Help!! 220D, Eureka Gold, X-Terra 705 or White's TDI Pro Oz for a new prospector in Ballarat?

Hi all,
I am very new to this and as I've recently moved to Ballarat, thought I'd make the most of the area and free time, and get our in the fields. I'm looking at spending up to $1700 and have done some research, but it's very confusing.

I would really appreciate opinions on which is the best detector for my needs, that is gold prospecting in mineralised ground around the area. I was originally looking at the Eureka Gold, but on reading various forums, there seems to be mixed opinions. Some swear by it, others wouldn't go near it. I have seen a Minelab 220D going for $1700. Is that a reasonable price for this machine? I was thinking it may be too old and recent technology may be better, but I have read some good reviews on it. Am I better off spending under $1000 for the Eureka or X-Terra 705 Gold Pack? Are there any other machines in that price range that would suit my needs?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers, Ben

try reading this link.
Peter from gold city detecting has put up a page to try and help newbys with their decision on detectors. here is the link.

http://goldcitydetecting.com.au/beginnerinformation.aspx
tricky 1
Contributor




Number of posts: 22
Location: charters towers
Registration date: 2010-08-11

Hi Golden Prospect,

I had the same confusion when I started! I wanted to get a sd2100 but I'm glad I got the 22 instead...

Came with a mono, 7.3v reg and a booster for $1740 all up from the guys at coiltek (Thanks guys great deal!)...and don't forget you get a three month warranty...so is a good deal in my opinion to get a sd2200 for $1700 (coiltek have these when available)

If your chasing gold go for a PI (minelab SD/GP/GPX) machine, not VLF (Eureka or X-Terra, 705 Gold Pack) as the PI's are better on mineralised ground than VLF's and go deeper...

Just spend as much as you can, then spend a bit more to get the latest machine available, do a training day and do lots of research...

Good luck!
GT

Thanks for the info GT & tricky 1. I think I've given up on the Eureka Gold & X-Terra 705. I'm now deciding between the SD2200D and the GP3000. Is it worth the extra $600 to jump up to the GP technology - I'd prefer of course to keep under $2k.

Also, which is better, the 2200D or 2200V2?
Thanks again!

What about an Extreme there around 1700 to 1800 maybe cheaper if you keep an eye on flea bay.

Hi Golden Prospect,

I know where you're at and you'll read till your eyes bleed! I think the 2 best pieces of advice given to Ange and I on this forum is "to buy the best that you can afford" and "learn your machine". We ended up going with an Extreme (from Coiltek) and we're very happy with it. I was originally looking at the SD series and the way that the GP Extreme got put to me was ...

"It's the best, basic 'turn on and go' machine for under 2K"

That was (just) within our budget and I will tell you as a newbie, they are an easy machine to learn IMHO. I have found a very small nugget with it, but that is a different story. I will also admit that I would love a 4500, but I don't have the budget for it and won't for quite a while, unless I walk over a 3+ ounce nugget

Keep your eyes open for a reasonably priced one and you'll be out there in no time. By the way, welcome to Ballarat (hope you like the cold).

Cheers,

Nature Pete.

hi all any body got any info on settings for gold on x terra 705 thanks steve

I am not that familiar with the 705 as I have a 70, but only use it for beaches etc. The PI machines are the go for gold. I think the 705 has three frequencies - run it in the highest freq. as you are only ever going to get shallow gold and the higher the freqency the better the sensitivity to small gold. The X-Terra can be a hard machine to run quietly in highly mineralised ground. Set in Prospecting, leave it in fixed ground balance but ground balance often. Run your sentivity as high as you can while still being able to hear test pieces boom through the clutter. There are no 'best setting' they will change with each soil type and location. Best advice is read the manual and then again and then set up a test bed area in some nicely mineralised ground. Try and find a break-away or edge of a creek so you can drill in sideways and place test targets at dfferent depths. This way you will not disturb the mineralisation above the target. Play with the setting to get the best response. This is the only way you will get to really understand your machine.

When searching - go slowly and smoothly. Maintain the coil flat and just brushing the ground for the whole swing and overlap your swings by at least 50%. Play with a faint signal target and learn how much difference to the signal strength with different swing speeds - and see how much difference it makes when you raise the coil just a little - then a little more. Practice your pinpointing and target recovery.

Good luck

John

gold digger wrote:hi all any body got any info on settings for gold on x terra 705 thanks steve

hello steve, I started out on a x terra 705. Im not 100% on the best settings for gold hunting, but it depends on the type of ground generally, like if it makes the detector very noisy or not so much. I would pretty much have it setup something like this. The Iron mask around 10 so i dont miss those little targets, i would have the tracking on most of the time unless im trying to pin point a target as the tracking will make the target more quiter if left on. I would have the sensitivity around 28 if its not to unstable and the noise cancel on -2 also so i dont miss small targets. the threshold, the best way to set that is turn it all the way down, than gradually turn it back up untill you can hear the first sign of a constant hum, maybe up one more number than that. The volume and threshold should work together for a maximum porformance. Head phones are recomended for this as the loud speaker can be hard to hear on windy days and surrounding noises. Its all to do with having a trained ear and knowing what signal is a target or ground noise, dont worry that comes with experience. hope that helps mate and remember theres has to be gold in the area you are at to be able to find it so dont be disheartened if you dont find something the first few tries

thanks cabletie will try next time i go to meryborough steve