mn90403

That ring does look like it came from a hole. A hole in the ear?

What is the Manticore incentive?

You have put it together Doc. Hearing aids are reading glasses for the ears!

That is a very big one Simon! It would hurt very much.

Yes, even a blind squirrel can find a patch! It might depend upon how much of a 'turn on and go' detector you have like a Monster.

From Steve's article: Is it necessary to know how a metal detector works in order to use it effectively? Absolutely not. Will knowing how it works help someone to use it more effectively in the future? Quite possibly yes, but only with persistence and practice. The best metal detector available is still only as good as the person using it. Who among us thinks technical when swinging? Do you actually think about the signal exciting the target and you are right on the edge of detectability with that iffy signal?

Second title: Where's my mouth?

My caption: What's My Story?

You won't see Gerry put those chompers in his mouth like he does with his nuggets!

Some of us are challenged by the 'technology' of metal detecting and don't have a clear understanding of what happens when we swing a coil. I'm in that category. I'm a 'user' and respond to the detector without thorough understanding of what is happening. I just read this description of how metal detectors work and it will probably change what I think about when I am now swinging a coil. Is this an accurate, basic description of how we hear a detected object? How Metal Detectors Work | HowStuffWorks

I like what I see. Good work. Nice results. It keeps us going at it. More this year. Mitchel

I'm still not done with my purchase of these aids. I like your options including the sports mode. What brand? I've got a fitting scheduled for Costco that may put me on to one of their less expensive pairs but I hadn't considered the different 'apps' like you are talking about. Now that could really open up the options.

It is like having a new detector that goes 40% DEEPER! haha

In my effort to know more about gold and how much is actually produced every year I came across this article. It seems to me the price of gold has NOTHING to do with the amount of gold available to buy. Look at all of these ounces of new gold added to the supply chain each year and tell me how this commodity's price is determined by supply. Top 10 Australian Gold Mines (investingnews.com) And in a related story: 10 Largest Gold Mines in the World by Production (investingnews.com)

We had a 1 in 3 chance of getting a Gold Monster but got a Pro 35 ($99) instead in a raffel on Saturday. My wife wants to use it on the beach and in the parks. Will it work?

I try to do some reading and post things of interest here. It is nice to see some real stuff and real history. There seems to be a theme behind all of the largest nuggets in the world. That 'theme' would be 'Found in the 1860s or so!'

Pictures of nuggets from Russia are rare. Not all of these are gold but some very nice ones are! 10 STUNNING precious nuggets found in Russia (bignewsnetwork.com)

A couple of months back I decided to look into hearing aids again. As it turns out I had done this as an 'exercise' about 7 years ago with a hearing test, but the test didn't cause me to be fitted with aids. This time I got tested and fitted. The aids that I chose to try required a hearing test and then based upon the hearing test they would be programmed. The style that was suggested to me was a behind the ear model by Horizon. It requires a wire to an earpiece. It really was not that noticeable with my big ears, and I had a 45-day trial period. These aids after insurance are a bit more than an Axiom! The programs for them are interesting which include tinnitus, noisy room, echo room and universal to name a few. It is controlled by my phone program on my android smart phone and can also be used with Bluetooth controls which allow you to take phone calls. I found that feature to be a bit distracting as I only wanted to hear better. They did make me hear better and I used them a couple of times with the external speaker on my 800. One night I forgot my headphones and went to the beach but that was just too much noise. I've been a headphone guy for many years, and I've had volume control and additional power on my GPZ with the Sp01 and B&Z Booster. Prior to my GPZ I used noise cancelling headphones with my 5000 that had a volume control that was direct wired to my headphones. I really didn't think I was missing much but I didn't compare much either. Lately I was beginning to sense the volume I required was quite a lot on my headphones and I was also asking some of my friends to repeat things. It was time to find out more, so I got these aids. They were good but I developed a problem with them because they wouldn't stay seated in my ear canals. I was constantly pushing them back into my ears for maximum benefit. Each time I would take my reading and sunglasses off it would cause them to loosen. I'm remembering I did put my headphones for the 800 over the aids a couple of times but it was a bit uncomfortable. Nothing remarkable comes to mind if I did or didn't leave them in. I informed hear.com that I didn't want to keep those aids because of my lifestyle. My contract was voided. They suggested I get another pair that would fit completely inside the ear. I ordered Signia aids this time and when they arrived, they were programmed in the same way. These aids fit better. Now that I had an in the ear aid, I wanted to try them out with my detector. That was about 10 days ago, and I should have written this piece then as I've forgotten some of the things, but it is simply remarkable what these aids do to both of my detectors. My 800 was the first one to use on the beach and all I can say is that EVERY signal sounds different. I use 50 tones most of the time and for years I've known the sounds of my targets and ground. I've found a lot of stuff but now I've been introduced to sound enhancements and programmed frequencies I could not hear. My brain now has new information. My first reaction was 'what have I been missing' all of these years! A nickel doesn't sound like a nickel. Quarters are higher pitched than they were before. There is a new chatter in the swing. Sounds that don't register on the digital scale can be heard. I'm just totally blown away. I've been several times to the beach recently in tough conditions, but I can hear things deeper, farther off the coil and with more detail. I'm a big fan of the 15" coil on the beach at a sensitivity of 23 but the last time out I got the feeling that it was too much information coming in and had to take it down to 22 or 21. Who knew after all of these years I was missing all of this information? Some of my initial thoughts were that EVERYONE should get tested and wear aids. This could be better than getting a new detector. Dealers should offer 'in the ear' amplifiers which will give anyone a better chance. This is more than just an increase in volume. It is a substantial increase in information coming back from your detector and coil. I just had to go out and detect the desert for nuggets. I don't think I will ever detect without hearing aids in in the future. I've been out a couple of times and found small gold with the GPZ and the 800. These were limited tests, but I found gold that was in the .2g range both times within 15 minutes of starting the day. The total is 7 little nuggets for about 2g. I could hear the subtle variations that I know I had been missing. I think now I understand what Kevin Hoagland and others told me for years about the subtle break in threshold in a way I was incapable of before. My mind is definitely not occupied with thoughts of 'what am I missing?' The clues I can hear with the aids are more distinct than without. I still have the Sp01 powering the headphones on the GPZ and use the WM12, but I hear more of the nugget. I'm anxious to get back out on patches and find more MISSED nuggets. I know my old setup left missed gold and not just unseen gold. I may actually find gold that others have missed because of my equipment and what I CAN hear! At least I can hear a big difference with good hearing aids.

I'd like to have one to compare it to my 15" Z coil. At the time I was using my 5000 I was not seeking 'small' gold so I'm sure I also missed deep gold unless it screamed at me. But that brings up a subject for a different thread. What was I hearing and what was I missing?

I'd say that is reasonable if the performance is there. I can't use my 15" on my 7000 at the same time as the 5000 but there may be some performance differences worth the effort and expense.

This is a National Geographic article which gives it a better writing for any of you wishing to visit the area. California gold rush towns are booming again. Here’s what to see and do. (nationalgeographic.com)

Southern California has lost many gold bearing areas in the past and there is pressure on now to take even more land away. Here is an article that highlights this potential. The Past is Present: Searching for Gold with First Class Miners - Z107.7 FM Joshua Tree (z1077fm.com)

Gerry and Lunk would be glad to see you!

Valens, You don't know what Lunk has done in Rye Patch! I know he has detected, raked, boot scraped, dug holes, dug tunnels, pushed, scraped, used hoes, tractors and blades to name just a few. It you look at Google Earth for Rye Patch and look at the images from several years back you will see activity and I can assure you that Lunk knows what happened there. If he didn't find it he has a good idea of who did and now when he goes back to a patch and he goes deep he really doesn't want to waste his time. It is focused. He put out a 'want' to buy that 19" dog coil many months ago and got the tool he wanted for the job. I don't think Lunk will tell us how many pounds he has taken from the area, but I know his hunting partners took hundreds of nuggets from RP. You need to take a break from your routines and have Lunk and Gerry give you a lesson or two. Mitchel

My 5000 and the 18" NF was a lot of fun to run. I almost got in the pounder club with a deep Arizona nugget. It suited me quite well but I stopped using it much after I got my 7000 and that is probably a mistake. I still have it and should warm it up when I get the chance. I've used the 5000 on the beach and it is actually pretty good there too.