Minelab GPX 4500 information and questions

Hello from the Mount Isa area. Still trying to find my way around up here with my GPX 5000. Just not sure which direction to head. North South East or West. Expert at finding everything but gold. Sure one day will find something of value. Anyone who can point me in the right direction? Thanks Des

I hope so I think I need to do better research and stop going to the flogged spots.

GaryO said:

You mustn't be far off Max .. :Y:

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Hi guys I need some advice. I have a new release 4500. Bought last October from Mitcham. Found gold straight away and continued to find it most times out. However around may this year it got a little wet from rain and also dropped it putting it down to dig a target. It seems now while testing to not have any depth. I haven't found any gold since. It screams on crap still tho. I have a sadie the 11inch mono and the 15 evo. I have the steel Phase SP01 that I didn't charge for 4 hours before use. Just charged it till the blue light came on. Noticed the recommendation after I'd used it. Do you think I've damaged it?? I'm stumped. Logic tells me that if it still screaming on crap it's still working but am not sure. Also on the weekend I buried a target at Inglewood and switched to Normal and swept over the target. It didn't have a rise and fall in the pitch just a groan as I swept over it. Any ideas. Thanks guys

RobboChasinYella said:

. Also on the weekend I buried a target at Inglewood and switched to Normal and swept over the target. It didn't have a rise and fall in the pitch just a groan as I swept over it. Any ideas. Thanks guys

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That sounds like something's not right. I don't think the groan means it's sick of finding gold...

Might be worth taking it in for a checkup.

Firstly you only need to charge the sP01 until the blue light comes on. The 4 hour recommendation is only in case its been sitting on the shelf for ages.

Secondly, do a factory reset on your detector.

Next check the skid plates of your coils and make sure you dont have dirt in between the skid plate and the coil.

Next run the machine in enhanced, not normal with factory settings. There arent too many places in Victoria you will be able to run in normal.

Thanks Pat that's a relief about the SP01. I always run in enhance but the Placer deposit where I was in Inglewood was quite conducive I thought to running aggressive settings. I've done a factory reset also have pulled the skid plates off all my coils cleaned out the small amount of dust in them and re taped with Nitto. I keep my machine clean and charged just worried that the drop or the rain may have damaged it.

Yes the factory reset is a great place to start but check the location of the switches on the front. Make sure you're not in CANCEL on the top switch. I usually have the top and bottom switches in the centre that's MONO and GENERAL. Both centre switches in the same direction that's FIXED and ENHANCED. The factory reset should take you back to a good starting point to find gold.

Once you get comfortable with it again then you can tamper with the settings.

Thanks mate. Yeah not in cancel. I'm quite mindful of the cancel switch heard some ripper stories related to that ha ha. It's got me confused big time. I think in all honesty there is probably nothing wrong with the machine and it's probably how I'm setting it up.

Hi Robbo,

For peace of mind why not just spear it back to minelob for them to check? Warranty? If all is ok then at least you will know for good.

Just my thoughts

HappyJack

Doing it tomorrow brother

G'day. New member and first post. Just started detecting a couple of months ago when I bought my wife a SDC 2300. I wasn't all that fussed at first but decided to have a go and really enjoyed it. The fact that we got onto gold straight away certainly helped. It is a fantastic machine but we were sharing it, an hour each at a time so I decided to buy another.

Snagged a second hand 4500 still under warranty from Coiltek and took it out for the first time today. VERY different from the SDC. No idea what I am doing really but I am sure persistence will pay off. Managed to find some lead shot and dug down a good 350mm into the hardest pipe clay I have experienced only to find 2 bits of rusty iron.

Anyway, thought I'd just say g'day. Great forum with some really worthwhile info.

All the best

Mick.

Hi mick, welcome aboard. I have had my 4500 since its release day. I have found more gold with it and i have had many of minelab,s gold detectors. Its a back up now and the zed is catching it fast in terms of gold recovered. My advice is to read the manual cover to cover a couple times with the detector in front of you.

If you search the forums you will find lots of info on settings for different situations.

Try get out with someone who has used a 4500 heaps.

Probably best advice is to swing slow and get very proficient at recovering targets and moving on.....so you can maximise ground coverage during a detecting session.

Good luck, stick with it and you will get some nice deep element 79.
Cheers RDD

It sure is a different kettle of fish, but that's what makes them good. It's the ability to operate in different conditions and for different depths and target size. Start of by running everything in default settings and it will still run pretty dam good and as you read your manual 10 times plus another 10 times you will understand the settings to make it work even better. I'd also suggest an 8 inch Minelab mono coil, that will get you close to what the 2300 can detect while still running very stable. You could go smaller but I've found them to be a bit more erratic.
Gaz

Ps.. dont be ashamed of taking a note book with you for a while and writing down notes about different settings you try..and lastly use a test piece . :Y:

Mick if you want to go out some time i will take you and your wife out ,i am using a 4500 and are at Maryborough regards john :Y:

Hi Mick

Check out The Outback Prospector on line store. Jonathan Porter has an excellent DVD on the 4500 which I have just finished going through. He talks you through all the settings and more.

If you want to make the most of the 4500 you need this dvd.

Dan :money:

Hi everyone,
I messed around with my settings the other day and now filled with regret.
Ive got so much interference I cant get back to the gentle hum sound. It barely picks up a tiny nugget too.
Ive factory reset everything, auto tuned and changed my threshold but nothings working. The external control settings are:
Search mode: G
Soil/timings: N
Ground balance: fixed
Cool/rx: double D
Im running the 11 inch factory coil and all internal settings are factory preset.
Im detecting around the Kalgoorlie area.
If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them. Thank you

Maybe change to enhanced. But make sure you are doing this out bush not in the lounge ?cheers HH

use enhanced as HH said then factory reset regards john :Y:

Hi Mate,
What the other guys suggested is what I do, if I'm in fine gold and things get ugly in an ironstone area I try adjusting the gain down from say 12 to 8 and see what happens , still noisy try 5 & see, still noisy I just change into the less sensitive timing Enhance and readjust the gain back up , ground balance and see what happens. Enhance is not quite as sensitive as fine gold but is great in noisy ground and will still find gold, even if you have to keep adjusting the gain down in Enhance. If the ground is still ugly same process, down in timing and adjust gain from as high as you can down to whatever. I normally don't go lower than 4 in gain without dropping to a less sensitive timing.

If that don't work, buy a carton and chill out until the emi has gone or try different ground.
cheers Johno

Another thing to check is that your coil to control box connection is tight. It can sometimes come loose over time. I have been caught out by this before. Sounded like I was having lots of emi which can happen at times but once the connection was tightened was all good.