Have Detector Companies Hit A Wall

[PhaseTech]

Here's a few things on my Minelab dream list:

A 6000 with a lot more control - independent threshold, tone control, front end gain adjust, more timings etc. 

A 7000 that's gone on a diet - don't need the GPS, and a nice mid size semi-elliptical concentric would be great. 

A gpx5000 Pro version - full carbon shafts, SD series khaki green box, a small internal battery to give me 6 hrs run time, but still able to hook up the external battery pack. External manual tune pot like the 3500. No coil supplied. And a little bit of SDC/6000 timing magic for an improvement on specimens. Actually, if they did this, I probably wouldn't need the first two ☺️ Heck they can even stuff my sP01 circuit inside if we're really dreaming. 

A Sovereign type machine that's fully waterproof, i.e. a Garrett infinium style control box that I can chest mount. Aqua Sovereign or Excalibur III? 

None of the above is using new technology, so quite achievable, and would sure get me wanting to upgrade.  

 

[phrunt]

The 6000 with more control would be nice, I wouldn't buy it as I've already bought a 6000 and it's a significant investment already so just having more control wouldn't be worth the money to me as much as I'd like it, still think that's how the 6000 should have been but I understand the logic behind making it simple for African prospectors who just don't care and just want to find gold and quickly before someone else does to put food on the table.

The 7000 lightened up and with a concentric col I already have, by using lighter alternative coils.  No way in the world would I pay another 10 grand for that even if it was Gold Monster weight or less.

The 5000 pro is the most appealing out of the list there, although my 5000's already on a full carbon shaft, has a light weight battery, has an SP01, the thing it lacks is the small gold/specimen benefits.  I'd rather the 5000 Pro have a screen for settings rather than another box, so modern miniaturized electronics would be nice.

I don't get in the water enough if at all to need the Sovereign, but I think that would probably be a popular unit as water hunters are the most neglected group of detectorists by the looks of it.

Long story short, I wouldn't buy any of the above detectors, no doubt plenty of people would though, especially ones in good gold areas.

[Gold Ryder]

Back to the original question. It seems that the true technology stopped with the 5000, ad with a few tweaks like Micks mods  The rest is semantics and to aid in comfort for the less physical.  Things like smaller more powerful batteries, carbon shafts, better grips, waterproofing ect to increase usability   Im no techy like some of you. Im just versed enough in the field to find gold somewhat consistently. But I do read enough far and wide to see that the 5000 for serious hunters who know how to tune it correctly is the pinnacle at this point.  

[Gold Catcher]

The real difference for me would be to be able to accurately discriminate at depth with PI or ZVT technology. If you can hunt at a trashy mine site and punch a foot deep and still ID a 0.2g nugget, this is where the real value would come in. So much gold is still locked up in 12-15 inch depth zone at mine sites that currently can only be explored with a VLF at 1-2 inch depth. I think AI technology could eventually get us there, but would need some really smart engineering. And even better, solve the lead/gold problem! But the latter might just remain a pipe dream forever.

GC 

[Valens Legacy]

I don't think that it is as much as the detector than it is the coil. Should they design a new type of coil and then make the detector to fit the coil then they would have the depth, the sensitivity, and the people that would buy it.

They could make a 3 section coil to give the impression of 3-d with the approximate size of the object of what is below the ground. The tech is already there to be had, but nobody has put it together in my opinion.

Most companies do not want to give the customers what they really want because if they did they would lose all future sales.

I hate drinking and typing when I am tired.

[RONS DETECTORS MINELAB]

Wow, some really good comments on this topic.

13 hours ago, PhaseTech said:

A gpx5000 Pro version

Yes, the GPX-Pro is what should of been the next GPX series behind the 5000 for sure and not the 6000 which is really an overpriced SDC-Pro land version package upgraded with an extra timing, a wider selection of still mostly small coil options and a very user friendly interface best suited for the entry level hobbyist. The GPX-6000 has had a lot of sales but the competition is getting closer to its performance now at a lot cheaper price point. It’s best selling feature still is its a turn on and go detector which is perfect for the users that do not have the time to learn a complicated device.

The GPZ replacement is kinda of like Steve and many others have mentioned that if it’s a knock it out of the park replacement on performance then it would be worth getting, but if it’s only marginally better than the x-coil options already available for performance then no thank you I’ll stick to what I’m already doing and save a half pound of gold by not buying it. 

The GPX-Pro is what could have incorporated all the features Nenad, Simon, and my original topic mentions as this technology is already out there, just really needing all of this incorporated into one device now. I would pay dearly for it especially if they keep adding a couple of new timings to it every couple of years and calling it version 2, 3 and so on.

I also prefer the threshold dial be switched with the digital RX Gain so the threshold becomes digital and the gain control is on the front plate similar to the modded detectors.

I would love to keep the iron reject option and add a static target ID for the iron infested mining sites and for the relic/beach hunters. Maybe there’s a possibility that lead vs gold can be somehow separated like Simon mentions that the E1500 static ID does  to a limited state.

Coil options are what sell a detector! Maybe some semi-spiral or concentric coils.

 

[phrunt]

This GPX-Pro is sounding somewhat appealing, maybe they do have another opportunity to release a prospecting machine yet even if technological advancements are very limited.

[jasong]

If they are coming out with new detectors, I feel they need to be actually new at this stage. Like the 7000 was. It was a new paradigm. Adding a few controls and tweaks to an old machine doesn't do much for me anymore personally. 

If it's fractional improvements on old ideas, I'll just wait for a new Algoforce or Nokta or whatever at 1/4 the price, no hurry.

Stop milking the same cow already, Minelab. The 7000 and 6000 seemed steps in the right direction finally, I hope they don't go backwards with something like a revamped 5000. Design for exploration prospecting in addition to sensitivity, and get some of exploration prospectors on the testing crews so the engineers have an ear towards the types of concepts that are import there too.

If they revamp anything, it should be the 6000 and 7000, not the 5000 IMO. And even a revamped 7000 at this stage would be a letdown to me as I think a new redesign and model would be better in almost every way. The concept of putting X old detector in Y new updated package has no appeal to me anymore for any model, unless it's done fairly quickly after release - like 2 years. That's just me though. Tech moves too fast now, times have changed.

[RONS DETECTORS MINELAB]

 

On 3/16/2024 at 11:19 AM, jasong said:

If they are coming out with new detectors, I feel they need to be actually new at this stage.

The hope for new performance advancements in a new model is starting to feel like it’s not happening. If any old or new company can break through this old tech. barrier then in my opinion it will need to have the ability to greatly increase the performance barrier.

Currently, Algoforce definitely brought back the old coils and some new tech. Ideas. But hopefully the new Nokta will also add some performance and new tech. Into the market and just  like you said Jason for a decent price, low enough to open the market back up to most detectorist.

[Norvic]

Age dictates to me a need for a lightweight wireless detector that uses non-chipped lightweight mono coils. An unchipped fixed GB option 6K is on track or if ML persists with chipped coils the E2500.