Minelab GPX4500 tips, settings, questions

[traveln]

thanks wal
when buying 2nd hand machine is there a guide or rule of thumb checks on it.
how does 1 know if machine is working or there is no faults in it or you cant.
just have to take the sellers word for it that the machine is in a1 working condition.
sorry for the silly questions as im going in blind here and don't know any1 who else I cantalk to about them apart from on here

 

[WalnLiz]

Not the easiest of questions to answer Jason. The best place to buy is from a recognized shop who will always sell with warranty. Generally speaking though, most 4500 owners look after their machines based on the original investment they had to outlay to get them. I know quite a few colleagues who have purchased one second hand from eBay and have never had an issue.

Not much usually goes wrong with them, and they're usually either working perfectly, or not working at all.

Minelab are very efficient and quick to repair minor problems, and extremely fair on price.

If it's at all possible i would certainly try to contact the seller and ask what his reason for selling is. In most cases it's for an upgrade to a 5000 or a health reason, and a quick conversation can usually clear the integrity of the seller.

Wal.

 

[traveln]

good morning all
wal I didn't think it would have been a easy question to answer or clear cut.
I will give the seller a call later when it gets a respectable hour over this way and go from there.

 

[WalnLiz]

Best of luck with it all mate and welcome to the detecting club.

Cheers Wal.

 

[Sparra]

Hey folks...I went out for a swing today and found a small bit but had a real battle getting a real smooth threshold...There are plenty of hot rocks about so tonight I had a look in the manual and it say's that the enhance mode will help with those...What it doesn't tell you is whether or not you need to change any other settings or do you just switch to enhance,ground balance and start detecting??? Any ideas???

Cheers...Sparra

 

[goldtruck59]

Hope this may help. Rough guide only but helpful.

 

[Teemore]

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/1033/1404816695_settings.jpg

Hope this may help. Rough guide only but helpful.

In the voice of Seargent Schulz (for those who remember Hogans Heros)....

I Know NOTHING.... (or the bloke for Laugh-In) ..... Very Interesting!

Very interesting lot of setting variations ..... do you have the same for the 5000.
I'm sure that once you get to know which to apply in which location/circumstance it will find more gold than the SDC.

Really just replied so that I can find it easily next time.
Cheers Tom

 

[Syndyne]

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/1033/1404816695_settings.jpg

Hope this may help. Rough guide only but helpful.

Cheers for posting that goldtruck! Looks like a lot of time, testing and many written notes went into that layout. As a general/overall guide it's priceless!

Thanks once again. Perhaps we could clean it up and post it here as something like a downloadable printout? -only with your express permission of course.

Kindest regards,
Shauno.

 

[loamer]

Here is a blank settings form you can print-off and fill in for various locations and occasions. Courtesy of Minelab mods

http://www.minelabmods.com/files/4500-UserSettings.pdf

 

[loamer]

Like you folks, I have seen literally hundreds of settings for the 4500 - ranging from John Gladis, Porters video etc etc. Most are the same, some are very close, some are way out there. My advice has been and remains, start with the factory presets (FP) for the location you are in. From there, use a test piece, gold lead etc (do not do an air test - bury the test piece) and then adjust the settings from there. The FPs are actually pretty good - ask this question - 'Would Minelab issue a set of dud settings so I don't find gold?" Of course not, however, they are a guide, albeit a good one. There is no one setting for this machine - fact of life. Coils are changed, EMI comes into play, some spanker is detecting too close to you, the soil changes, the ground contours change, the weather changes, the wind changes etc etc. Some say use the mono switch for DDs etc. It is in my humble opinion, personal preference; same as getting the machines modded. I think at times, and this is no reflection or comment on forum users, the confusion with settings can be an excuse as to why gold is not being found - it is not the 4500's fault - it is outright user error.

To summarise, they are a confusing machine for new beginners. The switch over to the 4500/5000 is a very big step. There are hundreds of posts on 4500 settings for both Australia and the US. My advice, note them down, I use the form I posted above or an excel spreadsheet, take them out for a day or so and conduct tests on the ground you are going to detect on. OK - may be a 'wasted' day - I don't think so, I look at as 'train hard - fight easy'. Some places will just do your head in with a 4500 (usually along Pipeline Track near the 'phone towers) and no wizardry, swearing, throwing a tantrum seems to work - that's when I get out my old 2200 with a DD or AI coil and swing away.

Edit - Goldtruck settings look good to me by the way. Well shared my friend.

 

[TimAu]

What is the advantage of using a lower tone setting when using a big coil and higher tone when using a small coil? Also what about using the inverted signal when using a big coil?

 

[condor22]

Tone can vary from men to women, females may run at 55, males better at 45. Also men generally lose upper frequencies as they get older, so age and hearing loss affects what you hear. So lower if you have some loss.

There is no magic number it is purely personal.....

 

[goldtruck59]

Thanks everyone for the kind words but Its not my work. This came from the wall of the shop (back room) where I bought my 5000 a few years ago. I only posted it as I thought it may of helped the 4500 inquiry on settings in the OP.
I have found it useful over the years as a fall back guide but I like most have my own settings that can vary from this information.
Machines do vary with each having their individual nuances I have found. I had a 4000 and a 4500 that were an absolute dream with certain coil matches and now my 5000 is temperamental like my missus and needs constant tweaking.
Anyway glad to be of help.
Bop

 

[PhaseTech]

There's a few points I don't like about those settings.

1. They seem to suggest a particular stabilizer setting for a particular Gain setting. This is bad practice. Read what loamer said and then read it again - he speaks good sense.

2. The other thing I don't like is if you are using Quiet Audio, I'd never have the stabilizer below 11 or probably 12. Think of the stabilizer as a choke. The lower it is, the more the audio is being choked. Quiet audio makes everything mellow and tame, so if you also choke the audio at the same time, you may as well pull out your gold pan.

3. Also, the target volumes seem quite high. I think 10 or 11 is ample for headphone use, and if using an external speaker, Volume 14 is enough unless it's a really windy day.

Nenad

 

[Sparra]

Wow...Thanks folks...It sat idle here for a few weeks but now a few replies...The thing I have learn't is to go out and tune to suit me and my area...I guess it's a bit like tuning my bike,I can't take a tune from another bike and expect my bike to run the same as it...they are all different...

Cheers...Sparra

 

[goldtruck59]

There's a few points I don't like about those settings.

1. They seem to suggest a particular stabilizer setting for a particular Gain setting. This is bad practice. Read what loamer said and then read it again - he speaks good sense.

2. The other thing I don't like is if you are using Quiet Audio, I'd never have the stabilizer below 11 or probably 12. Think of the stabilizer as a choke. The lower it is, the more the audio is being choked. Quiet audio makes everything mellow and tame, so if you also choke the audio at the same time, you may as well pull out your gold pan.

3. Also, the target volumes seem quite high. I think 10 or 11 is ample for headphone use, and if using an external speaker, Volume 14 is enough unless it's a really windy day.

Nenad

The good thing about people like me that put up things that may help others , is that it gives others that don't do the same, a chance to pick the **** out of it.
As I said, most people have their own settings and it was posted to give an idea only. . There must be a bit to the settings I posted as they come out of the retail and training outlet of probably the most popular and busiest Mine lab distributor in Victoria . .

 

[Guest]

I don't think Nenad was picking the ***** out of those settings - just stating an opinion that may help others too.
In my opinion the stabiliser is the single most misunderstood setting on the GPX's! Many believe it is insignificant or not needed but if you read Minelabs instructions for setting it, it may become clearer?

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE STABILIZER CONTROL?

The Stabilizer function controls the point at which faint variations in theThresholdbegin to be heard. These faint variations can either be ambient noise or faint target signals. As you increase the Stabilizer control, faint target signals will become louder, but the noise level will also increase, which may potentially hide a desirable target signal. The Stabilizer allows you to mask these faint variations to provide a perfectly stable threshold, improving your ability to identify faint target signals.
The Stabilizer is best left in the FP (factory preset) position until the soil conditions in the location are determined. Once the Rx Gain level has been set for the local conditions and other audio settings have been selected, the Stabilizer can then be used to fine tune the Threshold stability.
To find the optimal position of the Stabilizer, ensure that the coil is being swept across the ground. One number below the point at which the threshold begins to chatter, is generally the best setting.
The effect of the Stabilizer could be seen as having a similar effect to that of the Rx Gain control. However, the Stabilizer affects the audio processing only and does not change the Receive (Rx) signal, so should be used as a final stage fine tune. After making any adjustments to the Stabilizer, if the ground conditions change or you wish to change coils, you may need to reset the Rx Gain, but before doing so, return the Stabilizer to the Factory Preset setting first. This will ensure you select the most appropriate Rx Gain level to suit the conditions, and then you can fine tune using the Stabilizer.
Tip: By turning the Stabilizer control close to minimum (anti-clockwise) the threshold will be very stable, but you will have lost a lot of sensitivity to smaller targets. This can be a desirable feature in certain scenarios such as looking for large nuggets in a high-trash area, or using theGPX 5000andGPX 4800to search for coins or treasure.
Tip: We would recommend the best order for setting these controls are:
Select an appropriate Search Mode
Select the desired Audio Type
Adjust Rx Gain until the threshold starts to break up
Adjust Stabilizer to smooth out the threshold.

 

[crazy]

G'day guys just wanted to enquire about the settings on a 4500 I have recently upgraded and would like to know what is roughly the best, I have a training day coming up in a few weeks but have a bit of time now to go chasing that dreaded yellow rock thanks guys

 

[Murphy81]

Just needing to tell anyone! Got my "new" 4500 today, and couldn't be happier. Machine is in great nick, original receipt, all the gear supplied, the seller was a pleasure to deal with, and it was packed to withstand anything bar being run over. All works, just can't wait to get out and give it a whirl. Just need another decent mid sized mono, 14-16inches. Anyone had any experience with the Dtech range?

 

[Twapster]

U got the nuts there!