gold and my standard coil xt 50

[moa]

I have some wee nuggets of gold which were detected in central Otago. I tried them in an air test with my standard coil on my xt50. they seemed to get a solid 9.
I have my doubts about using this coil in the goldfields. without going to too much trouble can someone recommend which coil for me to research to buy that will fit my machine and be useful for nugget hunting, and if it is even worth doing as it is not as good as the xt70. I have some nice gold areas to go to, as I used to dredge and go crevicing alot. I got some good wee nuggets that way. thanks so much

 

[nero_design]

Hi there Moa.
If you know of nugget bearing areas, you can certainly visit them with your X-Terra 50. All metal detectors will detect Gold. The problem with Goldfields is that the ground is often laden with other heavy metals like nickel, copper and especially iron. These particles of other metals form a barrier that prevents many detectors from seeing down through the soil to any great depth past a couple of inches (or less!).

The X-Terra 50 can accept the optional Double-D HF Elliptical coil so it may be worth adding this coil to your detector before heading off to hunt for nuggets. This coil is capable of ignoring and penetrating any mineralized layers more effectively than the stock coil. It's also a little better at the Higher Frequency responses of Gold for nugget hunting. ..... Though not as useful as a general detecting coil, you should possibly take a look at the optional 6" HF Coil for crevicing since that's something you used to enjoy. I'm located in Australia but the largest crevice filled with Alluvial Gold I've ever read about contained over 600 ounces and was discovered in Queensland, Australia in the early 1900s. As for the largest amount I've ever heard of... that was today. I received a phone call from someone who claimed to know of a crevice that was 19 feet long and about 10 feet deep containing a large number of 7 figure paydirt figures. That's unconfirmed since the call came from a relative stranger... but it makes you wonder what's out there.

The Elliptical is only water resistant (not waterproof), but the little 6" coil is waterproof and supersensitive for crevicing and wet-work in the creeks.

I'd be inclined to get the Elliptical if considering Prospecting with the X-Terra 50. The little 6" coil is more sensitive to MUCH smaller sub-grammer nuggets but can also be subject to more Ground Noise issues. But if you don't see a need for new coils and want to just try your luck with the stock coil, you may still be successful. It can't hurt to try and you should still pick up small targets around the size of a dime etc.

Regards,

Marco

 

[moa]

It gives me something to think about. Really good to know about the wee 6 inch coil being waterproof, That would be quite nice. maybe then Ill just save up and get both. But Im going to have a good look at those two coils and read about them thanks again.

It cant hurt to have both!!!!!!!!

 

[birac]

yes indeed i have the DD coil and it will find GOLD love it.

 

[Hoss]

will the x30 find gold with the 6 inch coil ? if so what number will you hit gold on? Learning fast..

 

[nero_design]

Hi there Hoss,
I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news but the X-Terra 30 is designed primarily as a beach and relic hunting detector. As such, it is very effective but could still be used in the Goldfields since Gold is still a metal. Only the X-Terra 50 and the X-Terra 70 will accept the High Frequency Coils. Now those HF coils are going to be sensitive to larger nuggets at depth and smaller nuggets in shallow soil - this is why High Frequency (18.75khz) is preferred: it's considered to be close to the ideal frequency that Gold of different sizes and depth tends to respond best to. Some other manufacturers find that ultra-high frequencies of close to 70khz is better for really small Gold. But 7.5khz (medium frequency) will still work and I know of at least two people who hunt Gold using the very low 3khz coil with their X-Terra 70.

The X-Terra 30 will also accept two other coils beyond the stock coil (9" Medium Frequency Concentric Coil) - these are the 10.5" MF Double-D (which would be better suited for the Goldfields) and the 6" MF Concentric Coil. All three coils operate at 7.5khz.

Don't be dissuaded from using your X-Terra 30 on the Goldfields. The Medium Frequency coils will still detect gold near or on the surface and perhaps at a little depth too as long as the soil isn't too mineralized. The 10.5" DD MF coil will be sensitive to larger and medium sized nuggets but not so much the more common little ones unless around 1.2 grams+ and close to the coil as it passes by. I have no doubt you'd find Gold with it though. As for the number... that depends on the shape and angle of the target when the coil passes it. Also, any ironstone inclusion in a nugget (fairly common) means you should hunt in all-metal-mode and dig everything. Hope this helps a little.

Cheers,

Marco

 

[tvanwho]

Hello,

I just traded off my F75 for a Minelab X70 with 3 coils. I made sure to get the 2, 18.75 Khz coils since I want to gold nugget hunt. I used to have an X50. I only got rid of it cause it had this annoying habit of staying in pinpoint mode after I was done digging a target and I didn't realize it was detuned for like 1/2 hour at a time later. Other detectors, the pinpoint mode is momentary, but not on the X50.I sure hope its not the same on the X70?
So, how do I set my X70 up for gold nugget hunting? I will be looking for bigger nuggets and deeper, don't care for the flyspecks. I will be in central Arizona with red dirt and lots of ground minerals from what I hear. Will I be listening for zips, beeps, slight increase in threshold sound? What sounds can be ignored, if any? I also have a Tesoro LoboST and am gettin pretty good at finding galena nuggets with it and have an acorn size gold specimen under my belt with it.It was just a whisper at 5 inches and sounded the same as 4 pieces of metal trash I dug right before it. I was using the 3 x 7 coil at the time.
Thanks,

Tom