Chasing Some Little Stuff

[Jonathan Porter]

20 hours ago, dogodog said:

I'm fascinated by this gold prospecting with a detector. Stupid question maybe, but do you ever try and pan out some of the surrounding dirt for finer gold? or does your machine not hit on flour type gold? Or are you just nugget hunting? That's just got to be a great feeling of exhilaration when you find one. Can't imagine that gets old. Thanks for posting. 

Dogodog, I have tried panning in the past and almost always don’t find much fine gold at all. These little tackers are liberally scattered around a reclaimed area where the bulk of material was removed and put through a wet plant 30 or 40 years ago, the spot would originally have had old timers diggings on it. Every time it rains hard here the place gets revitalised with tiny little water worn pieces ending up on the surface within detection distance. 

17 hours ago, Gold Catcher said:

Nice going, JP!  How much trash did you dig in comparison to get these 17 pieces? I average about 20-30 pieces of trash per nugget. That would be at least 340 pieces of trash here in CA 🙂

 There is very little trash just a section of pale wash over a 50 square meter area, with light pastel coloured sandstones as the basal material which has been producing for me since 1994 when I first discovered it with my Whites Goldmaster VSat, it’s memorable because it was the only place I was ever able to run sensitivity flat out!🤫

From memory I had an absolute ball pulling over 90 pieces for around 1/2 an ounce with the biggest being 1 gram (a monster for that spot),  the $250 I made there was the icing on the cake and kept us going for a while. Hard to believe 1/2 an ounce is now worth $1250!!!😜 It’s locations like these that formed the foundation blocks of my detecting career, being able to lock in and focus with VLF detectors when your next feed depended on it was a good grounding that has carried me since 1987. TBH early memories like these seem to have more meaning for me than some of the later successes where many hundreds of ounces were involved, life seemed purer and more simple in the VLF days, every little nugget counted and had immeasurable importance and meaning, I truly miss those days it was scary as hell!!☺️

16 hours ago, kiwijw said:

NF coil on the Zed perhaps.🤔🤭

The whole point of this post was to try and “get off the roundabout“ and away from equipment being used and instead focus on the experience and the results, which is why I edited the pictures. There is no need for speculation because my post isn’t anything to do with that, I’m not making any claims or pitching any product here just sharing an experience. I see other members struggles on the forum when trying to find a piece or two and hope that my experiences (which I often take for granted) can enthuse others. In this case I just targeted an area and used the best equipment for the job at hand, I’m fortunate because thanks to the shop and my field testing job I have a plethora of detector equipment choices on hand, some readily available and some not, as an example I still have my prototype Equionox which works really well here (probably the best VLF gold hunting experience I have ever had at this location, especially the small 6” coil).

This location has seemed played out to me many times over the past 26 years and many years have gone by between visits, it still looks exactly the same and has seen plenty of attention from other detector operators, especially the SDC crowd, in those intervening years. And yet it still produces, in the more benign spots they are getting thin on the ground but as modern technologies have improved I’ve been able to venture out into the nastier ground with the same or similar sensitivity used in the quieter sections, extending the boundaries. What I would have given for such detectors and equipment back in those heady formative years🤩, but then again maybe not, I’m pretty certain it was the trials and struggles and subsequent successes that moulded me into what I am today. Certainly it’s those formative years that I draw from when I target an area again, thanks to those wonderful early days the expectation is always positive even if I find nothing.

JP

[dogodog]

Thanks for taking the time to explain that to me. In my state we just don't have the gold. I'm very impressed with you gold guy's. Your explanation makes me want to try this even more. Good luck in the future and please post more.

[fredmason]

Excellent post, Jonathan!  It is great that you responded with a positive and real explanation of that spot...great experience and memories when times were lean.

thanks

fred

[Lanny]

Thanks for posting the pictures and the explanations, nice to know you're just out having a good time at a spot that holds a lot of memories for you.

All the best,

Lanny

[Trent King]

17 minutes ago, kiwijw said:

Fair enough, but a few people did ask the question as they were obviously interested & wanted to know. It doesn't matter what equipment was used. It doesn't have to turn all ugly & doesn't have to go any further than what gear you were using, unless you have something to hide. You hadn't answered them which is why I made mention of a NF coil for the Zed. Simon made mention of a white coil in a couple of your pics, which I hadn't seen, of which you then obviously edited out. I thought that was a bit odd, like you do have something to hide. We have all heard about NF & a supposed coil they are working on for the Zed & it could well be that you may have been trialing it. 

Weather it was the Zed & ML 14" coil or an X coil or NF coil....it doesn't matter, does it? It is just a detector & coil finding gold which it why we are all here. People are always going to wonder what gear was used just out of interest when you show a post of gold you have found. Most people share that info or have photos showing it. You seem to have gone to great lengths to conceal it. I just find that all a bit weird & sure others do as well.  

Nice gold too by the way.

Good luck out there

JW 🤠 

This is why I don’t post any more, can’t have a thread without someone trying to make it about X coils 🙄.

It was clearly stated he didn’t want this to be about coils but you blokes just can’t help yourself.

[DigsAlot]

Perhaps it was a mistake to have the coil in the pic. Given the fact that we all know JP tests gear, seems reasonable that if he removed it and wont talk about it, means he can't. 

I agree with Trent King, so sick of hearing about Xcoils or some form of Xcoil description without saying Xcoil.

Make the bad man stop!!!!

[PeterInSa]

Re ( life seemed purer and more simple in the VLF days, every little nugget counted and had immeasurable importance and meaning, I truly miss those days)

Yes I remember, when 6 detector operators could work in a 3m Square patch  in Vic Golden Triangle with their Minelab 15000, 16000 and Eureka Aces.

[flakmagnet]

The thread has taken its predictable turn. It's incredibly boring to have to constantly read about people bagging each other. Why don't we decide to cut it out? This is not the Finder's Forum. Most of us don't give a crap about the arguing and the subtle put-downs, we are here for the mutual support, the learning and the sharing. 

[Jonathan Porter]

18 hours ago, flakmagnet said:

The thread has taken its predictable turn. It's incredibly boring to have to constantly read about people bagging each other. Why don't we decide to cut it out? This is not the Finder's Forum. Most of us don't give a crap about the arguing and the subtle put-downs, we are here for the mutual support, the learning and the sharing. 

Flak, I’ll try to set a good example and avoid replying to the jibes. I am not an innocent in the proceedings and do bite well on the subtle baits that get dangled, floating out a few hypocritical taunts of my own at times.🤥

I feel that some of my comments in the past have pushed the boundaries into what has become a decaying line of unacceptable behaviour, something I need to learn to control when interacting with others. For my part I hope those who have felt offended take this as a peace offering for the sake of everyone else who has had to bare witness. A balance needs to be found where the forum is entertaining and interesting enough to encourage sensible debate without it getting into the tit-for-tat territory.

I do love a good debate and putting forward differing views especially on subjects I am passionate about, trying to word things were it challenges POV’s without bruising egos is the hard bit. Hopefully when others post they too will feel compelled to tone things down and avoid being tempted to write in such a way that others are triggered into the same old familiar spaces. We’ve all become very adept at recognising each other’s sensitive points and then cleverly camouflaging them in our words.

JP

[flakmagnet]

JP I don't think we could ask for much more than that.