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- Aug 13, 2018
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Hi All,
Well, I took the GPX 5000 out on my first outing on Saturday to Quacks Gully in Kingower. I haven't had a break on my own away from the wife and kids in so long that even though I found nothing (well, no gold anyway) it was the best day out in so, so long.
Firstly, I've got to say that I found out that tracks look nothing like Google Earth or Tullys maps when you're down there on the ground in among the trees. As most of you probably know, the forest south of Kingower is exceptionally well sign-posted, but still somehow I managed to end up in the next gully up the hill from Quacks, where there is no lead to fossick over. Once I'd set myself up I found that in the freezing cold of the morning (I got there about 8-30am) the Koss headphones made for great ear-warmers.
I had no idea though just how much branches and stuff there was on the forest floor! I was swinging the 18" DD Commander and although it was good at nudging a lot of the small stuff out of the way it still couldn't get in among the many broken branches and dead wood on the ground. I took a rake with me with the intention of raking the areas that I wanted to detect, but I hadn't realized that there was no way it was going to move the long or bigger stuff that was there.
Anyway, I soldiered on, and using the settings that someone posted on here from JP for using a large DD on a 5000, I managed to find a spark plug, a horse shoe (both on the surface in among the small dead twigs and branches), and my first of many Hot Rocks or iron stones. I had a brief heart stopping moment when I discovered an old fashioned electrical cable clip (the type that were made of copper or brass), about 3 inches down and I was surprised that such a big DD coil could find something so thin and small just a few inches under the ground.
Anyway, I'd worked my way over to one of the roads and it was then that I noticed one of the signposts that didn't look right. It was time for a cuppa and a snack so I headed back to the car to check my maps, and it was then that I realized that I should be further down the road. :8
After a bite I headed down to what actually was Quacks Gully, and man that place has been hit hard! Looks like someone has been down there over the years with much more machinery than a pick-axe. It was upside-down country with massive heaps of clay and soil around the big deep holes that were teaming with little ironstone things. I kept getting signals that when I dug a few inches would then disappear. I kept this up until lunchtime, and after I then swapped over to the 11" Mono that comes with the 5000. I have to say also, it felt like a great relief getting rid of the 18", as even with a harness my right forearm and back could feel the strain of it after a few hours. I found the 11" much easier going in and around the trees and bushes, and even all of the dead branches, twigs and crud. I can see now why some people prefer elliptical or small coils.
I thought I'd found something in a little mound, so I started to dig it up with the pick. It only took a couple of whacks for a gazillion Freaking Bullants to come running out in anger. I decided to leave them in peace and continued on. I found old weathered pieces of Aluminium foil but not much else, until I was detecting around an old dead tree stump and I got a strong signal right next to it. I started digging and the signal was still there. My pick hit something hard and I was convinced that I'd hit the jackpot on my first trip to the GT. I dug out all the soil I could until I realized that about a foot down it was a hard-as-nails dead tree root. Whenever I put the edge of my coil down inside the hole next to the root it gave off a loud signal. After a little while scratching my head and trying to figure out what was going on, it occurred to me that this old stump had a small hollow in the middle of it. Looking down the hollow I could see lodged in the centre of this old dead tree stump about a foot down was an old tin can, exactly in line with the tree root outside
I would have thought I'd be upset and disappointed with it all, but for some reason it all seemed just so funny that I lay there on the ground for a while just cacking myself laughing.
On my way back to the car I got another good signal, and was having so much trouble trying to pinpoint whatever it was that I started to think I was maybe going crazy, until eventually about 6 inches down I found the smallest slither of what looked like old rusty roofing iron. Still no gold, however I was happy with the day all in all, as at least I got to hear the difference in sound of a couple of buried metal targets to compare with the hot rocks and the pockets of mineralised ground where the signal disappeared as I dug down.
I also learned that by the afternoon when it was warmer (an it was by no means a hot day), those headphones were a curse. I definitely need to go the way of the smaller batteries attached to the unit I think, because the unit/battery lead to the Harness battery pouch was also a pain in the butt every time I wanted to do some serious digging. I think I'd much prefer a spoked mono coil, no harness and no headphones. All in all a great day in the field to actually find out what I like and what I don't like. Even though I didn't get any gold it was indeed a grand day out and the most fun I've had in a long time.
-Deepseeker
Well, I took the GPX 5000 out on my first outing on Saturday to Quacks Gully in Kingower. I haven't had a break on my own away from the wife and kids in so long that even though I found nothing (well, no gold anyway) it was the best day out in so, so long.
Firstly, I've got to say that I found out that tracks look nothing like Google Earth or Tullys maps when you're down there on the ground in among the trees. As most of you probably know, the forest south of Kingower is exceptionally well sign-posted, but still somehow I managed to end up in the next gully up the hill from Quacks, where there is no lead to fossick over. Once I'd set myself up I found that in the freezing cold of the morning (I got there about 8-30am) the Koss headphones made for great ear-warmers.
I had no idea though just how much branches and stuff there was on the forest floor! I was swinging the 18" DD Commander and although it was good at nudging a lot of the small stuff out of the way it still couldn't get in among the many broken branches and dead wood on the ground. I took a rake with me with the intention of raking the areas that I wanted to detect, but I hadn't realized that there was no way it was going to move the long or bigger stuff that was there.
Anyway, I soldiered on, and using the settings that someone posted on here from JP for using a large DD on a 5000, I managed to find a spark plug, a horse shoe (both on the surface in among the small dead twigs and branches), and my first of many Hot Rocks or iron stones. I had a brief heart stopping moment when I discovered an old fashioned electrical cable clip (the type that were made of copper or brass), about 3 inches down and I was surprised that such a big DD coil could find something so thin and small just a few inches under the ground.
Anyway, I'd worked my way over to one of the roads and it was then that I noticed one of the signposts that didn't look right. It was time for a cuppa and a snack so I headed back to the car to check my maps, and it was then that I realized that I should be further down the road. :8
After a bite I headed down to what actually was Quacks Gully, and man that place has been hit hard! Looks like someone has been down there over the years with much more machinery than a pick-axe. It was upside-down country with massive heaps of clay and soil around the big deep holes that were teaming with little ironstone things. I kept getting signals that when I dug a few inches would then disappear. I kept this up until lunchtime, and after I then swapped over to the 11" Mono that comes with the 5000. I have to say also, it felt like a great relief getting rid of the 18", as even with a harness my right forearm and back could feel the strain of it after a few hours. I found the 11" much easier going in and around the trees and bushes, and even all of the dead branches, twigs and crud. I can see now why some people prefer elliptical or small coils.
I thought I'd found something in a little mound, so I started to dig it up with the pick. It only took a couple of whacks for a gazillion Freaking Bullants to come running out in anger. I decided to leave them in peace and continued on. I found old weathered pieces of Aluminium foil but not much else, until I was detecting around an old dead tree stump and I got a strong signal right next to it. I started digging and the signal was still there. My pick hit something hard and I was convinced that I'd hit the jackpot on my first trip to the GT. I dug out all the soil I could until I realized that about a foot down it was a hard-as-nails dead tree root. Whenever I put the edge of my coil down inside the hole next to the root it gave off a loud signal. After a little while scratching my head and trying to figure out what was going on, it occurred to me that this old stump had a small hollow in the middle of it. Looking down the hollow I could see lodged in the centre of this old dead tree stump about a foot down was an old tin can, exactly in line with the tree root outside
I would have thought I'd be upset and disappointed with it all, but for some reason it all seemed just so funny that I lay there on the ground for a while just cacking myself laughing.On my way back to the car I got another good signal, and was having so much trouble trying to pinpoint whatever it was that I started to think I was maybe going crazy, until eventually about 6 inches down I found the smallest slither of what looked like old rusty roofing iron. Still no gold, however I was happy with the day all in all, as at least I got to hear the difference in sound of a couple of buried metal targets to compare with the hot rocks and the pockets of mineralised ground where the signal disappeared as I dug down.
I also learned that by the afternoon when it was warmer (an it was by no means a hot day), those headphones were a curse. I definitely need to go the way of the smaller batteries attached to the unit I think, because the unit/battery lead to the Harness battery pouch was also a pain in the butt every time I wanted to do some serious digging. I think I'd much prefer a spoked mono coil, no harness and no headphones. All in all a great day in the field to actually find out what I like and what I don't like. Even though I didn't get any gold it was indeed a grand day out and the most fun I've had in a long time.
-Deepseeker
