flakmagnet

Root, I was joking. I actually saw someone do that once.

I know you have a separate thread for issues with Minelab Steve, but this is such a flawed way to run a business; lack of communication with your customers. And it can easily be changed, it just takes some care.

Steve, I also like a ragged-sounding tuning when I detect. And it takes a lot of attention to stay with what a rough-tuned detector is telling you - however - there is nothing that says you have to do it that way all the time. If the myriad sounds gets overwhelming after awhile, there is nothing that says you can't tune to a more quiet level for awhile. Jasong not sure running the tuning ragged necessarily means 'wide open.' It's not a matter of all one way or all the other…a small point which you undoubtedly know, but good to clarify fwiw

Hi Norm, You are so right, there are difficulties working in the forests of the Sierras, that have layers of organic material. I understand I am talking to someone who knows all this cold, this is more for folks who may not have hunted in the conditions you are talking about. Good hunting in this kind of area requires an even more acute attention span than normal and then all the usuals; great ground balancing, perfect coil control, uniform coil height and swing speed (slow). If it's in a place you want to detect more closely, sometimes a small rake can work wonders. I personally love when the ground is damp. It seems more conductive. One of the really great times to detect in the mountains is after the snow melts and when the surface ground is not too muddy. I don't know whether the organic layer being moist is a hinderance or a help but I'm sure someone will chime in. all the best…

Good (real), hunting Chris…

Ya gotta hack the pieces down so they fit in those little gold bottles…

Hi Paul, Duly noted; three very important IF's. A lot of us can identify with them. I would note that despite perhaps not having your gps with you it certainly has not hurt your gold production from what you've shown. Best…

That across the pond trip is a dream of mine - I'm sure others will feel the same. Wow what a series "Time Team" is (https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=time+team), unbelievably cool to watch if you have the time.

Thanks for the info Steve, I'll post all the for-detecting subjects here. Root, if you look at a couple of apps you will see there are already great ones available on (iPhone). The ones I like are: iHikeGPS I like this (at the moment), for "back country" and detecting, Maps 3D has some cool map options. MotionX-GPS is maybe not for back country but it is a very thorough GPS program worth looking at.

This is something that used to be on individual gps apps, now it's coming to Google Maps as well; the ability to download specific maps and then seamlessly move from service to no service with no loss of navigation ability. Cool. http://techcrunch.com/2015/11/10/offline-navigation-comes-to-google-maps/

Yeah Steve, agree that metal detecting can seem like meditating. Consciously working with the detector, being "in the zone," coil control seems fairly easy. The minute you get distracted; it's too hot, a shoulder is starting to ache, the threshold is getting distracting…anything like that and coil control starts to go away. Time to take a break.

Great reminders, thanks for taking the time. I especially like the last point. Good ground balancing is a key component of detecting well. That combined with good coil control and slow swing speed will add a lot of gold to your collection.

Good Vid - commented on the YT site…

These are interesting and thought-provoking articles. I was especially interested in some of the material in the third article. Thank you for pointing these papers out Steve and Reg, thanks for taking the time.

Yes Mitchel, Lunk has been a big help to a lot of us. I have never met him but he has helped me with some of his imaginative and interesting (and workable), settings.

I agree about painting the pick handle. They make some great florescent paints, I striped the handle with yellow and red and have been saved twice by the bright coloring when, in my hunting "zone," I walked away from my pick.

Agreed Scott. It's a shame to even have to deal with people like this at all.

Motion camera's tucked away in a good vantage point.

Hi Rick, I got my first time with the GPZ a couple of weeks ago up there and I totally agree. I have never minded a slightly ragged sounding detector and I REALLY liked the 7000. What a machine. Just have to be patient and drop the preconceptions from previous PI's. Best wishes and continued good hunting…

Hi Lucky, Love the write up and just wanted to add that it says as much about the GPZ's operators as it does for the machine itself. Very impressive as I am sure everyone with experience up at Rye Patch will agree. Looking forward to your next note.

Hi Strick, It is a fairly simple matter to unsnap the Hipstick at the top clip where it hooks on to the pack harness before you get after it with the pick. It takes a few times to get used to and then becomes a normal part of the routine. fwiw.

A warranty is nice, true. But honestly, a product made with rough working conditions in mind would be better. Attention to detail and stringent quality control are attributes of a company that is truly in tune with their clientele. This is an aspect of Minelab that could easily be changed with a very small increase in manufacturing cost.

Hi Steve, I recently logged my first hours behind a GPZ and like almost everyone, agree about the weight. A Hipstick did help a lot. The quick adjust clip is an improvement for quick height changes. And as has been mentioned before, changing (shortening), the arc of the swing and walking slower helped mitigate the weight a touch. But 7+ pounds over the course of a day is a challenge.

Just to be very clear on something: the Minelab ProSwing harness is the newcomer. The most recent model has directly utilized the concept that was invented by the originator of the Hipstick.

Here's the thing. We all know what havoc having dirt between the coil and the coil cover causes. Why in the world would you make a vented coil cover? What am I missing?