Tarsacci MDT 8000 For Nuggets?

[Gerry in Idaho]

On 1/28/2019 at 10:50 PM, goldbrick said:

I am frankly surprised that there has been no mention of the Tarsacci MDT 8000 on this prospecting forum. At least I saw none when I did a search of this forum. This detector intrigues me. Supposedly not a PI nor a VLF. Maybe ground breaking tech. Depth somewhere in between a GPX and a VLF but with almost full depth discrimination. It's mainly been marketed as a beach machine but the same features that make it excel on the beach may also be good for hot ground.

I am sure it is not a panacea for whatever woes you have with your current machine. It seems you only have the choice of one coil, a 9x11. The tones sound different than what most people are used to. It's not as deep as a GPX or maybe not even a TDI? I don't know, not much info out there as this detector has only been available since mid-December. There are plenty of ways to pick this detector apart that I have not listed but let's look at the positive aspects of it. 

The Tarsacci may be the first detector that offers better depth than a VLF yet retains good discrimination both tonally and with a VDI number. The manufacturer does not tout it as being hot on small gold but there are a few anecdotal references on forums or youtube questioning whether it may be OK. I dont think it will equal a really hot VLF operating in a high KHZ range but I for one do not care. I get tired of scratching for fly-poop and would welcome a DISCRIMINATING detector that would give me greater depth in hot ground. I know that I am old enough if I dig ten deep nails I am about done for a while so the old proverb of "dig it all" doesn't work for me any more. One thing that really struck me is the ability to use the salt balance feature to totally eliminate certain(many?) hotrocks. I can think of more than a few scenarios where this detectors capabilities may produce some gold in the poke.

So yes, I am surprised I see no discussion or even a mention of it as a candidate for a gold nugget machine.

Merton,  What a coincidence as I was fortunate to meet Mr. Gargov and his lovely wife 2 weeks ago while in MX.  We chatted detectors, technologies and folks who were around in the late 90's at Fisher that we both worked with.  We talked of the Coin Strike, Gold Strike and how they were a little before their time for most detector users.  Great technologies but the average Joe did not grasp them as well as had hoped.  The Gold Strike was too different from the proven Gold Bug-2 and digital detectors were not the norm at that time. 

Dimitar asked if I was interested in seeing his detector (MDT 8000) and an hour later he is standing in knee deep water with said machine in hand.  We walked up to beach and I put my EQ-800 down in a chair so I could handle the 8000.  1st thought was very impressive quality of carbon fiber shaft/handle.  The display screen seemed a little old school boxy but the features/functions were right there for me to see.  Weight and balance was pretty good. 

Dimitar was trying to explain this detectors main features and kept saying it reads the Salinity of the surrounding soils/water which helps increase overall depth.  Also I remember him saying something about seeing through certain hot rocks and still responding to targets under them.  Those two statements alone peaked my interest.   Anyway, with his strong accent it was a little hard for me to catch all his knowledge while standing on a beautiful beach in MX with stunning views walking past.  

I had just scooped a smaller 3.4 gram Palladium band so why not take up is offer and swing it a few to get a quick idea of how it would respond to my newly discovered ring.  In wet salt sand it did as he said it would.  In the water I was not disappointed.  At the edge of the water where the wakes break it had a little chatter, but that is expected as the salt mineral around the coil is changing extremely fast.  A couple quick clicks on the LCD pad and it smoothed out. 

His wife came back to inform him they had to check out of the room and catch their flight back to CA., so I did not get much more time to chat with him.  Overall quick impression as I know most model of detectors on the market do not perform well in salt water, I see another tool to add to some beach hunts.

Now a couple things I did catch.  It is not 100% waterproof to my standards but rated IP-68 (which will suite most beach hunters).  When I asked about a Prospecting unit, he said it could happen down the road, but right now the focus is the MDT 8000, which could answer your original question of a gold detector.  The $1500 price seems reasonable for a high performance Beach detector, but I feel the sales would be more brisk if priced around the $1000 mark.  I guess the EQ-800 sub $1000 pricing and its overall sales have really changed how some manufactures think, we'll see.  Either way, it does not take to many more gold rings to cover the extra cost now that gold is $1300+ an ounce.

[goldbrick]

Gerry, that is quite the coincidence you should happen to run into Dimitar in Mexico. Too bad he had to leave so soon as he is an interesting conversationalist. I wish I would have been able to spend more time learning the intricacies of the MDT 8000 from him as I think there is a lot to learn that is not in the manual. I was impressed that he actually detects for a hobby so he really does "get it" when you discuss detecting with him.

I agree with you that a lot of people will likely want to stay in the sub-$1000 bracket when purchasing a machine. That's totally understandable when you have a detector such as the Equinox available. Of course just as a small percentage of people will pay for the performance of a GPZ 7000 I think the MDT 8000 will have it's own niche market eventually if it performs as well as it has at first blush.

[Rivers rat]

22 hours ago, RickUK said:

Must admit this detector is starting too really grab my attention for a deep pasture machine,i wont be buying one yet,as any new machine must have been out and been used for a minimum time period of 12 months before i part company with the 'folded' stuff,this criteria has always been adhered too as any new machine can have initial teething problems,so if i do decide to pull the trigger then it wont be till this coming december anyway.

Will be following all the reports of those folks who do own one and see how it plays out and if it then fits my requirements,it may or may not happen,it all depends on the reliability and if it performs for my requirements.

Resistance is futile Rick

 

 

RR

[Carolina]

I have owned the MDT for a year and my only complaint is no optional coils available. I really would like a round 12” coil and others have expressed the same interest for relic and coin hunting. I would use mine mostly for wet and damp salt water sand and relic. Fingers crossed that Dimitar will recognize optional coils will help produce more sales of the MDT and additional revenues from coil sales.