Does $$$$ give results ??? (5 probably dumb quetions )

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aussiefarmer

aussiefarmer

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1.. I am sure theirs no rite answer but from everybody's experience how much do you need to spend on a detector to find small gold ??
( I see plenty on ebay for under $100 , I doubt a machine like that would ever even pay for it self unless you were trying to find car bodies.)

2.. Does price also mean you can tune out more types of minerals and interference ?

3.. Are they all useless where there is high amounts of ironstone etc ?

4.. Would a pointer save me having to pan , so once my plastic pan is full if I rubbed that through it with no beeps I could tip it out ??

5.. For gold finding below match head size (probably still panning) what would be the checklist that a machine would need ?? (remember I am a total newbie to detectors)
 
Agree with Ramjet I'm afraid. You can't go wrong with a SDC. Have one and love it. For a novice they are also excellent. Unlike other detectors where you have so many settings to choose from,the SDC really only has 3! If your not in a hurry keep a eye out for 2nd hand ones on eBay and the likes.
 
The point is you can buy second hand gold machines for $500 and Up or A New One for $1300+.

You don't have to have Deep Pockets to go Gold Detecting, You can Buy a New PI Machine and A Tiny/Fine Gold Machine for under $3000 for Both Of Them, You don't have to start Buying MEGA BUCK machines to find Gold, So Don't Fall into that Trap. And there is A Lot of Info here help out.

John
 
Check These out and they All Come with A 2 Year Warranty, With the right combination of these Machines you will Find Just about every Type Of Gold There Is,

The First 3 are Aimed at Gold Prospecting Market and the First 2 will be All you Need, With the 2nd one The GMT is the One Machine that every Prospector Should Own because of the Info it can Tell you, and Even if you Trade up the SPP for one of the MEGA Dollar Machines, The GMT should Always Be Part Of Your Kit because of its Abilities,

PULSE INDUCTION (PI)

Whites TDI SPP $1545.00
http://www.goldsearchaustralia.com/index.php/our-products/whites-detectors/sierra-pulse-pro-spp.html

Low Frequency Machines (LF)

Whites GMT Goldmaster $1365.00
http://www.goldsearchaustralia.com/index.php/our-products/whites-detectors/gmt.html

Whites Sierra Gold Trac (SGT) $910.00
http://www.goldsearchaustralia.com/index.php/our-products/whites-detectors/sierra-gold-trac.html

Very Low Frequency Machines (VLF)

Whites MXT All Pro, $1530,00
http://www.goldsearchaustralia.com/index.php/our-products/whites-detectors/mxt-pro.html

Whites Sierra Super Trac, $1045.00
http://www.goldsearchaustralia.com/...s/whites-detectors/sierra-super-trac-sst.html

Hope This Helps,, John
 
Thanks John
Do all these MD Have the ability to add extra coils add ons to improve their capabilities in differnt siuations ?
I have $600 put aside already and Im adding $50 per week so I am not going to rush in to anything untill I find the machine I can afford and that gives me the most diverse options over different scenarios. .
 
nucopia said:
Thanks John
Do all these MD Have the ability to add extra coils add ons to improve their capabilities in differnt siuations ?
I have $600 put aside already and Im adding $50 per week so I am not going to rush in to anything untill I dind the machine I can afford and that give me the most diverse options over different scenarios. .
Click to expand...

With The TDI SPP There are over 100 Coils that will Fit it, 4 From Whites, And about 10 From Miner John which are about the Best for Whites Machines, and The Minelab and Coiltek Coils will fit it, Plus Nugget Finder Coils, Basically Any Coil that Fits A Minelab PI will work on it,

With the GMT and the SGT there are 5 Coils that Fit them

And with the MXT and the Sierra Super Trac there are About 25 Coils Available for them,

Hope this Helps, John
 
nucopia said:
Thanks John
Do all these MD Have the ability to add extra coils add ons to improve their capabilities in differnt siuations ?
I have $600 put aside already and Im adding $50 per week so I am not going to rush in to anything untill I find the machine I can afford and that gives me the most diverse options over different scenarios. .
Click to expand...

Well The MXT would be the Most Versatile, But for Prospecting and Relic in Very Hot Ground the TDI SPP (PI) would be the Best Bet
When You Consider that there are more Small Nuggets in the world the GMT would be the Weapon Of Choice because they can Handle Fairly Hot Ground and in Mild Ground (if theres any left in OZ) it will Go Very Deep, In Hotter Ground The MXT might be the Better Choice because it runs at A Lower Frequency and has A Great Discrimination for junk filled site and that would be A Bonus around Tailing Piles and Old Mining Camps etc, Plus you can use it On the Beach and in Parks and fields etc,

john
 
nucopia said:
Thanks John
For newbies its tha lack of knowledge that makes it hard to know whats suitable and where to start with buying an MD from the many available on the market. its great you guys are always here to share you knowledge with us.
Much appreciated !!!
Click to expand...

Nucopia, the SDC is pretty much the most sensitive PI detector that will handle very heavy mineralisation, you'd laugh if you saw how tiny some nuggets are that it will detect. It's expensive, even 2nd hand they are around $2700 - $3200. If there is gold in shallow ground though they will find it. It has no interchangable coils though but is very easy to use.

The SDC will find gold that even a GPX 5000 will miss, can give you a demo out at Stuart Town sometime if you like? Will be out there again pretty soon hopefully.

So for the original poster, same as anything, the more you spend the better the result usually. There are usually plenty of 2nd hand minelab units going reasonably cheap.
 
Just my 10c worth - if you are looking for small gold in mineralised ground (most of the australian goldfields are mineralised) do not get a VLF machine. By the time you tune out the ground noise, you have also tuned out the small gold.

What you have to remember is that most of the known goldfields (probably where most newbies start) have been over with every conceivable detector known to man and, most of the easy to find gold is gone. So you want to get any advantage you can. If you go looking on this site as well as facebook and other forums, have a look at the recent finds and what machines are finding them.

In my experience, most of the recent stuff has been found with Minelab PI machines. Now whether this is because more Minelab machines have been sold, whether Minelab owners are more vocal, I have no idea. On small gold, the SDC2300 has been shown to be the best for our conditions on small gold. I have not seen any other detector outperform it consistently (on small gold that is). I dont own one of these but I have numerous friends who own them and would not use anything else.

Main thing is do your research and make your own mind up based on what you see. Most people are a little biased towards one brand or another. Take everones opinion with a grain of salt and then decide on the evidence you find yourself. Also most stores have either test machines or hire machines. Take time to trial some first before you commit to buying. Especially if you are looking at an expensive machine.
 
with being A Newbie I think PI machines Can Be Very Disheartening Because of the Amount Of Junk A Person Might Dig as they have Zero Discrimination, and I think it would be better to ease people into to Hobby as opposed to throwing them in the Deep end, There is no point in getting someone into A $4000 machine Right off the Bat because After Digging A lot of Junk at the end of the Day they are going to be wondering if they want to Carry on with Gold Detecting and the $4000 price tag of the SDC will Really P them Off with nothing to show for such a large investment,

I Really Don't Understand why anyone would Sagest A $4000 Machine to A Newbie when you Consider they don't even know where to Go or Have Access to the Prime Spots
YES The 5K and the SDC and the other GP/X series are wonderful Machines, But People need to Learn the Basics firsts, You Wouldn't Buy A Kid on his Learners A Phase III, So why Dump them into A Top Class Machine that has No Discrimination Features That after A week of digging Junk will feel more like Wrapping it Round A Tree and going Home.

john
 
SteelPat said:
Just my 10c worth - if you are looking for small gold in mineralised ground (most of the australian goldfields are mineralised) do not get a VLF machine. By the time you tune out the ground noise, you have also tuned out the small gold.

What you have to remember is that most of the known goldfields (probably where most newbies start) have been over with every conceivable detector known to man and, most of the easy to find gold is gone. So you want to get any advantage you can. If you go looking on this site as well as facebook and other forums, have a look at the recent finds and what machines are finding them.

In my experience, most of the recent stuff has been found with Minelab PI machines. Now whether this is because more Minelab machines have been sold, whether Minelab owners are more vocal, I have no idea. On small gold, the SDC2300 has been shown to be the best for our conditions on small gold. I have not seen any other detector outperform it consistently (on small gold that is). I dont own one of these but I have numerous friends who own them and would not use anything else.

Main thing is do your research and make your own mind up based on what you see. Most people are a little biased towards one brand or another. Take everones opinion with a grain of salt and then decide on the evidence you find yourself. Also most stores have either test machines or hire machines. Take time to trial some first before you commit to buying. Especially if you are looking at an expensive machine.
Click to expand...

That's not Quite Right, All We Had Before the SD series came along Was The VLF Machines, And They Still Find Gold To This Day, Not All Ground In Australia Is Very Highly Mineralized,

The SPP and the SL and The Pro fitted with the Miner john 5x9 Folded Mono will Match it on Small Gold As Luke has Shown Us So Many Times Over,,

Minelab Machines Do Not Come into the Class of Machines for Newbies,
 
Ridge Runner said:
That's not Quite Right, All We Had Before the SD series came along Was The VLF Machines, And They Still Find Gold To This Day, Not All Ground In Australia Is Very Highly Mineralized,

The SPP and the SL and The Pro fitted with the Miner john 5x9 Folded Mono will Match it on Small Gold As Luke has Shown Us So Many Times Over,,

Minelab Machines Do Not Come into the Class of Machines for Newbies,
Click to expand...

Yes the VLF was finding gold before PI machines. Same as we had a model T ford before we had a Falcon. Both still drive on the road but one is better definitely better than the other.

Unfortunately most of the easily accessible ground has been gone over with a PI machine. This leaves very little that a VLF will easily find. No point in buying a top notch VLF machine if you are looking for gold, only to find nothing and be constantly battling ground noise. Also, if you are not digging junk on the goldfields then you are missing gold. Plain and simple. I have both machines, and would not consider using a VLF when looking for gold, especially down this way. On the other hand when I hit the beach or park, I use a VLF.

Aussiefarmer mentioned looking for matchhead size gold. The overwhelming evidence by many users is that the SDC is the way to go on small gold. You are wrong when you say 'Minelab Machines Do Not Come into the Class of Machines for Newbies'. I know many newbies who are very happy with their Minelab products as well as Whites/Garrett etc. The SDC is very user friendly. I think it only has 3 settings.

I am not saying buy a Minelab. All I am saying is that for small gold in a majority of goldfields, get a PI machine. If you also want to do beach/park relic finding, then get a VLF machine. No one machine excels in both fields. Pick what you will be doing most of and then choose a machine based on that.
 

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