AU_Solitude

Has anything changed as far as law enforcement is concerned? Or, is this just a newfound loophole? The article isn't very clear.

If anyone already has a hobbyist drone you can get a jump on things - minus the detector - by mounting a FLIR camera. Or, there is the option to just buy an already equipped drone - DJI and a few other brands sell these.  

This makes it remarkably easy to find adits to mines and cave entrances as they stand out like dark blobs due to air temperature variance on hot days - it works best if you have a really good day-->night temperature swing. Finding undocumented mines sometimes will put you on top of gold. 🚁

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/1368/3/032032/pdf

https://www.flir-direct.com/product/flir-436-0020-00-vue-pro-r-radiometric-thermal-camera-with-9-mm-lens-for-drones

I hear that an individual in Northern California recently stumbled upon a nugget weighing over 16oz troy - anyone have any photos or the story of this find yet? This is the largest CA find I am aware of since the Butte nugget.

Beautiful piece of gold!

3 hours ago, jasong said:

From this Codan annual report document

"During FY21, Minelab will introduce a new gold detector, which will include the best features from both the SDC 2300 and GPX platforms"

"Minelab will soon release a new GPX detector which introduces an ease of use technology, GeoSense Pulse Induction, and will sit within the premium end of our gold detector product portfolio."

Also:

• "progressed the development of our new GPX replacement gold detector, to be released in FY21;"

So, it is indeed intended as a 4500/5000 replacement, maybe SDC too. And if it's in the premium end of the product portfolio, I have to grudgingly assume it's going to be inordinately expensive.

From the CEO address at the annual meeting on Oct 28th.

"We continue to accelerate the pace of innovation in Minelab. Over the past two years we have moved from simultaneously developing three new metal detecting products to six, which has increased the frequency of new product releases to the market."

I haven't kept track of what they are working on or have released in the coin/relic and military world. Aside from the 6000, does that leave room for any other new detectors being developed in that "six" new metal detecting products?

 

So anyone else reading "an ease of use technology" as a push towards operation simplification? I mean, names can be misleading but I would have to think they are implying this GeoSense is some new version of automatic ground tracking, possibly combined with automatic tuning for ground conditions? An attempt to "idiot-proof" it similar to the SDC and Monster?

A GPX/SDC in one will be great (maybe not to those whom already own both). Given the teasers they have released thus far, and given the good machines in the market, I think this one is going to find a home around that $6,000 mark.

I have a 20cf tank and the harness seen here - https://www.mantusmarine.com/product/scubatank-harness/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA-rj9BRCAARIsANB_4ADODtoEPWV7-Bcemhg0sdGdBioIw0ntDMfemeyhSY3mQkBwG-BLv6MaAh3aEALw_wcB

They offer the whole compact package but I use my own regs and other equipment. I have packed all of this equipment in to do some pretty remote mountain diving and it's been great. I can get 25-30 mins bottom time off the 20cf bottle. Great for quick sniping.

Just now, GB_Amateur said:

 

Will the solar chargers work with the SDC 2300?  Most PI's drink juice like it's going out of style.

4 C batteries can be charged by solar just as well as any battery powered VLF's unless I am missing something. A solar panel and charger is already extraneous bulk regardless of the detector. You can also get lithium adapters for the small lithium cells that most definitely are easy to charge and you can bank a solid 6-8 hours of detecting off of.

Most hard rock gold isn't going to be free milling or detectable.

SDC 2300 for me hands down. Not that much lighter than your GPX5k but form and function for rough country detecting. 

90lb anvil in a mining camp.

2060 and climbing 😀 👌

I think this is why we sweat...🤔

16 minutes ago, Jim in Idaho said:

I look at what you call prospecting from two different perspectives. IMHO nugget hunting, and using a highbanker, sluice, etc., isn't prospecting. I define prospecting as trying to find unknown deposits of marketable metals (a prospect). Real prospecting involves, at least most of the time, going to places where the odds of finding anything are low, but there is the chance of a big payoff, in the event you do find something. They are separate disciplines of the same overall activity, and to some extent, they use some of the same tools. I'm sure not everyone would agree.

Jim

Really good point. 

It was incredibly visible to the naked eye on Saturday morning as I drove to the Sierras - right before dawn on the eastern Horizon. 

The profit margins on HDPE are good. It seems like everyone in the detector business gets into the pan business eventually. Lol.

The audio on that machine is great. The land version of this will probably be my next detector.

Wow a sad day. Another one lost to the history books. Can't say it wasn't anticipated, after seeing Tesoro go under I had a feeling - as I am sure others did - that Whites was the next in the line of market vulnerability.

4 hours ago, Gerry in Idaho said:

BONUS- I don't know what the biggest chunk of gold to have been recovered so far this year in the United States actually is,  but I'll be posting about one of my customers finds real soon.  Yes it was recovered with an SDC-2300.  It's just amazing to know gold this size is still being recovered. 

Looking forward to seeing this!

I love my SDC. The armrest has actually never bothered me and I addressed the lithium battery and knuckle issue with aftermarket parts. Koss headphones are a weak spot and I'm on my third pair due to the connection. It's still the best investment I ever made for the detecting I do. It is my grab-and-go for 90% of my gold detecting while I've used the GPX or ATX for deeper gold or iron dense workings.

The ground I detect is mostly shallow hydraulic workings and bedrock - or very close to it - and I highly doubt that I have missed much gold other than out of operator error. If I were in open country in Nevada, Arizona, etc., I'd probably be running a GPX with a large mono or the GPZ 90% of the time. It is a great tool when applied to the correct job. 👍

Congratulations! I'd rather find one of those beauties than nuggets! 😀🎉

For me:

Cons:

• I like it but I do zero beach detecting.
• There doesn't appear to be manual ground balancing which is necessary in all areas I like to hunt.
• I do dive and wouldn't mind taking on underwater in a few places had this been capable. 

Pros:

• Form - this looks fantastic.
• Refined discrimination in a pulse machine? Yes please.
• Weight - Hooray!

All considered - I will be eagerly awaiting news of tests in the gold fields and/or a second iteration of the machine meant for land/gold field use.

2 hours ago, phrunt said:

There is absolutely no need for the Gold Bug to exist, scrap it and leave the Gold Bug Pro as Steve pointed out, the Pro would cost them no more to make and there is just no need for the Gold Bug to exist. 

I think a lot of the hard rock miners would strongly disagree. Granted there are many high frequency detector options other than the GB2 these days, but there is a reason that the high demand and cult status exist with the GBII. If you have a product that is generating substantial revenue for your company why would you axe it? I wouldn't. Could it use a redesign utilizing modern circuitry and components? That's completely obvious. They should have produced a newer iteration of the higher frequency detector before Minelab and Makro beat them to the punch years ago. 

12 hours ago, rled2005 said:

I knocked the Idea around to find a Tesoro Silver Sabre or Eldorado, some thing in the 10-12khz range, so I could have something not too expensive to throw in the trunk, just in case. And if it gets stolen somehow I'm not out the price of an Equinox 800. After researching, I purchased a used Simplex+. I think it will fill the bill nicely!

I asked Notka/Makro if there was more selection on coils available. I got an email back;

 

Dear Randy,

Thanks for showing interest in our product.

Simplex compatible only with SP28 Search coil (11''). In the near future, we are planning to launch more coils for Simplex.

Hopefully, the product will be added to the accessories soon.

Best regards!

Burak Tunc

Regional Sales Representative

 

 

I've thought about getting the machine for the same reason - I do a lot of travel and there have been so many "I wish I had a detector right now" occasions but I hesitate letting a high dollar machine bump around in the truck as break ins aren't exactly an infrequent thing here in California. 

"What features would you like to see in a future Garrett detector": ATX in an under 4lb ergonomic configuration please with option of affordable accessory coils.