mn90403

POP now lives on the Santa Monica Pier. It is posted on the Ferris Wheel. They have a small roller coaster. Here is the park you were talking about: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Ocean_Park I've been here since 79. The Ocean Park Pier was already gone. I just read about the auctioning off all the rides and things. I had never read the details of the old park before. When I look at those pictures I can see there was a lot less sand than now.

And You really love the camera and the story. I enjoyed this video very much. You showed Hannes dedication to his pursuit of nuggets. Many of us share that feeling with him and you. Thank you very much. Mitchel

Walt, I don't know why you haven't gotten a reply sooner but I'll take a stab at it. I first read about Rye Patch many years ago on Chris Ralph's site here: http://nevada-outback-gems.com/prospecting_info/majuba_mtns.htm It is still one of the best ways to learn about Rye Patch. Now that you know where it is then you can look at many, many other threads and pictures of gold found there by searching Rye Patch on this forum. I know this will help. Mitchel

Oh, there's more. They show her in one chipping down through rock but most of them are in that black, volcanic stuff. But I saw one where there were actually 'layers' so it was not totally free floating gold. I still don't know what to think.

I just watched a few of these videos. Has anyone else watched any of them? I don't know what to think! https://www.youtube.com/c/GoldenBeardMedia/videos

Thanks for the compliment but I know I should have developed 'better' patches by now and get out of my own boxes in order to find better gold. Location, location, location is the real game and not the equipment I think now. As Anthony has mentioned the desert ALWAYS provides its fix whether you find gold or not.

Simon, This trip I passed by two gold fields on the way to Quartzsite. One I've found gold and the other I haven't. Both of them have a long off road drive after you leave the highway. Sunday I didn't want to deal with that and just fly along at 80 mph when I could. Time for you to look at a map and sneak off without JW or ask those dealers you know where you should go. They have other clients who find gold and they want you to find gold too. A good dealer is a source of information. As a matter of fact I called Gerry up one time when I was at Rye Patch. I had looked at his web pages but I was not a customer. I called him and he told me some good information. It was 2-3 years later before I took lessons from him. I owed him. (I don't think I ever told him that story.) He'll get more of my business.

Norm, It is very, very dry this year because of the la Nina. All the moisture tracks that come up through Mexico to the deserts are staying east this year and making hurricanes. The vegetation is dry and even some of the big cactus couldn't survive. It may be easier to get to some of the more difficult washes or under previously green bushes. I could push them over with my boots. Mitchel

Jim, I need to come back your way sometime soon and get the stink off from there! Mitchel

Yesterday morning about 1 AM I took a break from the exciting 'Dumping SDC 2300 Detectors' thread to go find a nugget. I had big gold in mind so I didn't take my 2300. I was headed to Arizona. It is a 4 hour drive but pretty simple. Leave Los Angeles (I live at the #1 Exit on I-10) in the middle of the night with no traffic and get off on Exit 5 from the I-10 freeway in Arizona. I've never done this as a one day trip but I had to try it. When going to Arizona this time of year there is a 1 hour time difference so when I arrived it was still dark but 6:30 AM. I had left the $3.00 per gallon gas for a price of $2.12! I went to the dark gold fields and got under some power lines with the 7000 and the 15x10 Xcoil. I took an extra amount of time to adjust my harness to fit like a glove. It was no longer 'hanging' on my body. It was like a well tailored suit without unnecessary wrinkles. I was thinking of Simon as I made myself ready for battle. It was supposed to be a cool day (95/63) but I was already wet with sweat in the early morning. I'm a beach guy now. I wear shorts and sandals ALL the time but with my brush pants on (ala Chet) it was hot with only a t-shirt. My first stop was an undetected area to me. There were no targets for the first 30 minutes on any of the gullies. Then I found a couple of pieces of lead as the sun came up over the mountains. This was an area where I had found a 1949 California license plate 7-8 years ago. It was now time to hit the target zone where I had been given a pointy finger. This was the reason why I made this long/short trip. I detected it as I have many other Arizona gullies in the past. Often times it is unproductive in the bottom so you hunt the sides. Norm knows this area well and spends many days with his wife camped near. Lots of gold has been found here but not this time for me. After 2 hours of working this 1/4 mile stretch of gully it was time to go where I had found a 5 gram nugget it the past. Once again after an hour there I didn't add to my polk and it was now 1 PM/2 PM. No gold after 7 hours and the temp was near 100. How much longer did I want to do this? Lunk had shown my wife and I a spot many years ago that had been raked and worked. That day he found one piece and we found none. That place came to mind. I had hit it once with the 15x10 but I was willing to try it again. This is an area that often times has many campers in the middle of winter but there was not a single camper today. I could hunt it at a slower pace and that is what I did. This area also had a bit of a breeze. Some of you may recognize it. That's Dome Rock in the picture. Finally I got a target and it was a little gold. I was so hot I forgot to take a picture. It was down about 3 inches. (The little tiny wire was found and doesn't register but it screamed so I knew I was hearing things!) The stink was off. No more skunk but it wasn't getting any cooler. I spent another 30 minutes trying to get a second nugget but it was time for me to go. The trip back was going nicely until I got past the 62 exit to 29 Palms (another gold field) and then it backed up for miles. It took me one hour longer going back but I was back in Santa Monica at 7:30. The things I do for gold. We have about 24 million people in Southern California. I don't know how many are prospectors and how many have gold machines but we've hit everything within 4 hours of town pretty hard. I'd say there are very few virgin patches within that area so you have to work already worked ground to find a nugget or two.

I'll post this up for Gerry. I hope you find something like this Rick.

Simon, You are getting there. You are becoming more and more like JW who has multiple personalities when he detects. He adapts to the gold. You have learned his techniques for telling a good prospecting story. Some detectorists just remain harsh and abrasive and can't adapt their style or appreciate the style of others. To listen/read from them becomes a tedious exercise in bashing people, places and things. You are better as a Grasshopper. (You do know that TV show, right?) Mitchel

I dig too many of them to know exactly what I'm digging. There is enough of a 'mystery' attached to their sound that what I hear doesn't always ring a real bell in my mind.

Ok, gotcha on the scoop. I've got a couple of cranes I'll use when I get one if there is anything that deep. No cheap carbon fiber shaft for me. It is all stainless. I can't dig fast with them but I can go really deep. My Nox tries to ignore the stakes but it ends up playing tricks with the size and shape.

School I think you are supposed to go get wet with that coil and not be afraid of the water! You will have to take some wading gear with you next time and 'expand' your beach. What did the tent spikes sound like? haha Mitchel

Elephant Mining!

That was a good read and your photos were excellent. How did you get the black background photo? Mitchel

The audio testing begins at the 21:00 minute mark if you want to jump to it or repeat it. Thanks for that. Lots of good finds before that make me wish for an ancient beach near where I live. Mitchel

I keep waiting for Chet's report. Did I miss it?

I know you can't take and sP01 in the water but could it be used to any advantage with the AQ? What are your thoughts. I'll ask Pat what he thinks. Mitchel I added this from the manual. Volume Control The Volume control adjusts the loudness of all audio responses. There is a trade-off between a setting high enough to hear a faint deep target, but not so high that a strong shallow target hurts your ears. It is good practice to lower the Volume before turning on the detector, especially if you are already wearing the headphones. Threshold Control The Threshold control sets the level at which the background audio tone (the “threshold” tone) is heard. In most cases, faint target signals are easiest to hear when the Threshold is set to a low but clearly audible level. If the Threshold is too low (especially “silent search”) then a stronger target signal is required to activate the audio, resulting in a loss of depth. A high Threshold level can result in audio fatigue. NOTE: With the Threshold turned down, you will normally want to first adjust the Volume for a comfortable level on a strong target response, then adjust the Threshold for a comfortable threshold tone level.

Good on the find. You'll gain additional confidence in the detector now no matter what update you use. Mitchel

For the record, I've got a 2300 that I rarely use. I would probably find more gold if I did use it. Mitchel

Tom, You are correct about the sand. The artificial jetties are now a minor surfing spot called the Santa Monica jetties. This was also where the Long Wharf was located at Will Rogers State Beach. CHL No. 881 Port of Los Angeles Long Wharf - Los Angeles Guidebook In 1893 the Southern Pacific Railroad Company completed its 4,720-foot wharf, which served as a deep water port for the Los Angeles area. But after San Pedro became Los Angeles's official harbor in 1897, shipping activity at Port Los Angeles declined and the wharf was finally dismantled. Today, no trace remains of what was once the longest wooden pier in the world. Location Will Rogers State Beach Lifeguard Hdqtrs, 15100 W Pacific Coast Hwy 1 (P.M. 375), Pacific Palisades https://www.californiahistoricallandmarks.com/landmarks/chl-881

I saw all of those posted too but the 'reasons' given for selling all made sense. If Wes was selling his primary detector then I would be wondering if the ergonomics of the next detector had been released and he was 'all in' as you seem to be sometimes Steve.

Good story Gerry. I've read (skimmed) all the answers and this is the first one I read that said anything about the 7000 GPS. I use it to find my car sometimes! I used it in Australia. All those trees look alike! How? When you turn it on it shows where you started on your tracks. You keep it on you can 'back track' with ease (find the pick) and even take some shortcuts if you know the direction that pesky car is parked behind a hill. I sometimes rely on it too much to never be lost but there is a problem. When you turn off the 7000 for a break or reset you now lose your tracks for that session. Unless you set a way point for your car you have now lost your starting point and I must use my old, confused logic to get me back. Mitchel