Gold Walk With The Nox

[DigsAlot]

So today I chose to test another aspect of the mighty Nox. So to set the stage I had 4 to 4.5 hrs to detect. It was out in the Nevada desert around lovelock/ rye patch area. The area is dry for the most part. Which means we can run  hot on the settings. 

I ran the Nox on gold 1, all metal, 22 on the sensitivity. 

So I also had my Gold Racer with me to test my replacement 7.5 x 4 coil. 

I started with my Gold racer as a way to test the new coil and find a target to test the Nox on.

I found a target in about 3 mins. Was a 1.1 grain gold nugget. I then tested this nugget with the Nox and it hit on it hard. Now I did have to put it back as I first recovered it with the Gold racer. The ground was dry and not really packed so putting it back was the same as finding it with the Nox in the first place. 

The area was dry and the nugget was about an inch down maybe a little less. 

Now this area has been hit hard by me and others with my gold racer sniper coil, the gold monster sniper coil last time I went out. Plus gold bug2 and a SDC2300. In the hands of people that know how to use them. This is our claim so we know it well.

Yet this one was missed after 2 seasons of heavy detecting.  Right near the surface. 

The Nox hit on this nugget harder then my Gold racer did. I used this target to test the other modes on the Nox. I found that park would not hit on it. Nor did beach. I tried out the fields as well. They didn't really want to hit on it solid like. Last mode I tested was gold 2. It hit on it but was kind of weird on the sound side. TID bounced around a little, but so did the gold racer. Fact is i dug the target only because it repeated and on this claim you dig what repeats period. That is about it for this target.

I placed the gold racer in the truck and went full time with the Nox. I scanned the rest of the hot spots on the claim, finding nothing. So I went over the ridge to our other claim which has been pounded harder then the first. Got down in the wash and on the bedrock. It is shist bedrock. Think thin Domino's shoved against each other standing on edge. I got a good hit. The TID was hitting -9 -8 with a 2 mixed in. But the sound was a clean zip, both directions. I cleaned the over burden of the top, taking it down to close to clean bedrock. The sound got louder and the TID stayed the same. I was starting to wonder if it might just be a good hot rock. But I cleaned a few grains of dirt out of between the schist and there was a little yellow flake. It weight .5 grains. That is a flake (check the pic). It was an inch down and between schist fingers. After taking out the nugget I scanned the area again and still had the hot rock signal. The nugget was sitting on top of a section of hot schist. That is impressive. Remember I said this was a heavy detected area. I personal used the gold monster over the top of this area. As did my gold buddy with his SDC2300. Less than a month ago.

A few other things I wanted to note. I found that you can tell a hot rock by moving the coil slow in two different directions. A hot rock or mineral ground will zip only one of the two directions. But a nugget will zip both directions slow or fast swing speed with the Nox. 

Bottom line, would I replace my gold racer with the Nox probably not. But if I could only keep one detector I own, it would be the Nox no question. If you are truly looking for a one detector unit it has to be the Nox. If you want to be able to swing on the beach one day in the water, the park that evening and the gold fields the next morning, all with the same detector the Nox fits that bill. 

The fact that the Nox can hit on a .5 grain flake in schist under an inch of overburden, Is  awesome and it was not a weak sound ether.

 

[Jim Hemmingway]

Thanks Stephen for sharing your comparison information between those two units. Good report!!!

Jim.

[DigsAlot]

Jim, sorry for the late reply. I have been tied up with work. I thought you had a few questions but I don't see them now. Did you get your answers?

[Steve Herschbach]

You are not the only late reply - I can’t believe it took me this long to read this. Great report Stephen and congratulations - you are one of only a handful of people who has found a gold nugget with Equinox. And on your first attempt!

Beware the blocking of target id number 1 and 2 in some modes by default. If a mode is used while nugget detecting and these are blocked out then almost all gold signals will be either reduced or completely eliminated. I have found Field 2 or Park 2 both to be the next best thing to the Gold Modes but you have to hunt all metal or watch the notches.

Click for larger version.

[DigsAlot]

Thanks Steve. I hope to try it out again.

[Tom Slick]

Steve, Above you mentioned hunting in all metal in Park 2 or Field 2. By all metal do you mean using no disc in those modes, or do you mean hunting with the Horseshoe all metal button depressed?

Thanks

Tom

[DigsAlot]

All metal means no disc at all. You can turn it on and off with the horse shoe button.

[fredmason]

Tom; you only have to push the button to activate all-metal...you do not have to hold the button down...it is on or off with each push...

fred