GPX 5000 false targets

Hi all.
About a year ago, I sold my sdc and bought a GPX 5000 with 4 NF evolution coils and original coils in the hope of finding some bigger/ deeper stuff. . Its been a steep learning curve after using the sdc which was so easy and almost always found me gold.  
Ive done lots of research and time in the bush with different settings and coils but still gets heaps of false targets which I didn't get so much with the sdc.  Its driving me nuts some days. is there something I'm doing wrong? I mainly use the 12x8 evolution or 15" round evolution. Ive found 8 bits of fly Shite with the 12x8. I also have a 17x13" , a 19 " spoke and the 2 original coils. Any help would be much appreciated.
Adrian.

G'day Adrian, welcome to the forum

The SDC2300 is designed specifically for locating the smallest of gold in mineralized soils with minimal adjustments & with an 8 inch coil on, one would expect it to get more positive in ground target responses, not that a well tuned 5000, coupled to a small 12X8 or smaller in size coil can't achieve the same or similar in results, just that it would require more playing around with ones timings/settings, in order for the 5000 & 12X8 coil to achieve the same or come close to that of the SDC 2300 in way of results.
If your 5000 is constantly falsing over ground (less nothing wrong with your coils, battery detector lead & plug ends are screwed in tight on their sockets & not loose) tells me the ground you're searching over is either way to mineralized for mono coil use, or that your soil timings are not set in Enhance & or gain/sensitivity set to high necessitating a much lower level of gain in order to reduce or prevent false ground signals from coming through.
Maybe someone else on here can add more to this topic.

Kon

Quote "I mainly use the 12x8 evolution or 15" round evolution"

That is the choice I prefer for coils. If you want bigger nuggets you have little your chance of finding them in shallow ground that the SDC2300 has done correctly. Look for where the SDC2300 stopped get nuggets, because the ground there is deeper and more suited to your new setup (ie larger and deeper nuggets) Also those coils are good for a quick and larger scan of virgin ground area.

HI Adrian
Kon is right on the mineralised ground issue. Having a perfect ground balance and using the enhance function when working those areas can be very important. Recently there has also been a lot of unsettled weather about and that can also cause false signals picking up lightning flashes from a hundred Ks away.
It is not the aggression of the detector that finds the gold, it is your ability to identify a signal from the sound you hear and having the smoothest practicable audio is the best way that you can listen for and check out those faint variations.
I think a difference is that with your new coil set you need to have a different approach to the way you detect and the ground that you choose to detect in.
I also recently moved from a 2300 back to a 5000, but have had a more positive experience with smoother running of the 5000. I have tried not to change the way I detect by using larger coils but to replicate the performance of the 2300 by using an 8” round mono. Attached an image of finds with the 5000 vs the 2300. All the 5000 finds have been made in “2300 ground”.
I love the fact that the 5000 has so many settings to tinker with to get its audio sound just the way that I can pick out those faint whisper like variations that may indicate a real target when further checked. I always found the presets on the 2300 gave an audio just a little edgier than I liked without having to dumb its sensitivity down too much.
Summing up (with a guess admittedly), I think that, detecting the same ground, I am missing maybe 30% of the nuggets the 2300 would find, but picking up 15% more of the nuggets it couldn’t reach. These are generally deeper and therefore heavier so the maths (for my detecting style) is coming out in favour of the 5000.
In addition I am finding the 5000 a more satisfying all round detecting experience throwing in those unexpectedly and more exciting deeper digs, better balance and the versatility to put on a large coil if needed.

Thanks so much guys for taking the time to write such detailed responses. I guess I don't play with my settings much once I start detecting because I'm not sure what each one does. I tend to set the machine up using settings from the internet that have worked for others. I'm really enjoying learning to use the 5000 and you have convinced me that it will find larger deeper gold than my SDC did.
Cheers!

One way I have found to determine if a target is real or false is to ground balance beside the target. If the target disappears then obviously ground noise, will still get fooled by tree roots charcoal etc but does eliminate some false targets = less digging

You get lots of these problems in summer time with the hot ground (hot rocks etc).

Evolution coils are all mono coils not good on hot ground.

You said you have kept the two original Minelab coils.

I can almost guarantee you will not have these issues if you put on your 11 inch Commander DD. Your evo coils will be good in the colder months. Don't forget to switch your 'coil r/x' switch to DD.

Great posts it's great to experiment with the settings of the 5000
Don't forget to try audio boost, weather permitting, it can pull those tiddlers that little bit closer to your coil


cheers    moredeep