eureka gold

Hi there fellow treasure hunters,fossickers..Newb here seeking advice on first purchase...plan on buying the eureka gold from miners den Mitcham victoria..$1590.00.
1. is this a good choice of detector for allround OZ?
2 do i need better coil than supplied with unit?
3 any advice or links to any Eureka users [satisfied and content with etc..]
all i can afford for time being,appreciate any help,advice etc....Awesome forum and very informative..
MY plans are to travel OZ for my third time in life ,,but my first time prospecting.planning on heading around vic first and then up north,leaving midyear..

what do you intend to target, gold, relics or coins?

Gday,mainly just the gold,will also beach prospect when not bush but that wont be often.possible fossicking around old convict sites while travelling as well but the gold is what i seek..
or if im overlooking a better detector for same price or cheeper im all ears.

i don't know about cheaper, but for a few dollars more you could get a Minelab GP extreme. this would be the best machine for gold with your budget in mind.

someone else might have some further information to add to this.

cheers for reply will check out your suggestion shortly..are the factory fitted coils really any good or would one suggest to allow exta for a better coil..$2000 max with any accessories is my budget..

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Minelab-Eureka-Gold-Metal-Detector-Worlds-best-VLF-Gold-Nugget-Detector-/170759009243?pt=AU_Gadgets&hash=item27c207b3db

will probably sell for about $800.

the trick is to keep your eyes open, and DO NOT buy a modified machine. 2nd hand GP extreme's will come up for around the $2000 with extras, but you can't rush these things.

the best piece of advice i can give u is not to buy a detector too quickly. do your research on the eureka gold, vs a minelab sd2200 vs a minelab gp extreme. you should buy the best you can afford.

Totally agree with what you say 100%.i will keep an eye on that ebay sale for sure just been ripped off previously buying goods online so am wary of that.but his ebay status seems excellent..secondhand isn't too big a problem for me,will see how that item goes while looking into your other suggestions..cheers!!

After comparisons yesterday online my research has led me to believe that [pulse induction] is much better than VLF for many reasons.pricing comparisons vary slightly,but i couldnt say a 2-400 dollar difference between various secondhand [ P. I. ] systems is a sway on either of these.
the sd2200 / gp extreme seem to have proven and reliable end user success on a varied level of prospectors abilities and needs.too much lack
of available and proven info around on the minelab eureka gold series and is on a level as to who to vote for in politics[verses what would be beneficial to myself in the end..
so to my limited experience as this stage im definately looking at these..[ sd 2200 / sd 2200d / gp extreme..]prices $1600-$1900......
is there [another brand] of detector with proven results at least on a par with these minelab models that could give me another option to weigh
up and compare to the above or should i stick with my current choices and wait for the right deal to come my way..if anyone has comments on this would be happy to hear any positive or negative feedback as you so wish.also any info regards best coils to use or to stay away from..etc.
The Garrett AT-GOLD seems to be a proven performer through online research and youtube videos watched and is around $700,i understand its american and also a hell of a lot cheaper[but cheap isnt what im seeking in general]but my research leads me to believe that second hand minelab detectors mentioned above are scarce and not so easy to pick up,also found out today from a couple of local prospectors that the waiting lists in prospecting shops are extremely long do to these models appeal through proven and reliable field experience over the last ten years...are there any of you out there that can inform me of anything else a newcomer really should understand about the minelabs listed?reading plenty of excellent info from the threads on this site and enjoying my findings!!!!

G'day GREENnuggetCONVERT

Your on the right track by doing plenty of research first before purchasing a machine. The "Garrett AT-GOLD" is still a VLF type of machine and will struggle in most of the Australian gold fields with mineralisation. It is no doubt a capable machine for coin and relic hunting and would be ok for the occaisional play in a gold field.

If you really want to find gold in mineralised gold fields in Australia then a PI machine is the go. Minelab machines from the SD onwards had this task down pat. Every Minelab machine from the SD2000 onwards was just a bit better that the previous one with afew more features than the last one.

I started with a Minelab GPextreme and found a good amount of gold and have now moved onto the GPX machines which are even better but much more expensive.

If you start with say an SD2200 (the green box) model, it has some of the basic features of the later models.

As for the coils that come with the Minelab machines, all I can say is it is these coils that the machines were tested with so they will work, as will all the other range of coils avaliable. On the GPX5000 model for instance, they come with 2 coils, an 11" ML Commander Mono and an 11" ML Double D, the 11"ML commander mono is a brilliant coil and would work very well with the earlier model machines.

In the end the choice is yours but I think that your research will point you in the direction of a PI type machine for gold searching in Australia and a Minelab machine is at the top of the list of choices in this range of machines. Just get the best that yor budget will allow to give you the best chance of success with what you want to do.

cheers dave

Thanks a lot for more great info, im on the right track
My [secondhand] Minelab sd 2200 / sd 2200d / gp extreme [choices] are going to be the way to go for my budget of $2000..
My questioning of coils was that usually when you buy an [electronic] product the manufacturers usually only give the consumer the basic entry
level components fitted to the main item.[best way i can describe what i mean]..so as for a detector and not actually owning one except for when i was a teen many moons ago,i am inclined to think that the coil supplied with a detector may only be just the basic entry level coil just to get a prospector started..[ i may be wrong here on this point but usually i think in most general things on the market that that would be the norm,,but with detectors i am unsure ].
I am also seriously considering purchasing a [ Garrett AT Gold ] which would be the new australian version.i understand that at the moment these are still being played with and under more development to suit our heavier mineralised ground etc.I have contacted Ausssie Detecting about this brand/model to get more updated info on this..
So i will say a big thankyou to you for your reply,and if you have anything to add i welcome all thoughts..
And just as a last comment what a great site i have found this to be,Interesting Informative and i'm getting a great laugh out of some of the members posts...

GREENnuggetCONVERT wrote:Totally agree with what you say 100%.i will keep an eye on that ebay sale for sure just been ripped off previously buying goods online so am wary of that.but his ebay status seems excellent..secondhand isn't too big a problem for me,will see how that item goes while looking into your other suggestions..cheers!!

Just a point, when I bought my 4500 on Ebay, I had it sent COD to my local post office. I payed part cash and the rest on my credit card without any problems. Admittedly you can't check the package before you pay but at least you know something is going to turn up. You still need to do your other homework with such a purchase. For example, ask for a serial number, place and date of purchase, good current photos and of course check the sellers rating.

GREENnuggetCONVERT wrote:My questioning of coils was that usually when you buy an [electronic] product the manufacturers usually only give the consumer the basic entry
level components fitted to the main item.[best way i can describe what i mean]..so as for a detector and not actually owning one except for when i was a teen many moons ago,i am inclined to think that the coil supplied with a detector may only be just the basic entry level coil just to get a prospector started..[ i may be wrong here on this point but usually i think in most general things on the market that that would be the norm,,but with detectors i am unsure ].
..

G'day GREENnuggetCONVERT

Your kinda right, but with the manufacture Minelab only suplying the basic coils I would like to add this. Basic dosn't mean basic in performance at all, it is that they only have a basic number and variety of coils, eg 8" in mono, 11" and 18" round in mono & DD, and 15"x12" eliptical in both mono & DD. These are there basic range of coils, but they perform very well and I would say equal in performance to any other coil, the only draw back is they are very heavy but very strong, and some people see the weight as a major disadvantage.

Some of the other coil manufactures give a much bigger range of coil sizes and shapes, and some are quite a bit lighter in weight when comparing them to the standard Minelab range of coils.

We have a variety of coil sizes and choose the one that suits the area and conditions that we are targeting at the time, small round or elipitical coils for creeks and rocky ridges and shallow ground and big round and larger elipitical coils for more open and deeper ground, we have both Minelab coils and Nuggetfinder coils as these seem to suit what we do.

cheers dave

Thanks toadskin, that is the only way i do business and thats the only way to be sure that products you purchase actually will arrive..as for what is purchased i have also found that opening the package in the post office itself [ on large items ] is the best way as well as you can see that things are correct and in the condition stated..if not its just a matter of re-taping the package and a phone call inside the post office to return to sender...I also ask the seller to confirm in an email before delivery date that if they have stated full cash refund given bcoz goods are not the same as advertised that they accept the onus of paying return postage.The days being able to trust have dissappeared from this planet.
anyways cheers and happy prospecting..

@Davsgold.........Thanks for confirmation on this matter am glad to hear your thoughts and obvious experience..
P.I has rank over VLF for sure .
I will be like most good prospectors having a couple of different coils for the exact reasons you have pointed out.i also do have a seperate budget for this up to $1000.for accessories etc.that is why research pays of instead of jumping the gun with anxiety.so as you see with a total budget of $3000.00 i could possibly go down the route of getting something fairly recent and secondhand,but using that scenario i would have no coin left for any accessories whatsoever.
So i am pretty certain that my research and choices will pay off and give me not only a better experience but a much better chance of actually having Gold in my hands a lot more often than not..cheers mate;

Hi
I have a Eureka Gold and I think I wasted my money on that.
No depth can’t handle hot rocks it will sit in the cubbard gathering dust as I have a GPX 4500 now.
I wouldn’t recommend you buy one.
Regards Neale

@Shelby...I agree....,Minelab PI is the way i will go for sure its just a matter of patience and research to find the right deal for myself..

Another question im seeking answers/confirmation on is actual weather conditions that the Minelabs would more than likely not be productive enough in, or unusable in. [ realistically ] ...eg,..heavy fog / light rain /damp ground .anyone got more info on this matter for me;
Obviously thunder lightning and heavy rain would be out of the equation;
cheers;

GREENnuggetCONVERT wrote:Another question im seeking answers/confirmation on is actual weather conditions that the Minelabs would more than likely not be productive enough in, or unusable in. [ realistically ] ...eg,..heavy fog / light rain /damp ground .anyone got more info on this matter for me;
Obviously thunder lightning and heavy rain would be out of the equation;
cheers;

G'day GREENnuggetCONVERT

"Obviously thunder lightning and heavy rain would be out of the equation;" Yes for obvious reasons, lightning is very dangerous to your health, and while the PI Minelab machine is resistant to a light shower it is not water proof, we just have a plastic shoping bag tucked inside the control box cover incase we get caught in a heavy shower and simply pull the plastic bag over the control box. Coils, if they have no cracks are water resistant or some are water proof.

Bad weather with thunder storms over the horizion will cause instability in a PI machine which can be difficult to control. Fog is not a problem other than making everything damp, and light rain shower is about the same just making everything damp.

Moist ground is ideal if it is evenly moist and not a damp and dry layers, dry ground is also ideal, saturated/wet ground can be very noisy to detect, lots of false signals, so moist is good and dry is good, the rest is somewhere in between.

Extremely hot weather is hard to detect in for yourself and your machine, most people that detect through summer either so so at night or very early mornings and late evenings.

Also we use external speakers and not headphones and have done it this way for quite a few years now.

cheers dave

Dave,thans kindly for giving me some more useful info on my query,has enlightened me a little further about those matters.Toadskin just sent me a PM about a sale on Gumtree for a GP Extreme for 2500 have emailed seller for more info about the unit as it was pretty vague about everything to a newcomer so hopefully they can provide the info i asked for and i will see what happens dependant on that....it has a fair few accessories with it which is good..
cheers.............Trev

Hi GNC,

Q 1.Just reading between the line do you have $2K for a detector and $1K for accessories??

Q 2. I have both a 2200d and a 4500. I would suggest that you look around for a 3500 or a 4000 for a little more money.
The reason is for a newbee a 2200d is allot harder to understand and tune on hotter ground. I have found that the DD coils work allot better on the 2200d than a mono as you can get them more stable on hotter ground than a mono.

In the end and it is only my opinion, spend as much as you can afford on a Minelab, get a small 8" inch coil and do a training course before you hit the dirt and waist so much more money and time wondering around without the basics that you will be shown on such a training day.

Peter
Mariner3800

@Peter.......Thanks kindly for your response,
In answer to your first: I Have 2 in cash at present and will have another 1 in two to three weeks so i couldnt actually buy anything at this minute unless it was a deposit and remainder deal, but can bargain better with cash..but am considering all my options in the meantime..
In answer to second I wish i did have the extra funds to be able to purchase a newer model as you have said but i dont see that as an option to me as for;the prices of accessories and a few extra items i require would put that kind of purchase closer to being $4500 as my research leads me to believe.......I do plan on some training with whatever i end up purchasing.my training plans are to say, do a day training with the local mining supply shop and then say a month later do a day training with another mob in central vic and to follow that with another day say in either the west vic area or up in the nth east area..i think doing something like that as an example would give me a real good head start in my venture...but as a lot of experienced prospectors always say "nothing will give you greater experience than actual time on the ground"which i completely agree with.There is a kind of "intimacy" you need to have with your chosen tools,as i have learnt in life by doing different trades.
your input is appreciated and welcomed....cheers.......Trev

Hi Trev,

No problem at all, what I was hinting to is that I have seen a few 4000's on Ebay sell for between $3200 and $3500 the past couple of weeks, one of them was a dead set gold Vacume owned by Stoppsy on the forum.

For that extra few hundred dollars and maybe sacrificing a little time in waiting a couple of extra weeks, something that I would certaily consider.

The gold is not going anywhere, it has been ther for 1000's of years, a couple more weeks of saving to get the right " tool " would be well worth considering

Only my thought, but good luck with which every way you go and keep in tounch

Peter

mariner makes some very good points.

If you are travelling around australia and are seriously considering finding gold, then the best machine you can afford is the one you need. GPX4000 would be an excelent start.

Regardless of what machine you purchase, you are sure to get a couple of coils with it. If you get the standard 11" mono, then there really isn't another coil u need when starting out.

@ Peter, Great advice !!!
I'm learning more and more every day since i joined this forum and as far as i'm concerned that can only be a good thing for myself..You Blokes have certainly given me some invaluable information that in the long run,i am only going to benefit from.[ have already ].As i don't have all the cash right now i'm
certainly still open to any thoughts and options.My plans for leaving midyear can be pushed back to the end of the year.[ midyear was really just an indication
for everyone to get an idea of what i am going to embark upon ].Reallity seems to say to me at present that i should hang back for a little longer and spend a little more time on planning / research.Just to give you blokes a little more info at present on the equipment i am planning to purchase and take,here is a
rough list…………

 Detector + spare battery + small and large coils + quality headphones +spare coil cable etc + harness and equip belt:: initially was allowing around $2000-
$3000 but through what I've found out and also input received here on this site, probably more realistically should be more like closer to $4000.00
 Sluice + 12v Pump + smaller associated items ….I estimate at around $700.00 max
 Panning gear ….I estimate at around $250.00.
 Miners pick shovel crowbar+smaller items estimating $200-$300.
 Gps unit handheld-up to around $500 max with rechargeables and charger.
 Personal E-pirb unit…haven't priced yet,guessing $300-$500.

Regarding stoppsy--have read lots of posts on this forum and have noticed his input in certain places;seems an interesting bloke..

Well thats the main part of my prospecting purchases i shall be looking at………………..
Am also planning on getting my hands on a couple of really good prospecting books and maps….Vic & Nsw to start..
I don't have any intentions of frequenting any towns on a regular basis except for supplies,hence my want for spares.as i have already been on two awesome
adventures around this great country of ours and this time around its only Prospecting and fishing.I can't state that i have been everywhere but i spent the best
part of 5 years exploring travelling working at my own leasure …times i will never forget…but thats all back in the day when the thumb and a decent pair of
shoes would get you anywhere in the country and [ safely ]………………… "man has this country changed in the last 20 years".

Going back to my previous comments -water supply will be the only reason for any real kind of movement on the land..
So considering the input i have received so far, it more so than not, seems that i should invest the extra coin in something like your current suggestion of which i couldn't argue with any validity.To go the route suggested would have me having to hold back on purchasing anything until late march early april
with other commitments that i have;no problems there either.

@ Goldbait Thanks for your contributions / confirmations also appreciated;

As mentioned earlier i"m open to all comments and any advice and any do"s and don'ts ,whatever it may be that was the reason for joining this great forum and always enjoy learning from others ; Will certainly be keeping in touch with the forum when possible and will no doubt more than likely meet up with some of you blokes on my travels;
Absolutely looking forward to what prospecting brings- "Good times and Harder times"

Cheers Fella"s ….

GREENnuggetCONVERT wrote: Am also planning on getting my hands on a couple of really good prospecting books and maps….Vic & Nsw to start..
Cheers Fella"s ….

G'day GREENnuggetCONVER

Some of the books & maps are expensive, like "Gold & Ghosts", I say expensive but not "to dear" if you see what I mean, as good value comes at different prices to different people.

Doug Stone also puts out very good books & maps.

Oxiexplorer is a very good map program and is cheap for what it can do.

Google Earth is free and is an excellent piece of "equipment" for the prospector.

Tengraph for WA is a must and is also free, somewhat difficult at first to use but once you get past that its great.

Geo Vic has a section that you can creat your own maps, similar to maps that Doug Stone books have.

John Tully maps for Vic are an excellent source of info.

NSW minerals have online maps that you can access, plus there is a section called "DIGS" where you can look up heaps of historical mines and gold areas all over NSW.

Man I'm exhausted now just thinking about all that research.

cheers dave

Gday dave, "Man I'm exhausted now just thinking about all that research". Time for a few brews then ....

Thanks again , have been looking around online mainly at Geovic site and just googling different things."digs" will get my attention over the coming weeks for sure.
i hadn't heard of that one until you kindly mentioned that resource...books are something i need to see in-store to have a good squiz at before i actually would purchase any..books of such nature would in my case have to have be more content related,rather than just a great read.if that sounds right."Only because of the prices of some books i have seen"
My previous post gave a basic rundown of what i am looking to purchase etc;
Part of the big picture there is to be able to use all of natures resources while travelling around and to have more prospecting activities/options
available to me at any one time "area and weather permitting" obviously.going down that route i would some of the time have different options to find more GOLD
and in other situations be able to do multiple things at once,panning sluicing and detecting, not only to give myself a better opportunity of productivity but to give the brain a chance to relax and the mind to settle,and of course a break from swinging all day or all night without forgetting all of the harsh terrain im going to be constantly digging and poking in..Some of the info i require is pretty basic as to things like where i will be allowed to use the sluice etc and where / what streams-creeks-rivers it may be banned and also whether or not taking such equipment into a certain area may or may not get me into some sort of a beaurocratical trouble..."wouldn't want to lose any of my gear through confiscation"
cheers.........Trev

Hi Trev,

Wow, the trip and your ideas sound fantastic, wish I could join you.

In my opinion, your time frame is a little out for the following reasons

To purchase a detector within the next few months does not give you allot of time to learn it prior to you leaving and believe me if you want to find gold and not just have a good walk around a gold field. You will have to get to know and understand your detector. Seriously it will take you 3 months of weekends out in the bush to get to really know what the detector is telling you.
Then there is the bush craft that you will have to learn, eg what to look for, where to go and how to read the land. This again will take some time to learn, hone and develop.

There are allot of posts from people who have travelled to The big gold fields of WA and the likes which I would track down on the site a read. There is allot more to prospecting in WA than Vic as they have different laws and regulations along with different permissions and permits. Qld, NSW, NT and SA all have different laws which again will take some research before heading off, if not started already.

The books and reference info listed above are a must for your kit and you ideas of equip and pricing is on the money. The site is also full of good info in this area.

If it is going to take a few months to raise the capital, research and get it all together then so be it mate, the gold will still be there and if you are armed with the right info and planing then it will come easy. Even if you delay your departure to spring at least the fishing will be good up the coast or across to the west through the summer and then you will be well rested for the 2013 detecting season in the hotter areas of this great country

Happy to pass on my small amount of knowledge at any time as I think we are located not to far from you.

Kindest Regards

Peter

PS I will keep an eye out for a detector for you

Pete

Hi Peter, Thanks ,
Yes I agree about your opinion on my timeframe,since my first post and getting more info on all the little bits and pieces of info and doing a fair whack of research to date of which i have spent a lot of time on,so far anyway.More to go yet of course..I am having a looksy at what equipment is around and for sale just to get a better indication of pricing and associated options.I think at the minute i'm going to have to hold off on departing until at least after spring this year like you say but i also have to take into consideration the seasons and of course the previous 2 years of floods that the eastern side of oz has had to endure.which in some ways makes me kinda think that Vic may not be where i
start this journey.maybe it will just be my proving ground but i really do want to spend at least 6 good months in all the Goldfields here in Vic as to the fact that we do have so much history with gold here and i know from working on the forestry years ago that there are a lot of places
where quite large amounts of gold have been taken but only the people with in depth knowledge would know about,and over the las 20 or so years there hasnt been too many prospectors searching or even visiting these areas.i actually used too collect a lot of relics left over from times gone by.Its such a big state not in size but for the huge amount of mining that was carried out..
I am searching this site for as much relative info as i can get my eyes upon.Also learning a lot from the 400+youtube videos i have downloaded ,eg;paying attention to different geological features of places i havnt seen before and compiling info that will be relevant to me..
have been researching a lot of the different states regulations and have downloaded so many pdf's on such from different government and mining sites etc etc.they are all very different indeed but im mainly concentrating at present with the vic rules etc etc.....the books im going to get in a month or two,maps im going to get vic and nsw to head off with. and from there i plan to say for example;;when im nearly ready to leave nsw ,a month or two before i do i will get the maps i need for the next state,as to have some time to study the different things i will need to now...I have intentions of living off the land as much as i possibly can as well/saving a fair amount of money by doing just that,which is fairly easy to do in this country with exception to the more arid areas etc etc etc....So as for the minute the only thing i know for sure is that i am going, and i will be going for at least at a minimum 5 years..and to put it straight out there on the table,Im certain that i really dont want to be back in civilisation "so to speak" again..always moved around this country and worked in different states, never settled down and always with a huge fire inside to stay out on the road Wandering as i have mainly done throughout life...

yeah, your really only a stones throw away from me,I would actually just call it a really good walk..
Thanks for your good will and as before if you have anything to add about anything feel free:
I will post when im fully cashed up, here,and ready to definately purchase, word of mouth always works...
I used to work over your way and a lot in the doreen st andrews area as of many other places:
cheers peter...
Trev...........

http://www.mlotv.com/view/624/minelab-mastering-the-gp3000/

you have to join up, but this vdieo will give u a lot of information. not just on the GP3000, but metal detecting in general.

Thanks Goldbait , for that one will do.I have a couple of vids downloaded on those sorts of things and still looking for more.
cheers....Trev...