Gold Basin and my 3500

[fredm]

Yo DOC and other fine folks;
I asked this question on Bill Southern's forum and now I will ask it here...My 3500 seems to go psycho at Gold basin....it will run fine for a while then it will start giving spurious signals, then it will go totally nuts and wee-woo like I am standing over a transformer....the problem seems to get worse the longer the machine is on...
I do retune and even change settings but at some point nothing helps except to quit...Does this happen to others or should I send the unit back to the Minelab Doctor for a check-up????
any opinions or advice will be appreciated

thanks

fred

 

[Gus in idaho]

Hi Fred,
Does it only happen in the gold basin area? if so this may not pertain.
The only times what you are describing has happened to me is when the connection from the coil wire to the brain box, is not real tight or is loose enough that it gets giggled around.
I have found that if you can get the fittings inside of the plastic end of the coil wire to fit real tight around the male ends from the brain box it usually fixes the problem.
I pushed an ice pick down between the little copper fittings to squeeze the them tighter together.
Then I wrap the coil wire to the rod real tight with those Velcro straps to keep it from moving.

The only other time I had it happen to me was when I was hunting in the snow/slush, and got water inside of my coil. I was using the older style of 16" fiberglass mono. It never did work right for the remainder of the trip. I had to prop it up against my heater vent in my house for about a week to get it dried out.
But has never given me a problem since.
I hope you get it figured out, that has to be frustrating.
Gus-

 

[fredm]

Thanks, Gus; I am fairly sure it is not a coil or connection problem...I learned a long time ago to tighten and retighten the connectors at all points; and I have the problem with any coil...
I do think I need to spend a day elsewhere than Gold basin to determine if it is a Gb only problem...where is Doc when I need him...he no doubt has many days at Gold basin with a 3500...

Fred

 

[DOC]

Sorry, hadn't checked in for a while. What you describe is a fairly common occurence in Gold Basin. We have theorized for years what in the heck it could be. We just always referred to them as a good detecting day in Gold Basin or a bad detecting day. You think the 3500 gives you fits, try the SD2200, that's all we had when I started detecting.

The consensus of opinion, and it is certainly as good as any, the disruption has to do with when they turn the turbine generators on at the dam. Can you imagine the enormous electromagnetic field those turbines through into the water, and the water table?

One trick we used to use was how we tuned the machine. Instead of lifting the coil in the air and tuning your machine, leave the coil flat on the ground and tune the detector to the ground, being that is where we theorized the actual interference was coming from.

As I said this has been going on for 12 years that I know of.

Take care!

Doc

 

[fredm]

Thanks Doc.....I will spend some time elsewhere to confirm it is a Gold basin problem...
Fred