Finding large gold

After reading a number of posts about the lack of large nuggets being found I though I might add a new perspective on this issue.
I was out yesterday and lucky enough to find a relatively untouched area full of targets.Digging through them at least a dozen first struck me as being large junk on the surface the typical double distorted signal.
Now infact at least 8 were deeper lead or shell casings,one was a ball of thin lead about an ounce quite deep around 14".Oh and I did get a 1.2g nugget at 5" normal signal.
With the advent of the latest detectors being very sensitive and the use of larger mono coils the signals are now more like junk signals.My last three good nuggets of arounds 2g have all sounded like junk and been near the surface.The last 6 or 7 big nuggets I've seen here and by big I mean 15-20g were mostly found just below the surface.The 66g found by a friend was 6" deep.
So what does a large nugget not too deep sound like with the new detectors and large mono coils.The old detectors also used DD's so the receive coil was only the left half.I remember using the 2100 with the DD and most targets sounded like a single ordinary target.
So what I am really trying to say here is are people ignoring the trash like signal or what appear to be junky areas because of the sensitivety of the new detectors.
Steve

Hi deutran,

a very interesting observation that probably has a lot of truth to it.
I cringe at the number of huge signals I walked away from when I was starting out with a Minelab.

I think where all guilty of that,since seeing that 66g unearthed I vowed to dig every signal no exceptions otherwise I just go home and start again next day.

deutran wrote:I think where all guilty of that,since seeing that 66g unearthed I vowed to dig every signal no exceptions otherwise I just go home and start again next day.

Also since the gold price improved, people are more secretive about what they find, than they were a few years ago. Geronimo.

Yeah how true. Last trip out with my 5000, I was observing that all "double signals" were junk, but, that was until i unearthed a 1 grammer at about 2 inches. Got the double signal, but I usually dig every target just in case, and was nicely surprised when a bit of yellow appeared. Same goes for those "screamers". After spending a couple of hours digging junk I headed back to the car. Got 3 screamers with-in a metre of each other (as I keep the detector on whilst walking back to the car). Now, I ignored the first 2 signals but something told me to dig on the third. Lucky for me I did as I got a nice quartz speci at around 6 inches with nearly 2 grams in it.
Needless to say I wenr back and dug on those other 2 screamers but got scrap.
Just goes to show you really should dig everything.

Rule 1 Page 1 parragraph1 !! dig ALL targets !!

Rule 2 Page 1 parragraph1 !! Refill all holes !! .


Pete in WA

Every now and then I leave a mine field of screamers
behind me, i call it sustainable prospecting,
leaving something behind for future generations and
a reason for myself to come back with better
technology
bedrock

Thanks for the info, I pulled a 2 grammer out on the weekend in the middle of a rubbish dump it was 2 inches down and screamed like a fat kid who just dropped his icedcream... Everything there screamed..
But now i am thinking twice as i always leave the double signals, knowing they are wire, from my own experience... Obviously i am not very experienced if sometimes gold can make a double signal... From now on i will dig them all.
And when i do find a large nug deep i will let you know what it sounds like,,,lol
I am also building a magnetic rake... not to rake leaves, but scrape all the rusty iron cans etc from the areas no one will touch with a 10 foot barge pole..

maka wrote:Thanks for the info, I pulled a 2 grammer out on the weekend in the middle of a rubbish dump it was 2 inches down and screamed like a fat kid who just dropped his icedcream... Everything there screamed..
But now i am thinking twice as i always leave the double signals, knowing they are wire, from my own experience... Obviously i am not very experienced if sometimes gold can make a double signal... From now on i will dig them all.
And when i do find a large nug deep i will let you know what it sounds like,,,lol
I am also building a magnetic rake... not to rake leaves, but scrape all the rusty iron cans etc from the areas no one will touch with a 10 foot barge pole..

Hey Maka,

A magnetic rake. What a great idea. Might make one of them up myself. Cheap steel rake with a row of rare earth magnets would do the trick i suppose

i tried that it did not work, somehow you have to have the flat side of the magnets facing down towards the ground.
cheers..reg

If you buy one of those wheeled shop magnets for picking up nails, nuts and bolts...then add your own rare earth magnets they will pick up surface trash...I have found that a yard rake will clean a lot of trash and make detecting the area a lot more sane to ones ears...but, it can be a lot of work for naught...

fred

there is still big stuff out there. found this page while browsing .
http://www.goldcitydetecting.com.au/ImageGallery/ImageList.aspx?id=22269fef-7488-489a-ad30-e7b219f18d72&m=1&c=630f977c-396d-49e0-87f9-5a7da31d506d

murachu. fully agree.
We were out with friends and they were detecting near old camp site. they ran detector over old camp fire area and of course was lots of noise from burned cans, bottletops ect. (also picks up charcoal) They walked away so I thought bugger I will try. After removing various melted cans ect I had a signal which I found in harder ground under old fire area. With some digging I unearthed a 24 gram nugget. They were so peeved off. --- dig every target no matter what.
cheers travelergold

Deutran, I can assure you a large Nugget...even at depth...has a fairly loud signal. PS And it does not sound 'Mellow'. Cheers, Nev

OLD SALT,I can assure you,that many are the factors which determine the signal strength/sound of a large nugget,buried in the ground,some of which are eg,Degree of ground mineralization.Distance or depth of large nugget from coil field.Orientation or position of nugget,in regards to detectable surface area.Type of nugget(thick and solid,or thin and spongy etc etc).

Cheers kon61.

Great post Steve...Although not as yet have i had the pleasure of digging a large deep target..( I have dug good multi gram bits to the 12 inch mark) You do after many digs have a better understanding of how different metal targets sound,and even if you KNOW... what you think the target is sight unseen....you only know for SURE when you see it unearthed..

I have had targets sound wobbly and with that sound that most of us know what i`m talking about...edgy / electric and it has been gold....it has also been fine wire and rusty metal...maybe due to the halo effect or rust staining of the surrounding soil..So it is best practice to see the target...dig it

Then there are the typical high low / low high target sounds that have that brightness..that look at me sound and yes it`s gold... a bit of lead can sound so sweet too But i think most importantly that it is the surrounding ground that can mask / determine and or influence the sound / quality of the audio received.

*** Just some thoughts on how our equipment can influence target recognition.

I have recently upgraded to a GPX 5000 having had a great GPX4500...now i think the 5000 is a refinement of the 4500, so target responses can also be at the extremes of what a 4500 could hear,so yet again i have had to interpret the subtle target responses amongst all the other ground noises...but have been rewarded with more gold...and more non gold too

It is so rewarding every time you swing a coil over the ground...it teaches you something new.

Cheers Eureka Dreams

Hi, this is my first post. From New Zealand. A member of a gold forum there too. have looked here a few times and finally managed to join to reply to stuff.

I reckon you're spot on with the trash targets. everyone avoids such areas. but think about it. if the rubbish is there chances are no one's touched it. if still buried even better chances.

i think there would be 2 categories for me to classify rubbish i find. the first would include general background rubbish. this would include the rusty nails and bolts and old tool remnants and bullets and shotgun pellets. its hard to tell if someone's been thru it unless its recent and they have left telltale holes and thrown their "finds" on the ground nearby in disgust. i find that anywhere where the above junk is in situ its worth a look. and if others have dug many holes they may have highlighted the area as good for detecting (or they've taken all the gold). i now clear the rubbish i find and take it with me. nothing worse than re-detecting stuff you found and threw the previous week.

the 2nd category i would put in as serious rubbish. i'm talking collapsed iron-roofed huts. the roof's collapse and the iron rusts out all over the ground and eventually buries under the soil (maybe not an issue so much in oz). no one can be bothered with this sort of situation. and the ears ring with the shrill noise of iron. but think what is under the iron. hut inhabitants would have lost coins, gold, implements, you name it. if you have the patience and time you can sift the soil of much of the rubbish. you never know what is there. as above, where i mentioned old tools, this remnant iron rubbish is proof of where the miners were living and working. mostly they lived on their claim as close as possible (prob to watch the sluice box was raided), thus the hub of the worksite and perhaps the initial source / find of good gold. they always miss or drop something.

As for finding and digging target - look everywhere, dig everything. sometimes if i'm lazy i don't dig long targets (wire / nails / tools etc) but you never know what is under it.
As for the sounds you rely on. well, you learn from your mistakes. sure sucks if you make a find and don't dig other targets that you don't reckon are any good and someone else is told and cleans out more gold you thought wasn't there.
i found a 18.3 gram nugget way up a mountain last winter. i had detected no more than bullets and shotgun pellets all day. on the way out i detected the track and dug the nut. sounded just like a little shotgun pellet. this way because it was down at least twice the depth my gold bug 2 would find gold at. just goes to show. after that i dig everything. and just like the land can be read for sign in finding gold i think the locations of some rubbish can tell a story too.