GR Guy

2 minutes ago, phrunt said:

These are now redundant, EMI speaker fix and throw the Avantree in the bin.

I also agree, you can't get your neck anywhere near the coil so unless you're a Giraffe they're pretty useless.

Simon - I’ve had the speaker fix, just wanted something a bit more comfortable for the Aussie summer when the winds up and speaker can be difficult to hear with the fly sh$t. Strange that others can’t speak highly enough with the 6. Must have 2m arms 😱

Used these for the first time and every time I was retrieving a target they interfered with the coil on the 6000. Didn’t like to be within 1m of it. Everything else about them is great🤔

What an absolute croc. Like NorthEast there is no change in the sensitivity.

Garretts not releasing a gold machine soon🤔

9 hours ago, phrunt said:

Plexus manufacture medical grade PCB's which have super tight tolerances and extreme reliability so I can't imagine it is their fault.  They make to the specifications they're given and in the GPX's case it's built cheap, there is no doubt about it.  It could have been a part swap due to Covid availability and once supply was able to resumed with the working tested inductors they just kept using the low grade inductors they had sourced during the supply problem.  We will never know the reason behind the design flaw, if it was there from the start or if it was something due to supply issues.  I'm leaning towards it was always there right from the start as it took so long for them to diagnose the cause of the problem and supply a remedy, at first dismissing it as the detector being so sensitive it's a side effect of the sensitivity, customers weren't happy with that excuse and eventually they came out with a repair as the voices got louder damaging sales.

I think this from the Directors report update to the share market says it all really, "First half metal detection sales over the last 3 years have been FY20 $100 million, FY21 $155 million (+55%) and FY22 $138 million. Despite the reduction in sales this year, the business delivered a near record first half profit result with a clear focus on improving margins and on costs efficiency.

As the market leader in the sector, we were able to pass on price increases as required and the management of our supply chain meant that we reduced freight costs against global trends. For these reasons, we were pleased with the performance of the business."

Good for share holders, not for customers, either way, everyone can get it fixed now and they should be doing so, and that's what matters the most.   So far I'm happy with mine, I have little confidence in the 11" coil lasting long but other than that the detector is working how I expected it should.  Once you get to know it's quirks and how it runs and have a working detector its a pretty good unit although I think very over-priced for what it is considering the build quality and reliability.

Cmon Simon every single listed company in the world has a focus on margins and cost efficiency. 

Only the control box. If you aren’t confident taking this off then send the whole detector.

A couple of hours in soggy ground with the 9” Goldhawk.

https://youtu.be/ONfuL6qFUww

Very exciting, be interested in the coils they come out with 🤔

5 hours ago, WesD said:

wheres the breather vent at?

On the side under the skid plate

On 8/15/2022 at 8:50 AM, GotAU? said:

@RONS DETECTORS MINELAB 10mil pipe tape idea-brilliant! 

After 1 day detecting in 90-100 degree heat in the full sun. No melting tape and still good.  Thanks Ron!

While it’s great protection, just realise it has a pressure relief valve as well.

Simon,

Great feedback on the Goldhawks and you haven’t even tried my personal favourite the 9” round.

To be honest I think there is a lot of patriotism at the moment. While I like the ergonomics of the Axoim nothing else has wowed me. Unfortunately it’s priced like a game changer in Oz and until there is multiple side by side comparisons on test patches and live ground showing conclusive results people here still are still shy post the ATX.

Some of the independent feedback coming through. 

4 minutes ago, Jeff McClendon said:

The manual also clearly says the internal Li Ion battery can be replaced at any Garrett Service Center. I assume there is a repair center in Australia......

If the internal battery is completely discharged or permanently done, the auxiliary external battery pack using fully charged or fresh batteries will last 6 to 8 hours.

I did see and update that in my post Jeff. It’s still a limitation compared to other latest battery setups in gold machines.

Gold seeker makes an interesting point on charging, manual says 8hr to charge off mains power. I suppose the other question being an internal battery - how long does it last (manual states - “batteries will last for many years”) and if you can’t replace the battery (without taking it back to Garret) then what’s the machines resale value? Run it on AAs 🤔

1 hour ago, Aureous said:

Doddering Dave at Miners Den hasn't announced anything (which is not like him if its available). Be certain that he'd flog the beejeezus out of that announcement when it occurs. I'm sure we'll hear soon though......

Have a look at his show last night - big Goldhawk night

I did notice that Warren was in Vic so hopefully he got a few videos of it there. My opinion is that if the detector adds value it will sell. Both the Zed and 6 added something  significant and Minelab sales show this.

I question for Steve and Gerry. What did you ask for and didn’t get from Garrett with the Axion and what did you ask for and got from the earliest prototype you were involved in? 

Big day out with the 10 x 5 Coiltek Goldhawk in atrocious weather.

Some of the testing in WA has come up good.

1 hour ago, phrunt said:

So what would you say the benefits of this 9" coil are over the stock 11" other than a slightly smaller size?

It's difficult to know which coils to get.

It’s my favourite of the three Goldhawk coils, but I prefer circular coils over elliptical (personal preference) normally. For a small coil it does punch deep and has great sensitivity and manoeuvrability in thick bush.

Nice day out with the 9" Goldhawk Coil in a new spot in the Inglewood/Wedderburn area. Some of the recovery wasn't the greatest in the thick bush. 

JP

That was in difficult on the video. I’m on the road at the moment so will have to confirm the geology.

3 hours ago, Gerry in Idaho said:

Interesting signal response as it is REVERSED.  Usually in our US soil and settings, that indicates a larger or more dense chunk of gold.  I'm guessing you are running DIFFICULT Ground type timing?  Thanks for sharing.

Gerry - that’s correct. I got a pretty similar response over a 18g late last year.