Finally Got A GPX 5000.....Now The Learning Begins!

[ched66]

After many months of procrastination and saving I finally lashed out and bought a GPX 5000. After hiring one for a few days detecting at Wedderburn with a mate who's owned a 3500 for years, and finding my first little nuggets I was hooked! .
Gotta put in a big thanks to the Tim at Bendigo Gold for making it easy and Pete for the few hours training to get me going. I already had a bit of a handle on the basics but the information and advice he readily gave was priceless!
Gave the new toy a bit of a run for a few hours on Sunday near Rushworth on the way home hoping hit some yella on the first day but all I could do was rescue a lot of lead shot and junk.........I reckon if I'm picking up tiny bits of shot down 30-40 cms then gold is just a matter of time and research. I get in a lot of research but never seem to have enough time......damn work always gets in the way!
Anyway now the learning curve begins! The area around home has a lot of old diggings that have hardly been hit by modern gear and I do know there are a lot of very hot rocks and some deep ground amongst them, but I do know 1/2 ounce bits have been found so I figure there has to be more about!
So it's back to work tomorrow........damn work again.........but it gives me 2 weeks to research and think about where I'll go when I get back home.
Hopefully I'll be able to post a pic of the first find then........

 

[20x]

After many months of procrastination and saving I finally lashed out and bought a GPX 5000. After hiring one for a few days detecting at Wedderburn with a mate who's owned a 3500 for years, and finding my first little nuggets I was hooked! .
Gotta put in a big thanks to the Tim at Bendigo Gold for making it easy and Pete for the few hours training to get me going. I already had a bit of a handle on the basics but the information and advice he readily gave was priceless!
Gave the new toy a bit of a run for a few hours on Sunday near Rushworth on the way home hoping hit some yella on the first day but all I could do was rescue a lot of lead shot and junk.........I reckon if I'm picking up tiny bits of shot down 30-40 cms then gold is just a matter of time and research. I get in a lot of research but never seem to have enough time......damn work always gets in the way!
Anyway now the learning curve begins! The area around home has a lot of old diggings that have hardly been hit by modern gear and I do know there are a lot of very hot rocks and some deep ground amongst them, but I do know 1/2 ounce bits have been found so I figure there has to be more about!
So it's back to work tomorrow........damn work again.........but it gives me 2 weeks to research and think about where I'll go when I get back home.
Hopefully I'll be able to post a pic of the first find then........

congrats on the new toy

 

[Syndyne]

Good luck Ched!

Sounds like you've broken the ice nicely already. It's always an exciting adventure out on the nugget hunt. Are you just running the 11" Commander Mono?

Hope you can bag a few of the larger lumps out there! Look forward to hearing how you get on.

Plenty of knowledgeable GPX users here to answer any other questions you may have.

Kindest regards,
Shauno.

 

[ched66]

Thanks Shauno, yet to break the ice with the new one but I'm pretty confident. Been using the standard 11" mono to start with but I got the 15 x 12 commander with it as part of the deal and I reckon it'll be on it for the next hunt. I can hardly wait to give it a run! Back to work in the west now so I have a bit of time to read up............damn work........

 

[G0lddigg@]

congrats on your purchase... very jealous good luck with it im sure you'll walk over the right ground soon

 

[Guest]

Well done on your purchase.

Tim is awesome.

I Buy gear from him via ebay all of the time.

The 15x12 is a heavy coil though.

The 14" round nugget finder is a good coil as well and is lighter.

 

[loamer]

Have a browse of this site for some Minelab tips.

http://www.minelab.com/consumer/knowledge-base/faq

 

[Croc]

great choice...i gaze at mine longing to get out an use it, but then then, gardens need weeding, lawn needs mowing, car needs fixing, an the blasted bank manager wants me to pay the mortgage!! lol good luck with the hunt. its addictive.

 

[Guest]

I own a modified GP 3500 though its a simple machine to use its taken a few outings to work it out and I am about 95% there.

The only advice I can give you to go out with someone for a few hours who knows the 5000 very well for "question time" because until

you master it and understand what the 5000 is reading in the ground you will have questions.

"Question time" can save you time and will help you master the 5000 very quickly.

Good luck with it.

 

[ched66]

Thanks all, I'm pretty keen on getting out amongst it but..........as ya say still gotta pay the bills! Tim and Pete were both great which made parting with the hard earned stuff a bit easier haha But being 6'5" I'm thinking I might be needing a longer shaft to save my back...........suggestions welcome

 

[Guest]

Im looking at changing my shafts to carbon fibre which
Will help offset the weight of the 14" dd.

I would buy the shafts and make my own though.

 

[loamer]

Ched - longer shafts - yes, yes, yes. I have the same problem. the great thing with the longer shaft is that you can always shorten them for when detecting up slopes or along reef walls etc.

 

[Guest]

Tim is a legend. Coil clips were partially forgotten
When i purchased a 14" mono nf and he sent me a
Large handful to make up for it.

The mail service is very fast as well.