First post with a question

[whattheheck]

Hello All

My wife and I are planning on getting rid of most of this stuff we have collected over the past 50 plus years (household items) and buying a mid sized motor home and spending most of our time (we have a 16 month old grandson) out prospecting for gold and other things(other things are her idea).

I've been doing alot of surfing on the net and were excited to get started (hopefully next year). We've purchased a mxt and a dozen or so books and maps, and have joined GPAA and a small local club (Phoenix area) so far.

My question is: Do any of you long time prospectors have an opinion on LDMA you could share? We're interested in the Stanton location and the original California location as places we could spend a few months at a time on. Any info would be great.

Thanks

Mike and Cindy

[nuggethunting]

Hello Mike and Cindy,

Welcome to my "Nuggethunting.com Forums." The LDMA has a great camp at Stanton, Arizona. However, unless you need the hook-ups and such, you probably don't need the camp. The GPAA/LDMA have some great campsites around the US, Stanton being one of them. It's a great place to camp, share stories and meet people that share the same interests.

If you plan on traveling around to the LDMA Campsites and using their facilities it's well worth the money. Joining the LDMA you can use their campsites and all of their claims including the GPAA claims. The LDMA is kind of a deluxe club where you can use all the LDMA & GPAA claims. If you're just a GPAA member you can't use the LDMA claims.

The White's MXT is a great unit, but might struggle a bit on mineralization out West. Later down the line you might want to look into a Minelab PI (Pulse Induction) unit. Just above everyone hunting around the Stanton, Rich Hill area is using one. They are much more immune to mineralization and punch down twice the depth of a White's MXT. This is something to consider in the future, but not necessary in the near future.

Books can be a great help. If you don't have the "Placer Gold Deposits of Arizona" or "Arizona Gold Placers and Placering" I would highly recommend them for hunting around Arizona. You might also consider Jim Straight's books, such as "Follow the Drywashing 7th edition" & "Advanced Prospecting and Detecting for Hardrock Gold." I carry all these books and they are well worth the price. You might already have them all. I would also recommend Chris Gholson's "Rich Hill" book if you're interested in the Stanton, Arizona area.

What small Arizona Club do you belong to? Roadrunner's Prospecting Club, GPAA, Arizona Prospectors Association, Mesa Gold Digger's, Tucson Desert Gold Digger's, Weaver Mining District?

Wishing you the best of luck out there. Hope to hear back from you.

Talk with you soon,

Rob Allison

[whattheheck]

Rob

Thanks for your quick response, unlike mine, out of town and under the weather for afew days. After making that first post we drove out to Stanton for the day to check it out. Looks like they just lost several claims. Very interesting place, were still considering joining the LDMA to have access to their facilities and claims. Looks like a good place to stay for a few months at a time and be able to jump back to Phoenix for a day or two to see the kids.

On the way out we stopped and joined the Weaver mining district and picked up the book on Rich Hill you recommended. While we were there we also bought the map that shows all the club claims for the rich hill area which raises another question if you don't mind. The map shows club claims and private claims. What is the rest of the area in the vacinity of Rich Hill that isn't marked? Can anybody go in those areas? With that in mind if there is an area that produces gold wouldn't someone have claimed it by now?

Anyway, we have joined GPAA and SMTH in AJ. Thats where I bought the MXT. I walked in thinking (from the little research I had done) that I wanted a minelab. He deals in both and a few others, after a few questions about what we wanted to do we walked out with an MXT.

Thanks again for your help

Mike

[29prospector]

Rob

Thanks for your quick response, unlike mine, out of town and under the weather for afew days. After making that first post we drove out to Stanton for the day to check it out. Looks like they just lost several claims. Very interesting place, were still considering joining the LDMA to have access to their facilities and claims. Looks like a good place to stay for a few months at a time and be able to jump back to Phoenix for a day or two to see the kids.

On the way out we stopped and joined the Weaver mining district and picked up the book on Rich Hill you recommended. While we were there we also bought the map that shows all the club claims for the rich hill area which raises another question if you don't mind. The map shows club claims and private claims. What is the rest of the area in the vacinity of Rich Hill that isn't marked? Can anybody go in those areas? With that in mind if there is an area that produces gold wouldn't someone have claimed it by now?

Anyway, we have joined GPAA and SMTH in AJ. Thats where I bought the MXT. I walked in thinking (from the little research I had done) that I wanted a minelab. He deals in both and a few others, after a few questions about what we wanted to do we walked out with an MXT.

Thanks again for your help

Mike

Mike,

You will enjoy yourMXT for years to come. And you be adding to the detector collection as you go.

Good luck...... Its a beautiful hobby

Bob

[whattheheck]

Thanks Bob

I wasn't compaining about the MXT, I belive we got what we asked for.

Anxious to get started

Thanks

Mike

[whats4supper]

a word about the site:

WTH: you should run it by the people on this forum or Rob. Could save you alot of frustration, and nobody here is going to rip you off or sell you some contraption that won't work towards your goals and plans. A lot of us folks are still working stiffs that are also in a hobby to build a little better poke or get some recreation or escape from the world when not there for our day jobs.

You have all the time in the world. Read some of the other archives for hints and strategy, and then make a plan based on informed views.

you can make the hobby as physical or as lax as you wish. The key to winning is to keep the overhead low