Norvic

Ah Ha If the Goddess of Gold didn`t have you in her grip before, she certainly has now. Top Stuff.

My GPZ`s first "virgin" patch is fairly tight, but with the tall grass and surface rocks I will leave for later in the year when the grass drops. Many years ago the indicator there was gold there was when I scored a small piece about 20 yards downstream in  creek, as it wasn`t on the bottom it had recently dropped into the creek. Flogged the immediate area than no more, again with the 5000 but the GPZ proved it up quick. Its depth ability around rocks and grass is outstanding, Have had to resort to difficult ground setting and turn the audio smoothing on to low, rest of settings as per default except I like the volume at 10, just speaker no headphones. Now thanks to recording those isolated finds with GPS and moving map software, I believe this will not prove to be a isolated case.

To me the GPZ is a gold magnet and feel in time as I learn to capitalise on its features, it will prove to be a super gold magnet. Off the shelf at default settings I have found it has the edge on the 5000. Right arm is stretching but I am stoked, bring on winter.

No I didn`t think for now, but I read you sjmpainter, your spot on and now after the positive and enthusiastic posts in this thread, well this whole forum I`ll make sure if the GPZ scores in Lizard Ck. I`ll take photos and post them, because really the photo says a thousand words.

Yesterday I spent some hours running the GPZ over a likely looking spot and got 7 small pieces at depth, as there is a lot of tall grass there it may prove to be a good patch to, I should get a better idea of its extent today. I gave my 5000 to my son last weekend, thus having no small coil option, I`ll be battling the grass with the 14inch. But I won`t be suffering.   Now I`m stoked and raring to go as I wait for the sun to rise. Every nugget big or small is still a joy for me, like a kid in a candy store.

PS  Capitain you shall have the reports on your desk pronto

I got the name wrong the sat company is Inmarsat but the phone is the Isatphone Pro, not Inmarsat Pro . But Dale knew what I was on about, Another Senior moment for me vanursepaul and it`s international so you`ll get it over there.

It is on my belt whenever I`m detecting, it`ll drop off one day and become a artefact from the Electronic Rush era.   Inmarsat don`t give us the good deal they did at first, pre-paid credit was for 2 years. Now think it`s down to 6 months unless you fork out many 100`s.

I think most of us "oldies" may be in the same boat. We just didn`t take enough photos, we had the gear to do it, I want to tell episode two of "Lizard Ck." but I`ve no photos of any but that big piece. But I`m going there this winter with the GPZ and camera for episode three. GPZ magic I hope, just gotta be another biggie at depth, never got there with the 5000, busted a CV joint on the way in.

That is why I really go for the Gold Hound videos, imagine in 100 years, your descendants coming across those videos. Whowll !! look how my great greats lived, look at the magic journey their life was, in 100 years we are all going to be born with a bar code on us or chip implanted, no individuality, like bloody robots. Keep them coming Hounds.

Yeah true every man to his own, I`ve a lovely 220acre virgin bush block, fully equipped now and plenty of ongoing projects on it to keep me going,  I traded my gold for that. Just love the peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle, I`ve said it before and it never bores me, I am very privileged to have participated in the Electronic Gold Rush. It may have made us seem a bit eccentric to the "norms", but it has been and is a magic journey.

Not a bad idea guys, but  I dont see it being trustworthy in canyon situations that have spotty gps signals to begin with. I know many times I am in and out of signal on the Garmin, and even with a satalite lock on, the signal is sometimes distorted and marked waypoints  can show up way off.

Also I would figure its still going to be a long wait for a rescue team to show up, so one would still have to fend for himself the best he could.

Does your GPS show the EPE (Estimated Position Error)  , to avoid marked waypoints being way off, ensure the EPE is 10m or less before you save, can take many minutes in some locations but by doing so waypoints can be relied on. In fact be wary of manufacturers claims they lock on faster than the opposition ones, might sell GPS`s but not much good for users. Simple to check this, hold GPS in one position save waypoint when it informs you it has lock, save another couple minutes later etc etc, check those waypoint cords if they vary by much between first saves but gets lesser with later saves, you have an idea, but you should find a EPE or averaging measurement under menu functions.

Now with prepaid on hand held Satellite phones, it is more affordable although the cost/min is higher but for safety only takes a few minutes to contact if you need help in a hurry. I use a Inmarsat Pro which has a GPS inbuilt and allows you by a few button pushes to email your Lat & Long to whatever email address you wish, so have made a rule if the wife doesn`t get my daily email she knows something is wrong, plus of course I ring her once a day even more if the Goddess of Gold has blessed me. The missus really likes this  saves her worrying when I`m out there, good for me too she lets me go more frequently.

About snakes, I see them when I`m walking around but when detecting with detector on, only seen one over the years. Often wonder are the snakes able to sense our detectors field or is it simply because we detect a lot slower then we walk, thus they move away?

Can`t say I`ve ever noticed any difference, just feel it would be very minimal.

Yes, I think a lot of part timers save it for good, I did until I realised I`ll never be comfortable showing it for safety reasons, then as I aged why not crush and sell. I have sold nuggets of sub grammers to about 10 grams via Ebay in OZ but the larger ones ounce and up  went to US or Germany. I guess it is a population thing our 20 mill against your 300mill, just not the buyers here. It would be interesting hearing what JP and the Gold Hound do with their large ones.

I do know of brokers who do just that and travel over to the US and Europe. That requires trust to hand to them. End of the day crush, smelt and sell to Perth Mint (AGR) no drama plus there is that other creek out there calling you with bigger and better just over the next ridge. For sure I can feel it. 

It is different when I see those lovely crystallised gold speci`s you folks find over your way, they are a thing of beauty.

Perhaps I could have chased around more to sell as is, but none of the offers I did receive for it came near what I got for it smelted down. But if fellows like JP and GoldHound, those who do it full time tell of their amazing finds when they retire, you`ll see there is a lot of pieces like it and a lot better looking and larger out there. I really don`t believe there is a big enough market out there. When I showed it to the gold buyer I sell through, he didn`t hesitate, crush it, smelt it and I`ll send it off to the mint he said and save yourself a lot of bother.

May be just a coincidence in fact should definitely say it is but then !!!!!. Fred relooking at photo it does have some resemblance to a lizard-head, the coincidence is, I refer to  the creek,as Lizard Ck., and have so since finding, because there is a lot of lizards there. Somewhere in my fragmented memory banks I recall a "series" called believe it or not, I think this coincidence would slot right into that.

Steve thank you for having such a forum that I felt comfortable telling my story, has taken a lot of years and only a handful of people would have handled this nugget. That I know of that is, I did have it stored with a trusted independent person who tried to sell as is at arms length for a few years.

Been having same dilemma, and finally made mind up and ordered the xterra 705 today. I went for the 705, as it seems to have pretty sophisticated discrimination, has 3 frequencies utilized with respective coil change. With that it seemed top value to compliment the GPZ. Never regretted a Minelab purchase yet, come to think of it any detector purchase. We are just boys. 

Well I could`ve pissed down my leg I was so excited, I didn`t notice, although my original intent was to camp out a few more nights, I was home a little after dark that night to show the missus. Have kept quiet about gold finds for obvious reasons but replaying the event has got me all stoked up again, and is a good feeling to finally let it out. I feel these events should be recorded, to leave something of the electronic gold rush and what better way than through a forum of enthusiasts.

Like a kid in the candy store, you`d reckon the GPZ would keep me happy for awhile. Decided on the Xterra 705 Gold and ordered one, blimey when I grow up I definitely wanna be a kid.

Looking through your Amazing finds, the Ganes Ck one and this one from appearances could have come from the same area. However this ones from OZ I found about same time as The Ugly Nugget

Was prospecting new country what I call fringe country, got a few small pieces at head of small creek than down about 100m got a massive signal at dry waterfall of about 2 metres high, creek about 2.5 metres wide. Halfway down that waterfall I could see gold exposed, and probably been exposed for 100`s of years the above piece. It tipped the scales at 1.72 kg, crushed to give 42.314 ounces gold 4.442 ounces of silver after refining. From there down this small creek was a jewellery shop, all signals the heavy stuff not a piece of iron in creek. Creeks length about 300 metres max, then runs into a larger creek.

Never named it because it had no real shape, much like your Ugly Nugget Steve. Perhaps this story and photo could be added to Amazing finds.

Too much choice we have, tis confusing, my shortlist is expanding again also just received some info that makes me think I should also add the AT gold, just didn`t initially consider as I am a dry prospector. The F75 should prove AOK with its features.

In search of that vlf discrimating detector for trashy areas, ruled out eureka gold(weight), ruled out CTX ? over multifrequency & weight. Left with GB2, GBpro and Xterra 705 gold, with the Xterra on top because of its discrim properties and flexibility. Many thanks Steve for your concise and up to date reviews, definitely the best. Initially the CTX seemed most logical but I can see a single frequency is needed for my purpose, the Xterra having that with coil changes allowing it to go for lower frequencies for those coins. Something I haven`t chased for 20 plus years, but recall the fun I had doing so. My shortlist but???? no urgency.

Normal/High yield, smoothing Off, volume to 12 whilst on speaker, rest at default for me so far but the GPZ`s definitely training me and no doubt need a lot more use before anywhere near getting the max out of it. It is not the simple beast it first appeared to be.

Shasta... Nice and peaceful, sit back on favourite chair, have a coffee and watch the animals & sunrise. Enjoy.

No not a wallaby but I checked it is a rock I put up there. But it wouldn`t surprise me too much if one does get up there. Not only are they agile, they are very inquisitive, if I leave tractor parked out there near the knob overnight, it`ll have their droppings over it next morn, especially on the seat. They are nocturnal.

 As a young fella I used to think I was a game hunter, big hero and run around these ridges shooting them, now I am their protector. My wife and I being Wildlife Carers specialise in the Kangaroo family, the rock wallabies are to us the most intelligent. The missus was "talking" to one of them in their lingo(sort of a quiet cheeping) it jumped across the rock closer to her so she put her hand out it promptly came over and bit her on the finger and bolted. We reckon she had insulted it, they are a joy, seems our gold fever "inflicts" us with an appreciation of the environment we prospect in, this thread shows that.

I apologise, I tried to get it all together in one post but either my satellite internet conx is too slow or I was having a senior moment. Anyway enjoy my bit of OZ. Gold has shed from mountains in scenery shot over the rear of. About 200 yards to rear of home you can pick up quartz specimens with wolfram and molybdenite  on the surface, country is very mineralised with copper, fluorite, gold and tin all within a 5 mile radius.

Well I`ve tried to get the "natives" in the one photo, they are often down on the track early in the morn, but they haven`t cooperated. You`ll note two of them, well actually three one has a joey in pouch, on the rocky knob. That rocky knob is on the right of the across valley scenery photo which is about 100 yards from front door. The "natives" are rock wallabies, whilst they are a member of the kangaroo family, they are close to being monkeys, being extremely agile as they play in the rocks. About twenty live on the knob year round and are a constant joy to us, have allowed us to erect water tank at their "home".

Certainly not as spectacular and magnificent as  the photos of your backyards, but my view of this part of OZ I am privileged to call home.

Had got a few antiglare screen protectors for phone, fitted one of them, screen material is a wee soft. Seems I`ve fairly scratched it, probably with a tree branch. As it`s not something needed to view all the time maybe a slip-on cover to protect might be the way