Steve's Gold Nugget Detector Guide Update

[Steve Herschbach]

5 minutes ago, Gold Catcher said:

Good to know that it could play a role. Even though I GB quite frequently and use auto track.

Not saying your ground balance is off. It may be spot on. But where it is at is different than where Simon is, or where I am, and where it is changes the susceptibility to knock. Do an air test, crank the sensitivity, and tap the coil with a wood block. Try setting the ground balance at each extreme and in the middle, and see if there is any difference.

[Gold Catcher]

1 minute ago, abenson said:

I have the same issue. Garry claims it's a loosely wrapped coil cable that causes that. I can't say one way or the other because I haven't been back out looking for gold with the Manticore since October. But yea it's an issue. 

Thanks. And for me it is not the loose cable for sure.

GC

[Steve Herschbach]

48 minutes ago, abenson said:

I have the same issue. Garry claims it's a loosely wrapped coil cable that causes that. I can't say one way or the other because I haven't been back out looking for gold with the Manticore since October. But yea it's an issue. That's with the M8

Interesting. Let’s meet for a little Manticore and 24K comparison in that regard. One thing I like about the 24K 6” concentric it is very knock resistant and makes for a good scrubber coil, something I could not do with the Monster. I’ll have to talk about that in my new review as the 24K and Gold Bug 2 are standout machines for coil knock resistance, and that one fact has lead me to favor those two models over the other VLFs. Monster was the worst, and my Gold Kruzer was also very susceptible, but it was a prototype, so I can’t speak to the newer ones. But it was why I ditched the Kruzer and ultimately why I ditched the Monster. When chasing the tiny bits I not only scrub but use the coil as a rake. My Equinox 6” does well in that regard also, does not quite match the Bug 2 or 24K on the tiniest bits, yet it’s very close. Amazingly so for a detector when nugget hunting was last on the engineers list of importance.

 

[phrunt]

32 minutes ago, Steve Herschbach said:

I absolutely agree with all that and more Simon. The Gold Monster can drive some people nuts with coil knock sensitivity. I think it not coming with a normal telescoping rod is a crime. A screw together rod? Really? And as top heavy roll over prone as a Gold Bug 2. I think the 24K does the job as well or better in a better package, with better tuning options. But in the end, so what? People don’t want a Garrett, they want a Minelab.

Ask any dealer what people want and what is selling. Gold Monster all day long and just a smattering of other stuff. Thats just the way it is unless a dealer consciously tries to talk people into something else, and in sales it’s best to give people what they want, not what you think they need. Trying to switch horses can lose a sale as often as not, so you can’t blame most dealers for just going with the flow. And the flow is to the Minelab brand name.

This is why the guide is more important than ever in 2024 onwards.  It gives people information in a nice tidy easy to read format where they don't need to research and seperate the wheat from the chaff from someone with the knowledge that isn't trying to sell them stuff. 

The web is like the wild west when it comes to gathering information. to someone with little knowledge it's easy to be lead in the wrong direction.   It just may need to go into more intricate detail about models flaws and benefits than it used to while also keeping it brief and simple as with almost all models topping out with detection performance and being so similar in that regard the finer details are more necessary to seperate models.   The positives are negatives of models compared right down to ergonomics, headphones and things like the GM's screw together shaft and knock sensitivity and pointing out detectors like the 19kHz range are not as sensitive to small gold as the higher frequency models, all this stuff is common sense to those that understand it, but someone relatively new trying to navigate the information they have no idea and a bulk of the people needing the guide will be in that category.

A little list of Pro's and Con's with models would be great.

 

 

 

[Jeff McClendon]

I totally ditched the GPX 6000 for the Garrett Axiom and I am not sorry I did one bit. The Axiom, even with the weird focused core DD coils that I am still trying to get used to, is just a more fun and much more sensible detector to use and it is plenty sensitive to sub 0.1 gram gold.

Right after I ditched the GPX 6000 a friend of mine decided to sell his GPX 4000 in great shape with two coils and two good batteries for $800. Needless to say, I bit on that deal. 

So, I have two extremely capable PIs and too many super versatile SMFs that are great at gold prospecting to count. I can't find enough time to use them all!

After hearing about the Manticore M8 coil knock, maybe I will hold off even longer on buying an M8. The Manticore even with the 11" stock coil is super sensitive to small gold already.

[Steve Herschbach]

33 minutes ago, Jeff McClendon said:

I totally ditched the GPX 6000 for the Garrett Axiom and I am not sorry I did one bit. The Axiom, even with the weird focused core DD coils that I am still trying to get used to, is just a more fun and much more sensible detector to use and it is plenty sensitive to sub 0.1 gram gold.

Well, the Axiom fan club has at least three members now! 

[GoodAmount]

Steve, I also wonder if there needs to be greater acknowledgement of the impact X-Coils has made on the extended capability of the 7000? I know unsanctioned hacks like these are contentious from an integrity perspective and I completely support an ideological stance on it to this end, but they are now an embedded part of the product ecology and one of the key contributors in keeping the machine in wide circulation and use.
 

There are many better examples than mine, but last year I stepped up from a QED to a second hand 7000 with a 17x12 X-Coil and immediately more than doubled my gold take. Then with the 8” X-Coil doubled nugget numbers again with the added ability to hit the tiny ones. I’m now quite happily keeping up with my prospecting buddy with his 6000 on small gold. Rightly or wrongly, X-Coils has extended the capability range of the 7000 and I’m wondering if it deserves calling out as a byline in the new review …even if clearly stating that you don’t support it?

 

[Steve Herschbach]

40 minutes ago, GoodAmount said:

Steve, I also wonder if there needs to be greater acknowledgement of the impact X-Coils has made on the extended capability of the 7000? I know unsanctioned hacks like these are contentious from an integrity perspective and I completely support an ideological stance on it to this end, but they are now an embedded part of the product ecology and one of the key contributors in keeping the machine in wide circulation and use.

There are many better examples than mine, but last year I stepped up from a QED to a second hand 7000 with a 17x12 X-Coil and immediately more than doubled my gold take. Then with the 8” X-Coil doubled nugget numbers again with the added ability to hit the tiny ones. I’m now quite happily keeping up with my prospecting buddy with his 6000 on small gold. Rightly or wrongly, X-Coils has extended the capability range of the 7000 and I’m wondering if it deserves calling out as a byline in the new review …even if clearly stating that you don’t support it?

That's simply not true. I think the X-Coil is one of the best things that ever happened to 7000 owners, and have friends that love them. They proved what the 7000 was capable of if Minelab had ever truly gave us coil support on the model. My issue was simply disclosure. The risk of the modification being done was totally downplayed initially and people with concerns where treated as if they were irrationally concerned over nothing. Yet I know a guy that blew up two 7000s at huge expense. So yeah, the risks were real. Now, it seems to be under control as better adapters have come about.

To repeat, I think X-Coil did a huge service by producing the coils they have. My only issue was with proper disclosure of the risks involved, which I believe were downplayed initially. And even that really is not on X-Coil as they really don't communicate directly. Nope, nothing but respect for them, and even wish they were running the coil show at Minelab. 

But do I think X-Coil has kept GPZ 7000 users on board when they might otherwise not be? Not really, because I truly believe that a GPZ 7000 with a stock coil is still the best detector option available for getting all the gold possible in a single pass over an area. That is why people use it. A GPX 5000 can hold it's own on the big solid stuff with the 7000 but the 7000 will kill it on specimen gold, no matter how many mods you do. A 6000 hits specimen and smaller gold only marginally better than a 7000, and as you note simply putting an X-Coil on it is enough to bring the 7000 to 6000 levels of performance there. In the end however it is the 7000 ability to punch deeper on big gold than a 6000 that keeps people using the 7000. Do X-Coils help extend the usefulness of the 7000? No doubt about it. But it does not change how I view the machine anyway, which is as the machine to own if you are really serious about wanting to put weight in your pocket. Not numbers - weight. If I have to cover one acre of ground just once, with one machine and one coil, and will never get a shot at that ground again, then I'd pick a GPZ 7000 with a stock coil as being as my best shot at getting the most weight out of the ground in one pass as is possible, both large and small, solid or specimen, but with the emphasis one weight. If a few small bits get missed that not going to matter as much as missing the bigger ones at depth, the real bread and butter that pays the bills.

Gotta admit I don't see anything to do with detecting as right or wrong or ideological. I'm a big fan of just using what works, and anyone thinking they have a corner on knowing exactly what that might be, most especially me, has not been around enough. These things are all just tools and it's about getting to know your tools, and knowing when to use this one or that one. And sometimes that is nothing more than just an educated guess at best. What works in Australia most decidedly will not work in some of my old haunts in Alaska, and that's a fact.

Now after barfing that all out, good idea, I'll mention X-Coil. 

[GoodAmount]

Great clarification! And agreed ?