Attempt At Super Simplified GPX 5000 Settings

[Gold Hound]

Hi guy's here is my take on how to best set up your 5000 for any ground.

GPX 5000 Setting Explained.

Hi guy’s, here is my advice on better understanding and applying settings on the GPX 5000.

I believe I know the GPX 5000 very well, I used it to make a good living from its release date until it was replaced by the GPZ 7000. As most of you know I am a professional prospector, to be successful as a prospector you must understand your tools and their capabilities and limitations and know how to apply them for greatest effect or you will quickly go broke. So when I get a new tool or detector I do rigorous testing and comparisons to understand its strong and weak points so that I can apply it to greatest advantage and thus recover more gold and have a better lifestyle as a result. I spend around 8 months 7 days a week 10 to 12 hours a day prospecting with about 90% of this time detecting the other 10% rock chip sampling or stream bed sampling to prove prospective leases. This equates to over 2000 hours per year detecting to give you an idea on how much time someone like me spends swinging their detector. I also travel to different Gold fields all over the country that have wildly different soil and bedrock compositions.

Below are the settings explained and my take on how to use them to their full potential, I have a philosophy... “If I am going to own a Ferrari I am going to drive a Ferrari, and drive it hard!”. My settings reflect my philosophy and are not for the feint of heart.

 

Front Panel

Search Mode switch: each setting activates a group of Minelab preselected settings for the particular scenario. They are all reprogrammable so it basically gives you 5 modes that you can pre program and have ready at one flick of a switch. I change all of them to suit my needs and just remember what switch they were under so I can quickly select them on the fly without having to go through the whole menu and changing every setting, say when I want to pinpoint or check a questionable target for example, I will select the mode I have my amped up pinpoint settings under.

The switch activates the following settings: 

General, Deep and Custom, Custom also activates Patch, Hi-Mineral, Hi-Trash and Pinpoint. So you basically have 5 groups of settings that you can have preprogramed to suit your needs and quickly select on the fly.

 

Soil/Timings switch:

Normal, best general performance and is particularly good for long time-constant targets. But suffers in areas that have long time constant ground signal. This timing is very good in mild mineralisation or areas like stream beds that have lower mineral content than the flats hills or terraces that may be higher mineralisation.

Enhance: this timing clips some long time-constant signal and a smaller amount of fast time-constant signal, it is very good in highly mineralised ground or areas with a lot of hot rocks and it also has some clipping of fast time-constant signal that can eliminate false signals in some ground

Special: If you choose Special on the Front Panel the following settings will then be selectable on the Rear Panel under special.

Sensitive Smooth: only use for very severe soils. Sense smooth clips both the long and fast time-constant signal to eliminate these types of ground signals hot rocks ect. But it will cost you targets that fall within this range.

Fine Gold: Fine Gold is similar to Enhance but is much more open on the fast time-constant end of the timing. This makes it way more sensitive to smaller targets whilst it has similar capabilities to Enhance on larger targets. It ignores a lot of hot rocks and ground signal a very powerful tool once understood.

Sensitive Extra: this timing is similar to normal but is more open on the fast time constant side and a bit less on the long time-constant side. It is useful in mild ground on smaller targets but increases hot rock signals with mono coils. Its good with Double D coils for smaller targets in mineralised ground too, very useful for crumbing in bedrock with a small coil.

Salt/Gold: For very salty areas - salt lakes, high salt content gold fields.

Sharp: Is the most powerful timing on the 5000 it has a larger detection field and is more open on the long time-constant side of the timings than normal but this makes it very susceptible to ground signal. I have found it very useful on larger deeper targets in mild ground with a mono coil. But this timing really shined with a large 20in concentric coil that I had made for finding larger targets in mineralised ground and it also worked a treat on the larger DD coils too, one of my favourites was a 14in DD that I even ran in basalt soil in sharp with great success.

Coin/Relic: I only used this in Europe for treasure hunting.

Coil/Rx: Double D, Mono and Cancel, I have foam stuck between the case and the switch so that it keeps the switch in Double D and the switch cannot accidentally be knocked into Cancel, you can run the switch in DD for both monos or DD coils. And I never want the detector to accidentally be knocked into Cancel as you loose most of your performance and there is no way I want to be walking around for hours or who knows how long wasting time walking around in cancel then having to go back over the area again!

Ground Balance: Tracking or Fixed, I always use Fixed, except in highly mineralised variable ground.

Threshold: I set this to a faint but clearly audible hum, this was generally at about 3oclock on the knob, I usually re adjust it after changing the other settings below as well, particularly the Target volume setting, which you play against eachother to amplify targets but tame chatter.

Auto tune: Always perform an auto tune on detector start up or if EMI increases re-auto tune the detector.

Back Panel

Volume limit: Set this so that a loud target dose not blow off your ears.

Ground Balance type: general, specific and off, I nearly always use general except in the worst Iron rich ground that requires special.

Special: Explained above.

Manual Tune: I usually just use auto tune but I always make a mental note of what frequency it ends up on.

Motion: Very slow, Slow, med and fast. I nearly always use very slow or if it is very quiet ground I might use slow. This is a filter that modulates the audio to suit your swing speed.

I use this setting in conjunction with Quiet Audio type to tame Threshold chatter whist maintaining the target response on very small or very deep edge of detection targets, this allows me to run very high gain and stabiliser settings and greatly enhances target response.

Rx Gain: Range of 1 – 20 I pretty much leave it at 20 unless I’m running Sharp or Sens Extra timings which may need to be run quite low even below 10. Sometimes I use this setting to tame ground signal in more extreme ground conditions, but I never use it to deal with EMI or Threshold chatter ever! Or it will cost you performance that you don’t need to give up!

Audio type: Boost, Normal, Deep and Quiet. These settings modulate how the signal is processed and which part of the signal is more amplified. My favourite is Quiet as it has a linear  profile which makes the EMI chatter less amplified and gives a better amplification of the target response when other settings are run high. Basically it trims chatter but strengthens target range signals when your other settings are set to suit.

Audio Tone: Set it to suit your hearing. Higher tones for younger people for older people or if your like me with industrial deafness a low tone can be better. My sweet tone is 30, find your tone by getting a small nugget and tape it to a stick at barely audible depth, this is to make a control signal now swing the nugget over the stationary coil and play with the tone setting until you find the tone at which the faint target is loudest or easiest to distinguish, this is the best way to set your tone to find gold! Do not make the mistake of setting your tone to make the Threshold sound nicer like most do! We are after targets not Threshold!

Stabiliser: The stabilizer is a filter that is used to tame the high frequency noise or chatter that is usually the product of EMI. I never use this setting to deal with ground noise ever! I just use this setting to smooth the Threshold chatter down until tolerable. Do not use it to deal with ground signal as you have way better setting options for that and you will just loose performance that you don’t have to! Most of the time in the morning this will be set quite high but as the day heats up and EMI increases it will have to be lowered to suit. High for me is 20 and I almost never go below 11. I always adjust this setting after auto tuning and with the detector stationary and facing the the way you are detecting!

Signal peak: 1 to 20. I run this at 20 as I want definite targets, lower numbers cause blending and sound mono tone which can cause missed targets.

Target Volume: 1 to 20. I run this setting at 20 nearly all of the time this is an amplification filter that amplifies target response, it dose make the Threshold louder at high numbers but you just lower the Threshold until it is at the right level as discussed above. What you are left with when properly played against the Threshold is amplified target response and a good Threshold volume.

Response: normal and inverted. I use normal as I never used AI DD coils.

Tracking speed: slow, med, Fast. I nearly always used slow and fixed GB but if the ground is highly variable I use tracking and the speed that just keeps up with the ground variations.

Iron reject: I leave Iron reject off because the GPX is un reliable at Discrimination. I use a VLF detector if trash density calls for it.

Range of Motion

Understanding Range of Motion and its effect on how targets are heard or not heard because of it is one of the most important aspects of learning your metal detector. Once learned targets stand out more and you can use it to separate false targets from definite targets by modulating your swing speed, this can’t be learned from reading you must do testing of your range of motion skills and learn every new detectors best range of motion by testing it over known buried targets and known false signals like termite mounds or hot rocks for example until you become proficient. Spend time doing this and it will reap rewards for you.

 

[Redz]

Excellent post. very useful. Thanks

[Northeast]

7 hours ago, Gold Hound said:

Hi guy's here is my take on how to best set up your 5000 for any ground.

Excellent.  Thanks GH.  I'm sure helpful for most that still run a 5000  ?

[Gerry in Idaho]

On 9/29/2021 at 8:27 PM, aerospace guy said:

Gerry of Gerry's detectors gave a demonstration of a "slew" of detectors on several hundred thousand dollars worth of gold in all sizes and compositions. The 5000 simple would not "see" a lot of specimens that a "simple "VLF detector would pick up with ease! I wish I had known this years ago..instead the dealer(in Az) who sold it to me said "well look at the price of the 5000..there is a reason it costs so much..because it is a proven detector".

You are correct in what you said above.  I know some dealers don't like it, but the facts are facts.  You and many others who have been to my demonstrations have seen it in person.  The others and even dealers who deny?  Don't worry about them Aerospaceguy, as they'll probably never learn it by now.  As for the AZ Dealer (glad you didn't mention names), they are correct that the GPX-5000 is a proven detector (on the gold it has found),  But NOT on the gold it can't find, which is plenty.

Folks, when you detect your own area for most of your careers and don't branch out, you eventually get tunnel vision with your equipment and the gold you are finding.  No worries and I am happy if you are happy with your results, it just means more gold for those of us who do branch out and have learned the ropes on a variety of detectors, technologies and all the various kinds of gold.

But to be fair to a GPX-5000, yes it was the #1 PI detector in it's day.  

Enough on this, I have gold to find and still learning detectors.

 

[Luis]

thanks for all this information.  I just bought a second hand 5000 and it is helping me a lot

[phrunt]

Let's not forget the original post was asking the easiest and best ways to setup a GPX 5000 that he was given for free, so the idea was to help him set it up and get it up and running for him to find some gold and not talk him into buying a different detector, especially spending another 8000 AUD on one so he may or may not pick up some specimen gold that may or may not be in his detecting area which is probably unrealistic anyway for a guy that was just given a detector to get him started with prospecting with a detector.

As stated earlier he can always get a VLF like the Equinox, Garrett 24k or Gold Monster to complement his GPX if he decides to stick with the hobby and do very well with the combination.  He can always choose to upgrade later if he finds it necessary to spend that sort of money.  As Northeast said at the start of the post and I quote, "2 issues arising is that Jim has been given the 5000 but I am unclear if he has it to do whatever he wants with or just given 'the use of it' for as long as he wants.  The second issue is that Jim needs to spend some time getting out and prospecting to see if he actually enjoys it before investing his own $'s in some new equipment.  Hence why I'm just trying to get him set up and working in a manner that is going to effective but not overly frustrating re: ground noise/ghost signals/EMI.  "

As for saying the VLF is better at this type of gold, that's all well and good, but someone in Australia where Northeast and his friend live is going to miss a hell of a lot more gold swinging a VLF than they are going to miss swinging a 5000.

It's like the guy saying

Question: How do I setup and use my new GPX 5000?

Answer:  You don't, you need to buy another detector, your GPX may miss some gold in some circumstances, you need a better detector.

[Rob Allison]

Hey Phrunt,

   I agree, we kind of went off subject, rather than addressing the question that was asked.  

I still remember when I was swinging my GPX 5000, my favorite timing was Special/Sensitive Extra, Fixed Ground Balance, Normal or Quiet Audio, Gain in the range of 12-14 for the most part and other settings I would just toggle around from time to time.  Most of your settings like Threshold, Volume and such shouldn't change much after the initial setup. 

My favorite coil for general prospecting and exploring new ground was the NF or Coiltek 14x9 Mono Elliptical.  I also ran Doc's Goldscreamer Power Pack Li-Ion Battery system, Signal Enhancer volume around 1/4 and a good quality headset, such as Sun Ray Pro Gold's or DetectorPro Black Widow's.  

What's really nice is the GPX 5000 is like an equalizer, you can raise/lower any of the settings at any point in time, allowing for a lot of experimenting over various targets.  

If you got a target, loud or faint, you could change the timings and see what responds better.  You could change the audio settings and see if it sparks up the target response, check to see if Auto Balance or Fixed gets a better response.  

I found on deeper gold, max depth stuff, Normal or Sharp worked best.  For small gold or bedrock hunting, I was 99% of the time in Sensitive/Extra, but a few times when the ground was really hot, I would try Fine Gold.  

Just some thoughts on the GPX 5000 and some of my settings.  Keep in mind, there are so many combinations, I remember reading or hearing with all the timings/settings you could have hundreds of different combinations.

Rob

 

[Gold Hound]

On 10/5/2021 at 6:04 AM, Northeast said:

Excellent.  Thanks GH.  I'm sure helpful for most that still run a 5000  ?

No problem mate, try my way of running the 5k, you are better to learn the most productive way to start with in my opinion.

The 5k is a great Detector and I could still make a good living off it if it was my only detector!

[mn90403]

Adam,

I have looked and looked and looked for the settings I was given.  I can remember seeing them in one of my prospecting boxes but I can't find them now!  

There are multiple places I could have put them in order to be more 'organized' but alas ... I hope to find them one day.

Mitchel