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Long time reader, first time post so be gentle. I just received an email this morning from Minelab that announces for the remainder of December they are bundling the GPX 4500 and the SDC 2300 for $3999, just $249 over the regular price of the SDC 2300 alone. I haven't found anything on the site that indicates what is included in the package (like possibly the Commander 15X12 Mono search coil in the current $2699 GPX 4500 package). I'm sure dealers will check in soon as to what is authorized. I purchased a GPX 4500 not long ago, or I would be all over this. In fact, at this price, I may purchase the package, and either keep the additional 4500 as a hot spare, or just sell it.

Doing a bit of testing on the new Evolution coil. Some may recall I was skeptical of the newer generations of coils and I said I would post a testing video when I got one of them to test. Results were not entirely surprising for those who don't like watching videos, but overall I am satisfied with the Evo. See below video for summary. GPZ is definitely king of the dinks, but superior overall on all targets too. If I had some crystalline or highly disseminated specimens to test it wouldn't even be a contest. These tests pretty much replicate my experience in the field - on medium sized stuff I am generally getting 1-3 inches deeper with the GPZ which may be like 10% improvements, but on smaller stuff I am seeing more like 40% depth improvements. Evo is definitely more sensitive and deeper than the 17x11 on every piece of gold I tested. Question is whether it's more sensitive then it's direct size equivalent which would be a 15" round mono. I think it would be, I'm guessing it's probably closer to a 16" round or maybe even a little better when it comes to the small stuff which is (like the GPZ) where I think the biggest gains are at since a 16" round mono would probably not pick up the last nugget I tested at all, or if so only right on the edge where the winding is at. What I'd like to test is whether or not it has greatly increased sensitivity to the crystalline/disseminated stuff but I sold all of it that I found this spring. After the last few generations of newer coils, this one seems like the first to make a noticeable change to me, but don't expect miracles. In other words, it's easily noticeable to me, but slight...but in a game of inches that can be everything. I have now made the Evo my default coil on my 4500 and put the 17x11 on the shelf for the first time in 5 years. For long exploratory trips where I spend all day weedwacking nonstop I'll still use the 17x11 because its much lighter.

Does anyone know the part number and or the manufacturer of the connectors on the end of the Minelab gpx battery cable ? It looks like a common 5 pin mic cable. I make my own cables have so since the sd's. Thank you Kenny

G'day all, Been some time since I posted on this site and have followed the GPZ threads with interest and how it now compares to the GPX. In one particular thread I read the GPZ Audio Smoothing when set to its OFF position is similar to a Stabilizer setting of 20 on the GPX. Therefore my question is in relation to the GPZ Sensitive setting, which is like the Gain setting on the GPX, and since both detectors have their range between 1 and 20 would you say the GPZ Sensitive default 9 setting be the same as running a Gain of 9 on the GPX 5000?, Thanks in advance.

There are some Ebay sellers right now that have a special on for a GPX 4800 PLUS the Eureka Gold for about $2700. I didn't see any 4800's in Steve's survey. Is that because not many people have them? Are they too close to the 5000 to make a distinction? Seems like Minelab is messing with the dealers who have the 4500 at a special price. I thought that was a great deal until this one came along.

nice gold. just joined and wanting to find nuggets like that. finally found my first nugget recently with my gpx 5000

I run a GPX 5000 and would like to know if there would be any noticeable difference on nuggets at depth of a gram or more with the 4500. Possible back up machine. Any info appreciated.

Just curious how it does on depth and sensitivity. Has anyone tested the Elite with some specimen type gold that the GPX misses but the 7000 screams on? Is anyone even running one over here? Most of the comments I see are in Australia. NF looks to also be coming out with a similar coil. I'm just curious how much and what sorts of improvements they give.

Bin lurking for a while and based on some of the info floating around like this thread http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/1151-reintroduction-of-the-minelab-gpx-4500/, I bit on a used 4500. Will be using in Alaska so wondering if the mono coils will generally be what a person would be using. Comes with one double D and 6 mono's. Glad I can put the Zed out of my mind for a while. Appreciate all the experience that's being shared around here. Has saved a lot of miles.

The reintroduction of the Minelab GPX 4500 with two coils for only $2699 has in my opinion shook up the price/performance question. Up to now I would have considered the GPX 5000 to be the default "safe choice" for anyone wanting to get into serious nugget detecting with a proven machine. However, there is not a lot of difference between a GPX 4500 and GPX 5000. It really boils down to the Fine Gold timing which the GPX 5000 has and the GPX 4500 lacks. That timing is very good at handling certain very hot ground and extreme hot rocks while still getting a majority of the gold. However, the timing is not perfect and it does miss nuggets or exhibit "holes" in its ability to find nuggets and therefore should only be used in ground that requires its special ability to ignore hot rocks. Too many people rely on it as an "everywhere, all the time" mode. Most ground in the United States does not require the Fine Gold timing. With the GPX 5000 at $5795 with 11" round DD and 11" round mono and the GPX 4500 currently at $2699 with 11" round DD and 15" x 12" mono coils I am hard pressed to say the GPX 5000 is worth $3000 more just to get the Fine Gold timing. Yes, there are other subtle differences but seriously that is what it sorts out as from a practical standpoint. That being said I have added the GPX 4500 to my equipment roster at Minelab GPX 4500 Gold Nugget Detector and updated my Nugget Detector Review to reflect my opinion that at this time the Minelab GPX 4500 represents the best value for somebody new to high power pulse induction nugget detecting and wanting to get in on it without mortgaging the farm. Now, this is based on MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) versus MAP price for each detector. Package deals can be had and may sway the equation somewhat back towards the GPX 5000 for overall value. But no matter what if buying new you are going to lay out a lot more money for a GPX 5000 than the GPX 4500 and it mostly comes down to how much you think that Fine Gold timing is worth to you. Minelab GPX 4500 Color Brochure

It's back!! GPX4500 - brand new and at a bargain price. Now you can own the former top of the line for a great price. This and an SDC would set you back about half of what a GPZ costs. http://forums.nuggethunting.com/index.php?/topic/11573-minelab-gpx-4500-now-available-again-from-robs-detector-sales/

Just so we all don't give up on our GPX 's here is a 49 gram piece I found 2 feet down with my 4500. It was clear and loud and a nice low high tone. I also found a 1/2 ounce flat piece 20" down with the 20" N.F. coil in an old patch. The half ouncer I hardly heard, but decided to scrap off an inch, than another and so on until I was able to identify that it was a target. So to all the people who have not traded up to the ZED, have faith that with proper coils and skill you can clean up your patched pretty good with "old " technology.

I did a search on this site but couldn't find the answer. I see from Minelab's "coil chart" that the Commander coils are interchangeable between the different series of P.I. detectors SD/GP/GPX (if I am understanding the chart correctly). Does this only apply to the Commander coils? Will a nugget finder coil that is in use now on a GP3500 be compatible with a GPX 5000 as well? Thanks. Dean

Watching his videos it sometimes looks fairly impressive. But his testing methods are limited to some weird coil inside a home lab and seem dubious. The EMI filter is tested outside and seems pretty effective, but many of the reviews I've found online are completely counter to what he shows in the video and generally seem to be ineffective. I've never run into anyone in the US running one of his GPX mods but he told me he's done quite a few for guys here in the states. Is it totally bogus? Anyone out there actually paid for the mods and put some field time in with it? Anyone bought one of those EMI filters?

These images are copied over from the thread at http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/818-relic-hunt-with-gpx-5000/ It is such a brilliant idea I just wanted to be sure it did not go unnoticed by people and so this thread highlights the idea. It would work well for other detectors - I have considered doing it with my Gold Bug 2. The only problem is the cost of the DEUS rod assembly, a ridiculous $264 at http://www.bigboyshobbies.net/full-xp-deus-rod-assembly

Have tested the GPX at an old site and picked up several pistol balls but this really was my first serious all day relic hunt with the GPX 5000, Got out for a day up in gold country, Wasn't planning on going just worked out unexpectedly getting together with a newbie in metal detecting from the area. In fact, I need to get Ray from Ca. and Lawernzo out there too hopefully soon time is against us with snakes and tall grass. With the Newbie, Had offered to help him with his detector in the future and if he was game for relic hunting lessons to give me a call, He calls me 2-3 days ago after getting permission from his wife and turns out yesterday (SAT) was perfect. So up the hill we go packed with our gear, Go over to the property owners home and introduce David to the owner. From there , Off we go into relic tertiary on the 1500 acre property. David did extremely well being his first time relic detecting, He scored four Chinese cache coins, Several pistol balls and his first powder flask top. At the time, I had picked up four cache coins too and a couple of broken pieces of Chinese coins, Several pistol balls and a few other interesting finds with the GPX 5000 using the 5"X10" DD commander coil. Before we new it was getting late, Long hike back to my pickup and as we were starting to leave he mentions let's stay longer. It's getting late and I remember finding another patch of ground 8-9 years ago from a brief sampling digging several square nails, So rather than stay and continue hunting mentioned to David of another site about 1 mile hike away and through a forest of trees was a meadow with great potential. We arrived at the meadow, Unpacked our gear and started to detect. Square nails everywhere great we're on the right ground, David is using a Whites V3 and I'm still swinging the GPX. Later, Switched over from the GPX after working the outer areas going to the Deus to work the inner area of the meadow laced with iron. When I say Laced with iron that's an understatement the inner area is thick with iron and rusted tin about 70-80% of digging was iron or rusted trash, But the new comer to relic detecting didn't care he was digging up gold rush era finds even if it was mostly iron. Somewhere between this mess of iron, got a clean signal and what popped out really surprised me. What looked like a quarter half dollar size coin was the prettiest target I've seen all day, new it was coin but what was it and based from the size it had to be foreign. From help of others on another forum, The coin is a 1793 King Louis XVI 12 Deniers France Coin 18mm and made of bronze my first bronze coin find in my career. Have to share the GPX is one dynamite PI, So glad to have made the investment it's one serious relic machine. Wanted to slap on the 11" DD but was having so much fun with the 5"X10" DD commander for this type of hunting it stayed on. Also, Have heard from several GPX users and even the manual states Coin/Relic mode will not work in mineralized soils. For some reason my 5000 has no problem it handles this poor dirt well in fact was running Gain pretty high normally between 14 to 20 Gain in Coin/Relic mode. Looking so forward to getting out more often with the GPX and my trusty ATX, Both are well worth the investment. An adventures day for sure, Got my first bronze coin in my career. HH, Paul (Ca)

Please help me out with some GPX experiences. Living in the eastern US I don`t have the opportunity to use the 5000 much. I try to do two or three trips a year in gold country, so my actual time on the machine is limited compared to those who can get out more often, so any advice or helpful hints are much appreciated to shorten the learning curve.

I'm sure this has been asked but do the serial # stickers really need to stay on the coil and detector and the ant fraud silver sticker on the bottom? I'll cover them with something if need be but it seems they'd soon be destroyed if not covered. I noticed i took a good nick out of the silver one on the bottom today and scratched the one on the coil already yesterday. good reason to get the aussi cover i guess. AjR

Hearing positive stories from relic hunters using the later GPX series, Have a couple of questions one with using discrimination the other on a mono coil. Can some form of audio discrimination be heard with using no iron disc? I know increasing iron discrimination will disc out iron but if using no iron disc can a user still determine if the signal is iron or conductive in both mono or DD coil? With the Minelab 12" x 15" Semi-Elliptical Commander Monoloop Coil, Is it deeper than the same size 12"X15" Commander DD coil? and if so allot deeper or better with depth and sensitivity? Appreciate the help, Looks like the later GPX series would be great relic machines. Paul (Ca)

So I was out in the goldfields of California yesterday with Steve Herschbach and another friend who is a detector dealer. We did some quick tests comparing the 5000 and the GPZ on mossy, wiry gold that we had found previously. These were pieces from both Nevada and California. The smaller of the two nuggets shown in the attached photo weighs 3 grams and with an 11 inch mono set on maximum gain of 20, it was totally invisible to the 5000 - even when it was touching the coil. The detector made no response whatsoever. The GPZ on the other hand could see it at about 10 inches, and it was dug from a pounded patch that has seen many GPX detectors (including mine) at a depth of about 6 inches. The GPZ was set for difficult soil at only 12 sensitivity. So what is the performance improvement over the 5000 when one detector is blind to the piece and the other sees it at 10 inches? Mathematically speaking, it is an infinite improvement - a whole lot more than 40%. The larger of the two pieces pictured in this post weighs 18 grams and the 5000 could see it to a maximum of about 10 inches. The GPZ could see it at 20 inches, and it was dug with the GPZ at about 18 inches. Going from 10 inches to 20 inches is a 100% improvement - double the depth of detection and also a lot more than 40%. We also tested some specimen gold Steve had with similar results - the 5000 could not see the smaller specimens of a few grams size. Of course we all know that the 5000 performs very well with more solid nuggets and specimens. I have found lots of gold with my 5000, it is an excellent detector. However, the GPZ is a gigantic improvement over the 5000 when it comes to mossy, wiry, prickly, specimen and other similar forms of gold. Some may say there is not much of this type of gold out there. I would say in response, if most of us are using detectors that perform poorly on that type of gold, how does the fact that we don't find much prove that it doesn't exist? Truth is that there is loads of specimen gold out there and I think the GPZ will be finding a lot of it in the coming weeks and months. Geologically, many of the places where the nugget gold is truly deep are locations where the patch is sitting as a residual over a vein, and having a detector optimized for specimen gold would make very good sense. Some hard rock deposits tend to produce this type of gold. Smart prospectors with GPZ detectors will be using this knowledge to their best advantage. For me, I have been doing research to find places which produce this type of gold and I intend to be using the coming months to leverage this performance increase to the greatest extent.

Hello all I have been using my gpx 5000 for a while now and am under the impression the auto tune was to handle emi. After reading some of the posts I am confused. I am reading the 5000 is not good at handling emi. Can anyone explain this to me? Thank you

Hi Steve, I am very new at metal detecting and have been wanting a gpx 5000 since they came out. Go to buy one and there is a new kid on the block. I'm Planning on detecting old mine sites and tailings in Virginia. Price is not an issue, but I cannot afford two, I really like the folding up to backpack size and waterproof sdc 2300, but still want to buy the best detector for what I am doing. I have read all your articles and thank you for taking the time to share your experience. I have only used a very cheap Tesoro and would value your opinion as to purchasing a sdc 2300 for simplicity or Gpx 5000 and learning all the different settings. I know you said if you only had 1 detector it would be a gpx 5000 and am leaning towards that. Thank you for your time.

Does anyone ever use the coin /relic setting on the gpx5000? Just curious. I use the 5000 for gold only. The only use for it I could see would be dealing with black sands on a beach.

Is the Coiltek Lightweight Elliptical Goldstalker Mono Searchcoils 24 x 14 or the nugget finder 24 x 14 a better big coil i will be use in the desert of az i am still new to gpx 5000 trying to find the right one the first time and are big coil a good idea is a smaller coil better

I just purchased a SDC 2300 and own a GPX 5000. Have not taken the sdc 2300 out yet due to snow and work. But was wondering how many detectorists here go detecting on salt? Lakes, Beaches or Ocean area's? Do you have any success ? I never seem to ever hear of anyone finding gold in these area's. But Minelab makes settings for them.