PhaseTech

Regarding the insanely hot settings, I've always been a preacher of good headphones which allow you hear a very faint changes in the threshold, so setting your detector super smooth was always the way to go. But a few years ago when the old spots were drying out to the GPX5000, I starting to push things a little and backing off the stabilizer (higher numbers) to try and tweak a little more performance to squeeze out some nuggies out of flogged ground. Then the SDC came out with a slightly jittery response and after some time adjusting to it, I found I was getting used to a more jittery threshold - still wish it had a stabilizer control though for those bad emi days! So, these two experiences have conditioned me to handle a slightly more erratic threshold than I used to run, but I still can't handle a lot of noise, especially when wearing headphones. It may be okay for about an hour or two, but after that I find my ears fatigue, and my concentration suffers - I really think I start ignoring certain signals which I should be digging. So yeah, everyone is different, and if you aren't comfortable, then back things off until you are.

What I have noticed with the Zed is that where she purrs, she purrs, don't mess with it. When she starts to play up, put the Ferrite on the ground and go over it (no button presses) and I can bet my fishing rod collection that it'll be responding to the ferrite. I'll be honest and say I don't really pay attention whether I'm holding the button in for 6, 9 or 15 seconds - my main concern is to minimize any response to the ferrite and surrounding ground. If it doesn't work the first time, then do it again. Then it really purrs nicely.

Looking forward to read your thoughts on the unit Paul.

Thanks Rob. Feel free to share any of my Blogs from the website. Cheers

Yes the Detech 14" Ultra is spiral wound. The 15" DD ultimate is also a Spiral wind, I'd assume just the transmit but not 100% sure on that. I'd love to see what a 12.5" round spiral DD would do on small gold, but I think the 12" evo has small stuff covered.

Yes, in Oz in 80% of ground you have to use Enhance or Fine Gold with a mono coil. Go to Sens Extra and you struggle with ground noise, and any advantage you may see in a air test is lost with targets in the ground. DD's will work okay in a lot of areas in Normal timing, and in most areas in Sens Extra, but the trouble is most older DD's are so far behind in sensitivity to smaller gold compared to Mono coils that it kind of defeats the purpose. I was one of the few prospectors in Oz who has always pushed the many advantages of a DD coil, beyond being able to use Cancel mode. Less EMI, less affected by charcoal, greater ground coverage at depth (like an elliptical mono), less chance of tracking out a target etc etc. The 15x12" DD commander is an awesome little sleeper coil, particularly on the SD and GP series, but the new Detech 15" is deeper and more sensitive - it's only drawback is weight. But it will turn a GP or GPX into a poor mans GPZ. Can't wait till after summer and I'll head across to some patches were I think it may shine.

Unfortunately no, I had enough gear to cart up to that spot, so didn't even bring the Zed with me that day.

Hi all, I've done up a video comparing some of the new coils. I'm an agent for Detech coils, but tried to be as unbiased as possible. Be interesting to hear your thoughts on the results.

I've used both down at the beach, and the stability of Salt 1 is about equal to Normal 1, so unfortunately Salt mode doesn't really help in terms of EMI.

The switching on/off is mainly caused by the battery door not being put on properly. There is a small end of the spring contact trying to sit on top of a small raised nipple on the supplied batteries. First of all, the battery door needs to be put on nice and straight so the spring actually sits on top of the battery nipple. Putting some tape or heat shrink around the batteries prevents the batteries from moving around too much, but with the AccuPower batteries I sell this isn't necessary as the nipple is a lot wider. Same as Tenergy batteries. Most guys in Oz are either running my batteries, or tenergy or the good Dick Smith 4500 one's, and keep the stock batteries as a back up.

Yeah I'd say it's probably just EMI - it is in the air flying past your coil and is always changing. That is why you still hear it without needing to move the coil. My SDC loves planes, as soon as my threshold starts to wobble I know a plane is going past. I just flick the headphones to bypass, have a drink and when the threshold settles I start detecting again. If it's a persistent interference then yes do a Noise Cancel again.

Thought I'd start a topic of a different nature. What detector/s would you like to see reintroduced and why, and maybe a new feature or two if you dare. The reason I'm starting this is because there's been some real fine units come and go over the years, and I think some are worthy of some new time in the limelight. Model: Brand: Why should it be reintroduced? New features that would be nice: Okay, this is really hard, but I'm going to limit it to 3: Model: Sovereign GT Brand: Minelab Why should it be reintroduced? Still one of the best discriminating beach/shallow wading machines ever made New features that would be nice: A more compact control box that was at least weatherproof so i didn't have to chest mount the control box. Model: Goldmaster 3 Brand: Whites Why should it be reintroduced? Seems like the appreciation for the GM3 came after it was long gone. New features that would be nice: Auto Tracking option like on the GMT, and would be awesome to add a lower frequency to make it a bit more versatile for relics, hotter soils etc. Sort of like a GMT/MXT hybrid but in the old style chest mountable control box. Model: Diablo uMax Brand: Tesoro Why should it be reintroduced? So I could try one, and see what all the fuss is about :-) But seriously, a very lightweight "utility" gold machine should sell well, as long at it works. New features that would be nice: A Disc mode with ground balance like the original lobo so you could use it for coins, jewellery and relics

I've been involved in a lot of Minelab promotional videos, and let me tell you a lot that goes in them is done there and then on the day to get the video done. I've also had to alter the script or video scenes with the film crew to tell them that something won't work as it is un-natural, or that's not what happens in the field etc etc. So people shouldn't take what they see in a promo video too seriously. That's why I like shaky, blurry muffled user videos. The production quality maybe terrible (like some of my videos!) but it's real, raw, and as it happens in the field.

Hi all, Hope everyone had a great Christmas. It's been some time since I put up a new blog on my website, but I've recently posted one discussing how to get the best performance from the SDC2300. http://phasetechnical.com.au/getting-best-sdc2300/ If you pick up 1 new tip, then it'll be worth the read. Cheers, Nenad

I've used all the new coils, some a lot and others not so much. I've got some video footage comparing the 12" evo, 14" elite, 15" evo, 14" Detech and 15" DD Detech. Just got to find a spare hr to put it together. Used the 12" evo yesterday on the 5000. Ran it in a spot where I can no longer find gold with even the 2300. I haven't even managed to jag a single piece there with the 7000. I found 11 bits of ferrous, which was surprising in itself, although no colour.

You know that I found that Minelab test pit - and I went all over it, inside and out thinking that they may have left a or two behind - no luck. Haha

Thanks for the warm welcome guys!

That is just magic, well done!!

Hi all, It's Nenad Lonic here - some may know me as Nenad Gone Beepin on YouTube. Long time lurker of Steve's forum, even way back when he ran the shop. Just wanted to say g'day and hope that I can contribute to some topics in the future. Cheers, Nenad