LukeJ

Nuggets are good, sunbakers are better !! Congratulations !!

Hey all, It's been awhile, but the summer is on it's way out and great weather is here !! Met up with Tom early this morning in my driveway..... He insisted on driving and I didn't want to argue with such a nice guy. Tom is such a nice guy, that he took me out to one of his most coveted detecting spots. Many ounces found there in the past and with the recent rains, things had been stirred up a bit. Even though it's been detected thoroughly in the past, there was still the possibility for some good finds and we were both excited to hike in there. Upon arrival, Tom wanted to detect the lower portion, and I hiked up a bit further. Maybe not as far as I should have. I knew it was the place I was going to set my backpack down when I rounded the bend and viewed a nice stretch of bedrock poking up through the gravels. This area has very little trash, but lots of large iron stones. Every few steps or less, there's a target to dig. Usually a loud, black rock turns up. But good gold has been found here, so you gotta dig em all. My 4th target was a nice half gram nugget. About 20 feet away, I scored another. I went to get Tom and he poked around there for a bit before going on up ahead. A half an hour later, he comes back with a freshly dug nug he had pried out of the bedrock up around the corner. Perfect day so far, no skunks and still time to find more. So we did. My third nugget, the biggest and deepest of the day, was found under or right next to, a bologna sandwich-sized iron stone. I spent about 10 minutes digging and widening the hole so I could get the 15" EVO in there to better pinpoint the target. Then the iron stone came out of the hole. It sounded exactly like what I had been hearing when I passed it over the coil. But I wasn't done yet. Always check the hole for another target. I slid the coil back in there and it screamed. A 2+ gram nugget was my prize. When I met up with Tom a little later, he had another nugget under his belt so all was good. We talked and rested for a bit, and then detected for another hour or so, before starting the journey home. On the way out, I couldn't help but wonder if my detecting costume somehow played a role in today's finds. When I first purchased this shirt, the seller didn't exactly say it, but it seemed implied that the shirt possessed magical powers. The first couple times wearing it, I was worried that I got a dud. But these last two times, after enough dirt and sweat and some catclaw holes in the sleeves, it seems to be working as intended. If any of you can get ahold of one of these shirts, I'd highly recommend it. Thanks again Tom, maybe I'll drive next time. Luke

I'll bring some homemade coleslaw.

Thanks again Tom !! It's always a good time and the gold is a bonus. The flat nugget was .69g. I little heavier than expected. I will say that we've got to start looking for some easier to get to spots. Those long hikes are rough. Luke

My phone is 8 years old and still takes all the great pictures I post on here. Being a Samsung probably helps some. Main thing is getting the right distance so the thing can focus. Another important thing is to have it steadied against something so it doesn't move after it's in focus. I usually take ten pictures to get one or two 'good ones'. Good Luck, nice nug.

Try to get a picture under the diffused light of a cloudy sky. Keeping the camera a little farther away so it can focus will allow the best picture. Then, crop/edit the picture in order to 'zoom' in.

Excellent finds BD !! Sorry to hear about your friend.... Luke

No doubt it's more effective.

Fine gold timing.

Truly a historic event. If I had the cash, I'd seriously think about picking it up for the sentimental value alone. Plus, I'd get a chuckle out of showing it to you at every outing. Times are a changin'

Mono coils have nearly the same length of wire in them, big or small.

Keep in mind that some of the 'club claim' reviews may be fairly old in relation to current technology. Perhaps the author thought the ground was too hot for his VLF. The GPX will handle the ground differently. Main thing is you gotta go and check it out. Don't try to max out the gain thinking you'll get more depth. It's like high-beams in fog. I usually run my gain within 1 or 2 numbers from the factory preset. Many times, it's on the lower side.

There also comes a point, where there is nothing new to read, no new questions to ask. All that's left, is getting out there and figuring it out for yourself. Anyone who's become a successful nugget shooter has been through it too. One more tip if I may.... When you do get out there. Bring one coil. Sure, if your will power is strong, bring a 'back-up' to leave in the truck. But try to resist the temptation to switch coils when frustration rises and patience declines. Learn how to use that one coil in the environment you are detecting. Try different timings, adjust the gain and stabilizer to get a smooth threshold. There are lots of variables you'll have to learn to control/manage. Sticking with one coil to start, will be a great help in understanding the other variables more quickly. If you choose a small coil, try to hunt places where a small coil has an advantage. Places that are brushy and/or rocky are good examples. Shallow ground with bedrock exposure. Want to use a larger coil? The more open ground on hillsides might be a good place to start. Try to tailor your day's hunt to the coil you are using. Over time, you'll have some spots and you'll know what coil works 'best' there, based on your experiences and the circumstances. Luke

I only use a mono coil. DD coils are heavier since they have roughly twice the amount of wire in them. DD coils require side-to-side swing, mostly. Mono coils are easier to stab under bushes in my opinion. The field of a mono coil is conical and more 'pure' / 'un-disturbed', the way I see it. Greater depth and a smoother threshold, when the detector is set up correctly. In my opionion. Hot rocks are part of the game. There is no getting away from them. Unless the ground doesn't have any, then there may not be any gold as well. I generally run sensitive extra no matter what size mono coil I'm running. I've tried the other timings in certain situations, but usually end up back in sensitive extra. I think I found gold one time using enhance, and a couple times with fine gold, the rest with SE. The size and depth of the gold I find, leaves me thinking I'm not missing much. There are multiple timings for a reason and you will have to get boots on the ground to answer that question for yourself. When I'm digging 'hot rocks', the next one could be gold. It's happened several times now and that's what I tell myself. If you're not digging 'hot rocks' then you're probably missing gold. There is some 'hot ground' in Arizona, but overall, it's mild to medium in most places. Boots on the ground and hours passed swinging the coil is the wisdom you're looking for. Good Luck !!

Sounds good. We'll have to get out/in a bit further than before.