Newbie Gold!

[danny]

Hi all,

So in my last post i asked for advice on the best detector for a novice prospector (considering my small budget). I have to admit, against good advice i went with the Xterra 705, which at the time was on sale at Anaconda. After several visits to the Vic goldfields i found nothing but junk and lots of hot rocks. Also spent some time at the local beach and managed to snag myself a few coins on each visit.

It wasn't all bad in the gold fields with the 705. I got out into the bush, enjoyed the surroundings, gained some much needed experience and took home and disposed of a couple of bags of rusty crap.

After joining a few online groups, reading others experiences and also reading A LOT posts from this forum i could see that if i wanted to get the most out of the new hobby i would have to invest in something a little more serious.

Well, i grabbed myself an SDC and took her out last weekend. Here are my first ever nuggets on my first time out with the blue hoover.

It was a great feeling seeing that shiny stuff in my scoop, even though i was in the Vic gold fields swinging a proven nugget finder i still couldn't believe i was holding a little gold nugget and it wasn't long before i found my second. I know it's not a big find but i can't wait to get out again and get back into it.

 

[user 7222]

Those are the greatest bits of gold you'll ever hold. NOTHING replaces the first bits!

 

[danny]

Hey Patrick,

Yep, i'll defo be keeping those bits. Hopefully i can add to them and get to paying off the new toy. Eventually. :Y:

 

[kemjak57]

The first one is always the hardest but then you seem to be able to sniff them out a little better. Congrats on your first ones :Y:

 

[danny]

Cheers Kemjak.

I think i got a bit lucky with these bits, i spent a few hours detecting over old diggings and some detector holes i'd found and didn't have any luck with those. Stopped for a bite to eat and on the way back to the car i pinged the first bit while walking along the track. Lunch was delayed for a while due to a bit of gold fever. The second piece was found a little later in the day on the same track.

I had the SDC set on 2. I think i might have to go back to the same spot and go over the same places with the sensitivity set higher and see what happens.

Hopefully with a bit of time learning the new machine i'll find a few more.

 

[samrota]

Well done on your first bits. First of many with the SDC I'm sure.

I normally run mine on sensitivity 4 if conditions allow.

Keep at it and good luck.

 

[Ridge Runner]

WTG Danny, well done mate, they'll be no holding ya now, most guys here run the SDC up on the limit so I would do that and get back out there if I was you, you can bet ya boots them nuggets have friends, good luck, :Y:

J.

 

[Heatho]

Well done on your first bits. First of many with the SDC I'm sure.

I normally run mine on sensitivity 4 if conditions allow.

Keep at it and good luck.

I usually run mine on 3 and boost it up if conditions allow also. It can get a bit noisy on setting 5 if there is alot of EMI or the ground is heavily mineralised. It's always worth trying though to see if it can be detected on 5.

Well done on your first gold Dan. Nice pieces.

 

[jamie]

Well done mate, that first nugget is always a great joy, I still remember mine like it was yesterday
Again well done
Cheers
Jamie

 

[7.62marksman]

 

[danny]

Thanks heaps for the advice and encouragement, i'll definitely be heading back to the same place and playing with the settings. I'm more than happy with just getting out there, enjoying the bush and having a bit of solitude. Any finds no matter how small are a big bonus for me. If i do happen to walk over any small gold or even something a bit bigger then i'm much more confident that i'll be able to ping it and dig it up now.

I think i dug about 40 or 50 holes before i found that first piece, it's funny how after digging up that first little nugget it makes you so much more attentive to every target you hear after that.

Love this forum and all the info and stories in it.

 

[gasco29]

Congratulations with your first nuggets

 

[kingswood]

Well done and congratulations!
Hope there are plenty more out there for you too

 

[DetectingSA]

Woo hoo well done mate

 

[danny]

Cheers!

 

[wombat digger]

Hi. I was up at Wedderburn in vic a few years back and swinging a Garrett deep seeker. I was not having much luck but kept at it. I did eventually find my first nugget. It was huge. I did not know what to do. I could not get it out of the hole. Did not want to leave it iin case someone came across it. I felt I needed a tow truck to lift it out. ... THEN I WOKE UP.
Good luck to you. at least you get to keep it and lookat it when ever you want. I couldn't. Pitty. But I will keep trying.
Cheers and happy new year.
Doug

 

[BigWave]

Great going danny. Looking forward to seeing more of your finds.
Hi wombat digger. I found the same one, but at 105kg I couldn't get it out of the hole.
My simple solution was to drop it back to 25kg, then all was well till I was stopped by police on my way home and they confiscated it.
That was the end of those dreams.

 

[danny]

Thx Big Wave & Wombat. I've had daydreams just like that lol. Hope to add to this thread in the future. I'm heading to the same spot in a couple of weeks, with a bit of luck i'll have more pics to post. Happy new year to all!

 

[Paul13]

well Done Danny!
I own a vlf (Garrett at gold)but find only trash for months

So at that time I was finding more gold from panning/crevicing and sluicing...

But what I didnt know is the water will stop flowing during the summer and when my first summer in Australia(vic) arrived I got stuck(no water for panning)
So I decided to buy a second hand sdc2300 .. it changed everything and the first time I turned it on I found a nugget 0.130g
Since the sdc I didnt touch a pan..

After three months I sold it to be able to upgrade for gpx 5000

I think the best way to get into gold detecting is the sdc
since I got the gpz7000 I got the feeling its a powerful sdc and very happy with what I find..
Here is what I found in three months with the sdc:

Sdc is the right choice imo :Y:
Happy new year !

 

[Moneybox]

One thing is for sure. You are the first person to ever get his grimy little paws on the pretty little rock in the last few million years :Y: