Norvic

RR don`t like your hopes of seeing a big price drop on the Z, but be good to see a QED and other new detectors. I have submitted my interests in the QED and should be advised once one is available.... Having had a successful backyard manufacturing business myself thus a bit of a soft spot there, I`ll give the QED a go as my early customers gave me a go, time will tell.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1Location-GPS-coordinates-29-GOLD-NUGGETS-fossicking-Georgetown-QLD-Minelab-RFDS-/222335915222?hash=item33c440d4d6:g:VTwAAOSwMVdYIwYS Enterprising fellow, wonder how many times he`ll sell the coords.

I always put a little pile of rocks over filled in hole, helps a lot to work out the nugget run down a slope. Tight where near the source fans out further down, if it doesn`t try to think why, maybe reef only shed one nice speci, which just breaks up in a tighter line down slope, or even better reef is still there, has only relatively recently shed. GPS waypoint for future and knock em all over at end of day or trip. But the save waypoint gives a very useful databank down the track, unless of cos you have a photographic memory like.....ah... um... ah..... you know.....what`s his name.........

Like you Tortuga, I`ve been chasing the stuff seriously but not professionally since 79. All through those years if in a group talking about gold detecting the conversation would most times get around to a agreement that fields have been "pounded to death", there is bugger all gold left etc etc, very rarely over all those years have I come across other users out in the field swinging, plenty in caravan parks, pubs etc. To me today it is the same as the old days, it has always been if you go out there believing it has been "flogged to death" you might as well stay in the pub. This may be a "brutal" view but it has been mine for yonks.

Your not wrong, Steve, I thought with hot settings that I found so successful on the 14, they`d work on the 19 for me. It was mostly so with the PIs and the VLFs (when going up in coil size) but ZVT in particular the 19 is different (for me). This has got me thinking it is not only due to ZVT but the 19 has more advanced windings then the 14. What has really stuck for me is two things JP has spoken of, ZVT works better in low noise, and upping the volume control on the Z is akin to upping the sensitivity.(exact words I am not quoting just my interpretation) You up the volume, you drop the threshold to suit but your not gaining anything but noise which may not be a good objective with ZVT, same with sensitivity. But as you point out Steve that is why there are adjustments to cater for the individual.

MN, You will not have to concern yourself to much with swinging the 19 slowly, I doubt it could be swung any other way. Be a wee hard and tiring to stop the momentum of a fast swing. My time with the 19, firstly in my hot 14 settings for ziltch then switching to JPs conservative settings over the same ground was a eye opener for me. So much so that once (if) I get back to using the 14 I`ll be back to conservative settings for a bit for sure. So many different factors influence our chances of success, even when we are swinging over gold. Which we are every time we swing...........

My backup to the Z sort of is the SDC, well it is the only other detector in my vehicle. But if the Z should break down, I doubt I`d grab the SDC, instead I`d head to home to have the Z fixed. Fingers crossed, other then headphones or cables have not had a detector breakdown in the field yet.

Most of the time for me covering ground is the go over depth, because I mainly hunt virgin ridges, plus I cannot recall the indicator piece on a patch being over say an ounce, most times it is a sub grammer, it is when cleaning up patches I go for depth, where downhill below the smaller stuff on the ridges there is depth. Going for one or the other depends on the country you are searching also, as the country I do has very few alluvials, ridges are the go but not always, I guess being flexible is the real go.

The Go Find being the top seller is sort of surprising, but as it`s sold in most of OZs retail camping etc chains, it is good maybe it will become a more popular pastime for todays young generation. Do you folks have them being sold in such retail chains over in the US?

Have a good one, golden days get more during your 50th year & onwards.

Soak up and store that cold Paul, email it over here pleaseeeeee.

MN Nothing to be scared of, the 19 is magic, just that open web design, not a criticism just something to work around.

As yet I have not got gold with a warble with the 19,(unlike the 14) except a slight warble on a deep lead shot, also I have not dug a reverse signal that was gold, all gold have been clear but quiet low-high-low signals. Also other then a few small 1 grammers I have considered I should have got them all with the Z14 but I know I and another had flogged this patch with the Z14 & a 5000 with a 14" new age coil. I suspect from this the 19 is not just a larger coil but a more advanced one as well. But tis only early days, these are just my early observations.

Checked out your skid plate Dave, nice and simple, will go with it, have ordered some 1mm polycarbonate. BB, whilst it is hot in FNQ we don`t have your salt problems to contend with, thus am really getting to like my time behind the 19. It is proving to be much quieter then the 14 but not much less sensitive, thus feel that quietness is deceptive. Upping the sensitivity only seems to induce false noises from bumping grass and rocks, the skid plate should help solve this. Just silasticed the original skid plate on to stop it cracking more but also to seal it. Accumulates a lot of debris underneath, perhaps this will stop this happening to some extent.

Not wanting to hijack the current "where is it in the Us thread", Phoinex, So far I`ve managed to rip the front transmit coils rubber bumper off on grass and have cracked the original skid plate also catching grass, plastic tape is not the answer. I`m very interested in your skid plate mod. Must do something before I rip original skid plate right off and go bare, which may not be so bad. But from our OZ 4Ms I`m feeling like the lone ranger re having success with the 19, although I suspect there are others, must be. It is not much less sensitive then the 14 and like you say with the assist arm is fairly easy to use, also the hipstick does a top job handling its weight,( with the bungy going through a ring fixed just under the LCD...thanks Fred) so much so it is my coil of preference on the flats at present. I am very positive it is not a dud, just ZVT is new tech and we "need" to learn how to use it. Be good to see the reports on it on this 4M once it gets about the US.

Well Schiara, I suspect you`ll do well with the 19 because my use of the 19 has me firmly believing it is new tech and needs to be used as such, I have found so far used at JP conservative settings it is a winner, wheras the 14 can be used at much hotter settings. ZVT tech is only in its infancy, but is a producer.

If it is for real I will not hesitate to be that third party, no worries, but don`t hold your breaths waiting for the review. Maybe Chris might be shown one next time he goes driving about town, and he`ll beat me to the first sighting....................... But aside from all that it would be the bees knees of all PIs, and certainly what we`d all love from Santa.

Be lovely, a PI detector under 2KG in weight with performance of the 5000, uses same coils, for 1/4 of the cost. I`ll have one for sure...........but how do I get one? None as yet shown on Goldsearch Au website.

Yeah, I think Johnno has summed up the majority of the feeling of the 19 downunder. It appears if you compare it with others re. air tests or nuggets reburied you are going to be disappointed, not so for me out on the ground on undug nuggets I`m very happy, mine is well in the black in the ledger. Will be interesting to see how it goes in the US.

Yeah, sort of with you on the open web, but for me a solid coil cover would solve that, after a few yards working in the grass mine accumulates a "birds nest", the way current coil covers clip on receive coils clips catch pieces of grass. But as it`s performing sort of put up with this, will stop and glue a thin bit of ??? plastic over once it stops picking up weight. If the bloody thing weighted twice as much I`d still be a happy vegemite at this stage. Good fun, look out for a increase in those "imaginary" signals we`ve grown to love with the 14".

Ok, I am having a ball with the 19", getting to really like it. I suspect it is a more advanced coil then the 14", or perhaps it is just its size but it is as quiet as (keep settings JP conservative) and powerful. You have probably had those signals "disappear" with the 14" and you`ve had to widen out your hole to get coil in (signals still too deep to pick up on side). Well get ready for the 19" because you are going to get more, especially with the deep smaller bits around 1 gram. These occurrences or digs really push home the message air tests are totally meaningless when in the real world. Now to talk ML into making us say a 11x12 or such that if possible is as quiet as the 19"....................... maybe 60% lighter I never said that............

Wow, don`t blame you for taking it, tis a beauty.

Tis a problem in the suns glare for sure, but myself I very rarely use, basically maintain the same settings through each session, but for those who use the GPS function certainly would be annoying. A good colour transflective screen with droid OS, Oziexplorer mapping, export & import GPS data & maps would be the go for me. Maybe??????? in the future.

I found the swing arm a boon to control the 19" sweep, have never used the swing arm before but combined with hipstick it tames the control and weight of the 19". Probably will now use it with the 14" too. Doubt there will be many true users of the Z that wont love the 19", it certainly quietens the ground I hunt considerably, but it is good to read positive reports of the 19". Shameful what is going on in our OZ forums, such vicious negativity.

Crikey, if true suspect he was blown away by finding such. Sort of ???? can understand he would have been feeling on top of it all, like spaced out with his fortune.