First nugget with new White's TDI

[rebroker]

On 2-28-09 I took my new TDI to the La Paz area and just before starting for home on the second day, I found my first
small gold/quartz specimen nugget. Still getting used to the machine, but so far, I like it! Hope to try it with some ML coils soon.
Check out the video of the trip at: http://www.california-gold-rush-miner.us/arizona-gold-metal-detecting.htm"]Arizona gold detecting[/url]

[extractor]

Hi rebroker, Congrats on the gold! Do you rememberThe settings the TDI had when you found it.
Thanks Extractor

[Yellow Hammer]

Nice gold. I will be at La Paz next week, we have a place on the other side of the river almost stright across from there on the calif side. Hoping I have that kind of luck with the minelab SD2200v2. We are down there every month.

[rebroker]

Extractor,

Thanks for the comment. Sorry, no idea of settings as I was fiddling with them most of the day. But, did start with suggested settings by Jimmy Sierra in the field manual.

Bob

Hi rebroker, Congrats on the gold! Do you rememberThe settings the TDI had when you found it.
Thanks Extractor

[rebroker]

Here is a photo of the nugget:


Looks like this weekend I'll again be in Western Arizona. Not sure if I'll go to another area in the La Paz district or the Red Cloud mine area just north of Yuma. Anyone interested in hooking-up for 3/14-15, email me at: nugget7@gmail.com

Bob

On 2-28-09 I took my new TDI to the La Paz area and just before starting for home on the second day, I found my first
small gold/quartz specimen nugget. Still getting used to the machine, but so far, I like it! Hope to try it with some ML coils soon.
Check out the video of the trip at: http://www.california-gold-rush-miner.us/arizona-gold-metal-detecting.htm"]Arizona gold detecting[/url]

[Massbaycolonist]

Wow! That is gorgeous, Rebroker!! Looks like quite a lot of gold in that nugget. Keep up the good work, and keep us posted. ps: I'm in Massachusetts, but I am thinking of wintering in AZ, and looking for gold next winter.

[Skywola]

I have just got a Whites TDI and was wondering, have you figured out how to tell the difference between a gold nugget and iron? I keep digging up nails and iron, so I was wondering if you had any tips you might enlighten me with!

[Eric Willoughby]

I have just got a Whites TDI and was wondering, have you figured out how to tell the difference between a gold nugget and iron? I keep digging up nails and iron, so I was wondering if you had any tips you might enlighten me with!

I just went though this ordeal myself. I was told to turn the sensitivity way down and/or go into all disc mode. The trick is to get the machine to read the highly mineralized ground as being normal, find a spot of ground that is reading iron or as "hot rocks" and start turning down the sensitivity just until the squealing stops, this way, the iron mineralization becomes a normal thing, and the gold will be more easily recognized when the machine comes over it.

[Skywola]

I'm not having problems with ground balancing, I just haven't discovered a good way to descriminate between nails, tin cans and gold. I know how to do it when you are coin hunting in the high conductivity mode, but not in the low conductivity mode when you are searching for gold nuggets.

[daleshark]

Very nice NUG. What depth did you find that nugget it in.
Thanks.
daleshark.

[goldfever1978]

I wish, awesome nug! So what ended up being the weight?

[Steve Herschbach]

I'm not having problems with ground balancing, I just haven't discovered a good way to descriminate between nails, tin cans and gold. I know how to do it when you are coin hunting in the high conductivity mode, but not in the low conductivity mode when you are searching for gold nuggets.

In general, it can't be done. If you dig low conductive targets you are going to dig lots of ferrous trash. I found I could hunt in 17.5 kHz mode and get rid of some of the tiniest steel bits while still getting the gold but would probably be missing the smallest gold also.

If you use a PI unit digging junk is just part of the game. Whether it is a TDI or any other PI unit. For the worst places it may be better to use a good VLF.

Steve Herschbach

[Reg]

Hi Ski,

There are tricks that will help you reduce the amount of trash you have to dig when using the low conductor mode but they do take time to fully understand. As an example, my percentage of iron dug that fools me is extremely low. Since I still dig most of the objects anyway simply to get them out of the way, I know the technique works for me.

Now, there is a lot of info over on the TDI Tech forum if you haven't been there yet. Read over the various posts for more information.

What I have found when using the all mode or the low conductor mode is setting the GB near normal of 9 or maybe just a touch higher will usually cause most nails to be ignored or at least stutter.

Small pieces of iron or parts of cans can be more of a challenge. In those cases, simply listen to the signals carefully with the gain about 6 or less. As a general rule two things will stand out. The signals from ferrous junk will be wider signals, especially if they are near the surface. In other words, they will be wider than the search coil. To test this, simply pass slowly over the unknown object slowly noticing where you first detect the object and then do the same with a pass coming from the other direction. The area upon which you "hear" the target will usually be wider than the coil on tin can junk while non ferrous objects will be a less than the width of the coil. Also, the non ferrous will be smoother mellow signals. So, in simple terms, generally, gold or other non ferrous objects will produce a smoother mellow narrow type signal when compared to a piece of a tin can or other ferrous junk such as a bottle cap. The exception will be if you scrub the ground then the signal might be a little stronger and sharper on non ferrous objects also.

Ferrous junk will generally be a much harsher tone with sharper edges so to speak. What can fool you more than anything will be small pieces of thin wire. This type of ferrous junk simply will sound like a good gold target much of the time.

Practice using various sizes of gold to get a feel of just how deep one might be able to detect them. Since most gold found is quite small, one will usually find a realistic distance of less than 6" or so. Now, knowing this and then raising the coil will sort of tell you more about an object. Even small iron junk produces a much stronger signal than a similar size gold object so it is not that uncommon to have a small piece of a tin can be detected with the coil 10" or more in the air. This is a good hint the object is not gold.

On the bright side, usually most thin tin can junk is not that deep. The exceptions will be areas such as washes were anything can happen. In the case of flat areas, simply pushing the coil as close to the object as possible will give a hint also. Usually, gold that gives a high tone will not overload the detector, while ferrous junk will do it on a regular basis. So, in many areas simply poking the coil flat to the ground over the unknown object and listening for an overload signal will help separate gold from ferrous junk. A note of caution on using this technique is to know the gold of the area you are hunting. There will be some areas where even the larger gold will give a high tone and this particular technique may not work that well or may not be able to be used much at all. However, in areas were the gold is quite pure, it is only the small gold that will remain a high tone and this technique can help quite a bit.

Regardless, all ideas I have put forward take time and practice to perfect. If you have the patience, then there will be a point in time in the future that digging trash will be a seldom thing. At least, that is what I have found to be true.

Reg

[Steve Herschbach]

Hi Reg,

You are a better man than I - I would rather dig a piece of iron than pass on a nugget because it did not sound quite right. The most I'm willing to do is pass on very large low tone (high conductive) targets if I'm hunting a place where the gold is all small. The big junk is more the problem as it can be detected at depth. The small stuff is shallow and so no big deal to dig it. This is not turf hunting. Just a quick dig with the pick, hit it with the magnet, and move on.

Steve Herschbach

[Reg]

Hi Steve,

If you noticed in my post, I dig most everything anyway. The few times I will use the different techniques I mentioned and pass on digging the iron is when I am extremely tired. Otherwise, I will do like you and try to remove most iron with a super magnet. Now, knowing more about the type of ferrous junk helps also. Generally, small thin pieces of tin cans are at or near the surface so I will pass the magnet over the area before disturbing the soil when I suspect thin trash.

So, even the little tricks I mentioned make it easier to remove the trash once the tricks are known.

Reg

[Steve Herschbach]

Hi Reg,

Funny thing is lately I find I don't want to think too much while detecting, and so all metal digging has been appealing to me more and more. I find detecting relaxing, so just kind of get into this zone where the detector beeps, I recover the target, and go to the next. The only time I hunt turf any more is when I can pop the targets with a screwdriver. Plugging slows me down so I tend to just go for easy surface targets. In anything but turf that means digging it all, and in turf digging all non-ferrous. Of course what I mainly dig is foil and pull tabs. But hey, somebody has to do it!

I found more old coins with my TDI this summer than with my VLF units, from areas that are "hunted out". But part of that is I rarely use VLF units these days unless I'm chasing micro gold.

Steve Herschbach