GPX6000 - Tips, Tricks, Settings, Accessories & Other Notable Findings

[fwdoz]

I am growing to love my 6000 I am not getting any younger and struggled with the GPZ with weight and after a heart issue decided to go away from the GPZ. Now I can enjoy detecting again. And may I say it find loads of shot gun pellets in places I have gone over with the Z. So for me the weight and sensitivity is amazing. It is like my SDC on steroids.

Just my opinion and I fell much better at the end of the day. Pity it is 8k.

cheers

HH

Definitely makes you less fatigued & I have no issue detecting all day with drink breaks just to have a mental refresh. Indeed they are a leadshot magnet, but it pays to dig everything.

 

[wiley coyote]

Has anyone with a 6000 recorded the ratio of bird shot per nuggets found.

 

[Teemore]

Has anyone with a 6000 recorded the ratio of bird shot per nuggets found.

About the same as the SDC ......

 

[Muk]

Thats a pretty vague question it all depends on were you are detecting for instance if in the golden triangle in Victoria you are going to get a mega amount of birdshot compared to somewhere in the Pilbara in WA. Ive detected heaps in Bendigo region vic Whipstick forest and birdshot with sdc2300 was at least 50 to 1 if not more depending on area come over to the Pilbara and hardly get any birdshot sure you get the odd bullet and other junk especially aluminium survey tags complete or melted but nothing like the Vic goldfields. Ive poked around Newman in the Pilbara and picked up junk and trash but usually thats were the old timers camped and worked hard so if you just move off those spots a little bit when you find targets they become gold on a regular basis dont get me wrong you still have to put in the hard yards but its a lot more predictable than in the GT in Vic cheers muk.

 

[deepblue]

Here you go Teemore this is a Quote from JP on another forum with regards to the performance of the GPX6000 and the scrubbing of the coil and soil conditions much in line as to what I was trying to get across.

I just tested two GPX11 coils for different customers who were complaining about touch sensitivity, both coils when tested were perfectly fine. The 6000 is an incredibly sensitive high end metal detector and in both cases the first thing I did was take a look at the skid plate and sure enough both showed large amounts of wear damage from hard scrubbing in highly variable mineralised dirt (especially deep contact scratches/gouges), both coils were also used when the ground was damp and just as another huge weather front came through which has now drowned the surrounding area. Both coils when tested could be bashed and knocked about with NO touch noise, so the noise being heard was from the variable ground signal not from touch falsing.

In variable soils that have saturation signals the particles in the gravels that cause the saturation along with clay particles become worse when wet so getting the coil right onto the ground will cause more than double the noise that was heard when the ground was dry, you combine that with high temperatures (36C and higher prior to the rain) where the coil cables become very soft the combination of increased salt signal and conductive signals in combination with more EMI from approaching weather and the constant ground signals created by scrubbing the coil will make the detector sound like it is touch sensitive.

Best bet when the ground is wet and the ground is conductive is to keep the coil up a bit and not actually contacting the ground, this will allow the Ground Balance to function correctly and more than halve the variable signals created by close to ground contact. Keep the coil lead a little loose on the shafts to prevent stiction especially in warmer weather to avoid cable noise, try to avoid rapid coil change of direction movements as this will exacerbate cable wobble noise (left right rapid signals as the shafts flex, but also up/down salt signals because the ground is wet).

Lowering the Sensitivity on the manual mode will not remove these problem signals, only good coil control and not contacting the ground will do that. If you actually want to reduce actual sensitivity then you need to use one of the two Auto modes, my recommendation when the ground is water logged and the ground is variable ect is to use the Auto mode and allow the sensitivity to measure the ground you are working without all the constant ground feedback, this especially helps if you do not have precise coil control. Auto and Auto+ are the only modes that actually change the real sensitivity on the GPX6000, so in quiet soils the Auto+ can increase the actual sensitivity beyond the manual modes preset, whereas Auto mode is more conservative but in situations like we have here in Clermont at the moment it can make a huge difference to your ability to continue detecting after BIG rain events.

Right now because of the conditions I have three choices if I want to go detecting with the GPX6000, I can either use manual mode on a conservative setting and maintain very precise coil control, or I can use the Auto mode if the manual mode is too fatiguing (especially if I have to lower the manual sensitivity control to below 1/3) or lastly I can revert to a DD coil and use Salt mode in extreme cases. I suggest the salt mode option last because it has the biggest impact on outright depth compared to the 11 Mono coil option so is best used in extremely salty ground where the mono coil is just too noisy.

Hope this helps
JP

 

[PeterInSa]

Re ( Auto and Auto+ are the only modes that actually change the real sensitivity on the GPX6000, so in quiet soils the Auto+ can increase the actual sensitivity beyond the manual modes preset,)

My understanding that the auto/auto1 pre set to No Threshold. Friends have had great success in WA running auto/1 with no threshold, meant to ask JP when he wrote the above does activating the threshold in auto/1 impact the sensitivity or any other setting as I/wife are Threshold detectorists from way back.

Appreciate comments.

 

[PhaseTech]

I like threshold, always have, always will, so always use it.
Many times when getting a faint but repeatable pull in the threshold I have gone to no threshold, and the signal is never there.
Sometimes in Auto 1 the signal starts coming through, but it is often broken and contending with other random noises. Auto 2 with no threshold usually gets them, but the added chatter is not to my liking. Maybe in a less EMI intense area it might be good, but personally I'd still run it with threshold.

"does activating the threshold in auto/1 impact the sensitivity or any other setting as I/wife are Threshold detectorists from way back." That's a good question. No, having the threshold on or off in Auto doesn't impact the actual internal Sensitivity, Auto does its thing regardless. But, having the threshold there gets your ears closer to the action, so in a sense it does make it a little more sensitive to targets.

Re scrubbing the coil I've never been a hard scrubber, more a skimmer. I have always found banging the coil on sticks and rocks a big distraction, and prevents you from having a nice controlled sweep. If the ground is nice and flat, then yeah I will lightly scrub. Old sections of pine forest with a nice thick blanket of pine needles is just great for sliding big coils around!

 

[Teemore]

Thanks Wayne/Nenad glad to soak up any info that helps me get the hang of the 6000.

Lockdown has put me a bit behind in getting up to speed with the unit but happy to say gold has been found on every outing including my hoodoo area, Heathcote (NEVER pinged a piece there previously ).

Saturated clays are a definite challenge but a few pointers there that will help.

Cheers T.

Oh just another query .... with the 4800 I always taped the lead to the shaft at quite a few points along the shaft but along the TOP EDGE of the shaft, especially the lower shaft (all my coils are attached to spare shafts so just swap lower shaft/coil).

As I very rarely dismantle/breakdown any of my detectors can/should I do the same with the 6000 ..... in fact does it even make a difference, think it's just something a started doing but can't remember if there was an actual reason.

 

[PhaseTech]

Yes I still do the straight run up the lower shaft with the 6000. The less copper that is present in the coils field can only be a good thing.

 

[Jaros]

I was watching a vid in 2013 and the gent was explaining how keeping the coil lead running straight down for the last 2 feet helps stop interference. So coil the cable down the shaft and tape the last 2 feet to keep it straight-I think it was for a VLF machine--maybe.

 

[deepblue]

Hi Teemore,
I've been testing out the cable location at the coil for sometime, earlier on I would have said it does have an influence on the coil when you lay it down to use the scoop or locate a target. Of late it hasn't been as big an issue, could be that the machine and EMI plays a much bigger influence then the coil lead position. Maybe the cable along the bottom of the shaft rather then the top also makes the machine seem unstable for a couple of moments. A quick noise cancel seems to quieten it down.
A few of our American prospectors seem to like to have a bit of play on the lead near the coil because they have stated that the coil appears to sense the lead when placed down flat. Like I said it appears to perform at random times with no positive outcome.
Maybe Nenad can enlighten us as to his thoughts on this matter.

 

[childsy]

To try & keep other threads (like the Yes/No thread) seperate I thought it'd be good to start up a thread to put up any tips, tricks, extra accessories (good & bad), any idiosyncrasies etc.

I'll start with this from JP in regards to manual sensitivity. IMO one of the most important bits of info put up to date:

Full post here: https://www.detectorprospector.com/...ospectors/page/2/?tab=comments#comment-163003

This is a great idea and should get a big following and response as it is needed, the flowing information is invaluable!

 

[childsy]

Some tips from JP for those starting out on the GPX6000:

Some tips from JP for those starting out on the GPX6000:

Thank You JP, enormous help here!

 

[childsy]

Hi Folks,

Just thought Id add a bit that will have a lot of people giggling to themselves and thinking this blokes got no idea but here goes. I wear a harness, use a guide arm and a bungee cord with the gpx6000. WTF? Yep, you heard. Before you start shaking your head in disbelief, consider my points of view. I know that this toy was designed to eliminate a lot of the extra crap that we wear but what about the long term consequences of our behaviour? I try to get out about 3 times a week and tend to feel the effects of this. Ie. I come home tired after a big day out and often feel a bit stiff and sore after playing with a detector for that period of time. The lighter weight of the 6 did not change this situation. In fact, after a couple of days of swinging the machine without extra support, the shoulder started to feel a bit stiff. Not a problem really but it did start me thinking. Holding a detector all day tends to put some strain on your shoulder as you are always raising, lowering and swinging the machine using a repetitive action. Long term consequences will result in repetitive strain injuries and potential shoulder problems. This is often a consequence of swimming and other activities where rotation and continual movement of the shoulder causes wear and tear. A balanced bungee helps to keep the weight under control and a guide stick transfers a lot of the movement from the shoulders to a hip rotation as both arms are controlling the unit. I find that there are a couple of advantages to using both aids. 1) The body feels better at the end of the day and 2) each detecting session is increased as you dont get as tired and concentration levels last longer. The disadvantages are obvious. 1) you are tethered and suited up like rococop and 2) a lot of people find a harness uncomfortable and a pain to wear. I can understand and accept that but it doesnt worry me at all as Im used to it and it has become a repetitive habit. If you only get out occasionally, it may not even be a consideration but for those who spend a lot of time on the ground, you may know what Im talking about. If you dont wear a harness, you may take a back pack to hold food, first aid kit, water, gps, phone, pick, scoop etc, etc, etc. (unless you detect next to your car.) Heres a little exercise for you to try. Attach the DD coil to the 6 and then hold the detector 2 off the ground for 5 minutes. I wont say any more. This is just another perspective. I wont say its the way to go, it just works for me and my situation.

Cheers

Les

Thank you Les, I too NEED my harness, at 74 with a fair few old injuries it makes a big difference to my detecting sessions, Not equipment fault but that is my body ailments, haven't tried the swing arm to date mainly because I carry a heavy wide pick in hand which makes a power of difference to my digging, but will try it, and certainly made a difference with the 5000 (different pick)

 

[Gold1hunter]

I was actually surprised that the 6 didnt come with a harness when you consider the amount of gear that we carry. Perhaps Minelab were trying to keep costs down so that they could make a small profit on each machine.

A small profit that's gold they're probably knocking the 6000 out of the factory for a few hundred bucks - if that!
We keep lining up to buy them though

 

[Lesgold]

 

[Dean Mortimer]

I don't run GPX6000 in auto/auto+. I just run it on the 1st block with threshold and volume at 2 or 3 notches depending if there's wind or a lot of exterior noise. Auto/auto+ gave to much mineral noise, hot-rocks and the silent threshold mode made many targets undetectable - with threshold some were present but the noisy chatter in threshold still mask some deeper targets. I have found you can track out targets (Minelab says it doesn't but it does) so ground balance often every few steps. EMI button may have to do several times to get a good channel. Doesn't like wet ground, even with 14DD. Dry ground no problems. Had a few faulty coils which stuff up overtime due to poor design.

A friend of mine can't use GPX6000 because he has high frequency hearing loss. It doesn't matter if its on silent threshold mode or with threshold he can't hear most target unless the target inverts. If there was low tone threshold he could hear the changes much easier like he does on his SDC. High tone threshold he can't use because he can't hear high pitch signals. I guess Minelab made the detector for "selective people" only.

 

[fwdoz]

I was recently out in Maryborough with the 14" DD & had no noise issues whatsoever.

That said, I have been in other areas when wet & had noise. Think it is more the ground than the wet.

 

[user 4485]

Dean Mortimer said: I have found you can track out targets (Minelab says it doesn't but it does) so ground balance often every few steps.

Interesting! I've not come across that as yet & have swept over faint signals numerous times purposely to see if that would happen. A few did seem to lose intensity but didn't track out altogether. They brightened up again after a quick track.
Smallest bits I've recovered with it are under 0.05 gram & all have been very obvious signals in relation to size/depth. Not booming but obvious something was there.

I guess it gets back to some basic processes of using tracking on any machine (or auto tracking machines).
- Don't continually wave the coil over faint signals.
- Always ground balance with the quick track button to the side/away from the target signal/suspected signal.

 

[condor22]

Just got back from the GT. Traded the 5 and 23 in on a 6000. Found both a bit too heavy for prolonged use, but still use a bungy and harness. Re shot ratio, for me this trip around 15:1. But variable on a daily basis. One day got 3 bits of gold and 1 lead shot, another day got no "yella" and 12 lead. Wish it was the other way round, lol.

The other benefit of the 6000 - I now have a detector and 2 coils, as against, 2 detectors 7 coils and associated gear. The wife is far happier with lower storage use in the spare room, win, win.