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I am wanting to know how the GM1000 stacks up against the tried and true Gold Bug 2?
Minelab Gold Monster 1000 tips and questions
- Thread starter Heatho
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mxt sniper said:
I think we already know the main points, without even seeing/trying the Gold Monster:
- The Gold Monster will be easier to use, because most functions are automated and there's no annoying 'mosquito in the ear' threshhold buzzing.[/*]
- The Gold Monster will be less sensitive to smaller targets, because of the Gold Bug-2's higher frequency and use of concentric coils.[/*]
- Weight/balance/ergonomics remain to be seen, although a belt-mounted Gold Bug-2 will certainly have an advantage.[/*]
- Ground/mineralisation handling is the big unknown, in my view.[/*]
The Gold Bug-2 is a highly specialised machine that in the right hands has proven its abilities over a very long time, but it isn't really a detector that suits a novice: the array of knobs and switches sees to that! The Gold Monster, on the other hand, is designed for novices and so should prove a big hit, given its price and widespread availability through Minelab's dealer network, not to mention the extraordinarily complete array of accessories that come as standard.
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C'mon argyle spill your guts.
Given that dealers/testers would be the only ones to date that would have had a GM1000 in their hands long enough to do direct comparisons with a lot of other VLF's I don't see how the current info is "whacked"? How did you get one to carry these comparisons out? Dealer or tester?
There's a couple of good reviews that aren't placing it above (or below) any others in a similar class such as Gold Bug 2, GMT or Makro Gold Racer. The reviews have been pretty good/fair I had thought considering. Edit: Of course real end users reports & finds will paint the true picture.
Would be very interested in hearing more on this though "I can give you the run down on it's very mild ground to hot ground handling, and the true gist of the way the auto sensitivity mixes in with the permanent tracking, and how the correlation copes"
Looking at the GM1000 for my daughter + also for me to use. Seems simple enough - my daughter can teach me once she gets the gist of it ]
There's a couple of good reviews that aren't placing it above (or below) any others in a similar class such as Gold Bug 2, GMT or Makro Gold Racer. The reviews have been pretty good/fair I had thought considering. Edit: Of course real end users reports & finds will paint the true picture.
Would be very interested in hearing more on this though "I can give you the run down on it's very mild ground to hot ground handling, and the true gist of the way the auto sensitivity mixes in with the permanent tracking, and how the correlation copes"
Looking at the GM1000 for my daughter + also for me to use. Seems simple enough - my daughter can teach me once she gets the gist of it ]
I won't post up the full run down on the Monster I've got written, reading back on it it's just far too derogitive to the company and the initial reviewers.
You've read the reviews and seen the short clips, you know they'll feel wobbly, both with stock shaft and the badly designed placement of the battery compartment.
While airtesting to get your audio feel and headphone or speaker/amp compatibility down pat, you notice the splay of gain these produce is terrific, and you get a real hopeful feeling that when on the ground, the permanent tracking and both the manual sensitivity or the two Auto sensitivity settings will correlate well and allow you to work quiet ground, quiet heaps, shallow gutters ect. along with a slight promise of being workable in hotter ground.
Sadly when working in the real world these machines are pitiful, not just in comparison with their competitors along the gold vlf ranges, but as a stand alone detector they bomb out very badly.
The initial ground balance is far too slow. About a fifth of the speed of gmt and f19's platforms ect (these units are their direct competitors, and are miles ahead of the monster due to their output of gain while remaining stable, and their ability to work hot ground)
When in manual sensitivity the initial balance merely cuts the gain short to achieve the balance, and kicks back to the setting when the coil moves off.
Manual sensitivity is a lost cause, hence the reviewers like of Auto and Auto plus sensitivity.
After initial balancing when in auto or auto plus, the units travel a touch better because the auto sensitivity pulls the gain back in far further than you would run the manual setting, like a tortoise pulling it's head back in.
Over quiet ground and totally benign mullock the manual sensitivity sends them squirrely and upsets the tracking. Giving the distinct impression that the tracking cannot cope at all unless the either of the auto functions can settle it.
Any power we want over the machine is complety taken away from us. Which of course cuts the monsters applications near enough to none.
The audio has a bland distinction rate for judgement of targets, even shallow, and very shallow is the world you'll be detecting in.
I tried to find an application for the disc mode, but due to entire operation of the unit, discrimination became kind of a moot point.
I read somewhere that a fellow felt a larger coil would gell with these? They can't handle the two coils they already have.
Yeah, we are wondering why a good company would make and market such a thing. That whole African thing doesn't cut it, they are marketed all over the world.
While the 705's electronics get swamped on hot ground, the sensitivity, tracking and their overall performance on quiet ground, to quote an old blurb, are three to four times deeper than the monster.
It's insulting to the original Australian company to have this monstrosity mentioned alongside with the magnificent vlf machines they have produced over the past four decades.
You've read the reviews and seen the short clips, you know they'll feel wobbly, both with stock shaft and the badly designed placement of the battery compartment.
While airtesting to get your audio feel and headphone or speaker/amp compatibility down pat, you notice the splay of gain these produce is terrific, and you get a real hopeful feeling that when on the ground, the permanent tracking and both the manual sensitivity or the two Auto sensitivity settings will correlate well and allow you to work quiet ground, quiet heaps, shallow gutters ect. along with a slight promise of being workable in hotter ground.
Sadly when working in the real world these machines are pitiful, not just in comparison with their competitors along the gold vlf ranges, but as a stand alone detector they bomb out very badly.
The initial ground balance is far too slow. About a fifth of the speed of gmt and f19's platforms ect (these units are their direct competitors, and are miles ahead of the monster due to their output of gain while remaining stable, and their ability to work hot ground)
When in manual sensitivity the initial balance merely cuts the gain short to achieve the balance, and kicks back to the setting when the coil moves off.
Manual sensitivity is a lost cause, hence the reviewers like of Auto and Auto plus sensitivity.
After initial balancing when in auto or auto plus, the units travel a touch better because the auto sensitivity pulls the gain back in far further than you would run the manual setting, like a tortoise pulling it's head back in.
Over quiet ground and totally benign mullock the manual sensitivity sends them squirrely and upsets the tracking. Giving the distinct impression that the tracking cannot cope at all unless the either of the auto functions can settle it.
Any power we want over the machine is complety taken away from us. Which of course cuts the monsters applications near enough to none.
The audio has a bland distinction rate for judgement of targets, even shallow, and very shallow is the world you'll be detecting in.
I tried to find an application for the disc mode, but due to entire operation of the unit, discrimination became kind of a moot point.
I read somewhere that a fellow felt a larger coil would gell with these? They can't handle the two coils they already have.
Yeah, we are wondering why a good company would make and market such a thing. That whole African thing doesn't cut it, they are marketed all over the world.
While the 705's electronics get swamped on hot ground, the sensitivity, tracking and their overall performance on quiet ground, to quote an old blurb, are three to four times deeper than the monster.
It's insulting to the original Australian company to have this monstrosity mentioned alongside with the magnificent vlf machines they have produced over the past four decades.
Thanks for the comments argyle2. Harsh but if that's how you see it....
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Just a quick question mate, how many hours have you put on the Monster?
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No disrespect bud, just asking a question if you dont want to answer it thats fine.
argyle2 said:
It's a fair question really.
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Yeah cmon mate your 3rd post on this forum ended with, It's insulting to the original Australian company to have this monstrosity mentioned alongside with the magnificent vlf machines they have produced over the past four decades.
Very hard to make such claims when no one even seems to have one in their hands yet. If you have had many hours with it in your hands then I apolgise but I just don't see how that is possible.
Very hard to make such claims when no one even seems to have one in their hands yet. If you have had many hours with it in your hands then I apolgise but I just don't see how that is possible.
Interesting read. Need to read more to make an informed decision.
Just a hint if you write unbiased reviews based on facts it is not a good look to add this at the end of your review.
"It's insulting to the original Australian company to have this monstrosity mentioned alongside with the magnificent vlf machines they have produced over the past four decades."
Takes away from the evidence you have provided and exposes a possible bias.
Your review was harsh but if that is what you found good.
All I can say is keep them coming.
Cheers
Just a hint if you write unbiased reviews based on facts it is not a good look to add this at the end of your review.
"It's insulting to the original Australian company to have this monstrosity mentioned alongside with the magnificent vlf machines they have produced over the past four decades."
Takes away from the evidence you have provided and exposes a possible bias.
Your review was harsh but if that is what you found good.
All I can say is keep them coming.
Cheers
No need for any apologies at all goldwright.
While there's been more than a few people that have picked theirs up since the start of the week, they haven't been a big pre-order item. And won't be an on-going heavy sales unit.
Due to the working weekdays, and as most buyers will live in the cities, I'd say bugger all would have had them on the ground yet.
While there's been more than a few people that have picked theirs up since the start of the week, they haven't been a big pre-order item. And won't be an on-going heavy sales unit.
Due to the working weekdays, and as most buyers will live in the cities, I'd say bugger all would have had them on the ground yet.
Moneybox
Philip & Sandra Box
My post from 27th March.........
We had the APLA field day today at Dardanup, WA. The Prospectors Pick brought along the full range of Minelab detectors including the new toy.
The first thing that struck me was the weight. It's very heavy at the coil end for an entry level detector. I checked it out on youtube last night so I was interested to see it in the flesh.
We use the % of iron readout on our Whites GMT all the time to get an idea of the type of target. The Gold Monster has a similar sort of indicator. If the scale moves to the right it's gold, if it moves to left it's iron. It worked fine on a little gold nugget and a gold ring but it's not reliable. A guy dropped his stainless steel watch on the ground. When I swung the detector over it from the right it was gold, when I swung from the left it was iron so I guess of you want gold you just have to be swinging in the right direction
I didn't need several hours to test it.....a few minutes gave me all I needed to know.
We had the APLA field day today at Dardanup, WA. The Prospectors Pick brought along the full range of Minelab detectors including the new toy.
The first thing that struck me was the weight. It's very heavy at the coil end for an entry level detector. I checked it out on youtube last night so I was interested to see it in the flesh.
We use the % of iron readout on our Whites GMT all the time to get an idea of the type of target. The Gold Monster has a similar sort of indicator. If the scale moves to the right it's gold, if it moves to left it's iron. It worked fine on a little gold nugget and a gold ring but it's not reliable. A guy dropped his stainless steel watch on the ground. When I swung the detector over it from the right it was gold, when I swung from the left it was iron so I guess of you want gold you just have to be swinging in the right direction
I didn't need several hours to test it.....a few minutes gave me all I needed to know.
The right to left swing is a really good point. Not sure if this has been identified before.
Cheers
Cheers
Your kidding right....HoudiniHarry said:
Well it seems you have a great working knowledge of VLF,s and I would say it reads as an honest "call a spade a spade" write up. So thanks for that.
For the folks that don't like what they read, it dosnt sound bias to me at all.
Minelab have some unbelievable products out there, we know that. But, it seems that they will still, like all companies, put out a product to a deadline, ready or not. We have seen that before, and not just in this industry, any competitive industry.
I guess we will see some more about the monster shortly, both good and bad.
For the folks that don't like what they read, it dosnt sound bias to me at all.
Minelab have some unbelievable products out there, we know that. But, it seems that they will still, like all companies, put out a product to a deadline, ready or not. We have seen that before, and not just in this industry, any competitive industry.
I guess we will see some more about the monster shortly, both good and bad.
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If argyle2 is the guy I think it is:
I don't know how much time on the ground he had with the unit before coming to his conclusions, but if he picked it up at the start of the week as many others did, that's plenty of time...but I don't think it really matters if he spent one week with it, or one day.
He is a very experienced detectorist, and his working knowledge of gold VLF's would be matched by few.
He is definitely NOT an armchair expert, nor is he a novice at the game.
Like I said, that's if it's the real argyle...
I don't know how much time on the ground he had with the unit before coming to his conclusions, but if he picked it up at the start of the week as many others did, that's plenty of time...but I don't think it really matters if he spent one week with it, or one day.
He is a very experienced detectorist, and his working knowledge of gold VLF's would be matched by few.
He is definitely NOT an armchair expert, nor is he a novice at the game.
Like I said, that's if it's the real argyle...
