Minelab SDC 2300 Continues to amaze me!


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Hello All,

Went out today with some partners working some old ground that has been pounded. I didn't expect to find much, even with the SDC 2300, but at the end of the day I had 8 more nuggets to boot from the new SDC 2300. The unit is amazing on small gold, gets great depth for only having the 8-inch round mono searchcoil and is more immune to some ironstones/volcanics than my GPX 5000. This detector is going to be my primary prospecting detector. I can hike in long distances and I don't have to worry about missing any small nuggets exploring new spots.

Here are some pictures from today's hunt.

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Hey Roo,

No huge hit, but it was a bit over 2 Dwt's total. So far to date I'm over an ounce with the SDC 2300 in like 4 trips. Going to take another couple of ounces to say it's paid for in full, but it will be done in the next few months just weekend hunting. Not bad when you can pay for an investment in a short amount of time chasing gold.

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Hey nice job, that area looks very familiar, our old stomping grounds, lol, nice to see you are still pulling them out, I should be back in about six weeks or so, try to leave something behind would you, just kidding, I have a few areas you might want to try that detector in, i will try to get together with you over the winter,

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Hey Glenn,

Looking forward to getting together with you. I've been pushing it lately, even in the Summer heat. Can't find anyone willing to brave the heat, hiking and the possibility to find a nugget or two. Ya, any spots you think you hammered pretty well, it would be interesting to try the SDC 2300 there. It's for sure a cleanup detector, but I'm using it as my primary detector for hiking and exploring new zones as it's light, compact, crazy sensitive to small gold and even more immune to some hotrocks and volcanics than the GPX 5000 (weird).

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Rob

If I had the money I'd get a ticket for you, Chris R. and Steve H to anywhere other than the US. My Reasoning behind this is if I can get you three out of the US it may be some gold left when I get a SDC2300.

This is one time a guy knows that he's getting a great detector before you put your money out.

Thanks for all the show and tell about the SDC 2300.

Chuck Anders

PS The only trouble with my thinking is if I got tickets for Australia I'd want to go too.

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This detector is going to be my primary prospecting detector.

It would probably surprise people to hear I am moving my GPX to second place. The SDC is now my main machine and my GPX will only come out if I think there may be larger nuggets left the SDC missed. In a large number of locations for pure geological reasons that will not be the case. I think there are plenty of places where if I hit it hard with the SDC there will be nothing left for the GPX. I cannot say the reverse is true, and so I may as well hunt first with the machine most likely to get most of the gold.

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Steve

With what you said, says a lot for the SDC 2300. I don't think that any detector has come out with so much said about it in such a short time by the user. Not from just one person but from so many on the first time out.

Reading the instruction manual I'd say most is a no-brainer with practice in the field. The only way I'll know for sure is get out there with one.

Chuck Anders

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Hey Goldstudmuffin,

I think if the price was down around $2995.00 the units would fly off the shelves. I probably will only use the waterproof feature during dredging season to scan the bedrock cracks, as there are small nuggets potentially in the area. Beyond that, it might be scanning some bedrock with some puddles of water hoping for a hidden nugget or two.

Ya, the bird shot, or what we have "dubbed rat shot" is very tiny. I never found shot this small with the GPX series with small mono coils. I'm sure it's all over the place in areas, but hoping when I'm exploring remote locations there is minimal to no shot at best.

Hope you're doing well.

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You see other detectors that is waterproof to 10 feet. The trouble with Garrett and Minelab when they came out with their new one both had what you call over kill. The thing is most will never get their feet wet using either. If both detector companies would make them with the same guts inside I think I could afford a plastic bag to cover it.

Why is it that a company think they know more on what you need than you? I'd say if they put out a non waterproof ATX and SDC2300 the sales would be three to one in favor of the non waterproof.

Chuck Anders

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Hey Big John

When testing was going on did you feel that the weight of the SDC 2300 was more than need to be? I know your a big guy still young and strong but as we get older the weight becomes a big factor. I know if we want the detector to be it's best you can't cut back on the electronics but so many times they will fit in a smaller case.

I remember years ago all of White's detectors was in a large metal box but the electronics was on a 4x6 board. In other words the case was three times bigger than needed.

Chuck Anders

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The housing was chosen for a reason (they'd already spent a bomb developing it for the military market), so there was no point in my complaining about it too much when I was testing it. I mainly focused on the electronics and performance with side issues like touch sensitivity, batteries, reliability etc.

I would love for it to be as light as some of the VLFs, but at the end of the day ours have taken a pounding this winter and keep coming back for more. So far this season two SDCs working along side each other every day for three weeks have scored in excess of 30 ounces on a well worked 5000 patch, hundreds upon hundreds of little bits were picked up, the SDC was the perfect machine for the job.

JP

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You guys all figure the machine should be designed for you and your friends, but ML and most other detector makers producing gold oriented machines are selling far more units overseas in places like Africa than they are here in the US or in Australia. So surprise! They are producing machines designed around their largest customers - which is what a company should do.

So for these overseas markets they produce an extremely durable machine that can take a pounding, is extremely simple to operate and is very sensitive.

I can tell you that the Africans I saw are very hard on their machines and run them rain or shine, they don't know how to operate complex adjustments for maximizing detector performance, and many places produce more fine gold than big nuggets.

So while the SDC 2300, might not be just perfect for you, the current design, just exactly as it is, is the perfect machine for the overseas markets where they are selling the most units.

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Well....Let's see here........ We have Jonathon, Steve, and Rob all saying some pretty stout things abou this detector------Should I listen to them, or all the other people who detect for a hobby?????

Let me think a minute (Jeopardy music in backgroung and then , Doh!..... Homer Simpson)

I believe it may be a machine to get in the arsenal asap.....

IMHO...... like it or not...lol

Keep swingin!

PS... I have to sell my camper anyway because I am moving into an apt here in Reno...... so what can I do with 4200.00????? (Jeopardy again---hahaha)

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