which detector can handle hot rocks/cold stones better than SDC2300

[Horst]

I just returned from Kelowna, BC Canada. I tried to use my SDC2300 in Mission creek but the hot rocks/cold stones drove it nuts and I could not cancel them out. I also have a White's GMT and the stones I took home I cannot cancel out. Would the new White's 24K or a Gold Monster 1000 do a better job? Thank's for your comments.

 

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[oneguy]

That said, even though it has a prospecting mode, I would probably leave it at home for prospecting gold.

I do not own one but on the 2 gold detecting forums I hang on the 800 is getting EXCELLANT praise as a nugget hunter and seems to be the first real "best of both worlds" detector for coins and small gold......

 

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[AU_Solitude]

Going to give my two cents and reiterate most of what has already been said here although I think Lanny and Goldwasher have nailed it. Also, the tips IMPDLN gave you are spot on.

I have A LOT of hours in on the SDC, and it would be the last of my detectors to go. If I could give myself one tip ten years ago when I started detecting for gold, it would be pick one detector suitable to the area and stick with it. Detecting for gold isn't something that you become successful at overnight. Getting to know your tools nuances is part of being a successful detectorist. I have gone over ground with the SDC and missed gold due to what I think is "feathering" by the ground tracking circuit when in proximity to large amounts, and or, variable hot rocks. If you're in extremely hot ground don't feel like you're going to miss gold by dialing back the sensitivity setting and slowing the swing speed with that coil to the soil - it seems like most of the fellow SDC users I have encountered subscribe to the, "its set at 5 or it's not on," creed. Some of my smallest gold has been found in 2, or even in the salt range.

 

[Horst]

right now I am concentrating on my new Nox 800 as in the area I live in (central Germany) there is no detectable gold except in the jewellery stores. So I started hunting a different type of game - coins and artefacts. I am having fun learning the machine and already found some real great stuff (my buddies golden wedding ring, 1875 bronze + 1827 silver coin). I think in the near future when I become more confident with the Nox I will take both machines out. Once I find a signal with the Nox I will make a suggestion what it might be and then run the SDC over the target before I dig it. As I found a lot of stuff in Arizona BBs, Bullets, small pieces of wire, leadshavings etc. I must have been doing something right as I found REAL small stuff with the SDC. I have been digging all signals in the Goldfields. Even though it was screaming at me and I was pretty sure it will be iron. As we were two hunters andf both did not find a piece of Gold maybe the LDMA claims were cleaned out very well. In September 2019 I'll be going back to CA. Hopefully I can find a piece of Gold with the MD over there. I will hunt bedrock on the north Yuba and do some panning. Being out there with friends is the most important part of it. Can't wait for Joe's coffee with the little "extra" in it in the morning ****+

 

[Horst]

I found a 1 Pfennig Deutsches Reich 1874 coin today. I just dug 2 targets today. ! ammo casing and that coin. I guess I get there to figure out which target to dig and which one to ignore. The book written by Clive James Clynick helps a lot!

 

[Lanny in AB]

I found a 1 Pfennig Deutsches Reich 1874 coin today. I just dug 2 targets today. ! ammo casing and that coin. I guess I get there to figure out which target to dig and which one to ignore. The book written by Clive James Clynick helps a lot!

Hey! All the practice you're getting will only help as any practice digging targets will sharpen your senses for when you get another crack at the gold.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[IMPDLN]

Another point I would like to make on this post. Others here have also mentioned this, but I'm not sure you understood correctly. If the SDC is going off on the hot iron rich rocks, the VLF will also, and much worse. Just because a VLF has discrimination doesn't mean it will ignore high iron rocks or even discriminate them out. High iron or heavily mineralized areas will likely in most areas cause a VLF to overload and won't be useable. Anytime a PI machine is struggling with the mineralization, any VLF will certainly struggle even more. Sometimes all you can do is just dumb down the detector, even with a PI.

I know an area where no current metal detector technology will function correctly. So much iron that any current technology will overload no matter what adjustments a person might try. Hot rocks the size of a chicken egg are no problem. Identify them, kick them out of the way and keep going. Little pea sized hot rocks are more frustrating as you have to dig them all up. So turn down sensitivity, slow down your swing speed, and get to know your machine. Happy hunting, Dennis.

 

[Horst]

Hi Dennis,

many thanks for all your good advice. When I go back to Kelowna I will see what those hot rocks will do. The once I took home are all reading in -3/-4. In Mission creek there were lots of them. I have the feeling that I won't have too much trouble with my Nox800. We'll see. Right now I concentrate on checking targets make a suggestion and if I'm not 99% sure it is a piece of trash I'll dig it. When I dig it usually turns out to be a piece of lead or aluminum or foil that has been scwashed to little ball. I'm using a 10khz check program and it works nice. Coins are always standing out real nice. The book written by Clive James Clynick hepls me a lot. I'm having fun and my hunting buddy who's golden wedding ring I returned to yesterday told me about another spot on his hunting lease where a kind of ancient military installation has been located. He's been talking about a castle or similar thing that has been taken down to it's foundation. I will go there soon and let you know.
Best of luck to you and yours
Horst

 

[MXT SNIPER]

The Gold Bug 2 has a very distinctive "Boing" sound on hot rocks and zip zip sound on gold. But doesn't have much depth on small gold.