Jim Straight here

[jim straight 187]

Hey Fred... I now have an out of the box X-terra 70 manual.

Joe Z; When I was born (1930) life expectancy was shorter... Think of this:

As a baby I lived on Horlicks malted milk and canned milk as my formula. The

canned milk was sealed by a ring of solder (lead). Mercury was popular (in mining

and thermometers, and as a silver amalgamation in dental work). Asbestos was used as

a brake lining and roofing, and in the boilers of steam engines. Paint was lead.

Gasoline had lead in it. Lead was used in water pipes. Carbon tetra-chloride was

used in fire-extinguishers and as a dry-cleaning fluid, and the list goes on... Jim

[Joe Z 25]

Glad you fooled them with the life expectancy thing....Being born in 1950 i remember a few of the things you say and if i still had all my teeth they where lined very nicely with that silver. Don't forget drinking water out of the hose....we used to have the mosquito sprayer truck that would fog the neighborhood in the evening and we would all run behind the truck to get lost in the fog...... those where good times

Edited July 6, 2015 by Joe Z

[jim straight 187]

Happy Fourth of July... We have a tall flagpole in my front yard and it is thrilling

to see the large size Flag waving...

Here in my neighborhood... both legal and especially illegal fire works brought

in from Mexico were popping from sundown to after midnight... This is a big $$$$

business as there is a fireworks factory just a mile from my house and Stands

selling legal 'safe and sane' make a big profit as they are sanctioned by the

local city counsels as they are a big money maker... Thus the illegal fireworks

blend in; the worst is the cheaply made rockets which are known to start fires

as we are in a severe drought. I'm legally deaf and without my hearing aids I hear

them. Thanks everyone for posting... we need to get back to small-scale mining

and hopefully one of you will post an electronic log on 'our forum. jim

[Nugget Shooter 4,621]

Happy late 4th Jim

[jim straight 187]

Bill... You are most knowledgeable and impressive. As you remember me telling you,

back when you were driving a surplus BLM truck in the Rattlesnake canyon area,you

were parked just off the road and as I drove by heading in the same direction in

a similar F-150 Ford and not knowing that you were going to the Rattlesnake Canyon?

area and were many miles from home as you were there to meet Richard Delahanty.

Question: Do you still have Richards Blog thingy in your computer--- it is a set

of six? I later met Richard at a meeting of the "First Class Miners" shortly before

he passed away. Richard was a full-time substitute teacher (high-school math) in

Indio and we became e-mail friends. Bill thanks for you help over the years, I

really appreciate it and cannot find the words to express how much... jim

[rotchopf 4]

Hey Jim, I hear you are the expert on the area and topic. Out of the following detectors, which is the best for the area around the Rands Mountains in Kern county. Minelab SD2200 (d or v2), Minelab GP3500. These are the models I have found available in the price range I can afford.

Based on online reading, I believe the GP is the better for various reasons but it also costs 2x the SD models. Let me know and thank you.

Maybe we can meet up one day when it gets cooler out. We were at our claim today (early hours 7am-noon) to haul a ton but the roads were washed out so bad we only ended up getting a 1/4 ton before the heat became too much!

We (wife and self) live in Cal City but may be moving to Johannesburg in October. We have 2 historic load claims in the Rands Mountains and a small mill setup including a 4x6 jaw crusher with roller mill, impact mill and sluice shaker table. I've been saving up for a larger 10x15 jaw crusher but have considered getting a metal detector instead to change up the hauling and milling.

Please share your thoughts. Thank you, Chadron

[fredmason 1,135]

Chadron;

The 3500 is far better than the 2200...easy to use and better in every way. The one problem with either is getting them repaired, you might check with Minelab before buying...

i realize you asked Mr. Straight but I offer my never humble opinion anyway

fred

[rotchopf 4]

I appreciate the feedback Fred. So Ill make sure they work correctly before buying. A deal on a GP3000 came up for $1200, I may jump on that over the $1700 GP3500. I read the main difference between the 2 is the manual frequency tuning (not a major concern for the area) and the button that was added to the handle to allow easy switching between the manual and automatic ground balance modes. I used to have a Fisher Gold bug 2 and I loved the manual ground balance so the Gp3500 handle button (toggle switch sounds more appropriate) seems overrated. Regards, Chadron

[fredmason 1,135]

That little button was a wonderful improvement. reaching to switch from fixed to auto gb was a chore for me, others didnot mind so much. There is/was a button upgrade available to install on 3000's or earlier models.

fred

[jim straight 187]

Hey Fred.... I will always appreciate your posts on this subforum... So thanks for pushing

the button Pun intended.

Chadron Although this subforum is "pinned' and touted as "jim straight here" it is not about me...

Everyone is welcome to post.. but no schoolyard bullies or blue language as it is an open forum for all

You will find a truly encylopedic pages of knowledge within the 28 pages. Not mine, but I'm pretty familiar

with the Randsburg Rand Mountain Management Area (RMMA). Next time you are in Randsburg check

out the Musium,,,the curiator is smart and knowlegeable... Also check out the General Store and

all that Randsburg has to offer...

Hey Bill "RD" Richard Delahanty...I hope his six part blog is not lost in the sands of time jim

[jim straight 187]

Hey Bill thanks...

You once had a six episodes of RD... He found large quantities of placer over the years

in the Rattlesnake Canyon area. ???

[Nugget Shooter 4,621]

I still have his writings and am slowly adding them to the new website, he was a good friend and inspiration. Yes ESC was one of the areas I hunted with him, beautiful area!

[LukeJ 2,148]

Hey Jim Straight !!

Haven't heard from you in awhile.... Hope this message finds you in good health and good spirits

Luke

[Swampstomper Al 1,336]

What Luke said..

Hoping all is well with you..

SA

[jim straight 187]

Howdy Everyone... The recent moon eclipse was neat to see. It was barely

visible from my front yard. The next one, let us take a moment to ponder about

where we will be? Hey, I will then be over 100, likely not to be around.

Have you thought about this? Over the last 5-years gold has roller-coasted

up and down; but one thing seems to stand out, it tends to hove around, +-

$1200. I understand the Elko-Carlin-Trend guys have budgeted about $1100 average

for this year 2015... At the beginning of this year it was a little over $1300 but

the slowly dipped below $1200 and hovered just below $1100. So that's my

thoughts and I'm stuck with them...

Come-on ALL, don't be shy; this is your sub-forum. ( Hey Bill... The revision is done

and Plateau is printing the Eighth Edition. Joe is a jobber and you are a distributer

in good standing. I really appreciate all you have done for me over the past dozen

or so years...)

[Moise 5]

Jim,

So nice to see you posting. As the cooler weather is upon us up here in the High Desert my excitement is astir!

Hope all is well your way!

[jim straight 187]

Hello All... I've been sorta quiet the past several months

on this forum which by the way, would be a dull subject

as if'n you look over the prior posts is not... "jim straight

here";... but all of you who have contributed to make it 29

pages of good information.

Now as we all know Bill Southern has been paying the

bills to keep this sub-forum going...

Bill has been a great friend of mine over many years,

and has even given me credit that my books have been

helpful for him as I stress the importance of first knowing

your detector inside and out by making a target test

area along with bench testing it.. Gosh Bill, I'm deeply

honored and heart-felt that you have been a great friend

over the many years.

For those of you who have access to the GPAA Gold

Prospectors latest Vol. 41, No. 6; November-December

issue be sure to read Bills article Are you walking past NUGGETS?

by Bill Southern (pgs. 22-25) in the November-December issue of the

GPAA Gold Prospector's Magazine.

Bill... thank you for your friendship and encouragement over

all of the years... words fail me.... jim straight

[Ridge Runner 89]

Hi Jim

You know this turn your age back twenty years after you replace all joints. The only trouble is you will set off any metal detector. The one in my left shoulder before 9-11 didn't set a detector off but did after. I didn't get it by age being the factor but by my plane didn't want to fly anymore.

Hope you get well soon Jim.

Take Care!

Chuck Anders

[Uncle Ron 1,492]

Hey Jim ... It's great you're still kicking up the dust ... I haven't been doing so well but am healing and hope to start getting out now that the big AZ is getting more kindly ... Hope you're out getting those "Near Trona" nuggets very soon ... Cheers, Unc

[jim straight 187]

Hey ridgerunner be careful and it could be best your plane

doesn't fly anymore as there are drones zipping along w/o the

operators knowing, or even caring where other airplane are that

are following legal flight-plans. I agree there has been substantial

improvement in security walk through metal detectors; yet they

can detect a safety pin they still aren't perfect and can miss

finding a small bomb big enough to destroy a large airplane... jim

[jim straight 187]

Ron... I'm glad you are on the mend. Life can be a roller-coaster with

its ups and downs... Those nuggets are getting more elusive all the time; but

they are still out there; and I'm sure we will snag one or two before our batteries

wear-out... just pick a spot and keep beeping it until the broader "zip-zips"

become faint sharper "zits;" But, heck you already know that ... jim

[jim straight 187]

Good Morning to All of You.... Next Week (Thursday) is Thanksgiving.

Beginning today (is for me) a time of reflection; to remember the brief

period between Halloween, less daylight, and getting ready for Santa

Claus. Gosh where does the time go? I look in the mirror and see an

older guy in his mid-eighties and his reflection shows he has, and still

is, able to live and enjoy an active life...

So my thought, and message to ALL, is to continue to be kind to all of

our fellow man; and stay Strong and Positive.... There are far more of

us than those that chose to suicide/bomb; and eventually they will be

"gone"

[Nugget Shooter 4,621]

Hello All... I've been sorta quiet the past several months

on this forum which by the way, would be a dull subject

as if'n you look over the prior posts is not... "jim straight

here";... but all of you who have contributed to make it 29

pages of good information.

Now as we all know Bill Southern has been paying the

bills to keep this sub-forum going...

Bill has been a great friend of mine over many years,

and has even given me credit that my books have been

helpful for him as I stress the importance of first knowing

your detector inside and out by making a target test

area along with bench testing it.. Gosh Bill, I'm deeply

honored and heart-felt that you have been a great friend

over the many years.

For those of you who have access to the GPAA Gold

Prospectors latest Vol. 41, No. 6; November-December

issue be sure to read Bills article Are you walking past NUGGETS?

by Bill Southern (pgs. 22-25) in the November-December issue of the

GPAA Gold Prospector's Magazine.

Bill... thank you for your friendship and encouragement over

all of the years... words fail me.... jim straight

You are very welcome my long time and good friend....

[jim straight 187]

Bill I see that you and I are both active on the forum.... Thanks for all that you have

contributed to your fellow man by being so positive and setting a good example over

the years... jim

[jim straight 187]

Thank YOU Bill.... Jim