Minelab GPX5000 tips, settings and questions

[BrisJoe]

I was wiondering if someone with a 5000 could measure it for me.
I want to know how thick the shaft is with the cable wrapped around it, and also the length.

I am thinking of making up some shaft socks to keep the unsightly cable hidden, and also offer some scratch protection to the shafts.

Anybody interested?

 

[BrisJoe]

Well I suppose, for any detectr with an external cable if you can provide the sizes for.
Would ML have used the same size shafts across the models?

 

[gcause]

If you did these up in strong canvas with some Velcro you might be on a winner there.

Something like this:

I found those here:

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/control-box-..._Measurement_Equipment_ET&hash=item3386194bf4

Ok measurements on a 5000:

Upper shaft 81cm long by 7cm 2mm wide in total.
With cord wrapped it is 8cm 2mm wide.
Between handle and bottom of top shaft is 51cm but that will vary based on where people have located their handle to suit their arm length.

Bottom shaft is:
By itself is 61cm long by 6cm wide in total.
When on the last hole it's attached between the coil and the top shafts clam it's 47cm.
With the cable wrapped around it is is 7cm.

Hope this helps.

 

[HeadsUp]

Hi people , i cant find my GPX manual , can someone tell me please how to reset to factory default settings ?

thankyou muchly

 

[Billy]

Gday HeadsUp, Try this link mate: http://www.minelab.com/__files/f/22591/Instruction Manual GPX 4800-5000 (4901-0096-2).pdf

 

[HeadsUp]

thankyou

 

[Leah's Mudpie]

Hey Guys, just wondering if those who have forked out 6.5k for this model have made their money back in a resonable time?

Have you found enough gold nuggets to make it a worthwhile investment?

 

[Heatho]

No gold for me yet but that will change, been hunting gems a lot, switching back into gold search mode soon.

I bought mine to start a new hobby, had been recording music for years and well, recording music is pretty boring and you never see the outdoors. Sold all my expensive audiophile analog audio gear and bought a GPX 5000 and a 4x4 and have not been this happy in years.

Not sure if I'll ever recoup the outlay but I might and probably will eventually. Some people do very quickly and some just do ok, depends on commitment to getting out and having a go. A lot of big finds happen that none of us will ever hear about.

If you have the moolah and can afford it get one, if you have 2nd thoughts hold off for a while and get something the budget allows for. I'm loving mine and enjoying the outdoors a lot. I'm fitter, happier, healthier. In my mind I've already recouped the outlay.

 

[HeadsUp]

it may not be entirely the machine that matters

it might also be the mind of the owner that determines if it pays for itself

that might sound harsh but alot of people dont completely open themselves to good luck , either due to fear or subconscious thought patterns etc

i have heard that 90 % of people who buy any detector dont find more than a couple of hundred bucks worth of gold.

research , dedication , methodical approach to digging every target and learning to understand your machine will make a difference.

out of the tens of thousands of people in the country involved in it there are thousands of people who earn an income , and maybe every year there might be 5 or 10 at a guess who crack a big one and find a massive patch to retire from.

 

[Leah's Mudpie]

Heatho, good to hear that this hobby brings you happiness not had in years. that in itself is worth it, regardless of cost. I'm looking forward to getting off the couch a bit more and getting outside for some vitamin D.

HeadsUp, yeah I agree. I sometimes wonder if people think that since it's an expensive machine it'll do all the hard work for them. It'll find gold instantly so to speak. This is not the case obviously. With so many variables nothing is guaranteed.

 

[Heatho]

I've already found hundreds in coins lol, just need to find some of that elusive yellow stuff. Yep all research, hard work and knowing your machine. Knowing some private property owners in goldfields would help heaps also.

Don't get me wrong I wasn't a total sadsack before fossicking just extremely bored and sick of listening to music I really did not like.

 

[Leah's Mudpie]

Fair enough. Finish one hobby, start another. My hobbies are like ties on a rack - I rotate them haha.

Yeah, I can imagine it would be trilling to find gold. That 5.5kg nugget found in Victoria is what dreams are made off haha. Lucky bugger!

 

[trashmagnet]

gota agree with heads up, having a gpx5000 will not garantee recouping your cost's.
there are heaps of operators with old sd/gp machines that make good money and there's some with 5000's that can't find enough to pay for fuel.
so if your thinking a 5000 will find enough to cover cost's just because it's the best, then I would not invest that much.
a lot of operators that make good money with a 5000 were making good money before with the older models.
don't get me wrong, there fantastic to use but you still need to know where to look and how to read the ground.
regards trashmagnet

 

[Ben78]

I spent 6500 on my 5000 and don't see it as something that has to 'pay' for itself. I have spent $3-4k on camera gear, bought a 4wd and put $4-5k worth of gear on it and sold it all off losing about 10k. The whole time I've had an absolute blast, going bush, detecting and taking photos. $6500 isn't a lot to blow in the grand scheme of things (especially compared to cars) and realistically Minelabs do hold a pretty good resale value if it all goes to hell and you have to offload it.

 

[loamer]

People often ask 'have you made your money back on the detectors/coils etc?' The answers are yes or no - but I will. I have mates who spend $1,000s on golf clubs when they retire - I ask them if they will ever win the Australian PGA and get their $$ back, or are they happy to win a poxy set of golf balls once in a while - that usually shuts people up. I believe that prospecting is a hobby where the chances of at least covering your costs are better than even. I have a KPI (god help me with using modern management speak) of trying to get a gram a day but if I don't then so be it. Yes, I can make a shed load more money working the same hours at my 'real' job (soon to be retired!!) but as some-one on the forum has said - a bad days detecting is better than a good day at work. Amen - try being a fitter and turner for 40 years - there are no good days eventually. Ben78 is 100% correct - its an absolute blast and I love it.

 

[Leah's Mudpie]

Thanks for responded guys. some interesting points have been made.

 

[Teemore]

Forget about the outlay (assuming you can afford it) and think of the joy of being "out there" enjoying the great surrounds that our pioneers slaved in.
I don't have one and won't till I retire in the interim I do it the "hard" way for not much return gold wise but plenty in the peace of mind and health stakes.
If you do get one get plenty of lessons, no good having a Ferrari if you can't change gears.
Cheers Tom

 

[gavfromoz]

A trip out of Sydney is worth all the outlay as I have just found out. Can't wait to hit the road again as soon as possible and enjoy the great outdoors which we have. Enjoy it while we can Good luck LM

 

[MYSPOT]

Hey Joe,

I bumped into a bloke near Maryborough Victoria lst year, he was using a 5000 and had a bamboo shaft. He claims it to be stronger and 200grams lighter. From what I remember he also drilled out the guts of the bamboo and ran the cable up the inside.
The cable was also shortened, his words were I am the only user so why should the shaft need to adjusted. No more floppy cable and a great strong light shaft.

chow

 

[MYSPOT]

Hello All,

Its like the bloke who didnt understand why I went out and purchased a 5000, he said you sure you know what you a doing its a lot of money to recover.

Got me thinking and I replied to this bloke, hey didnt you spend 50 grand or so a couple years back on a boat. He said yes and mainly catches flathead.

I replied you could buy a lot of flattie tails for fifty grand, he has since sold the boat for 28 grand and I reckon he got about 500 bucks worth of flathead tails.

Its all about the story not the find.

chow