Goldsnoop detector

[dave wiseman]

Posted on the Aussie MSN gold forumAny info on this detector?......Dave

[Reg]

Hi Dave,

I am trying to get some info on the unit also. I would like to try one just for fun. From what I can gather, it is sold under another name here in the US. Once I get it confirmed, I will let you know.

Now, as for the post of this VLF doing better than PI's, I expect this can happen in very limited areas. Actually, I know it can and I have hunted a place where it is true. The reason it will work better is because it will ignore the rocks that still sound off on a PI, such as Basalt.

In the US certain areas where the Basalt is the most common large rock and the pieces are all different in their response, there is no way any ground balance will tune them out, so one is constantly hearing weak signals. Fortunately, such places are not that common. In such cases where Basalt or a similar rock is the common one and there is Basalt with different characteristics , the signals can be stronger and very frequent, many of which resemble a piece of metal. If the area has too many rocks of this nature, it is almost impossible to hunt with a PI of any kind.

Now, a simple or basic gold hunting VLF will have the same problem in the all metal mode, but the problem will be worse because the all metal mode will also detect any magnetite that is usually ignored on a PI. However, switch a coin hunting type VLF to a discriminate mode and suddenly the rocks are ignored. Now, it takes a piece of metal to generate a response. For this to work best, it also takes a very wide disc mode adjustment capability such as that found on some of the Tesoros. Keep the disc adjustment at or near minimum. This way, smaller gold isn't missed.

Unfortunately, all is not perfect though. What I found years ago was the rocks were ignored, but they could help mask a good target, so one had to search very slowly to allow the discrimination filters to catch up. If by chance a nugget was sitting along side or under a piece of Basalt, the Disc mode could easily ignore the nugget, especially if the coil was swept too fast. When I used this technique, I was using a modified Tesoro Bandido.

Now, I have no idea of the ground conditions in OZ where the testing was done where the VLF surpassed the PI, but I can see how it could happen. I was fortunate enough to have a guy send me some of their native rock that sounds off very strongly on either a PI or a VLF. I am not sure just what it is or called, but I can see how it would be impossible to hunt any area where this was the common surface rock. This rock makes the signal from basalt sound like a whimp. Fortunately, the disc mode ignores this also. At least, it did on my testing.

Reg

[dave wiseman]

Reg,Jack of jacksgold.com sent an e-mail andwrote that he would be testing out the new machine and reporting on it in the next couple of weeks.The one he's testing according to him will have a few mods.These may be his mods or the fellow raving about the beeper on the msn gold forum.If it is anwhere as good as the first reports,at that low price it will be worth looking into.Would like to download a manual as Jack said there is one,but have no link.He also mentioned something about the batteries which I believe are lithium?Anyway Reg,info on this beeper would be of interest.......Dave

[Reg]

Hi Dave,

If you have been following the Aussie forum then you know more about the Goldsnoop.

Here is a link to the manual.

http://www.lg-outdoors.com/manuals/gc1023.pdf

Reg

[dave wiseman]

Yeah Reg,seems it may not be much without the mods of which Jack is testing now.......Dave

[Reg]

Hi Dave,

Once they get some basic units in, I will order one and see how it works. The unit is cheap enough to try. Then I will mod it when I have time. It will take a little to figure out the circuitry and it will have to wait on a couple of other projects, but it will get done.

Reg

[dave wiseman]

Hey Reg,speaking of mods,I wonder if you've ever heard of anyone modding a GMT and if so what were the results and benefits from such?.I've never seen any posts on the U.S. forums about modding detectors,just you.Seems like a fairly frequent thing in Australia........Dave

[Reg]

Hi Dave,

It is hard to mod a detector such as the MXT if one doesn't have a schematic. Also, I suspect much of the design is in software and this makes it about impossible. Fortunately, I suspect the MXT can be programmed in a number of ways so it has its own built capabilities to be modded. The key is to learn all the features of the unit. If I had one, I would do a lot of experimenting with every control just to see what I could do with it.

You are right, there aren't many people here in the US that modify detectors. There are some that build them from kits or instructions, but most do not do much modification.

I have been at it for a very long time and started a long time ago when Garrett first came out with a DD on their first TR's. Those old units were terrible and drifted a lot. I came up with a mod that stabilized the unit but had an overshoot just like the present day autotune circuits. Actually, what I developed was an autotune circuit but never called it that. That was in the early 70's I think.

I suspect the guys in OZ did it out of necessity. Metal detectors were quite expensive over there compared to our prices. I remember back in the 80's, a friend of mine use to go to OZ to hunt nuggets. He would set up a mini tour and supply the detectors. At that time, a person could take 3 detectors per person into the country, so my friend, John, would buy 3 Garrett Groundhogs for each person on the trip. Once over there, he would sell the extras as used units. He said he could premium dollar for them and that helped pay some of the expenses. At least, that is what he told me at the time.

The year I was to go with John to OZ, he was playing basketball with his son and suffered a heart attack. He died as the result. I think he was 42 at the time. That was back either in the late 80's or early 90's. I never did make it over there.

BTW, John was the only one I ever heard of that was kicked out of OZ and banned for 3 years for selling the detectors. John was quite a character.

Reg