Let’s Bombard Minelab With Suggestions For GPX 6000 Update

[Sourdough Scott]

21 hours ago, jasong said:

Well, there is a time for super slow. And a time for fast and ground coverage.

To learn and start, everyone should go slow in known patches I think. To develop pattern recognition. But as you learn where nuggets are, and where they aren't, you develop more pattern recognition and can speed up to bypass the chaff and concentrate on harvesting the good wheat. And in the end it pays better to spend time finding new patches than trying everything in the book to squeeze another drop of juice from a dry lemon in old patches. Most old goldfields are dry lemons these days.

1 single virgin patch produces more than a lot of people have found detecting in a decade in old beat up patches sometimes. It's a matter of maximizing yield, which is factoring in both production and time spent to make that production.

These new lightweight detectors like the 6000 and Axiom seem custom built for just this kind of exploration to me.

 

My sediments exactly. Best post on this topic! Patch hunt with a lighter capable detector. Then if you find a spot worth scratching around a bit, then bring in the GPZ. I've been hitting the same spots for too long. Even the deer and bears are sick of seeing me there! ? 

The hot weather is subsiding a bit. Time for a change of scenery.  Doing the same thing over and over & expecting different results is done with my detecting for this season. If I'm going to get skunked for the day, it will be looking for that new patch. 

[GotAU?]

21 hours ago, jasong said:

Well, there is a time for super slow. And a time for fast and ground coverage.

To learn and start, everyone should go slow in known patches I think. To develop pattern recognition. But as you learn where nuggets are, and where they aren't, you develop more pattern recognition and can speed up to bypass the chaff and concentrate on harvesting the good wheat. And in the end it pays better to spend time finding new patches than trying everything in the book to squeeze another drop of juice from a dry lemon in old patches. Most old goldfields are dry lemons these days.

1 single virgin patch produces more than a lot of people have found detecting in a decade in old beat up patches sometimes. It's a matter of maximizing yield, which is factoring in both production and time spent to make that production.

These new lightweight detectors like the 6000 and Axiom seem custom built for just this kind of exploration to me.

 

Which Coiltek size did you get, Jason?  I bought the 10x5 and finally got to use it properly on steep rocky terrain yesterday while walking a contour line along the side of a steep canyon.  It worked well with the 6000 and I am really glad I didn’t sell the detector.  I’m not a full-timer by any means though, people who are like you need to decide what works best by trying things out for themselves.

[jasong]

3 minutes ago, GotAU? said:

Which Coiltek size did you get, Jason?  I bought the 10x5 and finally got to use it properly on steep rocky terrain yesterday while walking a contour line along the side of a steep canyon.  It worked well with the 6000 and I am really glad I didn’t sell the detector.  I’m not a full-timer by any means though, people who are like you need to decide what works best by trying things out for themselves.

Good to hear another positive report! I have high hopes it gets me running again in the spots I had to abandon due to stability. 

I went with the 9" round, figure if it's actually a shielding issue on the stock coil that there is no need to go much smaller than stock to reduce EMI. The stock 11" size-wise was about ideal for my uses, just slightly too large for brushy areas. So the 9" round seemed like the best choice for me - weighs the same, just slightly smaller. I also don't want to overly sensitize the 6000 with too small of a coil since 0.03 grams is already smaller than I need to chase. ?

Hopefully receive it mid-next week, won't have it for my upcoming trip yet though unfortunately as I'll be in field when it arrives. I'll have another field trip shortly after that though to give it a spin. 

[GotAU?]

1 hour ago, jasong said:

 I also don't want to overly sensitize the 6000 with too small of a coil since 0.03 grams is already smaller than I need to chase. 

Oh god, the birdshot with that 10x5! I am sore from it- dug everything on that hike yesterday and it was all birdshot!  So yes, the 10x5’is a very sensitive coil, stable also.

[phrunt]

1 hour ago, jasong said:

Hopefully receive it mid-next week, won't have it for my upcoming trip yet though unfortunately as I'll be in field when it arrives. I'll have another field trip shortly after that though to give it a spin. 

I hope it fixes up your issues Jason and your problems are coil and not detector related or just how it is going to be in your environment, as you've likely seen I went from thinking the 6000 was pretty much useless to now thinking it's a decent detector all by changing coils.  If only Minelab sold me a decent quality detector to begin with I wouldn't have had to go through all of that and they wouldn't have had me saying how rubbish their detector is for the past couple of months.  It's a bit of a rinse and repeat situation though as there are many other people out there in the same position I was in, I see it all the time with them complaining how unstable their detector is. 

I went from blaming myself for being so fussy about how stable a detector runs after hearing everyone say yes its unstable but its an awesome detector to being so sick of it I blamed the detector and went against the grain of the others who liked it and finally once the aftermarket coils were released I was able to validate that it was indeed a problem with my detector, being a terrible coil.

I've got my fingers crossed for you, as if you get the same results I have you'll be happy enough with the 6000 to keep it.

My mission now is to try resolve the shaft twist as it really gets annoying as in our rocky rough bushy ground it happens a lot more than someone in nice flat open areas, just in the afternoon with my 14x9" on it happened at least 15 times, JW used sand paper on his shaft and his is now gripping much better but we both wonder how good and permanent of a solution that is. 

[GotAU?]

6 minutes ago, phrunt said:

I hope it fixes up your issues Jason and your problems are coil and not detector related or just how it is going to be in your environment, as you've likely seen I went from thinking the 6000 was pretty much useless to now thinking it's a decent detector all by changing coils.  If only Minelab sold me a decent quality detector to begin with I wouldn't have had to go through all of that and they wouldn't have had me saying how rubbish their detector is for the past couple of months.  It's a bit of a rinse and repeat situation though as there are many other people out there in the same position I was in, I see it all the time with them complaining how unstable their detector is. 

I went from blaming myself for being so fussy about how stable a detector runs after hearing everyone say yes its unstable but its an awesome detector to being so sick of it I blamed the detector and went against the grain of the others who liked it and finally once the aftermarket coils were released I was able to validate that it was indeed a problem with my detector, being a terrible coil.

I've got my fingers crossed for you, as if you get the same results I have you'll be happy enough with the 6000 to keep it.

My mission now is to try resolve the shaft twist as it really gets annoying as in our rocky rough bushy ground it happens a lot more than someone in nice flat open areas, just in the afternoon with my 14x9" on it happened at least 15 times, JW used sand paper on his shaft and his is now gripping much better but we both wonder how good and permanent of a solution that is. 

I wonder if one of those Brit-made carbon graphite Nox shafts would work on it- It has a rib built into the shape so it can’t spin.

Trying to find the model to link here…

[GotAU?]

15 minutes ago, GotAU? said:

I wonder if one of those Brit-made carbon graphite Nox shafts would work on it- It has a rib built into the shape so it can’t spin.

Trying to find the model to link here…

I found it- Tele-Nox MK11 https://www.detecting-innovations.co.uk/TeleKnox_3_piece_Mk11_shaft_in_seven_colours/p6292256_20668764.aspx

Let me try swapping mine out first as I have one, will test it out. It’s a great rod for the Nox, 3-piece and it compacts really short, and a pain in the butt to fit the detector in a bag with a large coil though as it doesn’t rotate at all.

[jasong]

It's a great detector - when it works. The stability definitely varies highly by location though, so there will probably always be those who claim it runs perfect, and those who can't understand how anyone can possible detect with it at all.

Gotta say though, while I'll be glad to have a working machine, this whole experience has left a pretty sour taste in my mouth regarding Minelab and their complete lack of resolution or communication on the issue, so eventually I'll probably get an Axiom anyways when time isn't of the essence like it is right now. Just because I don't really think Minelab deserves any kind of public support for selling what appears to be a defective product and leaving some customer's out to dry to fix the company's mistake.

A lot of people here are retired or have extra money, can shrug things like that off. I'm not one of them. I expect $6k detectors to work if I drop a chunk of change like that on one. 

[GotAU?]

38 minutes ago, GotAU? said:

I found it- Tele-Nox MK11 https://www.detecting-innovations.co.uk/TeleKnox_3_piece_Mk11_shaft_in_seven_colours/p6292256_20668764.aspx

Let me try swapping mine out first as I have one, will test it out. It’s a great rod for the Nox, 3-piece and it compacts really short, and a pain in the butt to fit the detector in a bag with a large coil though as it doesn’t rotate at all.

Both rods are 22mm OD on the control end, I’m sure it will work. The Tele-Nox rod is well built and the adjustable cam locks hold each section tightly. The rod shape is basically round with a closed channel running through the length of them. This makes them ridged and they cannot spin when nested together.

The only thing I’m not sure of is how easily the existing 6K rod can be removed from the box. There are 10 small plastic tabs holding part of the box around the rod, but there may be another clamp inside the box that I cannot see…