What settings for 24x12 .

Gday fellow swingers.


I recently purchased a Nugget Finder 24x12 mono for my GPX 5K and am after some expert advice from you Pilbara locals
on what settings would be a balanced starting point for this coil in this Pilbara location.
Also, at what speed should I work this coil.

I am pretty new to this game and this machine so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

So far I have had a bit of luck with the 11"DD coil supplied but I think this is just beginners luck.


Many thanks in advance.

WifesNightmare.

Can't help you with settings mate but a 24 x 12 you might need to change your name to NightmareSpini

He's right about the spinifex getting in the way. Even an 11 inch coil is very often hard to swing up there. That's one reason I rarely go to the Pilbara these days, that 'n bloody puff adders! My missus hates 'em and guess where they hide? Under the spini and as you step over the spini bush, ya get that "Slap, slaaap" on the back of yer jeans. Bingo, got ya! Bastards missed me a cuppla times at Nullagine. One was just too sleepy/

With the big coil, there's a lot of incoming receive signal to process, so:

Set on "Deep"

Set Motion (swing speed) on "Slow",,,,,,,,,and therefore move "Slow". No good being set on "Slow" and then tearing round like a greyhound. The machine won't be able to keep up. My estimate of "Slow" is less than one metre a second for a single swing, one way, of the coil.

Set Ground Balance on "Fixed" - check it often

Set  Gain on whatever you can get away with without getting too noisy from surrounding EMI. Trim that with "Stabiliser".

Set Timings to "Normal" on the front panel and only change to something quieter if the machine is just too noisy. I'd reduce the noise by using each setting in the Smooth range - gradually, one at a time until the machine gets quieter - which it may not do.

This is a primary set up for deep, big pieces using a big coil - which you are. All the other setting are personal preferences that I rarely mess about with as it ruins the familiarity that your hearing gets with practice.

Many thanks Wedgetail on your response to my query.

I had a laugh at your reply too Banjo..... might have to get in quick to all the burnt out spots for a look.

Guys I realize this is a big coil but I wanted something this size for the future as-well. Plan to move down south in the near future and upon advice from a friend down that way this coil would allow me to target the big deeper stuff around the Kalgoorlie way.

At first I was looking at the 17 x 11 mono and may very well look at acquiring this coil as-well.... cant imagine Ill be swinging the 24" for hours and hours.

Any recommendations on further coil sizes, make and model to consider would be most welcomed.

Burnt patches in known gold bearing spots are a good place to look. But please don't start spinifex fires of your own just for a bit of gold. When I was up there years back, a group of how can I put it,,,,,,,,,,,,Mexicans,,,,,,,,,set fire to small patch just south of Mosquito Creek near a place called "Paradise Valley". The wind shifted and it came back at 'em, they legged it and let it burn.

The fire came over big ridge at a hell of a speed and down onto a camp that belonged to friends. It was a beaut camp, been there for years, with a small dwelling, vegie garden the whole bit. It came close but missed the camp by about 20 mtrs. The fire burnt a whole ridge out & after about two weeks it died out.

Spinifex contains turpentine, a lot of turpentine and it burns like buggery. It practically explodes from one bush to another.

BTW - it took the WA Police two years to trace the Mexicans but they got 'em. I don't know how the court case went but the maximum penalty was 7 years in prison 'cos it's regarded as arson, no different to the dipshits that light fires down south in Perth. I think the penalty for arson was raised a while back to 14 years.

Good luck anyway.

Couldn't agree more Wedgetail.

As I am a long time local from this area.... 38 years, I too have witnessed many bush fires both deliberately and accidentally lit.

The carnage they cause put alot of people at unnessary risk, none more that the firies out there trying to put it out.


We recently have had a spate of burn offs so thought I would make the most of any pending leases that were affected.

WifesNightmare.

Wedgetail, that wasn't Norm & Evies camp was it?
We had the same thing happen out from Abydos, some pric## lit it up. was touch and go for a while. Knew who it was but could never prove it, but they did leave with a few bruises. Cant be too careful out there. We were about 2 ks away on foot in the hills when we saw the smoke, nearly lost the vehicle lucky it was parked on an old scraping. Regards Ken

hood wrote:Wedgetail, that wasn't Norm & Evies camp was it?
We had the same thing happen out from Abydos, some pric## lit it up. was touch and go for a while. Knew who it was but could never prove it, but they did leave with a few bruises. Cant be too careful out there. We were about 2 ks away on foot in the hills when we saw the smoke, nearly lost the vehicle lucky it was parked on an old scraping. Regards Ken

No the camp belonged to Margaret Murray and Peter Walsh. I don't think they're around anymore.