Metal detector advice over $1500

[Trace4369]

Ok, well thats all food for thought, thanks again everyone for your thoughts. Looks like I have a decision to make on exactly how much I want to do this and how much I want to spend.

 

[Tony2]

Id take a long hard look at the 3500.great performance on small and bigger gold in various terrain, easy to set up and that sweet audio. Well engineered and robust electronicsthey may well be 15 years old but you can swing these things with confidence knowing they will sniff out the bigger and deeper targets and still hit sub gram nuggets at good depth as well. I find that coils of 11 and smaller are generally well balanced and dont need a bungy. I cant think of a better model to get into prospecting if your budget is $3000 or under.

 

[Trace4369]

6000 is nice & light so you can swing it all day. Signals are very clear compared to other detectors. Ground noise seems an issue for a few people along with false signals.

Everyone is still putting the hours into seeing just what this detector can do. For me after a very small amount of time out with it I am extremely happy thus far

More time out with it when the ground dries will see a more comprehensive assessment.

Thanks for your reply dude, I m guessing this is why you have your gp3500 up for sale, cause you have lashed out on the 6000. Good luck with your new toy, I hope you have lots of fun with it.
I also wanted to say hey, you are from my old stomping ground. I grew up in Devon Meadows, and my parents live in Cranny. Shifted to Echuca in 2001, so back to a town like how Cranbourne used to be before the population explosion.

 

[Trace4369]

Id take a long hard look at the 3500.great performance on small and bigger gold in various terrain, easy to set up and that sweet audio. Well engineered and robust electronicsthey may well be 15 years old but you can swing these things with confidence knowing they will sniff out the bigger and deeper targets and still hit sub gram nuggets at good depth as well. I find that coils of 11 and smaller are generally well balanced and dont need a bungy. I cant think of a better model to get into prospecting if your budget is $3000 or under.

Thanks Tony for your reply, I appreciate your input.

 

[fwdoz]

6000 is nice & light so you can swing it all day. Signals are very clear compared to other detectors. Ground noise seems an issue for a few people along with false signals.

Everyone is still putting the hours into seeing just what this detector can do. For me after a very small amount of time out with it I am extremely happy thus far

More time out with it when the ground dries will see a more comprehensive assessment.

Thanks for your reply dude, I m guessing this is why you have your gp3500 up for sale, cause you have lashed out on the 6000. Good luck with your new toy, I hope you have lots of fun with it.
I also wanted to say hey, you are from my old stomping ground. I grew up in Devon Meadows, and my parents live in Cranny. Shifted to Echuca in 2001, so back to a town like how Cranbourne used to be before the population explosion.

My back is the issue. With the 6000 I will get a lot more hours detecting time, rather than having to stop with the 3500, otherwise I would be keeping it as it has ticked every box from a performance side. Unfortunately my body is not getting any younger & I have to ensure longevity of my back.

 

[old hand]

If you buy a 6000 2300 or the 4500 and after a few months you decide to sell you will not loose to much money ,from what i am reading the 6000 are good in WA and FNQ the 2300 and 4500 have proven them selves over the years regards john

 

[axtyr]

Hi there.

A word of advice. Whatever you buy, persevere with it.

One of my detecting buddies bought a 4500 and after about 10 outings he hadn't found anything so sold it and gave up detecting. Then out of the blue he rings me to tell me he bought a SDC2300, brand new. Within 8 days detecting he still hadn't found anything and sold that at a substantial loss and bought another 4500 which he is using now.
He still hasn't found anything but at least he is a little bit happier.

The first 4500 he had all he did was continually change the settings and the coils despite my telling him to just trust the detector and the settings he was given.

He wasn't happy overall with the SDC2300 due to him not being able to keep the coil parallel to the ground. Something to do with the knuckle.

The latest 4500 he has also has a Coiltek Elite 14" mono coil on it and he says it hums along beautifully, with the settings I gave him for the first 4500 he had.

He still keeps asking for advice on what settings to use and I don't think it will be long before he sells it unless he finds something soon.

The SDC, once you turn it on you only have 2 dials to adjust and that is minimal. Very easy to use but weighty.
The 3500 and 4500 are more complex but the seller should be able to give you their settings which should see you able to find gold without constantly needing to change coils and settings until you get a bit of experience.

As for the 6000, if all you want to do is find some gold no matter how small then that would be the one you should probably go for.

If you are after some fun and not wanting to recoup your outlay quickly, and have the money, then I would buy the 6000. You will find gold with all of the other detectors so long as you are using the right coil and detecting in the right spot.

I hope this helps you.

Regards Axtyr.

 

[Trace4369]

Hi there.

A word of advice. Whatever you buy, persevere with it.

One of my detecting buddies bought a 4500 and after about 10 outings he hadn't found anything so sold it and gave up detecting. Then out of the blue he rings me to tell me he bought a SDC2300, brand new. Within 8 days detecting he still hadn't found anything and sold that at a substantial loss and bought another 4500 which he is using now.
He still hasn't found anything but at least he is a little bit happier.

The first 4500 he had all he did was continually change the settings and the coils despite my telling him to just trust the detector and the settings he was given.

He wasn't happy overall with the SDC2300 due to him not being able to keep the coil parallel to the ground. Something to do with the knuckle.

The latest 4500 he has also has a Coiltek Elite 14" mono coil on it and he says it hums along beautifully, with the settings I gave him for the first 4500 he had.

He still keeps asking for advice on what settings to use and I don't think it will be long before he sells it unless he finds something soon.

The SDC, once you turn it on you only have 2 dials to adjust and that is minimal. Very easy to use but weighty.
The 3500 and 4500 are more complex but the seller should be able to give you their settings which should see you able to find gold without constantly needing to change coils and settings until you get a bit of experience.

As for the 6000, if all you want to do is find some gold no matter how small then that would be the one you should probably go for.

If you are after some fun and not wanting to recoup your outlay quickly, and have the money, then I would buy the 6000. You will find gold with all of the other detectors so long as you are using the right coil and detecting in the right spot.

I hope this helps you.

Regards Axtyr.

Thanks this is very informative Axtyr,
A question for you and everyone else if they care to elaborate.
So I have the loan of an xterra 705. Now I know from your replies that this detector is more suited to coins, beach etc.
Im guessing here but even though it has adjustable settings, is it more the coil that lets you find the gold or is it to do with settings as well. As in, the range say for sensitivity, ground balance etc. Is a better machine having a wider range. If its the coil how do you know if you have the right sort of coil. I realise you need to adjust your settings say for highly mineralised ground but if the coil is the wrong sort. Do all machines take different types of coils, or are they limited to a couple.
I have read and correct me if Im wrong, coil types are concentric (which the 705 has), double D, and mono. I also read the dearer detectors are PI and the likes of the 705 are VLF. So is this the reason you say the vlf ones arent very good for gold, older technology even though it has plenty of settings to play with. Apart from PI what makes the difference between say the 705 and the SDC 2300.
Sorry if this is long winded, but Im just trying to understand all the differences and such given that you say the SDC has only two dials to adjust.
Regards T.

 

[Nuggetbuster]

Budget is $3000?

It's simple.

Just buy a GPX 4500, GPX 5000 or SDC 2300 and be done with it.

If you don't like it, simply sell it for the same price as you paid (or more, if you get a great deal to begin with.)

 

[axtyr]

The budget might be $3000.00 but she might wait a little longer and save up to get a newer detector.

All of the PI detectors from SD 2000 up to the GPX5000 can ALL use the same coils. The GPX6000 cannot use any of the older PI coils because it utilises a 12 pin connector. It will have it's own coils which cannot be used by any other detector available for now.

The first P.I. detector brought out was then SD2000 around 1995. The list of P.I. detectors in order of release and therefore newer technology is:

SD2000
SD2100
SD2200
GP Extreme
GP3000
GP3500
GPX4000
GPX4500
GPX4800/5000

The XTerra and other VLF detectors can be used on the goldfields but might experience problems. The earlier detectors from the 70's and 80's onwards were mainly VLF and had trouble in the mineralised ground here and didn't go very deep and certainly didn't pick up sub gram pieces. The PI machines handle the mineralised ground better and go deeper.

Because there has been more than 25 years of PI detectors scouring the goldfields, the gold that might have been easily accessible to VLF detectors has all but disappeared. The PI machines are more capable of finding the smaller pieces and deeper gold that the VLF detectors could not pick up or get down to their depth. That is why people don't use VLF detectors in the goldfields. If there is larger gold on the surface then they are more than capable of finding it but it will be rare to find such pieces now.

The SDC only has 2 dials you can set. The first turns the unit on and doesn't need to be adjusted after that until you want to turn it off. The other just adjusts the
RX (Gain) (Sensitivity). You turn it up as high as you can (setting 5), then if you are getting too much noise then you lower one setting at a time until are happy.
That is why it is a turn on and go detector.

I understand the 6000 is similar but it has a few more settings. It also appears to be a bit more sensitive from what I have read.

Now for the coils. There are quite a few these days. Initially a new machine comes with a DD coil and a mono coil. For more technical information on each coil just google them but I will give you a basic outline. I won't go into concentric coils because I don't have any experience with them.

DD coil: Used in areas where there is high ground mineralisation that causes spurious noises and interference with a mono coil. Also preferred when detecting close to power lines.

Mono coil: Usually goes deeper than a DD coil and can be more sensitive to smaller gold.

The mineralisation in the ground will be the criteria as to whether you use a DD coil or a mono coil. The MONO coil should always be your first choice, then if you find it difficult to use because of the ground noises being received, then change to a DD coil.

THE SIZE of the coil you should use will be dependent on the DEPTH of the soil you are detecting in AND the size of the gold you expect to find.

There is no point using an 8" coil in soil where the gold is expected to be about 600mm down. If the ground is deep then you use a larger coil such as a 16" or 18" one.
The larger coil will have difficulty picking up tiny pieces.

Shallow ground will have had the larger pieces found many years ago, (but there are exceptions), and so there will only be tiny pieces left over. In this situation you would use a small coil such as the 8" Commander or Sadie coil.

In deep ground there might be tiny pieces near the top but the better gold will be deeper so you should use a larger coil to get the deeper penetration.

The type of coil (mon or DD) depends on the ground mineralisation.

The size of the coil depends on the depth of the ground and/or the size of the gold expected to be found.

To finish off, read this then read it again and again so you understand as much as possible, then google the technical details. I am sure others might/will have a different point of view so if they respond as well then read what they have to say and compare it. Read as much as you can and take it all in.

If all you have is the XTerra then give it a go. You can only try. You have nothing to lose and if you aren't in Victoria at least you can get out into the bush and enjoy it.
Good luck.

Regards Axtyr.

 

[Trace4369]

Wow, thats excellent information thanks Axtyr, I will keep studying and studying as it seems I wont be travelling anywhere again. Im so over this damm virus as Im sure everyone is. Thankyou once again for your advice, everyone has been very helpful. T.

 

[grubstake]

The earlier detectors from the 70's and 80's onwards were mainly VLF and had trouble in the mineralised ground here and didn't go very deep and certainly didn't pick up sub gram pieces.

Sorry to annoy you Axtyr, especially after such a comprehensive and generally excellent response, but the fact is that the predominant successful detectors in those far-off days, the Garrett DeepSeeker and Groundhog, certainly DID pick up sub-gram pieces throughout the Golden Triangle in mineralised ground. My wife and I got multitudes of them.

 

[axtyr]

Thanks Grubstake for correcting my post. I had no experience with the Garretts. My main point was that basically the easy gold has been found many years ago and what any person can now expect to find is sub gram pieces, and even they are hard to find. For any person buying their first detector don't expect to be finding multi gram nuggets so their choice of detector should be made on the size of the gold that is left and the machines available that will give the best chance of recovering that gold.

Regards Axtyr.

 

[Flatlander]

buy a 2300 ease of use ,water dust proof and idiot proof thats why i use one layful: layful: if there gold in ear range of machine it will let u know, it has it limits but every machine has, but it get u out in the field without too much bullshit

 

[Nuggetbuster]

Sorry to annoy you ballbuster, I mean nuggetbuster.

The budget might be $3000.00 but she might wait a little longer and save up to get a newer detector. Sheeesh.

All of the PI detectors from SD 2000 up to the GPX5000 can ALL use the same coils. The GPX6000 cannot use any of the older PI coils because it utilises a 12 pin connector. It will have it's own coils which cannot be used by any other detector available for now.

The first P.I. detector brought out was then SD2000 around 1995. The list of P.I. detectors in order of release and therefore newer technology is:

SD2000
SD2100
SD2200
GP Extreme
GP3000
GP3500
GPX4000
GPX4500
GPX4800/5000

The XTerra and other VLF detectors can be used on the goldfields but might experience problems. The earlier detectors from the 70's and 80's onwards were mainly VLF and had trouble in the mineralised ground here and didn't go very deep and certainly didn't pick up sub gram pieces. The PI machines handle the mineralised ground better and go deeper.

Because there has been more than 25 years of PI detectors scouring the goldfields, the gold that might have been easily accessible to VLF detectors has all but disappeared. The PI machines are more capable of finding the smaller pieces and deeper gold that the VLF detectors could not pick up or get down to their depth. That is why people don't use VLF detectors in the goldfields. If there is larger gold on the surface then they are more than capable of finding it but it will be rare to find such pieces now.

The SDC only has 2 dials you can set. The first turns the unit on and doesn't need to be adjusted after that until you want to turn it off. The other just adjusts the
RX (Gain) (Sensitivity). You turn it up as high as you can (setting 5), then if you are getting too much noise then you lower one setting at a time until are happy.
That is why it is a turn on and go detector.

I understand the 6000 is similar but it has a few more settings. It also appears to be a bit more sensitive from what I have read.

Now for the coils. There are quite a few these days. Initially a new machine comes with a DD coil and a mono coil. For more technical information on each coil just google them but I will give you a basic outline. I won't go into concentric coils because I don't have any experience with them.

DD coil: Used in areas where there is high ground mineralisation that causes spurious noises and interference with a mono coil. Also preferred when detecting close to power lines.

Mono coil: Usually goes deeper than a DD coil and can be more sensitive to smaller gold.

The mineralisation in the ground will be the criteria as to whether you use a DD coil or a mono coil. The MONO coil should always be your first choice, then if you find it difficult to use because of the ground noises being received, then change to a DD coil.

THE SIZE of the coil you should use will be dependent on the DEPTH of the soil you are detecting in AND the size of the gold you expect to find.

There is no point using an 8" coil in soil where the gold is expected to be about 600mm down. If the ground is deep then you use a larger coil such as a 16" or 18" one.
The larger coil will have difficulty picking up tiny pieces.

Shallow ground will have had the larger pieces found many years ago, (but there are exceptions), and so there will only be tiny pieces left over. In this situation you would use a small coil such as the 8" Commander or Sadie coil.

In deep ground there might be tiny pieces near the top but the better gold will be deeper so you should use a larger coil to get the deeper penetration.

The type of coil (mon or DD) depends on the ground mineralisation.

The size of the coil depends on the depth of the ground and/or the size of the gold expected to be found.

To finish off, read this then read it again and again so you understand as much as possible, then google the technical details. I am sure others might/will have a different point of view so if they respond as well then read what they have to say and compare it. Read as much as you can and take it all in.

If all you have is the XTerra then give it a go. You can only try. You have nothing to lose and if you aren't in Victoria at least you can get out into the bush and enjoy it.
Good luck.

Regards Axtyr.

Wow. This makes things much simpler for a newcomer.

Sheesh.

Hi there Im after opinions on what would be a reasonably good gold detector, preferably minelab. Detecting for gold in the golden triangle area. Money wise Im thinking up to about $3000.

 

[Hawkear]

Putting a budget on possibly what may be a long term purchase may not be a wise thing.
If you can stretch to a used 4500 or 5000, I would recommend doing so. I have seen many for sale at prices ranging from low 3s.
If your trip to WA is unsuccessful you will never be left wondering if it was the machines fault.
You will then have a decision to make as to whether gold prospecting is for you and if you decide not just resell the detector.
45s and 50s have a ready resale value and treat any loss (shouldn’t be much if anything) as a hire cost.
A quality detector is not a cost rather it is an investment, one that can pay off in terms of success.
If you want to increase your chance of failure go for less.