GPX 5000 to search for coins and relics ???

[Bratvlos]

Hello all

I would be trying to invest in a new machine!

This machine is it recommended or not to search for small gols/silver/bronz coins ?

Anyone here uses it daily to target strategic locations ?

What is the behavior of iron in polluted ?

What depth can you hope to achieve on a coin of two grams of silver ?


Big thank you in advance

 

[Sandman]

I would not use the GPX 5000 for recreational metal detecting as it is a Pulse detector which will report on all tiny pieces of iron. This unit is a gold nugget finder and would be very deep for any coins also, but the extra digging of any trash would wear you out.

 

[Keppy]

Sandman is right..............The 5000 is a gold prospecting detector.... Not good for coins........... And why would you pay $5000.00 for a coin detector ?? You would have to find a lot of coins to pay for that detector............. From what i under stand & hear it is a good relic detector

 

[U.K. Brian]

You may have noticed on the European forums that the Minelab pulse machines are in much wider use now for the location of small gold and silver coins. People are both re-working their old sites that were once productive and finding more and using on fresh sites in an attempt to clean them out first time round.

You do have fairly good iron I.D. for the first few inches of depth but will end up digging much more than with any VLF. I don't know if the 5000 is worth its premium over the 4000 models. You get extra timings like the "coin/relic" one but this in fact doesn't work to well unless your on almost neutral ground. I would see if you can pick up a 4500 and spend the saving on a Coiltek anti-interference coil.

With good sites you could cover the cost in a few months but you have to be prepared to dig. I find they are a little to deep for me and I end up with a bad back then have to have days off to recover which is not very productive. The Whites TDI is around a third less deep but still outperforms most other machines. I paid for mine in the first 52 hours of detecting and its another option to explore.

 

[Woodland Detectors]

You may have noticed on the European forums that the Minelab pulse machines are in much wider use now for the location of small gold and silver coins. People are both re-working their old sites that were once productive and finding more and using on fresh sites in an attempt to clean them out first time round.

You do have fairly good iron I.D. for the first few inches of depth but will end up digging much more than with any VLF. I don't know if the 5000 is worth its premium over the 4000 models. You get extra timings like the "coin/relic" one but this in fact doesn't work to well unless your on almost neutral ground. I would see if you can pick up a 4500 and spend the saving on a Coiltek anti-interference coil.

With good sites you could cover the cost in a few months but you have to be prepared to dig. I find they are a little to deep for me and I end up with a bad back then have to have days off to recover which is not very productive. The Whites TDI is around a third less deep but still outperforms most other machines. I paid for mine in the first 52 hours of detecting and its another option to explore.

I agree.

 

[spear85]

Absolutely

The GPX 5000 is a fantastic machine for coins and relics. The GPX 5000 is not for every single situation but this thing is a beast. Yeah, if i know i will be hunting around a house site with lots of iron and foil etc i will go with my mxt or at pro. I hunt with it every week when i hit farm fields and/or moderately iron infested areas. The 5000 blows me away in how deep it goes on coins...especially in spots where we have pounded it with VLF's and never ever heard these coins at around 10 inches or so.

One spot i go to produces coins on a regular basis, dating from anywhere in the 1800's to modern clad. In one small portion of the field, we HAMMERED the small area with VLF's and TDI's. First time i ever took out my 5000 i went right to that exact spot. Saw 2 dig holes where my buddy dug a large cent and some other coin, scanned between both holes and BAM...loud and clear was a mercury dime at 10 inches. Then dug a buffalo nickel about 2 feet from the mercury at the same depth. This land is close to a river and low lying so it tends to stay moist..perhaps that is why the coins get so deep. At the same spot, i dug a CW scabbard tip at 16 inches. My friend with me refused to believe it until i showed him the imprint of where the scabbard tip was laying in the middle of the hole.

All in all, the 5000 is designed for the gold prospecting in mind. But there is a coin/relic program on the machine for a reason. I could go on and on about the quantity of coins/relics i have dug so far but no need. It is quickly becoming the go-to machine for relic hunting in some areas of the country..and for good reason.

 

[goldseeker4000]

I own a gpx4000 and a x-terra705 and I have used my 4000 for coin hunting as well as for gold. Anyone wanting to do this would be wise to use a DD coil as to be able to use the iron mask. The iron mask only work for a depth of 6 inches but if you scrape away a few inches then check target again you can deal with the issue easy enough. it worked fine. You don't have the ability to id the target other than ferrus or non-ferrus but hey, how many of you have fancy do all-be all detectors and end up detecting in all metal or a set mode and tids opened up to everything except iron. No difference. The advantage is the pulse detectors can find gold and silver coins way deeper. It does not have to be a 5000. The mode the 5000 has for coin hunting is just a gimmic to lure some into buying it. The 4800, 4500, 4000, 3500, extreme, and 3000 will do the same thing as long as the detector has iron mask. If not you will have to dig every target. Besides most people who find the really good stuff dig every signal. am I right? I use my 4000 for coin hunting in the mountains here in Montana at old miners' cabins and old miners' camps. They often buried there gold nuggets and gold coins. Also miners lost gold and silver coins too while putting their hands in their pockets too. One friend was out detecting for nuggets at an old miner's camp and found a $1 dollar gold coin instead of a nugget. The first time I used my 4000 I got a signal at easily a foot and a half deep in the stream and thought it was a nugget, only to dig up a clad quarter. Food for thought. Yes, my 4000 is a dual machine, and it does it well.

 

[meMiner]

This is an interesting post that deserves resurrection.

I have started to use my GPX5000 for coin and jewelry because (1) the way to find deep or small stuff is to dig everything anyway and (2) I need as much experience with the machine as possible, so I know what I am doing when I hit the gold nugget areas. One comment about detecting around old prospector cabins: there is so much junk (iron mining gear, tin cans, bed springs, nails, etc) that I find it nearly impossible with any detector. I am finding that I really like the GPX for sand areas (beaches, volley ball courts) where digging is easy. It should be really good to find small chains and earrings (still waiting for a good hit and success). I am not so happy using it in a park because digging in the grass and potential of making a mess is troublesome - I am better off using my VLF and making less deep holes with better pin pointing. What I have noticed is the GPX is super sensitive to power lines (somewhat unstable) and the darn things are everywhere, so that is a limiting factor too. Lastly, for some reason, I hate putting on the vest with the battery for a short hunt. I prefer grabbing a self contained VLF detector and not fussing with the additional gear.

 

[Mach1Pilot]

Since the original post, a LOT of people have picked up a GPX (5000, 4800, 4500, it doesnt matter) for relic hunting. They find stuff at extreme depths, and with experience you can sort through the ferrous versus non-ferrous targets. In heavily loaded iron infested sites, the response can be overwhelming with even the stock coil.... the 5x10 DD works better in those situations but you really need to move at a snail's pace to sort through the trash. This is not the sort of machine to use in a park, because the holes you need to dig are so deep and large.... but put it in a field or the woods and it shines! Like placergold mentioned, its biggest weakness is EMI from power lines or electric fences.... and other detectors. There are some sites just simply unhuntable with a PI detector in general due to EMI.

My GPX 5000 has become my favorite machine.. when its in your hand you can just feel the power. There is no other way to describe it.

 

[Ahab8]

I recently bought a GPX 4500 from Keith at Fort Bedford. Took it out for the first time yesterday to a site that I have hunted countless times with my T2 SE. A Deus has also been over this place. There was only a few iron tones left here. In less that 2 hours I pulled 2 10"+ deep coins, a blue stone Cufflink and a nice early pewter button....then I broke my shovel trying to dig to China. I'm beyond impressed. This machine is incredibly powerful. I bought a bigger stronger shovel and will try it again today. I will post again after the weekend and post all my finds from sites that I've hunted until they were quiet.

 

[Davers]

I recently bought a GPX 4500 from Keith at Fort Bedford. Took it out for the first time yesterday to a site that I have hunted countless times with my T2 SE. A Deus has also been over this place. There was only a few iron tones left here. In less that 2 hours I pulled 2 10"+ deep coins, a blue stone Cufflink and a nice early pewter button....then I broke my shovel trying to dig to China. I'm beyond impressed. This machine is incredibly powerful. I bought a bigger stronger shovel and will try it again today. I will post again after the weekend and post all my finds from sites that I've hunted until they were quiet.

After watching a 4800 dig targets at 'incredible' depths , I really want a 4800 (W Iron Mask), but $ is a big issue, & I really don't have access to a-lot of sites where it will shine, I got like 4-5 Civil War sites where Deep relics may still be.

I know it is a Machine for certain sites (Hot Rocks) etc. But would love to have one in the Arsenal JIC one of those sites becomes available. ..Man Decisions ,Decisions,decisions.

I see good things in your future using the 4500 on your old Sites .
Best In this New Year.
Davers

 

[Mach1Pilot]

Davers - Just a quick note... you don't have to buy a 4800/5000 to dig relics... a 4500 will have the same performance as a 4800 or 5000 on relics. And if you can find a used one, they can be quite affordable (as compared to new and GPX prices just a year ago). It also has a reputation of being a hot soil only machine, but it will see relics in ANY soil deeper than anything else on the market.

Don't be afraid to pull the trigger - once you have it in your hands you will not regret adding one to your arsenal.

 

[ArDirtSlinger]

Davers - Just a quick note... you don't have to buy a 4800/5000 to dig relics... a 4500 will have the same performance as a 4800 or 5000 on relics. And if you can find a used one, they can be quite affordable (as compared to new and GPX prices just a year ago). It also has a reputation of being a hot soil only machine, but it will see relics in ANY soil deeper than anything else on the market.

Don't be afraid to pull the trigger - once you have it in your hands you will not regret adding one to your arsenal.

I bought a 4500 and have not been disappointed.. Im using it on a lot that I pounded hard with my Deus for a year..It's heavy.. but you can get used to it