fredmason

I agree, I would love to read about your ctx methods!!! fred

thanks, guys...it may not be an issue with the z like other detectors...time will tell. fred

I noticed that the coil cover on the gpz is alot different from covers I am accustomed to. My question how are y'all sealing the cover to keep the very fine dirt out of it. Also, what is the best method of removing the cover if that is needed? I got a tracking number for my replacement it should arrive sometime Monday.... being an old drywaller I have heard "the check is in the mail thing" too many times so; I am skeptical... fred

well, back to my little problem...Nadia, at Minelab, has been very helpful and polite-even friendly. She assures me that they will ship my new toy today...as i shipped theirs yesterday. Tracking is a wonderful thing for convenience. Hopefully I will have the detector by Monday or Tuesday.... fred

I am happy to get a new unit...the last time I started out with new detector problems the nightmare just kept running... I know a small % of any product will have problems; but why mine??? just kidding guys, thanks for the helpful hints. fred

ok, I just spoke with Minelab. They don't have any spares, so, I will send them my detector and they will send me a new one. I can't complain about the service...but, it is a pain in the butt. And has definitely delayed my FUN! fred

Thanks,Klunker, I am hessitent to start sticking probes into the batteries....or the charger Thanks Chris; Yes, that is an option...and I may have to do that. I just spent 10 minutes on hold to get a message machine... i will with hold my urge to cuss and swear for a few minutes... fred

Ok, I was trying to stay under the radar...but, my battery for the gpz does not take or hold a charge...I have a 3030 so the charger is not new to me. I immediately put the batteries to charge while I continued my painting project. After 4 hours or so I saw the green lights were steady so I thought I would turn the gpz on...no power! I took the connecters to the detector apart and reassembled, took the battery out and reinstalled...nada! I put the ctx battery on and lights and power came on . Then I tried the gpz battery and it worked so I thought there was dust or something...I put it away and went back to painting, eager to get done so I can hit the goldfields... After cleaning up for the day,I picked up my gpz to turn it on and cuddle with it but no power...what the heck! I put the 3030 battery back in and she got turned on... I don't know what other trouble shooting to do???????????????????????? any suggestions, this is really going to delay my trip.............................................. fred

Jonathan, you dog; you had me all juiced up for your secret settings. This missive was way better! again I thank you for all the time and effort you put into helping us... fred

I wear the metal-free 5.11 tactical from lapolicegear.com Also Doc sells a similar product ... I get comfort and good mileage out of mine and I am pretty hard on my shoes... fred

and they say fairy tales don't come true....great story! And more importantly, great ethics! fred

I understand Norm; however, standard headphones are not the best way to get good sound. The sound is blasting directly into your ears which can decrease your hearing by basically numbing your ears-too much of a good thing. A single speaker will cause you to lose your stero hearing because you will favor your better ear. The placement of the speaker or speakers is critical to efficient hearing. Ambient noise will affect your hearing-as you know. Having the signal with 3/4 or full modulation will help...but some times reducing that to nearly a single tone will be better. You can buy a cheap pair of Sonys like I use for 20 bucks...that is a cheap experiment and they make a very lightweight back-up. The model I use is Sony MDR-J10...the new models have alooped ear rather than the hook like these. You can buy an adaptor to plug two speakers into and try dual speakers... If you want to try any of these things I will show you when we meet again... meanwhile, best of luck! fred

Norm, when i was in Oz we had an old guy in the group ( he was probably 65-that was old to me then, now it is what I am).... I watched him detect and pass up signals. So, I asked him why he did not dig thoses signals. He said, What Signals? You won't know what you aren't hearing unless someone that can hear is with you... Do you use headphones? Have you tried dual speakers? I solved my friends problem with a cheap set of Sony over-the-ear buds...they worked way better for him than regular headphones... fred

When Jc walked the earth and worked miracles there were naysayers and doubters...it is the normal condition for many and that will always be true. Nice gold and comparison testing, thanks fred

Norm, I bet your wife can hear way better than you...slowly,go through the tones with her and you listening. It is likely you have a "shooters notch" caused by loud noises. You will be able to hear some tones much better than the others that you do hear... It really does not matter what you don't hear, just find the tone that you do hear... fred

While not not the ideal detector to meet your requirements I believe an xterra70 by Minelab would get you a good start. Go to Find's Treasure Forum and look...or post a wanted ad...as well as all the main prospecting forums... fred

Policy is not law!!! fred

I respect your right to your opinion and all others right as well. LUCK can have a multitude of values...raw, blind luck is when a complete newbie walks out with his new detector and finds a big thumper... Anyone that finds a huge nugget is lucky even if they are a skilled operator.. Luck, chance, serendipity; who cares as long as we find the gold! fred

Goldquest, Pisano...you spell better than I do so nothing for you to apologise for...Do you know Orlando formerly Doug Stones "assistant"? I just turned 65 myself...do it while you can, my friend!!! Hope you find a real thumper with the 7000... fred

I completely agree that to find gold consistently the guy that knows the geology, signs and area and is an expert operator will get many more of the goodies. However, I will give Minelab credit for building Pi detectors that will find gold when in the arms of the most inept operator. I have read many accounts of people that barely knew how to power up their detector that found gold. Yes, there is luck involved but there is atl east an even chance that the detector should be given its due. In fact, I give Minelab credit for helping me find my biggest nugget to date (1.4 oz) with a minelab 2000 my first time out. I also give my intuition credit for getting me to that spot...It is better to be lucky than good... fred

a "simple" detector, one 14 inch coil and 90% of the gold; I will take that! fred

Did you find that first meteorite while hunting at GB? fred

That is impressive and pretty... thanks fred

as I am sure you know, Australia has lots of burned areas that sometimes gave signals...do you have any GPZ experience with false signals from those "hotspots"? nice gold! fred

good luck...I expect you will have a fine time with the new toy! fred