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Lanny, As a guy who has used the SDC-2300 in water at Lake Tahoe and found really nice gold with diamond ring (watch the videos) and also used it for hundreds of gold nuggets, I know it pretty well. It is actually harder to swing than a GPX-5000 and those of us in the know use a Swing Arm. Yes it was designed to find small gold, but just like a high kHz VLF detector with a small coil is also designed for tiny gold, but why so many of us have a bigger coil? For bigger and deeper gold. So the same can be said with the SDC, just like you do with your GPX too. Yes the original SDC-2300 is waterproof (somewhat) and the coil too, but the coil is buoyant and wants to float. Most users of the SDC-2300 are nugget hunters who do not hunt in water, just like most users of the GPZ, even though the coil on the GPZ is waterproof. If CoilTek wanted to make coils WP, they could.. but it would cost them more money, meaning the end user more money as well. Lets go back and look at history of the SDC-2300. When I seen the 1st version, it was based off of the Military F3. That unit was already waterproof, so when they converted, they already had most everything so they kept the Waterproof. Yes there are limitations to going large coil on any detector. Remember all the cussing when the SDC-2300 came out, so many people were complaining about it not having any coil options? Now we have those options and I am very thankful. These coils are here for the folks who have an SDC-2300 and do not want to have to purchase another detector. 10" ellip coil will be able to find smaller gold than the stock 8" coil. The other 2 larger coils will find larger deeper gold than the stock coil. I am not saying it is a GPX-5000 or GPZ-7000. Here's something I would like to open up a few eyes. I promise EVERYONE this. Go to Rye Patch, NV where so many people hunt gold and I assure you the SDC-2300 will find more nuggets than a GPX-5000. Are these coils for everyone? No, but at this time, these coils will help many users of the SDC-2300 have more options and open up opportunities. To throw another idea out there. As someone who enjoys competition. I'm pretty sure NuggetFinder is watching all this and they just might make a waterproof coil for the SDC, but like most all their other coils, I'm sure they will be $100 higher in price, Here is the video of us using the SDC-2300 finding a different kind of gold.

Got out to Franconia early this week. My main objective of course was to score some nice space rocks, but I also wanted to try out White’s new Goldmaster 24k VLF unit to see how well its proprietary XGB automatic ground tracking would handle the extreme variable ground in the northern half of the strewn field. Anyone who’s searched this area with a VLF detector knows how tedious it can be dealing with the endless volcanic hot rocks, and while the 24k handled the ground matrix extremely well and running a low sensitivity eliminated a lot of the hot rocks, there still remained plenty of them to deal with. Although I did find one half-gram iron with the 24k, with all the hot rocks it was hitting I just couldn’t cover enough ground to increase my odds of making a good find.   As many of us detector operators know, in hot rock hell pulse-induction and zero-voltage transmission technologies are king. So I put away the VLF and brought out the Minelab GPZ 7000 equipped with the 19” coil for maximum ground coverage...time to get serious! With a quick adjustment I was able to ignore all but the largest and most insidious hot rocks and cover a ton of ground, netting several small irons and 2 stones at 27 grams and 75 grams. But the best part was just enjoying the peaceful serenity while roaming the wide open spaces of the Franconia strewn field, and even spotting a wild burro.

Kiwi, I think making other coils for the 7000 wouldn't be as profitable as selling you another detector. A guy with a 7000 who wants a smaller coil is forced to buy an SDC or GPX. Too bad the new SDC coils are not advertised as waterproof. I used to use the old joey coiltec in the creek and it worked great for awhile ?

Ok, I feel a story coming on about your trip. My trip now will consist of an 800 and a 7000.

I'm taking names for a Pre Order LIST here in the US (not even on my web site yet) so contact me direct. Trevor at CoilTek called and was giving me some info on these coils that is not in the brochure. The prices are in the photo below I am posting, as is my business name. Realize I am not taking money, just getting names for those who want one. Are these coils for everyone who owns an SDC-2300? I would never say such, but I do not know. The 10" ellip coil will be able to sniff out tiny nuggets better than the stock 8" coil and will also have 2" more of ground coverage per sweep. Many of the folks already are familiar with Elliptical coils and their ability to get up under brush and rocks, in those tight areas nuggets like to hide and the areas others can't get their larger coils (virgin ground pockets). The 11" round coil will give the most depth on larger gold and you get 3" more of ground coverage. It is the deepest of the 3 accessory coils and vs the stock coil on bigger gold. The 14x9" is a hybrid coil which will offer best ground coverage per sweep and increased depth on larger gold. If you already own a GPX or GPZ along with the SDC, then you probably do not need one of these coils. But I imagine that is not most of the folks who own an SDC-2300. Here is a fact that just happened 2 weeks ago with my staff members in AZ. One was using his SDC-2300 with stock coil and found a small patch of nuggets. He cleaned the patch out and called Lunk over with his GPZ-7000. Sure enough, Lunk smiles with a golden grin. He shows Wade exactly the spot and lets Wade listen. Wade spent some time on the target and went through all the settings, trying to get the signal to respond and nothing. Luck carefully removed a few inches and let the SDC check it. Sure enough, Wade could finally hear it. Folks it was just a matter of a few inches and Wade would have had the largest nugget of the hunt. He feels the 11" round would have heard it and paid for the coil right there. What was the nugget Wade missed in that small patch? Just another 1/3 oz'er to ad to Lunks collections. Again, Contact Gerry's Metal Detectors if you want to get on the Pre Order List (not taking payments until I have them in stock and I call you to ship) to get one sooner as Trevor said there will be a limited supply coming into the US at 1st, which is typical.

Stepping into this thread late, so don`t know if what I say has already been said. Take two machines, if one go es on the fritz you have a back up. If you get on a patch use the 2300 to pick up the small easy gold quickly, all gold is good, don`t waste your time looking for the Welcome Stranger. Then go back over patch with the 7000 to get the deeper stuff, learn to grid, (drag a chain) it will pay benefits and you will leave less gold. In Vic the lead shot will drive you crazy, in WA more trash free areas. OZx4 Rege

In Australia and the USA, people park on the gold. Then they walk away; over hill and dale... You will have plenty of trash in the Golden Triangle...dig it all. If you go to Hillend or Sofala, beware of the many deep shafts that are very hard to see as you walk... Mitchel, why would you take the 2300 when you have the 7000- You aren't going to Oz for the little bits. fred

Too flashy Paul. I just call it "Walking Gambling Disorder" WGD. The Oz version is "Swearing Walking Gambling Disorder" SWGD. DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria: Gambling Disorder A. Persistent and recurrent problematic gambling behavior leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as indicated by the individual exhibiting four (or more) of the following in a 12-month period: 1. Needs to gamble with increasing amounts of money in order to achieve the desired excitement. GPZ 7000 case in point... 2. Is restless or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop gambling. Like that will happen........... 3. Has made repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop gambling. Yer right........... 4. Is often preoccupied with gambling (e.g., having persistent thoughts of reliving past gambling experiences, handicapping or planning the next venture, thinking of ways to get money with which to gamble). Ringing any bells? 5. Often gambles when feeling distressed (e.g., helpless, guilty, anxious, depressed). Code for not being on a patch.... 6. After losing money gambling, often returns another day to get even (“chasing” one’s losses). That patch is flogged, wait I'll go back one more time. 7. Lies to conceal the extent of involvement with gambling. I had to stay there honey, car trouble ....... 8. Has jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job, or educational or career opportunity because of gambling. Becoming a small scale miner or leaseholder..... 9. Relies on others to provide money to relieve desperate financial situations caused by gambling. I'll pay you back with nuggets ....... B. The gambling behavior is not better explained by a manic episode. Specify if: Episodic: Meeting diagnostic criteria at more than one time point, with symptoms subsiding between periods of gambling disorder for at least several months. Beginning prospectors ..... Persistent: Experiencing continuous symptoms, to meet diagnostic criteria for multiple years. "Normal" prospectors.....

I use sometimes on my GPZ 7000 the Quest Wirefree Mate- Wireless Transmitter and Receiver. Its 2.4 Ghz Freq, not bluetooth, and the latency is .06 seconds. I think the Minelab Equinox wireless built in latency is .40 seconds. A full charge lasts over 30 hours.... There are youtube videos on it.

Reading what Steve and NE posted about VET's makes me realize the difference in cultures and the change we have had in the US. It is funny when I speak with some of my customers about a VET discount. A few of them are ashamed and prefer to not even let folks know. Others are proud of their service and you can see it on their sleeve or the truck they drive. I guess that is part of the freedom of America. As for the newer trend, I see many businesses promoting Military Discounts, Veterans Day Promotions and other saving to military. I know we are getting a little off detecting topic so if you feel this post needs removed Steve, I do understand. One recent VET discount I just found out.. was a great deal for me is with Verizon. My current plan allows for a 15% Military discount and my new plan gets me a flat $35 off each months bill. They also offer a discount for First Responders (even non military). As for the FREE 19" coil for USA purchasers of a new GPZ-7000, I also recall a year ago that Australia was running a similar ad and we did not get the same one here in US. I had a couple customers purchase from Australia just for the free coil.

As a military Veteran myself (USMC) and one who did not know where my DD-214 was, I've learned where and how to get it. There are also other forms of ID that Gerry's Detectors will accept and get you the 15% discount. Each state is a little different but for those who are not sure, call me for details. This is a fantastic dollar amount of savings on higher end detectors (15%) and right now combining the VET $1200 savings and a FREE $1500 19" coil on the GPZ-7000, plus the 3 Days of Field Training we offer...what better way to enjoy ones retirement or getting all your toys purchased for those golden years. Even the very popular Equinox 800 (true multi purpose detector) allows a VET a $135 savings. And don't forget the FREE "Metal Detector Basics Class" I offer to all general purpose and multi use detector sales. 1st class is Saturday March 16th, provided the snow has melted.

That same bogus GPZ 7000 ad is back on eBay again!! https://www.ebay.com/itm/Minelab-GPZ-7000-All-Terrain-Gold-Metal-Detector/292977609828?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3Db7912ae7cf7f4f40bcf92f59bd96da82%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D15%26sd%3D292977609828%26itm%3D292977609828&_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3A554825e1-37c4-11e9-8000-74dbd1805566|parentrq%3A1cbad2951690ad793fa57401fff2a2c3|iid%3A1

I have experienced the same severe effects in wet grass with both the GPZ 7000 and the GPX 5000. I just move on to the clear patches and skip the wet grass areas. The problem mostly goes away as the grass and ground dry up. It still detects the roots of Joshua trees and Barrow cactus. In between wet and dry seasons it sounds off as I swing back and forth between grass and bare areas. In this situation I allow the detector to automatically ground balance as I hunt as much as I can of each area in sequence. Have a good day, Chet

Hey Steve, That is correct, we are also offer this special which runs from 02-15-19 thru 04-15-19. You will get the 19" Super DD Searchcoil (value of $1500) for FREE with the purchase of a Minelab GPZ 7000 metal detector. The price shipped, out the door is $8,000.00 including the FREE coil and extra we include. We also offer Arizona Field Instructions for one day, as we believe one day is enough for the customer to learn the GPZ 7000, which is very user friendly in my opinion vs. the GPX series. We would love to earn your business and promise to offer the best sale, service and support beyond the sale. P.S. I'm surprised the Australia market is not offer this deal. Rob Allison Rob's Detector Sales

Congratulations again on that coin. No telling how many of us missed it. Phrunt is right. You submit your 'own' story and pictures. It's obvious that dealers help their customers if they want to. I encourage others to submit their finds for the voucher. I got a find of the month for Franconia meteorites with the 7000. Mitchel

Volume control on the B&Z is not stepped. Volume is set to suit local ambient noise so generally there is no favourite level. The key is hearing a smooth stable threshold which is then controllled by the booster dependant on external noise levels. In the case of headphones, the booster can also help but depending on the amount of volume the headphones can achieve determines the level of volume you need to put out from the detector, I generally recommend lowering the detectors volume then using the booster to increase the volume to a comfortable level. Some headphones do not reach this critical point no matter how much volume you use on the detector, hence needing the B&Z to get the volume loud enough without increasing/elevating detector noise. I am not a fan of the Volume control on the 7000 or the Target Volume control on the GPX series, they are too steppy and lift the noise floor to unacceptable levels without really improving the fainter targets. Best bet with headphones is to have a reasonable sized target that gets the detector to reach Max volume when the coil is right on the target and adjust the Volume of the booster there (in the case of the GPX and GPZ start at Target Volume of 8 and be prepared to go lower), then listen to the threshold and confirm if you can hear it clearly, especially any faint variations in the threshold. I usually increase the booster volume a touch till a close to coil target is bordering on slightly uncomfortable, especially if I am working deep ground with minimal trash signals. Adjusting the Target Volume of the detector one point at a time can also help a lot to even out the threshold without affecting the outright max volume. JP

Let me ask about batteries. I have the 7000 that has a battery pack and I could take my 3030 battery. I have the Equinox 800 which has internal batteries. I could take a 2300 which has the rechargeable batteries. Are all of these allowed? (Check In or carry on?) Mitchel

Not as far as I am concerned at least. Mineralization differences are why I honestly pay no attention to most stuff that gets posted as regards metal detector depth. Florida data is completely worthless to me. I may as well air test for that kind of data. It boils down to get the machines and see it with my own eyes. Frankly, it simplifies life. I don't have to watch tons of videos and ask for advice. If you are a PI user the whole thing about VLF depth gets plain silly. If I really want depth, I will use a GPX 5000 or a GPZ 7000. That's depth! Once you get used to the performance of detectors like that in bad ground all VLF detectors are a distant second. I use a VLF for discrimination, not depth. Argue about the Equinox versus V3i for depth for instance. To me it is a shoulder shrug because compared to a GPX 5000 they both suck for depth. I use the Equinox because I like the total package and its depth is acceptable for me. But I never kid myself that it is going "really deep". It's just a different perspective I guess.

My neck of the woods, up close to 7000 ft. elevation. (Two pack mules of the hydrocarbon variety in the background.) Bottom, slightly left of centre, pretty tiny, can't recall the weight, Gold Bug Pro. (A dime is a dime is a dime in US and Canada, same size for comparison.) Smallest pieces here, sub-gram, all nuggets found with Minelab X-Terra 705, a somewhat interesting machine that if you go low and slow enough in ground that's producing nuggets, it just might surprise you as it did me with the tiny stuff it would find with the DD coil (the tiny stuff was extremely close to the surface however). All the best, Lanny

This is one I got with the 7000 last year. Everything has to be just right to pick one up these up. I am sure I walk over pounds of them so I can find one. I am sure that Kiwijw can beat it though. I think he has found pounds of these.

Northeast, Thanks for the check list. A winter beach can be ok if there are a few 'waves' bringing objects in! We have that condition here often. I've driven in Bangkok in 2011 and 2012 so I hope it comes back to me. I've only checked on 'pricing' for hotel/motel so far and it seems to be around $75 per night. My main machines are the 7000 and the EQ 800 (all the coils if needed). I could bring a 2300. I can bring JP's booster also. I think I'll get a pick when I'm there. Keep the questions coming. I'm sure someone else will learn from them as I do. Mitchel

Here is a photo of my brothers finds from the sunny southwest corner of Arizona. All these were found with a gpz 7000 they range in size from just a few hundredths of a gram to close to 27 grams.Most all were found in areas that have been hunted and then hunted some more.

Maybe he has arthritis or sells all his 7000's or he wanted to play with the 5000...lots of possible reasons...even Adam's. fred

My prospecting buddy in San Diego and I decided to take a run down to Baja to see if this summer's hurricane event had moved any gold around. This particular Baja placer has been pretty popular over the past 20 years and we've pretty much hunted out all the easy stuff so we had high hopes for a new bonanza. We left on Monday crossing the border at Calexico. I was waved through after a cursory examination by the Mexican border officials. My friend was in a different lane and he was subjected to a much more thorough examination. I think it was end of shift and the border officials needed to make some quick money. Four of them pulling everything out of his truck. They ultimately came to his 7000 detector. He explained its use and then they asked what it was worth. He lied and told them $4000.00. They saw dollar signs because according to them he would need to pay an import duty on the equipment, $420.00 US dollars cash. I guess 100 bucks apiece is a good nights work. He refused and told them that he would just return to the US. After that the price came down to $240.00. He still refused and we used the turnaround lane back to the US side of the border. It's hard to argue their notion of justice. We spent the night at my house in sunny Yuma and decided to cross at Algodones the next morning. That crossing was going well as far as inspection, but then the immigration officer inquired as to our Mexican Visas. We've never needed a Visa in Baja unless crossing the states of Baja Norte to Baja Sur. So, we bought some much needed $35.00 cash only Visas and continued on our way. The summer hurricane wiped out most of the paved highway just outside of San Felipe. They were working on replacing the highway but in the meantime you're restricted to a rough one lane dirt road over about 40 miles. From my house to the Placer is abut 240 miles and we arrived in the early afternoon. The prime ground is another 3 miles by ATV. We spent the rest of the afternoon building some ramps and filling big holes to run the my Rokon and his Yamaha Big Wheel up the canyon. The hurricane had run water about 20 ft high through the canyon so all our improvements from last year were washed away. It was tough sledding all the way but I didn't get unhorsed this year. My friend took a nasty fall after his bike slid down a too smooth rock wall. He was hobbled and we ended up cutting our trip short. Nevertheless, I got one good day of detecting in. I found a stretch of bedrock that last year had a foot of overburden on it. It was now swept clean and I found these small nuggets in bedrock cracks. I intended to check some promising ground about a 2 mile hike away, but I just couldn't justify leaving gold to find gold. Maybe next trip. The weather was great and the gold available, just not enough time after our border mishap and my friend's banged up knee.

Gerry, that is quite the coincidence you should happen to run into Dimitar in Mexico. Too bad he had to leave so soon as he is an interesting conversationalist. I wish I would have been able to spend more time learning the intricacies of the MDT 8000 from him as I think there is a lot to learn that is not in the manual. I was impressed that he actually detects for a hobby so he really does "get it" when you discuss detecting with him. I agree with you that a lot of people will likely want to stay in the sub-$1000 bracket when purchasing a machine. That's totally understandable when you have a detector such as the Equinox available. Of course just as a small percentage of people will pay for the performance of a GPZ 7000 I think the MDT 8000 will have it's own niche market eventually if it performs as well as it has at first blush.