really has never been a Gold Bug 3 - though some have asked for it. Fisher has now updated the user interface of the GB2. However the features and the guts of the detector remain the same but the user will now have an easier time of operating the machine. It is still a manual ground balance machine, but I think its a good step forward toward making it easier to use. Don't ask me why all Fisher gold oriented detectors are called the Gold Bug. I have no idea. These new versions of the GB 2 are supposed to be available to dealers now. If you have any questions on it, I'll try and answer as best as I can. Anyway, I recently had one in the field and got to try it out. I did a video on it if you are interested in learning more. You can see the video at:

It was warm and mostly pretty dry while we were there but it is changing fast now. The days are getting shorter, the weather getting cooler and wetter.

Knowing how to find gold is like a trade skill. A metal detector is only a tool. You as the prospector find the gold. Just owning a metal detector does not make one a knowledgeable prospector any more than owning a voltmeter makes one a journeyman electrician. The electrician's knowledge makes him an electrician, not his tools. Some guys with years of experience do make some extra money with their detectors, but its more of an adventure than a practical and reliable way to make money. Amounts made are all over the map. I have days where I make $500 to $1,000 and plenty of days where I make less than $5. Its so erratic that it is hard to average. For a new guy with no prospecting experience, unless you are really lucky, I'd expect you to average $0 until you learn the trade skills of prospecting and finding gold. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but its an honest answer.