tboykin

19 minutes ago, Norvic said:

Aye, lesser known out in the fringe areas are the go, as there was not much work done in these areas, very little history thus research is of little use.

This is key. Some of the areas I'm keen on are not on maps, or there is little more written about them than "hydraulic mining operation, unknown production." They are well outside the "gold belt" where I'm used to going. Maybe it was difficult to get supplies there, or the men moved on to easier diggings. Definitely worth a gander.

Morning all. It's been an interesting few years for me with a change of jobs and two new family additions. After "scratching the itch" HARD last year I realized that with two young kids it's best to cool off on spending days and weeks in the bush away from the family. I still go on trips and find gold, it's just become more special and less of an every month deal. Which makes research extra-important!

In reading up on specific gold districts in certain areas, there are two main categories:

1. High-producing, well-known districts that have been worked from about the 1850's to 1930's, with current claims for hobbyists or small-time mining operations. These are concentrated in areas with a larger area of interesting geology.
2. Lower producing small districts that are scattered well-away from the above larger areas that were worked from the 1850's to late 1890's and are not popular today. These are spread out, sometimes 50+ miles away from well-known districts, and feature "anomalous geology" such as a narrow sliver of surface greenstone and quartz veins surrounded by newer volcanic formations.

In the past I have concentrated on well-known districts (#1) as many old timers have told me "go where the gold is." It makes sense to me - if there was a lot of gold in an area and recovery was not good, there is a bigger chance of finding some small crumbs missed by others. However these areas are well-known to all and detected by many. So I try to focus on fringe areas in these districts that are harder for people to get to.

It's "low risk, low reward," and I realize now, potentially the wrong tactic in today's world where it's getting harder to find nice chunks.

My thinking on hitting some of the smaller, scattered areas (#2) is that with less modern attention, even if there was less gold recovered, there may be more overall gold left behind by old timers. Simple target depletion - work stopped over 100 years ago, and these areas have been left alone since then, leaving more potentially good targets to find.

I'm curious what you think about following the path less-travelled to some of the smaller, less-popular districts.

Schist.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schist

I used mine in Oregon rain off and on for over a year. 

Here in the states 98% of detectorists are over 55, have bad knees, and only detect within 100ft of their rig... The other 2% find gold. 😋

I try to make it a point to detect in places not frequented by other humans, but when I have gone to flogged areas they usually seem fairly tidy, save for some unfilled holes and big iron left out. Maybe we just don't have the bogan infestation you ozzies do.

I use fishing sinkers pounded flat to simulate placer gold.

Bringing gold back to the goldfields is bad luck, it seems to want to get back in the dirt one way or another!

General advice is dig all pull tab signals! You don't want to risk leaving a gold ring in the ground.

With the V3i you can use the polar plot feature to help a little bit. In 3 frequency mode the pull tabs will be all over the place whereas the rings more often show a nice tight pattern. This is assuming the ring is flat, it's big enough, and good quality. You still risk leaving a ring behind, but it may help you out some.

11 hours ago, Tony said:

Plus Whites state that the hardwired coil gets more sensitivity.........They may well be right on this one.

Any connector in between the PCB and coil would create resistance. Without the connector it's like running straight pipes on a hot rod - you get a little more grunt.

Josh Bohmker is a friend of mine and his name is at the top of a lawsuit against the State of Oregon. I wanted to let you guys know what's going on with this and how you can help.

Back story - in 2016 Oregon banned motorized mining on many public lands, basically taking away the main gold reclamation methods that have been in use since 1872. This is similar to the California ban, though until recently Oregon has been much more pro-mining. The big issue with this is that it gives away the decision making of how we use public lands to a select group of interested state parties without federal oversight. You can read more about this lawsuit here: http://galicemining.x10.mx/main.html

The Supreme Court has refused to even look at this case, and because of this there is a short window to drum up support for the cause. If you would like the SCOTUS to look at this case, please write the President and let him know.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/get-involved/write-or-call/

I'm not big on politics but since this one hits a little close to home it is important to me, and may be important to some of you guys as well. A letter, call, or email to the President doesn't take much effort but if we get enough it will help.

15 hours ago, phrunt said:

Good to see you around Tom, I thought you'd done the runner on us ?

Nice gold too, A mixture of chunky and flat bits.  I do hope that's not a glass bottle, I learnt the hard way not to use them!
 

I've been there mate. Spent a whole summer working bedrock and dropped a glass vial once - never again! I take plastic out in the field and save the glass ones for home.

It's been a busy spring with working my new gig so trips have been rare, but I'm hoping to get out more once things slow down.

I have been working an old area that mostly has fine gold, though I have detected and recovered a few nuggets up there. But it's not a big producer. There are bench deposits of old river gravels on bedrock above the main channel, so naturally I worked to bedrock. The deeper I dug, the worse values turned up. Bedrock is key, right? Not here.

Turns out the gold is actually sitting on top of the ancient hard pack! Once I learned that whenever the gold was deposited, it could go no deeper than the crunchy stuff I was able to get some nice chunky gold out to add to my collection. Hope this helps someone else out. Interesting that it must have weathered after the river bed was cemented, and it's rough enough to show that it hasn't travelled far.

Gore vent! This allows air to escape but does not let water in.

8 hours ago, Monte said:

Tom,

It IS great knowing you and I enjoyed the few contacts we've had.  I hope they continue here on the DP Forums and elsewhere.  Do stay involved in this great sport.  It WAS a benefit for White's to have you in their employ and it's too bad you're not still there.  Kind of sad things are the way they are and I am sure many of us see this as more than just a bump in the road for White's.

I wish you all the best of success in the future, and that includes working in detecting jaunts that bring you rewards.

Monte

Monte, let's hit a ghost town this summer!

19 minutes ago, EL NINO77 said:

Tom,... you came from Whites ...a lot of positive energy, I wish you positive energy to last in your life...
 
 

I appreciate that. If I can convince my wife to move to Northern Nevada that would help.

On 1/22/2019 at 2:46 PM, phrunt said:

Well, that's sad news for Whites, sounds like you were a very good addition to their team, a big loss for them no doubt... People often indicated without you it would be another nail in the coffin for White's..  I hope that's not the case.

At least if the whole being a man thing doesn't work out you make a pretty lady  I'm still waiting on the army roll video out of your car you promised us 

I'm pleased you'll still be attending the forum as a mere mortal like the rest of us, it will open you up to freedom of speech on detectors at least ? I wish you luck in your new venture.

Thanks! I'm excited to spend more time in the bush looking for gold.

Well guys, it's been quite a ride the past 3 years! Working at White's has been the most fun and most challenging job I've ever had, and I am glad I took that path. But my career is taking a new and exciting turn and as of February 1st, 2019, I will no longer be employed at White's HQ in Sweet Home.

I have gained a lifelong hobby, many friendships, and learned from some of the best detectorists out there. The great thing about this change is that I will have more time for detecting, so even though I will no longer be posting on DP as a representative for White's Electronics, I'm hoping to share my finds and trips with you as a "civilian."

I wish White's the best of luck in 2019 and beyond.

First trip to Nevada with Tim (far right) the guy who introduced me to metal detecting. The other guys allowed us to detect the ghost town on the ranch.

Me in Brasil testing the GM24k.

Last nugget found working for White's. Steve H. hunted with me and it is an experience I will never forget! That guy will forget more than most of us will ever know.

Bonus pic of me in my winning 2017 Halloween costume. Don't get any funny ideas, I'm married and straight (but what I do for fun on weekends is my own business).

Sorry I have not been as active online. We had two additions to the family and I have been busy with work.

In 2018 White's released two new detectors, the TDI BeachHunter and the Goldmaster® 24k. I have been seeing some decent finds with both, in spite of the cold weather.

How is White's doing compared to other US brands as far as releasing new products? There is increasing competition from offshore brands, and they set a high standard that all brands should aim to beat. Yes they have the benefit of corporate/government funding, but that's no excuse. Always room for improvement in this department, especially from the US manufacturers. Look what happened with Case/Komatsu and GMC/Toyota. Foreign competition breeds innovation.

Multifrequency has been around for ages, ditto with PI. To me the big question in 2019 is - will a company will release something revolutionary?

No thanks needed, now I feel like I earned my lunch break today.

Hey Mike, best bet is to call the factory and ask to talk to a repair tech - 541-367-6121.

For reference here is a YouTube video that goes through the menu system - 

I made the Quick Start guide pocket-sized for just this reason. It really helped us test the machine with different people quickly.

As many of you know forums cost money to maintain, and some forums will not host company-specific sub-forums if the company does not offer financial sponsorship. If you choose to look at this as paying a toll, well that is one way to see things.

I think this is a testament to Steve's DP forum in that he spends so much time as admin doing work for free, and we all reap the benefits of the platform!

Carl and a few others pointed out the reach of social media being farther than forums. This is also true, though it can be more difficult to find relevant info on Facebook/Instagram/YouTube. The great thing about forum posts is that they should in a perfect world last forever. I can't tell you how many times I have found good detecting tips, vehicle maintenance, or construction advice on a post that is 5 plus years old. Good luck finding the same info on Facebook's infinite scroll!

But the times they are a-changin' and whether we like it or not, more people spend their time on social media than forums. This is backed up by traffic statistics as well as growth numbers across multiple channels.

It is sad that this particular forum in question decided to nuke the White's forums, but even sadder still is that very few people will notice (present company excluded, who prove by their presence that forums still serve a valuable purpose).

23 hours ago, RIIID said:

They need to make one out of carbon fiber.

Rich

Our aluminum rods weigh less than carbon fiber. I think people just like the pretty weave pattern that comes with most carbon fiber rods.

Chuck's method is best in heavy iron. A large amount of nails in the ground can mess with your automatic ground balance, so find some clean ground, get a balance, lock it, then start swinging.

An option to Relic mode is to enable Reject Volume. This will let you hear some iron in addition to the regular ToneID.

Here is a video on how this can help ID iron - 

I would suggest the Six Shooter for cellar holes. Headphones are a personal preference!

https://www.whiteselectronics.com/product/mx-six-shooter-6-concentric-coil/

I think this is an ancient snorkel used by shamans to travel to distant lands, circa 1978AD. Legend has it that these travelers often suffered extreme hunger, paranoia, and appreciation for a local musical troupe called Los Muertos Agradecidos.