I do not want to write on the white label because it’s a barcode and information for the battery, I do not want to cover it up.
GPX6000 Faults/Issues
Help Support Prospecting Australia:
Got so sick of sorting through all those black things for what I wanted. Now every thing gets marked even small black cables with a fine paint marker. A small sample.
I need to do the same!
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Me to.
Went out to an old patch today, just because of cabin fever, didn't expect much, and that's exactly what I got.
However, when I got home, and in the shower, I was covered in little bits of black stuff, it was hard to get off the skin....turns out it was the shiny black coating from the headphones on the 6k. Falling apart, I hardly even use it, but today took the 10x5 for a spin. This combo I have named the minelab hotrock monster.
Shouldn't have to do it but definitely looks like you need to grab a set of these: https://phasetechnical.com.au/earpads-for-steelphase-pro-series-headphones/
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Spent $8K on the thing, I'm not spending another couple of hundred on a special set of headphones for it, I did that with the zed, but they are not interchangeable. Wish minelab would just do 1 thing with absolute quality, apart from their detectors, nearly all their accessories are crap. Need after market coils, because theirs fail, aftermarket shafts, because theirs twist, headphones, because theirs fall apart....
Had the same thing with my minelab explorer SE head phone (coss head phones) always make sure I wipe the sweat of them now.
Same thing happened to me a few years back and i was told they disintegrate if stored in a dark area for a long period of time. Something to do with the lack of uv light.
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Mine were in a dark bag under my bed....explains that a bit.
Mine that came with The Equinox have done the same thing, always kept them in case they came in.
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I have been reading through these posts and thought I'd jot down my experience so far for anyone interested. I've done 2.5 seasons now with my 6000 so that's over a year full time both pushing and general prospecting and I am still using the original coil and battery but both are going to be replaced for this season coming. I also use Avantree speakers. So here go some random thoughts:
The Bad: Occasionally it plays up something fierce (like some videos in this thread), sometimes it's the same time of day each day in a specific location (e.g 4pm at one spot was always impossible and I am 10's of km from anything? Just remembered the next year at the same spot 4 o'clock happy hour didn't happen...), other times more random. Impossible to use when it's like that. Other times it will just go erratic, randomly bump sensitive, etc giving false signals; sometimes normal, sometimes inverted, sometimes a pattern with them generally alternating. After a while it does a stranger one then quietens down and all good. Forget about using the machine when it is giving random false signals, it's 'usable', but forget it you will miss heaps and hence you are wasting your time. Have a break for 20 min and see how it is then.
Sometimes when it becomes un-tunable but not totally crazy, I can fix it by swearing at it, and giving the coil a flat whack on the ground. No prizes for guessing how I worked that out. Same principle as Moneybox's trick for the 14", but less subtle. On second thoughts maybe try his first... Seriously there seems to be some faulty connection in the coil which (to me a least) seems to interact with the electronics to create a sort of feedback loop off 'static'. The whack seems break that feedback cycle - sometimes.
When the machine is running sweet I treat it with kid gloves and don't even turn it off during a lunch break.
The battery - Deano you have six so suggest you check this out. Check the flat plate with the 2 pins and socket in it. It is only glued in and can come loose and partially pull out when you pull out the charging cable. If it does it will likely fracture the join between the ribbon wires and charger port meaning you have to jiggle the plug to get it to charge. If yours is like that then it is broken and will ultimately fail and I found it practically impossible to re-solder in the bush.. I always put my thumb on that plate to hold it in when pulling out the charge plug as a precaution. If the plate moves you can superglue it back in if you are absolutely sure you haven't damaged the soldered joint. If you have to wiggle the wires to get it to start charging I suggest you don't glue it in, you need to keep some wiggle and you will get some more charges into the battery and it'll last a while longer if you are lucky.
Under the speaker cover there are two Phillips head screws that worked loose for some reason on both machines we have.
OK now the Good: Friggin awesome machine, even taking into account the above. The clarity of signal and depth on small bits is just nuts. When the machine and the coil are both running sweet it is an absolute delight to use.
FYI I run it low, slow and very hot (A+) on difficult and with no threshold. I know the benefits of normal and running a threshold, and I use both say when on a very rich spot, but for day in day out use I find it mentally taxing and the buzz just too damn annoying - I wish you could adjust the threshold volume!. Of course I also play with settings to squeeze as much as I can out of that rich spot i.e. when it's worth it. But like I said for day in day out full time work, I let the machine take care of filtering out the bad and just give the rest. And with threshold off that left-over 'static' produced by the hot machine is just a twitchy threshold in my mind and it works for me. I have a 4500 that I have always run very hot and twitchy as well so I guess I am used to it.
Anyway, that's all that comes to mind.
Stingray
The Bad: Occasionally it plays up something fierce (like some videos in this thread), sometimes it's the same time of day each day in a specific location (e.g 4pm at one spot was always impossible and I am 10's of km from anything? Just remembered the next year at the same spot 4 o'clock happy hour didn't happen...), other times more random. Impossible to use when it's like that. Other times it will just go erratic, randomly bump sensitive, etc giving false signals; sometimes normal, sometimes inverted, sometimes a pattern with them generally alternating. After a while it does a stranger one then quietens down and all good. Forget about using the machine when it is giving random false signals, it's 'usable', but forget it you will miss heaps and hence you are wasting your time. Have a break for 20 min and see how it is then.
Sometimes when it becomes un-tunable but not totally crazy, I can fix it by swearing at it, and giving the coil a flat whack on the ground. No prizes for guessing how I worked that out. Same principle as Moneybox's trick for the 14", but less subtle. On second thoughts maybe try his first... Seriously there seems to be some faulty connection in the coil which (to me a least) seems to interact with the electronics to create a sort of feedback loop off 'static'. The whack seems break that feedback cycle - sometimes.
When the machine is running sweet I treat it with kid gloves and don't even turn it off during a lunch break.
The battery - Deano you have six so suggest you check this out. Check the flat plate with the 2 pins and socket in it. It is only glued in and can come loose and partially pull out when you pull out the charging cable. If it does it will likely fracture the join between the ribbon wires and charger port meaning you have to jiggle the plug to get it to charge. If yours is like that then it is broken and will ultimately fail and I found it practically impossible to re-solder in the bush.. I always put my thumb on that plate to hold it in when pulling out the charge plug as a precaution. If the plate moves you can superglue it back in if you are absolutely sure you haven't damaged the soldered joint. If you have to wiggle the wires to get it to start charging I suggest you don't glue it in, you need to keep some wiggle and you will get some more charges into the battery and it'll last a while longer if you are lucky.
Under the speaker cover there are two Phillips head screws that worked loose for some reason on both machines we have.
OK now the Good: Friggin awesome machine, even taking into account the above. The clarity of signal and depth on small bits is just nuts. When the machine and the coil are both running sweet it is an absolute delight to use.
FYI I run it low, slow and very hot (A+) on difficult and with no threshold. I know the benefits of normal and running a threshold, and I use both say when on a very rich spot, but for day in day out use I find it mentally taxing and the buzz just too damn annoying - I wish you could adjust the threshold volume!. Of course I also play with settings to squeeze as much as I can out of that rich spot i.e. when it's worth it. But like I said for day in day out full time work, I let the machine take care of filtering out the bad and just give the rest. And with threshold off that left-over 'static' produced by the hot machine is just a twitchy threshold in my mind and it works for me. I have a 4500 that I have always run very hot and twitchy as well so I guess I am used to it.
Anyway, that's all that comes to mind.
Stingray
Moneybox
Philip & Sandra Box
Moneybox
Philip & Sandra Box
I'd better take a look at that battery terminal but so far this new 6000 has worked well right out of the box so I won't be fiddling with it unnecessarily. So far this summer I've hardly been out even on the dryblower. I've go so much work ahead of me for the Heritage Centre that my stuff hasn't got a lookin.
Dave, Since Qlden put me onto the Avantree Aria Me headphones I've hardly used the originals. They feel a bit flimsy but seem to be holding up well and their performance in a noisy environment is exceptional. They are cheap, about $150 from Avantree not Amazon. I even wear them driving long distances because when they are turned on they cut down all the vehicle and wind noise so that my ears aren't ringing any worse when I arrive. I tried them in the workshop the other day and they are better than earplugs when I'm grinding so even if they pack it in early in their life I'll quickly replace them.
I run the 6000 on absolute minimum volume and adjust the threshold on the earphones.
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sticky labels do a fine job
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Have had the 6000 couple of years now ... and still in reasonable good nick ..
nil probs with headphones .. i just keep them in the room hanging over the cupboard .. Shaft doesnt spin anymore ..used plastic clips from other minelab GPX /GP units ..works a treat.
Coils all good .. I use the 11inch standard and happy with its performance.
All in all quality machine from my perspective.
No i dont get payed by Minelabl ha ha ha
nil probs with headphones .. i just keep them in the room hanging over the cupboard .. Shaft doesnt spin anymore ..used plastic clips from other minelab GPX /GP units ..works a treat.
Coils all good .. I use the 11inch standard and happy with its performance.
All in all quality machine from my perspective.
No i dont get payed by Minelabl ha ha ha
Hi Moneybox,There was a time when we trusted Minelab to supply a quality product although perhaps a very expensive one. They are still expensive but the chance of receiving a metal detector that will give you reliable service is not good. The GPX6000 must be one of the most problematic products sold on the Australian market. These detectors are obviously never tested after assembly and prior to sale. It's a shameful display of arrogance from a once respected Australian company. Even if these detectors are not tested overseas there should be some quality control before delivery here and that is certainly not the case.
Sure their warranty response is good but that doesn't help you when you are stuck up a gully hundreds of kilometres from the nearest service facility. My GPX6000 worked ok to start with although it used to crash on start-up. Then within a few months the first coil failed. It was quickly replaced and went on fine for a few more months. When the next coil failed I borrowed a detector and returned mine and had the coil and control panel replaced. It still crashes on startup but not as often. Minelab said they think it could be poor battery contacts but it fails on both batteries so I doubt that is the case. Now the third coil has failed and my dealer has run out of coils. I tried to return the faulty coil but I'm in a location where the post office won't accept parcels, only letters so I can't even return the faulty item.
I'm not happy but at least my detector worked straight out of the box. Many others have not been so lucky
What are the symptoms when a coil fails on the 6000? Does the detector self diagnose?
Moneybox
Philip & Sandra Box
The most common fault is what appears to be a break in the cable where it enters the coil. On one occasion I taped the coil to the shaft so that it couldn't move and then taped the cable to the shaft as well to keep it connected. That worked for a couple of weeks until I got a replacement coil.
Some complain that the coil is completely dead but on each occasion mine connected intermittently. Perhaps the first sign of trouble is a coil that never shuts up, just continuous noise that is not related to the time of day like sunrise or sunset.
On a recent trip out I had uncontrollable noise from the 6000 but I don't think it was a detector fault. I read somewhere about solar flares sending out EMI and I'm convinced that the 6000 is more susceptible to these than most detectors.
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Further to the description of my experience with my 6000 above, I rang Minelab to firstly work out if I needed the speaker up grade and also told them about the problems I described. They said it didn't sound right and suggested I send the coil as well.
So I sent the box, coil and battery last week (with my description from above), and got it back today.
They found a main PCB level fault and replaced it, and the bulk head (whatever that is).
They found an area of touch sensitivity in the coil and falsing when the lead was moved near where it enters the coil (like Moneybag's problems) so they replaced it.
And they replaced the battery due to the torn Flexi ribbon.
I'm very happy, pretty much a new machine and can't wait to try it.
A while back I had a similar situation with a 4500 that had an annoying intermittent fault and they replaced the PCB in that well out of warranty. It turned out to be an amazing machine and I still have it.
I certainly can't fault Minelab on aftermarket service.
So I sent the box, coil and battery last week (with my description from above), and got it back today.
They found a main PCB level fault and replaced it, and the bulk head (whatever that is).
They found an area of touch sensitivity in the coil and falsing when the lead was moved near where it enters the coil (like Moneybag's problems) so they replaced it.
And they replaced the battery due to the torn Flexi ribbon.
I'm very happy, pretty much a new machine and can't wait to try it.
A while back I had a similar situation with a 4500 that had an annoying intermittent fault and they replaced the PCB in that well out of warranty. It turned out to be an amazing machine and I still have it.
I certainly can't fault Minelab on aftermarket service.
I am a proud owner of the GPX6000! One of Minelab's best machines. I recently ran into a problem though, my machine became very noisy and squirrely to where I was unable to detect. I sent it into the repair center in Illinois, USA to be repaired. First it cost me $136.00 US dollars for shipping. I am still under warranty. I was informed that my serial # was earmarked by Minelab of possible internal issues! WOW. They had to replace the complete guts of my machine! A very quick response to my issue and I should receive my machine in a couple of days. I have since learned that several of my fellow detectorists have experienced the same issues! Does Minelab have a quality control unit to address this problem? And shouldn't they be responsible for my shipping costs if it was their issue to start with? Has anyone had similar issues with their machine? Thanks Tim
Attached your question to an existing thread. A read through should clarify.
Postage for warranty would depend on USA Warranty/Consumer laws but Minelab do have a policy of the consumer paying if you send it in. If possible always best to get your dealer to return for warranty.
