Minelab GPX4500 tips, settings, questions

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Just remember if you numb it right down just check it on a test piece to see if it still picks up gold..? It might be running nice and quiet, but it still has to find the yellow..Good luck..
 
All good gents and thanks for all the the tips. Spent the day liberating the Bush of junk again and on heading back to the car with one pocket of fuggets and a couple small rattles. Came over a nice whisper on the way back to the car but the ground below 6 inches is like concrete. Taking a mate out to finish the dig tomorrow and see what else is around. Pulled multiple leadshot deep in places I definitely worked hard so there's steps in the right direction right there. Keeps the inspiration alive.

Still have a lot to learn but beginning to get a better hold on how to manipulate the 45 with a mono on difficult ground.

It's all ground I ran my older GP over with DDs which I did try with a large 15x12 DD and then a 14 elite, but the elite was just too unworkable no matter what I tried. The new machine is a vast improvement in performance but a steeper learning curve. Just time and confidence before I jag something worth bragging about.

Cheers again.
 
The target at 6" in 'like concrete' sounds exciting. I presume the whisper is increasing in volume. Let us know how you go.
Glad you're getting the hang of it. Some days it can be a continuous battle with noise and fear of sacrificing depth for stability. I tend to oscillate on bad days ........ run quiet for a while, then noisy for fear of loss of depth, then quiet again because I just can't stand the noise, etc. I can never make up my mind. It's just a confidence thing and a preference to run smooth, but then the thought of what am I missing kicks in. I'm sure if I hit a patch, either way, I'd clean it out and then go over it the other way. But to date not had such fortune.
I wonder if other people cycle between quiet and noisy like me?
Cheers
 
Yep Andy I do the same, happy to put up with a bit of noise and then tire of it and adjust to a quiet setting. Rather than operate with the thought of loosing depth I've wondered if my hearing has caused me to miss a faint signal. It seems there's always an opposite thought when we question ourselves. For me it's a confidence thing that's my problem only bought about from questioning myself due to the limited and infrequent time I'm able to spend when I get the chance. One day I will have more time and I'll keep going until I'm satisfied I've mastered the machine.
 
Interesting topic here....Im interested to know how to limit emi noise on a bad day. Does dumbing down the machine help with emi like it does with noisy ground. What adjustments would you try other than trying to find the quietest channel.
 
RM Outback said:
Yep Andy I do the same, happy to put up with a bit of noise and then tire of it and adjust to a quiet setting. Rather than operate with the thought of loosing depth I've wondered if my hearing has caused me to miss a faint signal. It seems there's always an opposite thought when we question ourselves. For me it's a confidence thing that's my problem only bought about from questioning myself due to the limited and infrequent time I'm able to spend when I get the chance. One day I will have more time and I'll keep going until I'm satisfied I've mastered the machine.
Glad I'm not the only one RM. Cheers
 
OzzieAu said:
Interesting topic here....Im interested to know how to limit emi noise on a bad day. Does dumbing down the machine help with emi like it does with noisy ground. What adjustments would you try other than trying to find the quietest channel.
Ozi
Other than the quietest channel as you say, the only other things I know is the smaller the coil the better for less EMI (smaller antenna), or switch to a DD and even use Cancel Mode on a DD. I look forward to also hearing any other ways to cut EMI. Cheers
 
The stab, gb, target vol all can make the detector noisier on certain ground ,But the way some people swing the coil does not help ,I often take people out to help them with their detectors, at times I have noticed there detector will be noise when where we are detecting the detector should relatively stable,do not take to big a sweep with the coil a big sweep can alter the coil height at the ends of the sweep altering the ground balance you do not have to lift the coil much to alter the ground balance. When sweeping low just toughing the ground [not like a rake]and a slow steady swing regards john :D
 
I was doing the same changing the settings around willy nilly, making it hotter than it should have been... I am now convinced I have found a happy medium with my 45 as I found a little .35 with the stock 11 mono using the settings below.

Coil: 11 standard mono coil.

Front Cap:
DD
Fixed
Enhance
Normal
Threshold : 1-1.30

Back Cap:
Motion: Very Slow
Rx Gain : 7
Audio : Quiet
Stabilzer : 11
Signal : 19
Target Volume : 12
 
No joy today, pulled a large bent iron spike from over a foot and a half deep, probably a relic from the old times. More than a little disappointment from the 2 of us digging, feels a bit like dirt fishing, that same sense of loss when you fail to land the big one. How some of these things get so deep in such difficult soils I can only guess.
 
OldGT said:
If anything I felt specific GB made it more erratic rather than less.

Specific Ground Balance is a special setting which is reserved for non-linear ground. It is not designed to remove false signals, but rather a last resort when you are having trouble performing the initial ground balance. If you have ever been in a spot where you start to ground balance and when it is almost settled, you lower the coil to the last 5mm above the ground and it goes off. You try to re-balance and the same thing happens. On the 5000, if using Fine Gold timing, the first thing I'd try is a lower Rx. If that doesn't help, then you could go back to Enhance, but if you want to try and stay in Fine Gold, this is where Specific GB should be tried.

Specific GB sets a very very precise ground balance for the spot you are balancing the coil over, so it is a lot more sensitive to ground changes, which is a bit of a negative. Depending on how variable the ground is, leaving the balance switch in Tracking can work well.

In all my time swing a 4500 and 5000, I have probably come across 6 or so areas where I have used Specific GB with success. So it's something you very rarely need to use, but once you experience how it can help things, it is a good trick to have up your sleeve.
 
Well for some stupid reason I bought a gpx 4500 as my first detector (also got a nox 800)

Ive got the 11 dd coil and a 15 x 12 mono.

Just wondering if there is any other more general purpose coils I should get. Or keep an eye out for.

Or any accessories that I should also order Ive got
Harness and bungee
Chargers
Koss headphones
External speaker
Covers

Just trying to get organised so I can keep an eye on eBay.

What kind of case suits the 4500

If I get over it keep an eye out for it up for sale ?
 
KISS.
Maybe a 12" round Nugget finder Evo or equivalent Coiltet coil.
and keep it at that,
just run in Factory Settings and keep doing some research, watch Jonathon Porters DVD's
and most of all, have fun.
 
Im yet to comment since joining the forum, but feel i need to respond. There is NO stupid reason u brought a 4500, a very proven capable detector. If you cant find gold with the gear u currently have, then you are looking in the wrong places. Do some research, be at one with your gear, get to know it. I run the 4500 and 14 inch coiltek camo finding gold down to .1 of a gram, great detector and great coil. There are plenty of great coils from coiltek and nugget finder that will go well on the 4500. There seems to be alot of people in this great hobby that blame their gear, put some time into research and then hard yards walking and covering the ground. If YOU walk over it, I have no doubts the 4500 is more than capable of finding it.
 
I think the point that Gros21 maybe didn't state clearly is that he is struggling with the myriad settings & the learning curve.
Correct me if im wrong on that Gross21.
There is a vast amount of info & experience on this forum. take the time to systematically search, read & practise. Get yourself some lead sinkers of different weights & bury at different depths & practise with settings, coils & sounds. It takes time ... lots of it
keep going & good luck
:goldnugget: :goldnugget: :fistpump:
 
Um more the fact that I have 1hr behind a detector (I think it was a deus (Maybee a orx one of the 2)) which I didnt touch a setting just waved it arround and dig up stuff that beeped.

Yea I went deeeep straight in.

Ill be doing prolly 75% club hunting/more social and relic based. Im certinally not a gold hunter ect.

However I have a property thats next door to a gold mine. So gold finding is a must. I did buy the gold pan set as well today.

I have no doubt the gpx4500 is an awsome machine VERY POWERFULL its just a walk before you can run kind of thing and not rookie friendly.

I know one of the guys in the local group runs a ctx 3030 other than that a lot of xp machines as well as basic units Such as go finds. Which I think its great to have a very broad range of machines and back grounds. Maybee there is a gpx owner there as well.

I have johnathens seta project DVD.

I can see my not touching the gpx much straight away and get some hrs up on the nox. Very daunting I still have no idea what PI does or what any of it is really.

Other then a nugget finding coils is there a good all purpose coil that may also pick up relics.

Ill just keep hunting arround for a good deal on a used coils
 
The difference is with one of these new high tech flat wire wrapped coils (Elite or Evolution) you will get a couple inches more depth from the flat wire coil over the stock ones of same size. But that will be once you got your head wrapped around all the controls and what they can do for you. I use a Nugget Finder Evolution mono 14x9 as my main coil, its not heavy but big enough to punch down pretty good, then I have a Coiltek Elite mono 14" round coil as my deep coil, we did extensive tests on this coil when it first came out and we got a solid 2" more depth out of the Elite over the stock 12x15 minelab coil. I like having that edge over stock coils in heavily hunted areas.

The 14x9 Evolution will detect #9 birdshot to 3" depth in medium soils with a good signal and I have found a .55 gram porous nugget at a solid 8" depth with same coil. The 14" elite round hears the #9 birdshot just barely at 2-3 inches and is harder to pinpoint with too, so you loose just a bit of tiny gold sensitivity on the larger coil but not much. The 14" round Elite in my medium alkali soils will detect a solid 1.3 gram nugget to 13" depth. Just to give you some idea of sensitivity.
 
Gros21 said:
Um more the fact that I have 1hr behind a detector (I think it was a deus (Maybee a orx one of the 2)) which I didnt touch a setting just waved it arround and dig up stuff that beeped.

Ill be doing prolly 75% club hunting/more social and relic based. Im certinally not a gold hunter ect.

However I have a property thats next door to a gold mine. So gold finding is a must. I did buy the gold pan set as well today.

I have no doubt the gpx4500 is an awsome machine VERY POWERFULL its just a walk before you can run kind of thing and not rookie friendly.

I know one of the guys in the local group runs a ctx 3030 other than that a lot of xp machines as well as basic units Such as go finds. Which I think its great to have a very broad range of machines and back grounds. Maybee there is a gpx owner there as well.

Hi Gros21 (Matthew) if I am not mistaken, I might have hunted with you on your first hunt. Your story sounds familiar to our last club hunt were we went to a property next to an old gold mine in CQ. You were using the Orx detector, I personally have an Equinox 800 and I also owned a 4500 for a while...If you would like a hand sometime I would only be to happy to show you a little about both machines and there settings.

cheers dan
 
rockdev said:
Gros21 said:
Um more the fact that I have 1hr behind a detector (I think it was a deus (Maybee a orx one of the 2)) which I didnt touch a setting just waved it arround and dig up stuff that beeped.

Ill be doing prolly 75% club hunting/more social and relic based. Im certinally not a gold hunter ect.

However I have a property thats next door to a gold mine. So gold finding is a must. I did buy the gold pan set as well today.

I have no doubt the gpx4500 is an awsome machine VERY POWERFULL its just a walk before you can run kind of thing and not rookie friendly.

I know one of the guys in the local group runs a ctx 3030 other than that a lot of xp machines as well as basic units Such as go finds. Which I think its great to have a very broad range of machines and back grounds. Maybee there is a gpx owner there as well.

Hi Gros21 (Matthew) if I am not mistaken, I might have hunted with you on your first hunt. Your story sounds familiar to our last club hunt were we went to a property next to an old gold mine in CQ. You were using the Orx detector, I personally have an Equinox 800 and I also owned a 4500 for a while...If you would like a hand sometime I would only be to happy to show you a little about both machines and there settings.

cheers dan

Cheers

Yep thats me Im hooked will deffinily take you up on that. Ill take the nox out the first few times. I thought he said it was a orx but it had the black coil I thought and dont remember gold on the controller. But there much of a muchness.

I think the 4500 will come in handy for the fiiiiine good. I also travel for work (i cover all CQ hell tomorrow I go to longreach) so may end up in work ute as a few of us collect gold/silver bullion (Im more into silver) and would prolly come for a wonder in the arvos.

Cattle are back in there now eating the grass down and Andrew has the other guys name to get permission. Apparently my property had the aerial flying fox on it for ore and a small shuttle style train.

Really want to see try my luck at panning some of that area, as there is alot of gold left. It was only forced to shut when the other gold mine closed down as there was no processing plant there.

Do I expect to find much nope. But a few flakes would be nice.
 

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