spottedgum checking in - great sight

[spottedgum]

Hi

My wife was very keen to find gold so I have been researching while we are abroad. We want to buy a detector when we get back to Oz in a months, probably a minelab.

Tell me, do you or anyone you know go prospecting with kids?
We have a 10month old and my wife is expecting again. I am out of action because I have an Autoimmune Disease but love the nature, I feel very at 1 in the bush, any excuse to get off beaten paths.

Does anyone have any good advice on how and where to pick up a decent second hand detector?

 

[Googs]

Hi Eric , happy to have you aboard hope you find some good information here

Second hand detectors ,you can source them from forums such as this there is also ebay / gumtree but I do not recommend the later unless you you can see and operate the units before you buy also check out the s/n from the distributor

 

[WalnLiz]

Welcome to the forum SG. If you have a love for nature and a sense of adventure, then detecting will compliment your camping experiences no end. Introducing kids to the pastime at an early age will teach them a respect for the bush which can't be taught in the school classroom.

In a few months time your 10 month old will get a great thrill out of helping you dig those targets, and the memories will last forever.

If you check out the threads within the forum you will gain a lot of insight into the various detectors on the market. If there is any questions you need answered on any machine just throw it out to the members and a range of advice will come your way.

Best of luck out in the paddock and look forward to chatting in the posts,

Cheers Wal.

 

[Richpickings]

Hi All,

My names Ed and I've been working in PNG for the last 4 months which is a very mineral rich country. I would love to get to know and enjoy detecting because Australia has so much too offer and what better way to do it?? Being a noob to detecting I have looked at buying a Eureka Gold Detector by Minelab but was wondering what your thoughts would be for a newcomer???

Are there any groups in Sydney I could contact?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Kind Regards.....Ed.

 

[HeadsUp]

Hi All,

My names Ed and I've been working in PNG for the last 4 months which is a very mineral rich country. I would love to get to know and enjoy detecting because Australia has so much too offer and what better way to do it?? Being a noob to detecting I have looked at buying a Eureka Gold Detector by Minelab but was wondering what your thoughts would be for a newcomer???

Are there any groups in Sydney I could contact?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Kind Regards.....Ed.

Hi Ed

i have friends working up there in gold mines at the moment.

if i was buying a machine in that price range i would prefer garret AT gold myself as value for money , or the new Garret ATX at around $ 3500

are you on a gold mine there or something else ?

have you watched the locals prospecting and will they let you come along for the ride or is it not safe where you are ?

my mates there have 3 guys with AK47's guarding the camp night and day just in case a stray spear gets accidentally chucked over the fence

 

[Richpickings]

Hey Heads Up.
I'm working in the Highlands (Hela) Region on Exxon Mobil's LNG Project, and yes it's dangerous. We have a camp/workforce of around 2500 which lives behind layer upon layer of high razor wired fencing with 24/7 security.

I would love to prospect there but it's way too dangerous to do so(outside the wire)...I have brought back some great fossils(shells) and some beautiful bronze quartz which is everywhere on site...I do get half days on Sundays so I will ask the Company if its ok to fossick within the projects boundaries... Fingers crossed. They didn't mind me fossicking but I think I'd better check before I take a metal detector over there lol.

Are there any small hand held devices on the market which I could use??

Thanks for the advice...

Cheers

 

[kleinman98]

By all means check out the different detectors and do your research before you buy and as Wal said, the members of this forum are only too happy to help. For me personally, I have ordered the Garrett ATX because it promises to give the expensive Minelab a run for its money and it collapses down to a quite small package for flying, backpacking and the like.

 

[spottedgum]

Thanks for the responses guys, I think the openness on this site is excellent, especially towards newbies of 'The Hunt'.

I was thinking of a slightly earlier model of mine lab, say 2200 or 3500 or even stretch up to a 4500 but I will have to have a look at the Garret ATX.



John, how do you go prospecting around Nowra. My family are just south of Batemans Bay. By any chance have you had a sniff around there?

 

[loamer]

Thanks for the responses guys, I think the openness on this site is excellent, especially towards newbies of 'The Hunt'.

I was thinking of a slightly earlier model of mine lab, say 2200 or 3500 or even stretch up to a 4500 but I will have to have a look at the Garret ATX.



John, how do you go prospecting around Nowra. My family are just south of Batemans Bay. By any chance have you had a sniff around there?

Spotted - the 2200 and 3500 are both excellent machines and well suited for a beginner. There are some key differences, the main one being the 3500 is far more forgiving in running mono coils and it has the auto ground balance button on the handle - there are other differences but suffice to say, both are good. The 4500 is a big step up and I may get shot-down for this, but can be very confusing for new starters with all the settings. There are 2200 and 3500 users on the forum who swear by them and will not trade up. I still run my old 2200D with a big DD coil in conjunction with my 4500 and the old girl still comes up with the goods. I have a mate who runs a 3500 with a 14" DD all the time and pings what I call wheat gold (small grain sized stuff) consistently. If I had the $ and was starting out, I would look at the 3500.

My only word of advice on purchasing - I personally recommend people do not buy a modified machine - Minelab will not fix them if they break. You can ring Minelab and ask yourself but I have been to the Adelaide factory and spoke to the repair guys - they are not allowed to fix them up. Minelab dealers will give you a warranty etc with the machine and while they may be a wee bit dearer than ebay and the like, at least you know you are getting a genuine machine. (No I am not a dealer, just seen to many heartbreaking purchases go hay-wire for a few folk).

 

[WalnLiz]

One of my main detecting buddies runs a modded 3500 (modded by Woody),and it's a real pearler. (much better than the factory version). If you do happen to get a modded version by Woody, and something goes wrong with it, you only have to send it back to him and he'll fix it right away. No need to send it to Minelab. I personally know the quality of his work and his expertise and he's as good if not better than the Minelab techos.

I run a stock 5000 but would not hesitate in getting a modded 3500 from Woody.....my view only.

Cheers Wal.

 

[kleinman98]

Yeah Spotted, I havent done much so far as I only have a Garrett ace 250 at the moment and still waiting for delivery of the ATX deepseeker package.
I have some Thai friends around Batemans Bay and will take the detector around there and hopefully Mogo. I am currently in Thailand so it will have to wait until december.
I'm happy to meet up if you are keen.

 

[Jindy Gold]

Hello richPickings. About the mine your talking about, Just wondering if you know my brother, Olly or Greg, Hes a fitter who specializes in rock crushers, Been working all over the place, Did a crazy stint in Mongolia as well. Cheers Pete