nuggethunting

Hey Rod, Thanks for posting what you found out. I tried to get an answer, but I'm not sure what was going on. Minelab's Customer Service is definitely improving from what they had many years ago.

Hey Dan, Thanks for posting your results from the modded GPX and the Coiltek 14-inch Round Mono Elite. I think you will like the new NF 17x13 EVO you just purchased, it will get a bit more depth and is very sensitive for the size of the coil. All the new Flat Wind coils, Elite and EVO's are great. Keep us posted here if you would.

Hey Rod, There are huge differences with a PI vs. VLF, but each have their advantages. The new ML Gold Monster 1000 is a VLF gold detector, which is extremely sensitive to small gold. The VLF will struggle in medium to high mineralization, where a PI will just purr through it. The VLF's are also much lighter and easier to use all day. The major advantage of a PI is the mineral immunity and depth (typically 2-3 times the depth of a conventional VLF). For the price of under $1000, I would consider a used PI. The TDI and SD 2100 are around the same class. I have always been a Minelab fan, the the TDI is a great unit also. The SD 2100 will be easier to use, the TDI has some functions like Pulse Delay and such that kind of confuse new PI customers. If you can get either for around $700, they are both worth a look at.

Hey Afriscot, Real nice batch of gold you recovered. I would recommend chasing the bedrock down to the deeper bedrock areas if you're getting that on the more shallow stuff. It might be real interesting to see what might be hiding deeper, especially if the old-timers never beat you to it. Keep us updated with your success metal detecting. You always seem to be finding some great gold and inspiring us that it's still out there to be found.

Hey Brian and others, No real talk about the GPZ or anything new coming out along those lines. The new focus from what I gathered is Minelab really concentrating on the coin/relic market once again. There was some talk about getting the XChange software updated and doing more with it, but they didn't go really into any solid details. I'm sure in the future we will hear more from Minelab on this. No question, Minelab is moving forward with Advanced Technology and much better Support than we have seen in the past.

Hey Rod, I would check it out, if it works well it's worth $700.00. It's a great PI, so you will get good depth, good sensitivity to smaller bits and great mineral immunity. I found a lot of nuggets with the SD 2100 back in the day. There are a lot of aftermarket parts and searchcoils that will also help increase performance even more.

Hey Dave,You have to learn to have thick skin on the forums ...... I thought your handle was "Diamondback Dave" for a reason ..... LOL

Hey Chuck, Yep, I was there. Pretty much all the major US dealers were present (Arizona Outback, Myself, Bill Southern, Doc's Detecting, Gerry's Detectors and many more). A lot of talk on the new Minelab Equinox series 600 and 800. Minelab sure has made advancements in the Multi-Frequency department with the Coin/Relic detectors. I doubt anyone will be disappointed with the new Equinox. Minelab is still on target of releasing the unit towards the end of the month, Jan. 2018. I'm hoping they have plenty of units available to supply all the backorders/pre-orders out there.

Hey Rod, Congrats on the recent finds and sharing with us. Yes, those Ferrite Rings are fragile, so one drop and it's in pieces. I've already done that .....

Hey Guys, I just got back from the 2018 Minelab Dealers Conference that was held here in Arizona. There was a lot of talk about the new Minelab Equinox series (600 and 800) and the advancements they have made with Multi-Frequency Technology (Multi-IQ). They also mentioned about the Service centers, but I forgot to ask about repairing older PI's (SD and GP series). I think for the most part, the parts are no longer available). The price range for a SD or GP can get up to about $1500 if the unit is in fair condition with a few accessories. I wouldn't pay more than about $1000 for a used SD today, or more than $1500 for a used GP model. Keep in mind, Minelab units are very reliable and can last a lifetime. That being said, there is also a small change you could get that one bad one, where you turn it ON and it burns up.

Hey Guys, This video is worth a watch. Glenn Wadstein and the placer on Sterling Creek.

Hey Guys, The GPZ is amazingly sensitive to small gold. I just conducted some training today with couple of guys from North Dakota. They both purchased GPZ's from us. I laid down a small, under 1 grain nugget on the bedrock so they could see how sensitive the unit really is. They were just amazed and even thought I was pulling their leg, so they moved the small nugget to another section of bedrock, scanned over it and BANG! I think the most amazing thing is not so much the technology of the GPZ, but the sensitive of the 14x13 Super DD coil. I would expect this from maybe a tiny small Mono, but a DD.

Hey Brian, You're welcome. There are so many settings, some go real conservative, others take the settings to the extreme. There are so many variables when it comes to metal detecting for gold. Some major contributors are ground mineralization and gold type that I base my settings off of.

Hey Cowkiller, It's always great when you find a new patch in a new area. Congrats on the gold you found, they sure have some nice character to them all. Thank You for always being a loyal customer and friend. Wishing you many more nuggets from the new location. Rob Allison

Hey Brian, Personally, I have tried many of these settings, but never really seen any real improvements on the ground I'm working. I have found that I have gotten better depth overall when I run a lower "sensitivity" and stay out of Difficult soil condition. I prefer to listen for the faint whispers or disturbances in the threshold than listen to all the extra background noise running some of the extreme settings. I guess it comes down to a persons personal preference. I have always ran the SD, GP and GPX units lower and concentrated on faint signals and had good success. Over the years I found some really nice deep nuggets. I have tried running "Semi Auto" Ground balance and found it very difficult to stay ground balanced where I hunt. I have used this setting with and without the Ferrite ring trying to get a good balance, but have much better results Auto Balancing with the Ferrite. Just my thoughts.

Hey Dave, We need to keep you in the field to keep you in tip, top detector shape! You're always invited to join when I'm heading out. I have a few places I want to drywash, so maybe we can drag the drywashers out before the ground gets too wet.

Hey Dave, Great to get you into the field again. Thanks again for your continued support in friendship and business. It sure was fun getting out and hiking a few miles. I really thought we would score more, but that is how it works sometimes. The key is to continue to get out and explore and have fun. Next time you might need to carry a whistle .....

Hey Jen, Ya, I have lost a few Ferrite Rings before, so figure that idea might solve it. Thanks for the compliments on the hat. I'm seen a lot of cheap hats over the years, so I figured I would try to get some nice fitted, camo hats for customers. For the most part, I haven't had any complaints on them. I'm also only selling them for $16 if someone wants to purchase one. Heck, I have seen some hats (no names or companies mentioned) for like $30.

Thanks Guys. I was able to escape yesterday with a few good buds and we scored almost 7 Dwt's in gold. I will post them soon.

Hey Jen, If someone here in Arizona purchases either unit, I will let them roam the claims for a bit. The SDC 2300 might be the ticket on them now. I have one unit being looked at this week, but still one available for sure.

Hey BJretired, Very nice specimen you scored there. Damn, the flies look bad, kind of like the mosquitoes in Alaska. Wishing you all a very successful 2018 season.

Hey Tom and friends, Thanks for sharing your adventures! Sure looks like Artic Dave can get around in that cool rail he has. Always great to explore new country and get off the beaten path. Wishing you all a very successful 2018 prospecting season.

Hello All, I just wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year 2018. I hope that 2017 brought you all you wanted in life, but hoping for even better in the new year. Wishing you all Health, Wellness and some gold nuggets in the poke! We Thank You all personally for your friendship and business.

Hello All, Today I met up with Steve and Dave, both purchased Minelab Pulse Induction metal detectors from us. We decided to take a long hike to a wash that produced in the past. Steve was using the Minelab SDC 2300 and Dave was using the Minelab GPX 4500. I was packing the Minelab GPZ 7000 with me. After a bit of training, both guys decide to try different spots, so we all kind of branched out to find that first gold nugget. Within an hour, Steve and I located the first gold nugget, which was only 3-4 grains in weight. It was hiding under some brush that was growing out of a bedrock crevice. I ended up hitting a decent little guy in the sidewall of a bank. It was just a faint signal, but after taking 4-6 inches off the wall, the target was much louder. I had a good feeling this was going to be a nugget due to the location and being in the bank of the wash. We all hunted for 4-5 hours and called it quits. We all had a blast hiking, metal detecting and getting everyone more familiar with their new Minelab metal detectors. I really expected we would find a few more nuggets, but it was just one of those days. We all lugged a good amount of iron rubbish from the area. P.S. Thanks for sporting the new, Flexfit Camo "Rob's Detectors" hats. Picture below -

Hey Jim, Ya, he was very liked and a mentor to many electronic prospectors across the Western US. I still remember him coming into Arizona Al's prospecting store when it was on 43rd and Northern and showing the briefcase of Northern Nevada gold. It about blew my mind the stuff he was finding. This was around the time period where he hit the big one up there. I think for many, many years to come guys will think about him, especially when they are up in the Northern Nevada area.