New Member, but committed to Prospecting

[deathray]

Crevicing tools...screwdrivers, spoons, hook knives, estwing rock hammer. Anything to dig out cracks and crevices on bedrock. I live in the center of the motherload...calaveras county...and the only guys I know living off of prospecting are living lean my friend. Its doable if your in kick ass shape, and single. These guys live out in the canyons, sleep in a tent, and work very hard.There not getting rich for sure. As far as detecting goes, I only have a gold bug pro, so Im not the one to give advice on that. But I do know some of the best detectorist in NoCal using the 5000, and the one thing they have in common is they all have jobs, or have retired.

[johnmac]

Gotcha, Thanks~!

[johnmac]

dRay - Bedrock Dreams is an excellent resource, thank you very much for that, sub'd to email updates and enjoyed watching about two dozen of Propanner's Youtube videos.

There is a great read on BD answering "can I make a living prospecting" - He gave a great statistic, which I found very useful, the very god modern prospector averages between 1 to 3 penny weight prospecting per day, if you took and average of 2 an easy 10% of a Troy Ounce, you would be in the $170/day range.

Your suggestion is well supported, striking it rich is a low percentage reward, very low in fact. I have to believe a great deal of finds, well, likely the majority go unreported… unless they are simply outlandish finds.

Propanner is an amazing dude, very skilled and full of practical knowledge, very much enjoyed watching those vids.

I'm not looking to strike it rich, that is greed, bad kuan, juju and frankly sillyness. It is used to draw people in and suck money from their pockets.

Have no illusions, simply believe hard work and an intelligent plan of execution should provide reward. We will see, thank you again for the resources, they are both amazing.

[deathray]

Glad you enjoyed them. Also, buy a subscription to ICMJ's prospecting and mining journal. Not to burst your bubble, but the one factor you dont mention is experience. If it only took hard work and a plan, a lot more people would do it. Not saying it cant be done, but guys that average a pennyweight or more per day, have paid their dues. Frankly, some of those old timers would probably be a little amused by this.Hey, If you can afford to take an extended vacation, by all means do so and enjoy. Heres one last google search for ya. Try to find blogs written by Jason Quinten Kincade. Hes a guy around here that did live off of prospecting, and may still.He has written of his adventures. He is mainly a sniper. Really cool dude, I used to keep in touch with him, but lost contact. I hope he is ok.

[johnmac]

Oh, experience… I do understand, I figured it would be at least six months before I could begin to refer to my fat finger as remotely "experienced"… and by this I mean .00001% as remote. It is like anything else where one chooses to endeavor into independence… it takes years and there is never an end to the learning curve. To me, this is why forums such as this are so utterly invaluable. I fully intend to share mine, so as to provide a very wayfaring traveler approach to prospecting with all it's attendant warts.

I am no stranger to paying dues… I was a farmer for over a decade.

Prior to that worked 90+ hours a week in New York as a private analyst for 10+ years.

Ray, I do appreciate your realistic and very pragmatic approach, I frankly am not dis-illusioned by greed, dreams of wealth or anything remotely of this ilk.

I do understand it will be extremely challenging… I do however find immense joy in a good challenge. And this certainly fits the bill. I am making contact with several old timers who are considering mentoring me for a good while.

intend to make the the trip to AZ as well to hook up with a member here as well as see Rob for training, all this long after plodding around here in florida practicing for awhile.

I know mistakes are inevitable, I am trying to minimize those and balance expectations by discussion within this forum. It has been a rewarding experience so far an personally look forward to sharing my adventures here on a regular basis. Hopefully it will help other newcomers as you all have assisted me.

Thank you for JQK, I will look him up.

Who knows Ray, we might meet up on day, I'd enjoy that as I'd like to shake your hand and buy you a beer.

Be well and kind regards,

John

[deathray]

Good luck to you...hey man, if I could do it all over again, I would have spent years 18-25 living in the canyons, sniping for gold. Im a bit jealous of anyone who can do it. Now I am 46, have two kids, wife , etc. If you ever make it to Calaveras county, pm me. By then youll be showing me a thing or two for sure. When its all on the line, youll learn by leaps n bounds. Best of luck, and think about loggin your adventures! Which reminds me, there is another book out thereIve been wanting to get. Its an autobiography of a guy who lived and mined in the SouthYuba River canyon during the 80s. Cant recall the title.

[mikeadair]

Johnmac

If your coming to AZ. that v.l.f is going to be frustrating and you will quickly loose interest.The only ground you will be able to hunt is in the sand washes and exposed bedrock.The hillside gold will be out of reach for your v.l.f because of the mineralization and hot rocks.You can learn to recognize the hot rocks but the mineralized ground (and thats where the gold is) will be your doom.Just my opinion of my last 11 years in the goldfields with a P.I. detector.

Hope this helps and welcome.

Mike

[johnmac]

<p>Mike,</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I just put a deposit on a GPX 5000 :~)</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Skipped the VLF and although I intend to add one, it is for beach beeping only in Florida at this point.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Gained enough confidence and knowledge here to determine with Rob and everyone else's assistance it would be better for me to start with a PI and not skimp on a quality PI Beeper.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>The choice appears fairly simple I did a great deal of reading and spent a few weeks looking over reviews, listening to opinions and watching plenty of video.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Chatted with Rob and others here - feel confident I made a good investment and they seem to hold their value as there does not appear to be anything in the development pipeline nor is there a great amount of room for improvement.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>It may have a bit of learning curve initially, but I will be training with Rob and. It seems I can avoid all sorts of issues with hot rocks and mineralized grounds that might be highly frustrating to a beginner. There are plenty of experienced prospectors here who are advanced enough and have enough beep time to use a VLF like nobody's business, that is clearly not me.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Thanks again Mike, 11 years of experience shared & received~!</p>

[johnmac]

I am now observing our lever pullers getting ready for unlimited financial/fiscal defibrillation. They floated a trial ballon last week for printing/creating an $30 trillion additional in confetti. Physical Gold and Silver are going to enjoy a nice disconnect from the their managed price levels in the coming year. It may get the animal spirits and juices flowing one again, particularly for prospecting, should be good for Rob's sales, but provide increased competition for us.

[johnmac]

Rob, just spoke with a good friend who would like to purchase a PI detector for Beach Beeping on the Atlantic Coast and eventually the Gulf Coast. Left messages at both contact numbers, he asked me to look into it for him.

My thought was the Minelab 3030, looking for guidance here, he is ready to purchase it.

[johnmac]

Ray, had an hour long conversation with JR last night and enjoyed every minute of it.

What an interesting individual.

Thank you for making the suggestion to visit his site, I have spent hours reading there and found an amazing amount of information which has proven invaluable.

Will have GPX from Rob in hand next week and am going to do a fair amount of Beach Detecting here in Florida for a month or two prior to heading out West.

Made final payment today and am going to get countless hours of beep time under my belt here prior departure. Hopefully I can upload some beach fotos/videos and share my finds.

Thank you again for those the resources you shared, I greatly appreciate it.

[deathray]

Your very welcome. Best of luck and keep us posted on your adventure!

[johnmac]

Should be beeping shortly, Rob is shipping my detector tomorrow. Hope to have some relics up after a few weeks of working it.

A few months of beach beeping is something I look forward to and it seems to be one of the easier places to begin.

Be well Ray and thank you again.

[johnmac]

Does anyone here use the ML 705? Thought about picking one up as a beach beeper only and was interested in experience.

Thanks in advance.

[nuggethunting]

Hey John,

You sure sounds excited! Did you get your new GPX 5000 yet?

The Minelab X-Terra 705 standard or Gold Pack are great. This is probably the second hottest detector we sell behind the GPX. The X-Terra 705 is completely digital, easy to use and is a 2-1 metal detector (multi-purpose - coin/relic/beach and gold nugget) all in one. I would recommend the 705 standard since it has the 8.5-inch waterproof coil which is better for beach hunting or anywhere around water. The 705 Gold comes with the 18.75khz high freq. 10-inch elliptical DD, which is better for nugget hunting and great sensitivity to small items such as gold nuggets.

Hope this helps a bit,

Rob Allison

[johnmac]

Rob,

Have not received the 5000 just yet, will track it this morning and I'm sure it will be here shortly.

I am excited, after several months of research I'm looking forward to putting my plans into action.

Sold the Boat this weekend, which is a major relief in this economy

Now it's onto the next, which is off-road vehicle - FJ80 Land Cruiser w/2.5" lift and an upgraded ECU. Looking at a 4Runner as well. Old Toyotas are simply tough to beat for just about any condition.

Have narrowed my prospecting region down to one area for the next few years and am looking forward to setting up base and spending a great deal of time in the field.

The next two months are straight up beach detecting and I intend to purchase a 705 in both flavors, but am going to begin working with the 5000, so I may need a waterproof coil?

[deathray]

Cant beat a Yota...Ive had my Fj40 since 1987and also have a 79 4x4truck. Id go with a first or second gen fourrunner..lighter, cheaper parts, and better on fuel. But more room in the lc.

[deathray]

That fj80doesnt look lifted and is too pretty. Nice highway cruiser though.

[johnmac]

Ray, Lifted it is not, that was after purchase - this one concerned me after seeing it, it was really rough, no records and although lower miles for its age, I found a few 4Runners as well to look over. I had a Yota in Islands for years, it never failed me and ran circles around anything else.

May end looking at LX450 in 94-97 range as well… same deal but softer leather, the Lockers might be tougher, but hey goes with territory.

Prefer the LC to 4R as I've spent plenty of time in both and just a matter of personal preference, they are both tremendous vehicles.

A friend of my wife's sold her 4Runner with 217K on it for $5800, and it needed a timing belt. It's in Tanzania now where they routinely end up with 800K to 1M Kilometers on them.

The misses has a say in this and odds are she will pick pretty, ahhh… compromise.

Still on the hunt and will post the winner, she will be lifted, although I'm not sure about the full 2.5 to 3" it may end just shy of an inch from or just enough to support the extra weight and prevent any sag.

[johnmac]

Rob, FedEx has it arriving on Wednesday, whoo hoo~!

[johnmac]

105K

3/4" lift

Excellent condition

and pricey, but worth it

Needs an elephant tank, snorkel and roof rack along with two spares and a much better jack.

[johnmac]

Spent a good deal of time watching the Beck/Candy informational DVD that came with my GPX5000 as well as checked out a few YouTube Videos prior to unwrapping the GPX.

Fascinating stuff, very much enjoyed Minelab's DVD, very informative and inspirational all in one.

Will begin with some Coin/Relic detecting on the few actual beaches in the Keys for some practice and then moving up to the Treasure Coast for more of the same. We have only had one real storm back in October, so the pickings may be slim.

I am very impressed with the GPX, it is an amazing machine and although difficult to imagine how much further the technology has room for improvement, Im certain Minelabs will continue its development over the coming year or two and have an all new and improved GPX5500 or 6000. The timings are fascinating, Although there is very little mineralized ground here, the Ground Balancing is very slick.

Presently studying Coils and if anyone has suggestions for Mono's I am all ears.

Should add I am very pleased with my purchase and Rob's knowledge, patience and willingness to impart and share his knowledge. Can't wait to make it out to Arizona for training and hopefully will have gained enough beep time to be a quick study.

I find this all simply fascinating, the people, the technology and the experience, it fits the spirit of adventure and independence quite nicely. Not that I had the typical illusions of wealth & grandeur, but in speaking to so many hunters all of the false notions have been confirmed/dispelled as well as people within this forum.

It is interesting how many people I have spoken to who became discouraged in their efforts, many frankly gave up and after listening to their approach it was easy to understand why. They set themselves up for rather large expectations which were quickly unrealized. All too common in these times of near instant gratification.

A very big thank you to those of you here who helped guide me to this point, I will enjoy reciprocating one day, hopefully we our paths will cross, I know I look forward to that day.

[nuggethunting]

Hey John,

Thanks for the business. Yes, the Minelab GPX 5000 in my opinion (and opinion of the majority) is the most powerful handful metal detector on the planet. The superior mineral immunity, extreme depth and overall controls of this unit make it stand out on the top. Then you toss all the aftermarket coils, battery systems, signal enhancers, headphones and other accessories you can even get more performance.

You're going to have fun for sure!

[johnmac]

Rob, you are most welcome.

Quick question on the ML Battery - is there a side mount to the GPX for it like there is for the smaller Sony Lithium Ion?

I would prefer to use one as opposed to the shoulder harness.

Thanks again~!

John

[johnmac]

Was fortunate enough to get the Trawler sold last week, she's on her way up the ICW to Merritt Island - the last impediment to getting things in gear for the remainder of 2013 prospecting is now a memory.

Recently I have been looking over different equipment for Sluicing, Highbanking and Dredging. Sluicing appeared to be the easiest learning curve, along with with a nice tight Coil ( 8x6 Nugget Finder ) for crevacing. I purchased several mats from Gold Hog and am buying an MS46 Sluice and testing how well the mats work at different flow rates.

Between nugget snipping along the banks and suctioning out those nooks and crannies, I am good to go at the noob-stage for quite some time. Hope to hook up with some fellow prospectors long the way this year to share the experience and learn what I am able.

Now that the Boat is gone its a value priced RV for staying on site for days to weeks on end, it seems to me there is a very real advantage to this when a good return is realized while sampling whether it be nugget shooting or working rivers. The added advantage of being able to carry a large amount of equipment also helped sway this decision. Towing a 4x4 should be a snap, particularly a small Sidekick/Samurai or CJ7. Every Land Cruiser I looked over had not been taken care of. Did find a 94-97 LX450 on eBay and it was too nice, 105K and sold for 16K. Probably worth ever penny, but far too nice to rough up prospecting.

Considering adding several VLFs to the arsenal as well, a ML705 for my son and a Gold Bug based on Ray's discussions here.

Today's project is rigging the OEM ML Battery for the 5000 to the detector itself, found the shoulder harness a bit cumbersome, so the Velcro is being cut, it's light enuf so it should not be an issue.

Be well all and best of prospecting~!