Earl Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 I currently use a Minelab GP3000 and have found nuggets 1/2 ounce+ at 24+ inches with it. I have heard from several seasoned prospectors that the GP3000 in the right settings and conditions will out perform the GP4000 and GPX4500 on larger nuggets at depth, but lags a little on shallow dinks with hot rocks and saltier soil. I have not used either a GP4000 or a GPX4500 but am curious what you guys think. It has also been said that you sacrifice depth and depth sensitivity for a smoother quieter search. I am very confident in my GP3000 and am curious if I could have found some of those same deep nuggets with the newer machines. Give me your honest opinions from experience not guess work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nugget Shooter Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 I have used all the models from the 2100 to the 4500 and believe me there is no loss of depth due to stability with the 4500. Learn to hunt with the 3000 and in the right hands it is a killer detector and I used one for a couple years before the 3500 and Minelab gets better with each model in my opinion and I would not go back. Yes I am a dealer, but it does not change my opinion or cause me to stretch the truth to get sales... Differences in deep large targets? Not huge in my opinion though added stability has allowed me to hear some deep missed targets in old patchesDifferences in 1/4 ounce and down nuggets is HUGE though and since there are far more in that size range in the areas I hunt I have scored oodles of smaller gold missed in old patches with previous units. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl Posted November 17, 2009 Author Share Posted November 17, 2009 Well Bill you would know. I trust your opinion. The settings are extremely important on performance and I never use DD coils. I still learn something new about my GP3000 and I probably have over 1000 hours on it. I am scared to upgrade and start the learning curve on new detector settings again. There are some things that my detector can do in certain settings that will reduce hot rock interference that took me along time to figure out. In those settings a nugget still sings when it is well within range. The trick is reading those soft signals that are almost out of range and differentiate them from a hotrock. I always scrape rocks and dirt away for a second swing over, and I still dig most targets. Wire and rusty tin pieces are easy to make out, but almost all deep signals get dug by myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyLundy Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 Earl,Bill is correct. Your GP 3000 can find them just as deep as the GPX unit's...GPX's will make it easier to hear some of the targets though. Keep digging!LuckyLundy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhlak Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 Earl I swing a 3000 up here in alaska and have come a cross some bedrock that looks like fractured sandstone and every crack gives off a signal that sounds like a nugget and has a lot of gold in it.So it is a guess at what it is that makes the signal,you cant dig them all I have tried that.I always use a dd coil or you could not even get close to the area. Do you have some sugestions on what seting and coils youuse for hot bedrock.thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lkn4azau Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 Earl If you remember I watched you dig a sub grain nugget up on the top of push 5, Do you remember that?? I was blown away.. no joke...... If it is working for you dont fix what is not broken unless its broken. how are you old freind?... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garimpo Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 Earl as you know Bill S. is a straight shooter...no BS about his gold hunting...a couple of things I would like to add are DD coils have been around for many yearsand I swing one more often than a mono...if your after deep almost out of range nuggets then I think the DD's blade signal will out perform the cone shape of themono's...even though our GP3000's are now "antiques" compared to the newer machinesI still love my 3000...I didn't realize how handy the ground balance switch on the handle of the 3500 is until I started using my new GPX4000...Arizona Outback has the handle to upgrade the 3000....When I bought my GP Extreme from Doc in Vegas years ago he said that if I wasn't usinga sound enhancer that I was walking over gold...how right he was..put the first one onthe Extreme..then another on the 3000....and now just put one on my 4000...One other suggestion...switch from "head phones" to "ear phones"...what a difference especially those deep whisper signals...not to mention no clamp pressure on the head...not heavy...no sweat running down your neck...and just pure sound in the center of yourhead...good hunting.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garimpo Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 Just thought of another little secret that I'll let you in on...don't think this has ever been discussed here before...everyone's hearing is a little different andI've always thought that the Minelab machines volume control left a little to bedesired...that's why the sound enhancers...but another thing I did about five yearsago was I went to a hearing test center and had a test run on my hearing...it cost a few bucks but well worth it...they put you in a sound proof room...a head set and a button to push when you hear the sounds...at the end of the test they will tell you what "tones" you hear best...now remember the "tone" switch on your machine? Try it...your finds will improve... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coyoteslayer Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 I ran a GP3000 for a while and I found a ton of gold with it. I loved the machine, but there was a reason that I upgraded to the GPX4000. Lucky and I ran into a patch that had a probelm with EMI's. I was running the GP3000 and I was getting a good amount of gold. On the third trip out I stopped getting nuggets and Rick was still knocking them out. My GP3000 couldn't handle the EMI's as well as the 4000 was. I ran into a great deal on a GPX and upgraded. There was a small learning curve but not bad. Once I got a good handle on the GPX, I was pounding gold out of that patch I wasn't able to hear with my GP3000. Man what a difference, I was picking up smaller gold at depth. As far as large gold goes at depth, I think they are pretty close but the GPX runs a bit smoother so in my opinion it has it beat on that one too. Another thing I would like to add and I don't know if its just me, but with the GPX series the coils seem to be sharper on response, depth, and sensitivity. I think it might be the voltage that it runs on or something along those lines(I'm not a electrical enineer). Last thing I wanted to mention was with the GPX series your able to switch the gain, having this at your finger tips is a huge advantage along with able to fine adjust your channels after tuning your machine. I hope this helps, I know I got to rambling on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denny Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 Earl Hope you and yours are good.There is good info here.The fact is the GPX 4500 is all the best of the prior machines,With the stability that is possible to achive with this machine ,those faint deep signals are much more noticable.Also with the small gold,It is enhanced,It is modified and it is better,There is the slight groawl you get on the deeper ones,It is faint but a 3500 or even a 4000 does not balance it all out like the 4500. It is all about stability in threshold so those slight changes are noticed.That said still you have to have a good ear for the signals.Maybe if you order one know you might get it by the 1st of the year.I have found gold at a gain of 6 ,But a even thershold that was small and deep.It was almost unbelieveable :twocents: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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