Does $$$$ give results ??? (5 probably dumb quetions )

[Ridge Runner]

That's not Quite Right, All We Had Before the SD series came along Was The VLF Machines, And They Still Find Gold To This Day, Not All Ground In Australia Is Very Highly Mineralized,

The SPP and the SL and The Pro fitted with the Miner john 5x9 Folded Mono will Match it on Small Gold As Luke has Shown Us So Many Times Over,,

Minelab Machines Do Not Come into the Class of Machines for Newbies,

Yes the VLF was finding gold before PI machines. Same as we had a model T ford before we had a Falcon. Both still drive on the road but one is better definitely better than the other.

Unfortunately most of the easily accessible ground has been gone over with a PI machine. This leaves very little that a VLF will easily find. No point in buying a top notch VLF machine if you are looking for gold, only to find nothing and be constantly battling ground noise. Also, if you are not digging junk on the goldfields then you are missing gold. Plain and simple. I have both machines, and would not consider using a VLF when looking for gold, especially down this way. On the other hand when I hit the beach or park, I use a VLF.

Aussiefarmer mentioned looking for matchhead size gold. The overwhelming evidence by many users is that the SDC is the way to go on small gold. You are wrong when you say 'Minelab Machines Do Not Come into the Class of Machines for Newbies'. I know many newbies who are very happy with their Minelab products as well as Whites/Garrett etc. The SDC is very user friendly. I think it only has 3 settings.

I am not saying buy a Minelab. All I am saying is that for small gold in a majority of goldfields, get a PI machine. If you also want to do beach/park relic finding, then get a VLF machine. No one machine excels in both fields. Pick what you will be doing most of and then choose a machine based on that.

yes I agree with most of what you Said,

The trouble with buying any Machine is you have to be honest with your self about what your Goals are and what your expectations are, I think most Newbies would benefit with using A VLF as A First Detector to learn about sweep speed and what different controls do and most important how to Ground Balance properly,

There might be over whelming evidence by many Users of the SDC But about 95% of those User's have used other machines before they got their SDC's, and most of them were VLFs,

I don't care about Brand Loyalties, The point is A Person can Achieve the same results at a 3rd of the price, Yes the SDC is a good Machine, But when you Take into account the Issue's/Problems it Has then it is Not So Good, Spend 4K on something that Has problems or Spend $1500.00 on something that Is Right, It's a No Brainer Really, For the spare $2500.00 you can buy a heck of a lot of Accessories,

 

[GaryO]

1.. I am sure theirs no rite answer but from everybody's experience how much do you need to spend on a detector to find small gold ??
( I see plenty on ebay for under $100 , I doubt a machine like that would ever even pay for it self unless you were trying to find car bodies.)

2.. Does price also mean you can tune out more types of minerals and interference ?

3.. Are they all useless where there is high amounts of ironstone etc ?

4.. Would a pointer save me having to pan , so once my plastic pan is full if I rubbed that through it with no beeps I could tip it out ??

5.. For gold finding below match head size (probably still panning) what would be the checklist that a machine would need ?? (remember I am a total newbie to detectors)

Just addressing number 4. A pointer used in a pan of wash dirt wouldnt be powerful enough to find small gold unless it was say rice grain size and the pointer virtually touches it, so no it wouldnt be a viable option.

 

[Ridge Runner]

1.. I am sure theirs no rite answer but from everybody's experience how much do you need to spend on a detector to find small gold ??
( I see plenty on ebay for under $100 , I doubt a machine like that would ever even pay for it self unless you were trying to find car bodies.)

2.. Does price also mean you can tune out more types of minerals and interference ?

3.. Are they all useless where there is high amounts of ironstone etc ?

4.. Would a pointer save me having to pan , so once my plastic pan is full if I rubbed that through it with no beeps I could tip it out ??

5.. For gold finding below match head size (probably still panning) what would be the checklist that a machine would need ?? (remember I am a total newbie to detectors)

Just addressing number 4. A pointer used in a pan of wash dirt wouldnt be powerful enough to find small gold unless it was say rice grain size and the pointer virtually touches it, so no it wouldnt be a viable option.

Yep, that's right my one see's small stuff around 0.06g down to 0.02 ish, but for tiny bits theres only one that can do that, I ordered one which should be here soon but are they worth it?? only time will tell,Aye

John

 

[SCROUNGER]

My two bobs worth...
I'm a newbie Aussiefarmer, never detected before March this year. So what i'm saying is based on my experience. I live in Ballarat so have access to shallow/surfaced areas in the GT where the ground is highly mineralised. When i started researching for a detector i listed what i wanted and went from there.

These were my main thoughts...
It had to be easy/simple to use (i wanted a detector that my wife or i could simply turn on and go without lots of settings etc)
It had to be suitable for finding gold consistantly (i didn't want a machine that meant i went weeks without finding anything)
It had to be suitable for use 99 percent of the time in the Golden Triangle area of VIC.
I only wanted it for gold detecting in the bush.
I (or my wife) have no interest in digging deep holes (the chase interests me rather than the $ amount of gold i find)
I didn't want to have to by lots of accessories (i have a pick, a scoop and gloves, that's it)
I didn't want to spend more than about $1000 for a new machine.

After doing a lot of research, and doing a session at Coiltek (Maryborough) and going to a big detecting weekend and asking lots of questions, i came away thinking the SDC2300 best suited our needs. It's an expensive machine and my wife wasn't happy about the cost, but i sold a few fly rods and other gear and all was good.
Despite the initial cost, i'm wrapped in the sdc because it suits ME and MY interests in finding any gold, big or small, where i go, just about every time i go out.

Keep doing your research AF and try and fine tune your questions down to suit your needs. look for machines that suit where you will mostly detect, what your mostly chasing (gold or relics), how deep the ground is where you'll be detecting, your budget, how often you'll use the machine etc etc.
Good luck.

 

[AtomRat]

I personally probably wouldn't buy a proper detector until I had a spare $5500 to put into one. I don't mind the SDC 2300 but ive only seen it pull a lot of small nugs and shot. The nugs add up well in the end, but I'd look into a slightly different detector, mabey a 5000 for finding bigger gold.

I played with a mega cheap VLF to get used to detecting, finding targets and discrimination and would reccomend anyone first practice with a basic detector to get used to, even if your only digging nails. I had some good coin finds and small trinkets.

I know no where near as info about detecting as most of the blokes here, just giving you another opinion from a perspective that's just as confused about the subject as yourself

Omg..had to edit the spelling corrections..

 

[Ridge Runner]

My two bobs worth...
I'm a newbie Aussiefarmer, never detected before March this year. So what i'm saying is based on my experience. I live in Ballarat so have access to shallow/surfaced areas in the GT where the ground is highly mineralised. When i started researching for a detector i listed what i wanted and went from there.

These were my main thoughts...
It had to be easy/simple to use (i wanted a detector that my wife or i could simply turn on and go without lots of settings etc)
It had to be suitable for finding gold consistantly (i didn't want a machine that meant i went weeks without finding anything)
It had to be suitable for use 99 percent of the time in the Golden Triangle area of VIC.
I only wanted it for gold detecting in the bush.
I (or my wife) have no interest in digging deep holes (the chase interests me rather than the $ amount of gold i find)
I didn't want to have to by lots of accessories (i have a pick, a scoop and gloves, that's it)
I didn't want to spend more than about $1000 for a new machine.

After doing a lot of research, and doing a session at Coiltek (Maryborough) and going to a big detecting weekend and asking lots of questions, i came away thinking the SDC2300 best suited our needs. It's an expensive machine and my wife wasn't happy about the cost, but i sold a few fly rods and other gear and all was good.
Despite the initial cost, i'm wrapped in the sdc because it suits ME and MY interests in finding any gold, big or small, where i go, just about every time i go out.

Keep doing your research AF and try and fine tune your questions down to suit your needs. look for machines that suit where you will mostly detect, what your mostly chasing (gold or relics), how deep the ground is where you'll be detecting, your budget, how often you'll use the machine etc etc.
Good luck.

Damn Fine Info, That's How to Get It Right,

 

[GaryO]

But the point is John , Even if a pointer is pretty good the chances of covering the whole contents of a panfull of dirt with a pointer and finding all of them would be near impossible .

 

[TheSilentBugler]

G'day mate, metal detector choices can be a minefield, same as any toy people have their favourites, and will waffle on and argue about them until they run out of breath.

A pinpointer won't save you panning if you're after tiny gold, it's only really useful for saving a little time finding a lump of metal in the hole you're digging. Panning and detecting are separate activities.

You want a Pi machine, right now, because you mentioned match head sized gold and that you're obviously new to it I'd advise getting yourself a demo.

I'd lean towards a demo if the sdc 2300 as others have said, it is simple to pick up and go with, you won't be bombarded with coil choices, settings, etc, and if the Gold is there, you'll find it reliably.

It is a bit of a one trick pony, but it does that trick very well, it's whole purpose into find small gold in tricky ground.

Take all this with a grain of salt though, I own one and am perhaps biassed.

 

[Ridge Runner]

But the point is John , Even if a pointer is pretty good the chances of covering the whole contents of a panfull of dirt with a pointer and finding all of them would be near impossible .

Yes Mate, But the One I have Ordered is the Falcon MD 20 and it Runs at 300khz and its sole purpose is for Minute Gold Not Tiny Gold, Theres nothing Better

Here ya go Mate this is the Kiddie,
http://www.falconmetaldetectors.com/id1.html

John

 

[Ridge Runner]

But the point is John , Even if a pointer is pretty good the chances of covering the whole contents of a panfull of dirt with a pointer and finding all of them would be near impossible .

Here ya Go, this Video is like Pulling Teeth But heres their video on it,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2_JRmNbJGA

john

 

[TheSilentBugler]

Yeah Gary I agree , but mineralised ground and small gold were mentioned in the original post, and there isn't a machine that I'm aware of that does a better job on those requirements than the sdc for an untrained operator.

Yes VLF machines and other PI machines will find the same gold, but not straight out if the box, and not without some detecting mojo and set-up expertise, especially in noisy ground.

Bugger, I sound like a fanboy now.

 

[maxwell4]

Hi aussiefarmer,

You confused yet?

I too am a newbie and have been lucky enough to have found some gold in my first 5 months. Re read Scroungers good advice and make a decision on what is best for you from a price perspective and what you ultimately want from a machine. ( I bought mine for almost the exact reasons that scrounger bought his, no big holes, the thrill of the chase rather than finding the welcome stranger)

Whatever you decide you will have fun.

Ps I still believe if i walk over a big one I will find it (i hope)

Good luck.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Oh never mind , struggling to edit with my phone .. sending works all over the shop.

You need either A Bigger Phone or Smaller Fingers, lol

john

 

[TheSilentBugler]

Oh never mind , struggling to edit with my phone .. sending works all over the shop.

You need either A Bigger Phone or Smaller Fingers, lol

john

Yeah, I saw your message, how much of a pain is cut and paste on a phone, gah.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Oh never mind , struggling to edit with my phone .. sending works all over the shop.

You need either A Bigger Phone or Smaller Fingers, lol

john

Yeah, I saw your message, how much of a pain is cut and paste on a phone, gah.

TSB, I Cheat, I email stuff from my phone to me and open it on the Laptop so I can Post it here.

john

 

[aussiefarmer]

1.. I am sure theirs no rite answer but from everybody's experience how much do you need to spend on a detector to find small gold ??

To save us all wasting our time with 'money's no object' answers: How much are you prepared to spend?

I am like any other farmer "as tight as a fishes exhaust hole " lmao
If it can locate fine gold 1mm to 2 mm big, under 200mm of gravel in iron stone country probably $2000 maybe more, it will pay for itself when I drop a nut or bolt under the header in a stubble paddock lol.

 

[aussiefarmer]

My two bobs worth...
I'm a newbie Aussiefarmer, never detected before March this year. So what i'm saying is based on my experience. I live in Ballarat so have access to shallow/surfaced areas in the GT where the ground is highly mineralised. When i started researching for a detector i listed what i wanted and went from there.

These were my main thoughts...
It had to be easy/simple to use (i wanted a detector that my wife or i could simply turn on and go without lots of settings etc)
It had to be suitable for finding gold consistantly (i didn't want a machine that meant i went weeks without finding anything)
It had to be suitable for use 99 percent of the time in the Golden Triangle area of VIC.
I only wanted it for gold detecting in the bush.
I (or my wife) have no interest in digging deep holes (the chase interests me rather than the $ amount of gold i find)
I didn't want to have to by lots of accessories (i have a pick, a scoop and gloves, that's it)
I didn't want to spend more than about $1000 for a new machine.

After doing a lot of research, and doing a session at Coiltek (Maryborough) and going to a big detecting weekend and asking lots of questions, i came away thinking the SDC2300 best suited our needs. It's an expensive machine and my wife wasn't happy about the cost, but i sold a few fly rods and other gear and all was good.
Despite the initial cost, i'm wrapped in the sdc because it suits ME and MY interests in finding any gold, big or small, where i go, just about every time i go out.

Keep doing your research AF and try and fine tune your questions down to suit your needs. look for machines that suit where you will mostly detect, what your mostly chasing (gold or relics), how deep the ground is where you'll be detecting, your budget, how often you'll use the machine etc etc.
Good luck.

That all makes good sense and my questions are broad but I think I am trying to decide whether I even want to get a detector and if so how much do I need to spend so that I am not wasting money on something that I will have to upgrade on. I will probably start with a second hand md which should make a quality one more affordable .

 

[aussiefarmer]

Thanks for the replies and yes it is a little baffling.

So it sounds like the majority would be recommending the sdc 2300 for no idea newbies.

Am I reading it right that it will find small gold not dust and might find big gold ?

Should I be careful buying second hand , is there a good chance of getting a dud or are they pretty bullet proof ?

Would it be a good md for covering tailings heaps around old mines ?

I am probably closer to thinking a md would be a good idea after the feed back, Good for when its to cold to pan.

 

[grubstake]

1.. I am sure theirs no rite answer but from everybody's experience how much do you need to spend on a detector to find small gold ??

To save us all wasting our time with 'money's no object' answers: How much are you prepared to spend?

I am like any other farmer "as tight as a fishes exhaust hole " lmao
If it can locate fine gold 1mm to 2 mm big, under 200mm of gravel in iron stone country probably $2000 maybe more, it will pay for itself when I drop a nut or bolt under the header in a stubble paddock lol.

I think 1-2mm nuggets @ 200mm (8 inches) depth in ironstone ground is at the extreme limit of the detectable spectrum.

Minelab's new GPZ-7000 might get there, but that's a $10,700 machine! I doubt that the Minelab SDC-2300, which is a pulse induction detector optimised for small gold, would have a hope at that depth and none of the other recommendations above would come close.

 

[aussiefarmer]

Yep grubstake I thought if that was possible everyone would be doing it, Nice to think there is md that might . Think the missus might ban me from the internet if I spent $10,700 .