GPX5000 Vs. Erueka Gold

[Azoverland]

My hunting buddy picked up a Eureka Gold and we have had a few times out with it now. Here is a quick video comparing the 5000 and Eureka on a very small "picker". It looks like there is still a place for the VLF machines.

I picked up a CoilTek Joey hoping to improve my signal on very small gold but I can't really say that it did.....

I wouldn't trade my GPX5000 for the Eureka but I'm glad as a team we have one in the arsenal.

Check it out and let me know if your have any ideas on how I may be able to dail in the 5000. Personally I think the PI's just can't see the really small stuff.

We be making more videos and doing some feild tests on depth and stuff with them. We also have a running bet on who can come up with the most gold in 6 months.

P.S. I can't edit the topic line to correct the spelling..... "Life's tough.....it's even tougher if you're stupid"

[gubelube]

My hunting buddy picked up a Eureka Gold and we have had a few times out with it now. Here is a quick video comparing the 5000 and Eureka on a very small "picker". It looks like there is still a place for the VLF machines.

I picked up a CoilTek Joey hoping to improve my signal on very small gold but I can't really say that it did.....

I wouldn't trade my GPX5000 for the Eureka but I'm glad as a team we have one in the arsenal.

Check it out and let me know if your have any ideas on how I may be able to dail in the 5000. Personally I think the PI's just can't see the really small stuff.

We be making more videos and doing some feild tests on depth and stuff with them. We also have a running bet on who can come up with the most gold in 6 months.

do you have the commander 8in mono. if so, i beleive you will see a difference in it. it has the ability to find very small stuff. and i believe we had a comparison on the gb2 and gpx 5000. i also beleive a few including myself agreed that if you want any gold smaller than what the 8in commander will find, ya might as well be drywashing.i found a .1 gram nug with the 11in commander mono. so i know the 8in will be better for smaller stuff.others will chime in. im no expert, but do read all the post, and have for years.so i know the 5000 is capable of finding very small stuff.also, i may be mistaken, but your thresh hols sounds like its off also. if you tune it in to a more steady thresh hold, im sure that nugget should scream as well. i know my small nugget i found is alot smaller than that ,i found it about 3-4 in deep.didnt screaqm, but was a clear signal. whats the size of that nug your using? try doing the test with the nug on the ground, i also notice when thee 5000 is in the air and other interferences are subject to make a difference.when i lift my 5000 up like that, i get a unstable threashold. i may be mistaking, but sounds like the eureka has nice smooth steady threashold, and the 5000 is all wobbly.but im not there. nice vbideo, thanks for sharing your test.

john

[Paseclipse]

I'm curious to know if you guys have done the heavily mineralised hot ground test between the two? You're friends ears will get a workout while your GPX just pures along. Heavily mineralised ground is where the Minelab PI's really have an advantage over VLF's.

Also did you do the depth test as well? I'm willing to bet the Eureka gold won't snag 1 gram nuggets at one foot deep.

It's kind of hard to compare the two detectors because they are totally different beasts. The GPX's are getting a lot better at finding really small gold though. I agree with you, the VLF's still have a place in the goldfields. If you want to "get it all" best to have both detectors on hand.

[adam]

Sorry, but there are to many things wrong with that comparison to even consider it Legit.....That 5000 didnt even have a chance with all that interference especially from everything around it including the other coil a foot and a half from the Joey.

"little variation in the threshold, nothing I would dig" Thats what your supposed to be digging dude!

Is that what a "tunned" 5000 sounds like? LMAO

I wont go on and on...

[gubelube]

Sorry, but there are to many things wrong with that comparison to even consider it Legit.....That 5000 didnt even have a chance with all that interference especially from everything around it including the other coil a foot and a half from the Joey.

"little variation in the threshold, nothing I would dig" Thats what your supposed to be digging dude!

Is that what a "tunned" 5000 sounds like? LMAO

I wont go on and on...

well, at least i wasnt the only one who thought that way. i didnt think the 5000 was tuned. and your right, i know there is a thread on the commander coils at bill southern, if ya read it, its based on the coils, but you will see that they are finding sub grain nuggets at nice depths.try putting that small nugget on the ground, get everything out the way and get that threashold smooth and steady. you will pick up that nugget im sure.and also, try burying it and see what happens.im far from a pro, just started, but from the small stuff i been finding,including birdshot the size of ant turds at about 6in deep, i mean stuff ya can barely see. i run strickly in all preset.until i see rob and get my field instructions, thats all i can do.but hey, i found a .1 gram, and a .2 gram nugg with the 11in mono commander in preset at about 3-5 inches each easily.

john

[Azoverland]

Look fellas we're just a couple of guys on the porch drinking beers.....I don't do this for a living, I do it for fun. When I said the GPX5000 was tuned I simply meant I had already auto tuned the machine to pick the channel it wanted and adjusted the thereshold very low. Everything else was a factory present with the exception of the target volume. If I had turned down the target volume a little and the thereshold up there would not have had so many little beeps. The coils are very close, of course the Joey is a mono, but it not a coil issue, that's crap. Both detectors had the same chance to pick up that nugget and one did and one did not. We have tried many times on and off the ground to pick up very small gold and the VLF out preforms the PI on subgram gold everytime. TXKajun and I played around in the same way with his 705 and got the same results, his 705 would sing on stuff the 5000 did not see. Would I rather have a GPX, of course but I don't think you can argue there is a place for the VLF in the goldfeilds and the guys who can't afford a PI shouldn't feel like they a wasting their time out there.

No we have not yet done a real good depth test but will soon. And I have to say the Eureka Gold holds it's own in heavy ground mineralization. It's can't do what the GPX can but I run into some hot ground that made the 5000 sing too. But detectors had to be adjusted.

Adam please go on and on that's what internet forums are for. I would like to see your video on a PI picking up subgram gold that a VLF won't. My girl would feel much better, this video did little to convince her I picked the right unit.....LOL.....

[frank c]

I'll put my GMT with stock coil up against that Eureka on ANY SIZE piece of gold, been there done that.

And I'll even be totally honest with ya, I'm deaf on one side and have tougher than woodpecker lips hearing on the good side.

Not tryin to stir up any bees nests just lettin ya know theres alot of us others that read and have an opinion.

I didn't watch the video just been readin. Its fun what you guys are doin though. But you have to be "scientifically serious" when you set up comparision parameters. Theres alot to take into consideration and prepare for.

I don't know much about the technicals of the 5000's I've never held one in my hands yet an tried it. But my question is don't you have to ground balance it like the other Minelab P.I.'s before you try to detect a target ??

The only reason I ask that is because you said,...

Quote,

"Look fellas we're just a couple of guys on the porch drinking beers.....I don't do this for a living, I do it for fun. When I said the GPX5000 was tuned I simply meant I had already auto tuned the machine to pick the channel it wanted and adjusted the thereshold very low. Everything else was a factory present with the exception of the target volume."

WHICH made me think you hadn't even ground balanced the detector before passing a target under the coil ???

Just curious.

Anyway have fun an don't dent the nuggets in yer poke !!!

[Azoverland]

WHICH made me think you hadn't even ground balanced the detector before passing a target under the coil ???

Just curious.

Anyway have fun an don't dent the nuggets in yer poke !!!

Do you have to ground balance a detector when there is no ground????

[Border Boy]

Hey brother AZoverland, try burried targets take a auger and plant the gold in the ground refill it with red clay and black sand mabe thrw in some iron gravel , water it and let it set a week to rust (at least 50 yrds from power lines) then go about your comparison thats how i weed out wich coils work and which ones are hype. That machine of yours will smoke the eureka all day long , i hunted with a eureka for a couple years (still found lots ) but have found more with the gp's and gpx's by far. keep er swingin but dont walk your detector if your walking and swinging your going too fast it should take 4seconds to complete a wide swing and overlap each pass halfway . hope this helps my friend

[FlakMagnet]

AZOverland,

"...Do you have to ground balance a detector when there is no ground???? ..."

In a word, yes.

There has to be some sort of ground balance before you say a detector is "balanced."

It may have all the settings where you want them, but if you don't ground balance it's not really tuned,

you may as well just shut it off, it's being hampered from doing what it can do.

Beers on the porch is perfect,

being unprofessional is totally allowed,

but ground balance your GPX if you want a comparison that means something.

You would not believe how small some of the flakes are that I have found.

Really little, a few of them did not even get the scale to register.

They were with found a Joey coil too.

I totally agree that is is smart to have a vlf to have use in certain situations,

there are some kinds of gold a PI does not see well even with the improvements on the 5000.

fwiw, and best wishes,

[nuggethunting]

Hey AZOverland,

Over the last 15 years of using both detectors, it comes down to density of the gold. I have found solid little chunks there were under a grain in size with the PI's, all of them going back to the SD series. That being said, I have seen nuggets up to a Dwt in size that are very porous (sponge type gold) that the PI will simply not hear. These nuggets are dubbed the "Invisible" gold.

Testing on different types of gold, I have found that the new "Fine Gold" timing helps to find this stuff better, but it still wont find some types of gold.

The PI's respond much better on solid, dense gold or flat pieces in my opinion.

Going back to your test, the PI overall will find much more gold, especially in mineralized environments. Just wait until you find those nuggets at 6+ inches and then have the Eureka come over and listen (I doubt it will hear it) ...

Just my thoughts,

Rob Allison

[Miner49]

AZ

Thanks for sharing your video, I admire your enthusiasm for detecting. I don't think you were

trying to come off as an expert but only trying to learn. My detecting buddy has a GPX5000 and

is still trying to get it tuned in exactly, I think it takes some time to learn the machine well.

I can tell you my GPX4500 with a mono Joey can detect 2 or 3 grain nuggets, so can my 14" eliptical

Goldstalker! I think there is no doubt your 5000 will be able to do the same when you get it fine tuned.

As we spoke before I'm looking to add a backup detector for friends and family to use. I'm going to stick with

Minelab and get the Eureka Gold, I agree there is a place for both, and the price is right.

Miner49

[gubelube]

nice thread az, i love the comparison threads. us new guys learn alot from the pros chiming in.im sure that eureka can find smaller stuff at surface, i dont really know. but i do know that the 8in commander coil is very sensitive to sub gram nugs at 4in deep. ive got couple to prove it. ive also found bird shot so small at 6-8 in deep. but to be perfectly honest,in my opinion. id rather use drywasher if i want gold so small ya cant see it.im looking for the dinks and nuggets.thats why i nugget hunt and not drywash. ive never used any other detector besides the whites mxt and gp 3000 in my life. but i am proud owner of the gpx 5000, and i have 8in mono,11 in mono,12x15in mono,12x15 dd, all commander coils. that peice of gold you used to test was small, but im sure properly tuned and ground balanced, the 5000 will scream on it. also the 5000s get way out of wack and jibberish when in the air. they need a ground to send their wave down and reflect back to give the signal. at least thats my opinion.no one is putting down the eureka or your comparison, were just saying the 5000 needs to be properly tuned to do a test. and the threshold way jumpy. at least thats what i was hearing.the 5000 isnt specialy designed for the tiniest gold. its special features are for balancing out mineralization,power lines,and other types of intewrference while picking up gold at grerater depths.gold is heavy, the stuff is gonna work its way down. so thats what the minelab pi is for,punching down to find the gold. but read the post on bill southern site about commander coils. the say they are out performing any aftermarket coils. especially the 8in mono for small gold.thanks for starting the thread, drink some more beer and keep testing. thats the only way anyone can really say anything is by "been there, done that" experiments. ive been aroubd this forum for few years, read many post from all the guys stepping in. they are trying to help. read the post again and look at the info. mineralization,interference,powerlines,so on. right there is the reason the minelab 5000 is the shiz niz. it can be balanced out in just about any situation. powerlines, for example.take that 5000 and 12x15 dd commander coil, cancle mode,tune it in and you wont even know your directly under them. might loose a tab bit of depth,sensitivity,but still out perform any other detector under them.im a newbie, lots to say and love to voice my opinion. anyone is welcome to correct me anywhere i might be wrong. i love to learn. thats what this place is for.by listening to everyone here,i found 1st 2 dinks on my 3rd trip out.

john

[FlakMagnet]

Hi Grubelube John,

I like your attitude.

You will always learn when you are open to information.

I could never repay the help I got from the people on this forum when I was starting out.

It is fun to see new people come into this crazy hobby, people like AZoverland and you.

We say this a lot on this forum; 'there are no wrong questions'.

Besides it is fun to get an opportunity to share what others have so kindly passed along to us.

All the best,

Flak

[sourdough]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard it said time and again, that PI's don't "air test" as well as VLF's. I'm not knocking the VLF's, they're great for what they're made for. All I'm saying is, that in my opinion, that's like compairing apples to oranges. I have an old Whites V-SAT and a GM3. Both are fine detecters, they WILL fine the small stuff that my 5000 won't. But I have found, .1 gram pieces (I can't really call them nuggets) with the 5000 and a 17" ELM Nugget Finder coil. Granted, they weren't very deep. (Only about 3/4") Again, I'm not trying to say anything bad, (I did enjoy your video. I'll watch them all) just asking if I am correct?

sourdough

[fredm]

Sourdough, you are correct...it is often said Pi machine donot do well with an air test...I have not found this to be accurate...

nonetheless;

what is really meant is that Pi machines will do better than vlf machines when tested against a vlf in bad ground...and , after all no one finds much gold in the air with a vlf or a Pi...

There are so many varibles that even a pi to pi test is difficult to control...but, many enjoy doing it so have at it!

fred

[Azoverland]

Alot of sound advise on this thread. I love nugget hunting and have a real passision for it. I enjoy time spent with old friends and made a few new ones already.

I will post more videos in the coming weeks.

I think this will be a fun thread to follow because both of us are new to metal detecting and prospecting. We both have the same work schedule and will be out together. The answer will really come in 6 months or a year when we see who has the most gold, right? And who gets the better "return" on their investment. If a GPX5000 cost 5 times a much as a Eureka will you find 5 times as much gold? Who knows, luck plays a big role in this game I think no matter what.

I will do what Border Boy and Rob are talking about and put a tester out there in some really nasty ground at about 6 or more inches and see how both detectors work. Of course my money is on the 5000 but my buddy Evan has a few good points about the VLF over the long haul.

The real truth is you better love doing it, you better have the fever, the Oro Adicción, cause you're still going back to work on Monday......unless you find the next Welcome Stranger or Boot of Cortez and who knows you just might and it just might be with a Radio Shack detector.....that's what so great about it, the thrill of the chase, the hunt.....LOVE IT

[notoriouskelly]

So, if you're getting a lot of hot rock response on the 5000, how do you adjust it?

I was out at NM-10 in the GPAA guide today (Cibola Forest) and, besides being an old trash dump, it has lots of hot rocks.

Some say they're just on the surface- brush em away and keep beeping, but I'm finding they're at all depths.

When you get signals everywhere, what do you adjust? My magic box needs to find some treasure!

[Azoverland]

So, if you're getting a lot of hot rock response on the 5000, how do you adjust it?

I was out at NM-10 in the GPAA guide today (Cibola Forest) and, besides being an old trash dump, it has lots of hot rocks.

Some say they're just on the surface- brush em away and keep beeping, but I'm finding they're at all depths.

When you get signals everywhere, what do you adjust? My magic box needs to find some treasure!

I switch the ground balance from fixed to tracking or tune down the RX a little in real hot areas. In most cases I can simply use the quick track button and give it a good ground balance a few times and they go away.

[Azoverland]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard it said time and again, that PI's don't "air test" as well as VLF's. I'm not knocking the VLF's, they're great for what they're made for. All I'm saying is, that in my opinion, that's like compairing apples to oranges. I have an old Whites V-SAT and a GM3. Both are fine detecters, they WILL fine the small stuff that my 5000 won't. But I have found, .1 gram pieces (I can't really call them nuggets) with the 5000 and a 17" ELM Nugget Finder coil. Granted, they weren't very deep. (Only about 3/4") Again, I'm not trying to say anything bad, (I did enjoy your video. I'll watch them all) just asking if I am correct?

sourdough

What are your setting when you're finding the real small gold. I mean I have dug crazy small bits of wire and parts of boot tacks DEEP but I think gold is another story. The area can't be that clean? Can it?

[grubstake]

Comparing a PI to a VLF detector is like Comparing peas and water melon, there both round, but it just aint the same. Grubstake

[gubelube]

i found my .1 gram dinks about 3-4 inches deep. was using the 11in mono commander coil. i was in a very noisy hot rock area. i did just like az said, i switched to tracking and it seems that after a few swings over the hot rocks they slowly faint out. also i sit my coil right on top of the hotrock and push the quick track button til it quiets up. that has worked for me. i tried this on my test nugget, and it seems to not faint or balance out. so thats how i hunt in hotrock areas. found both my dinks that way. i still had same depth and sensitivity.

john

[Azoverland]

Not that great of a video but I'm posting it anyhow......