Had a go with the worlds cheapest detector

[Vorseth]

Hey guys

I've been obsessed for a month and half now, with no detector and living in the sydney region, i don't really have many options to satisfy the need to hunt for shinies...

So i went to a mates place out on his 35 acre property for some drinks with mates, and it turns out he had a REALLY CHEAP metal detector in the shed, a DUEL POWER GC-1010 lol.

I had a walk around for an hour when i could and found the detector VERY Annoying to use.. The Signals were about 2 seconds delayed on the sweep so it was bloody irritating!

I did manage to find a 6 inch iron rod so covered in rust it looked like a tree root.. ( 15 cm down )
I found a very rusty iron buckle from a horse halter thats probably 30 years old.. ( 5 cm down )
found a reeaaaallly old 3 inch nail about 10cm down.
and a few small rusty rocks that gave off a signal about 13cm down. they were only about 5-10mm size.

Most of the country around sydney is sandstone hills.. i've been told there is 100% no gold around sydney.. a part of me hopes this isnt true.. Would be nice to find something around here!

What do you guys reckon?

Also i'm going to buy a EUREKA Gold soon i think, I can't afford a PI model as even the second hand ones are like $2000.. which im working with about $1100 max.

Anyone got a cheapy hanging around they wana do at a good price for an obsessed newbie?

Love the forum so far!

Jace.

 

[rc62burke]

Jace
I know where there is a GP3000 for $1600 not sure of condition.
cheers
Lee

 

[Vorseth]

Jace
I know where there is a GP3000 for $1600 not sure of condition.
cheers
Lee

Where abouts mate? doesn't look like you can PM on this forum, or im blind lol.

 

[rc62burke]

Jace
Townsville, look for PM's in your avatar it may have been opened up for you as you have only just got up 10 posts.

 

[Ben78]

Only gold around sydney is whats been dropped in the last 200 years

 

[Vorseth]

Only gold around sydney is whats been dropped in the last 200 years

I dunno i just find it hard to believe, like for example, mt Gibraltar in bowral ( 1 hour from sydney ) is a volcanic plug left when the volcano died a long time ago, surely there would have been minerals with gold thrown all over the shop by that volcano, Also, in some rivers around my area underneath about 60-80 meters of sandstone there is nice bands of conglomerate and some quartz in the rocks there, Isn't conglomerate made from old wash being pressed together with minerals cementing it together over the centuries? Isn't gold found ... in wash?

I dunno, anyone else got anything to say on the sydney area?

Jace.

 

[Twapster]

Heard a rumour that gold was found near a bridge build at Lane Cove but might be bs. If some of the "Meteor" or "microbug" theories are correct then you would find gold in other areas. Are there any Quartz reefs in Sydney? I don't know. At the end of the day, do you fish where everyones hooking up or do you wander to other spots where no one has caught anything. Path of least resistence seems to be a better option given gold is hard enough to find in the richer areas. Do I want to spend 2 years or 20 before my first nugget?

Re the detectors, they are pretty much....actually downright useless on Gold unless a number of people who detect a bit give them a bit of credibility. Would love that not to be the case but I think ive had my bubble blown on my research. If you cant afford a second hand $1500+ detector your chances are in my estimate about 10+ to 1 and that's being optimistic (only my opinion). My Exterra 70 only just pings at 3 inches on a 1/2 gram nugget air swing. That detector was about $1700 in its day, and that's with a 6 inch DD coil , supposed to be sensitive to smaller nuggets!

You can certainly swing a $30 detector on a horse shoe and get a signal (we tried it with a mates impulse stupidity purchase). No signal on the gold sitting on the detector!

Hope my teeny experiment helps you understand that GOLD is not like Iron, most detectors do well with Iron but Gold is in a totally different spectrum. The new ATX is looking like a good option for entry level serious detecting, about 3k+. Second hand GPX or SD the safest option in my research if your after yellow.

You may say that the hobby is not worth 3k, then id suggest a Highbanker for consistent gold, even if its only in flake form.

Gold is where you find it, and theres been gold found in unlikely spots. There are spots close to a return day trip from Sydney, you just need to find them and the temptation to drive another hour to get to real yellow areas im sure will hit home quickly. Again just my humble opinion.

Peter

 

[richo966]

hi mate I live I the southern highlands gold is found in winggecarribe river small flakes and it is water catchment gold and diamonds found in Mittagong but it is also water catchment the closet spot I know of is oallen ford hope this helps most of the southern highlands is off limits there may be places that have been missed but most places have been locked up good luck hunting

 

[Vorseth]

Thanks for all the info guys, Twapster, your opinion has kinda killed the excitement for me a bit, I was hoping to use the Eureka to learn and become familiar with using a detector and possibly use it to find small amounts of gold to put towards a GPX 5000 down the track a bit. From the way you worded your post, it sounds like there is no point buying any detector i can afford under $1200? simply because i wont find a thing? WHy was the Eureka gold made if it doesn't find gold? :/ kinda confused and spirits dampened somewhat, still gonna go out and do it like the old timers if i have to.. Was just excited to get a detector.

Jace.

 

[loamer]

Thanks for all the info guys, Twapster, your opinion has kinda killed the excitement for me a bit, I was hoping to use the Eureka to learn and become familiar with using a detector and possibly use it to find small amounts of gold to put towards a GPX 5000 down the track a bit. From the way you worded your post, it sounds like there is no point buying any detector i can afford under $1200? simply because i wont find a thing? WHy was the Eureka gold made if it doesn't find gold? :/ kinda confused and spirits dampened somewhat, still gonna go out and do it like the old timers if i have to.. Was just excited to get a detector.

Jace.

Don't let the fact that is all you can afford dampen your spirits Jace. A lot of us started out with VLFs because that's all there was (I still use an Xterra70 in conjunction with my 4500 and do very well with it on little gold.). I don't know of the type of ground you detect but you need to find a niche for detecting. If you can hit the parks etc for coins relics then good. With goldfields, they are difficult monsters to tame. Yes, we run expensive machines with expensive coils hunting for bigger and deeper gold but thats after many years of experience, trial and error. I see many new people spend up big on the latest and greatest and then expect immediate big results - chances are this won't happen.

here is my advice - if you can get into an area with mullock heaps, quartz reefs, dumps of diggers spoil and take your time, you are a good chance. These are great teaching places as you can actually see what was coming out of the ground and what the diggers were looking for. You need to go low and slow on these sites and be methodical. Walk as if your boot laces are tied together - you are not after big screaming signals - these are normally rubbish, you are after even the slightest,even break in the threashold - the signals like a soft woo-woo both ways. If you get bored or frustrated, have a break. Detecting is like fishing - patience, right tool for the right job. You dont run a Marlin rig looking for garfish. It will come mate - it just takes time. You will be doing the dance of joy when you get your first bit. You are already a winner - you are a member of the worlds most exclusive club - you are an Australian Gold Prospector!!!

 

[Twapster]

Yep, I guess my bubble was burst re having a reasonable detector and then checking it on a real nugget. Now I can find a 3mm piece of nail seriously deep...like digging 10minutes in hard soil, a tiny piece of iron. Yet across the nugget....nothing till you get to an index figure away. Now if that nugget is a sunbaker no dramas, any detector except for a $30 one will do something. My point is im not sure if its good advice to say any detector will do, when the reality seems that's not the case. When im a newbie and im looking for a detector, im assuming the half decent priced ones will ping at 6 to 12 inches and the better ones may go a few feet. The reality is that you are walking over gold all the time but you just didn't detect it because ur detector just isn't that good. You missed several nice pieces just 4 inches down, but u went home empty. When I found out that reality I started looking for an upgrade possibility. Cant find anything under say $1500 + second hand. So u need to up your spend from to get a detector that's worth using. Anyone disagree?

Peter

 

[Sw1fty]

Yep... Garrett has some contenders in the sub-$1000 range that are ok for newbies. I don't own one so no personal opinions but research helps...

 

[Twapster]

I haven't heard any detectors under $1k that consistently find gold? Sure plenty of people have stumbled upon nuggets even without detectors, but when you read and read the guys that do it on a regular basis there are only a handful of detectors that are "rated as good gold detectors". When I first started detecting I thought any detector will get me into the hobby...I can learn and move on etc etc. Yes you will learn, you just wont find gold much. Problem is the message is so unclear that it takes a lot of research to get through the hyped up versions. When you cut through the hype, only a few detectors remain in tact. I've been searching myself for a detector that will find gold and appears the SD series is the best older detector.... around $1600 + second hand. Id be happy if someone could point me in a cheaper direction? Obviously a good start is understanding VLF vs Pulse induction detectors and why PI's appear to be the main gold machines.

Don't get me wrong, I like my xterra 70, but the field test on gold is a big disappointment. Any newbie out there id say the good test is get a piece of lead like a really small split shot and see how far you can detect it. If you are happy with the depth then it will prob find gold at similar depth. But if it cant ping at more than 3 inches or so Id be saying that's pretty useless at finding gold....would you not agree? If anyone out there has a detector that will ping at 6 inches or higher id like to know. Waiting eagerly.

Peter

 

[Twapster]

By the way Jace, certainly don't want to kill the excitement. Its so much fun to get out there with anything and walk around in the bush. I certainly had my own spirits dampened when I did my gold tests. My point is if you are "saving" to get a detector, go without for an extra month or two, do some more research, have discussions like this, and if you come out of it at the other end with a slightly better gold detector than you originally had in mind...you will be thankful for waiting. I was lucky because dad already had a detector, id be angry if id actually purchased it for gold though.

Peter

 

[Bushranger]

I had similar questions to those asked by Vorseth. After reading the comments above I think I can hold out for a better model. I'm looking at the x-terra 705 with gold coil. Loamer, thanks for the encouragement. Think I'll hit the coins and relics and learn the craft before diving in at the high end.

 

[rc62burke]

Hey Twapster

Good onya mate.
That is what is needed, a no nonsense straight up approach when giving detector advice to newbies.
VLF detectors struggle with iron mineralisation which directly effects the depth they can see a target.

So anyone looking for a budget detector! ask yourself a series of ??? what do I want to find, will I detect parks, beaches, Goldfields, old home sites, it all makes a difference to what you will choose, what is my budget, how much time will I / can I put into this hobby, What are the experienced guy's recommending.

I started out with a "Gold Snoop Pro" I quickly realised it was not up to the task( I purchased it for prospecting) I have had an SD2200d for 5 years & it finds "Gold", I also have a "Gold Bug Pro" (I still have the snoop as it finds coins not that I do that often) I don't get out as often as I would like & therefore can't justify the expense of a GPX5000, I would have one tomorrow if I had plenty of coin.

I would suggest to anyone starting out, to get a small panning kit together as the pan will find you "Gold" much quicker than the detector in the learning stages & this will help to keep your interest high, it is good skill to have & you will learn how to read a creek which will assist you with your detecting.
cheers
Lee

 

[Vorseth]

Thanks for all the info guys, I appreciate the honesty, ill just save for the next few years for a GPX 5000
I just bought a gold pan, so i'll still be able to find small amounts in the mean time .

It's hard saving for stuff living in sydney.. cost of living here is retarded.. looking forward to a move away from this nasty city in the next year

Heading to Wee jasper this weekend for a fossick and pan have to see how i go!

 

[rc62burke]

Hey Vorseth
Mate you don't need to wait a couple of years, a couple of months for a good SD2200 will get you finding gold if you swing over it.
cheers
Lee

 

[Goldpick]

It's not that the Eureka is an incapable machine, like most high frequency detectors, it belongs to a niche market of detectors made for locating small gold, often smaller than most of the PI machines can detect. Other detectors in the same boat include the Fisher Gold Bugs and the Whites range of new and old gold machines. At least the Eureka has the added advantage of being able to run in lower frequencies for deeper targets.

Whilst the Minelab PI machines are great, you'd really want to have a good crack at it to justify the initial purchase price, from the amount of more expensive machines you see up for sale, many of the sellers couldn't justify keeping them due to lack of field time.

I wouldn't shy away from the VLF machines, the truth is many operators can take up to a year to master their machines, and recognise the difference between hot rocks, mineralisation, threshold drop outs, threshold spikes, and near surface/at depth targets. Half the fun is getting there, a nugget is a bonus in my book.

 

[Twapster]

Yep I agree with everything said above, except for requiring a GPX5000 - that's the current rolls Royce. Several other models are half the price or more second hand. The point is more that gold is in a league of its own, so if ur after nuggets u need a gold machine. Biting the bullet buying second hand can be a real issue for us, its hard to pay all that money for a used machine. But lets compare it with a car...I want a convertible and the new one is 80K but I can pick up a second hander with 18,000km for say 38K. It still does everything well but may have a few scratches. A second hand detector will prob be the same. I hope u understand the analogy. The hotted up VW 1972 Convertible just isn't the same!

Instant gratification is with the panning kit, and u are welcome to borrow my Highbanker for a weekend.....!! Just PM me if u want to try it before you get your own equipment. More fun than panning all day because you get more gold. I live in Hunters Hill Sydney.

I did a lot of research and still doing it, the main problem is too many opinions and price of the best equipment is unjustifiable to most new prospectors. We are just wanting to get out there with half a chance. My statements above are my own experience and it is very hard to nut through the trash talk about some detectors and also the detectors that are ok but are superseded my newer models.

Not one site compares like say choice magazine does and puts several detectors up to different tasks. Why someone with access to these does not is beyond me. A simple depth test at optimal settings on different size and shape nuggets would be a godsend, yet no one has done it.

As a relative newbie so hard to justify the big spend on a detector, however as stated earlier id really wait to get that $500 bucks more and splash out if you want to have a good crack. You just need to look at the current ATX Extreme debate Vs GPX 5000- too many opinions clouding the less learned (majority) of potential buyers. Those of us that like the price want to hear its as good, those that have the better model spit on this machine. Its complicated!!! Im still thinking an SD is the "best advice "purchase, for new dectectorists in Australia looking for Gold...having done some research but never used one.

That's what ive come up with so far, and looking for someone to challenge those thoughts.

In the mean time a panning kit is cool, but after a few trips you will either get bored or start thinking highbanker!

Peter