bado1

WTG! Great way to start the season!!

Agreed, LipCa.

Dick took exception with my post saying that he felt that miners were already under attack from various agencies and  "greenies"  and so we shouldn't be critical of each other. One of the greatest dangers we and other organizations face are problems from within. I'm very familiar with the idiosyncrasies of our fellow miners/claim holders and it frustrates/angers ME, a  prospector, when I see some of the stuff that they do. IMAGINE how WE (yes "WE") look to someone not familiar with mining/prospecting! Imagine non-prospectors returning to their regular camping,hunting,fishing,hiking spot and finding a bunch of (illegal) signs that say "Private Claim- No Trespassing!" every 100 feet! Or, the road is illegally blocked! Or, worse yet, some gun toting claim owner orders them (illegally) off of their traditional camping spot!  If we piss off the non prospecting public our rights to make claims will go away so fast that we won't know what happened and we will have no one to blame but ourselves.

So, should we not "police" or call out our own? Do we let the idiots that take their claim rights too far screw it up for all of us? 

I agree with Dick. We are under fire from many different fronts. Let's not be the ones that give them the ammo.

Dean

The trash problem is a good point. Slobs can spoil many things. Unfortunately, one of the burdens that a guy takes on when he becomes  a claim holder.

I own vacant land. If I don't keep it presentable, weed an litter free, I get fined. I understand the frustration but it comes with the territory. 

If I have any question in an area that I'm not familiar with I check the LR2000 or, more accurately, I ask my buddy to do it as he is very familiar with the process as it's part of his daily job. 

Nice chunks! Well done!!

Does camping, hunting, fishing, walking or hiking on a claim constitute "claim jumping"? I'm asking this as a serious question. 

Again, I can understand that if there is mining going on you wouldn't want people on the claim for their safety and your own liability reasons. 

What I (We. I'm not the only one) see a lot of here in AZ. is areas where there are claim markers on every ridge line, hill, gully,etc. for as far as the eye can see and nothing is going on (for years). VERY, VERY few actively working mines here anymore. Most of these are old claims that the claimant never bothered to go back and take the pvc markers down. It's a total PITA. Can we detect here or not? Is the claim still active or not? Is an over zealous prospector gonna pull a gun on me because I'm hiking across "his" land? (Yep, it happened. Wonderful "fellow miner"). I don't bring my computer when I go detecting so that I can check the LR2000 every time I see a forest of white pipes.    Not to mention that most people don't even know what the little white pvc pipes mean, therefore, they camp,etc.. If we couldn't camp or hunt in AZ. on claims we wouldn't be able to camp or hunt in much of the state. I may be wrong, I don't remember, but the little federal mining claim notification signs don't mention anything other than a person can't remove minerals from the claimed land(?). I'm guessing non-patented claims or the ones after 1955? Most claims don't even post the little sign...just the white pipes.  You would think that our fellow miners would have enough respect to remove the pvc when they decide they don't want to re-claim.

I'm not anti-mining. Quite the opposite. I want the casual prospector who claims up some ground to know where his rights begin and end. That's not anti-mining. Note that I said "casual prospector" not "miner". Most miners know their stuff regarding their claims and act accordingly. It seems, in my experience, (not good ones) the casual prospector turned claim owner doesn't.

Enough said.... Flame away.  

Dean

Sweet! I hope it goes as "planned"!

Thank you, Nokta!! 

That is different, Chris. I get that.

I think we are talking about different definitions of "mining".

If it's an active claim with a NOI/POO then it's also an official work site. You can't go shooting into a factory or a business (even if it's night and closed) any more than you can shoot into a mining operation. At least that would be my assertion when I call the sheriff. I know some would argue that any claim is a work site by the same criteria, but don't convince me, convince the sheriff/blm. 

 

So again, it really comes down to what level of mining a person is involved in on the claim IMO. You also can't apply for occupancy or build a fence without an approved NOI/POO either.

 

At least until the day comes that we have so little crime in America that sheriffs can come out and investigate every mineral trespass call this is how it seems to me. The best response IMO is just to be friendly and respectful to people so they respect you back, and it seems like at that point people just sort of stay away and just ask you for permission if they want to go on your claim.

Yes, what level of "mining" are we talking about here?

If you are actively mining with heavy equipment and not just detecting or doing a little dry washing here and there then I can see where you would want to try and keep people off. We are talking actual "mining" not "prospecting", right? 

In Az., seems we have lots of guys making claims and just detecting or doing some occasional dry washing (prospecting) or nothing at all and they think they own the property... and do ridiculous things like pile rocks up, put spikes, or fence across roads that have been there for a hundred years.   

  Anything that interferes with your exploring for or removal of minerals on your claim is suposedly under your control. This could easily include shooting.

  Around here adding occupancy to your Plan of Operation isn"t a problem.

How does shooting interfere? Yes, I know, lead, detecting, and all that (I hate digging lead as much as the next guy). But seriously, where does your definition of "interference" end?

I'm with Relichunter. Nothing makes me madder than guys claiming up good tracts and then doing nothing with them. In Az. claimants are supposed to file "proof of labor" forms upon renewal. Proving that they are doing something. But nobody checks. 

I guess detecting a claim a couple of times a year qualifies as labor.

I get a bit conflicted on this topic because I have seen the abuse from both sides.

Unless they are illegally removing gold/minerals from your claim there is'nt anything you can do about it. Shooting,fishing hunting, camping, etc. is legal and allowed on claims. Unfortunately some people are idiots and we have to live with it. I see guys quail hunting on claims I hunt and I just cringe. Can't do a thing about it though. Thing is, I hunt too...not in areas I detect though!

I can't stand guys with claims that think that they some how own the land and do things that are very illegal trying to keep people off of "their" land.

Using game cameras is a great way to have your camera stolen or shot up. In AZ. the Forest Service (don't get me started) is the biggest offender of taking game cameras...if the camera is up for more than two weeks it becomes public property if on public land and the FS will take it down.

Good luck
 

Hoping it's a multi-frequency machine. I see the freq shift selection on the left and then "frequency" on the right. 

We have the freq shift on the CoRe which slightly changes the freq so the machine will play nice with other things like pin pointers and other machines. Hmmmm. Time will tell.

The menu selection looks great.
There are a number of selections that the CoRe doesn't have. Looking forward to this one.

Dean

Very nice! WTG!

Dean

Thanks guys!

I love this time of year. Between prospecting and hunting there just isn't enough hours in a week! Good luck!

Dean

Wow! What a process. That guy is truly an artist. 

Was able to get out for a couple of hours today with the SDC and added these to the poke. It is still pretty warm in the high desert but that will change this week with rain and cooler temps moving in to AZ. Prospecting season is here!

Good luck!

Dean

Like Chris said the SDC is the same way and I agree with him...so water can drain out. Once you realize that it also allows dirt and debris in it just becomes  routine maintenance pull the cover off and clean it out. It really is pretty easy to do after you do it a couple of times and get a feel for it.  A car key and some strong fingers do the job nicely.

I know very little about electronics but from what I know about detectors (or what I understand, anyway) is that they have regulators. So, no matter what voltage battery you put in the processor and coil are always regulated to the same amount.(?)

Dean

WTG, Lunk! That's great "off season" detecting. Good luck this winter!

Dean

Good job, Condor. Nice gold!

Hi Guys,

This post came back to life from way back but a great topic. Jimmy, perhaps I can shed some light on the topic now that I've had more experience and close to half an ounce of nuggets under my belt hunting weekends this summer with the SDC.

Go with the Sun Ray or the Black Widows. I went with Black Widows and love them in conjunction with the SDC. I can hear the slightest change in threshold and they are great at blocking out ambient noise, wind, etc. 

As to the original threshold question...I set the threshold on 3 and the gain on 5 and have found that, in my ground here in Arizona, those settings work awesome (I don't ever change them). Good luck with your new purchase!

Dean

SDC 2300

Steve, thanks for the link. I enjoy seeing what others find with their detectors.

Chris, although a lot of those finds may not be worth a lot in cold hard cash, I would venture a guess each item is loved by the finder. Some things in life you can not put a price tag on.

Well said.

Great detecting, Strick!

I know that I leave some targets like that behind due to their numbers and tones being close to pull tabs,etc. I dug a ring the other day because I decided to dig those lower numbers just to see what I was missing. I dug lots of foil and tabs but also nailed the ring. You are right, if you want to dig gold rings and things you must approach it like prospecting and be willing to dig some trash too.

Nice finds.Thanks for sharing...it makes me a better detector.

Dean

Great post, Steve.

My set up is very much like yours but after seeing some of your kit I will add some things to mine. Thank you!

I don't pack my pin pointer when prospecting as the SDC, with it's small coil, pin points very well. It would have come in handy this past weekend though so I may have to start bringing it. Not for nuggets, but for the relics around the old mining camps using the Nokta. I would imagine it must help with the 7000 and it's large coil?

Dean