Minelab SDC2300 information and questions

hello all, the end result to my intermittent problem , sent the SDC 2300 back to Minelab with a detailed symptoms list and it came to me in a flash,
no mucking around, the invoice indicates Minelab replaced the speaker, how that for customer service, hats off to MINELAB.
had my hip replacement during this period so I have not been able to take her out for a swing but another 3 weeks and I should be able to go for a drive, thats the down side of surgery no driving for a min 6 weeks

I have used a GPX5000 with succes but will be using a SDC2300 later this year in the WA goldfields. As I have not used a SDC2300 before and am not familiar with them I would like to know what settings people use with them. The area I will be concentrating on is around the north eastern goldfields from Menzies to Leonora.

Run it on 5 if you can . If a bit to noisy back off to 4 . I wouldnt run it any lower but thats just my opinion as Ive kind of trained my ears to suit. The missus cant handle as chattery setting as me but in doing so she leaves some gold for me too. I only use mine in the GT but dont think an sdc would be much different where you use it

Just asking...is there a reason not to take the 5000? the sdc will find you gold, but you will miss the deeper stuff. I spent about 6 weeks near there( well more Laverton way, but similar geology) with both a 7000 and an sdc, I found gold with both, but definately more with the 7, and most of the people I was with had 5000's and also did well.

cairnspom said:

Just asking...is there a reason not to take the 5000? the sdc will find you gold, but you will miss the deeper stuff. I spent about 6 weeks near there( well more Laverton way, but similar geology) with both a 7000 and an sdc, I found gold with both, but definately more with the 7, and most of the people I was with had 5000's and also did well.

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Good question. I may not be able to get hold of the 5000 for this trip and if I would be able to the person who owns the 5000 would be using it. I gather the SDC would be good for doing the vacuuming.

I usually run mine on 2 or 3 sometimes 4, running too hot can be a hinderance sometimes.

Check these vids out by Nenad.

[video=480,360]https://youtu.be/T3CbJxNXNW0[/video]

[video=480,360]https://youtu.be/INqYWCibSB0[/video]

I usually runs the SDC on 5, higher if I had an extra notch :lol:

Mrs M usually runs on 4 to avoid some unnecessary noise. Then there's the threshold. If I can I'll run on 1 but sometimes it's too chattery so I'll go to 3 LED's just to keep a steady noise but it is noisy. Mrs M will nearly always runs the threshold on 3. You'll do better with a good set of earphones because the speaker is lousy if there's a bit of a breeze or other noise about.

Our SDC rarely finds more gold than the 4500 although it will often find more pieces they are always smaller.



SDC2300 pill bottle............................................GPX4500 pill bottle :Y:

If someone has any other tips on the sdc please feel free to chime in.

Gday all. Found out something about the sdc
on the weekend. My mate who has an sdc as well and I went for a bit of a hunt. We didn't find anything of note but, I had found a target that by the end of looking through what I had in my scoop there was bugger all left in it but it was still sounding off quite loudly. I callled my mate over and he put his sdc over it and his never made a sound so off he went looking around again. After he left I found the tiniest piece of rusted tin in my scoop.
Now the only thing that I had done differently to my mate was that I had previously performed a noise cancel and the ground balance. So now we both do a noise cancel when ever we turn on our machines.

When you do a noise cancel the machine chirps and does like a bell type noise about 21 times which takes about 50 seconds while it searches for the best audio channel .( I think I got that right )

Hope this helps.

Hmmm, I puzzled. Im not 100% clued up on the minelabs, but had a few days out with both the 4500 and sdc.
They both offer a start up feature. This im sure is to help ignore electrical interferences from power lines and magnetic ground interferences.
Im sure if you're out woop woop with no power lines and magnetic ground this is not necessary to do....
correct me if im wrong....
help MBASKO!!!! 8)

Could be but there is a flight path over this particular area and wind turbines so ????
I don't know the ins and outs of it all I know is what I reported on here.

Jupiter Creek here in Adelaide hills is right under the flight path for jets out of the city. The 5000 will let you know every time one passes over. The SDC is a bit more tolerant, but will still warble a bit as well. Just another hindrance here in our detecting paradise of SA

I've got an F1A4, which is the previous version of the military detectors, SDC being the civilian version of the F3.

It has the noise cancel also, and i find that it can cancel out pin pointers, mobile phones and basically anything EM, just by switching the output frequency on the coil.

As far as i know when you press noise cancel the frequency shifts through a pattern until it hits a frequency that returns a clean signal. This is also useful if your going out with a mate, as you can cancel his detector out. The military units are designed to find minimum metal mines(tiny screws), and in the manual says that they can operate 3m away from each other.

That is my understanding as well. My mate had a pinpointer on him as well and I did have my mobile on me to take pictures of rust iron nuggets.

G'day Wishful,

I think you nailed the issue as far as Noise Cancel and Ground Balance goes. Every day has different atmospherics, particularly if the Sun has an active region or, as mentioned, if there's a nearby flightpath. We've definitely all been there and had those frustrating days of constant EMI we'd rather forget. :lol:

I've often had tiny targets left in the last bits of dust in the scoop. The tiny rusty stuff is common, bits of wire and flakes of metal etc. can be a real pain in the butt and take quite some time to actually retrieve. Best to check and look thoroughly before dismissing any target noise as they can be extremely tiny bits of gold on occasion. :Y:

The other thing just to keep an eye on is how close the two machines were working together. They are generally pretty good -within reason. If working say, 30-40feet apart, you should be fine by staying parallel to each other, but any closer and you'll definitely have an issue trying to balance and maintain a good, stable threshold even when initially Noise Cancelling each other out.

The only other suggestion would be to keep an eye on your coil cover, particularly if the ground is mineralised. The eventual dust and debris build-up under it will sometimes diminish or prevent a good Ground Balance. Pays to check it now and again.

Cheers,
Shauno.

Wishfull said:

and I did have my mobile on me to take pictures of rust iron nuggets.

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It was switched off though correct? If not, then that's a definite bad source of EMI and will give all sorts of grief when doing a NC or GB procedure.

At the times when I have my mobile in the backpack, it's either switched off or in Aeroplane Mode (powered up with no 4G signal in or out) for shooting the odd a video of a dig here and there. The SDC, or any detector for that matter soon lets you know if you've left it on and forgot it was in your pocket! Haha!

Cheers,
Shauno.

Hi Wishful,
I have only been using the SDC since October last year. The area I frequent seems to have a persistent EMI problem and most times I can only run at Sensitivity 3. And yes I do a noise cancel every time before starting to detect. After turning the detector on I select sensitivity 5 and do a noise cancel, then dial back the sensitivity to what I consider a reasonably stable threshold which is usually sensitivity level 3. Often during the day I might repeat the process because the interference does vary with in a location. It may be quiet working deep in a gully but then things can change working high up around a reef. Occasionally the detector has got a bit noisy working at an angle on the mullock heaps. Doing a noise cancel with the coil tilted towards the interference has helped restore a more stable level of working. I am trying to get the SDC working at maximum sensitivity for the day and conditions, thinking this will give me maximum sensitivity to small targets and depth on bigger bits. I have only had the detector do the turn on/off thing once. It was the second time out. The fix was easy, just make sure the battery cap is put on squarely to start with. I can twirl mine around and point it at the sky if I want and it does not do the restart procedure. I have probably logged up about sixty hours now with no problems. GPS and mobile phone are always turned off. I tape the coil as best I can but dirt eventually finds its way between the plate and coil. It is tricky to get the skid plate off but worth checking now and then. The detector will probably tell you in a fit of instability when it is time to give it a clean.
The pictures are from my two best days so far. I was lucky to get onto a few bits around some old mullock heaps. I agree wholeheartedly with Syndyne's comments
and advice. Noise cancel and ground balance before starting to detect and if the conditions change. There has been the odd occasion where I have been able to boost the sensitivity up a level because I have moved into a very sheltered gully. Also the reverse has happened as well. I have moved into a noisy area and despite two or three noise cancel procedures I have had to make do with running at level 2 sensitivity.

Cheers Bob.

It's good practice to go through a start up process of doing a noise cancel then ground balancing before heading off. It takes very little time.
As Shauno says above there are a lot of factors that can affect things, like atmospherics, which can not only change each day but during the day. I've found on some occasions the SDC may take 2 or 3 noise cancels to get it running smoothly & on others it doesn't even seem necessary & it will run nicely all day. Same place on another day can need a few throughout the day to keep it going along well. Wind seems to make the SDC act up as well.
The SDC is pretty forgiving as far as ground balance goes due to the auto ground tracking (same as GPZ) but a few quick pumps before setting off is best.
With a GPX I would definitely be doing a noise cancel then ground balancing each time as I would be in fixed on most occasions so a good initial ground balance is essential. Then quick balance as required.
There's not a lot you can do about aircraft or approaching storms unfortunately. Best to just wait until they pass.
Keeping external noise from EMI/atmospherics to a minimum & keeping your detector balanced to the varying ground conditions is something that you should be doing as standard always IMO.

A lot of good advice and tips in this thread.

bob said:

GPS and mobile phone are always turned off.

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As far as I know GPS units are all passive and do not emit any EMI, so it should be fine to use at the same time. I never switch my GPS off. As long as it's not swinging around anywhere near the coil it won't interfere.

Great read guys. :Y:
glad you posted it Wishfull. :Y:

When doing a noise cancellation find the worst of it point at it but dont move it what i do sit on the ground let go through it process