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Minelab Gold Monster 1000 tips and questions
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Help Support Prospecting Australia:
Having owned the sdc2300 first would make the gold monster seem annoying to use. We have to put a better effort into using it while forgetting how the sdc works.
We will be giving it another go over the next 4 weeks as I won't always have someone's gpz7000 to play with. Seeing that we are back into internet coverage for now we will do some more reading about it.
All's good, we just have to remember that owner's manuals are there for a reason and not everything can be learned easily.
Cheers
Doug
We will be giving it another go over the next 4 weeks as I won't always have someone's gpz7000 to play with. Seeing that we are back into internet coverage for now we will do some more reading about it.
All's good, we just have to remember that owner's manuals are there for a reason and not everything can be learned easily.
Cheers
Doug
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Well there are some good tips over on D&P
J.
J.
Hi Ridge Runner, you're probably the biggest poster on this thread and you counter negative reports with it being due to their lack of skill/understanding (that's game stating members here lack experience), but I've not seen a 1st hand report from your testing of the GM. I'm sure that it'd perform better in your neck of the woods, but I'm still wondering - did I miss your report posting on the GM? I've read both good and bad reports, so I am personally on the fence, but would like to read yours with your personal experience of the GM in hot (or even mild) grounds.
What's D&P?Ridge Runner said:
Ridge Runner said:
Where are you even located? And how are your comments relevant to GT ground condition in VIC?
I'm thinking D&P is detectorprospector forum. And yes, there is lots of info on there.
I haven't had a chance to use my detectors much the last few weeks but one thing I notice in the few vids that are kicking around on YouTube is that many of the good reports seem to be from people using the small GM coil. And a few of the poor reports seem to be from the larger coil.
I mentioned in my little write up somewhere a few weeks ago that, I wasn't calling the large coil a dud, but I did find the small coil more sensitive and worked better for me.
About 2 weeks ago I also spent about an hour with one of my sons with the GM (amazingly he was keen to have a go) and he found his first bit of gold.
I can see that some people are frustrated with the GM and I'm sure it isn't for everyone but it does find gold and although a basic unit it does have enough setting manipulation to allow it to work in varied ground.
Also remember that there are other places in the world than Australia and they have different ground to us. The U.S, NZ and African customers seem to be having a great time with this machine.
It may not be the machine for every person or every location but it is an entry level machine that does have its uses.
A pic of the little bit my son got. .27 gram from memory??
I haven't had a chance to use my detectors much the last few weeks but one thing I notice in the few vids that are kicking around on YouTube is that many of the good reports seem to be from people using the small GM coil. And a few of the poor reports seem to be from the larger coil.
I mentioned in my little write up somewhere a few weeks ago that, I wasn't calling the large coil a dud, but I did find the small coil more sensitive and worked better for me.
About 2 weeks ago I also spent about an hour with one of my sons with the GM (amazingly he was keen to have a go) and he found his first bit of gold.
I can see that some people are frustrated with the GM and I'm sure it isn't for everyone but it does find gold and although a basic unit it does have enough setting manipulation to allow it to work in varied ground.
Also remember that there are other places in the world than Australia and they have different ground to us. The U.S, NZ and African customers seem to be having a great time with this machine.
It may not be the machine for every person or every location but it is an entry level machine that does have its uses.
A pic of the little bit my son got. .27 gram from memory??
Thanks for that Northeast,
We might try the small coil and see how that goes. I guess that the amount of ground covered would be similar to comparing ground covered with the sdc and the gpz.
We will only know if we try.
Cheers
Doug
We might try the small coil and see how that goes. I guess that the amount of ground covered would be similar to comparing ground covered with the sdc and the gpz.
We will only know if we try.
Cheers
Doug
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Hi
GM1000 observations:
Doesnt like salinity (wet sand)
Its hypersensitive at times (esp on the auto settings) and will false read gold after an iron reading (always when scanning left to right)
Detectorists who are used to hearing/needing a constant faint buzz from their machine to prove its working, may be a bit unsettled by the silence of the GM.
First results of a 3hr beach foray: lots of aluminium/iron. (aluminium down to 1-2mm, metal hair clips (old style)) 1 x 10c, 1 x $2, 1 x plastic spade (fringe benefit...lol)
Most comfortable detecting depth 3-5cm (the sand was wetter under that depth so this may have been a limiter)
I "tested" the $2 coin at various depths and it pinged well to about 8cm but faded quickly after that (the coin was on its end to minimise surface exposure).
I think it will be an "art-form" to get the best out of the machine...long hours and much experimenting. Cant wait...
Steve
GM1000 observations:
Doesnt like salinity (wet sand)
Its hypersensitive at times (esp on the auto settings) and will false read gold after an iron reading (always when scanning left to right)
Detectorists who are used to hearing/needing a constant faint buzz from their machine to prove its working, may be a bit unsettled by the silence of the GM.
First results of a 3hr beach foray: lots of aluminium/iron. (aluminium down to 1-2mm, metal hair clips (old style)) 1 x 10c, 1 x $2, 1 x plastic spade (fringe benefit...lol)
Most comfortable detecting depth 3-5cm (the sand was wetter under that depth so this may have been a limiter)
I "tested" the $2 coin at various depths and it pinged well to about 8cm but faded quickly after that (the coin was on its end to minimise surface exposure).
I think it will be an "art-form" to get the best out of the machine...long hours and much experimenting. Cant wait...
Steve
Also interesting to note that they don't test any of the ground around the buried targets as well?
Caught up with some guys on the weekend and they have been using the GM as a pin pointer.
Seems the GM is great little device to help pin point in a big hole created by GPZ.
And yes an expensive device as a pin pointer.
Seems the GM is great little device to help pin point in a big hole created by GPZ.
And yes an expensive device as a pin pointer.
AussieSteve said:
Salinity is a special and difficult case for any single frequency VLF detector. To handle it successfully, they need to have a wide ground balance range ("balances all the way to salt", as Fisher Research labs put it), but still be able to cope with whatever mineralisation is present, while maintaining sensitivity to all metallic targets - it's a big ask! So at best, a single frequency VLF will lose some sensitivity in saline conditions, at worst it will be so noisy as to be almost inoperable.
The Whites Visual Display Indicator (VDI) scale below, is based on salt as zero (0), with ground balance mineralisation shown as negative numbers on the scale. As it also illustrates, some very desirable targets (eg. small nuggets and small gold jewellery), fall close to or within the salinity range!
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grubstake said:
Well done Grub you are right how salt effects VLF's and the GM does not have a salt mode so it is going to struggle more than most vlf's because of it and being a LF machine, I was looking for that chart,
I would like to see the ground in these videos tested using a Whites machine with the GND meter as a reference because there are many claims as to being hot ground but they are just wild guesses because no one has measured it. Using the Whites GND meter and an F-75 side by side showing both machines reading would explain a lot.
Thanks for posting it.
J.
People are finding gold with it.
The people I've met who have had success with it were not beginners though.
YMMV
The people I've met who have had success with it were not beginners though.
YMMV
Looking forward to give this little vlf ago (thanks nugget). Will be useful aid to my crevicing. Anyway just had a read of this review from a facebook GM 1000 group. A few depth readouts. Obv not in the GT but its a thorough review.
MINELAB GOLD MONSTER 1000 - REVIEW.
When Minelab announced the release of the new Gold Monster 1000 I was very keen to give this machine a test. It looked like a simple unit to operate with minimal settings, switch on and go is what caught my eye as well as simplicity in design. The competitive price was just an added bonus.
Retail - R 14 950.00 excluding shipping. Available from Treasure Quest Treasures.
Minelab SA kindly sent me one of the first units to test and these were my findings:
My first impression of the open box in front of me with all the extras Minelab have thrown into the deal was wow! This is a whole lot of machine for a very good price. The first thought that came to mind was, will it perform on small gold? I could not wait to give it a try on some small nuggets.
Box Contents:
3 x Shaft assemblies
1 x Control box
1 x Armrest
1 x 10x6 Double D Elliptical Coil
1 x 5x5 Double D Sniper coil
4 x Shaft clamps
1 x Universal Shaft adaptor
1 x Rechargeable Li-ion battery pack
1 x AA battery pack housing
1 x AC charger with four different power point adaptors
1 x Car battery charger kit
1 x Pair of Minelab headphones
1 x Plastic hand trowel or digging tool
1 x User field guide
I found the assembly easy. It looks like a lot of parts in the box but once all is laid out on the table it all comes together well and everything fits perfectly snug in typical Minelab fashion.
The shaft is made up of three pieces that fit extremely well together.
There was no shaft wobble at all once the whole unit was assembled. I really liked the length of the three assembled shafts, the coil was in a nice position in front of me and the balance of the machine was perfect. It was lightweight and I can see the user swinging this detector all day with ease and no need for a harness. The universal shaft adaptor was an interesting little piece of hardware. This allows the user to use a wooden pole as an alternative to the supplied shafts.
The overall assembly was quite enjoyable and the detector took shape in no time. The shaft clamps that fix the armrest and control box in place on the shaft are robust and really do the job. The large thumb screws clamp and release in just a few turns allowing minor or major adjustments on the fly.
I found the peculiar battery housing cap intriguing with its cable attached to the main control box. There is good reason for this cable attachment. Once the battery cover is off, it would be quite easy to lose this cover, rendering the detector useless. Minelab took the initiative to prevent this from happening and the idea works. The rechargeable battery pack fits snug and once the battery cover is in place the unit is rendered rain resistant.
The fitting is basic and a large O-Ring keeps the moisture at bay.
I gave the rechargeable battery a full charge and was ready to start testing the detector. I only used gold nuggets for my depth tests as this is primarily a gold detection machine. Its not intended to find coins on a beach or silver rings in a park, although it would probably perform the task with ease. I have seen a few posts on Social Media with users using it for relic hunting and their results were good with some interesting trinkets being found.
After doing some research on the frequency of the VLF Gold Monster 1000, I was keen to see how this 45 kHz detector operates and performs at detecting various size nuggets. The 45 kHz range puts this detector smack in the middle of the pack when it comes to gold detection frequencies that range between 18 kHz and 71 kHz. This range should allow the Gold Monster 1000 to detect all sizes of nuggets with relative ease.
On powering the unit up the detector performs an auto noise cancel for about 10 seconds and gives a tone once completed. This is a neat little function allowing the machine to be stable right from the outset. Ground balance is also automatic allowing one to start swinging immediately. All that one needs to check is your sensitivity and hunting mode. That was it; the Gold Monster 1000 was ready to hunt. It was so simple and easy to start.
I really expected more to be done but that was not the case.
The interface is basic and easy to operate. A simple, monotone liquid crystal display with large indicators makes for easy reading. The buttons on the console are large and easy to manipulate, even with gloves.
The whole button console is a sealed rubber overlay. This stops moisture and dirt from getting into the console and keeps the housing waterproof as well. The detector has two modes of detection.
The first is a basic discrimination mode (Gold Mode) where Iron is rejected and the second is a deep search (All-Metal) mode. The interface has a basic indicator on top of the screen that either moves left, for IRON related objects, and right for all other metals, including gold. One needs to remember that if the indicator bar moves to the right it indicates a POSSIBILITY of gold. The word possibility is the key here. Silver, copper, brass, lead etc all fall into this category.
The sensitivity feature was interesting. I immediately bumped the sensitivity up to full auto on my test patch. The detector was incredibly quiet and very stable. The Auto function works well in stabilising the chatter. I tested the Gold Monster in an urban area with heavy microwave, shortwave, smoke signals, you name it, interference. This drives most machines nuts and one needs to reduce sensitivity by large volumes to get any detector stable in order to hunt peacefully. With that being said, my back yard was not the ideal location for a field test but I went ahead anyway. I just had to see what it was capable of doing.
When set on auto, the depth readings of my test nuggets were nowhere near to my manual sensitivity adjustments due to the Gold Monster seeking out the best sensitivity level to remove the undulating interfering cell tower and power supply feeds.
I ran the unit in manual and auto sensitivity for the tests as I wanted to see how it performed in both of those settings. I was getting a bit of chatter and the odd false signal at full manual sensitivity and I had to reduce it to a setting of around 8 to get it stable. My back yard is full of signals that I had not picked up before using other detectors. I had lots of fun adjusting and playing with the depth and sensitivity options.
I was so impressed with the recovery speed and accuracy of the processor. This machine was so sensitive I really had to go low and slow. It reacts to the smallest of targets with impeccable accuracy. I can just imagine a hunter not missing much out in a gold rich environment. This detector finds everything under the ground with utmost ease. The auto sensitivity function will no doubt perform its given task in an open field with no interference, possibly even better than the manual setting. It just needs to be let loose; unfortunately my back yard was a cage for this animal.
I chose the 10 x 6 coil as my primary coil and got started. I chose to do some basic tests on a patch of ground void of any metals. I used three sample gold nuggets as my test subjects. The smallest of these was a mixture of tiny nuggets making up one gram. I thought this will give the Gold Monster 1000 a good run for its money. I was mistaken. It hit the target every time with ease and accuracy. What made this test interesting is the fact that the nuggets in the bag were all very small.
I used the following: (see photos of samples used)
1 x 0.78 gram nugget
1 x mixture of tiny nuggets, total weight 1 gram
1 x 1.79 gram nugget
My depth results were as follows:
Detect Mode 1 (Gold, Iron reject)
1 gram bag of nuggets Manual Sensitivity set at three quarters 17cm
1 gram bag nuggets Auto Sensitivity 8cm
0.78 gram nugget - Manual Sensitivity set at three quarters 17cm
0.78 gram nugget - Auto Sensitivity 6cm
1.79 gram nugget Manual Sensitivity set at three quarters 22cm
1.79 gram nugget Auto Sensitivity 12cm
Detect Mode 2 (Deep all-Metal)
1 gram bag of nuggets Manual Sensitivity set at three quarters 18cm
1 gram bag nuggets Auto Sensitivity 7cm
0.78 gram nugget - Manual Sensitivity set at three quarters 17cm
0.78 gram nugget - Auto Sensitivity 7cm
1.79 gram nugget Manual Sensitivity set at three quarters 25cm
1.79 gram nugget Auto Sensitivity 12cm
In conclusion, the Gold Monster 1000 is a super fast, sharp little machine. Its extremely responsive and when used in its chosen environment I have no doubt it will perform its given task with ease. I enjoyed testing it immensely.
Disclaimer: Please note that my depth findings are by no way conclusive as there are many factors that will influence the detection of gold nuggets. My tests were conducted in a built up neighbourhood and in relatively compact and trash filled soil. Results may vary from user to user and area to area.
Happy Hunting!
Henry Clapton
7 July 2017.
MINELAB GOLD MONSTER 1000 - REVIEW.
When Minelab announced the release of the new Gold Monster 1000 I was very keen to give this machine a test. It looked like a simple unit to operate with minimal settings, switch on and go is what caught my eye as well as simplicity in design. The competitive price was just an added bonus.
Retail - R 14 950.00 excluding shipping. Available from Treasure Quest Treasures.
Minelab SA kindly sent me one of the first units to test and these were my findings:
My first impression of the open box in front of me with all the extras Minelab have thrown into the deal was wow! This is a whole lot of machine for a very good price. The first thought that came to mind was, will it perform on small gold? I could not wait to give it a try on some small nuggets.
Box Contents:
3 x Shaft assemblies
1 x Control box
1 x Armrest
1 x 10x6 Double D Elliptical Coil
1 x 5x5 Double D Sniper coil
4 x Shaft clamps
1 x Universal Shaft adaptor
1 x Rechargeable Li-ion battery pack
1 x AA battery pack housing
1 x AC charger with four different power point adaptors
1 x Car battery charger kit
1 x Pair of Minelab headphones
1 x Plastic hand trowel or digging tool
1 x User field guide
I found the assembly easy. It looks like a lot of parts in the box but once all is laid out on the table it all comes together well and everything fits perfectly snug in typical Minelab fashion.
The shaft is made up of three pieces that fit extremely well together.
There was no shaft wobble at all once the whole unit was assembled. I really liked the length of the three assembled shafts, the coil was in a nice position in front of me and the balance of the machine was perfect. It was lightweight and I can see the user swinging this detector all day with ease and no need for a harness. The universal shaft adaptor was an interesting little piece of hardware. This allows the user to use a wooden pole as an alternative to the supplied shafts.
The overall assembly was quite enjoyable and the detector took shape in no time. The shaft clamps that fix the armrest and control box in place on the shaft are robust and really do the job. The large thumb screws clamp and release in just a few turns allowing minor or major adjustments on the fly.
I found the peculiar battery housing cap intriguing with its cable attached to the main control box. There is good reason for this cable attachment. Once the battery cover is off, it would be quite easy to lose this cover, rendering the detector useless. Minelab took the initiative to prevent this from happening and the idea works. The rechargeable battery pack fits snug and once the battery cover is in place the unit is rendered rain resistant.
The fitting is basic and a large O-Ring keeps the moisture at bay.
I gave the rechargeable battery a full charge and was ready to start testing the detector. I only used gold nuggets for my depth tests as this is primarily a gold detection machine. Its not intended to find coins on a beach or silver rings in a park, although it would probably perform the task with ease. I have seen a few posts on Social Media with users using it for relic hunting and their results were good with some interesting trinkets being found.
After doing some research on the frequency of the VLF Gold Monster 1000, I was keen to see how this 45 kHz detector operates and performs at detecting various size nuggets. The 45 kHz range puts this detector smack in the middle of the pack when it comes to gold detection frequencies that range between 18 kHz and 71 kHz. This range should allow the Gold Monster 1000 to detect all sizes of nuggets with relative ease.
On powering the unit up the detector performs an auto noise cancel for about 10 seconds and gives a tone once completed. This is a neat little function allowing the machine to be stable right from the outset. Ground balance is also automatic allowing one to start swinging immediately. All that one needs to check is your sensitivity and hunting mode. That was it; the Gold Monster 1000 was ready to hunt. It was so simple and easy to start.
I really expected more to be done but that was not the case.
The interface is basic and easy to operate. A simple, monotone liquid crystal display with large indicators makes for easy reading. The buttons on the console are large and easy to manipulate, even with gloves.
The whole button console is a sealed rubber overlay. This stops moisture and dirt from getting into the console and keeps the housing waterproof as well. The detector has two modes of detection.
The first is a basic discrimination mode (Gold Mode) where Iron is rejected and the second is a deep search (All-Metal) mode. The interface has a basic indicator on top of the screen that either moves left, for IRON related objects, and right for all other metals, including gold. One needs to remember that if the indicator bar moves to the right it indicates a POSSIBILITY of gold. The word possibility is the key here. Silver, copper, brass, lead etc all fall into this category.
The sensitivity feature was interesting. I immediately bumped the sensitivity up to full auto on my test patch. The detector was incredibly quiet and very stable. The Auto function works well in stabilising the chatter. I tested the Gold Monster in an urban area with heavy microwave, shortwave, smoke signals, you name it, interference. This drives most machines nuts and one needs to reduce sensitivity by large volumes to get any detector stable in order to hunt peacefully. With that being said, my back yard was not the ideal location for a field test but I went ahead anyway. I just had to see what it was capable of doing.
When set on auto, the depth readings of my test nuggets were nowhere near to my manual sensitivity adjustments due to the Gold Monster seeking out the best sensitivity level to remove the undulating interfering cell tower and power supply feeds.
I ran the unit in manual and auto sensitivity for the tests as I wanted to see how it performed in both of those settings. I was getting a bit of chatter and the odd false signal at full manual sensitivity and I had to reduce it to a setting of around 8 to get it stable. My back yard is full of signals that I had not picked up before using other detectors. I had lots of fun adjusting and playing with the depth and sensitivity options.
I was so impressed with the recovery speed and accuracy of the processor. This machine was so sensitive I really had to go low and slow. It reacts to the smallest of targets with impeccable accuracy. I can just imagine a hunter not missing much out in a gold rich environment. This detector finds everything under the ground with utmost ease. The auto sensitivity function will no doubt perform its given task in an open field with no interference, possibly even better than the manual setting. It just needs to be let loose; unfortunately my back yard was a cage for this animal.
I chose the 10 x 6 coil as my primary coil and got started. I chose to do some basic tests on a patch of ground void of any metals. I used three sample gold nuggets as my test subjects. The smallest of these was a mixture of tiny nuggets making up one gram. I thought this will give the Gold Monster 1000 a good run for its money. I was mistaken. It hit the target every time with ease and accuracy. What made this test interesting is the fact that the nuggets in the bag were all very small.
I used the following: (see photos of samples used)
1 x 0.78 gram nugget
1 x mixture of tiny nuggets, total weight 1 gram
1 x 1.79 gram nugget
My depth results were as follows:
Detect Mode 1 (Gold, Iron reject)
1 gram bag of nuggets Manual Sensitivity set at three quarters 17cm
1 gram bag nuggets Auto Sensitivity 8cm
0.78 gram nugget - Manual Sensitivity set at three quarters 17cm
0.78 gram nugget - Auto Sensitivity 6cm
1.79 gram nugget Manual Sensitivity set at three quarters 22cm
1.79 gram nugget Auto Sensitivity 12cm
Detect Mode 2 (Deep all-Metal)
1 gram bag of nuggets Manual Sensitivity set at three quarters 18cm
1 gram bag nuggets Auto Sensitivity 7cm
0.78 gram nugget - Manual Sensitivity set at three quarters 17cm
0.78 gram nugget - Auto Sensitivity 7cm
1.79 gram nugget Manual Sensitivity set at three quarters 25cm
1.79 gram nugget Auto Sensitivity 12cm
In conclusion, the Gold Monster 1000 is a super fast, sharp little machine. Its extremely responsive and when used in its chosen environment I have no doubt it will perform its given task with ease. I enjoyed testing it immensely.
Disclaimer: Please note that my depth findings are by no way conclusive as there are many factors that will influence the detection of gold nuggets. My tests were conducted in a built up neighbourhood and in relatively compact and trash filled soil. Results may vary from user to user and area to area.
Happy Hunting!
Henry Clapton
7 July 2017.
Hi Picker,
Thanks for adding the review. We have found that hot ground continually annoyes the GM. We will endeavour to test ours again in the near future.
Cheers
Doug
Thanks for adding the review. We have found that hot ground continually annoyes the GM. We will endeavour to test ours again in the near future.
Cheers
Doug
No probs and I'll be sure to give an honest review/update when mine arrives from the field while on work leave.
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