Anyone who attended the D.I.V. this spring 2011

[Woodland Detectors]

Anyone who attended the D.I.V. this spring 2011

From Minelab’s perspective, being part of DIV is paying off in a big way. Prior to DIV, our GPX5000 was recognized as the world's best gold” machine, but since then it is now being recognized as a serious coin and relic machine. And with this recent success, our marketing team in Australia is looking for us to write an article about the D.I.V.,. I’d like to give you and everyone who participated at the event a chance to talk about what a great time they had, any funny stories they’d like to share as well as sharing any hunting experiences of some of the hundreds of artifacts that I know were found with Minelab’s GPX 4500,4800 and 5000 units. Please post a short story/ testimonial here about your adventure at the D.I.V. (Diggin in Virginia) to be used in the upcoming Minelab article. Some of you witnessed the GPX in action, could you also please submit those testimonials?

Again, It was a pleasure to meet everyone this spring in Va. I will look forward to seeing you all, at the future D.I.V. events.

If you would like more info on a GPX4800 or GPS500 not only do we sell them, but we use them to.

Toll Free 855-966-3563

I can help you set yours up in no time.

 

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[treasurehound]

Re: Minelab NEEDS YOU! Anyone who attended the D.I.V. this spring

I had the privilege to watch Mike hunt at DIV XVII with his GPX 5000 and I was amazed at the relics he was finding in fields already heavily hunted. We hunted one field that was hunted pretty hard the day before and I could not get a signal anywhere and he was finding targets everywhere. The targets were deep where most other machines could not reach. In another field Mike was digging a very deep target. He reached into the hole up to his shoulder and pulled out a very nice button. That was over two feet deep. I don't know of any other machines that could have found that button that deep. After hunting three days with Mike and his GPX 5000 I came away with knowing he was using a machine that is going to be very successful and in high demand for relic hunters. This is the deepest machine that I have ever seen. It will be a great machine to go back to those hunted out sites for relics or coins and get those deep targets that other machines can not reach. Congratulations Minelab on a super machine.

 

[joeman]

Re: Minelab NEEDS YOU! Anyone who attended the D.I.V. this spring

WOW, that is Freakin' Deep!

I can see how a machine like that will do well in areas where you can DIG with a Shovel and make 'MASSIVE' holes, cause let's be honest, if you're digging 2' down into the Earth, the hole is going to be HUGE! I don't see this being a 'Good Machine' for Parks and 'less forgivable' digging areas without one being VERY disciplined about how 'deep' you will be willing to dig your target! (i.e. skipping targets deeper than 12") Sounds like one Helluva' exceptional unit, even WITH the high price Tag.

Cheers,

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Re: Minelab NEEDS YOU! Anyone who attended the D.I.V. this spring

Jim emailed with:


I purchased the 5000 about three weeks before the two hunts I did have the 4500 and decide to trade it in for the 5000. It arrived and the work begin. After reviewing a couple great DVD's from Chris and John on the 4500, I worked with the 5000 in my test garden and then a two day trip to Appomattox Va. to test the settings. The soil there is very close to that in Northern Va. I went to a field that I had hunted at least three times and only found a couple dropped three ringers. By the end of the second day I had recovered 29 three ringers two Spencer cartridges four job hooks and a silver dime 1951 at ten inches. Well needles to say I was very happy with my fines and ready for DIV. The first hunt started of with snow and then a warm day follow by a rainy day. I was very happy to say I had found around 35 bullets seven or 28 pieces of brass many of those were tent grommets also my first core badge a great find for anyone. Well the second hunt we move to another great farm and by the end of the three day I had recovered 71 bullets and 45 of those we 69 cal round balls found at depths of 8 to 12 inches deep. The round ball is a lot harder to find compared to a three ringer. The bullets were a mix of pistol bullets, three ringers a couple 69 cal . A New York coat button and a New York cuff button along with a coat flat button. These two hunts turned out to be my best two hunts ever and as far as fines go it was all made possible by the GPX 5000. I plan to spend more time working on the settings getting reading for the next DIV. If I am luck enough to be picked for further DIV hunts, you will find me there in the fields with the GPX 5000, a truly great machine--and I have owned a few of Minelab detectors over the past 25 years. Minelab makes a lot of great detectors, and now I would not be without one. Thanks Minelab.

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Re: Minelab NEEDS YOU! Anyone who attended the D.I.V. this spring

Hey Mike thought I'd chime in on your post about the Minelabs - we met in the field the first hour below the house when you left your MD for me to watch while you retrieved the Red Dirt settings for me (thanks BTW).

Although I didn't set the world on fire at DIV with my 4800, I will say DIV XVII was my productive yet and can only attribute it to the 4800 and being in a good location with plenty of targets which DIV is known for; no seeded relics just what the soldiers lost 150 years ago. I found plenty of brass and lead relics, and the ability to discrim in hot dirt is absolutely phenomenal. All my signals were 90% accurate or better. High tones were brass and small camp lead (and the occasional small piece of tin cartridge box); low to high tones were bullets and larger objects. For the most part I dug only good signals but on the ones that sounded like iron, tests showed they were exactly that - iron. The depth is also off the chart with these things; deep iron did sound like a good target but after going down 18" or deeper and closer to the target it finally was able to discrim, but the ability to locate those deep iron targets can and will lead to fire pits and hut sites, which most machines can't hear with some exceptions unless its a really large object or a cluster of objects. For me each day produced good relics which I can't complain about

Another digger on the forum summed it up well about the GPX series; "Any dirt, anywhere". Pretty much says it all as a promo in my opinion.

Can't say enough about the GPX other than wish I had made the leap years ago. I can now go back to my sites in good dirt as well with this machine and am finding a whole 'nother layer of relics other VLFs (including mine) missed due to the depth.

If Minelab needs testers for future GPX series, count me in brother.

- Tom

 

[Badger 5]

Re: Minelab NEEDS YOU! Anyone who attended the D.I.V. this spring

If I may ask, What coil are you guys using for this kind of detecting

Thanks
Badger 5

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Re: Minelab NEEDS YOU! Anyone who attended the D.I.V. this spring

If I may ask, What coil are you guys using for this kind of detecting

Thanks
Badger 5

The stock Commander DD series, Coiltek Submersible Platypus DD and the Coiltek Joey 10x5 DD

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Re: Minelab NEEDS YOU! Anyone who attended the D.I.V. this spring

Barry Cook Jr. Wrote:

I attended both DIV 16 and DIV 17 using the Minelab GPX 5000 exclusively. Lets just say it went so well with the GPX 5000, my "backup pulse machine" never made it out of the truck! I must confess that i only had 3 hours at most on the GPX 5000 before DIV 16 kicked off. I was truly amazed at how fast and simple it was to get right down to business with this detector. After programming the GPX 5000 with the suggested "hot soil settings"....it was a walk in the park from then on. There was no drastic learning curve coming from my former pulse machine to the GPX 5000, i really didnt think it would be such a smooth transition!

DIV 16 at the Brandy Rock Farm produced very well for me. I managed to dig 61 bullets, 25 buttons, a sword belt keeper, numerous knapsack parts and lots of other odds and ends. On Day 3, i got a deep LOUD low tone on the GPX 5000 and noticed that the target was very long in size. After digging down about 14 inches and exposing two nice bottles (whiskey and a mustard jar) I laid eyes on the low tone i had heard on the GPX 5000. Right there laying with the bottles was a completely intact Austrian bayonet!

I have absolutely no regrets over my purchase of the GPX 5000. Its very easy to use, the "iron reject" feature works extremely well and this machine just plain goes DEEP!

Barry Cook Jr

p.s. Im attaching pics of some of my finds

 

[Tnrelicman]

Re: Minelab NEEDS YOU! Anyone who attended the D.I.V. this spring

I would like to thank everyone at Minelab for the huge donation, the GPX 5000 was a huge hit at the DIV, and everyone kept saying how great it was for you guys to donate it. I was hunting with a MXT and honestly felt like I had a BB gun hunting elephants, I watched the Tdi guys digging some great finds, but nothing was close to the GPX machine for depth, I was personally hunting with Mike on the last day as he was pulling bullet after bullet out of the ground right next to me, and all around him where holes previously dug, he was hunting an area that had been KILLED for 2 solid days, and it was like he was hunting virgin ground with the GPX, I had him locate a target for me, and I couldn't even get a pinpoint on it, turned out to be a 3 ringer. He did the exact same thing for a guy with a Tdi, and he got no signal, that says it all to me, the GPX was amazing, I've always heard it was a gold machine, but after the DIV, I think it will be known as the best relic detector on the market.
Thanks again for the Donation
Guy Lambert

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Re: Minelab NEEDS YOU! Anyone who attended the D.I.V. this spring

Nathan wrote:




well im tired of getting smoked by them.i did decent with my tdi but what a learning curve.i hear mini labs are easier to learn.some day before i die im going to get on of them.but the price is way out of my range.had i known about the 4000-5000 for relics when i took money out of 401k to buy tdi and v3i i would have got it instead.wont have that loan payed for 4 years yet.then maybe i can swing it.I was also out at long island hunt and e tracks did well their at 1st hunt.I used to have a excalibur but did one to many hurricanes with it.Even made it on tv.Course i was hunting a closed beach on same weekend as miss america pagent.(i can just imagine what they said,hey look at this idiot in the ruff surf)

anyway nice units

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Re: Minelab NEEDS YOU! Anyone who attended the D.I.V. this spring

I would like to thank everyone at Minelab for the huge donation, the GPX 5000 was a huge hit at the DIV, and everyone kept saying how great it was for you guys to donate it. I was hunting with a MXT and honestly felt like I had a BB gun hunting elephants, I watched the Tdi guys digging some great finds, but nothing was close to the GPX machine for depth, I was personally hunting with Mike on the last day as he was pulling bullet after bullet out of the ground right next to me, and all around him where holes previously dug, he was hunting an area that had been KILLED for 2 solid days, and it was like he was hunting virgin ground with the GPX, I had him locate a target for me, and I couldn't even get a pinpoint on it, turned out to be a 3 ringer. He did the exact same thing for a guy with a Tdi, and he got no signal, that says it all to me, the GPX was amazing, I've always heard it was a gold machine, but after the DIV, I think it will be known as the best relic detector on the market.
Thanks again for the Donation
Guy Lambert

Great pictures Guy. I forgot you had those.
Thanks for the nice words my friend

 

[treasurehound]

Re: Minelab NEEDS YOU! Anyone who attended the D.I.V. this spring

I am including a couple pictures. One is Mike reaching in a hole for a very deep button. The other is of a CS tongue buckle that a guy found with his GPX. We were leaving a field and saw him walking down the road with his GPX and we stopped to ask if he had any luck and this is what he showed us he found.

 

[Hutch911]

Re: Minelab NEEDS YOU! Anyone who attended the D.I.V. this spring

At DIV XVI, I was hunting with a friend at a spot we both hunted hard during a past DIV. I was using my pulse machine and he was using his GPX 4500. He was digging targets 5 to 1 of mine. At that point my mind was made up that I had to get one. At DIV XVII, I knew Minelab and Mike from Woodland Detectors donated a GPX 5000 for the charity raffle. I purchased 30 tickets and hoped luck would be on my side (along with many other relic hunters)! Well, luck was at my side… I WON! Weeks later, I still can’t believe it.
The following weekend I took it out for the first time to a site that has been hunted hard for years. After less than an hour of learning tones I was off and running! I ended up with 29 bullets, 2 Eagle buttons, and a US box plate! What a great start with this awesome machine! Between my other detectors and those my friends have used, the GPX series, without a doubt, is the best relic machine available!
My only suggestion is to equip the machine with a water proof coil.
Thanks Minelab and Mike!!!

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Re: Minelab NEEDS YOU! Anyone who attended the D.I.V. this spring

(Doc)

Dr. Rodney Cox writes:

As an emergency department physician, I know the importance of having the best available technology in my hands to do my job well. The same thing can be said for my hobby of hunting for civilwar relics. Over the course of the last 15 years, I have held just about every major brand of metal detectors in my hands, including some of the newer pulse induction machines. Without a doubt, Minelabs GPX series has been by far the most amazing technology I have ever used. From the "red hot dirt" of Culpepper Va, to the low mineralization plowed farmlands of WV, I have been astounded by what the GPX series pulls out of the dirt that other machines have missed. The GPX's raw power and depth is unmatched by its competitors and its ability to discriminate out iron sets it worlds apart from other PI machines. For me, the GPX's world class technology, depth and iron discrimination make its price an excellent value for the application I use it for. "Hunted out" plowed farmlands are almost like brand new again. The GPX opens up a whole new layer of civil war relics and coins that other machine just cannot reach! Thanks Minelab for opening up so much "new" old ground!

Dr. Rodney Cox

 

[spear85]

Re: Minelab NEEDS YOU! Anyone who attended the D.I.V. this spring

Hey Mike, here are pictures of my finds i promised i would post here. I also went ahead and just copied and pasted the testimonial again so its koined with my pictures:

I attended both DIV 16 and DIV 17 using the Minelab GPX 5000 exclusively. Lets just say it went so well with the GPX 5000, my "backup pulse machine" never made it out of the truck! I must confess that i only had 3 hours at most on the GPX 5000 before DIV 16 kicked off. I was truly amazed at how fast and simple it was to get right down to business with this detector. After programming the GPX 5000 with the suggested "hot soil settings"....it was a walk in the park from then on. There was no drastic learning curve coming from my former pulse machine to the GPX 5000, i really didnt think it would be such a smooth transition!

DIV 16 at the Brandy Rock Farm produced very well for me. I managed to dig 61 bullets, 25 buttons, a sword belt keeper, numerous knapsack parts and lots of other odds and ends. On Day 3, i got a deep LOUD low tone on the GPX 5000 and noticed that the target was very long in size. After digging down about 14 inches and exposing two nice bottles (whiskey and a mustard jar) I laid eyes on the low tone i had heard on the GPX 5000. Right there laying with the bottles was a completely intact Austrian bayonet!

I have absolutely no regrets over my purchase of the GPX 5000. Its very easy to use, the "iron reject" feature works extremely well and this machine just plain goes DEEP!

Barry Cook Jr

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Re: Minelab NEEDS YOU! Anyone who attended the D.I.V. this spring

Great post Barry.

Give me a call sometime

855-966-3563

 

[ringfinder]

Re: Anyone who attended the D.I.V. this spring 2011

Mike, I just had to respond to your post. I was at DIV 16 & 17 and I was using another detector. At DIV 16, I did OK, but found out later my coil was broke.

At DIV 17, I did a whole lot better with a new coil on. But what really kicked my butt was seeing guys go over the ground that I had hit hard and I mean hard pull out minies after minies and deep and they were using the GPX's.

I knew then I had to have one, so I bought a used GPX 4500 before I left for home after the last hunt.

I hope I do as well as a lot of these fellows did and I bet I will. I was wondering if the orange coil would work as well as the coil that came with my 4500, it just looks lighter.

Looking forward to seeing your smiling face at the next DIV, maybe you can give me some pointers.

HH, Ringfinder
Denny