Prospecting & Metal Detecting

[Jim SoG]

I am a GPAA member and joining a Western States assoc. Who does what?

I detect and beginning panning, but am buying a highbanker here shortly....

Jim

 

[Jim SoG]

Also is there very many on here? Need many to justify a forum of its own.....

 

[Viking1204]

Well I'm interested, not sure how much gold prospecting we have here in the Southeast. I had to Google GPAA, didn't even know it existed until you mentioned it. So what's a Highbanker?

 

[grubworm]

Well I'm interested, not sure how much gold prospecting we have here in the Southeast. I had to Google GPAA, didn't even know it existed until you mentioned it. So what's a Highbanker?

a Highbanker is a mechanical screening device that separates fines from solids...like sifting sand thru a screen and the seashells remain

not much gold in the southeast, but me and my boys used to detect when they were little and we'd hit around civil war sites and around old plantation homes hoping to hit buried jars of coins. never found anything valuable, but did have fun and got exercise. we did the beach thing at grand isle years back, but now they have state employees hitting it daily with sifting machines that screen and level the beach area, so pretty much wiped that out.

would be cool hitting areas in the southwest. probably need permits and stuff, but relatively cheap fun with the hope of always finding something.
id try it again

 

[Ubiety]

I am a GPAA member and joining a Western States assoc. Who does what?

I detect and beginning panning, but am buying a highbanker here shortly....

Jim

Most always carry a pan along for the ride. Have nearly pulled the trigger on a detector many times - but so many models... And I am _clearly_ not nerdy enough for a detector! Hahaha
Have explored many adits in your fine state @Jim SoG

 

[Viking1204]

Most always carry a pan along for the ride. Have nearly pulled the trigger on a detector many times - but so many models... And I am _clearly_ not nerdy enough for a detector! Hahaha
Have explored many adits in your fine state @Jim SoG

I've been thinking about pulling the trigger on a detector too. I think it would be cool to have something to check out remote areas you find. I imagine there's a lot of buried treasure still around in remote places all over this country. Back in the day a lot of people didn't want to go to town to put their savings in the bank and just buried it. Crooks buried their loot and sometimes died before digging it back up I imagine. I guess there's a bit of treasure hunter in me, seem to like a lot of the movies where they hunt for lost treasure, my favorite is probably still The Goonies I watched as a teenager for the first time!

 

[Ubiety]

I've been thinking about pulling the trigger on a detector too. I think it would be cool to have something to check out remote areas you find. I imagine there's a lot of buried treasure still around in remote places all over this country. Back in the day a lot of people didn't want to go to town to put their savings in the bank and just buried it. Crooks buried their loot and sometimes died before digging it back up I imagine. I guess there's a bit of treasure hunter in me, seem to like a lot of the movies where they hunt for lost treasure, my favorite is probably still The Goonies I watched as a teenager for the first time!

The Goonies is one of my wife's favorite movies!

Gold detecting could be very interesting but I think it would be fun to have a detector in the truck and use it when camp-bound and needing some entertainment. So I get stuck in a loop - gold detector to rake in the bling bling or "normal" detector to go after the bulk of the things. Compromises...

 

[Flipper]

Detector and pointer everywhere we go. Got our new pans, going to give them a try this fall.

 

[Jim SoG]

Well I'm interested, not sure how much gold prospecting we have here in the Southeast. I had to Google GPAA, didn't even know it existed until you mentioned it. So what's a Highbanker?

Georgia, Alabama, Miss, Tenn all have gold......

 

[Jim SoG]

a Highbanker is a mechanical screening device that separates fines from solids...like sifting sand thru a screen and the seashells remain

would be cool hitting areas in the southwest. probably need permits and stuff, but relatively cheap fun with the hope of always finding something.
id try it again

Fed land not claimed is free and open (mostly) to pan and detect.....

 

[Jim SoG]

I have 2 detectors, soon 3. I am mainly a coinshooter, found 2 gold coins, tons of other old coins. Just bought a Gold Bug Pro for nuggets and getting a Gold Monster 1000 for gold as well......
Got pans and sluice and such.

Jim

 

[Viking1204]

Georgia, Alabama, Miss, Tenn all have gold......

Alabama and Georgia (Edit: Not Tennessee) are closest for me so I'll guess I'll start researching there. I have a son moving to Birmingham in about 10 days so I'll have a base camp there when I need it! Time to do some research on a good detector to start with.

 

[Ubiety]

Alabama and Tennessee are closest for me so I'll guess I'll start researching there. I have a son moving to Birmingham in about 10 days so I'll have a base camp there when I need it! Time to do some research on a good detector to start with.

Please keep us updated on your research! I may have to get a detector as well. HAVE TO - not a want or a need but an absolute imperative! Hahaha

 

[Advtres]

I have a portable detector I can put in my pack, and it rides on the Molle panels in the rig so I always have it.

I am not primarily a gold hunter ( though I do have my gold pan in my rig to dip into any river or lake that catches my fancy ) .

I guess you could say I am more of a history and sure Goonie! - finding a trinket or old coin would be amazing.. best I think I have ever found is a piece of space junk. Getting a specific gravity set up to be sure...

In case your interested this is the packing detector I have. So far it works pretty good - depth is not great but I can live with that trade-off for packability.

 

[Viking1204]

I like the idea of having a gold pan since I like to camp and fly fish near Mountain streams but have no idea where to start. Any suggestions on a good gold pan for beginners?

 

[grubworm]

Garrett 15" SuperSluice

Price: $8.46. Part of the Gravity Trap series, the Supersluice is more than adequately equipped for both wet and dry panning conditions. Deep green to enhance gold and precious metal recognition. Free shipping on all orders over $99. No hassle returns.

highplainsprospectors.com

when i was a diver offshore, me and some of the guys talked about heading west on a trip and using our gear to dive in deeper rivers and pan for gold. never did it, but then years later saw the tv series about gold in alaska rivers

 

[Flipper]

I have a portable detector I can put in my pack, and it rides on the Molle panels in the rig so I always have it.

I am not primarily a gold hunter ( though I do have my gold pan in my rig to dip into any river or lake that catches my fancy ) .

I guess you could say I am more of a history and sure Goonie! - finding a trinket or old coin would be amazing.. best I think I have ever found is a piece of space junk. Getting a specific gravity set up to be sure...

In case your interested this is the packing detector I have. So far it works pretty good - depth is not great but I can live with that trade-off for packability.

Be careful when you rinse your GoFind off. I was cleaning mine, had it facing with the coil up. Water ran down the tube then into the handle/head. Trashed …… Kellyco let me return it even when I told them what I did! Upgraded to a Garrett A/T
Much more durable but dosent fit in my backpack…….bummer.

 

[Advtres]

I like the idea of having a gold pan since I like to camp and fly fish near Mountain streams but have no idea where to start. Any suggestions on a good gold pan for beginners?

I went with this one from Amazon, no rust, handles getting tossed around in the rig (bending, shoved into an available space ) and was pretty cheap.

Be sure to get some type of eye dropper to grab the little flakes when you do get a hit. It is a bummer to not have it ( speaking from experience ).

On a side note to anyone interested in panning, is watch a few videos on how to pan correctly…

It is a bit fiddly but the process gets you to those pretty little flakes that keep us in the water until we either freezing or pruned up…

 

[Advtres]

Be careful when you rinse your GoFind off. I was cleaning mine, had it facing with the coil up. Water ran down the tube then into the handle/head. Trashed …… Kellyco let me return it even when I told them what I did! Upgraded to a Garrett A/T
Much more durable but dosent fit in my backpack…….bummer.

Good advice. I honestly have never washed any of my detectors, though could see the need if I was detecting in/near mud or river edges.

I really do like the portability of the small Go-Find detector, really handy when your out hiking looking for some lost long goodie bag, gun or horseshoe…

I have a Teknetics T2 and have tried to attach it to my pack when hiking, just a pain even broken down. Considering I carry a small shovel, a hand spade and my Garrett pin-pointer plus water and the “in-case I get lost or run into a bear“ gear the pack can weigh about 20-25 lbs. So the Go-Find is perfect (2.3 lbs) and has proven to be pretty robust and the identification screen is basic but useful.

 

[Jim SoG]

Gonna try to find a couple claims this weekend even if it will be 100 degrees out.......