Admin nuggethunting Posted October 2, 2015 Admin Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 Hello All, I made a comment on the thread from Steve H., survey about metal detectors. When you toss out the "price tag" I would rather find a Gram nugget at depth, missed by VLF's, then a Grainer missed by a PI and picked up with a high freq. VLF. Overall, the PI's for the most part will gain much more in weight (nuggets at depth, small and large) over a VLF in my opinion over time.If you notice, I mentioned "in my opinion" I believe someone willing to spend the time and effort would benefit more from a good PI working old goldfields than a VLF. I have many reason why I believe this and we mentioned we are not included the price of the metal detector. We are talking technology and performance this time. In the quote above, I talked about how I would rather miss a dink than a larger chunk at depth. Trust me, I have toggled back in forth from a Fisher Goldbug 2 and PI, owning both most of the time. I'm pretty convinced with the new PI's and GPX 7000, that I'm not missing that many small nuggets. The ones I'm missing don't make it economic enough in a day to pick them up than continue in hopes of picking up another single piece that might make a dozen of those small ones. Sometimes it comes down to economics & time in the field (productivity). I can either crawl around on the bedrock and snipe 20 small ones in a day for "X" about of grains or grams, or cover more ground in hopes of larger pieces. I have always had better success in the second, moving on, trying to find another deeper one or covering more ground. That all being said, we go back to the original question I have. I think if you're working old goldfields, a person would have better success with a good PI vs. a VLF overall. I'm saying this from 20+ years of swinging a metal detector across the US and Mexico. I'm also saying this from watching the various gold forums the last 10 years and seeing what guys are finding. We can also toss the survey Steve just conducted on metal detectors. For example, if you have watched a handful of guys (probably more like 100's) visit the known goldfield of Rye Patch, Nevada, that place has been worked to depth. It's a huge goldfield, hundreds of thousands of gold nuggets have been found in region. Despite that, the area still produces handfuls of nuggets from guys working that goldfield. Most are using PI's, revisiting known nugget patches, dozen scrapes and other workings to find gold at depth. The SDC's (newer waterproof PI from Minelab) has done an amazing job at Rye Patch, kind of like a GB2 PI unit. I still remember visiting one of the scraps over 10 years ago, the guys that showed me said it has been killed. It was the size of a football field, if not larger. He pretty told me good luck, the Goldbugs have killed it. Within just an hour's time with the latest and greatest PI, I had over a dozen "chevron" nuggets for like 4 Grams of gold. All the nuggets were just a few inches beyond VLF detection range. These are just some of my personal views and opinions, but would love to hear what others have to say about the subject. I guess we can also add, what is "personal success" or being productive. Some are just happy with being in the outdoors, others love to find a nugget or a combination of them both! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Relichunter2 Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 Great observation, and one that can only be made with many years of nuggethunting under ones belt. I believe any combo, for example a gpx and a sdc or a good vlf for the small sub gram pieces. Although I have no problem locating lets say 1/3 gram pieces with my sadie and with my larger coils the bigger nuggets, I still feel I am missing the tiny ones. So a good combo would be more effective to get most of them. But yes, with the new gpz I am sure you have it all covered. Have a great vacation!Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredm Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 I really have very little interest in finding 1/10 grain nuggets with a gold bug....I would much rather find what ever the GPZ will find; of course, that means almost any size gold from the surface to infinity...but if I did not have a gpz I would want my 5000 and a goldbug pro...but would usually use the 5000.fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim straight Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 Hey gold is gold and it still can be found as a sunbaker. Enjoy the search. May you-all find flakesand multi-ouncer's with whatever your detector you can afford... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldies1955 Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 If I had to choose between one detector or another. I would go with a PI. Since most of the ground has been hit with VLFs I think a person would have better luck using a PI getting the deeper stuff.But having Dad using a gold bug helps also.Now that ive made the Gold bug 2 MINI...........it goes with me when im out hunting That way I can hit that exposed bedrock and see if there is small stuff in it the PI wont hear.Personal success? When I started, it was finding nuggets. Now, I just enjoy getting out and the nuggets are a bonus. Even if I just get old junk, at least I know I was up a wash no one else was and if there was gold, I would have found it.Tom H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tortuga Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 There probably aren't too many big nuggets left near or on the surface that any detector can find unless maybe you're roaming the Australian outback.Yes, I think there are bigger ones still left at depth that you'd need a PI or GPZ to find.When I detect I constantly remind myself that after about two feet the search pattern on my coil tapers down to an area the size of a penny. You can be at patches that have been pounded by detectors for years but if the search depth we can expect out of most PI's or GPZ's is about 2 feet then odds are there's still areas everyone's "penny" hasn't passed over yet. Then add an infinite number of variables like effectiveness of the ground balance, coil size, nugget depth etc. and I think it's safe to say there's still big gold left to be found. Large nuggets that you'd MISS with a VLF just skimming the surface. Those are the kind of nuggets I hope to find Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin nuggethunting Posted October 3, 2015 Author Admin Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 Hey Tortuga, The thought about all big nuggets are probably gone is not so true. Reason I state this is I have seen many big nuggets found over the last 20 years, most of them were not down in the gullies or washes, but rather away from the patch or other nuggets. A few years ago I seen a customer of mine find a real nice one. We went to a known gold area and worked for several days. I found several down in the gullies and benches, but he was pretty discouraged after purchasing a high dollar detector and no gold. He said he was going to hike some ridge tops, just to look around. Several hours later, I heard a loud screaming, it was him flagging me up on this ridge. Low and behold, he found a nice 2.5 ouncer on the top of this ridge. It was the most odd-ball spot, but there were remains of a old quartz outcropping. We worked the area, circling around the find for hours and never found another piece. I think some of the large ones, can still be hiding on the hilltops, or hundreds of yards from the known patches. Just my thoughts. There still are some large ones near the surface, so investigate all those screaming trash signals!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tortuga Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 Yeah I believe it too. The gullies usually have a little more trash than I can take but I love the hillsides and old diggings. I don't mind finding a little trash when I'm detecting, especially around old diggings. I can't take digging 30 rusty pieces of some disintegrated old can but some boot nails and stuff near the surface give me a little hope the spot might have been overlooked.It's sort of like hot ground. I'm beginning to like areas that give my GPZ a little trouble because I can only imagine what it did to older detectors. I've been making some nice finds lately in that type of ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roo Posted October 5, 2015 Report Share Posted October 5, 2015 Best of all worlds just around the corner with the new NF Evolution 12". Used it and its mind blowing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMPDLN Posted October 5, 2015 Report Share Posted October 5, 2015 So many variables. The issue as I see it is they are still out there. The operator is more important than the machine in most instances. None of us ever get it all. However like anything else each machine is only as good as the operator, and since conditions are constantly changing we all have found nuggets we had previously been over and missed. Technology sure is grand and I certainly would want a PI if I could only have 1 detector. However I continue to frequent areas over and over again with different machines, coils, as well as attitude and different conditions and still continue to find gold in those areas just by trying something a little different or maybe slowing down some more or maybe just expanding on an area.I'll have to say the easy obvious stuff has likely been found, but there is still overlooked or just missed gold out there and I'll continue to do my part looking for it. Large or small I'll like them all. I know persistence pays off and I'll continue to hunt never knowing what the next target might be. Dennis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boulder dash Posted October 6, 2015 Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 Hmm a P.I. or V.L.F......Detector wars!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldies1955 Posted October 6, 2015 Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 BD........... Aint even gonna fight your war.....you win Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuTSaurus Posted October 6, 2015 Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 War?..........Metal detector war?????.................Draft me, DRAFT MEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!I will be issued a 7000, right?????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin nuggethunting Posted October 7, 2015 Author Admin Report Share Posted October 7, 2015 Hey Guys, No Detector Wars here, just some discussion on metal detectors. If you able to swing it, own both a PI and VLF. I think we all agree on this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boulder dash Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 I was pitching a reality tv show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boulder dash Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Detector wars!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin nuggethunting Posted October 12, 2015 Author Admin Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 Hey Boulder Dash, Well we all know how much drama the "Detector Wars" have caused in the past. You might actually be right, more drama sells, so it could make a good show. I still remember some of the forum threads on this subject. It would go from one guys saying a VLF sucks, then 20 minutes later there would be 20+ posts fighting over it. By the end of the night the thread would have thousands of hits/views. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuTSaurus Posted October 12, 2015 Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 I just wanted an "issued" GPZ 7000, haha!Oh, and a duty post somewhere where there are HUGE nuggets to be found! Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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