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

[user 4485]

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:

I will only ever use Zero Threshold in the Auto+ mode, what is not documented is the Auto+ mode has the ability to ramp up the detector Sensitivity a lot higher than what is actually available in the Manual modes. Reason being is the actual sensitivity of the 6000 is exactly the same between Sensitivity Off and Max with other clever things being done to adjust the detectors behavior when adjusting the manual sensitivity controls (you can test this by placing a tiny nugget on the surface of the ground and see how the target signal is still VERY present even in the lowest setting).

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

 

[user 4485]

Just on the chatter, the manual kinda indicates (to me anyway) that the DD is a kinda last resort or should be used in areas with known high EMI or very conductive soils. I prefer to drop the sensitivity down a bit if the noise cancels dont tame the EMI, but i have found that generally they do. Sometimes when especially bad EMI, I have done a couple of them straight after each other and the noise settles....
After using the 7000 in normal, the chatter from the 6000 is nothing

Hope you don't mind me moving this here kingswood?
As per the above from JP + the GPX6000 manual I think manual sensitivity is probably not exactly what's going on with that adjustment?
To me it appears to be more of an Audio Smoothing setting where the actual detector sensitivity in manual doesn't change but audio filtering/smoothing is being adjusted which may result in the loss of faint signals at either end of the scale - 1 or 10.
(1 being the audio is fairly well "closed" to external or very faint noise & 10 being it is fairly well fully "open" to all noise).
I agree that the gist of the manual seems to be to try manual lower "sensitivity", noise cancel & quick track before taking the mono off & swapping to the DD14. Also worth noting that in high noise areas there's still the option of turning the threshold off too - that option won't suit us all, not me anyway yet.
I think there'll be definite default areas/times the DD14 will be needed though i.e. near powerlines etc., wet conductive ground & salt lake areas.
I had a quick detect Friday morning & it was windy + overcast. There also seemed to be planes going over regularly. It's the worst EMI day I've had with it so far but I still found it seems to settle down a lot quicker than previous GPX's (also much quicker noise cancel). I only dropped back from Auto+ to Auto & that seemed better. Probably should have dropped to manual "sensitivity" of 5-6 which I've found has the detector running nicely here (I don't mind a bit of chatter though if it's talking the right language :Y: ).

 

[kingswood]

No worries at all with the move
yeah i like auto, Its a good setting. The area i am working now gets a bit to chattery in auto+.
i agree with the mono...I do think DD is for when the mono simply wont work....

 

[Redfin]

After a few weeks of testing undug targets in every setting available, auto plus is our go to, dropping back to auto if too chattery.
Speaker if plenty loud enough even in windy conditions negating the need for headphones or enhancers.
No threshold is nothing new to me as I used Bogenes theory a lot, both with the 45 and 5k.
We are in the GT.

 

[PhaseTech]

Ground balance is key, and make sure you do it as the last step before detecting, especially if you've switched ground modes.
I have got in the habit of doing it as per the manual, pull quick-trak, pump coil and then swing coil side to side, then release quick-trak.

Also, avoid narrow repeated sweeps when interrogating a potential target, as the response may diminish. Keep a wide sweep so the detector can see enough surrounding ground. If you find a signal has faded away, sweep the coil around the target, i.e. sweep the coil in a circle around where you heard a target response, then re-check. If it's ground noise it should still be silent, but it's a metal target you should be able to hear it again. If in doubt, scrape a couple inches of surface material off and re-check.

 

[user 4485]

I'm liking the headphones but it's been fairly cool too. Summer may be a different story?
Big improvement over the Koss UR30's.
Agree, can't see a need for boosters/enhancers.
With the detector on 2 volume bars & headphones about half way the audio is great.

I also tried a set of MEE EarBoost EB1 aptX-LL wireless earphones out. They paired up easily, no lag, good audio but unlike the supplied headphones I did get a few wireless "crackles" when not in a good position for the receiver. They'll be ok as a back up or hot days when I don't want to use the speaker but the supplied headphones are better (never thought I'd say that about Minelab supplied headphones :lol: ).

This neck wearable speaker + earphone set up is getting good wraps over on Detector Prospector but as Redfin says the speaker volume means a lot of these things may be just unneeded expense depending on your own personal preference.
https://avantree.com/au/torus-nb05-bluetooth-wearable-speaker

 

[kingswood]

Vote 1 for the Torus posted above
Its awesome. Nice fit around neck, doesnt move when bending.
Great sound under ears

 

[Northeast]

The difference by using the Torus Avantree thing might be that by not using the external speaker there will be less EMI and less need to noise cancel. JP has indicated this over on DP Forum.

 

[Northeast]

Been out this morning for a few hours and used the supplied BT headphones with the 6000 (bloody freezing here so some ear warmers were nice! ). Noise cancelled once at the start and did not have to do it again.

I think not using the inbuilt speaker is worthwhile.

 

[Goldchaser1]

Been out this morning for a few hours and used the supplied BT headphones with the 6000 (bloody freezing here so some ear warmers were nice! ). Noise cancelled once at the start and did not have to do it again.

I think not using the inbuilt speaker is worthwhile.

Ran the headphones mainly last time out but switched back to the ext speaker one arvo,i haven't really noticed much difference from the headphones to the ext speaker with emi,i see it's getting mentioned a lot,it was driving me near nuts last sunday morning with emi etc for sum reason,constant cancels with the headphones on,not sure why but i was on laterite maybe i had the sensativity up to high,then after lunch i dumped the hphones,it was purring all arvo at about half sens,ya gotta drive it a bit on the hot ground,i'd love to see what it could do on quiet ground in normal,that won't happen where we are but i think she'd be a beast?
Just ordered a set of them avantree's kingswood,mbasko recommeded ,$100 off fleabay.....

 

[kingswood]

Yep. i really like the avantree torus
Today was able to stay in auto+. Bit chattery occasionally. but settled down.
A 0.4g for my troubles at about 6 inches.....

 

[Goldchaser1]

Good stuff kingswood,thought i'd order a set and see if i like them,it's a backup for the headphones also with the ear buds.
External speaker seems good to me,that's the beauty of this 6,it's so simple and bare bones,i see blokes asking if they've tried boosters with dual speakers and what not :8 to me that's getting away from what it is.
Has anyone tried the headphones directly plugged in,i see the lead in the box? Wondering if there's any benefit to be tethered up again....

 

[kingswood]

Good stuff kingswood,thought i'd order a set and see if i like them,it's a backup for the headphones also with the ear buds.
External speaker seems good to me,that's the beauty of this 6,it's so simple and bare bones,i see blokes asking if they've tried boosters with dual speakers and what not :8 to me that's getting away from what it is.
Has anyone tried the headphones directly plugged in,i see the lead in the box? Wondering if there's any benefit to be tethered up again....

Yeah the simplicity is the beauty of it. Love it
I think the machine runs smoother on the Torus than it did with the internal speaker....I went with it as JP mentioned avoiding the speaker if possible.
The Torus is a great addition to simplicity, especially when i hate headphones!!

 

[ProspectorPete]

Has anyone tried the headphones directly plugged in,i see the lead in the box? Wondering if there's any benefit to be tethered up again....

Keen to see this, I'm hanging onto my Grey Ghost NDT headphones just in case, I loved them on my 4500 and know I'll regret selling them.

 

[Northeast]

Good stuff kingswood,thought i'd order a set and see if i like them,it's a backup for the headphones also with the ear buds.
External speaker seems good to me,that's the beauty of this 6,it's so simple and bare bones,i see blokes asking if they've tried boosters with dual speakers and what not :8 to me that's getting away from what it is.
Has anyone tried the headphones directly plugged in,i see the lead in the box? Wondering if there's any benefit to be tethered up again....

Agree. It is the simplicity that is the bonus. A receiver, then a booster, then a speaker - extra stuff to hang off you and then to recharge.

 

[user 4485]

Has anyone tried the headphones directly plugged in,i see the lead in the box? Wondering if there's any benefit to be tethered up again....

Keen to see this, I'm hanging onto my Grey Ghost NDT headphones just in case, I loved them on my 4500 and know I'll regret selling them.

I briefly tried them plugged in when I set my mates GPX6000 up.
Can't say they were any better or worse - sounded the same? Was only quick though.
My thought was the cable is only if you want to wear headphones but they are flat or you can't connect the Bluetooth for some other reason? Cable for me is another audio backup.

If you wanted to wear headphones other than the supplied ones or other Bluetooth aptX-LL headphones you could get a aptX-LL Bluetooth receiver (some units can switch between transmitter & receiver) then use any hard wired headphones, earphones, booster/enhancer, speaker you like.
IMO not required though & extra expense. Different people will have different preferences though.
I read on Detector Prospector JP has been using the Avantree Saturn Pro unit & says it works with the GPX6000. I've used these units previously with the SDC & found them good.

 

[Goldchaser1]

Has anyone tried the headphones directly plugged in,i see the lead in the box? Wondering if there's any benefit to be tethered up again....

Keen to see this, I'm hanging onto my Grey Ghost NDT headphones just in case, I loved them on my 4500 and know I'll regret selling them.

yes pete got a pair of grey ghosts for the 45 also,there good.....

 

[user 4485]

i haven't really noticed much difference from the headphones to the ext speaker with emi,i see it's getting mentioned a lot

Me either as yet.
I have noticed that with the better volume level of the GPX6000 that you can tend to get the volume up higher than needed. I'm wondering if people experiencing "issues" with the built in speaker, or even headphones, might need to just lower the volume down to a level where it's not heightening everything? Try a small test bit out & see how it signals at various volume levels & manual "sensitivity" levels + listen to the threshold change, does the level of spurious noise balance out?
Coupled with a tendency for people to want to ring the neck of these machines by running them in high setting (when often it's not required or even counterproductive i.e. trying to run with too high gain 4500/5000 with Evo/Elite coils) I'm thinking conservative in problem areas is the go & probably going to be more productive keeping in mind the info about sensitivity in manual settings.

 

[kingswood]

i haven't really noticed much difference from the headphones to the ext speaker with emi,i see it's getting mentioned a lot

Me either as yet.
I have noticed that with the better volume level of the GPX6000 that you can tend to get the volume up higher than needed. I'm wondering if people experiencing "issues" with the built in speaker, or even headphones, might need to just lower the volume down to a level where it's not heightening everything? Try a small test bit out & see how it signals at various volume levels & manual "sensitivity" levels + listen to the threshold change, does the level of spurious noise balance out?
Coupled with a tendency for people to want to ring the neck of these machines by running them in high setting (when often it's not required or even counterproductive i.e. trying to run with too high gain 4500/5000 with Evo/Elite coils) I'm thinking conservative in problem areas is the go & probably going to be more productive keeping in mind the info about sensitivity in manual settings.

I have noted that with the torus speaker, i was able to put the 6000 volume down lower and I think you could be right, that its sounds clearer simply because you dont have the machine volume at full bore. Its does sound smoother lower thru the torus...
need JP to chime in ...I dont know if he meant EMI or just poorer quality??

 

[user 4485]

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

Whats there to say about the 6000? Not a lot really?Its been designed to be used by just about anyone, so my advice is to just switch it on and go detecting.?

Use the Velcro cable ties, one with a nice coil lead loop near the coil (just above the point where the coil edge touches the shaft when laid flat) and the other Velcro between the upper lock knuckle and the handle to prevent cable movement near the connector. Leave a little looseness in the cable between the two, too tight and there will be noise created by stiction on the lead when the shaft flexes.

I do not recommend using the inbuilt speaker but I say that about every gold detector with a speaker as I am not a fan of the audio source moving around, plus I hate the 6000 speaker with a passion because it is Shyte. Do not use the Quest Tx device or any BT Tx near the control box, the 6000 is super sensitive to electronic devices being anywhere near the control box, mobile phones included (especially when phone signal is weak).

Do NOT be tempted to drive too much audio volume to achieve target sensitivity, I strongly suggest starting with the Volume low and gradually increase it as it is easier to adjust your brain that way rather than the other way around. It is much better to run a low volume and increase the sensitivity (I start at full Manual mode and adjust back from there).

The BT headphones have a lot of volume range so its a bit of juggle to get the volumes correct between unit and headphones. Start at 2 on the control box and halfway on the headphones. If your right handed put the volume control side of the headphones on your right ear and opposite for lefties. This cuts way down on dropped audio packets.

The 6000 takes a while to stabilise from a cold start so boot it up and leave it running for a bit while you gear up, you will notice the threshold is extremely dominant and target sensitivity is drowned out. When I see someone on YouTube turning on a 6000 and immediately waving over a target I just shake my head. You will also notice the threshold takes a while to stabilise after performing an auto tune so give it a few seconds to stabilise before checking suspect targets etc.

In extremely saturable ground the 6000 has two ground balance heights, one is a general height at usual detect height levels in most ground types but in extremely saturable HOT ground there is a 40mm to ground GB that requires a bit more care, slow careful pumping of the coil in this zone will allow for careful close to ground detecting in extremely variable ground.

A good operator from the VLF era will soon work out you need to be on the Quick-Trak button on a regular basis, the 6000 is extremely sensitive as such it will express audio responses over variable ground that the auto GB will not keep up with, GOOD operators understand this intuitively and keep on the QT button as par for course. Do not get sloppy with the QT process, take your time and move the coil in a measured and controlled way, the days of a quick pump and walk in hot ground have long gone, thats the price we pay for the incredible sensitivity of the GPX 6000 platform. Adhere to these precepts and you will soon discover the 6000 is nigh on as sensitive to small gold as a high frequency VLF (I kid you not, I personally do not chase the fly-chit stuff but you can easily find wet your finger to pick up gold with this detector).

The shaft needs to be firmly held to prevent twisting below the lock knuckle when tightening, so hold the shaft ABOVE the knuckle your turning with one hand and tighten with the other till it is firm, repeat the process on the lower one. I leave mine loose enough that I can place my foot on the coil and apply a firm twisting pressure to align the coil with the control box. If you find it is twisting out of alignment during detecting or when lifting the coil while you scrape at a suspect target with your boot then just tighten the offending knuckle using the above described method.

In Quiet ground Auto+ has the ability to achieve more sensitivity than the manual modes, by default the Auto modes are threshold off so you need to long press the Ground Type button for 2.5 seconds to get threshold. (this will revert to threshold OFF on a power cycle BTW). Small target sensitivity comes from the Difficult mode, so in Normal the timing is a blend of Normal and Difficult. If the gold is primarily tiny then there will be little difference between Normal and Difficult so do-not unnecessarily put up with ground noise using Normal in the hopes of achieving more sensitivity on tiny gold. There is also no need to re-ground balance when going from one timing to the other as both timings are ground balanced in the background regardless of the timing selected (Thanks to GeoSense)?

JP

https://www.detectorprospector.com/...ommentary-tips/?do=findComment&comment=166827