New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

The forum has moved to community.paydirt.co.nz, see you there!

This forum is now an archive to preserve the knowledge and finds posted here.

Jim		Posted : Friday, 23 July 2010 5:47:30 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Dust Groups: Registered Joined: 23/07/2010(UTC) Posts: 8 Location: Coast Thanks: 1 times Was thanked: 2 time(s) in 2 post(s)		Hi all, I have done a bit of hobby prospecting on the West Coast from time to time; just below Hoki. I cannot claim to have found much yet apart from some colour; have been using a pan and sluice traditional styles - bloody hard yakka ay. After having a go on a metal detector I have decided thats the go for me at the moment and am currently on the hunt for a goodie. Cheers, Jim

x-terra steve		Posted : Friday, 23 July 2010 8:59:06 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 7/04/2010(UTC) Posts: 224 Location: Nelson NZ Thanks: 103 times Was thanked: 69 time(s) in 42 post(s)		Hi Jim, welcome to the site. Good choice to get into detecting!,You have on your door step some top detecting spots. I have been using a Minelab x-Terra 70 for the past three years which has done me well. Keep an eye on trademe as from time to time you can pick up a good deal. Have you any idear of what detector you might go for? if you are unsure in ya purchase there are a few guys on this forum that should be able to help. Cheers Steve

Jim		Posted : Friday, 23 July 2010 10:28:45 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Dust Groups: Registered Joined: 23/07/2010(UTC) Posts: 8 Location: Coast Thanks: 1 times Was thanked: 2 time(s) in 2 post(s)		Thanks Steve, Yeah, the coast has definitely got its fair share of spots. Just looked up the X-Terra 70 too, looks like a nice machine and I notice they don't make it anymore; I presume the 705 is the update. My sights are initially set on a used Minelab SD or one of the GP's; there seems to be a good accessory market and admittedly I am a bit pumped up on Minelab from watching Youtube video's of gold detecting; they always seem to be using those Pulse Induction detectors :) I am always open to suggestion though. Trademe second hand market seems a little bit dead although I noticed someone has posted a 4500 for $6,500 bid there yesterday; hopefully a few more good deals will be on there soon. Cheers, Jim

Rockchip		Posted : Friday, 23 July 2010 11:46:23 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Dust Groups: Registered Joined: 17/07/2010(UTC) Posts: 5 Location: Queenstown		Hi Jim Give Trading Post.com.au a try it is an Ausie site where people post items for sale with contact numbers of the seller. I managed to get a Minelab GP 3000 through there for my use. Bendigo Gold trade in second hand detectors and they can give you an indication on prices for the various models.One thing buying from a dealer is a safeguard against buying a lemon I was a hell of a nervous buying cold turkey but it all worked out fine in my case.All I have to do now is find some gold

Jim		Posted : Friday, 23 July 2010 1:28:17 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Dust Groups: Registered Joined: 23/07/2010(UTC) Posts: 8 Location: Coast Thanks: 1 times Was thanked: 2 time(s) in 2 post(s)		Thanks Rockchip, I bet you were nervous and let me know if NZ Customs charged you duty/gst. Looks like there are three on TradingPost; that's good to know about.I have rang a few of the dealers over there incl. Bendigo Gold and sounds like the current rates (AUD + $70 postage) for used equipment is: SD's: $1000 - $2000 GP Ex: $2300 - $2700 GP 3k: $2800 - $3000 GP 3.5k: $3500 GP 4k: $4000 - $4,300 There are better deals on ebay, but of course it is riskier; you need to buy from high turnover sellers with good comments; I keep losing my autobids in the last seconds damnit. Good luck with the GP 3000! Edited by user Friday, 23 July 2010 1:28:58 PM(UTC) \| Reason: Not specified

kiwijw		Posted : Friday, 23 July 2010 7:01:55 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 28/03/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,152 Thanks: 92 times Was thanked: 658 time(s) in 324 post(s)		Hi Jim, Welcome to the site. I have a GP 3000 & cant speak highly enough of it. All the gold I have found that I have shown in my posts has all been found with the 3000. Last sunday I found 19 bits & monday after work in the dark with a head lamp om I found 4 pieces & tuesday 3 & tonight another 4. They have all been sub gram bits with the smallest I have found only .o6 of a gram. The biggest I have found which was at xmas time is 18.7 grams. A great detector at a good price these days compared to the later ones. A good coil selection is a real bonus as well. Dont just get the standard coil but get a few. The one I use most is the little 10" X 5" coiltek mono. Deadly on the smaller gold & still gets the bigger ones if they a there down to about 8". I mostly hunt in the exposed bedrock that the old timers exposed with their ground sluicing, so it is usualy pretty shallow. An questions just ask. Happy hunting JW :)

criticol		Posted : Saturday, 24 July 2010 3:13:32 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 14/05/2010(UTC) Posts: 234 Location: coromandel Thanks: 72 times Was thanked: 66 time(s) in 48 post(s)		Hi Jim. Definitely not trying to influence anybody here, but before you buy a P.I unit, you may like to check out this site: http://www.detectorpro.com/ To get one of these into the country (apart from the cost of the detector) Shipping is approx, $80.00 NZD. NZ Customs GST, is approx $125.00 NZD. Believe me, their Super light to cart around, and swing all day' May not suit you, but dosen`t hurt to have a look at their offerings anyway. Cheers---Colin.
		WWW

criticol		Posted : Saturday, 24 July 2010 8:51:27 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 14/05/2010(UTC) Posts: 234 Location: coromandel Thanks: 72 times Was thanked: 66 time(s) in 48 post(s)		Appologies, Jim--"Putting you crook mate". Shipping cost should be in USDs, (Case of fingers not being conected to brain!) Cheers---Colin.
		WWW

Jim		Posted : Sunday, 25 July 2010 7:00:40 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Dust Groups: Registered Joined: 23/07/2010(UTC) Posts: 8 Location: Coast Thanks: 1 times Was thanked: 2 time(s) in 2 post(s)		Thanks Kiwijw and Colin, I have really enjoyed reading your guys forums posts; I pick up some great tips, and I love your photo's JW. JW: Wow, that GP 3k sounds like it has served you bloody well; it is really neat to hear the kiwi's of the land getting good results and I hope I can share some missions and experience sometimes soon too! I will keep your 10'x5' mono coil in mind when I do track down my goodie. When I looked it up I also came across one you can put on the back of your ATV; that would be epic. Colin: That's a great site to know about but there not seem to be a lot about gold prospecting; more coins and relics? Have you had some good experience getting some nice bits of gold with this gear? I am not too worried about the weight of the PI at the moment; it will offset my ciggy habit by making me huff and puff all day :)

Rockchip		Posted : Sunday, 25 July 2010 7:52:22 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Dust Groups: Registered Joined: 17/07/2010(UTC) Posts: 5 Location: Queenstown		Hi Jim I was in Australia and brought the gp3000 back with me as personal luggage so did not pay any Gst There is no duty applicable on this type of goods coming in from Aus I paid $3200.00 Aus for the machine it had a mixture of four coils up to 450mm.,extra battery and set of heavy duty cables so I was happy.All I have to do now is hit the sweet spot.Thanks to Gavin for setting up this forum as it helps guys like myself all full of enthusiasm and eager to find some gold reading of others experiences. Look how quickly members have shown interest in kiwijw`s trip to Aus.Good luck to you Jim hope you score what you are after

criticol		Posted : Sunday, 25 July 2010 10:58:04 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 14/05/2010(UTC) Posts: 234 Location: coromandel Thanks: 72 times Was thanked: 66 time(s) in 48 post(s)		Hi Jim. Detectorpro put out 2 Pulse induction detectors. Their "Top" one is the “Headhunter” pulse machine, the other one is their “Uniprobe” model, which consists of just the headphones,(good ones too, with all the circuits inside one of them) plus a “Pin pointer” probe. But, you can also purchase a set of rods and coils for the Uniprobe separately as accessories, so as to make it into a complete PI outfit. (All their other models are 2.4 K? VLFs) No, I have not used this yet in the field, but I expect good results from it, as I have picked up match head sized pieces of gold with it at Over 6 inches 150 mm) with the 8" (200mm) coil in trials (admittedly at the beach, and buried in the sand, but which to me didn’t seem to be too bad, so a 20 oz nugget should really make it sing out? ) J : ) : ) Beats my old VLF any day! Info: did you know that a “VLF” emits Negative electrical signals? Whilst a “PI” unit emits Positive electrical signals. This is possibly what causes the differing qualities between them, as to being impervious or not, to any bad ground conditions, or salt containing environments. Cheers---Colin. P.S. that program you mention,(Rough science) seems to me to be a bit of a take off of the style that’s used in “Myth busters”, and personally I don’t think much of either of them as to offering good information’s from the antics that they employ. (But that’s just my opinion.)
		WWW

Jim		Posted : Sunday, 25 July 2010 4:28:29 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Dust Groups: Registered Joined: 23/07/2010(UTC) Posts: 8 Location: Coast Thanks: 1 times Was thanked: 2 time(s) in 2 post(s)		Dave: Sounds like a good deal and good to know there is no duty. As for the GST that's something I will have to consider if I purchase via postage from Aussie; might have to do a cheeky and get the sender to chuck "Repair and Return" on the delivery package. I agree that these forums Gavin setup is great for the enthusiasm. Colin: Ahh I see, its the fifth one down on detectorpro.com. Seems like a decent price for it ay, and the circuits being stored in the headphone sounds convenient for weight - although my instinct says it would be worth putting the headphones on an uncooked egg, turn it on for the day then see if the egg has changed; that's what I would do anyway; it makes me think of cell phones and head tumours. Some reviews I have read compare the operation/sound to the SD so thats positive ay, although a few reviewers had problem with the water tightness of it and had to send them back to the USA to repair; they also said that they get sick of digging up finds because it detects everything; the discrimination is not that good - but it might just be the users; I don't know. I will pass on it for the mo but it's good to know about. I will have to look into that extra info too. As for Rough Science, I enjoyed it; they had to use their general knowledge to do it so theres a bit of mental horse power going on. Theres a few little tricks in there too. A couple that come to mind are: 1. Stripping down a square 9v batter, removing the brass probes, connecting to a 12V car battery, dip probes onto gold and let the current smelt it. 2. Extracting Mercury from Cinnabar rocks, using it for fines, then using a Potato to extract the gold. 3. Smelting oven - nice to know how to build.