GB_Amateur

"When he showed me the nugget here in the store he was shaking like a leaf. He didn’t know what to do with it. He hadn’t slept in three days." (Mining shop operator reporting on the condition of the finder.)

Nice condition Barber quarter. I'm still waiting on my first. Maybe this weekend....

I'll add those in tomorrow, thanks. I also need to correct the size of the NF coil from 7x11 to 7x14. Noticed a typo there. Update: File modification complete (see initial post in this thread).

A piece of information I value and often can't find (or can find, but sometimes unreliably) are coil weights. I'm attaching a list I've assembled. These weights include the cable and the coil cover (unless noted). The uncertainty of the measurements is estimated at about 2 grams. Coils that are made with the same name and nominal dimensions, but for different detectors, will likely have some difference in weight due to the number of windings and possibly other discrete components (e.g. resistors) inside. But you can still get an idea of a weight if you find a coil you're interested in but it's listed for a different detector. An example here is the Detech Ultimate which came in at 532 g for the Fisher F75 and 549 g (as measured by Phrunt) for the Fisher Gold Bug. A more extreme case here is the "Digger" coil for the X-Terra series at 481 g and the same housing, cable, etc. of a prototype Gold Bug coil weight of 437 g. Coil_weights2.pdf

This used to be the conventional wisdom. The Minelab Equinox 800 (and maybe even the Makro Gold Racer and its offspring) has changed that. Steve H has said quite a bit. He's (multiple times) said that choosing between detectors that operate at 40 kHz and above, as far as ability to find small gold, is splitting hairs. He's also said that for now he's just using one detector, the Minelab Equinox 800. If someone were absolutely sure they were only looking for small natural gold then the GM 1000 costs $100 less than the Eqx 800. But if saving money is important, the Makro Gold Kruzer (in the US, anyway) is $160 less than the GM 1000. For that extra $ the Equinox 800 opens up another world of detecting, relatively speaking.

My first 21st Century detector was the Gold Bug Pro. I was no pro, so Gold Bug Amateur (GB_Amateur for short) seemed to fit. I've m/l retired my GB Pro but it will always remain part of my arsenal for sentimental reasons if nothing else. Great story by one of its developers, Jorge Saad, starting on page 11 here: http://www.fisherlab.com/wtn-2014/ chronicalling how they initially hesitiated to provide all-around capabilities for fear of scaring off their intended target market as a gold detector. Ironically it may be a better all-around detector than a gold detector, while being good at both.

Oh, Yeh? So how did they do? Yep, they're still some out there.

You're kidding, right? JW I would understand. You're too young. Get back to that soldering station!

In terms of overall beauty (and history) you may be rolling downhill. OTOH, you were born in nèamh and found two more. I'd stop now if I were you.

Do you have other shops? If so I'd move on. If not I'd buy on the internet. I'd say the chances of Tesoro returning are so low that you'd be way better off buying a lottery ticket. I say that because of their recent (6+ months) of silence. They did make good detectors but their ship (unfortunately) has sailed. Still lots of players to choose from. This forum is a great source of info on all detectors still being sold. https://www.detectorprospector.com/metal-detector-database/ If you have trouble sorting all that out, which is understandable, there are a lot of people here willing to help out. The market is loaded with good detectors so it's not an easy choice, but also hard to go wrong. Still, "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing". Fortunately there is a lot of knowledge here.

...and more. Thanks, Steve. I think I already have some of the parts one hand. I have a good crevice to use it on (although not likely to hold gold, but lots of lead for practice) so I'd better get busy.

Easy for you to say, Fred. ? Ok, I'll get serious. Do you know where I can find instructions on how to make one? I'm sure I could throw something together but it would probably work about as well as my first ever metal detector (instrutions/schematic in an electronics magazine) that could find a manhole cover within 6 inches of the coil on a good day.

An easy fact to remember is this: 10m depth of water is approximately 2 atmosphere (equivalent) absolute pressure ('absolute' meaning relative to vacuum), or twice the pressure of air at/near sea level. The "gauge pressure" is relative to the pressure of ambient air and therefore 10 m depth is equivalent to 1 atmosphere gauge. The pressure vs. depth relationship is linear, so the difference between 1 m depth and 3 m depth is (3 - 1)/10 or 20% of an atmosphere. If you like to think in units of pounds per square inch (PSI) then this is a bit under 3 psi difference in pressure between 1 m and 3 m depth of water.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jun/28/apollo-11-tapes-moon-landing-sale-value-nearly-lost ...valuable treasure found, and certainly appropriate for today's date!

Looks like it has a recessed bottom. I think this is where the value lies -- gold settles in that ledge. After that, the riffles may catch some tiny stuff but why did it escape the bottom ledge? I have a small one, too, but they are rather controversial. OTOH, I guess every pan is controversial.

In my experience you could swing much faster than this (I swing about 1 sec from side to side = 2 sec round trip). The Eqx has a fast recovery as long as you use factory settings {5,6,7}. I've used Recovery Speed = 4 quite a bit and don't notice a problem. Never tried lower values. BUT, a slow swing speed such as the one you are using should not be a problem. I'm sure others will chime in on this topic. But, IMO, you need to look elsewhere. You and I live a bit over 3 hours apart. I'd be willing to meet you halfway sometime, although unfortunately this weekend is booked (besides, it's so frickin hot&humid!). Running yours side-by-side with mine would definitely indicate if there's a problem with your detector.

Welcome, Hardtimehermit! Meteorites? That's a rare treat from what I've heard. How about giving us more details (and pics)?

Just a longshot WAG: was your home once heated by coal? Mark Gillespie, a regular poster here, has told of a schoolyard where he can only hunt with a Pulse Induction (PI) type of detector because in the past the waste from coal burning (known as 'coke', I believe in Britain, and what we used to call 'cinders' when I was growing up) was spread there. Chase's suggestion to try your detector in a local park should remedy the problem you're having if I happen to have hit on its source.

For a company that guards its 'intelectual property' like Genghis Khan's tomb it would have been proper if they had given appropriate credit, including to Rudyard Kipling.

This is likely the problem. Did you try the second cable?

When I turn on the Eqx I just go down the list, starting with Noise Cancel, then Ground Balance, and all they way down to Recovery Speed. It may have happened to me that I've had to hit an 'Exit' button twice (I typically use the Pinpoint button to exit) but not enough that I've ever noticed. And, yes, after getting started I sometimes change settings, particularly Recovery Speed and occasionally a Noise Cancel sequence. Still don't recall having to hit an Exit button twice. I'll try to be aware of this from now on to see if it ever happens. Oh, I'm using the newer 1.75 software. Outside chance, but could that be the difference?

Beauty! Which detector and how deep?

Welcome, Jay! You're in a garden spot for gold -- I'm envious. With so many years of prospecting experience you already have the hard part covered. Good fortune finding more with a metal detector.

Not just a semi-key, but in great condition. Well done!

Spelling is actually Whink: https://www.amazon.com/Whink-Rust-Stain-Remover-Ounce/dp/B003KIQIW8/ref=sr_1_3?gclid=CjwKCAjwvJvpBRAtEiwAjLuRPelEblgXOEi5OhfQDq_SQejrzjwNjfDD2-XCBHaTartH1XoTg-kTVhoCpdAQAvD_BwE&hvadid=241645596943&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9016564&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=17298008456077216060&hvtargid=aud-649564993678%3Akwd-1389632425&hydadcr=693_1011790827&keywords=whink&qid=1562864159&s=gateway&sr=8-3&th=1 Here are the Material Safety Data Sheets (msds) for both Alibrite and Whink. You can read there that Whink has between 1% and 2.3% hydrofluoric acid whereas Alibrite has less than 1%. This probably explains why Whink works faster at dissolving quartz. SEPTONE ALIBRITE.pdf Whink-Rust-Stain-Remover.pdf