Norvic

Two affordable ones I know of and have used, Oziexplorer & Fugawi. Just google them, go to their websites, all instructions etc are built in. Oziexplorer comes in a shareware version for trial. I imagine your Mines or lands dept have downloadable digital maps in suitable formats. With Oziexplore you need the PC version to georeference and work your maps then transfer to your mobile device, either android, windows or pocket pc(containing respective version of Oziexplorer) as per instructions contained in help file. I rarely use a dedicated GPS now rather use mobile phone with Oziexplorer App installed. No network access required just uses phones inbuilt GPS. There is a fair amount of time required to get the hang of moving map software, but well worth the effort, to me a very important part of my prospecting.

Whilst I`m no expert, am totally self taught should you have any dramas I am very happy to assist through the forum of course if Steve approves, and also we are fortunate to have Gold Hound in the forum who uses such software as he has indicated in another thread.

I`ll generalise a wee, when detecting you`ll often come across even just a small change in the country, something that is not shown on the geo map. Doesn`t even have to be a mineralised change(but helps), a topo change or even just a vegetation change. Concentrate there too, the main thing is not to dismiss in your mind there is no gold in a particular piece of ground until you`ve detected it. Keep the mind open and have faith in where you are.

In NQ OZ we have a low fine grass nicknamed copper grass, it has a coppery sheen, can be a indicator. But I stress can be, not always same as mentioned in an earlier post, a stand of Cyprus pine can be a indicator. Rege-PA, I have prospected with a couple of Geo`s, and again I`m generalising, they get it wrong too, very good to listen to, to gain knowledge but a closed mind is like waving a detector with a flat battery. There is only one constant, it Tis where it tis, sounds obvious but is true and worth repeating. That field work as Gold Hound mentions is important, but for me, more so than study. I`m definitely geologically impaired.

JP`s mention he is two dimensional in his thinking is probably where I am, the technical side of how detectors work is way beyond me. They work and get gold, they are reliable and have made my life what it is in some respects. That is until this thread, the video shows Minelabs passion for their products, shows the human side of why their products lead the world. It is not just their tech abilities it is their enthusiasm to deliver.

Way off subject I read Stephen Hawkins fairly easy to understand books on relativity etc, which gives some of an idea how our GPS`s work,  plus a lot of other tech, that helps in the field as does  Geo`s like Ian Plimers writings on the formation of the earth, mineral deposits etc. Minelabs video does the same thing, communicating in a manner that is easier and interesting for the layperson to understand. Tis top stuff, gets the grey matter working and importantly adds positive thoughts that keep you going in those gold lean times as I am finding this forum does.

Branched from known gold areas, into fringe areas many years back, if I find quartz I concentrate on that area heavily, whether Igneous, Metamorphic or Sedimentary. Have had surprising finds in Limestone, wolfram, coal and tin "country". This has taught me not to be focused on any particular country as Steve`s detailed post points out, even to the extent of stop thinking it`d be better over there where the country "looks better", gold certainly is where it tis and the most distributed  native metal on earth.

Does not take long to detect creeks, alluvial gold can lead to the elluvial gold, which can be multiple signals per swing, this methods is little different  to the original prospectors except the use of detectors rather than pans, GPS`s, moving map software, digital geo, topo maps and our 4WD`s give us a huge advantage. Time positive detecting, lovely finding a creek with nothing but gold signals. I don`t know if this applies to all countries but certainly does to the country I prospect.

My condolences to the Garrett family, the A2B did me well for many years.

Surface area of about an acre found with a gold bug & gm2 back last century here in NQ OZ, produced many ounces of small gold, hammered it with the PI`s and more recently the GPZ, score zilch PI`s & GPZ, very shallow, medium mineralisation with slate bedrock showing. But below before creek at depth different story. Can`t knock the vlfs, Just gotta add a VLF to armoury, they were a lot of fun. Visited again yesterday with son using 5000 for first time, he licked my GPZ, youth over age( my excuse) but magic!!!

_{Got my Toyota bogged, if I PM my coords could you please hurry and pull me out.}

I thought I was just deaf re. volume but is good to see your settings Lunk, I also found target response a little weak at the default of 8. Your threshold seems high but that is something I`ll definitely have a shot at, plus it probably varies from machine to machine. All in the learning process and no doubt we`ll all develop favourite settings. Food for thought, good stuff.

Steve,

           To me if the GPZ is the forerunner the 2000 was for the 5000, what a detector the GPZ 10000 will be. I can only fault the GPS`s ineffectiveness and there I`m flogging a dead horse.

jasong,

I don`t think you`d be whinging if you were to speak of those flaws, the GPZ`s coil weight is the only negative I have noticed(other than the GPS`s lack of usefulness), and perhaps nothing can be done about that. I remember the SD`s garbage bin lid 18" coil. Some worked some failed early but they were heavy and awkward to use.. Coiltek, Nuggetfinder etc as well as Minelab, soon rectified that. Since the 2100 I have not used a VLF but I hear those who do and am going a wee back to the future there. But there is room for constructive criticism as much as there is for praise, and I do think Minelab handles the praise well but not so the criticism which probably has a wee to do with their Ozie knockers existence.

Yeah well "we make Knockers better in OZ", certainly being OZ I`m not proud of this.

Anyway pushing the negative stuff aside, I am not sold on this massive change the PI`s brought being as big as "folklore" seems to make it. I kept going with a 1700 through until the 2100 was introduced, cheerfully picking up gold. Sure massive gains in depth but methinks more to do with PI`s capability of handling mineralisation much better.

VLF`s are harder to use in mineralisation, thus a lot of users did not or could not use them effectively. Probably the variety of settings on the 5000, also illustrates my belief. All to do with the user, the GPZ nearly removes this completely, it is so easy. But certainly will not be so for all, no product is. I am proud "We make our detectors better in OZ".

Of interest also, author makes comment about knockers having no mineralisation ground or ........ I believe this early in my use the GPZ also has it over the 5000 in no or low mineralised ground. It is proving this to me in sandy creeks in my area which is a low mineralisation area. As for it not being as big a jump as the SD2000 over VLF, I feel that assertion may also be challenged in time. Only becoming involved in detecting forums recently, I am not aware, but is this normal this knocking of a new release?

Personally I wish Minelab only made one GPZ, mine!!!

Ah Ha what a quandary, and another way to look at things, lovely to have all those choices, even perhaps there`s an answer to the GPZ on the way. Seems by the heavy radio advertising we are getting up here in NQ OZ, and I assume elsewhere there is an imbalance, the GPZ market is maybe saturated.

Don`t know Rick I think we`ll get such a detector, but by then we may be a wee long in the tooth. A 4lb GPZ with non-internet moving map software on its screen will do me now whoops and a packet of youth pills.

An old codger said to me when I was a youth "Youth is wasted on the youth" I got quiet insulted then, but I know what he was on about now.

Positively positive, you`ve just gotta be, but that is easy when your in the bush. Wouldn`t trade that for Fort Knox, smell of our native Cyprus Pine, a top indicator of mineralisation as an example. Throw a little dead Cyprus pine wood in fire, not a good cooking wood like bastard box, but the scent from the burning wood, just calls the gold. If you don`t get this, next time your out for an extended trip, put the detector away for a day and just wander around, head up instead of down, give it a shot, you'll clean up next day.

Nugget Bob I like your way of saying it, you are on the money.  Nobody helps you like you can help yourself. Currently I am chasing a couple of  big Barramundis for Easter, an OZ sport fish of top eating quality and a like a big nugget much sought after in this land downunder. 

Probably even more gold in weight has been found by those old vlf`s back in 80`s and 90`s, than from the PI era, at the same time if the GPZ and its following detectors combined with other mod tech, GPS`s, moving map software, etc and tech savvy prospectors, than that will change. I know using such has broadened my horizons.

I doubt whether we hear of even a fraction of the large pieces that are found, ask yourself would you advertise that you have found such? Maybe once but I doubt you would twice.

You got my interest, Gold Hounds for me I see your videos as a lasting record of the electronic gold rush, something future generations can look back.at. Plus more selfishly I can learn from your experience, and go for a CTX myself perhaps.

Good strategy Gold Hound, sort of trouble, that nice bit I can go for. Worst thing the cooks let my tucker go cold by then but an extra port warms it up down below. For interest wandered over under HV line cutting through my ground with the GPZ, knocked it out almost completely. Ground balanced no drama  just a wee warble. No gold but good test on a sunday arvo, mineralised ground, wolfram & moly bit of fluorspar country but not unheard of that gold occurs near wolfram especially near fluorspar.

This thread has me leaning definitely towards the CTX as my first vlf in, bloody hell on thinking, 20 years. Few weeks ago wasn`t even considering a VLF, thanks fellows. Got a fair few tailings and trash sites I`ve avoided for too long.

From videos, and own use, forget up and down with the GPZ coil, always side to side as per searching over a target. Constant height over ground, wider holes, no real difference from all other motion detectors I`ve used. Perhaps even consider it a habit to avoid especially with the GPZ. This is just my observation, will try up & down myself next positive signal out of curiosity.

I think Africa is like early days Australia. There is so much surface gold even VLF detectors clean up. There was a lot of gold found with VLF detectors in Australia in the 1980s and the detectors were not even as good as what we have now. Eventually the easy stuff will be gone, and then the PI detectors will be more a necessity than an option.

Would be exciting to relive the 80`s as we did in OZ, all over again in Africa today, but this old codger is very content to have had the privilege of participating in those 80`s. No way to know but I have a feeling, more gold was got with those ancient vlf`s in those 80`s than the PI`s in 2000`s in OZ. Certainly not knocking the PI`s or what we have now fellows, embrace our new tech tis magic. Go our ZVT`s.

Goddess of gold was on my side, just started it up in default followed on screen dirx, 5 minutes later started picking up pieces. Hour later no more signals started buggerising with settings, got GPZ into a unstable position, reset to default and back into it again.

Simple early lesson, reminds me of the days way back with the Deepseeker & A2B, belief was you turn up everything you could, really making machine unstable and unusable. But a lot run around like that regardless of taking notice of the clear Garret instructions to turn sensitivity down to suit ground conditions and have as stable a threshold as possible.

That was a bit difficult with those old machines, but simple with the GPZ.

Reading this thread, think it might be time I added a vlf for those trash areas I`ve always avoided, and perhaps one of those industrial magnetic brooms to pick up the surface iron. Anyone had a go with one?

Top thread this one, as yet cannot offer any more, basically am just following Steve and JP`s recos and really they are the fellows who have had the "coil on the ground". Only definite for me at present the reset is certainly a top feature, gets you out of the pooh. Impatiently waiting for winter and prolonged trips, this old codger has had enough summer prospecting.   Getting soft.

Vic