phrunt

Get what you pay for? I don't see any other PI detector that has even close to the capabilities of the Algoforce in discriminating gold from a pellet, and expecting it to get it right 100% of the time shows a massive lack of understanding with how discrimination works on any detector. Right when the Algoforce first came out I demonstrated some gold can come up as 00 just like the lead pellets, and anyone using one to avoid pellets should be aware they may miss the occasional bit of very small gold by avoiding the pellets, just like someone using a VLF avoiding a target such as an unwanted pull tab may miss a ring. It's ideal to use in an area with a lot of pellets where you want to save a lot of time and chase bits of gold that are generally bigger than a pellet. A simple rule for prospecting is if you want to find every last bit of gold you have to dig it all, sometimes that's not viable and people use the high-low low-high method or features like the Target ID to help them save time and get as much gold as they can while avoiding wasting a lot of time on junk, it's never fool proof unless you dig it all, but it's very handy when you need it.

Sorry I'm in Australia at the moment and didn't bring it with me so I can't check, I'll do so when I get home next week.

appear and possibly are very factual. I apologise if I'm misunderstood, I would think it's reasonable to expect I wouldn't know insider Minelab information..

It's just an opinion JP, it's not like it would be possible for me to know facts and the aftermarket manufacturers stay silent on the causes of the problem,,rightly so as laying blame to the hand that feeds you is never a good idea. My wording was never factual. It makes sense they keep the chips for their own gear when demand exceeds supply, they may need to expand chip programming resources as chip supply to them would unlikely be the holdup.

Early 6000 coils had a high failure rate, Minelab quickly allowed aftermarket manufacturers to make some coils for the 6000 so many stopped even using their stock coils entirely thereby mitigating the need for warranty returns, Minelab have now improved their stock coil quality and aftermarket manufacturers appear to be cut off from chip supply for what seems to be many months now, possibly longer to deplete their stocks, how strange 🙂 Hopefully the chip supply resumes at some point, I would like to get the Sadie size 6000 coil if it ever makes it to market.

A friend uses Aliexpress screens to fix up GPZs from his shop where he repairs ML detectors and he has fixed many now that generally get screen bleeding, lines or flickering, screens are a cheap and easy replacement on it, I'll pm you the link to the one he bought, same dodgy screens were used in the CTX too especially on earlier ones Another friend had the buttons on his GPZ play up so he got the new housing cover with buttons from this same supplier and it's been working well for some time now. The screens appear to be the same manufacturer as the original. Woody has found a source for a screen that's brighter than the stock screen but may run down the battery quicker because of that. I think the screen manufacturer sorted this problem out over time as newer ones don't seem to do it like the older ones did. I doubt the screen issue is related to softening the coils cables outer rubber, the cable doesn't plug in near to the screen and the coil cable wires are not connected to the screen in any way or go near it to transfer heat if you didn't give it time to cool down before connecting, just a coincidence I would think.

My interest in Nokta's offering is purely that, interest to see how well they can do, after all they made their version of an Equinox and arguably they made it better not only in build quality which is expected but also in performance according to many owners who have both, even respected members here. Many of us including myself thought that couldn't be done yet they did it. I have an interest in all brands, and their products, I'm not a rusted on Minelabber by any means. Now, they're coming out with rather bold statements about this PI and its performance level, and we already know it's going to be similar to the 6000 in weight although I would think of a better build quality again although the bar wasn't set too high there to begin with. I think it's only natural someone of reasonable intelligence would be interested to see what they can achieve, and many of us are hoping for some good competition to Minelab, so my interest is more about what they can achieve and the features their model will include more so than I'm rushing out to buy one, unless they can better the 6000 or at least be equal to it then I have little need for one. If on the other hand they equal it or offer a feature set that will benefit me somehow that my current detectors don't then I'd likely be getting one as it might be priced right to justify it. If they match the 6000 on smaller gold performance, I will be getting rid of my 6000 while it's still under warranty as I just don't trust it to be a lasting detector, although that maybe wishful thinking as you pointed out, the 6000 and 7000 are extremely hard to beat for a competitor when it comes to their respective strong points in performance, however I just don't know what Nokta can do and that's what's interesting. My 6000's real benefit is the weight and the 10x5" elliptical coils shape, my 7000 with an 8" I find about equal on small gold anyway. I'm pretty confident I won't be be buying an 8000, I think they've got the smaller gold segment of the market well covered, they just need to improve their VLF's for bump sensitivity to top that off so I'd probably be more interested in a Gold Monster 2000 than a GPZ 8000. I'm not a professional gold hunter by any means and my needs are well catered for with my existing gear without spending another 10+ grand to get a likely small edge over my current gear.

Interesting bug, I don't hit iron enough to notice and it would always be refreshed by the time I hit another target. I'm sure they'll fix this one quickly seeing it was just introduced in the latest update so they have a baseline to go back to and work out why and how it was introduced and with it being so easy to replicate that will help in resolving it.

They are good, performance I find is closer in depth and sensitivity to using a DD more so than a mono but you're right, nice perfect threshold, not worried about power lines or EMI, a bit of a shock the first time you use one how stable the detector becomes but there is a performance hit in doing so over using a mono and even a DD to some extent so even though it makes your detector purr along nicely it's only good to use it when you need to.

I've never bought a new model Minelab that isn't better in many ways than the previous generation, sometimes there is a few steps forward and a step or two backwards and an older model has benefits the newer one doesn't. I'm sure plenty are feeling that way about the Equinox 900 over the 800 and the 6000 over the 5000. I remember plenty thinking their 5000 and 4500 were better than the GPZ too and in some ways they are. The new models strong points often outweigh the steps backwards for the right buyer, not everyone is the right buyer so of course when and if an 8000 comes out it's wise to wait and bit, see its strong points over the previous models along with it's weak points and work out if it would benefit you personally to justify the price. Having the latest and greatest isn't always the best option. I believe part of this problem is the way they try keep models separated to justify more models along with intentionally holding models back, they don't throw everything into one model even if it is the top of the line, right now someone with a stock 7000 can greatly benefit from owning a 6000 also, and unless there has been a shift in Minelab's approach the 6000 may very well still be a beneficial sidekick to the 8000 even though I think many are now aware the 7000 is very competitive with the 6000 on the smallest of gold so realistically the 8000 could make a 6000 a pointless companion detector, but will it? Probably not. I've never been less excited about a new model top end gold detector than I am now, the big deep gold hunters may have something to get excited about, someone in my position is well catered for already on the smaller gold, I'm more interested in Nokta's efforts to see what they can bring to market. It's good to see those coil technology patents coming out of Minelab where they're likely expanding on the aftermarkets efforts to bring better coils and fine tuning their detector technology to suit these advancements rather than it just be the other way around. The 6000 did it, the 8000 is going to do the same I'm sure.

I was once told by X-coils they can make coils extremely sensitive for the GPX and GPZ, far more sensitive than anything on the market, but to sell a coil you need to get the balance right as these extremely sensitive coils will likely not work well on certain ground or just be noisy compared to other coils and get complaints, in fact I have one for the GPZ, a 12x8" Coil that is only for milder soils, it won't work well in bad ground but in mild soils its a powerful little coil, it never went on sale for this reason, it was just made for use here in my milder soils, take it to Western Australia and it would likely struggle to balance or just be noisier. Many would have noticed the NF 12x8" for the GPX was a noisy coil and plenty complained about it, but it had some good sensitivity especially in the right conditions, the noise being a side effect of pushing the coil design to be as sensitive as it was. Putting spiral windings even if semi spiral into the smallest coils is pushing the limits, if you then go back and put a bundle wound mono of the same size on your machine runs so much quieter and will handle ground better. Unless Coiltek have found a real magical sweet spot having a 10x5" semi spiral or a 9" round spiral running in very hot ground, with very high or maximum gain along with being on a modded detector and purring like a kitten is a bit of an unrealistic expectation, for me though in milder soils I am happy if they have pushed the limits to the maximum. Another spot some manufacturers haven't focused so much on that probably should is the coil cable itself as improvements can be made there they're missing out on.

I'm not quite sure what they mean by leapfrogging, maybe like the GPZ leap frogged from PI being a new generation technology but my understanding of the term is summed up well here and the GPZ 8000 will have target ID 😀 Leapfrogging in technology refers to a situation where a country or organization skips or bypasses intermediate stages of technological development to directly adopt the latest, most advanced technologies, often in a cost-effective and efficient manner. This can involve skipping older technologies or infrastructure completely and moving to a newer, more efficient system. Here's a more detailed explanation: Bypassing Intermediate Stages: Leapfrogging allows for the skipping of stages that others have gone through during their development process. For example, a developing country might bypass the extensive landline infrastructure development phase and move directly to mobile phone technology. Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness: By implementing the most advanced technologies, leapfrogging can be more efficient and cost-effective in the long run. Examples: Mobile Phones: Many developing countries bypassed the need for extensive landline infrastructure by adopting mobile phones directly. Mobile Banking: Mobile phone banking has become a popular alternative to traditional banking in many areas, enabling people to access financial services without the need for physical bank branches. Solar Energy: Some countries have adopted solar energy technologies directly, bypassing the reliance on traditional fossil fuel energy sources. Benefits: Leapfrogging can lead to faster economic growth, improved quality of life, and reduced environmental impact.

I see the Aglo more as an SDC alternative than a GPX 5000 alternative when based purely upon strong points, The SDC hits the little gold a bit better than the 5000, as does the Algo, the SDC and Algo both hit the difficult to detect type gold better too than the GPX. When it comes to deeper targets that is the GPX's 5000's strongest point and both the SDC and Algo are weak there and why I think GPX 4500/5000 etc owners would benefit from having an Algoforce too, sharing coils and having a good combination of strong points. The 6000's funny, it's a bit more SDC/Algo like than 5000 like too, it's weaker on the bigger deeper targets but does better than the SDC and Algo. They haven't released a pure powerhouse PI yet and maybe that's their intention for this new model coming, a 6000 / 5000 combination with strong points of both and of course more configurable than the current GM1000 style 6000. I of course like all of these detectors but even a blind man can see their weak points, and they are in many ways planned that way I believe, it allows them to release more models to buy, not throwing everything into one basket which I suspect Nokta will do.

I thought their strategy would be to lower the 5000 price and try take away from Nokta, Garrett and Algoforce's offerings. They are already doing this to some extent selling the "lost collection" of 4500's but maybe they have something in the works. The SDC and Algo are in the same category for performance, only priced differently although people are used to paying a premium for Minelab branded stuff and if they need to the price of the SDC will change by going on an ongoing sale. I certainly know which of the two I'd rather use. It's really sad to see the 800 go, if my 800 dies I didn't want to replace it with a 900, I'd be after another 800, I still like my 800 for its target ID's and stability, two things I don't hear much positive said about with the 900. The 800's been my most successful VLF and I like it a lot. The end of the 5000 is the end of an era, the last high end Minelab gold machine to go chip-less. We will never see a range of coils like it again, or even close to it on future models.

He may have found more if he didn't trust the "red light", especially smaller bits. It does well identifying little bits of iron and wire but still often mistakes small gold.