GPX 6000: First Impressions

I have just returned from a two week trip out from Wiluna where I was using the GPX 6000.

As we all know by now, the machine is light and easy to swing. I have been having physio for a crook back and used it with a hip stick. With this setup I was able to detect for long periods without any problem. The only issues were minor but probably worth mentioning. Firstly, the Quick Trac button needs to be activated with the right index finger. I found this a little unwieldy and certainly not as convenient and comfortable as using the thumb as with previous Minelab detectors.
Secondly, the inside of my right index finger became quite sore after a few days detecting where it contacted the junction between the handle and screen. Neither of these are big issues and before the next trip I will place a small strip of adhesive backed foam rubber at this point.

The headphones paired easily. However on two or three occasions, the Bluetooth connection dropped out and took some fiddling to reconnect. The headphones are very comfortable. In fact, several times I walked away forgetting that they were still on my head.

The detector is easy to setup and easy to operate. First up I would say that it is deadly on small gold and loves hot rocks. Another issue is that you cannot get close to Zeds or 4500s.

If you are looking for a detector that purrs along quietly, then the 6000 is probably not for you. Most of the time I was in difficult ground mode and manual sensitivity set at 9 or 10. I prefer to operate with an audible threshold and it was fairly chattery. I am sure that there are more optimum settings that could be used, but I didn’t experiment and stuck with the settings that were working.

My general impression was that I was getting good depth on tiny nuggets with these settings. For the last three days of the trip the ground was quite damp due to a couple of heavy rainfalls. The damp ground did not seem to have any effect on the depth of the bits that were dug. Unfortunately, no big targets were detected.
On a couple of occasions, it was impossible to ground balance the detector on the ground that I was on. Maybe reducing the sensitivity could have helped, but I chose to move away to where it would balance.

The above comments are from a first time user on a machine that was straight out of the box. I have no doubt that with more use and reading more informed comments will enhance the machines’s performance.

In spite of much time lost to travel, rain delays and sorting solar and electrical problems in the camp, I came home with just over half an ounce.

GPX 6000, I love it!

vetry good read and we are contemplating geting one as well as we are just back from the pilbarra after a 8 week trip and one of these would have been smick in the small nuggs we got aye

We are just back from a successfull trip out near Widgemooltha and tried the 6000 for the first time, the 7000 only got one nugget of 1.2 grams but the 6000 even though quite noisey at times, and you have to ground balance fairly frequentley its a real weapon on small pieces we got eight on the last day on some really flogged ground for 3.5 grams in little over an hr so am really happy with the unit, my only winge is the coil leaves a bit to be desired, the base plate is almost like a icecream lid and i see on some other sites there are quite a lot of complaints about it, so come on Minelab at $8000 could you not have come up with something better, it looks and feels like its Chinese, i have now taped it into place as it can come off if knocked and am looking at fabricating a replacement one as i think this original unit wont go the hard yards here in WA especially up north!

Bit the bullet myself and indulged into a GPX 6000. I was impressed with the recovery of small pieces from done over ground. During the colder months I went over ground that I have been over with the SDC 2300 and was finding gold 3 inches deeper than that little whiz of a machine would pick up. I set it upon max sensitivity.... say the 5 setting on the SDC. All good until you hit the really mineralised ground.... there she tests the patience somewhat with hot rock generating the same sound as the yella stuff.

Nothing to be done than walk away....... too many REAL false signals..... and Summer temperatures are a horror story of the same ilk....

Makes you want to drink beer in more copious amounts......

This I may say is in the Murchison Goldfields

I have experimented and changed to the double D coil which did make a difference.... and I have found 2 .5 grammers on mineralised ground in the Reedy area.... but the dig ratio is 100/2..... having said all this I will experiment further..... when weather permits...

I think the machine is an improvement in the SDC 2300.... with an 11 inch coil you feel like you are covering so much more ground than it and lets face it the SDC is really not a summer machine either. It picks up hot rock by the score in the heat too...

My mate is plodding along with the 7000 and sure he gets some hot rocks as well.... but horses for coarses.... that and the 5000 can be tuned to get rid of the majority of false signals... and that I think (when the weather heats up) is a huge advantage.

As Rustyhooks said.... the skid plate needs some tape as she falls off... no big deal though...

I have probably found 50 grams on done over areas ... say avg 13 pieces 2 grams..... not too shabby but far from making a quid....

But really its all about the ambience isnt it....

Yes viper hotrocks she loves , tho 3 two week trips i picked up 9 oz all small nothing over 3 gramms . It was chattery first trip , wasnt using headphones , after using headphones i found it ran smoother. cons for me is its light , easy on /off quad bike patch searching ... overall i like it, cheers albo