flakmagnet

wow…

Or, yes super glue and duct tape…

Both approaches work great.

It is just good to have some sort of wound management available.

Stuff happens, as we all know. 

In response to a query by delnorter…

This is a like product to the one I carry,

it's not the exact one, but it accomplishes the same thing.

http://www.celoxmedical.com/usa/

Jasong and Steve,

Good interchange. You two guys have a very buttoned down way of communicating.

(In my opinion) saying the GPZ has only been out six month is no reason to excuse it's shortcomings.

There was extensive testing done with this machine before it went on sale to the public,

all one has to do is read JP's extremely lucid posts during it's early release to understand this

and surely he was not the only tester.

I simply do not believe the customer base should be utilized as the beta testers.

A ten thousand dollar metal detector should have the small-time bugs worked out

OR

they should give at least acknowledge their beta testers and perhaps establish some communication with them.

I trust Steve's assurance that the problems are being heard

but would respectfully rather hear it from Minelab. 

GPX 5000

Hi Ivan

I sure wouldn't use "girlie" anywhere in the description of your picks.

They look great and they are 3/4 of a pound lighter than Supersede's.

I particularly like the looks of the bigger one as it is easy to overlook

how critical the digging side of picks is, and you clearly understand that.

I wish you best of luck with them they look very good 

and I was not trying to undercut them in any way fwiw.

best wishes

So did they make the skid plate out of softer (lighter) plastic to save weight

or what?

Hi Jason,

I have a higher capacity battery booster for a phone,

something like three recharges worth

and it really helps knowing it's there.

I have only had to go to it once or twice, but if needed, it's a good item.

Also a blood-clotting powder packet is a great thing to have close by.

Ya never know.

Thank you Steve et al, for re-stocking my list of sites.

Very helpful…

Hi Steve,

I hasten to add that my reply had nothing to do with you.

I openly admire you for continually standing for the best of electronic prospecting

with your viewpoints and your questioning.

You have created an atmosphere here that gives me the incentive to speak up. 

There have been similar questions over years to Minelab that echo the points I mention.

The intent was not to do anything other than try to point out aspects of these superior machines

that can and should be fixed or made better.

Sincere best wishes

Steve I agree with you entirely, but what about something like what Wes is talking about?

This may seem picky (but it's not).

On a mulit-thousand dollar piece of equipment

supposedly built for rugged use in remote areas, 

why in the world should the customer have to be "gentle"

when extending a shaft from the collapsed travel position?

Shouldn't these detectors be rugged enough to withstand thousands of times extending that shaft?

If we do not demand equipment that works

we are going to get caught out in the middle of nowhere

with some plastic piece that breaks if it is not used gently.

A badly designed part is something a customer should not have to accept

on a multi-thousand dollar product.

Minelab should jump all over issues like this.

They should acknowledge problems and correct them immediately.

The customer confidence that would build is incalculable.

Instead, we have silence.

I am interested to hear what JP may have to say about some of these questions that have been raised.

Normally he is pretty quick to tend to the issues that he has knowledge of - and he has a lot of knowledge.

Some of what I read sounds uncomfortably like other corporate moves that have been made in recent times:

Basically they let the customer base be the beta-testers. 

I am disappointed to see the lack of follow-through or even clarification of 

the batteries and coils that were supposedly forthcoming.

Sadly Minelab seems to have become just another for-profit-only-and-the customer-be-d*mned business entity.

Most glaringly, the cost of remedying most of these issues is EASY AND CHEAP to fix.

What is up MineLab?

someone's going to have to start salting Rye Patch…

(joke in case anyone is worried)

Have a great time, it looks like huge fun.

Hi Steve,

I like the hydro pack you wear.

It is pretty hard to find an outfit that will sell just one.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

* Added Nov. 27th: I finally was able to bag one from a place

that agreed to sell me just one.

It is a well made, well thought out pack.

I'm happy.

haha, great solution Steve,

I'm gonna strap my watch to my detector from now on.

Hi Steve, 

Good explanation of a difficult topic.

It is difficult to guess just how hard finding gold can be without first-hand experience.

It is also hard to realize just how much ingenuity and money has been spent

trying to come up with ways to make it easier.

The age-old solutions seem to be research, hard work and direct experience.

It is also many times misleading on these forums when highly experienced detectorists

write with unusual modesty about what they find.

They can make it look pretty easy.

It's not.

That looks like some great dredging gold, nice going…

You definitely have the touch…

There is so much to be said for fiddling with the settings over an un-dug target.

That is how to really learn about both the machine (any detector), and the area you are using it in.

You have probably the best detector on the planet right now so you are ahead of the game.

Good luck.

An exquisite specimen, thank you for letting us in on it.

Meow…

I have been on that beach where the coins were found.

people were probably swimming and riding waves right on top of those coins.

It is a triple reef line there and they have found amazing artifacts and coins in all three reef lines.

Those perfectly round escudos are called Royals and supposedly are worth 300,000 each.

I'd be yelling underwater too, in fact I have, but only for a little clump of reales…great fun and great memories. 

In case anyone is interested.

This was also found in the same area. It was found by a friend and I had custody of it for about 12 years.

It is a lost wax casting of cupid and was used as a toothpick. It was found at 1am during a storm with

a metal detector in the early '80's. The original owner has possession once again and I miss it,

it is exceptionally rare and beautiful.

Doesn't Burning Man become the second largest city in Nevada each year during the time it's going?

That is a serious amount of bug food.

hey jasong

Once again you have made something that can be fairly complex

seem understandable and possible for us ordinary folks to take on.

You have been doing this on a number of subjects for years. 

I have been and remain, impressed with your willingness and ability to communicate.

Thanks.

The 16 to 1 - one of the great treasures of the Mother Lode.