MINELAB V WHITES - JUST MY HUMBLE NOOB EXPERIENCE

[ProspectorPete]

A lot of good points mentioned in the last few posts.

I started 2 years ago with a MXT Pro and bought a TDI SL not long after, trying to learn both machines with limited time to get out on field trips.
After 12 months and no gold I decided I didn't have the required time to put into learning them properly so sold both machines and was a bit disheartened about detecting all together.
I moved onto dry blowing last Summer and continued panning/sluicing the creeks when water was available but ended up giving prospecting away by April last year because my shoulders were in so much pain, turned out to be osteo arthritis in the joints brought on by dry blowing and 8 hrs a day moving rocks in creeks.
When the warmer weather arrived in Spring my shoulders were pain free and the desire to prospect was as strong as ever so I decided it was time to go detecting again as it is less brutal on my shoulders, after following the Makro GR progress last year I decided to take the plunge since it's light, seemed to handle the mineralised ground pretty good, price was what I could justify to myself for the amount of time I get to go out and I'm so happy to be back at it, this time with a better head space as far as knowing if I keep to the basic principals of what works best on this detector then eventually I'll put my coil over a piece of gold with my name on it. I have 4 trips under my belt so far with the Makro and I've never felt more confident that the next swing is one swing closer to my first gold target.

After my second trip late last year I was starting to doubt my machine and contemplated buying a SD or GP to look for deeper targets, have the option on trips away to use either detector depending on the area or how I felt that day. After a lot of thought and my last 2 trips finding good 22 bullets and bird shot at depth in areas that have detector holes everywhere I've come to realise that getting another detector will only take me back to where I was with the 2 Whites machines, not getting time to learn either or both so I decided I would stick to just 1 detector until I learn it properly and start finding gold on a semi regular basis. I invested in the bigger coil last week to give me the best chance of getting the most out of my detector and the best available options for a particular area, 3 coils all with their own purpose.

One thing I now realise is if I had stuck to just the MXT Pro and learnt how to use it properly or the TDI SL properly I would most likely have found a few bits of gold by now. The Whites are great machines for the money (more so pre price hike) and I wish I stuck with it back then, the doubt that creeps in when reading comments like 'if you aren't using a ML then you're simply wasting your time' was a major factor to me selling the Whites and giving it away as I simply couldn't justify spending 3-4k for something I'd use 6-8 times a year.

I'm glad I've moved past that and happy with where I'm at detecting, I know I can't compete with the ML's in open ground but I can look for the scraps left behind in high EMI areas (powerlines etc) and reefy outcrops as well as trashy areas like behind the hospital in Dunolly where the PI's dare not venture

 

[Norvic]

On ya, Pete keep positive and just enjoy out there, the gold will come. Took me 3 years to score 35 years ago and it was laying around a fair bit in those days, I now know I had missed it, right place just no experience, thinking the more country I did the more chance. But just like fishing the further you boat travel the more fish you go over.

 

[Ridge Runner]

A lot of good points mentioned in the last few posts.

I started 2 years ago with a MXT Pro and bought a TDI SL not long after, trying to learn both machines with limited time to get out on field trips.
After 12 months and no gold I decided I didn't have the required time to put into learning them properly so sold both machines and was a bit disheartened about detecting all together.
I moved onto dry blowing last Summer and continued panning/sluicing the creeks when water was available but ended up giving prospecting away by April last year because my shoulders were in so much pain, turned out to be osteo arthritis in the joints brought on by dry blowing and 8 hrs a day moving rocks in creeks.
When the warmer weather arrived in Spring my shoulders were pain free and the desire to prospect was as strong as ever so I decided it was time to go detecting again as it is less brutal on my shoulders, after following the Makro GR progress last year I decided to take the plunge since it's light, seemed to handle the mineralised ground pretty good, price was what I could justify to myself for the amount of time I get to go out and I'm so happy to be back at it, this time with a better head space as far as knowing if I keep to the basic principals of what works best on this detector then eventually I'll put my coil over a piece of gold with my name on it. I have 4 trips under my belt so far with the Makro and I've never felt more confident that the next swing is one swing closer to my first gold target.

After my second trip late last year I was starting to doubt my machine and contemplated buying a SD or GP to look for deeper targets, have the option on trips away to use either detector depending on the area or how I felt that day. After a lot of thought and my last 2 trips finding good 22 bullets and bird shot at depth in areas that have detector holes everywhere I've come to realise that getting another detector will only take me back to where I was with the 2 Whites machines, not getting time to learn either or both so I decided I would stick to just 1 detector until I learn it properly and start finding gold on a semi regular basis. I invested in the bigger coil last week to give me the best chance of getting the most out of my detector and the best available options for a particular area, 3 coils all with their own purpose.

One thing I now realise is if I had stuck to just the MXT Pro and learnt how to use it properly or the TDI SL properly I would most likely have found a few bits of gold by now. The Whites are great machines for the money (more so pre price hike) and I wish I stuck with it back then, the doubt that creeps in when reading comments like 'if you aren't using a ML then you're simply wasting your time' was a major factor to me selling the Whites and giving it away as I simply couldn't justify spending 3-4k for something I'd use 6-8 times a year.

I'm glad I've moved past that and happy with where I'm at detecting, I know I can't compete with the ML's in open ground but I can look for the scraps left behind in high EMI areas (powerlines etc) and reefy outcrops as well as trashy areas like behind the hospital in Dunolly where the PI's dare not venture

Pete, I totally understand and I feel for ya, I did the exact same thing over here, for nearly 6 years, And then when I bought the first MXT I knew it was a bit special So off I went as we all do with a knew machine feeling like A kid at Christmas and 12 hours a day I came home wondering what &%$ I had done wrong the crap I dug and the ground was Sooo Hard and It effected me so bad that I never went out of the house for a week, And then a Mate who first showed me how good it was said something about trusting the machine, So I went back to that site, I powered it up set up as normal and the first 4 foot swing of the Coil I hit 3 targets and all of them were Gold with a total of over 16.1 grams, I dug the first one and the next and then the 3rd and I thought my mate ain't ever going to believe this, Less than 5 Minutes and I just paid for the Machine, And it was/IS at a test site where Reps and Dealers demo'ed machines etc and it had been the victim to hundreds of Club rallies and here I was with all this GOLD, This Certain spot I had done with every machine that I had ever owned It was the spot where I always set up my machines, It was and still is the spot where I stop for Smoko, Hell I even know the Ants by Name So this was no accident because this place Is my Yawning Log where I contemplate the day and the results etc,

The main Issue with the MXT is like "Me" people tend to over think it and try to make it do what "Their" Idea of how a Detector should work and That is totally "Wrong". The MXT could be compared to the C6/FMX or the Turbo 400 Gearbox's You put it in Drive and off ya Go, There are one or 2 ways to make it see real tiny bits But that is it, There is no Tweaking of the Disc to smooth out the Ground, If you crank it up and the Ground is Too Hot or there is Huge Iron in the Ground or Coke from Burning Coal and Wood and Hot Rocks It will Tell you what is Wrong. Along with the GMT's They have been Tested in -40*c and below in Antarctica and In Death Valley where the Temps reach well beyond 120/130*f or 60*-70*c.

You don't need a Minelab to find Gold and you Don't need an MXT either But either one Does have out standing performance at what they can do, What you need is the best machine that suits your needs that will not have hidden tricks to make it work for you, You should not have fight the machine to be successful, The SDC is a Classic example of this, "Set Up" bang and off you Go and just look how many tiny nuggets the SDC has found, That is nothing short of Incredible. That is how to run the MXT and Listen for that faint "Whoo-hoo" you can either Bleep a coin or what ever at 12 to 14 inches or you can hit one at 18 to 20+ inches,

The Knowledge Base on this forum is far in favour of ML and that is a real bonus because no matter what model a person buys you can always get help and some of the best Coils in the world are made in Australia. Even being far away from Home I still try to buy Aussie Products,

When it comes to the MXT the Factory Coils are too hot for OZ where their sensitivity can work against them but their smaller coils works because they see less surface area and Coils like the 5.3 can see crazy Tiny bits, A Perfect upgrade for the MXT's in OZ would be the use of Detech Coils because they are Hot but not over the top where they allow the Ground conditions to over ride a possible target and give the Machine the wrong information, and the end result is that they can see deeper in to Hotter ground giving stronger Target responses, I own a few Coil and these are the things I have found during testing,

The Nuggets don't care what machine finds them and if a person is worried about finding Gold then they have either spent too much or worse, Which moves their hobby away from being a fun thing and turns it in to a Life and death situation and it ceases to be fun any more and that turns in to problems at home and a whole mess of other stuff,

A Zed or a 5k might be on our wish list but either one puts us under pressure to be successful, For one they are the best and if it is there it should find it, But the Cost is always in the backs of our minds and then we are not paying attention when we are swinging the Coil and leaving targets in the Ground. I Know because I did that exact same thing when I bought the first GP-3500 back in 2004/5. The whole situation was my Own fault, I had many other Minelab machines and out of frustration I went to the shop and asked what is the best machine on the market and they said the GP-3500, I said I'll take it, One guy at the shop tried to talk me out of it but I was on a mission and that sealed my fate, And the rest is History.

As "Norvic" pointed out it took him 3 years to find his first bit and it took me 5 to 6 years, When you are starting out you should go to such places and go there to have fun and chill out and if you find Gold well that's a bonus but if you go there with the mind set where you commit your self heavily money wise where you have to find Gold you will never find any thing because your mind is not on your game and as the week comes closer to the end you will find that your patients wear thin and things start to turn Sour,

Machines like the Nokta's and Makro's and the MXT's put the fun in to Detecting because you get an Awful Lot for the Money and they if it is there then they will find it, Any one of those machines can do the job and keep it Real, I have watched one member here for many years and It is good to see that even though he has been there and done that, That he is still getting out there with his VLF's having fun and being successful,

Be lucky folks,

John.

 

[bustinuggets]

My SPP is less than half the of the SDC2300...I'm confident it will find gold if I put it under it... and its lighter.

So time to hit the maps and find new places to dig up trash...lol

Sounds like you haven't found any old yet with your SPP, nor any detector...Correct?

 

[Goldpick]

.....he did mention the word noob.

 

[bustinuggets]

.....he did mention the word noob.

Yeah. Sorry, maybe I have an issue within myself that I need to work on, but every now and again a new user seems to come on to a forum and starts a new thread and declares on the top of his voice (in a not very humble way, as the thread title mistakenly says) about how a cheaper machine will do the job of a more expensive machine (or how anyone who pays $4k + for a Minelab SDC or GPX is a sucker, when a $700 used Whites or Garrett will do just the same thing).

Nearly 100% of the time, this new user has never found any gold, but declares that if he happens to walk over any, he and his machine will most definitely get it (a more humble approach would be to realise that he may or may not get any gold that might happen to be under him - which the evidence has so far indicated).

I have nothing at all against noobs not having found gold, or having an opinion. Why would I?

It's the disingenuous thread title and crowing that irks me.

And what usually happens to the new user? Sometimes he goes on to find gold with the machine they're praising.

Usually, though, they either disappear from the forum after their 15 minutes in the spotlight, and the machine is on guntree, eBay or the for sale section of the forum.

Or ends up selling the whiz-bang budget model and buys a "sucker's" model GPX or SDC, once they realise that a Ford Falcon isn't going to do the job of a Toyota Landcruiser or Hilux in this country.

Again, I have nothing against new users or new new detectorists or anyone...It's just the "humble" bit.

 

[LC76]

I got nothin.

 

[Ridge Runner]

.....he did mention the word noob.

Yeah. Sorry, maybe I have an issue within myself that I need to work on, but every now and again a new user seems to come on to a forum and starts a new thread and declares on the top of his voice (in a not very humble way, as the thread title mistakenly says) about how a cheaper machine will do the job of a more expensive machine (or how anyone who pays $4k + for a Minelab SDC or GPX is a sucker, when a $700 used Whites or Garrett will do just the same thing).

Nearly 100% of the time, this new user has never found any gold, but declares that if he happens to walk over any, he and his machine will most definitely get it (a more humble approach would be to realise that he may or may not get any gold that might happen to be under him - which the evidence has so far indicated).

I have nothing at all against noobs not having found gold, or having an opinion. Why would I?

It's the disingenuous thread title and crowing that irks me.

And what usually happens to the new user? Sometimes he goes on to find gold with the machine they're praising.

Usually, though, they either disappear from the forum after their 15 minutes in the spotlight, and the machine is on guntree, eBay or the for sale section of the forum.

Or ends up selling the whiz-bang budget model and buys a "sucker's" model GPX or SDC, once they realise that a Ford Falcon isn't going to do the job of a Toyota Landcruiser or Hilux in this country.

Again, I have nothing against new users or new new detectorists or anyone...It's just the "humble" bit.

People need to be more tolerant of newbies and make allowances for their enthusiasm, They get a new machine and just want to get in to the thick of it, We have all been there and having a chop at them for something that we have all done is not right, There is no need to crush their dreams,, I have taken folks fishing with their brand new cheap Rod and Reel and they have whooped me, I took my son out detecting when he was young with his little bounty hunter, He got 27 coins I got 8 with my minelab, Whites or Garrett will find Gold if it is within reach of the machine, The Hand of Faith was found with an old Garrett ADS at about a foot deep and that was way back before PI's were invented, To have the best possible chance at the Gold yes a GPX or an SDC would be Ideal but they are not compulsory, There are some people here that are that good at prospecting it would not matter what machine they had in their hands but put a 5k or an SDC in an average persons hands and they will walk over Gold and dig a heap of Iron and Lead.

Some folks tend to think that because someone only spend a few hundred bucks on a machine that they have no right to find Gold But they can and Do and when they see what others are finding and eventually they will move up to bigger and better machines, I have seen so many people here do exactly that, Going from a newbie to a full on prospector in a matter of a year to 18 months and it is a great thing to see after watching them struggle so hard to do it all the right way, There is a couple of people here I am impressed by having watched them grow within the hobby,

The One thing I would tell any Newbie is buy a Good machine regardless of the brand and learn it inside out and don't go chopping and changing machines all the time and when you know it well enough then worry about buying bigger and better, These are great times for newbies because they have the choice of machine like the Nokta's and Makro's and the MXT and the Deus and the F75 etc and all those machines are evenly match so they only have to buy the one they like because the results will be pretty much the same from Relics to Gold,

John.

 

[Ridge Runner]

A lot of good points mentioned in the last few posts.

I started 2 years ago with a MXT Pro and bought a TDI SL not long after, trying to learn both machines with limited time to get out on field trips.
After 12 months and no gold I decided I didn't have the required time to put into learning them properly so sold both machines and was a bit disheartened about detecting all together.
I moved onto dry blowing last Summer and continued panning/sluicing the creeks when water was available but ended up giving prospecting away by April last year because my shoulders were in so much pain, turned out to be osteo arthritis in the joints brought on by dry blowing and 8 hrs a day moving rocks in creeks.
When the warmer weather arrived in Spring my shoulders were pain free and the desire to prospect was as strong as ever so I decided it was time to go detecting again as it is less brutal on my shoulders, after following the Makro GR progress last year I decided to take the plunge since it's light, seemed to handle the mineralised ground pretty good, price was what I could justify to myself for the amount of time I get to go out and I'm so happy to be back at it, this time with a better head space as far as knowing if I keep to the basic principals of what works best on this detector then eventually I'll put my coil over a piece of gold with my name on it. I have 4 trips under my belt so far with the Makro and I've never felt more confident that the next swing is one swing closer to my first gold target.

After my second trip late last year I was starting to doubt my machine and contemplated buying a SD or GP to look for deeper targets, have the option on trips away to use either detector depending on the area or how I felt that day. After a lot of thought and my last 2 trips finding good 22 bullets and bird shot at depth in areas that have detector holes everywhere I've come to realise that getting another detector will only take me back to where I was with the 2 Whites machines, not getting time to learn either or both so I decided I would stick to just 1 detector until I learn it properly and start finding gold on a semi regular basis. I invested in the bigger coil last week to give me the best chance of getting the most out of my detector and the best available options for a particular area, 3 coils all with their own purpose.

One thing I now realise is if I had stuck to just the MXT Pro and learnt how to use it properly or the TDI SL properly I would most likely have found a few bits of gold by now. The Whites are great machines for the money (more so pre price hike) and I wish I stuck with it back then, the doubt that creeps in when reading comments like 'if you aren't using a ML then you're simply wasting your time' was a major factor to me selling the Whites and giving it away as I simply couldn't justify spending 3-4k for something I'd use 6-8 times a year.

I'm glad I've moved past that and happy with where I'm at detecting, I know I can't compete with the ML's in open ground but I can look for the scraps left behind in high EMI areas (powerlines etc) and reefy outcrops as well as trashy areas like behind the hospital in Dunolly where the PI's dare not venture

Pete, sorry to re-quote your post again But there is One important thing that you and many others seem to be missing As this has turned in to such an in depth thread, And I think that it is an important one because it will give "You" and others like you the confidence In your skills and your Detector Regardless of whether you use the MXT or the Makro GR / Relic etc, which I might add have grown considerably,

We all know that VLF and LF machines will not punch deep as PI's and how well the SDC can sniff out very small Gold, But those tiny nuggets are never very deep, So your GR and other VLFs stand as much of a chance of finding them as the SDC can in most cases, The Proof is there in Nenads Video's,

I rave about what my machine can do for one reason and that is because when I am not detecting I spend most of my spare time testing with coils, Conditions and locations, So I have little doubt of what I can achieve with it or how to set it up. this is what folks should be doing in their spare time, because most folks do there learning when they are on their prospecting trips which I might add is a waste of time because they are there to find Gold not practice what different settings do with their detector and then wonder why they don't make the finds, It's is the same with any Job you do the learning before they let you loose in the real world, whether it be in the Army, Golfers or the footie. They "ALL" practice when they are not out in/on the field. If I add a new Coil and I will spend 3-4-5 weeks testing it and only when I run out of ideas or I am satisfied with the results do I stop,

The smallest bit I have found weighed 0.006 grams and although it was lead I still found it just the same, If I had not practiced then I would never of heard it not in a flying fit, Your GR can mix it with the best of them have no fear. Just don't waste the time you have off and don't do your practicing when you are on your prospecting trips.

hope this helps,

John.

 

[kurra]

Great thread guys. Another newbie here and I have been going blindly around in circles trying to find my first detector. This thread has given me the confidence in starting with a vlf and having some fun. Still not sure what I will purchase but lots of food for thought. Thank you so much, k. :Y:

 

[BushChook]

Sorry to add fuel to the fire but as a newbie also with a $750 second hand Goldbug 2 found gold first outing to Tibooburra commons (severely thrashed ground) working next to a GPX5000 user with 10 years experience who found nothing, zero!.. Keep positive, learn your machine and have fun.
Different horses for different courses. :Y:

 

[Ridge Runner]

Sorry to add fuel to the fire but as a newbie also with a $750 second hand Goldbug 2 found gold first outing to Tibooburra commons (severely thrashed ground) working next to a GPX5000 user with 10 years experience who found nothing, zero!.. Keep positive, learn your machine and have fun.
Different horses for different courses. :Y:

Having a machine like the GB 2 will give you a head start, Being one of the top 2 LF machines, and it has had a proven record since 1995, That's some going for a 22 year old detector, we saw some impressive machines hit the market around 1995/2005, I think it was one of the best eras for detectors.