Norvic

Got to agree, Gold Hound videos will be important part of the history of the electronic gold rush, not for just the gold but the feel the watcher is a participator. They are unique something that will be watched with awe in a hundred years or so. We are very privileged to live in this era, keep them coming this vegemite gives you a ten. There`s a rum at my digs anytime fellows. Tremain knows where I`m at.

That`s it D-TEX, yeah they had a little edge on the A2B when the A2B was king. In some ways I miss those pre-PI days, less of us about. Lot of surface gold in places sometimes multi signals on each sweep for many meters, the beginning of the electronic gold rush.

Gold Hound Next time I run into Tremain, will have a chat with him, firstly to apologise for incorrect spelling of name (shouldn`t listen to teacher missus), and then to see how the GPZ is going. Certainly as stated is early days for GPZ, but so far I`m impressed. Just a wee frustrated as it seemed we were going to have a early start to the prospecting season, now with those cyclones harassing us ?? Love the videos, but they are a bit of a tease on a wet day. GPZ may be weatherproof but I`m not. Vic

Looked at the video, could be wrong but believe Treymane may have turned up sensitivity & volume too high thus instability, perhaps ok for the 5000 but from my preliminary use the GPZ operates very good at the default, I got into trouble early giving it heaps and resorted to a reset. Early days, will have to wait and see.

I have been pretty quiet about how long for my first nugget, but Steve I feel I can say now it took me 3 years of swinging a RB7, and once the A2B come on the scene I know I was walking over it for years. But am probably still doing that, the GPZ is starting to show that is so.

My take on paying for updates is to allow Minelab to have some source of income from detectors already sold, to pay for the R & D involved in those updates as we do when we purchase a detector for $10000 that has probably got $500 worth of parts. To stretch the life of that detector. Gold detectors are not mainstream consumer products like PC`s, tablets etc ,thus the economy of scale do not apply to them. Come on Minelab make the GPZ`s GPS more useful.

Thinking on this luck thing, Steve, like your 1 ozer, I can think of a day in mid summer, hot as hell, myself, mate and son went for a drive in A/c Troppie to check out road condition re. recent wet conditions, we threw in our detectors in case as per norm. Got out on track a fair bit after couple of hours and decided to return home. For the hell of it we started detecting on a likely flat, I had gone 20 metres off track, massive signal. 4 inches or so down a quartz speci. size of cricket ball, on crushing had a whisker under 8 oz. Not another piece got off that flat, although will be running GPZ over it this winter. But you know how many times over 30 years done a similar thing for nothing, of course mate and son gave me plenty, it called you etc etc. Luck or is it due to happen if you do it enough, sort of cutting the odds? We could have stayed and been comfy in A/c Troppie, stubby in hand. Lucky, fortunate don`t know but it definitely was a Magic moment.

Recall a Detech or similar spelling (senior memory) back after the A2B came out, it`s coils were interchangeable with the A2B, and gave better performance. If they are the same Co. they have been silent for many years, at least in OZ.

My software update, wish at this early stage, to add to others above. Make a conversion and import tweak to allow GPS data, waypoints, tracks assessable to moving map software like Oziexplorer. This will allow the use of mapping software that doesn`t require internet access, Oziexplorer mapping software allows the importation of geo, topo etc maps from sites such as QLD Mines complete with georeferencing. Probably even a touch screen on the GPZ with such maps also down the track a bit. Big wish I guess, xchange2 whilst I understand is proprietary and gives security, surely the conversion of GPS data only is not going to hurt Minelabs patent protection. Buying such updates would be no drama.

Thank you, Fred, rereading my post again I may be a little brutal, but many years ago I stopped showing nuggets to even family, the first comment you get is aren`t you "lucky". Makes me see red, I`ve dragged my wife and kids into dry remote locations, just a wipe down each night with little water for weeks at a time, worn out boots, bruises etc. You`ve gotta walk in those shoes to really understand and appreciate where I`m coming from. But regardless of the hardness, it has been Magic, love it, there is no thrill greater for me than to dig up a nugget and then the scenery of those locations, the nuggets are a bonus. May our electronic gold rush go on.

My take there is no such thing as luck, how often I`ve heard individuals say they should have followed that creek right up to the ridge, and then comment on how lucky the fellow was that did follow that creek. Operators make their own "luck", out of bed with the chooks, work all day, back to bed with the chooks because your knackered. Sorry tis not luck. But that is my opinion.

I think JP will remember being introduced to some gold as a young fellow, he had a SD and this old codger a VLF, he run rings around me, regardless that I`d had 10 years or so start. I don`t expect it would be any different now even if we were both armed with the same detectors. Comes down always to the persons ability, attitude and experience. Learning how to use a detector and getting gold with one do not necessarily go together. But it has been a exciting detecting gold rush, and a new detector always adds a little extra. Perhaps we should give a new detector 25% rather than 20% while it has it`s gloss.

14 inch is the most used coil for me, but I`ll get around 10 inch when available. I have used elliptical coils but think round perform better. Although the GPZ14 is a wee elliptical, maybe elliptical suits the GPZ. I also believe they`ll get lighter(hopefully), remember the "garbage lid" coil that came out with the SD`s.

Tis an old saying, "Why do the honest people always run around calling others dishonest" or perhaps another that applies also to detecting "How come the busy always have time to stop and say their busy" Steve, take bugger-all notice of the knockers, the worlds full of them, be very content to be a doer, there`s not enough of them. In Gold Trust.

I go with that 20% for detector, and add another bit of tech at 20% too, the GPS in conjunction with geological maps, especially the smart phone-oziexplorer app combination. Time prospecting in NQ Oz has shown that.

A logic tree would be very useful, as I feel we do that in our minds and sometimes create bad habits doing so. By that I mean I make incorrect assessments by finding nuggets and believing that is the setting to use. I think the 5000 with its multitude of settings illustrated this. eg I used fine gold almost always but probably left a few signals in quieter ground. One such .4gr solid the GPZ picked up(distinct signal) at approx. 6 inches in a small clear area I`d flogged with the 5000 and others before. I feel that piece should have been recovered with the 5000.

GPZ 7000 with the GPX5000 as back-up, maybe purchase a SDC2300 if I have a good run.

Great thread, just had a couple of days use of the GPZ. It has the edge on the 5000, depth, smoothness and size wise, the wireless and no battery cable a godsend. But to sum it up IMO, if you own a gold detector whether VLF or PI and have not found gold the GPZ will not improve your lot. To be brutal if that is so, it is not the detector you should change. Takes perseverance and a ton of foot work and also very importantly faith in your detector. On the GPZ`s inbuilt GPS, it is hampered by Minelabs software. Having used Oziexplorer (OZI) (another OZ product), for me that is the way Minelab should go. Allow waypoints and tracks to be imported into OZI PC version now, with a future touch screen that will allow OZI to be installed on the GPZ, like the OZI android app for smart phones. Geological maps in digital form, showing those fault lines, intersections etc are as important as the detector.

To me Minelabs pricing has a lot of R&D factored in, I have no problem paying for that, they have come up with the goods each new detector. Their share price has been declining over the years, lets hope the GPZ can stop that decline. I got into this back in 79, VLF was king and the refinements until 95 led me to believe we were at the end of the electronic gold rush, PI proved that very wrong and perhaps ZVT or another tech will keep the electronic gold rush running. I personally will know if ZVT is the go once I get my GPZ this weekend, but age will definitely stop us. I`ll be ten years younger for awhile but, tis exciting.

Indeed the electronic gold rush with each tech advance has brought on much excitement. The GPZ "rush" has got me now joining forums, something this old fella has till now avoided. My purpose for joining is not for just enjoyment of posting with like individuals but also to leave for future generations some account of the electronic gold rush. We are a very privileged generation to live through VLF, PI and now ZVT gold prospecting. Top forum you have here Steve, Thank You.