Jonathan Porter

I’ve tried to encourage my sons to become more involved in the business but alas my hunger for sales is waining faster than their interests in making money. It’s hard to explain but young people should be given their head to explore ideas and make mistakes so going into a family business where their passion doesn’t currently lie is not a good idea at a young age. Both my lads have worked in the business in junior roles (one is as we speak). One day they will be become money orientated and then its a matter of working hard and getting ahead in whatever field provides that opportunity and as such our shop would be an ideal opportunity for them to get ahead through the injection of youthful enthusiasm. If all that was in alignment right at this moment in time I would have no hesitation in allowing/passing over the reigns as the market is growing but it now requires progression and Social Media skills (something all young people possess in spades in this day and age). I feel the key to growing a metal detector business, with gold finds waining, is to increase customer skills through inclusion and training, there is still plenty of gold to be had but it requires more refinement in skill set that is harder to obtain coming in inexperienced. So yes I see a good living selling metal detectors going forward for at least the next 10 years and beyond so long as dealerships are progressive and provide/offer an inclusive approach that more fully nurtures a customers learning curve. Dealers in years gone by have been extremely fortunate to have Minelab constantly releasing innovative metal detectors that sell themselves, personally I feel the days of box shifting are well and truely coming to a close. JP

Steve I agree with the Ford versus Holden debate (Ford V Chevy in the US), but dang you don’t have to be so brutal about your opinion on the gold being played out!! 😞 I’ve spent my whole career being told ‘the golds all gone’ that I’m ‘too late’ and ‘there’s none left’. When I went pro we hardly saw anyone out in the goldfields because VLFs were a dying art and the gold was all played out. Yes I understand I live in a country with a large land mass and small population, whereas you guys have a huge population and shrinking detecting areas etc. The truth hurts to read I suppose especially when I’ve shaped one of my mental success tools around optimism based on telling myself a place is never cleaned out till I’ve had a crack at it. I am however finding as I get older my body is starting to restrict my capacity to invest in the positivity of enthusiasm, basically I find myself doing less hours, covering less country and not working in extreme heat as much as I once did, as a consequence my gold tally has lowered as a result. I also find that I’ve gathered a vast knowledge base of past success locations that gets dimmed when I revisit those old productive areas and find nothing, that fact is hard to take. But the passion is still there along with the desire to continue looking and trying, it is this part of my psych that is struggling with your brutal honesty. Truth hurts I suppose, but I am still happy to be content in the hopes that I can find some gold somewhere, if that means it gets smaller and smaller so be it. As I get older my ability to roam further and further is going to shrink so hopefully future tech will keep up. 😂 The 6000 has come about 10 years too early for me, I’m still hell bent on finishing areas with the GPZ7000, but I will be honest I do from time to time grab my 6000 and go have a dabble in the lighter easier carefree world the GPX6000 has opened up. JP

I still love my GPZ 7000 to me it is king but as a dealer guess what I would rather do training on? The areas I do instruction are near town and have been well and truly pounded over the 6 years we’ve been trading as such it is getting very hard to find a piece of gold using the 7000 in the given time frames (it is also a very hard thing to do to walk around with another person and focus on edge of detection signals whilst instructing). In the past few weeks (since I recovered from the dreaded) I’ve done 3 or 4 x GPX 6000 sessions and 2 or 3 x GPZ7000 training sessions, in every case I have found 3 pieces each time in the 6000 sessions and nil with the 7000, because the gold is just not plentiful enough there now without spending considerable time and focusing hard. The GPZ7000 requires about 1 1/2 to 2 hours of assembly/fit out and instruction in the shop then 1 1/2 to 2 hours one on one in the field with another session a few days later to cover off on any questions ect (ongoing phone support or further refresher instruction), this is bare minimum to get someone up to speed and using that machine correctly. This is my commitment to our GPZ customers to make sure they have the best opportunity of finding gold and using the machine at its full potential. The GPX 6000 also gets similar treatment with assembly and instruction in the shop and then field training but it is so much easier to do even with total newbies, the weight is one factor but also the simplicity of the controls. Controlling the coil is paramount to effective detecting, even though we go to great pains to set people up with the 7K it is still a heavy machine and requires time spent learning how to control the coil properly. Going over my well worked training areas with the 6000 makes me look like superman, there is nothing more gratifying than scoring a nugget with a customer listening in, showing something is possible for real is very empowering. The GPX 6000 makes me look very good. 😊 JP Speci piece I found last training session in someone refilled hole. (Approx 2 grams enclosed)

That’s not what I’m saying. The detector generates a signal response from whatever triggers it to respond, either ground, target or even EMI. Sometimes it can be where the GB ends up relative to the ground being worked as described above where in quieter soils, that are a bit variable, can impact on the Normal timings by any signal that gets generated relative to the GB position at that location. In the case of Guy’s video the nugget is quite clearly causing the channel flipping but the GB position at that location could be playing a part in it, so if he went to another location with VERY different ground he might get a different behaviour from the detector. The ground in the video looks reasonably homogeneous but he did say there was some conductive signal due to moisture (this also can impact on channel flipping as salt effects the GB quite a lot).

Guy it’s called a channel flipper (high/low, Low/high target response that flips between the two). In some quieter less mineralised soils Normal will do this on some ground variations, a sure sign you should probably go over the ground in Difficult as well. BTW have you worked in any areas like in the pic below? Highly mineralised weathered Metabasalts, there’s heaps of it in Vic around Tarnagulla and Dunolly areas (pic is of one of my test areas here in Clermont and drove the Spiral wound X coils crazy). I was down in Vic recently and had a blast pinging bits with the 6000, just amazing how much small gold is still left in these well thrashed areas. You had to keep the coil off the ground or else saturation drove you nuts, even placing the coil on the ground to retrieve a target created a signal. A careful operator does well in these areas though.

Because of the way the 6000 is set up there will never be the same or similar depth when using a DD coil compared to the GPX11 Mono, this is because there is no actual traditional DD Tx/Rx mode on the 6000 only modes similar to the old Cancel and Mono modes on the 5000. Both modes are designed to removed either EMI (with a little salt reduction) or Salt (with a little EMI reduction). As it is the standard GPX14 DD coil has incredible sensitivity to tiny near to coil targets (reasonable depth too if you care to listen for them) so any smaller DD will light up incredibly on tiny surface gold especially with Salt and EMI removed, the mind boggles actually. 🤯😎 JP

Just amazing the amount of sensitivity and depth the 6000 can achieve with different coil sizes on the tiny gold. Would be really good to see them going through there paces on some of the red nasty variable mineralised soils Victoria is known for, there must be huge amounts of small gold laying in those nasty noisy areas if that’s the results on the quieter more homogenous ground. 😊 JP

Every X coil I’ve used with the short lead adapter has caused problems, the coil see’s the connector if it even moves fractionally and if you fix it in place it nulls sensitivity.

A Purchase date would show a lot relative to any issues. There is no doubt there were problems at release with rightfully unhappy customers, I personally as a dealer have gone above and beyond to help those few people as best I can. Who you buy your detector from can have a big bearing on your experience.

I do humbly apologise to you if you feel I’ve singled you out that has never been my intention, my comments are always directed at the general thrust of a thread if I see it straying down a path I find myself at odds with, I just don’t have time to answer every post individually so tend to bulk it out in one hit when the passion rises. The saying, “Opinions are like backsides, everyone has one” is a very common tongue in cheek saying here in Australia and is in no way meant to offend anyone because it is inclusive for all who have a backside, me included, I think maybe a cultural language barrier is coming into play here and for that I’m truely sorry. I have no idea what IIRC is? Maybe you can PM me the meaning and as for Bitchers? That is not a term I use, I’m not sure if I’ve coloured up my comments at some stage and said something like “bitching” in reference to complaints or some such, however once again I unreservedly apologise if I have said anything to offend you. Getting back to the general subject at hand, my intention was to never come in hot but to provide an encompassing different perspective/opinion to put some balance into what I felt was becoming a complete Minelab bashing session, no one has to agree with me because I too have an opinion/backside just like everyone else. I hope this helps clarify my comments in the hopes it releases some of the pressure that has occurred through misunderstandings etc. With regards to DD coils for the 6000 and also a point that needs to be made about concentric coils for the 6000, AFAIK there will be aftermarket NF DD coils for the 6000 at some stage in the future based on conversations I have had, I can’t speak for anyone else but it has been seriously talked about. Concentric coils will I think be very tricky to make for the 6000 as the 6000 does not have a DD mode of detecting built in, it only offers a Noise Cancel mode and Salt mode which operate similar to the old Cancel mode on the 5000, so unless a concentric does Tx and Rx in the same manner they will not work properly due to the mode of operation, conversely I doubt a crypto taken out of a DD coil will work properly in a monoloop coil as it would be instructing the electronics to expect a DD wind and to then Tx/Rx in the Noise Cancel or Salt configurations. Not 100% sure on all of this but it seems logical when you think about it, maybe the tinkerers already know about this aspect as I am only Opining a guess and we all know about Opinions here now. 😂 JP

Just saw this, where have I called anyone an ass or bitchers? I had to go and actually click on the link Steve put up to work out the rest of what you’ve said. All I’ve done is try to correct a lot of assumptions that are not based in fact and at least put some balance on the guessing that is going on of which I’m quite limited at as everyone knows. Nowhere have I said people cannot discuss, I only offered, in the way of balance, my own personal opinion from where I sit nothing more. If an opinion is not based in fact it is fraught with risk of being wrong, we, all of us, have an opinion (and backsides) but a lot of opinions can be factually wrong due to not knowing or understanding the circumstances. And as has now been played out because I dared defend Minelab or seemed to defend Minelab in my attempt at correcting some of those ‘Opinions’ I get reamed, yet again. So because of who I am and what I do is my opinion on this forum moot? Because of who I am and what I do will I always be hauled over the coals for daring to offer an opposing view? Even to the point that when someone else points to something flattering that was written about me I’m treated as if I wrote it!!! It is never my intent for my words to offend or ridicule anyone, I am usually the first to apologise if that is so and am happy to do so in this case. If I came across all self righteous please take it from me it comes from passion in what I do and how strongly I feel about the subject and my role in development, this is especially so when I feel I see an imbalance, none of this is intended to insult (although earlier today to my shame I am somewhat guilty of exactly that). A good example of opinions was Steve calling me out on something he felt very strongly about, I then did my best to reassure him of what I actually meant and he responded positivity, hence my remarks back to him, that’s how mutual respect works. Once again I apologise if I have written in such a way that is offensive, I also apologise if I come across all self righteous and lofty and lastly I apologise for being so defensive about the subject, I just hope readers can see it from my impassioned POV because I too have a backside. The GPX 6000 is a winner and I am proud of my involvement, it hurts to see if being bagged out in a way I feel is unfair, yes there have been issues but those issues are being addressed. JP

What we've actually got to look forward to is a constant stream of Phrunt commentary on the subject, 3 years of it!!!!. 😱🤷‍♂️ 🤯 Minelab stand by their products, that is a certainty! I've never seen another company back their gear like ML do. Not trying to say there is no problem because there clearly is, however in our shop experience Minelab are addressing the ones that do pop up very quickly and I can also say, as much as a certain voiciferous commentator on this forum would like you to believe, it's not as bad as is being made out! Undesirable? Absolutely yes, but in our shops experience not the huge issue trying to be portrayed.

And that there folks is testament to why I hang on this forum, the moderator is a decent person who allows everyone to voice their opinion even if it does not concur with his. Nothing but respect for Steve Herschbach. 😎

As always Steve I respect your position and of course I completely understand where you are coming from, so no direct argument from me. However it would be a very boring forum if is was all Minelab bashing and no opposing POV would it not? I'm not defending ML at all costs, as said they are a very big emotionless corporate company who are big enough to take a few, some times well deserved, hits on the chin. In this case however ML have lately shown they are listening with allowances made very early on for manufacture of non-OEM coils to enter the fray, surely that speaks volumes for such a large entity that is historicaly slow to make changes? Sure it's not exactly what you or others want or would like, but to me it is massive and very encouraging. No wish for an argument just a bit gun shy that I'll get hammered because my opinion goes against the majority. As always with respect JP

Opinions are like backsides, we all have one.😳 There are a lot of incorrect comments here on this thread but as usual I'm gagged because defending Minelab is not the done thing and also I'm not at liberty anyway. However I'm going to have my say because being in quarantine from having contracted Covid I'm feeling a bit fierce and fed up, so stuff it!!!😷The GPX 6000 represents a huge change electronically compared to the 7000 which is understandable with the age differences in the designs and how fast electronics have moved forward in that time, read into that what you will with regards crypto in the coils. Hint: it's not just a security measure. 😳 All the complaints about coil options for the 7000 especially the smaller coil options are based around one individuals continious bombardment of this forum about a coil that is not even available through that avenue, but still ML get bagged out for it. 🤯 We right now are on the cusp of everyones wish list where not one but two non-OEM coil manufacturers have announced they will be offering a range of coils that are unique to their marque, so in essence there will soon be 6 new coil sizes to choose from to suit the GPX6000, that fact alone speaks volumes about Minelab's willingness to keep the party faithful happy. There are also more officially sanctioned coils in the works for the GPZ7000 so owners of that tech can have something to look forward to as well. Sure we can sit here and look back in time and keep on pointing out past mistakes even though none of us truly know the facts behind them, but constant berration won't change a thing and TBH I'm heartily sick of them, in the 'here and now' there is plenty of evidence that positive things are happening with scope for more changes in the future, that's an exciting thing in my book.☺️ OK, I'll sit back now and watch the slings and arrows come out because I dared defend Minelab yet again. 😬 JP

The GPX6000, in my long term experience and on information provided to me from the designer, has the same outright depth as the older GPX series all things being equal, I’ve borne this out on 2 foot digs on 2 ounce pieces with the supplied GPX11 mono coil so know the 6000 has GOOD depth. However as users of the GPX17 know, an increase in size of coil comes with a proportional increase in EMI, this is due to the GPX6000 being more prone to EMI due to its very wide band width, so by the time you get up in size (the GPX17 x 13 = 30 inches divided by 2 is basically equivalent to a 15 inch round (less depth though due the elliptical shape but also less EMI too)). This means because of the way the detector is set up (user controls like Threshold Pitch, No Fixed GB, Sensitivity etc) there will be issues with EMI, especially Sferic noise in remote places, so using a bigger coil will be negating the advantage. There is plenty of commentary about operators saying the GPX17 does not have much depth yet it is comparative to older 17” elliptical coils made for the 5000 and 4500’s, so you then have to ask the question why that is so? The GPX6000 is aimed fairly and squarely at what it offers performance wise over previous tech, it is not aimed at competing against the GPZ7000, the technology will NEVER compete against ZVT its just can’t so there is no point in designing it that way. I understand the desire for a “one detector does all” and for users wanting to have more options, one could rightly assume Minelab recognise this and supplied the detector with 3 very popular coil sizes right off the bat and then very shortly thereafter opened up the tech to the aftermarket guys. I have no clear idea of where the after market coil options size range will end up and can only go by what I’m seeing which is CT and NF aiming squarely at their most popular sizes with very clear definitions between the coil makers. It makes sense they make coils that compliment what the GPX6000 is clearly VERY good at doing, namely light weight and ultra sensitive coils to compliment that aspect. I’ve not stated the 6000 doesn’t need big coils, I’ve said and meant “why would you when there is already plenty of far better options for users and has been for many years now”. Why try to make a detector do something its not primarily designed to do? This reminds me of all the small coil commentary on the GPZ7000, pondering on this I see the correlation with people fishing, the guy on the shore casts out as far as he can, the guy in the boat anchors up and casts towards the shore. 😂 I suppose it’s just human behaviour where we always think/hope the grass is greener on the other side of the fence and when you actually put that person on the “OTHER” side of the fence they are then found looking back across the fence again.🤪 For deep gold I choose to use the GPZ7000 and it’s in the full knowledge that I’m missing easy gold with the 6000, right now there is a plethora of easy gold for the 6K even on totally flogged patches so I do find myself cringing a little by sticking to my larger deeper gold guns, I truly am passing up on EASY gold. Lately I’ve been putting in a 3 or 4 hours session chasing deep gold with the 7K and then if I get “Skunked” I grab the 6K and go get a few rattly bits to lift the spirits, it really is that stupidly easy. JP

This is not a defend Minelab at all costs post in spite of my constantly being accused of it, the following comments are just about trying to be factual and to provide a different POV otherwise a lot of discussions just turn into a Minelab bashing bitching second-guessing session which is fine if that’s what’s preferred but there is also a lot of non-factual information being sprouted along the way. I find myself wanting to post at times but then hit the wall of previous accusation so then decline, this means there is an atmosphere around that is killing discussion and debate ergo the potential to become very one sided as voices are slowly being shut up. Just my POV and how I feel every time things become heated and accusations of my being a Minelab lackey get brought up as a means to shut down my input. Even if you consider my input biased, and yes I am, although I do try to temper my comments, I do definitely lean towards Minelab because of my close association in product development, BUT consider this I am often only ‘one-voice’ compared to the MANY! The GPX 6000 has the same outright depth on large targets as the GPX 5000, it was never intended to compete with the GPZ7000 for depth and the supplied coils reflect that. The GPX17 elliptical was provided as a ground coverage coil for prospecting purposes as such it does an amazing job thanks to light weight and incredible sensitivity along with a bit more depth over the GPX11 coil, in essence the supplied coils compliment where the GPX6000 offers an advantage over previous machines. I’m not going to be crass and suggest operators go back to a 5000 with its plethora of large coils but essentially that was always going to be the case in the design parameters of the 6000 purely because most ground has been well gone over with many many varieties of coil sizes and designs for many years. This then leads to the announcement of aftermarket coils made under license (thank-you Minelab 🙏), manufacturers need to throw development dollars into a market where the most sales reside which explains the offerings, this also compliments what the GPX6000 does so much better than any other detector. The 6000 was never designed to outperform the GPX5000 for max depth, the technology is as good as the previous GPX machines but not better in that regard. I see little point in using a GPX6000 with a large coil attached when I can get better depth performance out of a GPZ7000 with the stock GPZ14 coil. I know not everyone can own both, but nor on the flip side, can I swing both at the same time, there will always be a compromise. I have to forgo quite a bit of easy gold for the GPX6000 when I choose to swing the GPZ7000. The GPX6000 is heavily weighted towards the ease of use simplicity side of detecting, it is biased towards where its underlying tech has a HUGE advantage, namely the smaller missed targets that still remain in goldfields areas, this has now been borne out by many many users world wide. You will notice there are some functions that are fixed in stone on the GPX6000, one is a continuous Auto Ground Balance with no FIXED option, there is no Threshold control or a Threshold Pitch control, these settings have all been optimised to keep ANY operator in the peak position to find gold. The settings are all optimised to ‘bark’ on a missed piece of gold so that any operator no matter how inexperienced or skilled can benefit from its abilities without the confusion of many many switches and settings combinations. The very fact that Minelab have created dedicated Auto modes that have a proper zero threshold function speaks to the effort and intelligent thought processes that have gone into its design, all happening under the hood in a non confusing fashion. This is just my 2 cents and they’re not aimed any anyone in particular, I consider Minelab allowing more coil choices so soon after the release of the GPX6000 to be a very positive thing, the fact that there are two aftermarket coil makers is a huge bonus. JP

So you've used your understanding of Eric Foster's words to describe what you've seen in the xray pictures? Technically I'm not sure how to describe the way they're wound, that's not my area of expertise. All I know is the way the coils I've tested have behaved, what they've been like to operate in Goldfields environs and how they compare to each other, I'm more than confident you'll enjoy that similarity too. JP

I have never heard the 6000 windings being described in that way so I presume the words you are using are your observations based on X-rays you’ve seen? No engineer I’ve worked with has described the windings in that way and I worked extremely closely with them on the 6000 right from the ground floor. I’d say both CT and NF will need to design within the very strict parameters that Minelab set so windings will need to be extremely similar to what has been shown in X-rays if that helps. 🤔 JP

The whole idea of flat wound is to increase the sensitivity on older MPS machines up to the GPX5000 with DVT, however it comes at a price and as such could be considered a not so elegant way of achieving that desire with clear disadvantages in detector behaviour especially with ground signals such as X and saturation signals. The way its been explained to me is in essence the flat wound coils force the GPX 5000 and below series to demodulate early, something the electronics where never designed to do, as such there are some undesirable outcomes that come along for the ride. I personally would not like to be using a ‘dedicated’ flat wound on a ‘designed from the ground up’ PI like the GPX6000 as its electronics have been developed to do a far better job of early sampling and ground handling than a flat wound could ever emulate on previous machines thanks to GeoSense. As you can imagine the 6000 has massive headroom sensitivity wise so anything smaller than the standard 11” mono is intrinsically going to have even MORE sensitivity, anyone designing a coil for the 6000 is going to have to make sure it is usable in all areas and I presume to that end will need to satisfy intense Minelab scrutiny prior to being released to the public. Based on my experiences with the Nugget Finder 12x7 Xceed it is not a dedicated flat wound winding, it did not show the typical difficulty in pinpointing a target a flat wound demonstrates especially when moving/retrieving a tiny target across the windings but did show amazing sensitivity and ground handling ability. During my time with it target retrieval and pinpointing with the NF 12x7 Xceed where very exact and precise. Hope this helps JP

Simon if you had a jack right now I’d be telling you to ……..!! 😂

Now your just insulting me Simon and once again passive aggressive shuts down dialogue. Minelab will sort out your detector for you of that I’m sure (when they get a chance), that’s the real issues not the imaginary ones 🤔, those will always be a point of contention with an attention seeker.

Seriously Simon, 50%? Your kidding right? It sucks you’ve got a DOA and I doubt anyone reading this forum would not feel for your plight and rightly so. But it’s also pretty clear you’re taking this all the way to the bank, you’re on the high moral ground after all. 🤨 For a laugh, because laughter is the best medicine, this reminds me of a joke about too young lads who got a flat tyre in the middle of nowhere and discover they have no Jack, they very soon realise they’re going to have to take the very long walk up to a farmers place and ask for a loan but the problem is he is a cantankerous old grumble guts known for his nasty aggression, so the lads draw straws on who gets the onerous tasks of having to go cap in hand and beg. Johnny draws the short straw and over the many miles of walking he’s thinking about the situation and how much he dislikes the grumpy farmer. He plays through his mind over and over again how the scene is going to unfold, how much begging he is going to have to do just to get the loan of a blooming Jack, it wasn’t fair. By the time he got to the door he was in a right state, he was absolutely fuming and barely able to speak. He knocks on the door and from deep within the house he can hear the farmer making his way down the hall, as he opens the door Johnny is positively livid with indignant rage and screams out at the farmer “……..and you can shove your Jack right up your A8$!!” then storms off into the dark before the farmer can even offer a word. 😂

Pic of some Victorian gold found by a local using the proto NF 12x7 (7x12) Xceed coil. About 30 hours detecting time over highly mineralised areas around Bendigo. I don't know if my poor knees could handle all that up-and-down up-and-down!! 😬

Just an update, press and hold the power button for 10 seconds on the headphones, you’ll hear the On beeps, then the pairing mode beeps then another tone after that (double same tone sound from memory).