Hey bill how deep will it go?☺

I think you already know there is no one correct answer to that Robert, but I will add the the depth any detector will achieve is dependent on many factors including how the user has his detector set up for the area he or she intends to hunt. Ground conditions will in most conditions will be the main factor as to how a detector will work and the depth is will be able to "see" into the highly mineralized (or not) soil.... I can tell by that question and ribbing I am getting that you do indeed attend both my and Kevin's seminars.....

Sorry after spending time with you at the outing this weekend I had to

Quite alright my friend and see ya soon.....

Hi Bill, I have many questions but I think the one that would help me most is in regard to the threshold on the GPX5000. I understand settings that modify this ... Audio Type, Motion Speed, Gain, Stability .. etc. My question is, do you adjust these settings until you get an absolute 100% smooth threshold? Or do you find it ok to have a little instability?

Howdy Andy, with most PI detectors getting the threshold perfect is not possible, but getting as close as you can is indeed important so you are able to hear the slight disturbances in the thresholsd that may be a target. It is important to be sure if you are set up in "very slow" that you hunt very slow meaning about a 4 second sweep one way for me. Next the gain is VERY IMPORTANT many run it wide open and yes some do OK this way, but your gain is how you stabilize your detector and too much will cause you again to have a erratic threshold. Turn the gain up until there is instability while moving the coil and drop it back a click or two till it is more quiet and stable. If this setting is low like 5 0r 6 do not fret over it because it is not a loss of power! It is RF Gain not TX.....

If hunting with tracking on (I prefer manual GB) it is important to set the sweep speed the SAME as tracking speed or your detector will once again be unstable...

So to answer your question flat out NO, but it is important to get the detector setup to be as stable threshold wise as possible after tuning, you can also ust the stabilizer setting to smooth things out, but over use will decrease sensitivity in some cases.

Hope this helps and I always set my detector up for best stability in every new area. Great question!

That makes sense. Sounds like my sweep speed needs to come down a couple seconds slower. I assume this is for well pounded areas. When you're on the hillsides looking for patches, I imagine your sweep would probably go up to medium more for ground coverage. Right? Another thing I was not aware of is that I should be moving the coil while adjusting gain. I thought that was only for stability. I'll have to try this, too. I do a lot of detecting in the LSD areas ... well, before it started to heat up here. Thanks a bunch, Bill! I greatly appreciate the knowledge you share on all forums.

No I did not mean to be "moving" the coil while adjusting gain Andy after each adjustment if you start hunting and it is still unstable while moving, stop and readjust until it smooths out. Just that fact that you are asking these type questions to try and fully understand your detector shows you will likely become successful! Many folks just do not take the time to experiment and adjust their settings properly while hunting and quickly become frustrated as a result. Yes SLOW swinging is a must and not just in pounded areas, but when patch hunting in a new area I will often move a bit quicker to tag that first one then slow way down and hunt properly.

Thank you very much, Bill. I hope to see you in November or perhaps an earlier outing.

What is the best metal detector on the market today and why?

Howdy Ray, now this is a very hard question to answer because any good dealer will try to match the person to the detector best suited for them and their proposed hunting area and style. Each person new or pro has different requirements not limited to;

How much you will be hunting

Where you will be mainly hunting

Skill level

Budget

etc.

Now what I use are 3 different detectors with the main one being what I consider the best for the professional nugget shooter and that is the Minelab GPZ 7000, I also have a Minelab SDC 2300 and a Fisher Gold Bug Pro.

Can you give me a little more info on your plans and I will try to narrow things down for you as often the best out there may not be YOUR best choice for getting started.

 

Hi I'm looking for a good gold finder in the $500-800 range I am new so hope to find something fairly simple. I am usually hunting in the mid to high desert in AZ. Thanks

I'd say XTerra 705 or Gold Bug 2.

 

 

I wasn't very impressed with my 705. Just my opinion. I know a lot of people more successful with the Gold Bug 2. Just my opinion.

Hello All;

I am getting into metal detecting and am debating between the Garrett AT Pro and the Minelab 705 Gold.  I see that the operating Freq on the minelab can be changed by changing coils.  This seems like it would be an advantage depending on what you are looking for.  Thanks for any help or ideas on this.

Harry,

Depends.  Do you plan on using the detector as a dedicated gold detector or plan to coin hunt etc with it too?  However, either one you choose (the AT Pro or the 705) can be used for coin, prospecting or relic.  However the 705 would be better as a gold detector so if you are limiting your choices to those 2, I would go with the 705. 

 Also if you are looking for more of a dedicated VLF gold detector I would go with the Gold Bug Pro, or the Gold Racer.  But Whites MXT is one great machine as well and many gold prospectors swear by them.  If you are a Garret fan and want a dedicated gold machine then get the AT Gold.

Whatever you get, learn it well and use it often.  Learning and using your machine makes more difference than does your detector choice. 

New to GPAA. Been Detecting in Southwest Utah Desert for the past year with a Teknetics T2 SE, mostly relic and some coin shooting. Made a decision to focus on nugget shooting. I will eventually be shooting in the Gold Basin AZ area once a month as well as exploring and prospecting for undiscovered gold in NW AZ and Southern NV and UT. I am getting a PI and after much research I keep coming back to the ATX not wanting to wait and save up for a much more expensive Minelabs. Just wondering if you have had a recent experience using the most current version of the ATX? If so, has the falsing improved as they claim, better stability etc. Just wondering if it has evolved and improved to a level that so many seem to feel rivals or compares to a GTX 5000 for half the money? These are so many of the claims I hear from many these days... What is your opinion? Thx

I take it Bill stopped watching this thread LOL... If you ever see this Bill, I actually have e-mailed you directly. Someone going by GoldRushNuggets on Instagram referred me to you. I am Desert Detective.

You may have better luck contacting him on his Nuggetshooter.com forums or web page or facebook. "Bill Southern" 

I will message him and let him know you messaged him here.

Posted By Shane Edwards on 05 Sep 2016 09:11 PM
I take it Bill stopped watching this thread LOL... If you ever see this Bill, I actually have e-mailed you directly. Someone going by GoldRushNuggets on Instagram referred me to you. I am Desert Detective.

I am here, but for some reason did not get notice someone was posting in this topic. Anyway I have not used the newest model of the ATX and though I did like the detector I quickly switched back to my Minelab GPX at the time due to weight and some control box issues that caused some falsing in the early Garrett ATX. They should have that fixed now though... The Minelab GPX 4500 would be a better option for the same money and in my opinion and is a far superior nugget detector. Now consider that with the 15% Military discount and the 5% I give GPAA members one can be had for around 2200.00 here at Nugget Shooter.

I have used both and though the ATX is a very good PI unit it is not nearly as versatile, stable, or deep seeking as the Minelab GPX 4500 check my site for more info to compare the 2 as I carry both... www.nuggetshooter.com

Cheers, Bill

Thank you Bill for your reply. So I have looked at the ML4500 but after watching several Aussies on YouTube and reading some comparisons here were my conclusion and would be interested to know if maybe the ATX might be the best fit for me.

1. The ML4500 has EMI issues especially around Powerlines, Airports (some say even in Air Traffic Patterns), Commercial Heavy Equipment like Tractors and other detectors and EMI doesn't affect the ATX.

2. Another advantage that I have heard over and over is if one is detecting in an area where most nuggets are subgram but the occasional 2+ gram nuggets are found at greater depths, the ATX can hit both with one coil and one mode, no need to switch coils and modes in general and once you start adding the Coils to the ML4500 necessary to go deeper than the ATX the costs difference is even more significant.

3. The ATX is a better Relic and Beach detector with better discrimination features.

Anyways, this obviously is all research and opinion based but I respect your work and experience Bill and wanted to know if there is any merit to these points as these advantages would be the better fit for what I seek.

OK it indeed does make a difference in what will "fit" best and originally nugget detecting was the main focus I thought. If you plan to hunt around allot of power lines and at the beach etc. with a all purpose detector then the ATX would likely be a better unit due to being waterproof as well and it will indeed work better in town. We do not have issues with power lines for the most part nugget shooting. So if coil/relic/beach/and occasional nugget shooting is your plan that the ATX is a good bet. But you can indeed hunt near power lines with the 4500 when set up properly quite well and I have done it.

The 4500 though nugget shooting will our perform the ATX with any of the coils from 8 inch up. I have tested them side by side with the 11 inch stock coil and the Minelab is more sensitive to small shallow gold as well as deeper gold. With larger coils same result and I would be using the ATX myself if it would find me more gold. The different modes offer the operator more options to handle different ground conditions and what you have heard is a bit inaccurate. There is a reason when it comes to what people are actually using that post the gold finds consistently show Minelab PI and their tool of choice simple as that. Allot of detectors claim to be as good or better, but the proof is in the finds posted on forums, FaceBook, and passed around the campfire.

I am talking about only PI detectors in the price range you are working with as for nugget hunting there are also other options to consider though much more costly. There are also many VLF options in all purpose detectors as you already know.

I can only base my opinion on having actually had both in the field testing them myself and do not watch many videos simply because I am in a position to get my info hands on and for gold nuggets the GPX 4500 is a superior detector once mastered and having the options to change coils and settings to suit the ground is important and an advantage. Where on man sees more settings as a hassle another sees the advantage of learning to use them to fit different hunting conditions and styles. The ATX is indeed a decent PI detector if you are wanting to have an all purpose unit including water use in a PI, but for serious nugget shooting Minelab is simply the best option out there and this is not from word of mouth, but experience. There is a very good reason the folks that hunt gold nuggets professionally and/or focus mostly on hunting gold nuggets with a metal detector use Minelab PI and now other newer Minelab technologies like MPF and ZVT as in the SDC 2300 and GPZ 7000.

Just trying to help not confuse anyone and I can use any of these detectors when I hunt and I go with what will get me the most gold and I am not as brand loyal as I am interested in results. If any one of the manufacturers out there would come up with a better detector to find gold nuggets I would be using it in a New York Minute and I try each and every one that comes out to be sure I do not miss the boat.

That was an awesome response Bill. I very much appreciate it. So I think between last week or whenever I originally posted the question and this week I began to think more about my everyday situation. I want to get into some Nugget Shooting which was what got me considering a PI... But realistically I am probably only going to be able to detect any real Gold Bearing Grounds maybe every 6-8 weeks and will be mostly Relic Hunting in the desert I live in which at least uptil now big gold or nuggets for that matter have never been found. We also have Lake Powell Near me with plenty of beach and has been growing in popularity among locals and I have always thought about trying it out... So without giving up on a detector that is good for nugget shooting, since my original question I have evolved in think more realistically about my everyday use and needs. So maybe I should just get both LOL

Not sure about both unless a PI is what you feel you must have for coin/relic hunting as there are some awesome choices out there for very capable detectors for that purpose in a much lower price range that will do the job and as always there are the more expensive units with once again more features to help the operator cover more hunting conditions and more accurate and reliable discrimination. While nugget detecting we do not use discrimination as it is not reliable on PI detectors or VLF when nugget hunting due to nuggets not playing fair so to speak being in-uniform, not pure etc. Also gold is a very poor conductor....

Your comment was however very true and it is in my opinion better to use a detector designed for what you plan to hunt the most as when manufactured to hunt both there is some loss of performance on both ends. The two types of detectors Nuggets or Coin/ relic are very different in what we require from them as far as ground and hunting conditions. We dig everything nugget shooting, but coin or relic hunting often we are looking for a certain type manmade target among oodles of trash and accurate discrimination is a must.

I use a coin/relic detector for that purpose and a different detector for Nuggets.....

So I have a Teknetics T2 SE and I love it... It goes deep, has fast recovery and decent separation and accurate reads. I do very little coin shooting as my area has proven to be terrible for it. I use it on trashy sites, old homesteads and in the desert... When I say I want a PI that is good for Relics... It needs to be good around EMI (Powerlines mostly) and something I can use to actually target deep Iron with as some of the best relics in my area are iron (cast iron and such)... So looking to go even deeper than what the Teknetics T2 SE is capable of with a 15 or 17" coil... I understand the Deepseeker Coil on the ATX should do this for me. I also want to search more for old wagon trails, bandit hideouts and caches. The beach idea is to mix it up.... AND... I want to start nugget shooting, mostly in the Gold Basin Arizona area. With all of that in mind if had to go with one detector for all of this... What would it be? I keep coming back to the ATX but I have only ever considered the ML4500 or ATX and even the ML5000 briefly.

I brought my LDMA metal detector to the Loud Mine camp for the outing next week. Hope to find somebody to train me on how to find something .. was kinda hoping there would be a few demonstrations and training classes while we're here.

Ed

To Discriminate or Not

My questions is this, unless I use discriminate mode set at about 20 (Fisher Gold Bug) I have constant signals on all metals all the time, if I was to dig each signal I would be in the same sq yard for about a week!!, the signals are from weak to very strong and many times there will be nothing , or of course the old piece of barbed wire,square nail etc.. ground balancing the machine is pretty simple so I do that frequently.

By using the discriminate mode am I losing gold at 20? (i have no idea what that number stands for) it seems that most iron junk reads from 20 down. I've used a 1/2 oz gold coin and a couple of little "pickers" that read around 40-50 on my MD, additionally the tone on discriminate is also more distinct ( lead sounds really good!) any advise is appreciated.

FYI . I use a set of "whites" headphones

Thank you

Shane, I would have to say your research is sound on PI units for coin/relic and a Minelab gold nugget detector would not be my first choice. For that type work I use a CTX 3030 from Minelab, but not a PI. I do know the 4500 and 5000 are both used in the East to hunt battlegrounds etc. to get deeper than previous VLF hunters have and some incredible finds are being made. These guys dig everything because artifact hunting requires that or you miss some important finds. Coin hunting often the user wants accurate discrimination and that is not possible with a pulse induction detector and discrimination comes from a broken signal response.

Have you looked at the CTX 3030?

 

Tony,

 

 

GB or GB-PRO? What are you hunting gold or coin/relic?

If you are nugget shooting it is always best to run all metal and dig it all. 

 If coin or jewelry hunting in parks with the Gold Bug I usually turn sensitivity up to 12 oclock, then threshold somewhere near 11-12oclock, where you can just hear the hum, then do a ground grab over clean ground until the GB # settles in.

Then you can crank up the sensitivity and turn down into disc and run it up to 38-40, then you can either run in all metal with it set approx 11 oclock or where you can barely hear the thresh hum and watch the top of the speedometer ID's for targets above 38-40, or if you choose to run in disc mode just listen for strong repeatable signals and dig those over 38-40. I use 40 and have not missed much gold jewelry, from my experience. Lots of gold rings I have found at 50-52, but as high as 63-64 (it is a large gold spectrum) nickels hit solid at 58 usually. The settings above will not guarantee great targets but will cut down on the frustration of digging as much trash. 

Hope that helps

I believe Bill would agree that it is not a good idea to use discrimination mode nuggetshooting, unless perhaps to check a target.

 

 

I have looked into a CTX and XP for that matter. Most everyone who has experience or owns a CTX and a T2 SE like what I already have tell me that I may have slightly more success in coin shooting and of course beach hunts would be possible with the CTX but if my main focus is Relics and Nuggets and some beach hunting then the T2 SE and ATX would be the better combination in the ways I seek to improve my options.

As for the ML 4500 or 5000...

I hate all of the necessary parts, the battery is separate from the main unit housing... Cords everywhere, not waterproof, super sensative to EMI and RFI and one must spend a fortune for all of this when maybe I can gain a couple inches of depth (which not everyone agrees that the ML 4500 or 5000 actually does get more depth than the ATX)... I get opinions that go back and forth on this. Funny thing is, what most complain about over a ML other than the price is the sound (noise) which the one thing I actually like LOL... I am taking the plunge and getting the ATX which btw apparently there is a new closed DD stock coil that achieves even greater depth with improved stability.

I got a Deus and its pretty impressive all around, I took it to Coronado, Ca beach a month or 2 ago. Worked great. Although I preferred to run it in Goldfield mode (aka all metal) got more depth than the stock wet sand /dry sand settings. So many features to tune and now they are releasing a v4 with upgrades for nugget shooting and new coils, but then again its no PI machine but a great VLF incredibly light and versatile

I know... I looked at that... Truthfully to your XP and Bill's CTX... I also saw the v4 and smaller coil that the XP is coming out with this week. It was super hard for me to pass up on either one as I realize I am spending enough to own one of those great machines. But after much consideration and gathering a ton of opinions (in which I paid particular attention to CTX and XP owners who also own and use the T2 SE that I use)... I just got to go with a PI. I mostly relic hunt in which I will begin focusing more on Old Wagon Trails and Lost Treasures so I need to go deep. The 20" Monocoil that ignores near surface targets and can pick up smaller targets at 2 feet is of great interest which the ATX offers. I also see many Western Australian Nugget Shooters liking the ATX and the new DD closed coil sealed the deal for me. My goal will be to master it. Using both my T2 SE and the ATX I should be able to clean out any area of all good targets. I think I will have to add a Gold Bug II and AT Pro or the XP eventually before I can feel complete!

The XP is a great detector and light as a feather and I love it for coin relic hunting and the info above is very much correct. The XP will not go as deep as the CTX, but is super fast and will hear a dime half under a tin can lid by giving a slight chirp indicating a good target among trash. I also like the prospecting mode on the XP and it handles hot soil well. The ATX is also a great choice for an entry level PI and is a great detector as well as waterproof and will serve you well and yes will clean out most targets within it's capabilities and I hand it to Garrett for coming up with a lower priced entry level PI to give folks a different option. It will leave some small deep nuggets as well as large nuggets in very deep ground the GPX or GPZ models from Minelab will easily hear, but the cost difference in the two is important and Garrett does not claim it will out do the higher end PI units from Minelab..

Anyone out there know anything about a Metal Detector Called Detech? As I am being told this European Company's product is so good they even make Coils for Minelab/Garrett to name but a few of the big guys in the Industry? Is this true?
Regards Patrick.

Has anyone seen/used a Makro Gold Racer metal detector?

I have not tried that one yet, but you may want to look at the Minelab Gold Monster 1000, it is a VLF for gold with fully automatic ground balance, no threshold to listen to, and a discrimination that is dependable! All this is controlled by a 24 bit micro processor and the cost is very reasonable at 700.00 (with military discount it is 679.15) GPAA also available through me... In my opinion it is likely the best VLF available and at 45 kHz it will hear gold as tiny as even the GB2 without all the noise.....

I just picked up a Whites Goldmaster II in mint condition it's spent the better part of 26 years in a leather carrying bag in a closet. It has the original rechargeable battery pack (that took a full charge) and it has the original battery pack to put AA batteries in, I don't think this thing ever had AA batteries put in it. Has anyone ever used this model I know its a bit on the old side but for the price I couldn't pass it up. I've read great things about this detector just looking for more opinions and info. Thanks in advance.

Bill, (may I call you Bill?) I have recently bought the very first TDI SL Special Edition. I wish to get (pay) for instruction form a PRO. Ok, it's not a Minelab but I certainly would like to hook up. I will move from the Angels Camp area to Yarnell (Stanton) in April, where I will use the machine extensively. terry_cieszki@yahoo.com   Tnx.  ╦╦Ç

I was watching a YouTube video about the sound of the threshold and it's being rhythmic. Would turning on a detector in its preset suggestions and listening to the threshold be the sound I'm looking for?

None of the more experienced "salts" have responded so may I? If your You Tube hunt hasn't clarified, the threshold is merely the back round noise you want to hear while detecting. It is controlled for volume and should be "just loud enough" to hear it. Other controls will smooth it out so it is "steady", no warble or stuttering. Some don't like to listen to this continuous noise so they turn it down so it is not heard. Generally speaking, this is ok but as you get more experience, you will learn that some large nuggets that are deep and tiny ones at the surface, will only barely sound off above the threshold. This is what is called a "whisper" signal. By turning this setting to "silent", you may miss these nuggets.  Hope I helped.  ╦╦Ç

Thank you

Best under 1000$ detector for gold prospectors waterproof..and backpack essentials for hiking expedition..

Best under 1000$ detector for gold prospectors waterproof..and backpack essentials for hiking expedition..

Hey Carl
I'm a Garrett fan I use the Garrett ATX, and the AT gold is under a 1000 they both work great for me, there are a lot of good metal detectors out there you have to fit a detector that works for you, I'm also a relics Hunter so I use the AT gold alot, I have been using Garrett detectors for over 20 years now and have no complaints. Personally I listen to the tones and never look at my detector unless I do adjustments, you can look at the gold bug2 also it's a good detector for under 1000$, but not waterproof. Research research research, hope that helps I could tell you more abought my equipment but your ear would go numb.

Bill I have found two sites that have good size deposits of cemented rock. Will my Goldbug work on the cemented rock to fing gold??
Thanks Darryl

So I just got off the phone with Mr Bill Southern. I had watched a video with he and Kevin Hoagland discussing the settings on gold detectors. I recently went out to one of the GPAA claims North of Morristown and tried out the settings. I was finally able to operate my detector correctly. I called Mr Southern to thank him for his advice. This meant alot to me after years of trying to figure out what was being explained. Now it all makes sense.

Hey Robert. What is the link to your he video? Sounds like something I’d like to watch!

Is the Whites MXT any good for finding gold?

If the gold is big enough it is but there are better choices in my opinion. The MXT is not going to see small gold nearly as well as the higher kHz dectectors like the Gold Monster 1000, 24k, or Gold Bug II to name a few.

Figured many may find these useful if they haven’t seen them before.

The Bill Southern/Kevin Hoagland video mentioned previously

https://youtu.be/EkqwXJCSbyM

Good in-depth seminar on what the various settings do. Geared towards Minelab I think relevant to many.

https://youtu.be/yeDqGlpKcu0

Iam knew at the metal detecting scene.... Me and my wife went out and purchased a metal detector. A cheaper one... Not going to fork over hundreds for a detector not even knowing anything about them. So we bought a metal detector from harbor freight the name of it is literally metal detector item number62307. Iam having problems getting the initial setup done. I want it to find gold however canot get it to work..I believe I could be doing something wrong. Can u help me?

Trying to find the right way to say this without discouraging you in your quest to find gold. But having the right tools for the job is very important. And that also applies to finding gold. First of all, you absolutely need to know "something" about detectors before you buy one. Is it a pulse detector or vlf ?
Does it have manual or automatic ground balancing functions? Head phone attachment possibilities? And many others. There are several You Tube video's about this detector. I really doubt that you would be able to find gold with this detector because it is the wrong tool.

Not knowing your detector, I’d venture that you might be able to detect jewelry within a few inches of the surface. But gold prospecting is probably beyond the size, depth and mineralization capabilities of that machine.

I’d suggest testing with various targets in a known environment. When I bought my Gold Bug 2, I even bought a few tiny nuggets on eBay (like $20) just so I’d have real nuggets to test with.

If you figure out what the machine can do in a controlled environment you’re less likely to be frustrated in the field.

Yes the detector that I have isn't all athat great. However do you think it would be able to dectect let's say gold in quarts? What is a good detector to start out with? That's within a reasonable budget??

It would depend on how mineralized the soil and quartz are and it would depend on how solid and how big a gold specimen.

Not trying to be discouraging but realistic. I think it would be very unlikely that you’d find a deposit that fits the bill. Especially on a GPAA claim as we’ve all hit the same ground with more sophisticated machines.

That said, anything is possible. But I t’s up to you to decide whether you’re good with the odds.

I think you could find a decent gold machine on the used market for $500, maybe less. I’ve been happy with my Gold Bug 2. I started in January and I’ve yet to find gold with it. I can find metal as small as birdshot all day long though so I know the machine works. I just need to improve my prospecting.

The detector will not find gold in quartz. I seen the video of this thing in operation and it barely even detects a penny on a table when the coil is right on it. Depending upon where you would be using the detector, the size of the gold nugget would have to be 1/2 oz on the surface in order for this detector to sound off. I also would think getting something like a Gold Bug Pro would be something worth using.