getting a detector for gold


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Hello, I am seriously thinking of getting a GPX4500, The thing is I would want to make the machine pay for itself over a year or two and I know that would most likely be up to me putting the time into learning how to use it.

Can a guy go out and use one right away and find gold if he is in a good spot. I live very close to the motherlode and my wifes family live in Grass Valley in the hills near Nevada City Ca. I am often visiting there.

I have gotten some gold flakes in the creeks and I am thinking if I could find the nuggets with a detector and dig them up it would be more fun and perhaps rewarding?

What do you think, could I just go out and start finding nuggets? Or does it take a lot of experience to find gold. Thanks Bill C

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Hey Bill,

It's very possible to pay for a Minelab GPX-4500 within a couple of years. A matter of fact, some people have paid for them in days in the right spots. It's all about being in the right location and knowing your equipment. California still has tons of potential for gold nuggets.

The GPX-4500 isn't that hard to learn. Although, it will take some time before you become a master user. I've sold many of them where the customers were just using the stock settings and finding plenty of gold nuggets.

I'm offering a great FREE bundle package and field instructions with a purchase of a GPX-4500.

Hope this helps a bit,

Rob Allison

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Bill C. Some detectors have been paid for in the first month with gold found. Reality check-- 95% of them will never pay for themselves. You have to look at it as a hobby. Your Bass boat will never pay for itself unless you win a big tournament . Your golf clubs will never pay for themselves unless you win a tournament. The hotrod you build and put $50,000.00 into will never bring half that if you try to sell it. One thing that no beginner is prepared for is the incredible amounts of metal trash in the ground and it defeats many within days as they dig hundreds or thousands of trash targets before a nugget turns up. On the other hand you live in the Motherlode country where a $20,000.00 nugget is well within the realm of possibilities, and if you have a good attitude you will have a blast searching for it. Once you find that first nugget, you will understand what it is all about, and paying for your equipment will be the last thing on your mind. All you will think about is finding that next nugget no matter if it is only worth $25.00. If it's all about the money you will most likely be very dissappointed. If you want to find one of the most enjoyable hobbies in the world you will be more than satisfied. Even with the price of the GPX, detecting is really an inexpensive hobby. Many fishermen have that much tied up in just lures and rods and reels with no hope of ever making a dime fishing. At least with a detector even a rank amateur has a chance to find a big one and I've seen it happen. Take Rob up on his offer and he will get you off on the right foot. An introductory lesson will put you months ahead in the game and insure you will have a good chance at success. Be prepared to adjust your goals as you learn, it isn't really a pathway to riches but the rewards can't be measured in dollars.---Bob

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amen! all of the above!

you have to do research of an area, have transport in and out, and dedicate time and effort enough so that your efforts are like marrying your machine- no kidding. you have to know the ins and outs and work with it to figure out all the nuances. once you get a handle on signals, sounds, and an area's potential relative to size, depth, popularity, and your relative ability to keep the place your own little secret.

Then there is always the convenient factor, in that if the hopefully productive area you want to work is close enough to frequent without a big gas expenditure.

as for really good advice, it won't get any better than Rob's or Montana's because they work their rigs on just about any level or angle anyone could ever dream up, and then post the pics. These guys are the real pros of the outfit, and any advice they hand out comes through years of sweat- better believe it!.

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Well put Bob!

Bill C.,

The only detectors I own that have paid for themselves in a monetary fashion are my coin detectors and my Gold Bug 2. But, all of my detectors (Minlab GPs included ) have more than paid for themselves as a result of all the enjoyment I get from going out and hunting for coins, meteorites, and gold nuggets. No dollar value can be put on the fun of getting out of doors and participating in a great hobby. Additional benefits include making new friends, exercise, learning new things, and of course finding nuggets, coins, relics, and meteorites. Perhaps in a couple of years when I am fulltime down in AZ I will get to hunt more and then I too will be able to say that I have monetarily paid for my big Minelab detector as well. But, no matter. As long as I contiue to enjoy the hobby, for me that is more important than the money invested in the hobby. Good luck!

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Hi Bill,

How Montana put it can not be said any better, I was thinking about getting into dirt bikes again but opted for Nugget Hunting, where else can your hobby create an income, later that won't matter. I must say I thought it would be easier to find nuggets than it actually is but half the fun is doing your homework on potential gold bearing areas, learning the history of gold prospecting and making friends along the way.

My first detector was the 4500 and as Rob said it is not hard to learn this machine with it's LCD menu structure but mastering how to interpret the sounds and optimizing it past the factory presets (FP) settings in different areas takes skill and practice, The Minelab preset settings work great out of the box, those guy's at Minelab know what they are doing.

I sold my 4500 because of poison ivy, always got it, then Lucky Lundy explained to me on how to take preventive measurements to help ensure you don't get it, well instead of buying the 4500 again I went with the 4000...just in case ;) because at the time the 4000 was $2000 less expensive. If there was a $1000 discrepancy I probably would have went with the 4500.

I am a NEWBIE but I could actually tell the difference between the 4000 and 4500 when trying to eliminate EMI, ground balancing and the (crispness...if a word) of the signal sound, not that the 4000 can't do it just seems like I am playing with the settings a tad bit more on the 4000.....then again I am a NEWBIE and it might all be in my head. :wacko:

But the 2 things I would definitely recommend to a NEWBIE is if buying a Minelab, BUY NEW.....yea, I am sure I will catch heck on that one, Minelab warranty's are not transferable so buying used may not be beneficial to a NEWBIE, unless you are buying from a reputable dealer who will stand behind it..... Again that is just my opinion. The second thing is buy from a reputable dealer that actually gives field training with the detector, not only will you learn how to use the settings but learn how to swing the coil, learn about the different sounds you hear, maybe learn a little on geology, don't under estimate the value of quality training.

Good Luck!

Tony Teixeira

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Hey Guys,

I only had a few minutes when I wrote the last post, but thought I would toss out some more info. I've pretty much paid for all of my early PI's within days or weeks, but the later models it's taken more time. I've also been doing this for 15 years plus, so the experience plays a big role also.

I just had two customers purchase GPX-4500's right before Christmas. Both of them headed up to the 24K Gold Hunters claims last weekend. Both of these customers haven't done much detecting prior to owning these 4500's. One customer found three gold nuggets the first day, while the other guy is still out there struggling to find a gold nugget. There are so many variables that it's tough to say why one found three and the other is still out there trying to find his first. They both have about the same experience, same detectors and coils and hunting the same ground.

You can have the best metal detector and still struggle to find gold nuggets. If the gold isn't there, too small or too deep, you're not going to hear it.

For the most part, I try to encourage customers to get into Pulse Induction metal detectors if possible though. They will have much less frusterations and a better chance of finding gold. The PI's are much more immune to mineralization and get 2-3 times the depth.

Like Montana stated, if you're doing this for the money, then it's probably the wrong hobby for you. If you love the outdoors, wildlife and like to get away from the day-to-day rat race, then you will probably really enjoy electronic prospecting for gold nuggets.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!

Rob Allison

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Hey Guys,

I only had a few minutes when I wrote the last post, but thought I would toss out some more info. I've pretty much paid for all of my early PI's within days or weeks, but the later models it's taken more time. I've also been doing this for 15 years plus, so the experience plays a big role also.

I just had two customers purchase GPX-4500's right before Christmas. Both of them headed up to the 24K Gold Hunters claims last weekend. Both of these customers haven't done much detecting prior to owning these 4500's. One customer found three gold nuggets the first day, while the other guy is still out there struggling to find a gold nugget. There are so many variables that it's tough to say why one found three and the other is still out there trying to find his first. They both have about the same experience, same detectors and coils and hunting the same ground.

You can have the best metal detector and still struggle to find gold nuggets. If the gold isn't there, too small or too deep, you're not going to hear it.

For the most part, I try to encourage customers to get into Pulse Induction metal detectors if possible though. They will have much less frusterations and a better chance of finding gold. The PI's are much more immune to mineralization and get 2-3 times the depth.

Like Montana stated, if you're doing this for the money, then it's probably the wrong hobby for you. If you love the outdoors, wildlife and like to get away from the day-to-day rat race, then you will probably really enjoy electronic prospecting for gold nuggets.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!

Rob Allison

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Thank you guys for all the advice. This could not be clearer to me. I've read back to about 18 on the archives and still reading. I want to see if I can refinace early this month and then I can take out a loan. Credit card. I do like the package you offer Rob and your site to learn from. I will call you sometime after the new year.

I do enjoy the outdoors, I bought a used RV for 6900K and wished I had bought a better one now that we use it. I had put $3000 into it to keep it running good. I go to Bodega Bay every year in August to escape the heat. We go to lakes and places like that. Anyway I now realize that this would start out as a great hobby and I would hopefully have some gold to show for it after a 6 months or a year. My other hobbys are organic gardening, gotto love those red tomatoes. I also fly roller pigeons in a local club. Just about everything I do is outside except reading on the computer late in the evenings.

I am a paint contractor, work alone and this winter has been the slowest I've had in 20 years. I still have work but at this rate I would go broke in two or three months. Luckily I have a few large jobs to do when the weather gets better in Mid March. So right now I have more time to enjoy the great outdoors as long as I can get to those places I visited in the fall with low water levels. Thanks everyone for your insight and suggestions. Bill C

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Bill C. I'm retired and also enjoy organic gargening and have a small orchard. I'm not sure if I'm ahead financially by growing my own fruit and veggies but it is fun. I also like fishing and have lots of fish in the freezer, but I know I'm way in the hole on fishing. My main hobby is gold hunting , and it has proved proitable over the years, and yes, my GPX 4500 has long since paid for itself as did all my previous detectors. I would still go nugget hunting if it wasn't profitable, And of course the thought is always in my mind that I might hit the jackpot. I don't think you'll be dissappointed if you get into the hobby and having the best detector just makes it all the better and more enjoyable. Happy new year!!!---Bob

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Hey Bill C.,

Sounds good, looking forward to talking with you in the future about a metal detector. I escaped out today with a few friends and we found 10 gold nuggets. All were found with the GPX-4500's and Coiltek Goldstalker Searchcoils. I found eight of the gold nuggets, biggest was just shy of 1/4 ounce. Check out the new post from this evening.

I do offer one of the best packages, especially since you get your choice of the new Coiltek Goldstalker Searchcoils. There are some new products coming very soon that I can't talk about and I might also offer then in another revised GPX-4500 package.

Don't hesistate to ask any questions here on my forums. As you can see, we have some great people here that are always willing to contribute.

Talk with you soon,

Rob Allison

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