Minelab GPX4500 tips, settings, questions

[davent]

Ive been going through this very problem for a while.
I got a 2nd hand 4500, came with just the 2 standard coils from the package, 11dd and 15x13 mono.
1st time I used it was with the 11dd, and it was just a dream, quiet and stable, so easy to use.
My mate has an sdc2300, and was pulling the odd nugget here and there, I ran the dd over one, and didnt get a signal. It wasnt a bad size, maybe .5gm.
So I ordered a 14 x 9 evo. This time, when I used the factory settings, it was all over the place, just swinging it left to right it was really noisy, sounded like false signals.
So after about 5 trips (pretty hot ground) and a few phone calls, as well as a post here about settings, I ended up in enhance, mono, rx on 10 or 11 and stabalizer on 5 or 7 depending on where I was. I ground balance in fixed, and re balance pretty regulary.
With these settings, I find that the evolution runs nice and quiet and although I havnt found gold on these settings yet, I find tiny bits of iron and tin, and it still gives me a sharp response on those.
At a different location, I run factory settings, and pulled a half grammer with it, on factory settings.

If you cant get a steady threshold, turn the stabalizer down to a lower setting untill it evens out. The lower the number, the more steady it will become.

With rx gain, the higher the number, the more sensitive, and deeper it will become.

hope I explained it ok, this works for me, I will be going through this process again tomorrow, running a new coil, 15" evo spoke.

 

[Nuggetbuster]

Nuggetunter the rx and the stab. many people have different ideas on where it should be set, all detector are different I am using a newer 4500 and prefer a quiet stable threshold, my rx is on 10 on 11 the threshold just get a small waver in it ,the gain is on 9.As fare as coils put the 12 round mono on and just use it until you get formilular with the detector and what its telling you this may take some time regards john

Hi old hand

Do you mean:

Rx gain on 10 or 11 & Stabiliser on 9?

 

[Nuggetbuster]

If you cant get a steady threshold, turn the stabalizer down to a lower setting untill it evens out. The lower the number, the more steady it will become.

Hi davent,

As redfin mentioned, it's actually the other way around. The lower the stabilizer number, the more filtering applied, therefore the smoother it should sound

 

[davent]

Put my battery for a 4500 on charge , 1 and a half hours its got a green light, I had done a full days detecting with it, a good 7 hours, could it be right, fully charged in 1.5 hours?

 

[Nuggetunter]

Have been detecting today with the old 17 inch coiltek mono experimenting with settings and although its picking up targets it is also picking up lots of noisy ground, too noisy to use for a long session really. Tomorrow will try smaller coils and with the information you have given I might be able to sort things out, thanks. At the end of todays detecting I had a chat with another fellow gold hunter who was detecting in the same area and he showed me some very small pieces he had found with his SDC2300.

 

[davent]

If you cant get a steady threshold, turn the stabalizer down to a lower setting untill it evens out. The lower the number, the more steady it will become.

Hi davent,

As redfin mentioned, it's actually the other way around. The lower the stabilizer number, the more filtering applied, therefore the smoother it should sound

Pretty sure thats what it says.....lower the number, the more it evens out and the more steady it becomes.....isnt that the same as what youre saying?

 

[PabloP]

Put my battery for a 4500 on charge , 1 and a half hours its got a green light, I had done a full days detecting with it, a good 7 hours, could it be right, fully charged in 1.5 hours?

Not a 4500 owner, but a if a battery comes up to a high charge quickly it may mean that it has high internal resistance and as soon as you put a load on it the voltage will drop quickly. Others stories for other battery types, but those are not likely to be relevant for you.

Rob.

 

[GypsyGoldAu]

This sounds like a similar circumstance to what i experienced with my OEM 4000 battery.

Manage to get 7-10hrs detecting and a short recharge cycle.

It ran like this for a cpl of years and eventually only mange 3/4hr 'On' time & 10min recharge.

It is my belief that this condition is caused by constant recharging even if only used for a cpl of hours then recharge.

These batteries seem to prefer to be run down flat before recharging...

Some have written elsewhere that the batteries only have a limited lifespan (# of charges) before internal resistance begins to build. This creates heat and as a consequence the components begin to degrade.

IF...it is the oem from new purchase, it is getting on in age anyway, and you may be due for either a new 'battery pack' replacement or a new battery.

Good news is, the new batteries now have basically a plug & play replacement pack...no soldering required.

If your still getting 7+ hrs detecting, make the most of it while it lasts but be prepared to cough up some $$ (or gold ) in the near future. 1.5hrs is not so unusual imo.

Hope this helps..

Gypsy

 

[Solid Luck]

I'll be more than likely picking up a 4500 this week so I would like your suggestions on a good all round coil for this machine.
I don't want to be stuffing around learning a new machine with a bunch of different coils and want to get to know it with one good all rounder before progressing any further.
If you think one of the two coils that come with it is fine then please say so.
Otherwise i'm open to suggestions.
Thoughts?

 

[Dignit]

HL
I think the Minelab 11" mono is still the best allrounder for the Vic GT. In my opinion it's the most stable to suit harsh mineralised ground, and it will find small gold down to 0.1g within an inch or two, 0.5g to 6" or so, and bigger gold deeper. It's also a good mid size for good manouverability and light enough to swing all day. Whilst there are the new flat wind coils which are super sensitive to small gold they can be problematic in wet, high iron stone or high heat conditions. I have a 4500 which I got in Aug last year. I tried the 15x12 mono that came with it and didn't find anything. Tried the 11" DD that also came with it but again no luck. Found my first piece 0.2g with an 8" commander mono which was loaned to me. Then bought one and found a few small pieces 0.1 to 0.3. Then was frustrated with the thought of only finding small pieces so bought the 11" Coiltek Mono Elite. I then started to find more gold over summer but found it was too sensitive in the heat of the day. I only found gold in the cool of morning or cool of the evening. I then bought a 11" mono commander as I saw a fellow prospector doing very well with it. Now it's winter and the ground is wet I'm finding the Elite too sensitive on wet clay.
So in summary it's my experience that different coils can be better suited to different conditions, and it's a matter of choosing the right coil for the conditions. But if you can't afford a plethora of coils I think the Minelab 11" mono is still the best all rounder. However, this is just my opinion and only based on what I've used. If I had some spare cash the next one I'd consider would be the new Nugget Finder 15" Spoked Evolution Mono. I've read people are having good results, it is light, but may be a little too big for manouvering around scrub/trees, and as it's the new flat wind may be over sensitive to high heat, heavy iron stone and or wet clay.
I'm sorry this isn't more definitive.
I'm sure there will be plenty more opinions to be provided.
Cheers Dignit

 

[mbasko]

X 2 for the 11" Commander mono. Great all-round coil especially to learn with. If your 4500 doesn't come with one they can be picked up reasonably cheap these days.

 

[vstrom]

Hi mate I've got a 14"by 8# nugget finder advantage it runs smooth as silk your welcome to try that for the day when we go out light and easy to poke around .

 

[old hand]

HL the 11 commander mono good coil to start to learn with , but as you mentioned if you want a coil that is good on small and has excellent depth the 12 evo or 15 evo spoked I have both the elite are good to but the 14 is just a tad heavy ,you have to set your detector up right to use these coils and conditions . They are like driving a car you drive to the road conditions and the same for coils not one setting covers all so alter your settings to suit the conditions .What detector were you using

 

[Goldfield Joe]

Hi HL,

I agree with above comments regarding the 11" Commander. I think it is a really good all rounder and am still surprised at its sensitivity and stability. So if your 4500 kit comes with 11" Mono then I wouldn't bother spending any more until you get to know the machine and coil and are finding gold with it (shouldn't take long).

The newer coils are obviously very good and a lot of gold is being found with them, I suggest find enough gold to pay for a new coil then add to your artillery!

 

[Dignit]

HL
If the kit they are offering doesn't include the 11" mono I'd be trying to negotiate with them to drop one of the others out in replace of the 11. I wish I had of known when I bought mine as I would certainly have tried. Good luck and let us know what you get.

 

[Solid Luck]

Thanks all.

Yes the package they are currently offering does come with the 11" mono. So all good there.
Only problem is they won't take CC payment over the phone. You need to email them a copy of your licence and CC. lol..understandable i suppose with all the fraud going on nowadays. But that is something i am not comfy with.
I'll work it out one way or another.

 

[LORD]

Miners Den are doing a package at the moment that includes the 11" commander 11" DD AND 15" spooked nugget finder Evo.
3750 from memory, thought that was pretty good package

 

[Solid Luck]

Miners Den are doing a package at the moment that includes the 11" commander 11" DD AND 15" spooked nugget finder Evo.
3750 from memory, thought that was pretty good package

This isn't anywhere on their site as far as I can see.
Do you have a link?

 

[LORD]

I cant find it now either, Thats defiantly what it was because I bought the exact package, just double checked.
If anyone's interested I would say give Bendigo miners den a call and hit them up. FYI they also let me swap the 15" evo for 17" elliptical evo for same price mentioned.

 

[mbasko]

Central West Prospecting Supplies have this one on eBay with NF Evo 14" x 9" coil extra:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/322096355625?redirect=mobile
Full day training too. Greckies in Bendigo so that might work for you?