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When I first came to the site, it was to ask Steve's advice about the Garrett ATX which had just been released, as it seemed perfect for my situation. After weighing (literally) up the pros and cons against the new (then) SDC 2300, I went with the latter and am very happy with it. Maybe the ATX would have served me better, who knows. I'm more of the opinion that you don't miss what you've never had. That was about a year ago when both Garrett and Minelab had two similar, innovative detectors out at roughly the same time. I guess the big question now is, with people considering selling their GPXs, SDC 2300s and maybe even ATXs, just what does Garrett have, to go up against the GPZ 7000? Or do they go for a different market altogether, with a detector such as Steve's much requested lightweight, terrain ATX at a lower price?

Seems like the GPZ 7000 has sucked all the air out of the world of minelab interested folks. All of a sudden I see no new stories about how the SDC 2300 is opening up all those sites where there was high mineralization and small gold. Now I don't doubt for a moment that that detector is still capable of doing that. Likewise I haven't seen a lot of questions lately on what coil I should get for my GPX 5000. If you have money to spend on a new minelab gold detector – it seems like the only relevant question is do you spend $10,000 or hang around and try to recover from the psychic shock of the introduction of the new model and it's quite frankly shocking cost I suspect that sales of the GPX 5000 will dry out for a while especially given the very attractive price is asked for good clean used machines with an assortment of coils. Whether sales of the GPX will ever pick up again somewhat depends on what prices new detectors are going for and how superior the GPZ actually turns out to be. As far as the SDC 2300 I suspected folks like me who have something like an SD2100 will think that it might make a nice combo given that the total investment in the pair of them could be well under $4000. As Bob Dylan once said "time will tell who has fell and who's been left behind – when you go your way and I go mine"

The Minelab dealer conference was held in New Orleans this year and I am fortunate to have been invited by Minelab. I have never been to New Orleans before so that alone has been enjoyable, though it may have been a lot more fun 30 years ago! Better was meeting with the Minelab team and learning new product details. The icing on the cake was being able to rub shoulders with various people involved in the industry, mostly as dealers from all around the world, but also people in related fields, like the folks from Coiltek. This was the first world-wide conference and I was surprised to see nearly half those attending had traveled from all over the world to be there. I have signed no less than three non-disclosure statements now for Minelab recently so unfortunately this post is a bit of a teaser. I simply can't say anything yet about the GPZ 7000 or anything else. If you ask even by email or PM I cannot respond at this time, but you do not have long to wait. When I am given a green light I will let forum members know and in general it is only on this forum that I will be commenting or answering questions. There may end up being leaks elsewhere but if so they will not be coming from me. I can say however it is obvious that Minelab is committed to remaining an industry innovator and leader and that they have formidable resources at their disposal to help insure that continues to be the case. I want to thank the many good people at Minelab for affording me the opportunity to have some input, however small, on products that make a difference in my life, and for inviting me to the conference.

Steve, So you going to the Minelab convention in N.O. What do they talk about there? Is it just a getaway. With cigars, booze and loose women? LOL Or do they get input from real detectorists like you? Maybe the timing sounds right to me, but the release of the GPZ 7000 sounds like it might happen there? Anyways have a great time. PS get me some free Minelab swag.

From the Prescott Daily Courier http://www.prescottaz.com/m/Articles.aspx?ArticleID=140625 Jack Delano Gifford, 75, passed away Jan. 3, 2015. He was born in Miami, Arizona, the son of Norval and Mayme Gifford. When Jack was about 6 years old, he and his family moved to the Phoenix area, and he lived there until he moved to Prescott, Arizona. After high school, Jack served his country in the National Guard for six years. During that time, he also earned a technical degree in electronics and started a family. In his early electronics career, he worked in the aerospace industry. During a slowdown in the '70s, he was recruited by a metal detector company and worked in that industry until his retirement. Jack was an entrepreneur and an electronics design engineer, and founded three companies. The last one, Tesoro Electronics, brought him many friends and national and international acclaim for his designs and his support of the industry. He started that company in Glendale, Arizona, in 1980 and when he moved it to Prescott in 1991, it provided new technical jobs and industry for this area. Jack started visiting Prescott when he was in high school and, during his careers, he and Myrna would visit the area for some much needed R & R. Eventually he realized he could move the company to Prescott so they could enjoy the Prescott lifestyle full-time. Jack loved his family, motorcycles, metal-detecting and working on vintage stereo equipment. He also built the speakers to complete the systems, many of which he gave to family and friends. After retirement, he became a PADI-certified scuba-diver. Jack joined American Lutheran Church and served on their board. He was part of the Tuesday night men's Bible study and worked in ALC's outreach programs such as The Rock and Teen Closet. He also worked at the Prescott Community Cupboard Food Bank and served on their board. Jack is survived by his wife of 54 years, Myrna; sons James and Vince (Katy); three amazing granddaughters, Isabella, Lily and Charlotte; sister Gloria Gray; and many nephews and nieces. He was predeceased by his parents, infant daughter Kelly Jeanine, and sister Glenna.

Hope its ok to post this. Rob Allison is now a Makro & XP dealer. http://www.robsdetectors.com Ray

Well, a new year is nearly upon on us. What does 2015 bring? All the following is pure speculation based on publically available information. Do not take it for more than that maybe leavened by my watching stuff happen for 40 years. Ultimately your guesses are as good as mine. First Texas (Fisher, Teknetics). Tim Mallory of Fisher confirmed long standing rumors of a new PI and new multi frequency models in the works. They have been years in the making though and I will be surprised to see anything there. Maybe by year end 2015 at earliest but I will not be surprised if it slips into 2016. Flagship detectors are not where the real money is for First Texas so more rehashed low end stuff is more likely. Garrett. I just do not know. They are way, way overdue for a new top end machine to replace the GTI 2500. It came out in 1999 and it is hard for me to believe they have not come out with anything to replace it in all these years. But this is the company still making the Gold Stinger. Not holding my breath there. The big money is in the mid range consumer units, and they have scored huge home runs with the Ace series, the Garrett Pro Pointer, and the AT models. As a company they are doing the right things. New gold models? I keep hoping for a ATX built from the ground up for desert prospecting, but I will not be surprised if it never happens. Bottom line is I have no expectations from Garrett but maybe they will surprise me. Minelab. No rumors here per se. The timeline was laid out for all to see at corporate meetings by Codan, the Minelab parent company. What is missing so far from what was promised is the "Low Cost Metal Detector" and the new "Super Gold Machine". With both promised for 2015 Minelab has to deliver or expect investor ire. Tesoro. Who cares? They have fallen off my radar as a company likely to actually advance the underlying technology. The faithful await the introduction of the promised Cazador but it is unlikely to be more than a footnote at best. Tesoro is tops on my list of companies to fade away or be acquired by somebody else. Would be a score for some foreign outfit looking for a toehold in the US. White's. Too quiet. Obviously major brain trust stuff going on, something big. This is the company that produced the V3i. Say what you want it is a technological wonder. I honestly worry that with the departure of the longtime CEO and the loss of key engineering talent there may be trouble at White's. They can only rehash old Dave Johnson designs for so many years. They have missed key opportunities on a global scale. Still, recent patents filed give me hope they may do something that could shake the market up in a serious way. Whether that will happen in 2015 or ever though I cannot say. The company may be at the most important juncture in its history. Will they leap ahead, or lose their way? I hope it is the former and not the latter. The rest of the world? So many new players especially in Europe. Not too many are specifically focused on the gold market, but obviously XP and Nokta bear watching. Nobody else really on my radar in that regard but surprises could come from any quarter. It should be an interesting year. Minelab at least is guaranteed to deliver after a five year wait.

Sad news Jerry Hobbs, president of the PLP who has been fighting for the rights of gold prospectors/miners for at least 14 years has passed away, he will be sorely missed, RIP Jerry. http://www.icmj.com/news-detail.php?id=284&keywords=R.I.P._Jerry_Hobbs,_President_of_Public_Lands_for_the_People

ENJOY EVERYBODY!

Dear Valued Customers: Today, we would like to make a very pleasing and important announcement which will have a significant impact on dealers, end users and the detector industry in general. Nokta Detectors has been operating as an official Research & Development manufacturer since 2001 in Turkey. With the support of our valued customers, we have been growing at a very fast pace since our inception in the sector and today we export our products to more than 100 countries in 6 continents around the world. 2011 was a milestone year for us as we expanded our R&D team and made big investments in developing new detector technologies. Most of you have been following our fast growth and increasing brand awareness as a result of our products with rising sales graphics in the market. The very first factor behind our success is our technology and our strong engineering team and the second one is the fact that we listen to customers and develop products that meet the market demand. As most of you are aware, there are 2 professional companies in Turkey serving and offering products to the detector industry: Nokta Detectors and Makro Detectors. In the past, these companies - whose owners are 2 brothers - have operated as independent manufacturers in the world market. In the midst of our growth in 2011, we made a strategic move and took the initial step in acquiring Makro Detectors who has been growing in parallel to Nokta. As a result of deliberations and under trade and confidentiality agreements, we bought some shares of Makro Detectors the same year. By combining our technology and expertise in the detector sector with Makro’s, we developed important projects. We developed and manufactured Golden Sense, Velox One, RS Pinpointer, Ultra Scanner hand-held detector and finally the FORS Gold and CoRe models under Nokta brand name and Deephunter, CF77 and finally the Makro Pointer, the first waterproof pinpointer in the world, under the Makro brand name. All were introduced and are presently sold in the market successfully. In addition, we developed a new Makro branded coin & relic detector called ‘’RACER’’ and a gold detector ‘’Gold RACER’’ which will enter the market very aggressively with its performance, design and price very soon! Nokta Detectors’ developing and manufacturing the Makro branded products along with Nokta products and the fast increasing brand awareness of both brands in the world market opened the door for these two companies to unite their forces and after long deliberations, Nokta Detectors completely bought out Makro Detectors in December 2014. Now, what does this important development mean for you and the sector and what will it bring in? As a result of this acquisition, we have not only combined two strong brands but also a very experienced team in the specific detectors industry under the same roof. This will allow us to serve you with an absolute team spirit and in a much stronger position in terms of corporate structure as well as market share. We will not only offer a richer product portfolio to our customers but address the whole market demand with products at different price levels. During all our processes from product concept to production, final control to delivery and after sales service, we will never sacrifice our praised customer oriented approach and service quality, which we have been implementing as Nokta and Makro since our foundation, and we will always aim for the better for our customers. Our goal for the next few years is to dominate the detector sector with new products developed with unique technologies that will differentiate us and make us known not as a regular detector manufacturer but an exceptional company that exists with its technology. With the new products we are planning to launch between 2015-2017 (Pulse Induction detectors, new technology VLF and pulse imaging systems, hybrid VLF detectors, entry-level detectors, walk-thru security detectors, mine detectors etc.) and with your support, we wish to share the pride and happiness of achieving this goal all together. As Nokta and Makro Detectors, we wish you a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year and hope 2015 to be a very successful and prosperous year! Sincerely Yours, Nokta and Makro Detectors

Hey guys, I am going to start working on a "Prospecting Articles" page for my website. My goal is to put together a large list of short stories from fellow prospectors about their gold adventures. If you are interested in being featured on my website, and can put together a story on a successful gold outing I would be most appreciative! Your story can be about any type of Gold Prospecting. Some of the things I will need with your story are: *A Title. *A few images that will be placed within your story. *The State or Region the story took place. *Your name, nickname, or alias. Please email your story to me at Gus@NaturalGoldTrader.com Many thanks for your help with this guys, Gus-

From the Codan 10/23/13 report at http://www.codan.com.au/Portals/0/investorpubs/Chairman's%20&%20CEO's%20Addresses%202013.pdf : Quote - "We have a number of exciting new product releases planned during the next two years," And - "Our next flagship gold detector will be based on new technology that we have developed and verified; technology that will dramatically improve detector performance." And from http://golddetecting.4umer.net/t17104-new-machine-rumours on November 1, 2013: "The fact of the matter is that Minelab are looking into new technologies in gold detection, but a new top end product release is certainly significantly further than 12 months away." Codan also showed a graphic promising four new detectors upcoming in 2014 and 2015. A new mine detector. A new low end detector (X-Terra?). A mid-range gold detector (the SDC 2300, slated for mid-2014). And a new "Super Gold Machine". All the above seems to me to put 2014 off the table but sets 2015 up as a likely time-frame for Minelab's new flagship gold detector. It is a break from the GPX series so who knows what it will look like and what capabilities it may have. What I personally hope for is a detector that clearly and without question will hit a quarter ounce or larger gold nugget deeper than a GPX. Maybe by just an inch, but that single inch could be magic in the right locations. Better yet would be some kind of breakthrough in ferrous/non-ferrous discrimination but I am less hopeful on that front. Only time will tell but 2015 is shaping up to be a very interesting year in metal detectors, not just from Minelab but possibly from the other major players in the industry.

Did my "Dawn Patrol" of Forums just now and this popped up. http://golddetecting.4umer.net/t20225-no-new-gold-detector-from-minelab-any-time-soon The page that they linked to seems to be on-again-off-again, but I got this screenshot of most of it. My screenshot didn't get the whole page, so I have copied a pic of the rest from the Aus. Site here. A couple of interesting things. No discrimination and not waterproof, even though it looks like the CTX. UPDATE EDIT - It looks like putting that info on the comparison page as a machine you could run a comparison on was an error on ML's part. It has now been removed. Oh well. IMPORTANT NOTE FROM STEVE HERSCHBACH - This is an unusual situation. In case you have not figured it out, Minelab has a new flagship detector in the works. A mistake was made that put the specs up live on the Minelab website, where screenshots were captured and posted online, including here. Minelab has requested that the information be deleted as it is not vetted for public release at this time, and out of respect for their wishes I have complied with this request. However, the deletion of the screenshot and spec list from the other website is as far as this editing goes. Those that have seen the information may feel free to continue to post about it or speculate on it. You saw what you saw and I am not going to play whack-a-mole or do anything else by way of dealing with the information leak. My sincere apologies to Rick Kempf for modifying the post as I do really appreciate seeing it! However, it does appear to have been an honest mistake by somebody and I have no wish to cause them any grief beyond whatever they are already suffering.

In the four years since the GPX-5000 was introduced, the eventual question of "what next" has come up. Minelab's parent Codan is a publicly traded company, so it's leadership,has to answer to stockholders. The Annual General Meeting is where management sets out how they are doing and where they are going. This year's meeting was tomorrow (that is to say morning of 29 October, which is today there but tomorrow here - funny thing the earth). For gold hunters, the big news was one slide. I don't know if this really means anything, but the outline doesn't look anything like the GPX series! It will be an exciting year!

I had occasion to talk to someone knowledgeable about the situation in the African goldfields and was told of some of the real human costs of fake detectors. Families in the goldfields borrow tens of thousands of dollars to buy a number of detectors, expecting to pay it off with their gold findings. Sadly, sometimes the detectors are fake look-alike crap VLF machines from China. Money gone, no gold and instead of Chapter 11, somebody in the family gets a long prison sentence till the debt is paid! The United Arab Emirates, along with China, are the center for financing and supplying almost all the "New Industries" in Africa. When it is good (like financing and carrying out infrastructure projects, supplying equipment and spare parts to keep everything running) - it's very good. When it's bad (like counterfiet products, black market caviar, sex trafficking, smuggling and financing Somali Piracy) - it's HORRID. Here's some news First Texas posted about what they are doing (Minelab has made similar efforts). First Texas Products Again Successful Against Counterfeiters El Paso, Texas, Sept. 25, 2014 -- Following on its September 2013 counterfeit raid and confiscation, First Texas Products, LLC, was again successful in penetrating a counterfeit distribution organization operating in the United Arab Emirates, resulting in the raid and confiscation of Teknetics® and Fisher® Research Labs metal detectors. "Following on our successful 2013 raid, the worldwide leader in gold detection technology again apprehended the counterfeiters," said Tim Mallory, First Texas Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "Our determination to close down the illegal retailers, distributors and manufacturers continues to be as aggressive as ever,” he said. A Sudanese national reputed to have operations in Dubai and Ajman was arrested at an Ajman warehouse facility where Chinese-origin counterfeit Teknetics T2 and Fisher Gold Bug® gold detectors were being assembled, packaged and distributed. Tom Walsh, Chief Executive Officer of First Texas Products, said the ongoing anti-counterfeit operations in the UAE and Africa have made it more difficult for counterfeiters to operate. “We will stop at nothing to protect our intellectual property rights and defend our market position in the UAE and across the African continent,” Walsh said. “First Texas Products will not be hindered in the pursuit and prosecution of counterfeiters. And First Texas will continue to pay for information leading to the arrest of counterfeiters and the confiscation of their illegal wares.” According to Mr. Mallory, “counterfeit Teknetics® and Fisher® products have been distributed in Dubai since 2009. Innocent and unsuspecting African miners suffer the consequences of counterfeit distribution. Our anti-counterfeiting programs seek not only to prosecute fraud; we also educate retailers and end users on the economic and legal risks inherent in counterfeiting. This seizure of counterfeited products of two of our strongest brands reinforces our resolve.” Following this successful operation, an unrelated raid on smuggled counterfeit detectors was reported by the Sudanese General Customs Administration in West Omdurman, Sudan on Sept. 15, 2014. Thousands of counterfeit gold detectors were seized in that anti-smuggling operation. According to Mr. Mallory, “market intelligence leads us to believe that these counterfeit operations were related to one another.” The Dubai Gold Souk is the primary destination for gold unearthed by African artisanal miners. Dubai's leading gold market position has established it as the major transit point and distribution hub for gold prospecting equipment destined for African and Asian markets. Counterfeiters attempt to infiltrate the Dubai market and distribute counterfeit detectors through both clandestine and authentic distribution channels.

Looks Like there is a new detector coming soon: A Constant current metal detector with driven transmit coil I tried to put a URL in this post but it will not let me. You can look up publication number US 20140232408 A1 , filed Mar 26, 2014, and publication date Aug 21, 2014 Dave

Scott Harn was after me to write for the ICMJ Prospecting & Mining Journal for ages, and both JP and Chris Ralph told me I should get hooked up with the Minelab Treasure Talk blog. Leaving my day job seems to have motivated me because somehow the bills never stop. So I have been pretty consistent with getting articles to Scott and finally got around to getting on Treasure Talk. See my new intro at http://www.minelab.com/emea/treasure-talk/say-hello-to-the-newest-member-of-our-expert-treasure-talk-team Now I just need to write up something of interest! Hopefully you will see my first entry in the next few weeks.

Apparently Carl Moreland has left his position as Engineering Division Manager at Whites Elecrtonics and is now Engineering Manager at First Texas Products. This according to Carl's Linkedin page - https://www.linkedin.com/pub/carl-moreland/8/481/4b5?_mSplash=1 Carl is very experienced in PI detector design, both from his time at Whites and from his role as owner of the Geotech Forum. First Texas makes a big chunk of their sales in the goldfields of the developing world. Their gold detectors are all VLF'S - you would think a good PI gold detector would be something they would want to have.

Times sure have changed. Used to be the first I knew of a new detector model was when I got the latest magazine and saw the ad. The dealers had them by the time the ad hit the street. Or the new product catalog came out for the new year and it was loaded with new models. Sometimes entire lineups changed overnight. Now we get leaks on the Internet. Fisher F19, Minelab SDC 2300, Tesoro Cazador, and the top secret White's SPP. Models are leaked way ahead of release, often with the vaguest of information. On one hand this breeds excitement and speculation but I suspect for most like myself it is just frustrating. Do you like advance notice? Or do you prefer not to know about something until you can actually lay hands on it?

2014 marks the Golden Anniversary (50 years) of Garrett Electronics, one of the most respected names in the metal detector industry. There is a very detailed company history online. I admit to never being a Garrett fan early on. My interest in prospecting with metal detectors grew right about the time other companies were supplanting Garrett as an early leader in the prospecting field. They developed a legendary early 15 kHz circuit, the Garrett Groundhog, but then sat on it forever. To this day the Garrett Stinger is basically a Groundhog in a different box. The first Garrett detector to get my attention was the Infinium, which is still the bang-for-the-buck entry in the ground balancing pulse induction field. While it never did offer Minelab serious competition it found its own niche as a relic and beach detector and even with a few prospectors. The machine that really set the detecting world on its ear was the Garrett Ace with the Garrett Ace 250 setting a new standard for what a low price metal detector should offer. It compares favorably with detectors costing twice as much. The Ace series seemed to set a new direction for Garrett in producing detectors that offer very high performance and feature lists at very reasonable prices. The Garrett AT Pro and AT Gold are both remarkable waterproof detectors that offer all the features one expects of a dry land detector in a waterproof package with no weight or price penalty to be paid. Finally, the new Garrett ATX represents Garrett's entry into the high end detector arena. It has the odd distinction of being a higher price detector that still seems to offer great performance and features at a reasonable price. So I say congratulations to the Garrett family for making your mark in the metal detecting world and for 50 years of achievement! The Winter 2014 issue of the Garrett Searcher newsletter has just come out and can be downloaded here. Back issues all the way back to 2001 can be found at the Garrett Searcher Archives.

Steve and I saw this video at a Minelab meeting a few months back. Its really interesting and different, and I am sure they paid a pretty penny to make it. We were told that other than a drum track in the music, there is nothing in the music other than sounds from the detector (though I an sure they have been heavily processed and synthesized). Not fully sure what the point is, but its different. Perhaps they will use it as a Superbowl ad.