I'm thinking of switching to PI and looking for some advice

[Anonymous]

Hi All
A current acquaintance swears that his GP Extreme
and SD2200D are the best machines that he has ever tried and he has the gold nuggets to prove it.(he has been finding gold for about 40 years)
He finds this gold in northern B.C.,Canada where there is a lot of basalt and laterite plus grahite in schist. He claims that the GP Extreme is the only detector that can handle the grahite and the SD2200D can handle the basalt and laterite but can't handle the graphite.
I am also considering the purchase of a PI detector for gold nugget detecting. I have tried my Whites Eagle IISL90(VLF) and where I go in B.C. this machine is always screaming no matter how I ground balance.
Considering that the claims are true about the GP Extreme(I don't know anything about them) are there any other detectors that can do the job in such extreme mineralization without having to dish out almost $5000.00 Canadian(GP Extreme)
Your input will be greatly appreciated

 

[Anonymous]

What about the GoldQuest? I was just reading about how good this detector is. What is this detector worth?
Thanks..Ron L

 

[Anonymous]

I just scrolled down the forum and found the answer to my question. Should have looked first.I would definately consider the GoldQuest SS but I'm not certain what they are worth? Anyone know that?
Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Well, I also looked around a bit and found the price. I would like to thank me for helping myself..later

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Ron,
Sorry nobody responded to your posts, but it is difficult to answer your question about the Goldquest (GQ).
First, the GQ does not have any form of ground balance so it is ground responsive, meaning if you raise and lower the coil, you will get an audio change. The amount of audio change depends upon the specific ground conditions, with some areas causing little change and others causing quite a strong response.
The GP and SD series of detectors have a form of ground balance, so these detectors can minimize the ground signals. This is one of the big differences, which is reflected in the price difference between the GQ and the Minelabs.
I have never run into graphite, or if I have, I didn't know it, so I cannot answer how the GQ will respond to it. Maybe, Eric will jump in on this one.
As for the laterite, or red clay based soil, I have found places where it is difficult to maintain a constant threshold. In these places, I have increased the autotune (SAT) speed, and raised the coil a little to minimize the problem in the areas where the ground is really responsive. I have also run into places where the ground is quite red but the ground response was not that severe also.
I have found that if I operate the detector with the threshold right at the edge of the silent zone, meaning I get an occasional audio indication when the coil is lowered, makes hunting easier in most areas.
Basalt will generally cause a response on a PI such as the GQ. Generally, this response is quite wide an muted for a better choice of words. Also, raising the coil just a little will cause a dramatic difference in response from the rock. I have used this as a simple way to determine basalt.
I have never had any problem in the areas where the schist is the primary matrix. In such places, I have found that there will be a little audio change when the coil is raised and lowered, but not much. Slow sweeping of the coil minimizes the changes so hunting such areas is quite easy.
I have also found that in active stream beds, I have almost no ground response at all. In these areas there is a lot of magnetite black sand and lot of "hotrocks", that make a VLF scream, but have little effect on my PI.
So to try to answer your question as best I can, I can say the GQ is one of the most sensitive PI's that does not have the ground balance feature. This lack of ground balance will make it more difficult to use, especially if you compare it to a GQ or the SD. Just how difficult it will be to use depends upon the specific ground conditions and both the sweep technique and patience of the operator.
I hope this helps in answering your question.
Reg

 

[Anonymous]

Hi
Thanks very much for all that info. I don't mind the fact that it doesn't have ground balancing. Apparently the reason the GP Extreme can see through graphite is because it is a dual frequency machine and somehow that makes a difference.
So, in summing up what your saying, the GoldQuest is as sensitive as the SD2200 but without the ground balancing feature.
Ron L

 

[Anonymous]

Better buy a big shovel also,the GS goes deep!

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Ron,
I think you will find the Goldquest more sensitive to small gold than the SD series. In simple terms, the GQ can detect real gold that the SD series cannot detect.
As for larger gold, I think it is competitive depth wise with the SD's also. However, there are ground conditions that can give the edge to the SD.
In really bad ground, it is difficult to keep GQ the coil close to the ground without getting a lot of varying audio due to the ground minerals. In these areas, one should raise the coil some to reduce the ground signals.
In areas where the ground is very quiet, I would give the edge back to the GQ on larger gold if similar coil coil sizes are used.
The GQ will have an advantages in certain places for qnother reason also. The reason I say there may be an advantage is the GQ doesn't suffer from the same problems from external noise that the SD's and GP's do. For some reason the SD's pick up noise that I do not hear on my PI.
I have experienced external noise problems while testing at my house, but I haven't run into any place where I hunt for nuggets that produced sufficient noise to hinder the sensitivity. In several of these places I have hunted, I have been told by SD users that the noise level is really bad, at least at times. In every case that I can remember, I did not experience any noise problems. In every situation, we have been at least a few miles from any community.
I do need to say that my gold hunting has been limited to the mountains in Colorado and several areas in Arizona.
Reg

 

[Anonymous]

If you had a choice between these two detectors:
The GoldQuest ss(underwater) and the C.Scope CS7.UWD PI.
Which would be the better choice? Does the C.Scope have any ground balancing features that would help in highly minerealized ground that the GoldQuest would have problems with?
Am I correct in assuming that Eric Foster also developed the C.Scope?
Sorry for all these questions, I'm just trying to get a feel for PI detectors. I have only worked with VLF ones.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Ron,
There is no comparison between the CS 7 and the Goldquest. The GQ wins hands down because of the vast improvement in sensitivity.
I do not have the CS 7 but have worked with the CS 6 which is quite similar except the CS 7 is microprocessor controlled. My guess is the CS 7 operates at a minimum optimum delay of 15 usec, but I would expect it to be more like 17 to 18 usec or so.
I was also unimpressed with the C Scope's coil design which seemed to generate a lot of false signals under certain conditions.
I found the CS 6 to be nowhere near as sensitive as the Beachscan which is Eric's model before the GQ. The Beachscan is nowhere near as sensitive as the new Goldquest due to key improvements including a shorter delay.
The GQ operates at a minimum delay of 10 usecs which is a major feat in itself. It is extremely difficult to build coils to operate at this delay.
This short delay makes the GQ significantly more sensitve, especially to small gold in the few grain range, but also increases the general sensitivity to all nuggets up to about 5 or 6 grams or so. At least that is what I have found.
Reg

 

[Anonymous]

Ron,
The only ground cancelling PI's that I know of are the Minelab's SD's, the GP, the Garrett Infinium, and a much earlier design of Eric's, called the Goldscan.
Reg

 

[Anonymous]

Reg
Again, thanks for the info. I have to give this some serious thought because of the nature of the ground that I will be searching. I have located nuggets with a dredge but with the right detector I should have similar luck. I only wish there was someone in B.C.Canada that already had located gold with this machine. I must say that I'm really tempted to save my money and buy the GP Extreme because of the luck that this recent acquaintance of mine has with it. But, if I don't get it then I think the GoldQuest would definately be my next choice.(based on the reputaion of the builder) Just wish I could afford them both....Thanks again..Ron L

 

[Anonymous]

Hello rluka,
If I was you take a chance and buy the Goldquest ss and find enough gold to buy the GP Extreme,you might change your mind if you find that the Goldquest works real well in your area and not need to buy the GP Extreme.

 

[Anonymous]

I think that's good advice you've given James. A lot of people have good success with the GoldquestSS and it's probably less than 1/3 the price of a GP Extreme.
If the GoldquestSS proves to be lacking in the area a person wants to detect in...I am pretty sure they could sell it used on the classifieds for very close to what they purchased it for.
I actually don't recall seeing a GoldquestSS come up on the classifieds, at least not recently...so I think that speaks to the satisfaction level of the detector somewhat.
For those just getting into nugget shooting for the first time I think buying economically to get started is always good advice instead of jumping in with both feet and getting an expensive detector and then finding that nugget hunting may not even be something you want to do long-term.
There is no denying the GP Extreme is probably the best PI nugget shooter but many people have found and are finding nuggets with other less costly PI's and even good VLF gold detectors in areas with moderate levels of mineralization.

 

[Anonymous]

I have heard that the goldquest cannot handle large coils is this true ?
I think the sd2100 which is still a current model is a much under rated detector at about half the price of GP if you need a ground balance PI also there is a large range of coils available.
I don`t no how sensitive the goldquest is but the sd2100 with the 10ins coiltek mono coil can find gold as small as I wish to find.
regards
kris