Selling designs of leading edge detector tech

Prospector Paul

Greenie
Aug 5, 2019
19
8
California, U.S.
Detector(s) used
Deep gold detectors I've designed
Primary Interest:
Other
Howdy! :) This is probably a long shot but thought to at least give it a try. I've designed a metal detector that significantly outperforms anything on the market, and initially I had intended to merely use it for myself for a year or two and then sell the designs, but I would consider selling the designs to a company now if they paid enough. Probably not enough, but you never know. A lot of detector's secrets are revealed in the radiated signal while in use. The coil design itself is a major breakthrough. Therefore, I'm not willing to demonstrate the detector in person unless a company would make a written guaranteed offer given that the detector can meet specific details such as minimum results for various tests, maximum radiation power, etc.

Does anyone have any idea who would be knowledgeable in this area? I'm not going to make a big deal out of it, otherwise I would just contact Minelab and all of the companies myself. I just thought someone could give me a rough estimate, even a guesstimate of how much a company might possibly pay for such a metal detector. My previous design was capable of detecting a modern U.S. nickle buried 3 feet down in ground here, and over 3 feet in air tests. My newest design is expected to take that to at least 4 feet. Also, given basic physics, I believe the material discrimination in all of my designs have reached near maximum capability unless we're talking about something such as NMR spectroscopy. I don't want to give out details right now, but the device can display location & reflected intensity of every object; hot rocks, iron, & non-magnetic metals. So for example if there's a gold nugget buried right next to a piece of magnetite and there was a piece of steel 3 inches away you would see a map of the objects. For relatively large objects you would be able to identify the object by it's shape & size alone. This mapping feature does not work in normal mode. So if the detector finds something, then you have the option of entering map mode where you will sweep the detector back & forth in a specific fashion covering the desired area.

Here's public information (unconfirmed) on some metal detecting companies according to a few websites.

Minelab
Estimated annual revenue: $44.2M
Estimated employees: 149

Garrett
Estimated annual revenue: $51.7M
Estimated employees: 209

Fisher Research Labs
Estimated annual revenue: $36.2M
Estimated employees: 284

Tesoro Electronics
Estimated annual revenue: $54.7M
Estimated employees: 136

White's Electronics
Estimated annual revenue: $1.8M
Estimated employees: 10

JW Fishers
Estimated annual revenue: $1.1M ?
Estimated employees: 11 ?
 

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A#1

Hero Member
Feb 18, 2018
532
657
Traverse City, Michigan
Primary Interest:
Other
honestly just an opininion from afar......

Seems like Minelab, being what I think is the innovation leader in the industry at the moment....would pay big to keep to keep on the top, and not be surpassed by a conpany with new tech like that

On the same note, the older established companies would pay big to be able to use the new tech to market something cutting edge and retake what they once had

Either way, you gonna have to demonstrate that tech. Perhaps partner up with one of the testing YouTubers and share a little with him. Calabash Digger comes to mind, he has a nice thing going, a respectable name, seems like an honest feller, and has all the tools to make quality demo/comparison videos.

Then, let them come to you
 

Treasure_Hunter

Administrator
Staff member
Jul 27, 2006
48,301
54,448
Florida
Detector(s) used
Minelab_Equinox_ 800 Minelab_CTX-3030 Minelab_Excal_1000 Minelab_Sovereign_GT Minelab_Safari Minelab_ETrac Whites_Beach_Hunter_ID Fisher_1235_X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Not sure where you got your sales figures for Minelab,according to Codan's 2018 annual report who owns Minelab.

"2018 financial year was once again exceptionally strong
for Minelab. Sales increased 10.8% to $164.0 million and
segment contribution increased 4.1% over the prior year."
 

Rick K

Hero Member
Jan 3, 2007
756
716
Gold Canyon AZ
Detector(s) used
ML SDC-2300, Fisher F-75, XP Deus,
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Inventing a wonderful new metal detector is a great thing. Getting a new detector to market is a completely different thing. The odds of any existing manufacture being interested in a project from outside is low.

Unlikely you could even get one of them to look at it, since it opens them up for claims from you that they have copied it on some subsequent device of their own.

P.S. Tesoro is out of business,
 

OP
OP
Prospector Paul

Prospector Paul

Greenie
Aug 5, 2019
19
8
California, U.S.
Detector(s) used
Deep gold detectors I've designed
Primary Interest:
Other
Not sure where you got your sales figures for Minelab,according to Codan's 2018 annual report who owns Minelab.

"2018 financial year was once again exceptionally strong
for Minelab. Sales increased 10.8% to $164.0 million and
segment contribution increased 4.1% over the prior year."

I got it from owler.com. Probably not up to date, but that's great to hear Minelab's revenue is that have. :)
 

OP
OP
Prospector Paul

Prospector Paul

Greenie
Aug 5, 2019
19
8
California, U.S.
Detector(s) used
Deep gold detectors I've designed
Primary Interest:
Other
A#1 & Rick K, I can see both perspectives. You'd think companies would be beating down the door for such tech, but then again they're probably afraid to death of a lawsuit. They won't have to worry because I'd be too afraid to demonstrate it until they showed enough interest to give an offer given their requirements. The agreement would have to specify that they would buy the designs for a specified price if the detector meets all of their requirements. My concerns would be someone in the distance with a high gain yagi or quad antenna connected to an oscilloscope recording the detector signal. It's sad to be that paranoid, no? lol I know there's nobody at Minelab or the other companies who would do such a thing, but still... I've been working on this detector for what seems like ages. It's like my child.

My prediction is that nobody will be interested, I'll just use it myself, and perhaps by slim chance there might be one or two wealthy people who just happened to read this thread who would offer me a lot of money for one device, but not enough, in which case I'll have to deny the kind offer, and maybe in 5 years I'll just give the designs away to the public. :) What do you think?
 

Iffy Signals

Sr. Member
Sep 17, 2018
484
730
Rhode Island
Detector(s) used
Current-Deus & Equinox 800. Past - CTX, F75, AT Pro/Max, F44, Patriot.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Thats some crazy depth. Does it have a Flux Capacitor and Powered by 1.21 gigiwatts?
 

Rick K

Hero Member
Jan 3, 2007
756
716
Gold Canyon AZ
Detector(s) used
ML SDC-2300, Fisher F-75, XP Deus,
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I think you should enjoy your detector. There is no market for outside designs from an unproven source. Detector companies make money by selling detectors. It really doesn’t make too much difference how awesome they are - as long as long as they are value for money and widely distributed.

By the way - nobody in their right mind wants to dig 4 feet for anything, much less a nickel.
 

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OP
OP
Prospector Paul

Prospector Paul

Greenie
Aug 5, 2019
19
8
California, U.S.
Detector(s) used
Deep gold detectors I've designed
Primary Interest:
Other
I think you should enjoy your detector. There is no market for outside designs from an unproven source. Detector companies make money by selling detectors. It really doesn’t make too much difference how awesome they are - as long as long as they are value for money and widely distributed.

By the way - nobody in their right mind wants to dig 4 feet for anything, much less a nickel.

Haha ditto for nickels but nickle size gold nuggets, absolutely! $1000 to $2000 typically it seems. The best on the market seems to be able to detect a nickel size nugget 1.5 to 2 feet. How big does the nugget have to be for a GPZ to detect it 3 feet? Maybe a $20,000 nugget? Heck I'd dig 6 feet for a $20,000 nugget. Probably a lot deeper but it would be an intelligent digging method such as putting up boards on the side to significantly decrease amount of digging. Anyhow I see what's happening here. All in good fun, right? :)

For people who want a serious discussion, throwing ideas back and forth on how to make millions per year hunting for gold nuggets, detector & geology talk, please by all means send me a private message. :)
 

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Kray Gelder

Gold Member
Feb 24, 2017
7,013
12,577
Georgetown, SC
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
It seems you should take your machine out west, spend a couple weeks, and make a few mil digging nuggets. What are you waiting for?
 

Rick K

Hero Member
Jan 3, 2007
756
716
Gold Canyon AZ
Detector(s) used
ML SDC-2300, Fisher F-75, XP Deus,
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Vaping is big these days - likely more vaporware - what could it hurt to post a picture of this waterproof “wunderwaffen”?
 

BillA

Bronze Member
May 12, 2005
2,186
3,218
Drake, Costa Rica
It seems you should take your machine out west, spend a couple weeks, and make a few mil digging nuggets. What are you waiting for?

I was hooked up with a guy who had bought a Whites detector and started visiting med sized mining operations in AK, and shortly encountered an owner who described a gold potato moving through the trommel (2" holes) and pointed to the stack; 50/50. In 2 hours he found it. I was messing around in New Mexico at the time and he wanted to tag along. His big question was how to securely tie a 5 gal bucket to a 3-wheeler (some years ago) that he was going to FILL with gold nuggets.
It never ends, each generation is fresh meat for the oldsters.
 

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