Minelab Gold Monster 1000 tips and questions

Try around Christmas rush and New rush at Chapel Mick , great for the Monster .

Cheers and good luck .

Hi Mick,

No need to wade through the entire video, the GM is being used here in hot ground and old mate shows the difference in modes and how to identify a target.

You want to skip to just before the 24min mark.

https://youtu.be/ITSYb4Tts_8

The video goes on a bit but I think sometimes the best way to understand is watch and listen to someone using it facing the same conditions, it was recommended to me by a bloke who had a bit of success when I first got mine, and I still think its a pretty good example (audio and visual) of how to overcome hot ground.

Hope it helps. :Y:

Thanks Bacchus will give it a shot soon.

Found a small piece yesterday with my Nokta and went back today with the gold monster, found another little bit.. my machine indicates hot rocks pretty good as iron but some say gold sometimes shows as negative iron too.. how many users have dug an iron indication only to find gold? Must say myself on the dozen or so times I've dug on an iron signal it has always been a hotrock or small bit of wire mesh

G'day Colin, I have dug quite a few bits of gold that started as iron on the indicator but the sound of the target was too sweet to not dig if that makes sense.
Those bits of gold seem to be deeper (4-5 inches) and with each scraper they tend to flicker more over to non ferrous until there's only an inch or so of dirt left then it's a solid non ferrous target on the indicator.
All shallow gold, say inside of 3 inches are pretty solid non ferrous on the indicator.
I don't pay too much attention to the indicator but more on how the target sounds, hot rocks and hot ground pockets tend to sound a little different to a genuine target from what I've learnt with many hours using the GM.
The first time I actually dug a solid ferrous target going by the indicator was at the end of day 1 on a 3 day trip, I'd only dug non ferrous targets and was getting gold and lead shot, but something told me to dig that ferrous target instead of ignore it and sure enough it was a .3g at 5" deep, from that moment I realized I'd walked away from gold several times that day, after that I only dug targets buy how they sounded instead of what the indicator said and ended up with 240 pieces at 4.17g for the 3 days.
I never decide to dig a target by what the indicator is showing.

Thanks Pete, some of the iron pings have been really solid, think I'll just dig the lot from now on

ColinD said:

Thanks Pete, some of the iron pings have been really solid, think I'll just dig the lot from now on

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Does the GM have an Iron Bias setting ? If it has, what number do you have it at?

It has a simple display that swings to the left for iron and to the right for non ferrous items, it basically does work, but going by the experience of users with more time on it than me as you can see above it seems the signal interpretation can be mistaken.

the GM's iron indicator is not always an accurate sign of iron vs gold.
Dig everything. If on a site with lots of iron trash then its time to swap to another VLF with good disc/iron bias.

I'm beginning to believe such a detector doesn't exist

Pete E said:

Does the GM have an Iron Bias setting ? If it has, what number do you have it at?

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No, the disc level or iron bias is not adjustable in any way.

Hi all, am thinking about buying another boy-toy, can't decide on Gold monster 1000 or Equinox 800. I usually chase gold with a 4500 but would like the ability to diversify &/or just chase small gold or other stuff, and am swayed toward Gold monster but have read that it's pretty useless on things not gold. I thought that a detector is a detector, it finds metal. Equinox 800 can be used either way, gold or other stuff. Can anyone set me straight on the gold monster's ability with things not gold? :drooling:

Of course the Gold Monster can be used fo relic hunting, but its primary purpose is gold hunting. You cant discriminate so you have to dig everything. If you want a more versatile machine, then for a little more the EQ800 would be the one to get.
I you want to chase small gold in quartz then the GM excels (where the ground isnt too hot)

Nox will be better. Ive found gold with the Nox the GM wouldnt and the other way around, but having a 6 inch coil makes the difference. The stock coil is not suited to hot areas.

If I had to choose for gold only the GM is better but not by a big margin. I say this as Ive tested them side by side. It would be hopeless for coins and relics, can barely tell gold and iron apart reliably, and if you took it out you would dig every piece of al foil and snot in the ground. You have to hunt gold more by sound on the GM because undug targets can be unreliable using the descrimination.

The Nox will go anywhere and give you good indications with its number system (Target ID) and is suitable for parks and the beach. Nox can easily pay for itself in coins given enough time.

Nox takes a while longer to sort out its settings as the GM is pretty simple to operate.

Both can be frustrating though in the goldfeilds, at least in my experience. GM is nicer to swing all day though.

Both are easily obtainable second hand and new.

Hope that helps sway you one way or the other.

Go the Gold Monster, great machine. We have one that you can buy as we don't really need it now. In all seriousness though I would think that the Nox 800 (haven't had anything to do with one though) would probably be your better option.

Our GM was sending me crazy here in WA today. Does not like hot rocks.

Cheers

Doug

Rockhunter62 said:

Go the Gold Monster, great machine. We have one that you can buy as we don't really need it now. In all seriousness though I would think that the Nox 800 (haven't had anything to do with one though) would probably be your better option.

Our GM was sending me crazy here in WA today. Does not like hot rocks.

Cheers

Doug

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I have a Nox 800 and from time to time it hits hot rocks also...I think it's just a limitation of VLF machines in general? What does recognise and cab reject is coke but we careful as it comes up as a 1 or 2 on the screen which I think is where fine gold is also...

If you want small gold you cant go past the monster...my opinion..

maccatuna said:

If you want small gold you cant go past the monster...my opinion..

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I was going to ask the question myself since selling my GPX5000 as to which would be a better detector ;

Gold Monster , or an SDC 2300 with updated coil ?

My GPX was a pita and I want to have at least something simple to carry in a work vehicle now and then.

CreviceSucker, the GM is a great little unit, very light & packs down to bugger all, BUT, its never going to be in the competition with an SDC if you venture into hot ground

Thanks for all the input fellow members. Decisions decisions!!!! Dave