White's Goldmaster 24K - New For 2018

[Steve Herschbach]

Rege-PA just reported on the DP Forum that a new White's detector is on the way - the White's Goldmaster 24K. I have put a specification page together for the new model and will update it as information becomes available.

In short it looks like an updated and slimmed down version of the GMT put into the new MX7 packaging. There is now a backlit LCD display with target id information, advanced ground tracking technology, dual tones, and more. The new Goldmaster 24K comes with both rechargeable batteries and a battery holder for eight AA batteries. The stock coil is the 6" x 10" DD and there is a two coil package option with the 6" x 10" DD and a 6" round concentric.

The White's Goldmaster 24K announcement is so new that there are sure to be changes and updates to this page very soon - all information and specifications are subject to change!

Check out the new White's Goldmaster 24K specification page

Detailed Review Of White's New Goldmaster 24K

White's Goldmaster 24K & GMT Compared

New White's Goldmaster 24K metal detector

 

[tboykin]

White's protocol is to first give dealers information on any new product, followed by a general public press release. So it's wise to take any information passed around by said dealers with a grain of salt.

Like the rest of the users on this forum, I know that Nokta/Makro and Minelab are the only companies that release new products.

 

 

 

[Ridge Runner]

Tom

I said this on another post that I was happy to see this detector coming out with two coils.

That years back before your time . White’s came out with a new detector called 66 TR and it had two coils. I’m a long believer of having a small coil to hunt a place first with it and clean out the trash. Then come back with the large coil to detect the coins out of range of the small one.

I know nothing is free but please offer two coils when a new model comes out. I’m willing to pay the price but if you’re not willing too I may not be there.

I find myself as I get older I’ve become a opinionated sap sucker.

Chuck

[Ridge Runner]

I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m happy to see White’s is coming out with a new gold detector.

I know somewhere on here a statement was made that a detector company coming out with a unit they already have but has very little change. 

Well I think Tom did state that the 24 K was coming from the base platform of the GMT. If you know what works then why would you want to throw it away and start at ground zero.

Just looking at the videos that has been made available to us we can see this unit has gone way beyond a GMT.

As some may know I’m a odd duck in I didn’t like the color on that TDI SL Special White’s has but the Tan on the 24 K is growing on me. I would like it even better if I had one in my hands now.ha

Here I am blowing smoke not even sure if I got the money . You know how women keep their money pin to something! Well my wife keeps wondering why she comes up short on what she had.

When I want a detector I have no pride!

Chuck

[Steve Herschbach]

In my opinion the Goldmaster 24K is a truly new detector, not a GMT in a different box. It is not possible to use the GMT circuit board - way too big. It is far more likely this is a variant of the MX5 family, as are the MX Sport and MX7. Or an entirely new circuit pressed onto MX5 size boards, with the GMT as inspiration.

Boosting voltage to the coil by over 50% will make this detector act more like a Minelab Gold Monster than a GMT - extremely high gain. This causes issues with ground and hot rocks, leading to a new ground balance system that attempts to keep this kind of power under control. Yet with far more options than the Gold Monster and with a standard threshold based all metal style performance that most experienced people will appreciate.

Note that the boost in coil voltage will require that the coil be built to tighter tolerances, and so just like the MX Sport it is unlikely existing GMT compatible coils will work properly on the GMK. There is that new connector again, and even if you used an adapter, the old coils are likely to overload, though a few here and there might work.

So while for sales purposes you might say this is a GMT in a new package, that is no more true than it is of people saying the MX Sport is an MXT in a new package. Nope, new detectors. They may be based on and inspired by the earlier models, but they do act differently and need new coils - that means new detector in my opinion.

I look forward to getting my hands on the Goldmaster 24K and giving it a spin in the fall. Looks like presales in August so that might mean not until September before I get one. It is on my list of things to do however. I can't get much interested in detectors that are truly a new packaging job (like the TDI SL Special Edition) if I have already run one of the variants. Something genuinely new I like to try however. I have handled the MX7 package and physically I like it, lightweight and perfect balance, with a grip that suits my hands at least. And watching the video I really liked the audio I was hearing from the GMK - seemed very smooth and clean, nice tone for my ear.

A 14" elliptical would be nice but not if based on the existing Jimmy Sierra mold - that needs to get retired. A smaller "Shooter" 4" x 6" coil is almost a given, but it also could be thinner. Fisher has it right with the Gold Bug 2 coils - thin, durable, and knock resistant.

[Steve Herschbach]

It's not that easy Simon. Shrinking things physically is not the issue.

The GMT and MXT were designed at the dawn of microprocessor integration into detector technology and still incorporate a lot of analog circuitry. The way everything works is a combination of microprocessor programs and analog circuits.

New machines are running almost entirely in software now, and trying to write programs that emulate what older detectors do is no easy task. At best you are creating a simulation that is close but not the same. There is a lot of nuance in a detector that does not carry over when the shift is made from analog to digital.

This is not speculation on my part. I have had interesting discussions with detector engineers on the challenges involved. The bottom line is that while you could say an MX Sport is an MXT in a different housing, anyone running one would know they are different detectors. And anyone running a new Goldmaster 24K is going to know in minutes that it's not just a slimmed down GMT. That is a good thing!

[Steve Herschbach]

You can't really tell from the photos but the GMT circuit board occupies the entire control box dimensions whereas the GMK board fits entirely in the display pod.

Where you draw the line between digital and analog is mostly opinion, since the GMT/MXT do run a lot of assembly code. I suspect that code is not all that well documented and even the original designers might have an interesting time getting back into it. And they no longer work for White's. Some things you are better off just starting over from scratch.

White's GMT circuit board....

White's Goldmaster 24K (GMK) circuit board....

[Steve Herschbach]

I believe the MX Sport and MX7 share the same basic circuit board. In other words, a board designed to fit in a MX7 should also fit in the MX Sport housing. So in theory at least you could make a waterproof version of the Goldmaster 24K.

Here is the MX Sport circuit board. Note the coil, speaker, power, etc connections are the same locations as what you see above. This is probably the board White's would like to use in every model they make and they are moving that way. I think the MX Sport and MX7 were supposed to replace the MXT entirely but that has not happened quite yet. The 24K will probably lead to a swift demise of the GMT however. As White's makes fewer and fewer metal boxes the pressure grows to retire them completely. White's will make them as long as people will buy them and a profit can be made, but the days of the White's black metal boxes are surely numbered.

Click for larger version.....

[Steve Herschbach]

If this thing runs like it should it will be a great New Zealand detector - extremely hot and will excel in mild ground especially with the concentric coil. Far more adjustability than the Gold Monster - and it has a threshold!