Has anybody used the RJ-1 booster??

Howdy,
I just got a Rooster Booster and would like to know where do you set the volume pot on the booster when adjusting the level of threshold on the detector during the initial setup. Nothing is mentioned in the instructions at all regarding this. The way I was running it during my testing today was with the detector threshold set between 10 & 11 o'clock after setting the rooster booster volume about half way so that a very faint threshold is achieved. I found one 0.2 gram bit down about 20cm on thrashed ground but I was limited for time so no more nuggets came to light. I also picked up 6 shot pellets as well that should have been picked up with the 5000 before. I am quite happy with the unit so far and cant wait to try it out properly over the weekend setup correctly.
Cheers. Pj.

Howdy PJ,

was going to say I put the rooster booster on the strawberries at the start of the season....
but i guess your not talking about chicken manure pellets?

At a guess, I would say a lot of us here havnt heard of this device yet. Best get onto the seller as it is being advertised " Supplied with detailed fitting and operating instructions"

From Ebay 11/3/2012
"NEW PRODUCT

Rooster Booster for Minelab GPX5000, GPX4500 & GPX4000

Brand New - 6 month Warranty - New Release Signal Enhancer for Minelab GPX Series Metal Detectors - Increases your chances of digging faint metallic targets meaning you will uncover more of those elusive gold nuggets.

Tested in the field over many months by numerous prospectors with great results. It is destined to become an essential tool for any user of the Minelab GPX Series Metal Detectors.

Supplied with detailed fitting and operating instructions.

Only suitable for use with speaker."

Hi PJ,

This is some further detailed information on how to operate the Rooster Booster correctly, we will be adding this information to the instruction sheets for all future purchases. If you have any troubles or need to speak with one of us please phone 03 5448 4140.

Turn on machine - set desired target volume in detector menu - (Make sure you have used the auto frequency select on your metal detector) Set ground balance to fixed and balance the metal detector to the ground

To set threshold

Set rooster booster volume on full - then adjust threshold until you have a soft steady hum - reduce Rooster Booster volume to a comfortable level

(If you still experience noisy threshold - it is Likely that you have other settings in the machine that are too high for the conditions you are working)

You need to ensure that your machine is running as stable as you can - this will improve your chances of hearing faint targets

Kind Regards,

golddiggerdave

Thanks for the additional input Dave...from the feedback from multiple users now, do you still recommend setting target volume to 2 or 3 as you originally advised?..At least one user on here has stated he is using much higher target volume..the Rooster Booster certainly lets you know when you've hit a bullet shell,emus and Kangas run in all directions.....the level is certainly comfortable until you hit trash...do you have a tip for ensuring you dont miss the faint signals?....I have found the smaller the coil the better when using the RB as you cant even put the detector down to dig a target in trashy areas in State Forrests, where much shooting has taken place .... I was using a Coiltek 18 x 12 Mono yesterday on my 5000 and the noise was unbearable to me and the animals..turning the RB volume right down <"to comfortable level" do I risk missing faint signals?..I believe I was hearing a soft steady hum but how do you really define a soft hum?..I will go back to the Commander 11" Standard Mono or 8" Mono when using the RB..what are your thoughts from your experiences of using it....have you used larger coils with it?...I wonder what coil PJ was using on his 5000?... Thanks, Hoo Roo

Hi again all, Thanks for all your input. I used the RB on the weekend with the commander 11 " mono and found it to be brilliant. After a quick phone call to Bendigo Gold I setup the RB to their specs and had no problems with it at all. I detected an area that I have spent alot of time in the past and found 19 bits for just over 3 grams. Biggest bit was 0.6g and the smallest was 0.05g. All targets were loud and clear and seemed to be deeper than normal.
I also tried the RB out with the same settings and the 8" commander mono and found it to be just as good. Half points at good depth were no problem for 8" Coil / RB combo. The RB is very noisy but if it finds more gold then I dont mind at all.
Cheers, PJ.

Pj. wrote:The RB is very noisy but if it finds more gold then I dont mind at all.

When you turn the RB volume down as described in the instructions you can hear the booster humming seperate from the threshold which is a bit annoying and if you turn the volume up to the point that you cant hear the booster hum rubbish targets scream to loudly for my comfort. I found nuggets with the volume flat out and also when turned down to a comfortable level. The smallest bit I found at depth was when I had the volume set low. In trashy areas run the volume lower and when conditions allow you can crank it up to find those very faint missed signals. Overall I'm impressed with the RB unit and are more than happy with my purchase.
TIP: Once you have found a target adjust the volume down before recovering the target to stop speaker oscillation when you get closer to the coil.
Cheers, Pj.

..and this was all with your detector threshold set at a constant 10 to 11 O'clock was it?...in other words your only adjustment was the RB volume..

larry303 wrote:..and this was all with your detector threshold set at a constant 10 to 11 O'clock was it?...in other words your only adjustment was the RB volume..

Hi larry303, Thanks for your interest and input into this post. In regards to your statement above about "only adjustment was the RB volume".
After the intial setup of the RB the only adjustment needed to be made is the RB volume during detecting. The threshold level does not need to be adjusted after the initial setup of the RB. The RB lets you to run a lower threshold level than normal and you will have to make changes to the threshold during setup of the RB. Once I had setup the RB and threshold level I only had to alter the RB level of volume during detecting to suit my hearing / external noise and ammount of trash targets on the ground.
Hope this helps.

G'day travelergold

We use the B&Z booster and have done for quite a few years, I never tried the RJ-1 booster. Here is a report/comparsion of sorts between the 2 different boosters I found.

http://www.metaldetector-rj.com/content/test-rj-1-amplifier-vs-bz-se-10-booster

Thanks for that davsgold.
Yes we had looked at that comparison. the way I read it there is no real difference between the 2 boosters. Only cost, one is half the price of the other.
The B&Z looks and sounds the goods and have only read good reports from users of them. Will probably go the B&Z as is safe way at moment as when we head of in a few weeks will want to try one of these and will not be available just around the corner from where we are heading. We are starting to cut things fine now, the leave time is approaching fast.
Cheers and good digging

G'day travelergold

Good luck with your planned trip, and if you choose to get the B&Z booster i am sure you won't be dissapointed with it, like I said, we,ve been using them for quite a few years now and wouldn't be without them. Running the twin speakers as well makes a difference.

cheers dave