Many Years Ago

[Bugler]

Many years ago I signed on to this forum while I was out of commission as far as metal detecting.

I started traveling to Quartzite in 1995 during the winter months. I had read many articles about all the gold that could be found.

I joined GPAA and LDMA and bought a Goldmaster 2.

I searched for three winters and only found the usual junk.  That third winter I had a week left before heading home and hit six sub gram pickers in a wash.

When I got back to Montana I went to visit Bud Guthrie near Helena, Montana.  He examined my Goldmaster and said the coil was faulty and sold me a Fisher Goldbug.

I found three ounces of gold the next winter near Quartzite. On my way home, I stopped at Rye Patch.  It had rained and I couldn't balance the Goldbug (lack of knowledge on my part). Anyway, the next morning I watched some detectorists out detecting nuggets left and right.

They had the SD2100.  Again, I went to Bud and asked if he could get me an SD2100.

Armed with the Goldbug and the 2100, I never looked back.  

Well, I finally found ground that I cannot keep my 2100 quiet with all the magnetite.  I know there is gold that I cannot differentiate from deep hot rocks.

After seeing Steve's introduction to the Axiom, I finally made the leap.  It came yesterday but we still have too much snow right now. I'll just continue to watch the videos and be ready to hit my favorite area this spring.

The 2100 has been very good to me over the many years with over 50 ounces.  The largest at 6.5oz.

Reese has been a great inspiration with his never give up attitude. So many of you on this forum have taught me a great deal.

Keep it up!

[Ram79]

Hi Bugler. You made a wise choice with the Axiom, I have hade mine for some time now and can tell you it is a very capable detector. Best of luck out there.    

[Bugler]

Hello Ram79,

Any positive feedback I can get on the Axiom only helps my confidence when I hit the gold fields.

How long have you worked with your Axiom and in what kind of terrane?

Good luck going forward with your hunts.

 

[Ram79]

Hi Bugler. I have been using the Axiom now for over 8 months and I am very happy with it, so much so I have not used any of my other detectors since purchasing it, I have had no need to. The terrain I mostly hunt is rugged hill sides full of brush and the connecting gullies, so my main coils I use are the 11in. mono and the 11in focused core DD, the larger coils are great when ground conditions allow. The mono coils have incredible edge sensitivity in my opinion, making target pinpointing and recovery very easy with a little practice and it is nice when working in tight areas around boulders, under brush, bedrock crevices etc. The DD coils are less affected by ground mineralization and are very sensitive at the center of the coil due to the focused core design which make them a killer on very small gold and unfortunately small bits of rubbish also lol. Start with the factory settings and adjust them as needed, be sure to noise cancel as needed and ground balance often if you are in fixed, don't be afraid to turn the sensitivity down to 3 while you learn your machine, she is still very sensitive at that setting. I hope this helps. there is a little learning curve but not nearly as bad as some detectors out there. The pic is of some gold I have found lately. Best of luck and happy hunting.

[Bugler]

Thank you, Ram79.  Some very helpful advice.  It looks like you are getting great results with your quick learning curve.  I detect in similar sounding terrain and have softball size magnetite "bombs" that keep me on my toes.  They sound like deep nuggets that I have dug in the past. A detector that will not notice those "bombs" will surely help. I'm hoping I can count on the Axiom to do that for me. I have some beautiful pictures of gold recovered with the SD2100 but I do not have them on my phone.  So, I don't know how to transfer them to my computer.

Your pictures were excellent and I thank you.  Maybe I am just resisting new technology too much.

I am 79 and a bit stuck in my ways. The Axiom purchase was a leap for me. The 2100 and Gold Bug have been my crutch too long.  Again, thank you for your help.  I will put it to work as soon as the snow goes.

[Ram79]

Good afternoon, Bugler. I completely understand, the 2100 and gold bug is a great combo but with the advancements in detector technology it was smart of you to upgrade into a detector (the Axiom) that is very sensitive to tiny gold nuggets, they seem to be way more abundant than the larger ones, but don't get me wrong it will find them too if you do your part. The Axiom can handle some pretty extreme mineralized ground but like most all high-end P.I detectors some magnetite iron stones just can't be balanced out and the Axiom is no exception, I have some iron stones here in AZ that drove me crazy in the beginning of me learning the machine, but I started to notice they gave a distinctive variation in the threshold manly on the low side of the signal response meaning when you go over the target you get a wee(high) - woo(low) response it is on the "woo" side I hear a distinctive warble in the threshold. That is what I mean by the learning curve, you will quickly learn your detectors language. But don't get me wrong the Axiom can balance out some really hot ground and hot rocks but for the ones it struggles with your ear will train to. I hope that all made some since, I can explain better by talking than typing 😁 Happy hunting. 

[timbus59]

Be sure to try out Steve's Bogenes Settings in his Experimetal Axiom Settings post.  You can bump up sensitivity in mineralized ground and the machine will still run quiet.  Been very effective for me not getting fatigued and finding sub-gram bits.

 

[Bugler]

Ram79 and Timbus59,

Very good advice from each of you.

I have spent hours reviewing Steve's notes on settings with the Axiom. Just can't wait to get the machine in the field.  

I'll let you know as soon as I can get out with the Axiom.

Thank you again.

[Steve Herschbach]

Best of luck with your new detector Bugler, and thanks for a great post detailing your gold prospecting journey. I hope I can keep going for as long as you have!! 

My best advice for the Axiom is use a DD coil to start and keep the sensitivity low initially. The worst thing a new Axiom owner can do is crank up the sensitivity right out of the starting gate. Ease into it. Timbus suggestion on my quiet settings is also well worth keeping in mind.

[Gerry in Idaho]

Bugler, Good to see you on here after all these years and hopefully it isn't another stretch that long between, or many of us will not be around to reply.

Your timeline is very similar to mine.  My 1st gold was with GB-2 in Oregon. 1st PI gold with the old olive green SD-2100, it was at Rye Patch in the 90s as well.  But I never started heading south to AZ until around 2005 and even to this day don't get down there much.

Garrett Axiom in the arsenal.  Heck yea, it's the best priced new PI gold detector on the market right now in the US.  Way more capabilities than your SD-2100 and will find many smaller nuggets, specimens and various kinds of gold better than the 2100 as well.  I feel on the larger solid placer nuggets the SD with a big coil could beat out the Axiom, but those nuggets are very far and few,

As for help with that machine.  1st off, I think the 11" DD is the most sensitive to the smallest of gold but you really need to overlap and have ultimate coil control.  Don't get me wrong, the 11" MONO is very capable indeed and the extra coverage is worth it to many when covering ground.

As with the different hot rocks and soils across the country, I have yet to find any PI detector that totally eliminates them all.  As you are aware, the more you add filters to deal with such bad ground and hot rocks, cold stones, the less sensitivity and depth the PI detectors get.  You need to try and find the sweet spot for a happy medium.

I don't mind digging an occasional hot rock, but if to many, then I need to adjust the detector or just try another location.  If I know good gold is there though, it certainly keeps the mind wanting to stay and deal with the soils trying to mask the nuggets.

Looking forward to seeing some Axiom results as it really is a very capable detector and especially for specimen rocks with gold in them.

BTW.  Ol Bud was a heck of a hunter in his day, the original Gold Bug and then the GB-2. 

Another MT young gun guru was a good buddy of mine named Rick Radke.  Hopefully you were able to meet him.  Great man who left us way to soon.