Found my first nugget today!

[walshie1000]

Gday everyone.
Today I went out for the first swing with my 45 before rain sent me home. I went to a place that definately wouldn't be first on anyone's list to go for a swing.
Luckily a guy I know gave me a steer in the right direction with settings and how to use the machine.
Very impressed with how versatile it is and once your familiar with the settings you can get it to run incredibly smooth. Its much better than the at gold haha.
I got a faint repeatable signal on a mullock heap less than a foot from someone else's pick marks. I flicked to enhance to see if I picked it up on that timing and to see if it was possibly a hot rock (Hot ground out there). Sure enough the faint repeatable signal was still there. Scraped off half an inch or so and it started to make a bit more noise. Scraped off another inch or so and it was screaming. Scrapped off another inch or so and it was out of the whole.
GOLD!
When I found it, I said something that sounded a lot like duck yea! I was fairly excited haha. My first piece!
Here's a pic of it about 5 seconds after it came out of the ground lol. Only just got home and I'm yet to clean it up. Ill post a pic when i do. Not sure what it weighs as I don't have scales. The 45 picked it up at roughy 3" I spose. Hopefully I can find some bigger bits in the future

 

[ColinD]

Special moment for you mate, bet you're stoked
C

 

[JeffP]

Awesome , I bet that instilled confidence in your new machine

 

[Ramjet]

Awesome find and a great story. Congrats and thanks for sharing.

 

[goldtruck59]

its a great feeling that first bit no matter the size. Well done and congrats
GT

 

[user 1769]

Awesome, I found my first only 4 months ago, and now it's a regular occurrence.
Like Pringles, 'Once you pop... you can't stop!'

Amazing how fast you learn where to look and what gold sounds like...

 

[walshie1000]

Thanks guys. I'm absolutely stoked. I am very impressed with 45. I was out at mt doran and I am an amateur when it comes to reading ground. However I find mt doran hard to read due to the overgrowth everywhere. I stuck to the mullock heaps, mainly just to get used to the machine and hopefully pick up a piece someone missed. I can't wait to get out to the triangle, I feel like I can read the ground at avoca better due to big slate and quartz outcrops on the hills being clearly visible. And visible washed gullies and watern worn sections in the hills etc. I mean I've only ever detected out there once with the at gold but for some reason I've always paid attention to the ground out there. Hopefully some time behind the 45 will teach me a bit about reading the ground. I'd love to find some gold away from the mullock heaps.

 

[Miss_ Chester_Copperpot]

Doing the happy dance for you Walshie. What an awesome feeling to find your first nuggest. You'll need that treasure chest sooner rather than later

 

[walshie1000]

Haha cheers copperpot. I couldn't believe it. I thought it would be a bit of junk for sure. Its fairly common for people to go out there and not find anything from what I understand. so im very lucky!
I'm gonna need a few more of these to make the misses her wedding ring lol

 

[Willo]

Well done Walshie, I suggest you write down the settings you were given in your machine in case they get erased or you forget.

I suggest you take you little nugget as a test nugget to finesse your settings each time before you start a session! 10 minutes doing that and get the best combination may pay off! Willo

 

[walshie1000]

Thanks willo. Great advice as well. I pretty much picked this up in normal on FP settings. I feel like you need to set up from scratch whenever you go to a new location and bringing the test nugget would be a great strategy for doing so. I found that the FP settings in normal today were ideal in spots, any higher on the gain or stab and it was a little noisy. Whenever it got noisy I just flicked over to enhance with a little added gain and it coped with the hot ground well. In hindsight i might try backing off the gain a little in future before dropping to a less agressive timing. I feel like, sharp, normal and enhance will be my first port of call, with varying gain and stab of course, depending on the ground.
Appreciate the advice, the more I get the better!

 

[walshie1000]

Hers a pic of each side now its all cleaned up. I love it haha

 

[Chewy]

Congrats Walshie well done mate. Ya 1 up on me.

 

[G0lddigg@]

awesome

 

[walshie1000]

Thanks chewy, hopefully its not gonna be the only piece I find mate

 

[walshie1000]

Hope I'm not boring you posting more pics of my first find. I know its small in the big scheme of things however I'm stoked to just find some.
Here another 2 pics of it side on.

 

[Solid Luck]

Hope I'm not boring you posting more pics of my first find. I know its small in the big scheme of things however I'm stoked to just find some.
Here another 2 pics of it side on.

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/4955/1430906426_20150506_192942-1.jpg
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/4955/1430906453_20150506_192911-1.jpg

Not boring me mate.

Love it!

 

[walshie1000]

Cheers mate

 

[silver]

congrats on the find Walshie, great photos too.

 

[Redfin]

Feels good hey mate.
They will flow now