Do I need to modify??????

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Hotrob

Rob
Joined
Nov 14, 2014
Messages
204
Reaction score
357
Location
Yarram, VIC
Hi all,

I've recently bought my first detector. I went to Miners Den in Bendigo with the intention of buying a GPX5000 but after discussing the matter with Prospector Pete (who works there) he suggested that I would be better off with an SDC 2300.
His reasoning was that because I am not yet retired my use of the detector would be sparodic & because the 5000 is very complicated (for a newby) I would not get a chance to use it long enough to get my head around the different settings whereas with the SDC it is just turn it on & go.
I appreciated his honest opinion & went with the SDC ......however I have read many posts on this forum on the SDC & people have stated that the "speaker is sh!t & the ear muffs will cook your head" & the "adapter & a better set of muffs" make a big difference.
As I said I'm a total newby & this is my first detector so I have NFI.
During testing at Bendigo the speaker sounded clear & loud to me (I haven't tried the muffs yet).

As I live in Sth Gippsland my chances of using the SDC are limited & involve quite a trip before I can even turn it on which brings me to my question.
Am I wasting my time & money driving to the GT & walking around detecting with the stock SDC? I don't mind doing the research & leg work but if I'm banging my head on a brick wall without modifying it first I would like to know. I saved money buying the SDC over the 5000 so I don't mind spending the money on modifications but....
What difference will it make?
What do I buy?
Where do I get it?
Is it really nessesary?
Thanks to anyone who takes the time to reply to my newby question.
Rob.
 
Rob have a look there are gold fields in Gippsland we used to dredge down that way and there were old timers diggings there it may be worth a look regards john :)
 
I don't have a problem with headphones, so I upgraded to a better pair than the supplied pair. You could try earbuds if you prefer them, but some kind of muff/bud is better than the speaker alone. Especially if it's windy, or even scraping the coil over rough ground will make the faint signals hard to hear. Using the SDC with your left hand will improve your ability to hear the internal speaker too.
 
I'd suggest using it for a while first with no mods or extra headphones and cables, it may suit you just fine. I've found tiny nuggets just using the inbuilt speaker. The only real issue is the supplied headphones cable is too short for very tall people and the armrest is a bit annoying the way it folds in all the time.
 
OK.
Firstly.... thank you for your replies.
Old Hand I'm doing some research on Gipplsand gold at present but it appears a lot more elusive than around the GT. My son gave me a copy of Doug Stones victorian maps for Christmas & there aren't many Gippsland references there.

Could I ask you Isolation what brand of muffs did you buy & where from? I hadn't thought of windy conditions.

Heatho.... I will be using the SDC as is for a start because as I said the times I've played with it (the SDC :) )the speaker sounded clear & loud BUT the conditions have been still & quiet (wind wise).

Thanks again for your time.
Rob.
 
i reckon you got good advice

as said already , change nothing except maybe the armrest and get out there and put some time on the ground , get some experience under your belt

good luck
 
mate i know of many blokes over that way that do quite well when they can get away. there's a refference that i think you can pick up for less than a the price of a carton at any minersden. "Shallow Gold Occurances in Eastern Victoria"

read read and read some more....

as far as the stock SDC goes blokes rent them out here in Ballarat all the time ive never seen one of them not ping a small nugget. from what ive been told the key like all detectors is listen for slight variation in threshold dont expect a scream each signal.

just about all detectors work right out of the box the creature comforts is what makes the hobby enjoyable.
 
There is definitely gold over your way. I'd say if you put the time in you could do well. also if you cna go for a quick swing after work every few days it keeps you going u know.

A friend of mine sent me some photos of the gold they were getting in Gippsland I dont think he would mind me sharing hes pics.

South Gippsland gold
1421641313_south.jpg


east Gippsland gold

1421641325_east.jpg
 
Hotrob said:
Hi all,

I've recently bought my first detector. I went to Miners Den in Bendigo with the intention of buying a GPX5000 but after discussing the matter with Prospector Pete (who works there) he suggested that I would be better off with an SDC 2300.
His reasoning was that because I am not yet retired my use of the detector would be sparodic & because the 5000 is very complicated (for a newby) I would not get a chance to use it long enough to get my head around the different settings whereas with the SDC it is just turn it on & go.
I appreciated his honest opinion & went with the SDC ......however I have read many posts on this forum on the SDC & people have stated that the "speaker is sh!t & the ear muffs will cook your head" & the "adapter & a better set of muffs" make a big difference.
As I said I'm a total newby & this is my first detector so I have NFI.
During testing at Bendigo the speaker sounded clear & loud to me (I haven't tried the muffs yet).

As I live in Sth Gippsland my chances of using the SDC are limited & involve quite a trip before I can even turn it on which brings me to my question.
Am I wasting my time & money driving to the GT & walking around detecting with the stock SDC? I don't mind doing the research & leg work but if I'm banging my head on a brick wall without modifying it first I would like to know. I saved money buying the SDC over the 5000 so I don't mind spending the money on modifications but....
What difference will it make?
What do I buy?
Where do I get it?
Is it really nessesary?
Thanks to anyone who takes the time to reply to my newby question.
Rob.
Click to expand...

Rob, I have Owned the GP3500 and many more MineLabs, But Not anymore,

But If Nenad and the Team Have got their Grubby Little Hands on these Machines Then they Are Going to be Bloody Good, Go and have fun with it, You have One of the Best Detectors In the World,

Congrats Mate On your New Toy, You have many years of Memories ahead of you to be made with that Machine,

John
 
HotRob

Just to clarify, your really talking about accessories not modifications, well unless you modify the arm rest like I did?
I use the adapter lead from Nenad to connect a pair of super clear under chin earphones as the headphones are way to hot for up in NQ IMO, get yourself a protective case to limit scratches, I also found I had to put a wrap of tape around the batteries to prevent movement which was causing a shut down issue, see this post.
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=9228

I found that the speaker is to far away from my ear to be reliable in picking up the faint ones.
cheers
Lee
 
Hotrob said:
Hi all,

I've recently bought my first detector. I went to Miners Den in Bendigo with the intention of buying a GPX5000 but after discussing the matter with Prospector Pete (who works there) he suggested that I would be better off with an SDC 2300.
His reasoning was that because I am not yet retired my use of the detector would be sparodic & because the 5000 is very complicated (for a newby) I would not get a chance to use it long enough to get my head around the different settings whereas with the SDC it is just turn it on & go.
I appreciated his honest opinion & went with the SDC ......however I have read many posts on this forum on the SDC & people have stated that the "speaker is sh!t & the ear muffs will cook your head" & the "adapter & a better set of muffs" make a big difference.
As I said I'm a total newby & this is my first detector so I have NFI.
During testing at Bendigo the speaker sounded clear & loud to me (I haven't tried the muffs yet).

As I live in Sth Gippsland my chances of using the SDC are limited & involve quite a trip before I can even turn it on which brings me to my question.
Am I wasting my time & money driving to the GT & walking around detecting with the stock SDC? I don't mind doing the research & leg work but if I'm banging my head on a brick wall without modifying it first I would like to know. I saved money buying the SDC over the 5000 so I don't mind spending the money on modifications but....
What difference will it make?
What do I buy?
Where do I get it?
Is it really nessesary?
Thanks to anyone who takes the time to reply to my newby question.
Rob.
Click to expand...
Hello there Hotrob and all others,
Just want to say that it's not myself (ProspectorPete) that you are referring to, didn't know there was another and I wish I worked at Miners Den.
I just wanted to clarify that to save any confusion.
Anyways, since my name has unintentionally been mentioned, I'll email you some links to read referring to the history on the Gippsland area Rob, I'm new to swinging the detector to so if you want someone to meet up with for a day trip I'd be keen to join in, got a Whites MXT Pro and itching to get swingin'.
 
I would get the headphone adapter and start using some better headphones that suit the conditions better.
And either be selective about where you detect or get a rake.

I noticed the SDC hates an air gap.
So get as close to the ground as you can even scrape the ground or you will miss a lot of targets.

It goes pretty deep when there is little to no air gap.
Its a great detector,it has some minor issues but it finds gold like a champ.
This was today in very popular area,always people detecting when im there.
1421661550_20150119_203248.jpg
 
The only things I have done to my SDC is put a cover over the armrest to stop it from closing all the time, I got an adapter cable from Nenad to use other types of head phones (and it also extends the length of the headphone cable a bit) and I brought a pair of Gray Ghost headphones to replace the KOSS headphone which I don't like using.
 
LC76 said:
I would get the headphone adapter and start using some better headphones that suit the conditions better.
And either be selective about where you detect or get a rake.

I noticed the SDC hates an air gap.
So get as close to the ground as you can even scrape the ground or you will miss a lot of targets.

It goes pretty deep when there is little to no air gap.
Its a great detector,it has some minor issues but it finds gold like a champ.
This was today in very popular area,always people detecting when im there.
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/3698/1421661550_20150119_203248.jpg
Click to expand...

struth, their tiny little things ain't they, You got that working like a Charm.

WTG, John
 
Allright.......... thank you all for your replies, information & encouragment...... I did not expect as many responces.

Prospector Pete..... sorry mate, I didn't mean to confuse but the guys at the Miners Den in Bendigo add a mining reference to their names for a bit of character..... Prospector Pete, Treasure Tim etc...... I'll take note that you are the original PP :)
I am tied up with work a fair bit but if we can catch up for a look around that would be great.

Goldigg@ mate..... that is impressive ..... can I ask if that was found with a detector or by some other means... sluicing, high banking, panning.
Goldigg@ said:
listen for slight variation in threshold
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what you mean by that mate...... I sometimes think it would help us newbies if there was a "sticky" with all the common phrases & their meanings. ..........you know "threshold, high banking, EMI, hot rock" & lots of others I can't think of now.

To HU, Dick, RR, Lee, LC79 & Willo thank you all for you help....... you may think that you haven't offered much but when you know sfa any info is a great help.

Rob.
 
mmmmmmmmmmmummmmmmmmmmmmm

mum is literally the word you are looking for, it is the little bounce in the background threshold, keep your coil as close to the ground as physically possible, a repeatable mum is a target.

Most people look for a mmmmmmmmmmmm,MMMUUUMMMmmmmmmmmmmm but the successful detectorist is going low and slow and looking for that feint repeatable signal.

Once you have detected a few shotgun pellets at 3" you should be confident that you are working the machine correctly

Good luck out there.
 
mate that gold was got mostly got highbanking, apparently the colour is few and far between but if you put the volume through the rewards are there i.e. perfect for a detector. Wally has given as good an explanation as possible on threshold, the why is it important... read this "http://www.minelab.com/aus/treasure-talk/the-minelab-sdc-2300-my-first-impression"
i do recommend studying up because you don't just pick up a detector and become amazing at it and it takes work and lots of walking and digging :)

here's a great article which explains the differences in coils http://goldhunterdetectors.com.au/the-confusion-over-coils/

minelab have some great articles here http://www.minelab.com/consumer/knowledge-base/faq

the beauty of the sdc2300 is its pretty much turn it on and go....
 

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