My First Impression of the new SDC 2300

[Guest]

Not to mention though there is an option with the fisher
goldbug 2 and The whites gmt for the very small gold
And will be looking forward to seeing a test between
these 2 Machines and the sdc 2300 in the near future.

Each to their own.

 

[stalker]

Explain me this? Why are we getting excited over very, very, very sub gram nuggets?? On a detector that costs $1,000s? OK - find a patch of sub-grammers, what then? Hmm - whack on a bigger coil - can they?

It's about finding gold no matter how small or large . and the sdc is finding gold . Small gold and larger gold .
I read on another forum that in 3 weeks and 142 holes later for 34.5g of gold found with the sdc . No doubt it is paying for itself .
The sdc is just another tool to have in the kit . And I'm sure it will shine on ground that's been done over by its bigger m/l brothers .
Finding bigger gold is getting hard to find these days anyway and there is probably more sub g gold you can poke a stick at in the ground waiting to be found. Lots of digging and scratching but it adds up.

 

[loamer]

yep - each to their own. Jut seems to be a quite expensive outlay for a set and forget 8" coil. Any rumours there may be the ability to be able to swap coils? I agree with some earlier posts - youtube and dealers post really don't convince me either. Spotted a youtube video where the tester later admits the targets were noticeable with a 5000 after reviewing the video but they were running speakers, not headphones. Also, the test ran the 5000 in sens extra not fine gold at one stage. I reckon if I was going to just hunt tiddlers, it sounds like a great bit of kit. BUT, if I see or hear another 'we ran this over flogged ground and found lots of little bits' then I will just about switch to light beer. The only, and I mean only significant change on flogged ground to find decent gold was the introduction years ago of the first PIs - by decent gold, I mean grammers and ouncers. For ALL users of other detectors, please do not lose heart - this has all happened before. 2200? Run a small DD. GPX?? run small coils. Whites, Garrett etc - keep on plowing along. Remember - the Hand of Faith was found with an old Garret VLF.

 

[Redfin]

I will just about switch to light beer.

Steady mate.

[BTW: We both know there is no such thing a light beer, just a Standard Beer and a Sub Standard one.]

 

[Goldtarget]

Re rumors loamer.... There are indeed. Obviously I am not making them (coils that is) but it has been talked about and I guess only time will tell. It would not be fair for me to implicate the source nor the manufacturer, but there are certainly that, rumors and murmurs. I'm sure if production is going to go ahead we will all hear about it. It would make allot of sense for a coil manufacturer to investigate prove and produce alternatives to underpin the market and enhance their existing range. If by chance I hear anything solid direct from any credible links I will pass it on, and I'm certainly hopeful of a greater choice, I'm very interested in this particular offering from Minelab. It certainly ticks all the boxes in terms of what I would like from a detector except perhaps depth to larger targets but I'm optimistic, waiting patiently to see what comes about. If big gold is off the table it matters little to me offset by its strengths. With any luck someone will be really disappointed with it and offer it up cheaper than retail. In my mind I dig more than my fair share of tiny lead shot and tiddlers, but being a Digger and a washer it's just the thing I've been waiting for, complimentary to my style.

 

[Heatho]

Explain me this? Why are we getting excited over very, very, very sub gram nuggets?? On a detector that costs $1,000s? OK - find a patch of sub-grammers, what then? Hmm - whack on a bigger coil - can they?

To be honest Loamer and not being a smartarse, why not? I found my first bit with my SDC and I have a 5000 too, have not had any success with the 5000, I will soon hopefully. I was maybe 3 years late getting one after you guys who have been detecting for years cleaned out the easier stuff (first in first serve, no probs with that) . The SDC gives someone with a spare 4 grand the chance to get out there first and clean up the bits you guys missed or could not detect on these patches. It's all about finding Gold is it not?

The SDC will punch pretty deep on a large target, in ground that makes GPX's groan and in EMI that makes them un-usable, this is technology moving foward not backward. It's not all about finding tiny Gold.

Whenever someone buys a new detector they want to test it on flogged ground to see what it picks up. Once people start getting into better areas and using these I'd say reports of bigger deeper Gold will start filtering through.

I'd say it's electronic loaming at it's best.

 

[G0lddigg@]

Had a chance to swing a sdc2300 this arvo was seriously impressed. So light ready to go and picked up the tiniest bits of leadshot in ground that has been flogged. I did a test on a 0.06 flake in a vial and the sdc picked it up loud and clear. Absolutely amazing. Def going on the wish list,

 

[Guest]

Got to see 2 of them get gold today. Had a quick 1hr swing with it & it is very impressive. No mistaking the signals - very clear.
Headphones are a pain due to the short cord but you can work around that & an adapter cord would be good for other headphones or booster but can't really complain about anything else - only that I haven't got one yet.

 

[Goldtarget]

Crazy how defined the tones are on tiny gold. ... Reminds me of coin shooting on the vlf,, really punched through the threshold and clearly defines the target. Swing speed and the lightness overall was impressive. Asked locally about time frames until hire....sadly many weeks, the little 'ens will have to wait.

 

[Teemore]

- only that I haven't got one yet.

Be patient, if you haven't found one yet I'd say it's probably just that you haven't swung over a piece.
Managed my first detecting piece yesterday (4th short outing with SDC), a tiddler by most peoples standards but gold non the less and in what is definitely a 'flogged' area (Creswick).

I recall posts about how long people took to find their first piece and from memory some had gone years before that 1st piece, think the SDC may change that purely due to it's simplicity and inbuilt tuning/timing/setting (or whatever). Like any other detector however you still have to walk over a piece or the result will stay a zero.
Judging by the amount of trash turning up the 'serious' GPX users must be really really good at discriminating targets, be it a piece of shot at 4-5cm or a spent .22 shell at 10-15 (being conservative) the SDC won't tell me which is which, guess I'll have to upgrade to a GPX to tell me those things (AND I will).

Cheers T.
meant to add ... when I get my GPX the area of the find will be revisited , just in case there's something larger down deeper, guess it's a different kind of looming or patch hunting.

 

[Guest]

Not worried about finding gold with it - just trying to get one of my own :lol:

 

[G0lddigg@]

Woohoo Teemore's i the nugget club awesome stuff mate

 

[PhaseTech]

Well done Teemore!

 

[Roscoe]

unbelievable Teemore, congratulations well done.

 

[Guest]

Don't want to turn you onto light beer Loamer but an update for those interested:
I had put up a post on another thread about a former forum member getting over an ounce in the first week using the SDC on old patches. Well his latest report, on another forum, is that in 2.5 weeks he has cleaned up enough gold with it to have paid for it. Now he's a full time prospector with his own claims but that result in a short period shows me this thing has its place. Your average hobbyist can't expect a similar result but the capabilities of it are apparent.

In a quick test we did yesterday I got a very iffy signal with the 5000. Enough to pull me up to investigate but not convincing at all. In noisier ground I may well have walked away from it or not heard it at all. This is where the SDC shines - we ran one of them over the signal & it wasn't iffy. It was a stop & dig signal. Turned out to be a minute piece of aluminum but could have easily been another littlun. These add up & do make your day especially if your not in it to make a profit. Small stuff to me is a thrill to find also but big is always better :lol: Don't worry the SDC will still get the bigger stuff to a limit but from what I seen 12" wouldn't be a problem on gram+ sized ones. It's getting the very very sub grammers at 8-10" so bigger & a bit deeper won't stop it.
The GPX won't tell you much more than the SDC Teemore unless you use a DD & iron reject. They still won't discriminate out lead shot etc. & if its still there then the area may not have been detected or done well, although lead has a habit of reappearing especially where guns can be used - gold doesn't. I would be very cautious on dismissing any signals on tone or sound alone. The 3.5 grammer I got yesterday sounded no different, at shallow depth, to the bottle tops & ring pulls I was getting there. Glad I dug everything!!
The SDC as a replacement for the GPX's. No it's not - not meant to be. Exciting - to me it is. Overpriced - well thats in the eye of the beholder. Issues & required add ons - yep but so has the $6500 GPX5000 that everyone happily just goes about acquiring what's needed - aftermarket coils, boosters, different headphones, hipsticks, swing arms, control box covers etc. The list goes on.
Not only will the SDC compliment the GPX's it will also compliment the SD & GP series too in my opinion. If I had an older machine that I was still getting some gold with the SDC now becomes a very real & capable option rather than a full upgrade to the GPX. Used in tandem with an older machine & you will still have deep gold capabilities. It also provides those that don't want all the switches & settings with a capable alternative. At the end of the day how many of us are running around with GPX's attached to a small coil in enhance or fine gold chasing tiddlers now?
Keeping up with the Jones maybe if there was a cheaper, more capable machine the Jones would be using it?

 

[loamer]

:lol:
I would never waste a perfectly good thirst on light beer!! The only concession I will make on my promise is to have an interstate beer as punishment for my brash comments. Probably a XXXX as it started life as a Victorian beer anyway. Anyhoo....

Thankyou for the report - certainly food for thought. Am I missing something or has there been talk/rumour etc that there will be an ability to put on a bigger/smaller coil? I am sure there were some posts/ideas floating around somewhere. Now that would make it an interesting proposition. I intend to give this a couple of more months for the bugs to get ironed out, get some more field reports and will probably consider having a crack. What is interesting is that its an interesting entry level for nugget hunting and I am sure the detector will pick up bigger nuggets for sure. I have seen some comments on the weight issue and the elcrapo handgrip/armrest? Minor I know.

 

[loamer]

NOT mine - from another web site. 8" mono on a GPX 5000 near Dunolly.

 

[Guest]

Coils are being looked at. I can see some issues but hopefully a manufacturer can get passed them with a workable solution. Issues I can see:
- spending $$$ on development of a coil for what might only be a niche market
- the coil connection & availability of plugs or sockets to suit
- having to do some minor disassembly to change coils over
- Minelab warranty cover
An elliptical option & something a little bigger, say 11-12", would be good.

 

[Guest]

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/981/1406621459_awww.png

NOT mine - from another web site. 8" mono on a GPX 5000 near Dunolly.

Got one about the same size near St Arnaud with the 5000 also. They can & will get them too but from what I've seen so far the SDC signal is a lot clearer on those ones. Can get tiring listening for those over a couple of hours :lol:

 

[loamer]

Yes mate I understand about tiring - I did a post on running a 6" on my 4500 for basically a day. It does get tiring and to be honest, I have better places to be, but wanted to see very small gold capabilities.

I heard a signal test of the SDC over a 45 and a 5. The signals were much, much clearer, only in one case was it 'should I or shouldn't I dig?' Apart from that very minor thing, they would 100% pull you up signals. There is no doubt some of my patches would have produced using the SDC and then caused me to run my 45 with a big coil. Perhaps a niche also for mullock heaps?

(PS - Don't mention St Arnaud - we like to keep that place secret. Woops)