GPZ 7000 is mine :) With a slight snag... but thats my fault DDancer

[DDancer]

First off My Thanks to JW at Kelly Co, and their management, for his assistance in securing me my late X-mas Gift.

The GPZ 7000 is mine. Whoo hooo! But there is a slight snag~ I did not expect it to arrive so quickly. I thought it'd be a week or two so while I'm here in AZ I had it sent to my safe address... mom's house... because I will be leaving next week to return East on business.
Had I known the arrival date I'd have gotten it here and had a day or two to play with it here on a patch I know. Oh well. I'll unbox it when I get to SC at the beginning of March and do some relic hunting first before the beach.... gotta learn it before OZ this summer.

It was funny though to get a call from mom saying a package had arrived~ at the same time JW calls to say it should be there. Had mom check the invoice and confirm... called JW back and had a yarn. Seems that its the first and only one they received so far. They never even opened it just packed it and off it went. The box is plain jane~ no logo's so I reckon it would have been their demo unit. Guess being first in line caught me the fish

Happy happy Again Thanks JW and Kelly Co.

Now for the rest of the trip.....

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Treasure of Victoria Peak - Grab it through Amazon!

[63bkpkr]

DDancer - have fun with the new rig and I/We look forward to learning from you and of course pictures of the real thing would be enjoyed!!...............63bkpkr

 

[DDancer]

Hehh Someone will probably beat me to an un-boxing but sure thing.

 

[JunGun]

You got yours already?!?!

 

[DDancer]

Yep Not sure how many have gotten into the wild yet and there is some speculation that a bunch of them are sitting on the docks in California due to the labor strike at the ports. I'm just happy I wont have to worry about finding one when I go out this summer. I expect they may be rather rare by then. Each time ML has released a new machine there has been a pinch for a few months. Might not happen with this unit~ the cost will keep people hedging~ however I did not want to take the chance. Only the serious need apply and I got a serious itch to scratch.

 

[Goldwasher]

So the million dollar question or the 12,000.00 or the 7000.00.........

 

[Aufisher]

Just let me know which dock. I will unload them for free!

 

[meMiner]

I look forward to hearing how well it works. Reading the brochure, it sure sounds like an outstanding machine and the first real shift in technologies since the first GPX was released. If it as good as it sounds, it will be a real game changer.

 

[DDancer]

That it'll be a game changer~ I feel it will. Steve H. and JP have some good general information coming out and there has been some chatter on results. Most of it good. A little information has come to light on settings for various conditions as well as a report on use in salty area's and some emi results. Its a pretty aggressive machine just in its preset turn on and go state.

Cats outta the bag now to see some kittens or claw marks. Hehh. Got some things I want to experiment with as well. Not much hot soil where I'll be till Oz but the beach should prove entertaining however I'm dreading holes to china for pull tabs and such. *grin* Bedford with relics aught to be pretty eye opening as well when the ground thaws.

 

[meMiner]

These machines might result in a boom in the digging tool market.

 

[trinityau]

Hey DD, I should have one in my hands by Friday... Minelab finally changed technology so I am jumping from the GP3000 to the 7000. I will probably hang my 3000 up over the mantle. Nothing but memories... TRINITYAU/RAYMILLS

 

[Rick K]

Ray, can you tell us a little bit about your decision-making process for plunking down near 10 grand on a new detector? Not that you in anyway have to justify it – it's just that I think a lot of people are curious about what makes this machine something they should have – especially considering the price.

 

[huntsman53]

DDancer... Congrats on picking up one right out the starting gate! I hope it is a winning thoroughbred for you and at the price, one would hope to pay for it fairly quick. It is nice to see they designed it after the lines of the CTX3030. I have to wonder if they made a mistake releasing them not long after the SDC2300! Even with the price being prohibitive to some, with the expectations and Steve H's reviews, there may be enough buyers to severely dampen the sales of the SDC2300. That might be good for us "Po Boys" as we might be able to pick up a new SDC2300 on the down low, LOL..!!


Frank

 

[DDancer]

Trinityau I know the feeling. My GP3000 has a lot of memories, and gold, behind it. I've not decided what to do with it yet and am thinking to keep it as a loner/backup for friends and family who want to share my nature hikes. I gotta wonder how many more Birthday Nuggets *happy B-Day btw... didn't post in your thread for all the celebrations Hahh * are going to pop up once you take your detector for a walk. Gotta ask how you modified your GP? I mod'd mine by wiring in a 3500 handle so that I can run in fixed GB but be able to hold the button to activate Auto GB and balance it on demand *got real tired of having to bend over the box for rebalance in fixed*. The new tech has me pumped as well *pretty outspoken on that I feel.* so seeing what you and others figure out will be a treat.


Huntsman Thanks. I am pretty confident it will pay off nicely. The release of the SDC was a primer for this machine I think. The SDC is proving to be a powerful addition to the prospectors arsenal and I feel peoples confidence in it only helps to inspire confidence in the GPZ especially when it comes to sticker price. Lighter, weather resistant and powerful machines are something a lot of people have been desiring for many years. Bagging your box when the weather is bad and taking a risk that it might plop into a puddle and leave you high and dry are good excuses to stay at camp. Staying at camp for days on end really sucks as you burn to get out and find those nuggets. I know~ 2010 was very wet in WA and one stint of 3 days had me out the second day digging and panning with rain water to calm down the burn.
Hehh I don't know that to many SDC's will be orphaned soon but if the GPZ comes out with smaller coils or some cool firmware upgrades there's good chance you'll pick one up without the pain in the pocket book.

placergold, I think it may end up a boom for heavy equipment and big picks. Dozers and Backhoes A lot of people were amused that I carry a full size pick. Had big dreams they said. Well maybe I'll get a laugh or two in now and charge a few bucks to help them dig should they be unfortunate enough to run a GPZ with a little back scratcher.

What I do want to find is a good composite, no metal, trench shovel. 2 to 3 feet of digging and scooping with only a pick takes a lot out of you and I try to reduce weight and the amount of metal I carry as much as possible. Provided the GPZ picks things out deep more efficient excavation techniques are going to be required.

 

[JunGun]

Mine was caught up in customs and because of that whole labor dispute at the docks but just got word today that mine is being shipped out tomorrow!

 

[DDancer]

Good for ya Jun. Confirms what has been mentioned to me by other parties. Still.... Stay off my patch ok. Hehh.

 

[trinityau]

Hello Rick, I can tell you what made me look at the 7000. I detect in the Redding area of Northern California along with many surrounding counties. I was fortunate to be one of the first to use a detector at my location. Over twenty some years hunting here I have located over one hundred and forty patches. These patches are areas where I found detectable gold but also pieces that ranged from one to fifty nine pennyweight. Quite a few of the larger pieces were found in deeper ground, sixteen to sometimes twenty some inches deep. I have detected these areas for years with many different detectors and have pulled an occasional nice nugget at depth, but not many lately. The ground at many of these areas is maybe twenty inches to four feet deep, allowing for many more nuggets to still be hiding at depth. I will not be concentrating on any ground that appears to be shallower than about sixteen inches. I am pretty well convinced that my 3000 and other detectors have effectively cleaned those shallow areas out. After going over my deep patches I will go over these areas again just for kicks, and I may get surprised.

I know a few of the guys in Australia that have been using the 7000 just recently and I am convinced on the depth increase after talking with them. It is my opinion that Minelab has never really let anyone down when it comes to new technology. The prices are high but no one is forcing anyone to make any purchase.

This is the first major change I have seen from Minelab, and made a decision based on the depth friends detecting in Australia are getting, along with the knowledge of patches I have located in the past that will more than likely offer up a few more nice nuggets in the future.

If I was new, have only found a few nuggets, only detect once in a while or detect mostly shallow ground, I would not buy this detector. I consider the 7000 to be a specialized detector. Because I know so many places where I have found deep nuggets in the past this specialty detector as I call it will be a fantastic addition to the equipment I already use. I hope this will answer some questions, TRINITYAU/RAYMILLS

 

[JunGun]

Does that GPS on or off on the menu make you wonder if you are being tracked? lol

 

[DDancer]

GPS really does not make me wonder about tracking. Its a passive system but I've heard plenty saying that you can be tracked by it. Foolish. *shrugs* Its applications that are attached to GPS that should make one wonder as that is where tracking data comes from. Because the GPZ comes with mapping that requires online use if you want to see google earth or maps that is where I would worry about tracking. Solution is to just not plug the GPZ in to a live connection and use an independent GPS, pen and paper to log your finds. If you have to use the programing do it off line and be sure to erase you logs in the unit. I am waiting to see who comes up with an application that will be independent of net access for mapping myself. Kind of useless to have mapping when you cant access the net anyway out bush.

Well I finally got to SC where I had my unit shipped I'll get some photo's of the unboxing up before long. All in all its a pretty modular unit and for people with any concern about packing it for air travel the only big parts are the main body control pad and the coil. Broken down the whole unit fits easily into a large suit case. I was rather pleased that it did as my old GP's main shaft barely fit diagonally into my largest case.
The main box is quite small and will be easy to take as carry on when I fly. I also think its pretty cool that it is so small as carrying it about will be convient and deter theft when I have to leave the unit in the vehicle while shopping. Could not easly do that with the box for my GP.
It is a heavy unit as many have described but not terribly so. I'm going to look at making an over the shoulder pick holder *that kinda rhymes hehh* as the swing arm will probably come in pretty handy till I get my popeye arm in shape.
Only thing I desire now is one more small coil and I think it'll be set. As the power supply is the same as the CTX I'll pick up one as well and also figure out a good cover for the unit.

 

[strick]

I'm going to look at making an over the shoulder pick holder

That is something I have been wondering about. Is there anything commercially available? I don't like wearing a harness and would rather use the swing arm...but then were to put the pick.

strick