Norvic

Reading this post and other posts in the 4Ms archives, it seems you folks have ground just the same as we have here in OZ. Most of the ground I prospect in NQ OZ is only slightly noisy. If wet even less noisy and more depth penetration. Certainly not like your salt areas, nor like some areas of WA or in particular some patches around Wedderburn in Victoria OZ. Got me thinking and must ask you fellows that have experienced both US and OZ fields, is there really any difference, is it just a myth downunder that our ground is the worst to detect in?

By connecting direct to battery, and if it worked or not is simply a fault finding procedure. i.e If it worked, than you know the problem is in conx somewhere if it didn`t work and your battery is good, the problem would be in the charger. I manufactured portable 12v fridges for 20 years, most of them to customers 1000s of miles away, it is a very effective method of isolating the problem. A lot of vehicle wiring even in new vehicles is not up to the job of supplying such, in fact to solve future problems I always recommended a separate new cable run direct from battery to appliance. I suspect Minelab is well aware of this thus the extra cable that comes with the GPZ that has alligator clips on each end for direct conx. Just giving this extra info to clarify, Fred certainly would be a pain to lift bonnet just to charge. Like Dale says, in remote areas these things have to be working AOK, we rely on charged batteries especially in our Sat Phones, that can be a matter of life or death Apologise for not being clear in my original post, Norm in his post also illustrated this. Solar & deep cycle batteries have been a big boon to prospecting, also to my life, wife and I live totally off-grid using solar and wind to charge a battery bank that weights a wee over 1 ton, have been doing so since 06-07. People used to ask me about the solar cells I had permanently mounted on my Troop Carrier back in the 80`s, used to tell them "its a solar powered troopie"

Many Thanks, look forward to it. Be a good dedication to "the Man in Black"

Here is photo of my vehicles power board, just a marine switch board and the two Clipsal polarised low voltage plugs below it. All is connected with 6mm2 cable direct to battery through a fuse. Cuts down on high resistance joints that are the bane of low voltage power, especially in vehicle use in dusty, wet conditions and I imagine even more so in your snowy conditions.

No problem here. Note the 240v charger puts out 18v, have you tried it with the alligator clamps direct on battery rather than cig lighter. Cig lighter plugs are not the best conx, and I suspect that is where your problem is, a high resistance joint cutting voltage. I use the old 32v polarised plugs have been doing so for 40 years in vehicles, no drama. Should be available in US, they were used in low voltage households before the grid power and are still being made by Clipsal, who I suspect are worldwide.

Love the video, the music not bad but suspect like Paul I`m an old Codger, Only two kinds of music Country & Western. For Paul and I a request, maybe a bit of Ozies Slim and some, say Marty Robbins or Johnny Cash. But I`ll watch your videos even if you`ve got Sesame Street in background.

14" is that sweet size, the allrounder, I don`t think it was just a coincidence the GPZ came with a 14", Minelab knows.

When I first used my GPZ, got fortunate first piece in 5 or so minutes from starting, small but deep, immediately considered, this machine is going to do to PI`s what the PI`s did to the vlf`s. Same thing dig down expecting a larger piece. Speaking to a non detecting person but someone who is involved in the industry, first thing he asked me (known each other for 35 plus years) have you got the new Minelab. To cut a long story short, he is seeing it all over again as when the SD2000 came out, the complaints of a heavy machine but the finds, well and truly making up for it. Go Minelab.

Wouldn`t be $25 worth of gold in it, but if you offered me $1000 I`d decline. It has been sitting by my computer for 30 odd years, no it has bugger all $ worth but is worth a hell of a lot to me, came from location of my first find in my gold journey. Tis magic.

Got a rellie who`s a whizz bang gyro gearloose on the computer, he had asked me for a copy of the photo this morning so emailed it to him, said he could clean it up, whatever that means. Well you can see the results, like wow.

GM2 was brilliant, low mineralisation area, ground noise just not an issue. Any detector with sensitivity to that small stuff, but a lot of square miles of country. Like a pin in one haystack in a paddock full of haystacks. Legwork and the puzzle of what is the indicator. But that's gold.

Would not be difficult to make up the lights without blowing the budget, a couple of small sheets of that frosted white glass or plastic as a diffuser, over a soft led light. Few blankets hung strategically to keep stray light out.. The digital SLR have macro modes and a million other features plus I see you can download macro apps for smart phones. But I`m really impressed with how the beauty of such a small speci can be shown. Once I`ve prospected the area I`m currently checking out must go back to that limestone country, easy country to prospect, fairly flat, just a lot of it, and not aware of any indicators but believe there will be. The mighty ZED will love it. Bloody Goddess of Gold she rules.

Update on Hilux breakdown, you will note in the photo at top of spring is a lifting block, about 11/2 inches high. It is a aftermarket lifting block, I purchased and fitted. Purpose is to offset the weight of steel bulbar and winch, apparently 1000`s have them fitted. It did that job well but instead of upward movement being soaked by the rubber stop, the shockie shaft took the hit. I am eating crow for supper tonight and take back all my cussing of Toyota and am updating with purpose built spring and shockie assemblies, what I should have done in the beginning.

I gave up getting a better picture and took it to a fellow who has the gear. Nothing out of the ordinary in his gear. A digital SLR with a macro lens, mounted securely. As he explained to me is the lighting, he sits the specimen directly on a light diffuser with a very soft light under it, another diffused light above and offset a bit just a wee brighter. No shadows at all, no intense or stray light in a darkened room. He uses it to sell coins and postage stamps, thus no need to focus with depth as you can see in this shot

Here is a much better shot of speci colours are right

Good to see Minelab taking up along the Deus way, believe it may be the future way to go. Software detectors, why not? there have been software all band radio receivers for many years. Judging by how difficult one is to obtain in OZ, think demand has outstripped supply, looking very good for Minelab.

Just a warped sense of humour, built in, doesn`t need any artificial stimulation, am new to forums and trust it is not of offence to any in this premium forum, certainly not intended to be.

Bit further North and inland on the western edge of the Atherton Tblds. Just a local call to JC from here.

This OZ would love to hear some gold with snow stories, you guys must have some experiences there, snow is very foreign matter especially to us up here in NQ OZ. Just the splat, splat on windscreen and seeing snow is not something we experience. Mainly all floods, cyclones and fire with our gold over here but no snow experiences. Paul send some of that rain over pleeeeeeese. Have finally got together a few OZ things they should be flying over tomorrow.

That`s a worry, if they`ve already tested them and keeping Mum about it. Well I suppose if Steve and JP puts their GPZs on the market we`ll know for sure what the go is. Have to watch this closely, don`t want to miss the bus. You sure their 40% brighter?

Probably a silly question and you`ve probably already done it, but wouldn`t it be easier to carry as a hipmount. You have me thinking the Xterra 705 hip mounted with a small coil, not as sensitive as those higher frequency machines, but certainly nice and compact and easy to fit in a belt pouch. Coil & cable in rear pouch. Plenty of food for thought. Sawn off like that it`d probably be illegal in OZ, it does look kinda lethal.

Got you Dale, I found that even with the troopie once loaded. On road the troopies old 2H diesel couldn`t pull your hat off, off road that was no concern how you loaded it was, put it in hot dry fine sand loaded up and you were buggered. Naught to do with the motor. I made my troopie worse by building a fold out camping top on it complete with solar panels, that weight up top isn`t desirable but comfy, with bed always ready, on those long trips. Is a difficult quest to have a vehicle whose all up weight is over 31/2 tonne and still be able to negotiate bush bashing. Probably the best compromise, is one vehicle for each person. At least than you`d have heaps of load carrying capacity on the way out from Lasseter's reef with the tonnes of gold. That s/wb Cruiser sure looks good in that scenery. 327 under the bonnet tis a rocket.

Another ZZZZZZZZZZZed klunker, you beauty!!!, Steve & JP should have a test set by weeks end. 40% brighter, love it.

That machine with todays zippy Hilux diesel motor would be the bees knees for gold hunters, but the market has turned Toyota away from that. Comes down to supply and demand I guess.

Yeah I use the harness that came with the GPZ with the hipstick sort of migrating around to the side as yours is. Haven`t spent enough time to get it just right yet, but enough to know bungee-hipstick-underscreen hookup setup is extending the hours I can use the GPZ over just the bungee. It is in the creeks when anything that is hanging off you gets in the road that will sort it all out, that is why the GPZ cable less detecting makes things a lot easier. Trying to get your detector coil away from your pick while digging with cables conx you up was always a bit of a drama. Not much flat stuff in my area, one leg longer than the other sort of arid-rocky country but no where near as steep as a lot of your country.