Anybody using a pinpointer to detect/sample with?

[azblackbird]

Thinking about adding a Whites TRX pinpointer to my toolbox. Just wondering if it would be sensitive enough, or able to go deep enough to use to pinpoint cracks/fissures in bed rock, or to pick up fines in a gold pan?

Here's what I'm thinking… there's a ton of gullies I have mapped out for exploration. Rather than wasting time detecting them, I'm contemplating just doing a run and gun operation where I hit all the likely settling points in the exposed bedrock areas, do a quick dig out in some of the crevices, pinpoint for any gold, if I get a signal then take the vac and suck up a bucket full, dry pan the fluff out, check for any signals, if I get a hit, then bag and tag it. Hopscotch to the next spot and do the same all the way up till I hit the end of the gully.

Any suggestions or ways of doing it differently would be appreciated…

[DOC]

Save your money on pinpointers. Instead invest in a FALCON MD20. It will actually find gold and little stuff at that. In addition it will tell you whether you have a hot rock or a rock with gold in it.

I have got many people started finding gold by using this little marvel for crack sniping. This way they don't have to put out $1000. Get a gold pan, a small sledge and crow bar, a pain brush, and a 5 gallon bucket. Start testing cracks with your Falcon, crack the seam open, and brush the seam out and put it in your 5 gallon bucket.

The Falcon MD20 Gold Probe is $249

Great fun.

Look at this video.

Take care!

Doc

[azblackbird]

Save your money on pinpointers. Instead invest in a FALCON MD20. It will actually find gold and little stuff at that. In addition it will tell you whether you have a hot rock or a rock with gold in it.

That seems to be the consensus among the replies on the other forums I posed this question. Thanks for confirming Doc.

[nuggethunting]

Hey AZBackbird,

The only time I use a Pinpointer while detecting is when I believe I might have a very good, deep target. This is determined by the ground type, hardness and such. I don't use a Pinpointer to pinpointer every target detected. This takes way too much time and is not needed. When someone is good at detecting, they have no reason in my opinion to use a pinpointer to dig a target. There might be a few exceptions when you're digging on a historical site or such, but when you're good at pinpointing with your detector's coil, you don't need them.

I have used them to dig big nuggets in hardpack and they work great. The one that most seen to purchase is the Garrett Pinpointer. It's less expensive than the Minelab version and seems to be more sensitive to small targets.

Just my opinions.

[azblackbird]

The only time I use a Pinpointer while detecting is when I believe I might have a very good, deep target. This is determined by the ground type, hardness and such. I don't use a Pinpointer to pinpointer every target detected. This takes way too much time and is not needed.

Hey Rob,

My sole purpose for using a pinpointer would be for doing some quick run and gun sampling. The plan is to quickly hit all the bedrock and settling points in the numerous remote gullies and gulches I have marked for sampling. My tools would be a pinpointer, gold vac, gold pan, pick, shovel, hammer, chisels, crevice tools, etc.

The idea is to find a sweet spot, dig down to bedrock while running the pinpointer over the dirt for a signal. If I get some signals, then I'll dig down more into the crevices and cracks, use the gold vac or whatever works best to get the pay dirt out and fill a bucket or two full. Then I'll do a quick dry pan (while using the pointer and a magnet) to get out all the fluff, concentrate it down while running the pointer over it. If I keep getting good signals on the concentrates, then I'll bag it and tag it and move on to the next sampling point.

Once I get a good sampling of the entire gully/gulch, I'll process the concentrates at home, and then decide which areas (if any) warrant my time coming back in with the heavy equipment.

So far it appears the Falcon MD20 would be the ideal tool to have that would help me save some time. My goal is to spend at the most maybe 15-20 minutes at each sampling point. So the faster I can dig and semi-process the samples, the faster I can move on to the next point.

[boulder dash]

Dude simplification! Sounds way to complicated the way your painting this prospector exploration.

[azblackbird]

Dude simplification! Sounds way to complicated the way your painting this prospector exploration.

If you have a better sampling technique I'm all ears BD. Seems to me a guy has to dig a fair amount of dirt to get a proper sample. Why not drag a gold specific pin pointer over your pan as you sample to see what's in there… rather than spend time dry panning each shovel full. I'd rather get a few signals then knock all the fluff out and then bag and tag it for later processing, then move on to the next hole.

[adam]

would be a pinpointer, gold vac, gold pan, pick, shovel, hammer, chisels, crevice tools, etc.

That`s a lot of stuff to carry.....good luck with that

If I keep getting good signals on the concentrates

Are you under the impression that the pin pointer only beeps on gold and not all other ferrous and non ferrous trash

[azblackbird]

That`s a lot of stuff to carry.....good luck with that

Are you under the impression that the pin pointer only beeps on gold and not all other ferrous and non ferrous trash

Hey Adam,

The Falcon MD20 from all the videos I've seen seems to be the ticket for what I want to do. From what I've seen, the Falcon will sound off differently on ferrous vs. non ferrous. Plus I'll be using a magnet on each pan to ferret the trash out. If you have any better ideas, I'd sure like to hear them. I'm just looking to do some simple boots on the ground "run and gun" sampling. How do you and BD sample?

Believe it or not, but all the tools (including the gold vac) fit perfectly in or on the tote box. Thus the reason for wanting a small gold specific pin pointer. None of my detectors along with the coils will fit with all the other stuff crammed in there, and I will not transport them without them being wrapped in foam, bubble wrap, or hard cased. The Falcon is small enough to easily fit inside the gold vac.