The internet and facebook are in a spin after Codan Minelab's parent company released a statement to their investors stating..
“A new high-end gold detector is scheduled for release in the coming weeks …”.
Now the rumor is not new the so called GPZ 8000 if we can call it that has been rolling around in forums and facebook groups for years , whats exciting is we will actually get to see this detector next week at the Minelab Dealer conference.
Every Dealer will be under NDA so will be limited in what can be shared buy given the time frame for the release i expect we will see some marketing tiles and specifications around the new detector very soon.
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There are published specification that are available publicly on The Prospecting Australia forum which seem right on point see below and quote source
The GPZ 8000: What’s Being Released
While Minelab keeps the exact specs under NDA until the March 9th reveal, the dealer briefing points to three major "generational leaps" for the 8000:
• ZVT 2 (Zero Voltage Transmission): The 8000 is expected to debut the second generation of ZVT technology. The goal is a 25-30% depth increase specifically on "sub-gram" nuggets that are currently too deep for the 7000 or 6000 to "hear" clearly.
• Weight Reduction & Carbon Fiber: One of the biggest complaints about the 7000 was the weight. The 8000 is rumored to follow the GPX 6000’s design philosophy, using a fully carbon fiber collapsible shaft and a lighter battery housing, likely bringing the weight down by nearly 2 lbs.
• AI-Driven Ground Balancing: This is likely why they chose Mariposa. The ground there is notorious for "variable hot rocks." The 8000 supposedly uses a new machine-learning algorithm that tracks ground mineralization in real-time, requiring almost zero manual balancing even when moving from wash-bottoms to rocky benches.
The "Mariposa Field Day" Intel
The March 9th and 10th dates are set up as a "Hands-On Validation" for the top-tier dealers.
• Day 1 (March 9): Technical briefing and indoor reveal. Dealers will get the MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) and shipping dates (rumored for a late April public ship date).
• Day 2 (March 10): Field testing at a private claim. They will likely have "test pits" with gold buried at depths that the 7000 and 6000 struggle with to prove the 8000's superiority.
Minelab has been extremely disciplined with their filings to prevent leaks, but looking at their recent documentation and the chatter coming out of the pre-event dealer briefings, here is the technical breakdown of what is under the hood:
FCC Filing Intel & Wireless Connectivity
Minelab filings under Grantee Code Z4C (specifically the most recent certifications like Z4C-0061 and the upcoming 2026 variants) reveal a few key shifts in their hardware:
• Dual-Band Wireless: Unlike the older Wi-Stream, the new filings show a shift toward a proprietary low-latency 2.4GHz/Bluetooth hybrid module. This suggests the 8000 will finally ditch the WM12 module in favor of a direct-to-headset connection with zero lag—likely compatible with the ML105 or a newer "ML200" headset.
• Power Density: The battery certifications indicate a higher voltage output than the 7.2V systems of the 7000. This supports the rumor of a more aggressive ZVT 2 (Zero Voltage Transmission) engine that requires more "punch" to reach the depths dealers are whispering about.
The "ZVT 2.0" Engine
The GPZ 8000 isn't just a facelift; it’s a total overhaul of the signal processing.
• The "Salt Mode" Upgrade: One of the big reasons for the Mariposa field trials is the 8000’s new ability to handle conductive alkali and salt saturated ground. If you’ve struggled with the GM2000 or the GPZ 7000 in high-salt Basin washes, the 8000’s revised timing is designed to "quiet" those ground signals without losing sensitivity to tiny gold.
• GeoSense-PI Pro: This is an evolution of the GPX 6000 technology. It uses "predictive" ground tracking. In the varied terrain of Mariposa, this allows the detector to adjust its balance before you even finish your swing.
Hardware & Coil Specs
• Weight: Expect a weight of roughly 4.6 lbs (2.1 kg). By using the carbon fiber architecture of the 6000, they have shaved off nearly 40% of the GPZ 7000's bulk.
• The 14" Elliptical Super-D: Rumors from the dealer invite suggest the 8000 will ship with a redesigned 14-inch elliptical Super-D coil. The elliptical shape is specifically for the tight, rocky terrain where the old round 14" was too cumbersome.
• Price Point: The "invite-only" nature usually means they are preparing dealers for a premium price tag—expect it to land in the $8,500 – $9,500 USD range.
Why Mariposa?
The choice of Mariposa for March 9th is deliberate. The area has high magmatic mineralization. If the 8000 can stay quiet there while hitting a 0.5-gram nugget at 14+ inches, Minelab knows it will dominate the US market.
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