how long did it take you to find gold?

[nuggethunter]

hello all.
just wondering how long did it take you to find your first piece of gold detecting?

 

[Billy]

Hi NH, I worked it out to be about 20 hours using an XTerra 705.The batteries are meant to last about that long and they ran out not long after finding it. All 0.23 grams of it! But, it was gold and not a bullet shell, bit of wire or any other old timers junk! Its the only bit I have detected but haven't been putting much time into it since. Not through lack of wanting to though

 

[Mineblowingmetal]

Great thread I'm curious too.

 

[downhalo]

With my VLF machines, 40-50 hours...

With my PI.. maybe 4-5 hours..

 

[spuds]

The first three times i went detecting i found gold.

Unfortunately the beginners luck didn't last.

 

[crazybull]

With my VLF machines, 40-50 hours...

40-50 hours with your vlf machines I've been 448 hours with my Garrett ads VLF/TR and still looking

 

[pilbarachad]

Took me a few months. first bit was a 6 grammer about 10" down that give a real faint signal- i actually heard it and walked a few steps past it before i decided to go back and recheck- even then i wasnt real sure if it was a signal or ground noise but luckily decided to scrape a few inches of the top which firmed the signal up

 

[Jim.]

Hi all,

It took me a couple of years to find my first piece, I really thought all I needed was a metal detector, and the gold would come every time I went out. It took me another six months to find my second piece, the first one was a loner which is one of the wondrous things about gold, no one gets it all and, you never know where you're going to find it.

Since then the wife and I have found enough gold to pay for our gear, generally we get gold on every trip patience and research is the key to this caper.

PS we use a Minelab GP 3500 (had a 2200 in the early days) our biggest piece was around an ounce (see photo in avatar) down to our smallest piece at around a gram.

Jim & Kerrie

 

[Teemore]

A couple of hours ..... in a pan, there's more than 1 way to get what you're chasing.
Cheers Tom

 

[TTKooAu]

Spent probably 30-40 hrs at Mt Crawford, Jupiters Creek and Chapel hill for a return of a handmade copper bolt and a handmade barbed nail and a real nice ant-bite on the ankle.

Then I started on tot lots and found 2 gold lockets and a gold chain in the first week.

 

[loamer]

geez you had me reminiscing when I thought about this. Probably about 1970 - 1971 panning with my Pop along Slaty Creek near Creswick. To start with he put lead shot in my pan with some gravels and I was not allowed to pan from the creek until I managed 8/10 of the lead shot still in the pan. I still have my first few specs. Even now when I'm detecting or panning with my grand kids I still think back to sitting next to him panning -he always had a Champion Ruby rollie going and always had a couple of Melbourne Bitter long-knecks in the creek chilling and a rabbit stew cooking away. In fact I had my first ever beer along Slaty Creek from an old Vegemite glass. Gold, beer, rollies, swearing and a hatred of Carlton FC (the filth) Good times - not much has changed actually.

 

[nuggetino]

Only about 8 hours for my first 2 grammer at chapel hill. 30 hours later a 0.3 gram piece and another 200 hours+ for another 2 gram piece. That's in SA. In my 2 weeks detecting the triangle I averaged a nugget a day. Gotta love Victoria for it's bountiful gold.

 

[nuggethunter]

Thank you for every1 who replied. I must just have to keep looking.
Im @ 30ish hours and still no gold. Just bullets and junk.

 

[peterau]

Hi Nuggethunter, I've only recently started detecting. I first tried to the sides near mullock heaps as per advice from some. Being green I didnt have any success and badly wanted to see some gold, so detected solely on mullock heaps. Have now found 14 bits ( not huge gold, but gold) and that being achieved, I am now having stirrings to try other options. Now,,, which big coil should I buy?? Persistence and enjoying your swinging will bring you the results. Cheers and best of luck. peterau

 

[hesagolddigger]

I found a very small piece, .1 grammer the day I got my GPX extreme 12 years back, didn't find another piece for 10 years....It was very strange as I understood the detector and found heaps of trash. Now I routinly find gold. I spent a couple days in Nullagine recently and found a nice 23 grammer...)

It will come mate....

 

[downhalo]

With my VLF machines, 40-50 hours...

40-50 hours with your vlf machines I've been 448 hours with my Garrett ads VLF/TR and still looking

You're probably hunting in the wrong locations, creeks/streams exposed bedrock.. that's where 90% of mine has come from.

 

[PhaseTech]

I was a student at the time and would hire detectors and have to sweet talk my mum to drive me to Jupiter Creek. I hired a GT16000, then a FT 16000 twice, then an XT17000. There was weeks or possibly months between hires. When I got my car license I hired an SD2100, and found my first bit at Jupiter Creek and never looked back! Once the GP extremes were out, I was finding gold on a regular basis up at Mt. Crawford, often multiple pieces per trip, and up to 11 bits a day when I went across to Vic. The first one definitely was the hardest, but there are much better detectors around these days!

 

[PhaseTech]

Looking back, the biggest rookie mistake was probably not having confidence in the spot I was in, and after a while you just start wondering around. These days I treat every spot like a patch. Grid and rework a very small area to make sure you've picked it clean.