Optimizing Your Detecting; Where To Find Gold; Identifying Target Signals - Minelab SDC 2300 Instruction Manual

Where to Find Gold

Many nugget-bearing areas are the result of
broken-down gold reefs containing quartz
and ironstone. Experienced prospectors learn
to 'read the ground' and look for tell-tale signs
indicating potential gold-bearing fields. If you
are new to prospecting, visit known gold fields,
ideally ones that produce gold nuggets 0.1
grams or larger. Pay attention to the soil colour,
rock types and vegetation, as this knowledge
may help you to find gold elsewhere. Be aware
that gold dust will not be detected by your
SDC 2300.
A typical problem encountered while using
some metal detectors in the goldfields is the
presence of heavy concentrations of ironstone
causing many false signals. The SDC 2300 is
designed to perform well in these conditions,
ignoring most ironstone and allowing gold to
be discovered.
The SDC 2300 is an ideal detector for patch
hunting. The ground can be rapidly scanned
until a first piece of gold is found, and then a
slower systematic search of the area can be
made to see if other gold nuggets are located
nearby. This can be achieved by detecting the
area very slowly, with significant coil overlap of
each sweep and by approaching the location
from three different directions.

Optimizing Your Detecting

Identifying Target Signals

Metallic targets (including gold) will
usually give a consistent response when
the coil is swept from different directions.
Very sudden changes in mineralization
may produce a signal (ground noise) from
the detector. Usually this signal is very
broad and uneven when the coil is swept
from different directions and may only give
a signal from one direction.
Large deep gold can give a broader target
response than smaller shallower gold.
If you are not sure if the sound is ground
noise or a target signal, scrape off about
40mm of soil and re-check. If the signal
becomes weaker it is probably ground
noise. If the signal remains the same or
becomes stronger, it is likely a metallic
target signal. If you are still not sure, make
the hole deeper and repeat the process.
Charcoal can sound loud and like a
metallic target when close to the surface.
The target response from charcoal is often
broader and becomes patchier as the
ground is dug.
It is possible that gold can be completely
encased in certain rocks.
If in doubt, you should always continue
to dig until the reason for the signal is
determined.
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