Minelab GPX4500 tips, settings, questions

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Yes everyone is different.
Volume Limit sets the maximum loudness of signals - so to preserve my ears I have it on 7 or 8. Still gives me some difference between faint and louder signals, but saves my ears by not giving a loud signal blast on a shallow/large target.

I like to hear what my detector is saying, but I also want background noise/EMI to be kept to a minimum, so I'm usually in the Gain lower than Stabilizer camp. But it really depends on the ground, and the EMI on the day. A very low Stabilizer merely masks a noisy high Rx Gain detector, by dropping that noisy mess down below the point of hearing. Sure running the Rx Gain very high will allow "most" signals to be amplified above the threshold, but it's the borderline ones that I think may be lost.

High Rx Gain does lift the response on faint hard to hear gold like species and reefy bits, so yeah....need to tune for conditions.

Pat has a 4500, and Les is talking about the 5000, so this explains some of the differences in their settings, as the 4500 running Enhance is very stable, and does respond well to a bit of extra Rx. Fine Gold is a little more susceptible to EMI, so lower Rx is often required to keep it tame. So I can see how both those setting combos would work.
 
VicGoldHunter, a few things to try:

1. Lower your Rx Gain - the factory setting is 8, but you're in hot ground with a very sensitive coil, so don't be shy to drop it to 6 or even 5

2. Try Quiet Audio Type

3. Try running on Tracking. Change the tracking speed to Slow to minimise the risk of tracking out faint targets

4. If you are in really bad ground, you're only remaining option is to go into Sensitive Smooth timing.
 
PhaseTech said:
VicGoldHunter, a few things to try:

1. Lower your Rx Gain - the factory setting is 8, but you're in hot ground with a very sensitive coil, so don't be shy to drop it to 6 or even 5

2. Try Quiet Audio Type

3. Try running on Tracking. Change the tracking speed to Slow to minimise the risk of tracking out faint targets

4. If you are in really bad ground, you're only remaining option is to go into Sensitive Smooth timing.

Lowering the rx gain does seem to smooth thing out lots. Ive been running in fixed most of the time lately so maybe Ill try tracking thanks.

Its more so its a smooth threshold but here an there it picks up pockets of hot ground which leaves me digging holes every where. Im starting to get a hearing for it though seems to sound different to a target. More broad and slow
 
Another trick you can do that often works is to alter sweep speed.

On a genuine target, it will normally stand out much better with a very slow controlled sweep. If you go fast, you will often lose it.

If it's a hot spot, when you increase coil speed, it doesn't really change, and when you slow down, the signal almost goes away - this is the opposite of what a genuine target will do.
 
Are you running in enhance, if you are in normal you will be digging false signals all day.
Jim
 
Hi Guys & Gals - just joined this forum and am getting back into swinging the 45 again after a 6 year layoff!
Am interested in knowing which is the better Nugget Finder Evo mono coil for my detector. I am considering the 15" round, 12" round or 12X8 Mono and already have the Minelab Commander 11" DD and 16" X 12" Mono but find the 16" x 12" very heavy for all day usage.
Also what are your thoughts about NF open verses closed coils?
Appreciate your expertise, please.
Cheers.
 
12 is dynamite, scored 12 nuggets for 3 grams last night all about 4-6deep, honestly you cant really go wrong with any NF coil, size really depends on what the area is like where you are detecting,open areas,bushy size of gold etc, always good to have a few different sizes
 
12 evo is a great coil i use it most of the time ,but i like the 15 spoked evo both are very good coils also consider a spo1 they make a big improvement to the detector with these coils
 
Thanks Peko, much appreciated. Any thoughts on open NF coils vs closed-in faced coils? Congrats on your great score last night!!!
Cheers
 
Thanks Old Hand for the comments - what detector do you use and is the spo1 suitable for my original GPX4500 - I know nothing (as yet) about the spo1!
 
I run a 15" spoked on the same machine and simply cannot take it off it does everthing i can ask.
Jim
 
Correct. No longer available. I believe they ran the last of the stock out, end of 2019.
Really disappointing, it cut out a great cheaper option to the 5000.

There seem to be a couple of "new" ones, that are now being sold at premium prices on Ebay.
Not that I would trust them to be genuine.
 
GemmoNai1 said:
Thanks Peko, much appreciated. Any thoughts on open NF coils vs closed-in faced coils? Congrats on your great score last night!!!
Cheers

My 12 is closed, but my 15 & 19 are both open, to me it doesnt really make too much of a difference,the only difference is when making my own skid plates the closed in coils are quicker to make,less contours
 
old hand said:
12 evo is a great coil i use it most of the time ,but i like the 15 spoked evo both are very good coils also consider a spo1 they make a big improvement to the detector with these coils

You do realise that the 4500 battery has a built in amp, so once you plug in a speaker or a headphones that have been wired to trigger the in built amp, your volume is already amplified, so I dont really see the need to buy an external booster when you have one built in
 
Peko said:
old hand said:
12 evo is a great coil i use it most of the time ,but i like the 15 spoked evo both are very good coils also consider a spo1 they make a big improvement to the detector with these coils

You do realise that the 4500 battery has a built in amp, so once you plug in a speaker or a headphones that have been wired to trigger the in built amp, your volume is already amplified, so I dont really see the need to buy an external booster when you have one built in

The SP01 will amplify the signal and filter out some of the background noise. the battery amp will amplify ALL the noise.
 
I use a 15solid nf on my 4500 I really have confidence in it,however it definitely doesn't fit into small areas well so I guess you will have to think about the type of country you are working.All the new NF Coils are very good.
 
it only appears $500 difference. I will bet it has lots of extras you will need in that price- different coils, batteries and miscellaneous that will cost you $1000+ to buy on top of the core unit. Get a list and price them for yourself
Never heard of one going wrong. I would think like most things if OK after year 1 its a good one
4500 is still a robust machine that consistently finds yellow stuff.
 

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