IS THE X-TERRA 70 BETTER THAN A MXT ?

[Steve in Idaho]

I just got back from Ganes cr Alaska for two weeks and I did not have a chance to use the X-70 to hunt gold before I left. It took me about a week to learn the X-70 hunting gold. By the second week I had the MXT guys with there 12" coils having me ID targets that were iffy. The X-70 ID's about 95% of the iron targets and when it locks in on gold, you had better dig. I used the 10 1/2" DD coil in the prospect mode with iron mask at one segment. The gain at max and the GB was between 10 and 16. I was getting the same depth as the MXTs with there new 12" coils on deep targets, up to 20". It ID ed a 4+ oz nugget at 14" at a 30, any direction that I went over the target. I got a small .3 gm nugget 2" down, locked in at a 8. You can pinpoint in the prospect mode and the target will be under the front of the coil between the Minelab sticker and the tip of the coil. None of us did very well this year. 34 oz the first week and 13+ oz the second week. Gerry from Idaho got a 22 oz brick the first week. I only got 2.84 oz for the two weeks. This was the worst for me in five weeks at Ganes cr. Most of the gold that I found was missed by someone else.

 

[Jackpine Savage]

Hi Steve,

Which was better at ID'ing the deep iron? I know there are a few tricks using the disc on the MXT that are mostly reliable to keep from digging the deep broken dozer parts ect. Just wondering how the 70 fared in that regard.

BTW: Congrats on the gold. Post some pics if you can.

Thanks
Tom

 

[steelheadfever]

Hi Steve, What detector was Gerry using? HH Dennis in Idaho

 

[Steve in Idaho]

He was using his MXT with the 12" coil. The 22 oz nugget showed a low reading and he almost did not uncover it.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

With the X 70 I found that the big iron parts was a high reading ( 42-46) and did not lock in. Different angles gave different readings. Some times with the iron mask on the sound would die out half way over the target, just like it does on smaller iron targets. It was not a solid lock in like it does on gold.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

First week at Ganes for 13 people.

 

[alaskaseeker]

Which Khz 10.5 DD were you using??? Thanx Geo

 

[Digger]

n/t

 

[Steve in Idaho]

I was using the big round DD heavy coil that is water proof and I also used a bungie cord to take the weight off on those 10 hour days.I think that it runs at the same freq as the stock round concentric coil runs.

 

[B.T]

Are you serious? You guys didnt do good with 34oz in the first week and 13 the second! Gerry nailed a 22 oz brick! You only found $2000+AUD in 2 weeks! Man im in the wrong country. Is this gold in the open public bush or from claims or special areas? If its in the bush then mate lap it up cos here in Oz that type of gold finding in the open public land in the Golden Triangle is almost over regardless of what you hear from down under. And here I thought I had a good two weeks with 2/3 of an ounce. Using the same rational I guess I should be crying and smashing my Terra to bits with a sledgy!
Great finds, im serious, you should be jumping for joy mate.

 

[nugget71]

You got that right mate......sounds like gold is dropping from the skies over there B.T.......sheeit if I found 3oz in the 1st week in any gold field here in Australia I would be buying a lotto ticket the same week mate! Not that I'm complaining i'm just sayin.
Cheers!

 

[Steve in Idaho]

The area is on 12000 acres of land owned by Clark/Wiltz mining company. It is in a remote area in Alaska and a plane is the only way to get into it. The first year that I went into this area, I got over 5 oz of gold and our group of 12 got over 100 oz. The next year I got 34.5 oz and the group got 74 oz. The next time that I went in, I got 8 oz and this year 2.55 oz and I stayed for 2 weeks. Our group of 13 got 37 oz for the first week and over 13 oz the second week. It costs $2500 per week plus air fare which is around $1000 depending when if you get your tickets early. I love my Terra.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

I am not complaining and the trip is well worth it. They are wounder-full people that own the land and they take very good care of us gold seekers. I could not do that good where I live in two weeks, although I have found about 20 oz of large nuggets in my area over 20 years.

 

[B.T]

G,day Steve. Fair enough mate, thats an expensive trip at 2 1/2 grand a week so I can now understand why your looking for the returns.
My 2/3 of an oz cost me just $80 Aussie to recover so there is no comparison to draw on from my part. Sounds like an incredible place to detect though and still pretty well alive with the yellow stuff.
We still find ok gold here where I am but the access to all the areas in Victoria is easy as, roads and tracks everywhere. Still out there but just a little bit more dirt to sift through these days.
Have a good one.