fredmason

For sure, duuuude! Practice and familiarity are critical for a pattern of success... fred

Youse guys should send them some of our home-grown hotrocks...they ain't like the ones in OZ. fred

I did the upgrade just before I went up to the Sierra calims in Plumas/Sierra counties. Overall I am sure the machine balanced quicker and ran quieter than pre-update. However, the sierra hotrocks were still there; yelling dig here, dig me, I am a deep nugget-they were lying! I tried different settings that lessened the signal but didnot eliminate them. The method that seemed to work best was to move the coil over the signal at less than slow, like almost stopped and the signal would fade on most of the hotrocks...in my opinion the 3500 and 5000 worked much better at identifying hotrocks with this method. Nonetheless, I found three small nuggets in a very hard hit patch with the GPZ- I will not be giving it back, it is mine, all mine! fred

Peter, welcome! The wonder and beauty of this forum is the access to all the thinkers and experimentors that use the GPZ and other detectors. I have several notes of settings from various people. My main conclusions to these settings are that they all seem to work. However, some are much easier on my ears... my thanks to all fred

maybe you should hang the garrett-carrot on a stick behind you....kind of a reverse incentive... fred

Mitchel, all the dealers should have the f-rings by now...call your dealer. fred

Klunker, I just did it with only a little drama...if I can- anyone can... It has been so long since i used my 7000 I may not know the difference but it can only be better! fred

People detect differently when the get a new detector or a new coil...their methods become more concentrated and careful. And that I think is a major portion of the improvement in proformance... just my never humble opinion. fred

Thanks Steve. Tortuga....the black sand tends to stay when the dirt is shaken out...it does matter with a vlf...and probably matters with the ZED. fred

Steve; in your opinion would using silicon-stuff to seal the dust out of the Minerjohn coils be a reasonable option. I have always used sealant on my vlf coils and some of the Minelab pi coils....these new spider-web and notched coils are another world...to me. I have a ways to go before I wear out my gpz cover but it will happen. fred

that is a medival weapon, not a pick! It actually does look like a pretty good defensive weapon for the occasional charging deer, bear or mountain lion... and a good prod if the guy in front is lagging! fred

Man, Steve, you are sure a worker-bee; not a drone! (and for the litteral minded I know the worker bees are female) fred

I love the S-shaft...in my opinion that configuration relieves alot of stress to the gripping-hand and wrist. Steve, I agree why not let us choose??? I have almost always preferred the large and small coil option and have little use for the stock coil...oh well. fred

That was interesting, Steve. If I were allowed to form only one opinion from these results it would be that All Detectors listed will find gold...but, I guess that is obvious. fred

5000 ; and the gpz7000-my one true love fred

Be sure to check those bedrock cracks very carefully. Where the iron and lead collect is also where the gold will fall out...a straw to blow through will make that easier; assuming it is dry. fred

yeah, but what I really want is a multi-ounce nugget from OZ... btw; ounce is one of those words I never remember how to spell so I just use oz...obviously you understood...I hope fred

Hey Steve; I would trust your opinion no matter what brand...or if they gave you a free one or a discount; why? Because you have personality-sorry that's a song. Because you have intregrity and the same goes for Jonathan Porter! Regarding my GPZ, I have a big bone to pick-I have not found a multi oz nugget with it. But wait, I guess the detector only finds what is there, if it is there. I do know that for me it is the nearest I have come to the perfect gold nugget detector. One machine, one coil, wireless, small gold, big gold, any gold; what more could I want? fred

An excellent analogy, Steve. Equating the three selectable khz modes on the Eureka to the three selectable modes on the GPZ should make the matter clear to experiences detectorists, it certainly is good reminder to me! I will mention to those not as experienced that the selectable modes are not the same as a multi-frquency vlf that runs through multible frequencies all the time. fred

If Minelab fails you, contact Ishmeal. I have never read an unhappy comment about him...however, for factory repairs on my 3500 he suggested Minelab Australia as a first resort and him as a backup. That was two or three years ago. The shipping there was @ $60. The repairs and shipping back was @ $600. fred

Very nice Chris!!! My family commitments have kept me away from the mountains this summer...dang it. fred

I use the medium and large hermit pick thatBill Southern sells...it is light-weight, strong and has a nice scoop...the only thing it lacks is a place where the magnet cannot slide away from....pics of the picks and the wall that they helped me build... fred

Hey, Steve, very clear and useful info; especially with the pics. I am surprised you donot need a bigger pick...I found myself wishing for a backhoe my last trip to nevada. fred

I should have been more patient in my reading. My condolences for your Mother's illness. Losing a loved one a little bit each day is sad and very difficult. As for finding a pot-of-gold in any form-it ain't likely. In my past life I have been as poor and desperate as one can get...when I needed the gold I could not find a crumb, let alone vast riches. If you are serious about learning there are many lifetimes of experience on this forum and other gold prospecting forums. fred

Very Nice!!! there are many great lessons in your story...good detecting! fred