Yea Yea I Want An Algoforce But....

[Lost Scout]

So I'm in Idaho and dont see Algoforce making any inroads here for a at least a few months. What can I do to upgrade my gpx 4500 ? Don't have any aftermarket coils but I'm working on it. Are any upgrades going to be worth it? I have have learned a lot on this forum and thank everyone for posting their knowledge. I don't always have the time to geek out on the subtleties that might give me an edge. Yes I have found gold and do my research. I guess I'm asking if the aftermarket coils are worth it?

[Redz]

Yes. Get a 15" evolution and an amplifier. Shield from emi and ramp stabilizer and gain. You will see a difference

[TE Gold]

I had a 4500 as my 1st serious detector.

The best upgrade available are after market coils. I had 3 nuggetfinder evolution coils that were great. 

14 x9, 12" round and 15" spoked.

 

I I had to choose just one , it would be the 14x9. It was a really good coil to swing, shape wise and weight wise. It was also very sensitive and gave good depth. I found more gold with that coil than any other with the 4500, having said that, I also used that coil more than the others....

 

Next best upgrade is a really good set of headphones. I'm not sure what is available in the US, but 300 ohms are the go.

[phrunt]

Most certainly aftermarket coils are worth it, a bulk of the aftermarket manufacturers mostly only make spiral wound coils now, they're more sensitive to small gold than the bundle wound Commander coils supplied with your detector, they also give a bit more depth on the sizes of gold the spiral windings help on.

They also make sizes that very greatly from the standard sizes, and to top it off they're generally better build quality.

It all depends what you do, and where you hunt to recommending sizes and coils is difficult, although people in your area may help there.

The added bonus is if you ever find the need to buy an Algoforce you'll be able to use them on it too.

The Nugget Finder 8x6" Sadie has always been a popular choice for a small coil, the 9" Coiltek Elite is probably the most sensitive of the spirals readily available, closely followed by the 12x8" Nugget Finder, these smaller spirals can be a bit noisy in some bad ground though and the 14x9" EVO by Nugget Finder is a popular choice for general use, it's significantly more sensitive than the 11' Commander coil on small gold too.   The bigger deep gold hunters tend to go for the 15" or 17" spirals and then there are the monster size coils available if that's your thing.

An alternative battery setup might be worth it too, although if you're considering getting an Algoforce probably not worth the spend on that, as the Algoforce will be able to hit on gold the 4500 won't.  The 4500 with a big coil I think will hit on gold deeper than the Algoforce though, so both would complement each other.

[TE Gold]

If, btw you decided to buy 2 aftermarket coils, a booster and a set of headphones....that would probably go close to the same money as an algoforce!

[Lost Scout]

Wow! Quick responses. Thanks. I do some detecting close by and in Nevada and maybe Montana this spring. I have been looking at the 14x9 And various bigger coils. Maybe a Sadie.  Depends on my next paycheck. I have some really good headphones that I like, killer bees.

[Lost Scout]

46 minutes ago, phrunt said:

Most certainly aftermarket coils are worth it, a bulk of the aftermarket manufacturers mostly only make spiral wound coils now, they're more sensitive to small gold than the bundle wound Commander coils supplied with your detector, they also give a bit more depth on the sizes of gold the spiral windings help on.

They also make sizes that very greatly from the standard sizes, and to top it off they're generally better build quality.

It all depends what you do, and where you hunt to recommending sizes and coils is difficult, although people in your area may help there.

The added bonus is if you ever find the need to buy an Algoforce you'll be able to use them on it too.

The Nugget Finder 8x6" Sadie has always been a popular choice for a small coil, the 9" Coiltek Elite is probably the most sensitive of the spirals readily available, closely followed by the 12x8" Nugget Finder, these smaller spirals can be a bit noisy in some bad ground though and the 14x9" EVO by Nugget Finder is a popular choice for general use, it's significantly more sensitive than the 11' Commander coil on small gold too.   The bigger deep gold hunters tend to go for the 15" or 17" spirals and then there are the monster size coils available if that's your thing.

An alternative battery setup might be worth it too, although if you're considering getting an Algoforce probably not worth the spend on that, as the Algoforce will be able to hit on gold the 4500 won't.  The 4500 with a big coil I think will hit on gold deeper than the Algoforce though, so both would complement each other.

Thanks phrunt. I value your input. In some instances I will be looking for specimen gold and in others the gold is smaller. Although I could get into bigger and deeper gold. I really think your insight is valuable.

[Lost Scout]

46 minutes ago, TE Gold said:

If, btw you decided to buy 2 aftermarket coils, a booster and a set of headphones....that would probably go close to the same money as an algoforce!

Yep I have consider it.

[Lost Scout]

1 hour ago, Redz said:

Yes. Get a 15" evolution and an amplifier. Shield from emi and ramp stabilizer and gain. You will see a difference

I get the newer coils but is the amplifier that much more of an advantage?

[phrunt]

9 minutes ago, Lost Scout said:

I get the newer coils but is the amplifier that much more of an advantage?

I ran the Steelphase sp01 with my 4500, it allowed keeping the detector volume low while boosting the audio with the amplifier, this makes it run a little more stable.  It also means you've got extra cords all over the place, it's a nice thing to have but I don't think it's critical.  I haven't used mine in ages now.   The coils will give you more of a boost than a booster will 🙂