Norvic

For me and this is my take for where I prospect, this is the detector I want currently. A Z with the weight of a Deus,(asking a lot I know) with a full function GPS that allows me to upload and download tracks and waypoints so as I can use the mapping software of my choice, and of course a smaller coil for such. In regards to VLF hunting gold in my country, they will get gold no doubt in fact I`ve got gold recently with the Deus. But that was for good fun not for production, production for me is defined simply by consistency ie. the best chance to get gold on each trip that at the very least averages out to pay trip expenses. To express this similarly to KL screwdriver-wrench....Horses for Courses.

Pubic Serpents that wont let me get the gold on pubic land................

Don`t think so, the GPS just gets info from the sats, doesn`t send info back. Tis a receiver only. No for me the block idea has a lot of merits it would have to be that every owner has to go along with it, password or whatever or it`d be useless and I guess that would be its biggest limiting factor, as I`m guilty as hell of leaving passwords at default.

No I think it is a bloody good idea, perhaps if JP reads this thread he might consider passing this by ML. If they cannot be unlocked except by the owner they have nix value to thieves.

That would be a good way forward, if I understand you right Nvhris, that would require a user password input each time machine is started,?????????????bit of a nuisance but a good option, would take them off the thieves market pronto you`d reckon.

Controversial subject, my vote is PIs kill VLFs gold hunting overall. VLFs may have a use gold hunting but is very limited, unless there is a major tech advance in VLFs ability to handle mineralisation. I used VLFs successfully before PIs, but now PIs have met their match with ZVT tech which is in its infancy. This is my take, the country I detect is only lightly mineralised.

Touch wood, my 2year old Z has not shown these symptoms as yet.

Yeah, XPs got us in tongues out.

Being a manual GB, single channel MD I agree Steve, for me I`m pretty excited about the QED but then that is so with all new toys I guess., just getting the Treasurer to see it that way is the catch. However if it is a goer one would wonder why the established brands haven`t done so long before.

Doubt it is a misunderstanding Steve, just seems some baggers are changing the detector Co they bag. But amongst all the "static", things are looking good for the QED, might be the lightweight producing PI we seek.

Dag Nabbit...JW pleeeeeze don`t encourage the lad, KL gets a video what ya call it, I`m trading be bloody Z for them funny sticks they chase white balls with. Even across the pond from us he`d be a menace on lens............... I have a suspicion the 19" is a superior coil to the 14", maybe windings aligned differently or something but we`ll know when ML makes us that smaller coil. Whatever tis a beauty.

Good one, finder certainly knows he`s not kidding himself.

I think KL you summed up my year too, except I don`t leave my Snicker bars laying around. Best for the new year

I made my interest known to Goldsearch within days of it appearing on their website. I have received no notification of one being available as yet, however I did not make payment as I am not one to pay for a unknown detector that is not available as yet, just asked to be notified when one is available. Starting to sound promising but of course no review, video etc is the same as putting a detector onto gold in ones own hands on familiar ground. The fact they are made in OZ, lightweight & relatively cheap and a home soil competitor for MLs products, I suspect they will sell like hot cakes here, a feeding frenzy for a bit.

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?id=20743 Appears to be nothing on XPs site about this but maybe the wait is near over.

Not good, hope they turn up.

I hope the new ML will be a lightweight PI, we`ve been screaming for a SDC in a better format since it came out. Is there a market for another gold VLF? is XPs Ver4 a VLF breakthrough of some kind that has ML nervous? Sounds like 17 might be a exciting year. MLs not "feeding" the chooks" for no reason.

Synclines & anticlines to name a couple more features, although have found synclines are more productive for eluvial sheds but that may be because there are bugger all alluvials in country I prospect. Minor fault junctions with either a major or other minors. Have found some older geo maps, usually hand sketched from 100+ years ago show a lot more minor faults then the newer ones. The advantages I`ve found with dedicated mapping software, doesn`t need a cell signal, find waypoints & track saving after many years of doing such gives you a historic database that can be recalled, plus I`m a wee paranoid about being online with my valuable data. Google Earth is a powerful tool that with time will evolve even more, find it invaluable for terrain checking at home to get a vehicle in close via bush-bashing, just mark a potential "easy" track and import across to handheld mapping software that accepts kml, kmz etc. Such Geo & GPS data is almost as powerful a tool as the detector.

I use geological maps to show fault lines, but as a total layman, my geo knowledge is only self taught. A fault line can run along a mountain range, along a flat, a valley etc, I don`t think there is any general topo feature that is characteristic of all fault lines. But quartz is a good indicator in the country I prospect. Whilst prospecting for new patches I georeference geological maps into Oziexplorer (mapping software) on the PC, transfer these over to a Android smart phone Oziexplorer application. Then using the phones inbuilt GPS allowing me to see exactly where I am in relation to fault lines shown on the map on the phones screen, as I prospect. Makes it much easier then using paper maps, fault lines are most important to me. To get started grab a geo map of your area that also shows past and existing mines, and check the relationship of these mines with the fault lines. I really don`t know if my approach is correct geology wise, but it works and has for many years.

Top analogy, have found with the Z the volume control is not quite like a volume control on the audio side of things such as with a radio receiver. It seems to do more then amplify audio, to illustrate this if you adjust it much over 8 to compensate for bad hearing, you introduce a lot of internal noises and in particular you increase the Zs potential to pick up EMI. But if you add a low noise booster to the WM12 with a volume control and keep the Z set at 8 or lower, you can have a high but stable signal volume, and get a nice even quiet threshold. Now I`m probably really complicating this subject but I just feel that volume control turned much above 8 takes away more then it gives wheras increasing the sensitivity is more a ground based control, in quiet ground you can have the sensitivity up in Normal and really gain, but switch from difficult to normal first. Heh!!!! this is my take from my use and the posts in this thread really enforce settings are an individual thing. I just know the magic of the Z is it can be very easy to use and very productive such as in default or you can crank it and gain a bit more, but that cranking can complicate things. Tis up to the individual to decide if there is a bit more to be gained or are you actually losing? Crikey, I am suffering from Cabin Fever aka Mango Madness, gotta get the coil out over some ground but this rain is so welcome.

Sure is a sensitive subject, but has been about since day one when detectors started to be used to find gold. Do you run a noisy machine or a quiet one? Now I`ve run around with everything cranked up until the 19", so I`ll probably be proved to be wrong here again but I think overall ZVT is better set with as little as possible internal noises, especially keep volume down <8,(rather go with a external low noise booster). This is something persistent young fella (JP) taught this deaf stubborn old fella, although of course us oldies know young fellas are normally as wrong as. But one thing for sure the user that believes he/she left nothing behind is only kidding themselves

I look for our OZ native pines, what is called copper grass (short coppery coloured flower grass), red anthills amongst the white ones or vice-versa. Or just any distinct vegetation change line that stands out like dog b.... when you look at from a high ridge. Basically any change in vegetation is worth a look especially when it follows the local fault line direction but not always as often the enriched leader runs at 90deg to main fault line, in which case you`ll snag it (or hopefully will) as you follow the vegetation change line.

The Z has a reset function that returns it to factory default settings, those settings are as good as any if not better to get you up to speed with the Z. A great fail safe set of settings that get gold no doubt and you will not be be far off by just sticking to them, at least until you have many hours behind the Z. ML knew what they were on about when they made these the default settings.

No magic pudding for sure, tis as Steve says a mental approach, buggered if I know a formula that helps one arrive at best settings for them, haven`t found one for myself yet, but in short.......... Freds nailed it, Jps recommended it but bet he fiddles just a wee bit too. Steves Insane, Lunks, Bogenenes, manual GB etc etc they all work.

Top to hear, father-son team. Cannot think of a greater joy in this hobby of ours than an outing with ones son.