oldies1955 Posted January 26, 2013 Report Share Posted January 26, 2013 Tom, good to hear somewhere thinking alike here~!Seemed like a reasonable idea and you confirmed it, the "tips" are greatly appreciated & just maybe we'll pass on the road soon~!Thanks~!!!You aught to come to one of the outings the guys throw.There is one in March up around Wickenburg.You can check out our RV and see if its what you need.Tom H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmac Posted January 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2013 AWESOME~! Will try for sure~!Sun Devils ~! Class of 86 :~)Old stomping grounds~! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmac Posted January 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2013 oldies1955, you rock man, thanks a bunch~!!!Got PM, thanks. This place has such Value as a Forum, hopefully others who are considering beginning are picking up some pointers along the way~!Managed to sell off about $3,000 worth of fishing gear the past few days, halfway home to a new GPX 5000~!Excited~! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmac Posted January 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2013 Tom - http://keys.craigslist.org/boa/3566575289.htmlKinda big, but at least he's willing to trade the thing for. Big boat.Big difference in price, but everyone is holding out for a sale that is very slow to come.May try to cut a deal with him, RV AND CASH!Cannot take a boat inland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldies1955 Posted January 26, 2013 Report Share Posted January 26, 2013 oldies1955, you rock man, thanks a bunch~!!!Got PM, thanks.This place has such Value as a Forum, hopefully others who are considering beginning are picking up some pointers along the way~!Managed to sell off about $3,000 worth of fishing gear the past few days, halfway home to a new GPX 5000~!Excited~!No sweat.Once you get your machine and have your field instructions, if you want we could meet up around LSD and I could help you out.Tom H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmac Posted January 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2013 Look forward to that day Tom and taking ya up on it~! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldies1955 Posted January 26, 2013 Report Share Posted January 26, 2013 Tom - http://keys.craigsli...3566575289.htmlKinda big, but at least he's willing to trade the thing for. Big boat.Big difference in price, but everyone is holding out for a sale that is very slow to come.May try to cut a deal with him, RV AND CASH!Cannot take a boat inland You planning on having parties in that thing!Its HUGE!Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmac Posted January 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2013 Ummm... well I was not planning on it per se, but what the hell~! A few good finds and at least there's room for a well stocked bar to celebrate~!It is kinda big, I'm wondering if it's not too grande...He is willing to trade for my boat, give me that trike too and some cash...Figured I'd sell the trike and fix this beast up.Maybe a lift kit and some off-road tires>?Ha~! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmac Posted January 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 Is it wise to contact the USGS, does it end up another trip down the rabbit hole? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmac Posted January 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 This was a great read from the USGS - http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/geologic_resources/gold/CA_GoldDiscovery_files/Pages/GoldDiscovery.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmac Posted January 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 This was a great read on Placer Recovery Methods, makes me feel lucky to be a beginning "Beeper" as this looks like a great deal of work back in the day, and I thought being a farmer as was work...http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/geologic_resources/gold/Documents/SP87.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmac Posted January 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 Does anyone here do any Sluicing? May be headed through colorado and thought I'd give it a whirl.Panned there as a kid from Kansas and was checking out the Gold Hog mats - http://www.goldhog.com/ - for a Keene sluice, looks very neat, expensive but not even flour gets by.Still have the flakes I found as a ten year old.Figured I could find plenty of spots to hit along the way out West.They are not cheap but they do appear to work very well, the trick is apparently to use 2 of the Razorbacks followed by 1 of the UR Mats and repeat until complete.The Keene A52 looks slick along with the stand and these mats, looks to be another good tool in the toolbox.If you have used any of this, would enjoy hearing about your experience~!Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmac Posted January 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2013 Anyone here joined - http://www.goldprospectors.org/ Looking in to it, thought it might be of value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmac Posted January 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 Looking forward to my New GPX5000 in the next week or two, sent Rob my deposit and could not be more thrilled about this.I did quite a bit of research into where to buy and looked over things on eBay and the Web, I really did not feel comfortable dealing with most vendors and people on eBay. There appear to be "deals" that are too good to be true and may be knockoffs.For anyone looking to a used 5000, I did see this one on eBay, the current bidder went up to $4000,00 I know because I bid it up to his threshold and canceled the bid just to see what a dealer was willing to pay for a used one. Here is the link to the item - http://www.ebay.com/itm/minelab-GPX-5000-/321063296020?pt=US_Metal_Detectors&hash=item4ac0dd1c14The seller does not communicate at all, sent him 3 emails to find out more and there was no response. Thought if it could be had for a song, it would make a great second as it has some extras… Excited~! Can't wait for training. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin nuggethunting Posted February 1, 2013 Admin Report Share Posted February 1, 2013 Hey JohnMac, Received your down payment for the Minelab GPX 5000. What do you mean about training, you expect me to train you also? Ok, I'm just kidding, but had to toss that in there. Thanks for the payment, you're going to be more than thrilled you will have the best detector on the planet. Talk with you soon,Rob Allison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmac Posted February 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2013 Rob,I am beyond thrilled, thank you again for the expertise and guidance.Yeah, the training thing… :~)Speak with you soon~!Regards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmac Posted February 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2013 Does anyone work rivers or streams? Was looking at a manual recovery pump fro getting into those hard to reach nooks & crannies… and then using a Sluice or Recovery Bowl for extraction.Am considering a seasonal plan for prospecting, using the cooler Northern Summers for prospecting the Northern areas and as the cold sets in… working South for the Winter.Am trying to gather as information on what equipment works best and where, I found this gentleman who has developed some interesting equipment, I particularly like the Recovery Bowl as it could be used passively in a stream in my opinion without the need for external energy. For high probability areas it seems to be something you could easily set and forget to remove a good deal of material.Ordering a few Gold Hog Mats to test as well… for a Keene Sluice.Open to suggestions for a good River/Stream Detector, there appear to coils that are waterproof, but is there a detector optimized for this type of prospecting? It does seem there is a fair amount of gold present in some areas after storms, it would seem a smaller, waterproof coil would be useful? Curious as I hear very little about detecting for stream/river gold, most videos show people dredging and sluicing but do not show how people to arrive at their locations. Perhaps they simply panned an area or worked the nooks/crannies and discovered gold there as it was downstream from a known Lode...Any suggestions on an easy to use GPS? I have Garmin on the Boat and really like the system, easy to use, ease to network and create redundancy.Seem to be an invaluable tool, I am leery of using Google Earth as am unsure as to how private any data points, way points and tracks are secure. Looking over some software for a Mac Laptop to do as much of my maps/topo/ways/tracks and finds for privacy. Is anyone using something similar?Thanks in advance~! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathray Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 Im a little confused...are you doing this as a hobby, or are you planning to make a living? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmac Posted February 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 deathray - Intend to spend six months learning about methods of prospecting to begin with, as for plans… will see what the future holds.Believe IF you can get on the GOLD, you can make a living at prospecting, I met several gentlemen here in South Florida who do quite nicely simply beach detecting up and down the coasts of Florida. Going to do some relic detecting as well up on the Treasure Coast, prior to heading out West if there is time.As the title of the thread states - New but Committed."Committed" being the key. Whether or not it develops into a "living" is a matter of simple math.Which brings me to a simple question for you - Why do you care, have you tried "making a living" at prospecting and most importantly…. can you provide any information/experience to decrease the slope of the learning curve & capital expenditures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathray Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 Wasnt trying to make you upset. Dont really care, wish you the best of luck. You will need it. Guys like Rob and Border boy have been at it a long time. Very, very few can make a living. Just asked because its my oponion if you treat it like a hobby it will be enjoyable, but if you think your going to make tons of money, youll probably be disapointed. My advice, learn where and how gold is, what areas are open, learn to PAN, and learn your detector. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathray Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 Alright, Im going to offer some very good advice. You have the detecting covered by this forum. Now google "Bedrock Dreams". Guy has blogs on anything you need to know. Then look up "Propanner" on you tube. Now all youll need to do is put what you learn to use. If you want success, be ready to work your butt off to. Good luck and keep us posted. RayPs. As far as capital expenditures...keep it simple man! You got the detector, now just get a keene sluice, a garrett pan And make some crevicing tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmac Posted February 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 Wasnt trying to make you upset. Dont really care, wish you the best of luck. You will need it. Guys like Rob and Border boy have been at it a long time. Very, very few can make a living. Just asked because its my oponion if you treat it like a hobby it will be enjoyable, but if you think your going to make tons of money, youll probably be disapointed. My advice, learn where and how gold is, what areas are open, learn to PAN, and learn your detector. Good luck!Not upset at all, LOL, quite the contrary, seeking information is all and willing to share my experience once its underway. It will not be a hobby, it is a serious endeavor and one I believe can work. I am looking into where to be/go as well as what is open. There is likely room for negotiation on claims as well… I know how to PAN and am going to hook up with Rob for Beeper Training.Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmac Posted February 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 Alright, Im going to offer some very good advice. You have the detecting covered by this forum. Now google "Bedrock Dreams". Guy has blogs on anything you need to know. Then look up "Propanner" on you tube. Now all youll need to do is put what you learn to use. If you want success, be ready to work your butt off to. Good luck and keep us posted. RayPs. As far as capital expenditures...keep it simple man! You got the detector, now just get a keene sluice, a garrett pan And make some crevicing tools.Ok, now you have the ole juices flowing - Will look up and research everything you sent my way~! Intend to shoot a bit of video and take plenty of photos. Hard work is something I know well. I was a Farmer… we had the largest CSA in Florida for years.The Keene 52A looked nice with Gold Hog matting staggered 2x1 Razor:UR mat.I also found a pretty slick little recovery pump for hard to reach spots that should yield River Au.Ok, so what is a crevicing tool, I was going to use a dry pump… or am i mixing fruits?Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmac Posted February 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 Funny, the VERY first thing on the list was to begin researching WHERE… Fortunately, I'll have plenty of nights of reading and researching to continue that process.Seems fairly simple… possible…. probable.I believe with advances in technology and a state of art detector, GPS and plenty of research, you can succeed.Of course, I won't mind grabbing the odd job along the way :~)And will spend a month on the beaches in Florida perhaps just to get some beep time.IT'S GOOD TO DREAM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmac Posted February 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2013 Is there a way to upload media here or does it need to be hosted via external host>? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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