First day out with the GP 4000.......

[impactco]

....well, not really - I wrote this back in 2003 and it was reposted in many forums worldwide. It produced a lot of giggles and laughs. For those that never saw the original post, here it is again. Maybe the GPX-4000 will actually have some of these features since I know that people at Minelab read it. I guess we'll know in about a week! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And then came a knock at the door: I had written a check to my local dealer for over $19,500 and I had been patiently waiting for 3 months to receive my new GP 4000. Finally it arrived at my front door and I anxiously tore open the packaging in anticipation of handling my new toy. Assembly was a breeze since there was only one coil that is electronically adjustable from 1†to 96" via a panel switch. No battery to worry about since you mount a 2†solar panel on your hat that will power the unit in all but the lowest light conditions. No bungee to worry about since the 4000 has an always-on anti-gravity unit built in to give it an effective weight of only about 2 ounces (weight without the anti gravity is over 100 lbs so I hope this is a reliable device!). For added reliability, the 4000 also has a full time wireless data link with voice capability to the manufacturer’s support center so you can ask questions and have their technicians make adjustments on the fly. There is a pricey $199/month subscription charge for the wireless service but you can get over 200 television channels on the small Target Preview screen as an added bonus. You'll never miss a game again! The remote control for this is optional ($999) but well worth it! Very impressive technology! After reading the manual, I made some notes to myself about the various switch positions that would probably work well in my favorite nugget patch. I packed the 4000 in it’s double thickness brown paper bag carrying case emblazoned with the manufacturer’s logo along with a few other items I would need for the day and went to bed early in anticipation of what the next day would bring.

Field test: I awoke to a gorgeous summer day and with temperatures forecast to exceed 120 degrees in the shade and I knew that the 4000’s weather control switch would really come in handy! The 4-hour drive to my favorite patch felt like 20 minutes and there I was standing in the middle of a bit of ground that had been hammered by thousands of detectorists over the years. There were massive holes and tailings piles everywhere and every type of trash imaginable. So let’s see, solar cell hat in position, power mode to PI, Partner switch to Brunette (first time users should stick with this setting since the others can be somewhat complex to deal with). Suddenly I’m standing next to Sandra Bullock and she offers to help carry my canteen, great! I.Q., Motivation and Education switches set mid-way, per the manual. Spouse volume to 0, Optimistic switch on and the all important weather switch set to Just Right. Wow, the temperature suddenly dropped from 109 to 72 degrees with a slight breeze. Neat stuff! Ok, now for the other panel – Gold Discriminate set full off, Gold/Junk switch set to Gold, gold size set to Need A Forklift (why mess around with tiny nuggets!), depth to 20 Feet and Auto Beam Into Poke set. A quick cycle through the available coil sizes and I like the 48†round and the weight is no different than it is with the 1†coil setting. Gotta love it! I start swinging and within 5 minutes get a really strong signal. I look at the Target Preview screen (why did they put it on the front panel instead of the back, really a pain!) and there is an incredible 200 OZ slug that instantly materializes in the poke in my chest pocket knocking me backward on to the ground. This damn nugget is crushing my chest! With great effort I roll to one side and what’s left of my shattered poke crashes to the ground along with my new 200 OZ beauty! I have to make a note to the manufacturer to place a button on the unit like “Beam Now†so as to avoid this type of bruising! I decide to leave the 200 OZ beauty where it fell and have Sandra keep an eye on it. I’m feeling exhausted already – I gradually turn up the Motivation control – wow, much better. Another few feet and another signal, this time a 10 ouncer. I look over my shoulder and it materializes next to the 200 ouncer 40 feet away. Now this is living!

Suddenly, my cell phone rings and from the caller ID I can tell it’s my spouse, but for some reason I can’t hear her – oops, forgot to turn up the Spouse Volume. Now I can hear her but she is already complaining about how I forgot to drop the kids at school before I left – Spouse Volume back to 0 and back to the detecting!

As I continued to work the patch, I note that I could move the coil over just about any trash object and the machine would totally ignore it. I came upon an old car half buried in the earth and I gingerly moved the coil over its engine compartment area. A huge signal emanates from the 4000 and I check the Target Preview screen. A beautiful sight to behold meets my eyes! A slug of over 300 ounces buried at about 18 feet! Just as before, the slug materializes in my poke while Sandra watched. I was so excited I could hardly contain myself! At this point I was becoming a little thirsty and rather than call Sandra over with my water supply, I decided to try out a new feature that I had never seen on any model of detector before. I pushed the Beer button on the GP and a small tube extended from the left side of the control housing. A blast of icy air emanated from the tube followed by a high-pressure cascade of Fosters Australian brew. Unfortunately, it happened so fast that the frigid stream soaked my right leg and groin area and cascaded down to fill my right “no metal†detecting boot! I had wondered what the half liter ceramic mug was for that came with the 4000, but I had left it at home. I spent an additional 3 hours at the patch that day with my right foot making a loud squishy sound with every step.

Summary: In my time at the patch I found over 600OZ of the good stuff! I didn’t get a chance to play with all the switch settings, so that will have to wait for another report. Unfortunately, while messing with the Partner settings, I accidentally turned the I.Q. switch to 0 and couldn’t remember why I was there or who I was. Luckily, the technicians noted this via the wireless data link and reset the I.Q. switch back to mid-setting before I really hurt myself! With features like this, I can tell you I’ll never go back to my other detector again!

The standard disclaimer: I, nor any members of my family are under contract either written or verbal to receive any compensation of any kind from the manufacturer or it's owners and/or employees.

[FlakMagnet]

That is a crack-up...thanks.

Flak

[rexb]

LoL LOL x2 That has to be a classic.

[nuggethunting]

Hello,

Any chance you can tell me how the "Beer" setting works? I might use the Beer and Woman Selection more than expected!

Take care,

Rob Allison