Minelab Eureka gold tips, settings, questions

[bob]

I did get out to 'Mystery' Reef and it was an interesting day!
Friday 6th October
I think I gave the 'pudding' its last cut today. Raking and detecting for two hours turned up nothing, not one target. The soil and rock seemed to change the deeper I went. There was a lot less rock with the vein that has contained the gold. I was keen to get the milestone of 100 bits with the Eureka but it just wasn't happening. I conceded that it was time to restore the heap and move on. While restoring the heap I couldn't resist detecting where I was removing the dirt and where I was spreading it. It made the repair work slow but it was worth it. I forgot something today, a microscope. No I don't own one, just a lame joke. If last week's finds were classed as 'minuscules' then these five bits are 'microscopics'. I ended up with five bits, three clean pieces and two specimens. So the Eureka is now a centurion finding 100 small bits. I could probably scrape more out of the 'pudding' but it's time to get to know the SDC. I gave it a run as well but it cannot detect these tiny fragments, and it couldn't find last sessions lot either even when they were recovered targets sitting on top.

My 100th bit is the one in the middle. It is also my smallest bit ever at 0.012 grams. The two at the top were the other clean pieces found and the dust at the bottom came from the two specimens. All up 0.133 grams. Even though there are more bits in the photo they only count as five targets or bits. So time to look for new ground. The 'pudding' has provided a lot of fun over the last three months yielding over 80 bits for around 6 grams. I did take a hammer and explored some of the larger rocks that showed potential but no luck on that angle. So the 'Mystery' Reef saga is done for now and my plan is to explore some new areas with the SDC but I will be mindful that the Eureka is still a valuable part of my detecting team.

Cheers Bob

 

[grubstake]

It's been very interesting to follow the saga of your painstaking work at Mystery Reef, Bob.

Thank you for taking the time to document and photograph your activities for the rest of us to enjoy and best wishes for continued success with your detecting adventures. :rainbow:

 

[madtuna]

what he said :Y:

 

[Chrisco]

I'm relatively new to detecting but I find it doesn't matter what I try my eureka gold always has a broken threshold signal. It's like I'm going over lots of really tiny targets even though I know I'm not. And ground balancing doesn't seem to work.

Anyone got any tips?
Thanks.

Could be a loose wire in ya coil plug where it screws into the detector.
I had trouble with that on the standard 10by5 coil and had to pull apart the plug and solder the wire back on.
Easy fix but had to use a screwdriver heated up over a stove coz I was in the bush.

 

[bob]

That's a clever fix in the bush Chrisco.
I have been waiting for Riley_greer to reply to Grubstake's question before jumping in with some tips. Tip number one for Riley would be to read this whole thread because there is a lot of good information here. I guess it would be hard to find another person nearby that uses a Eureka to test his machine with another coil or compare another machine to his, so Riley perhaps you could take it to a minelab dealer. They could tell if it is functioning at an acceptable level.
Rielly I hope I did not mislead you in an earlier post (18th September, Journal entry for 15th September) where I referred to the threshold of my Eureka as being "rock" steady as that situation only exists for me when the coil is motionless. Once I start to sweep the coil, things change dramatically and the Eureka can produce a whole range of noises. For the last ten months my settings have not changed much as I have been detecting similar spots. I have been following continuous lines of diggings searching mullock heaps and dumps of dirt around reef areas. I have been expecting to find small shallow gold and specimens. So as a consequence I have been using the following settings mostly with the 10x5" standard coil and also a 6" Coiltek goldseeker. Frequency-60kHz, Tracking-fast, Audio-normal, Discrimination-off, Sensitivity-full, Volume-full. The threshold is the one that is important to me. I turn it up slowly past just audible and mosquito buzzing until it is a steady buzz. When I have the threshold set right for me I can generally recognise the various signals from the Eureka and know what they mean. Hot rocks give a broad signal and I hear a meow kind of noise. Mineralization in the form of damp red clay spots are similar. Ferrous targets like solid nails etc. give an echo or double signal, aluminium and brass give a sharp higher pitched signal but the one I like is the soft "woof-woof" as I pass the detector back and forward over the target. The "woof-woof" signal is always lead or gold. I dig every target though and boot scrape some of the meows and groans. Some detectorists would probably disagree with the way I use the Eureka running the sensitivity flat out as 60kHz is a very sensitive frequency and the areas I frequent are highly mineralised with ironstone. Consequently there is a lot of noise going on when sweeping the coil. Argyle early on in this thread suggested that turning the sensitivity down was a bad move and after testing this idea I agree. How did I test this idea? Well one day I was a little frustrated at the noise the detector was making so I turned the sensitivity way down so that when I swept the coil it just gave a nice steady humm back into the ear phones. Very pleasant to use but after some time I had not dug a target. I put a .22 bullet head into the dirt and was amazed that although there was a nice steady threshold the detector could not see the bullet at a quite shallow depth. How am I going to find gold with the sensitivity at such a low level? They would have to be sun bakers. So the sensitivity went back to full and I learnt to listen for the different tones and signals and I dug and scraped lots of false targets. Last November after four years detecting a breakthrough moment transpired. I took a friend's Dad out to a spot I call Scorpion Gully. We took turns at using an SDC. We were lucky to find three or four small bits but we found lots of shot. I went back to this area many times with the Eureka using the above settings and just digging, scraping and checking sounds. Doing this I learnt to listen to the different tones the Eureka makes in its signal responses. In five whole days out I recovered near enough to an ounce of shot and then on the sixth time out I was rewarded with a small bit of gold. I am sure if I set my Eureka up the way I have learnt to use it and gave it to someone to use they would probably end up throwing down a miner,s hole in frustration. But for me the threshold level is the key and it changes a bit from location to location and the soil conditions i.e. wet, dry, damp etc. If it is set too high, or low I don't seem to get the recognisable tones so I adjust it a little as I go. Sometimes but rarely now I bury a little piece of shot and tune up the threshold to that "woof-woof" tone. I think that I am lucky in that I have quite good hearing discrimination and maybe a bit of musical training has helped tune my ear to the different notes that the Eureka plays. I know that some would have trouble using a Eureka because all the noises would sound the same. Anyway that is what has worked for me. One last tip Riley and Argyle made this point earlier on in the thread. In goldfield areas with any form of mineralization never use Fine audio or boost as a search mode. It will produce exactly the problem you described in you post.

Cheers Bob.

 

[Dylanpennack23]

Hey all Im back! Been a few years since iv been on, but I had twins girls so was more important than any good at the time but now there a little older Im able to get back out there and have a pan,swing ect. Looking at heading out to chest on,Fryerstown for a swing have recently purchased the GOLD MONSTER 1000 so hoping to get out there and see how it goes up for a good chat laugh and hopefully some yellow good to be back guys!

 

[triton09]

Is $500 for a old sd2000 a bargain price? Looking at buying one

 

[Ded Driver]

yeah Triton09, that is a good price .... so long as it still works (they usually do)

 

[StoneTheCrows]

Yep

Give it a test with a litttle nugget and if it detects it should be ok

 

[bob]

Three years without a post, slack? disinterested? too busy? maybe a bit of all three. But a recent development has prompted me to make a contribution. So here is my continuing story.
I had followed some posts and videos by another member Minelab Gold and developed the philosophy that research, persistence and good technique would lead me to gold. Now that I had achieved that goal, I needed to use that knowledge to develop some consistency. It was 24th October 2017 that the SDC finally took over from the Eureka Gold and became the go to detector.
My method with the Eureka Gold was to locate and follow extensive diggings detecting the mullock heaps for throw outs. The logic being that the old timers wouldnt keep digging if they werent finding gold. Also the modern prospector could miss spots or give up thus leaving some gold behind. I initially used the SDC to detect old leads that I had already detected using the Eureka. Going out fairly regularly between October and December netted 29 small nuggets. Well I can hear some people thinking that the SDC is a better detector and that is why I found gold left behind or missed by the Eureka. But I kept a journal of each outing and 22 of the little nuggets were found on four separate outings. Seven nuggets came from a spot called Lucky Strike Gully. I wrote a bit about that day in Epic Prospecting Trips. It is currently on page four. No gold for the Eureka in that situation as I was totally using the wrong approach. I leant a lot from that experience. November was a good month sort of; with seven little nuggets at Lucky Strike and two at Tarnagulla but there were some zero days as well. Still lacking that consistency. Optimistically I looked forward to December.

At the time this was my best effort with the SDC.
"No Target" Gully was a tough spot. Twice with the Eureka and once with the SDC and no targets. No nails, no shot, no shells nothing. These mullock heaps were barren. Either they were left by the cleanest miners in history or flogged to death by modern prospectors. What drew me back in early December 2017.?? The answer 100 mm of rain in about twenty four hours and the fact that the diggings also branched out to the right and continued on up the slope to a rough looking reef. I had not detected this branch before. I was put off by the poor result detecting the left branch. I will be back with more soon.

Cheers Bob.

 

[bob]

11th Dec 2017
No Target gully had really given me a thrashing. I was interested to see what the rain event had done and also to explore the branch of diggings off to the right. It would have been good to be there when the water was flowing because there was a clear path at least a metre wide joining each shallow hole. The flowing water had filled one hole and then flowed on to the next and so on sweeping away all the sticks and leaves. It was more like a creek bed with regular diggings every five metres or so. The success at Lucky Strike in November was fresh in my mind as I walked towards the spot where the old diggings split in two. After firing up the SDC and doing the usual noise cancel I started on the mullock heaps. Two hours later after scouring every inch of the mullock heaps I had managed one single shot. I was ready for a break. Just for something different I thought that I would detect some of the pathway that the storm had cleared on the way back to the car. Wow !! what a lucky break perhaps. I had to stop detecting, and turn the detector off otherwise I was never going to get that break. There was shot everywhere and you have to dig them. I left a marker to show where I had started and where I had finished. With ten bits of shot in the jar I was keen to resume after an iced coffee. After a break I started where the diggings branched to the right, working my way up to the marker that I had left. I got my first bit in a washed out area between two old holes. It weighed 0.257 grams, a tiddler for many of you big time detectorists but a top ten for me. I reasoned that this was an undug nugget and not a throw out piece. The flowing water had eroded quite a bit of ground between the two holes and after I initially scraped the target, I was in very hard ground. The little nugget was in a pocket of yellowish orange clay and little chunks of quartz. I would concentrate on the washed out, cleared areas for the rest of the day. The shot was plentiful and deep enough just like you would find on the mullock heaps. A faint signal in the creek bed got my attention. A scrape with the pick and the signal was still there. Another scrape and I was into very hard ground. Chipping and scraping revealed another pocket of yellowish orange clay and fragments of quartz. This had to be gold. Sorting through the dig pile my guess was correct. A chunky little piece that later weighed 0.352 grams. Another for the top ten. As well as detecting the washed out path I also continued to work the mullock heaps. Still nothing. With the amount of targets I was fairly certain that my theory was correct. The gully has seen a concentrated effort on the mullock heaps but not the areas in between in the creek bed. I continued to find more shot and ended up digging around thirty five bits for the day. A remarkable contrast compared to the two bits found on the mullock heaps. Late in the day I picked up another piece in the bed of the creek. Same as the other two. A scrape with the pick revealed very hard ground. Some chipping exposed a pocket of yellowish orange clay with gritty fine gravel and chips of quartz. Weight 0.348 grams. Three nice pieces for the day. If I had just stuck to the mullock heaps I would have scored very little. The day really expanded my knowledge and experience and opened up possibilities to revisit other spots and search them in the same way. A second visit completed the diggings up to the reef. The pattern remained the same. The mullock heaps were virtually barren of targets but I bagged two more chunky bits (0.250g and 0.210g) in clay pockets in the creek bed (or gully floor) plus a good collection of shot.

The three bits above came from my first successful day at "No Target" Gully. If the mullock heaps had bits like this on them they would have been easy pickings and a good reason for someone to detect them thoroughly. And I am sure that was the case here. Anyway I was now armed with a new approach that could be used on other areas that I had detected. I was learning. If something isn't working look around and be prepared to try something different. So now I wouldn't be a one trick wonder just working mullock heaps.

Cheers Bob.

 

[bob]

After my two successful trips to No Target gully I returned a third time to apply the same approach to the left branch of the diggings that had turned up no targets. But there was no luck on that day just some shot in the washed out areas. It was 21st of December and I thought that would be the end of detecting for 2017. None of the kids had extended holidays so Christmas day and Boxing day passed and everyone was gone. Back at work or preparing to do so. I had an area in mind where I could apply the same idea that worked so well in No Target Gully. Bullant Flat!!!. In parts it looks like a narrow little creek. If you looked closely the gully has been dug out because there are shallow mullock heaps on either side. Then there are some shallow holes at regular intervals followed by more creek like structure. This gully starts right down next to a major track that I cannot divulge as there will be members very familiar with this spot. From XXXXXXX Road this gully formation winds parallel to a minor track for some seventy metres then crosses this minor track and meanders up quite a steep slope to Mystery Reef. On 27th December I got the green light. Were going to be away for a while in the New Year why dont you go detecting today.? suggested my wife as we ate breakfast. My gear is in an ever ready state and Bullant Flat was only forty minutes away. Breakfast done, car packed and Im there. I had used the SDC here before, but I was just a mullock heap man back then and ended the day with a very high shot count and one tiddler. ( 0.125g). With the experience of Lucky Strike (7 nuggets), Tarnagulla (2), No Target Gully (3 +2) just for November and December. I was starting to achieve that consistency that I had been searching for.
Starting right down near the road I covered the mullock heaps, the washed out path through the middle, the sides of the gully. I gave all possibilities a go. I could not believe how many targets I had left behind. By lunch time I had five tiddlers and a good collection of shot. Throughout the afternoon I continued to gather shot and ended with thirty five bits. I also came upon a large stump in the middle of the gully with a nice neat detector hole at its base. I checked the hole and there was no response. The dig pile looked nice and neat and undisturbed. I scanned it. A nice little signal there. This pile didnt even look like it had had a scoop through it. Very strange! The target became my sixth nugget for the day. A very easy get I must say. The big rain event had washed a nice clean path down through this part of the gully and detecting carefully along this path turned up four more little nuggets. Definitely my best day detecting. Fancy bagging out in an area that I had previously detected. Thirty five bits of shot as well as ten little nuggets. But to be fair the last time that I was there I was very inexperienced and my main focus was mullock heaps. The nuggets came from the side walls and floor of the gully. None were found on the mullock heaps.

I really ended the year with a bang. I had gained a lot of confidence to search areas other than mullock heaps. Five outings had netted 24 of the twenty nine nuggets found with the SDC. I was faced with at least a two but more likely a three week layoff now. A bit tough as gold fever was at a peak. Anyway I had plenty of time to plan my next outing and where and what strategies I would use.

The SDC count for 2017. ( 29 little nuggets). I had only used the SDC a few times in September and early October. But as I said earlier from the 24th October the SDC was my go to detector and the Eureka Gold now lay idle in the cupboard at home on detecting days. I did make the statement that I would not only keep the Eureka but use it. At this stage it was hard to go past the SDC. I was eagerly awaiting 2018. Back with more when I have time.

Cheers Bob.

 

[bob]

Above is my top ten for 2018
After finishing 2017 with ten in a day I was really eager to get going in the New Year. The first day out (10th January ) was a bit of a training day for a friend who had just bought a new SDC. After getting his machine set up we went on a tour of Bullant Flat showing him the exact locations of the ten. We then went above the stump and began detecting above where I had previously finished detecting in December. We spent the morning digging quite a bit of shot and one button but no gold. Its hard to concentrate in a situation where youre looking out for someone else. The amount of shot suggested another look. I went back to Bullant Flat the very next day on my own. I did something that I hadnt done before with the SDC. I gridded the area above the stump. Not with ropes but just roughly using trees and shrubs as markers. The gully above the stump seemed to open up a bit wider and looked like it had been dug out. A surfaced area perhaps. A careful day detecting netted four small nuggets all in their own little pockets of clay, gravel and quartz. Just like at No Target Gully the ground was super hard. Finding multiple nuggets in one day was starting to happen and I think it had something to do with where I was looking. So far my reasoning was that if I was going to find multiple nuggets in an outing I would need to (a) be prepared to search every inch of a lot of mullock heaps, (b) search areas where the old diggers stopped working (i.e. the edge of surfaced areas and shallow diggings or ( c) explore areas between reefs and shallow diggings looking for undug patches. I was starting to think that this detecting game was easy. Reality check was just around the corner. I found one more small bit 0.040 grams next time out. Then I put together five or six zeroes in a row. no gold for the whole of February. On one occasion I pulled out the Eureka Gold and attacked the mullock heap that I dubbed the magic pudding in a desperate effort to turn up a bit of gold. I saw this as admitting defeat to some extent but I would come to think differently about the Eureka Gold later on. I continued searching gullies that I had visited before mainly ignoring the mullock heaps and focusing on the washed out areas and spots where the gullies had been dug out. It takes time to test ideas and areas but March was a good month. I managed at least one bit on each outing. Scores for each day out were 3, 1, 2, 4, 1, 2. The No Target Gully approach seemed to be working well.

Six trips for thirteen nuggets was good going for me. The weights ranged for 0.329 grams down to 0.088 grams with most of them over 0.140 grams. Not huge by any standards but I was really happy with the results. I was really confident now and started to patch hunt the areas between the main reef at the top of the hill and the shallow workings in the gullies. It was now time to really develop my skills. Only three outings for April with one bit for the jar (0. 185g). This patch hunting was tough to stick at with little or no return for three days. I questioned my methods. I reasoned that it was just like working the gullies of late. I could go sometime without finding much but like March if I got onto a patch I was likely to find a good amount.
Late April I left to travel South America and New Zealand as a stop over on the way home. It was a fantastic trip away. After returning there was time in June for one outing which resulted in one small nugget of 0.185g. I was house bound for the rest of June because at the end of that month I had a full knee replacement. Eight weeks later I resumed detecting. I was very restricted in where I could go. I was thankful that no-one could see me. After parking the car and setting up I would use one crutch to get over the rough ground to a large surfacing area. Once there I would fold up the crutch into my backpack and detect. If I needed to go back to the car I would pull out the crutch and work my way back. It would have been funny to watch. What a desperado!!! It was frustrating not being able to get back to Mystery Reef and Bullant Flat but that country was just too steep and I would not make it back there until next year. There were some bright spots though. Being slow I noticed some things like a couple of small heaps away from the diggings a bit. Stockpiled wash dirt perhaps??? On two occasions I got two bits from each pile. With continued physiotherapy and hard work I started to show some improvement. Travelling through Tarnagulla in November I passed a little spot where I found two small nuggets the previous year. It was a structure really similar to No Target Gully. i.e. a series of shallow holes in a row and then an area that looked liked it had been dug out but also resembling a creek bed. The two bits that I found previously were on mullock heaps or throw out piles. But now I knew to look elsewhere. A great result on my last day for the year, seven little nuggets. The smallest was 0.043 grams and the biggest went 0.183g.

So 2018 taught me to look in different places. Although sometimes it was frustrating, looking for undug patches was a good way to turn up multiple pieces. I think it also gave me a better chance of finding that big bit. With very limited opportunity in the second half of the year I was happy with thirty seven little nuggets. The physiotherapy and hard work also paid off because in December I got the all clear from my surgeon. I had no need for any more check ups. I ended the year in good shape and ready to return to Bullant Flat and Mystery Reef and patch hunting in 2019. So what about the Eureka Gold??? unfortunately the only time it came out of the box after February was at home. With the power pack and a coil attached I would turn it on and let the battery run flat. Then I would charge up the power pack. The Eureka was a forgotten weapon but its time would come.

Cheers Bob.

 

[bob]

2019
When I resumed detecting on 7th January 2019 I had been out of action for seven weeks. Family commitments, appointments, Christmas shopping, and a final knee check up all contributed to keep me away. I was eager to get back to my favourite spots and work on achieving consistent results. My first day out I pinged two small bits (0.060g and 0.105g). A good start. The second day out one week later ended early when the SDC headphones stopped working. With the wind and cicadas there was no way that I would hear a target. I went home. The problem was with the wire where it went into the headphones. No real dramas as Miners Den replaced them under warranty. It was just a waste of a day, if I only had the Eureka Gold!!!
I had done a fair bit of reading about patch hunting during my enforced lay off in 2018. One suggestion was not to drain a spot down but if youre finding gold balance your time between your successful spot and exploring new areas or patches. On 23rd January I took both detectors to Mystery reef with a definite plan. I would spend the morning using the Eureka Gold on the mullock heap that I called the pudding and patch hunt with the SDC in the afternoon. As part of achieving consistency I was adopting the idea of planning the day rather than just loading up the car and heading off somewhere. Even the best plans fail at times. The Eureka was set up with the 10x5 elliptical coil, with rake, shovel, pick and back pack I trudged up the hill to Mystery Reef and the pudding. When I turned on the detector I was greeted with a wild screech. Setting up the threshold and other settings seemed to settle it down but as soon as I moved the coil the detector just went wild. I trudged down the hill to do some diagnostics. At least a level seven diagnostic was required here. Changing coils made no difference, nor did changing power packs. My Eureka was stuffed so it would seem. Dam it, plan A and an hours detecting down the drain. Plan B. Get the SDC out and patch hunt around a spot that had produced a bit of gold. Three metres from the pudding was where I found the first specimen that started it all off. Also another metre away at the base of a mullock heap I had found a nice piece (0.302 g) with the SDC way back in September 2017. A real plus for the day was that once the SDC was set up I found I could tolerate sensitivity level four. Working away from where I had found the above mentioned bit I hit a very soft signal?? or hot rock maybe??? A decent boot scrape or two confirmed a stronger signal and a definite target and a dig of around fifteen centimetres.The target signal in the dig pile was really loud. I expected a nail but there were only small stones left in the final bit of dirt . The stone shape started to rub clean with a glint of gold. Some spit revealed a nice little nugget ( 0.655grams after a clean up at home). I could not believe it a P.B.(personal best) not three metres from where I had found the 0.302 g bit. How did I miss it back in September. The answer was simple, I didnt search there. I found the .302g bit late in the day and went home and due to various factors never got back to that exact spot. Inspired by this find, I roughly gridded the area as there was quite a large area of soil that all looked the same.
Over the course of the afternoon I picked up quite a few rust targets and two very loud signals that also sounded like rubbish. They turned out to be two specimens found at about ten centimetres down. The specimens weighed 1.543 grams and 1.521 grams. At home at a later date the two specimens were successfully crushed to produce a bit weighing 0.792 grams and 0.934 grams.

The three P.B.s were all found in the one day and they were given different names: the Poodle, the Blob and the Fish. What a great day!!!. Charging the power packs was all that was needed to bring the Eureka back into action so next time out I would stick to the plan of searching the pudding for specimens early in the day as shovelling, raking and detecting was better in the cool of the morning. Each time the pudding drew a blank but finding the big three set off an unprecedented run of five outings in a row finding gold. (23rd Jan - 3, then 2, 2, 3, and 1). It was the SDC doing the damage and the strategy was simple. Each week after raking over the pudding I would go and resume searching near my last SDC find and try to find a link to the next nugget. A very consistent run. A new level of thinking was emerging for me. Never assume the gold is all gone. This Mystery Reef area has been flogged as evidenced by old detector holes and old rubbish. It was still getting visitors in between my visits. I definitely did a bit of filling of other peoples holes and taking home their rubbish. Worst thing was that next week there would be more rubbish but this spot was still turning up some bits of gold as well.

Cheers Bob.

 

[bob]

Some of the better bits for 2019.
The season progressed into March. By this time Im recording every time out in my journal with plans for the next week. Ive downloaded lots of Geovic maps, plotted nugget finds using my gps. Im really serious about this hobby. I cant wait till the next outing. How quickly things can change though. March through April saw me rack up just as many consecutive zeroes. Six in a row. April 26th I left Mystery Reef for a new area 10-15 Kilometres to the North West. I was attracted to this area because of the fact that Geovic indicated there were a number of reefs and shallow diggings similar to Mystery Reef. The first day there only turned up one small bit but going back the next week turned up ten tiddlers. From then on I would score at least one bit each time out until 11th of June. After scoring one on 26th April, I scored 10, followed by 4, 1, 4, 10, 7, 5, 2, then 0 on 11th June when I changed spots. Consistent multiple finds . It was exactly what I was trying to achieve. After 11th June I only missed out on gold once in early August. Only two locations yielded gold from mullock heaps. They were long lines of shallow holes that extended well over a kilometre. Exploring the sides of the hills below reefs, I found some overgrown surfaced areas that produced some good finds. I even found some bits on open ground between the reefs and the diggings below in the gullies. From April to December I explored five different reef areas and took the Eureka everywhere as a spare. I used it occasionally and maintained the power packs. I didnt find any gold with the Eureka but I really didnt give it much of a chance by using the SDC first, I was finding gold. It was my best year yet - 154 little nuggets for 20.5 grams. The most satisfying aspects of the year were gaining the consistency of finds and putting into practice what I had learnt at Mystery Reef. The new area that I was working was even more thrashed than Mystery Reef. In this new spot I often saw other detectorists as well as signs that the spots that I was working were being worked on a regular basis by others. Extensive areas were raked, sticks piled up etc. There were areas roughed up with a pick and the top soil raked back. I was managing trips once a week and going back to the same spot to find fresh holes to fill, stubbies and cans to pick up . But there was always a bit of gold to take home as well. The last day out 11th December returned six bits for a total of 0.647 grams which was fairly typical for this new area.

Some of the best pieces from my new spot ranging from 0.180g up to 0.250g.
It was great to apply the Mystery Reef strategies to the new location which has a recognisable name but my mate and I called it The Crater. There was a large hole where the old timers dug out an extensive reef. I learnt a few new tricks here as well. The track just below The Crater produced a few bits. Lining these marks up with The crater and detecting down through the surfaced area slightly down slope of the track led us to more finds. It was an interesting place to explore. The slopes below The Crater occupied most of my time between August and December with rewarding results.

These are some of the smallest bits, less than 0.1g and some dust from crushed specimens.
I had not really though of trying the track before but at The Crater it made sense as the surfaced area was directly down slope of the reef. On my last occasion (11th Dec.) I noticed that someone had used a rake to pull together sticks and leaves that had spread back out a little from someone elses raking. It initially looked like the first lot of raking had been done years ago as the sticks were dry and some had decayed quite a bit. But there were fresh rake marks as it had rained between my last visit and you could just tell the rows of sticks were a bit neater and had been disturbed from the previous week. As I worked down slope towards this raking I got a signal which proved to be a very small nugget about two metres above the newly disturbed pile of sticks. I continued on my line and imagine my surprise when I thought I heard a signal as I scanned over the edge of the raked up sticks. I kicked a few out of the way to confirm a target and dug my second little nugget for the day. I worked all the way around the edge of the raking for a total of five little bits plus the one two metres up slope I ended up with six for the day. The one spot we ignored and so did everyone else it seemed was The Crater. On several occasions while working 100 metres or so below The Crater other detectorist just pulled up a bit past my car jumped out and spent an hour or two detecting around the outer rim. Nobody seemed interested in the inside. I answered the why question on my last day there for 2019. It was full of loud rubbish targets. Ferrous targets everywhere. An hour of hopeful digging left me weary and discouraged. That was how my final outing ended for 2019. I managed the six from the raked area and zero from The Crater, just a pile of junk. I was running out of ideas for this spot known as The Crater. Little did I know that The Crater had a few adventures left that would unfold early in 2020.

Cheers Bob.

 

[Mike678]

Sorry I do not read these long posts .

 

[grubstake]

Thanks for revisiting this thread and keeping it alive as you have, Bob. It's always fascinating to read your superbly detailed accounts and follow your thought process as you record and analyse finds, reference your earlier notes and then apply the hard-won knowledge to new spots. The quantity of your finds speaks well for the skill level you've developed with your detectors along the way. :Y:

 

[bob]

Thanks grubstake I have drifted away from posting mainly because I was using the SDC and not the Eureka Gold. So l thought it was irrelevant to the thread but I have been using the Eureka a bit more of late. Earlier in the year my old computer broke down and a lot of my detector notes and pictures got scrambled. A technician managed to save a lot of information but it's a bit scattered. I have used this thread and covid lockdowns to get up to speed with the new computer. I am learning to import new and old photos. How to access and resize photos for articles etc. Also for quick posting I have articles prewritten that can be cut and pasted with areas marked for the addition of photos. So revisiting the thread has raised my interest levels and my knowledge of the new computer. I am pleased you enjoy the posts.

Cheers Bob.

 

[Patrick_vn]

now 10/2021 should i buy Eureka gold (90% off display) for 450usd? is there any better option? i think i will spend 60% of the time on mining and 40% of the time for finding buried relics and antiques

 

[bob]

Patrick_vn I am not really qualified to answer your questions as I feel my experience is limited but I have sent you an email.

Cheers Bob.