Gold Rat Metal Detectors is located 6/50 Freda Street Upper Mount Gravatt. This is the only store to stock Metal Detectors. Gold Rat Engineering is located 4/16 Redcliffe Gardens Drive Clontarf This is where you will see the largest range of your highbankers, sluices and accessories
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A Range of Hand-held Pinpointers

Posted by Bushranger Bob ·

A Range of Hand-held Pinpointers

A Range of Hand-held Pinpointers

Compact, hand-held pinpointers can sure save a lot of wasted time & effort digging for and locating targets such as coins, jewellery, relics, and gold nuggets/specimens, upon both land, and also underwater. I know so, from decades of experience of digging (and backfilling) thousands of holes on land throughout our awesome Continent.

The way I look at it – the more time I save from digging, the more time I then have to detect more targets, especially when I am sometimes time-poor on my detecting adventures at the beach, parks or out bush. 

The more expensive pinpointers feature adjustable sensitivity settings - which is very handy in challenging ground conditions e.g. when using it upon/in mineralised ground or upon/in saltwater-saturated/conductive ground. They also feature audio/tactile alert options of vibration mode, with or without target-proximity audio indication.

In late 2023, Minelab released a new hand-held pinpointer – the  PRO-FIND 40.
The Minelab PRO-FIND 40 pinpointer has a 2-YEARS Minelab Warranty, with a nominal 9-Volt battery life of about 20 hours, and costs $269.

I did some simple, in-store testing using the new Minelab PRO-FIND 40 pinpointer – to determine the maximum air-depth range of detection of an Aussie $2 coin, and also a flat (7x4mm) 0.43 gram gold nugget (and compared to using the similar costing, orange-coloured Garrett Pro-Pointer AT - commonly called “The Garrett Carrot”). Both of these pinpointers contained new/same batteries, and were set on Maximum Sensitivity.
The results were as follows: 

$2 coin -  Minelab PRO-FIND 40 = 7cm range   (Garrett Pro-Pointer AT = 6cm range, and Minelab Pro-Find 15 = 3.5cm range)

0.43 gram gold nugget –  both the Minelab PRO-FIND 40 and the Garrett Pro-Pointer AT pinpointers = about 2cm range.

The new Minelab PRO-FIND 40 pinpointer has the following features:
•  10% more Depth than the Minelab PRO-FIND 35
•  A Rapid Re-tune function - making it quick and easy to compensate for ground conditions
•  Improved Stability - for more accurate pinpointing
•  Adjustable Sensitivity - with 5 levels of adjustment
•  A Lost Alarm - that sounds after a period of inactivity & combined with a bright red body - makes the PRO-FIND 40 easy to locate
•  A Ferrous Tone ID - that helps to sort trash from treasure

The new Minelab PRO-FIND 40 pinpointer kit includes:
•  PRO-FIND 40 pinpointer - with speaker and LED flashlight
•  Holster
•  Lanyard
•  9V PP3 battery
•  Multi-language instructions

 


'Gold Rat Metal Detectors' sell a range of waterproof pinpointers (varying in cost from $159 up to $309) including:

 

Garrett Pro-Pointer AT (commonly called “The Garrett Carrot”)

The Nokta AccuPOINT pinpointer operates on a frequency of 20kHz  (whereas the Minelab pinpointers, and Garrett pinpointers, and Nokta ‘Pointer’, all operate on a frequency of about 12kHz). This higher operating frequency can make the AccuPOINT more sensitive to detecting small gold nuggets.
 
I did some simple, in-store testing using the Nokta AccuPOINT pinpointer (compared to the Minelab PRO-FIND 40 pinpointer) – to determine the maximum air-depth detection range on two different sized, small, flat, sub-gram gold nuggets (a 0.7gram flat nugget, and a 0.2gram flat nugget). Both of these pinpointers contained fully-charged batteries, and were set on their respective Maximum Sensitivity settings.
The results were as follows: 
Nokta AccuPOINT  =  2.5cm (0.7gram nugget),  and 1.5cm (0.2gram nugget)
Minelab Pro-Find 40  =  2cm (0.7gram nugget),  and 1cm (0.2gram nugget). 
Other great features on the Nokta AccuPOINT pinpointer include that it contains a built-in rechargeable Lithium battery, has discrimination capability (Ferrous/Non-Ferrous), Bluetooth connectivity, and a replaceable tip protector.
The Minelab pinpointers, and Garrett pinpointers, and Nokta ‘Pointer’, all operate on a frequency of about 12kHz.

The Nokta PulseDive pinpointer, and the Nokta PulseDive 2-in-1 Underwater Metal Detector, both feature Pulse-Induction technology – and both operate on a lower frequency of about 3kHz.

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Minelab Detector Options and Accessories for the Hearing Impaired

Posted by Bushranger Bob ·

Minelab Detector Options and Accessories for the Hearing Impaired

Minelab Detector Options & Accessories for the Hearing Impaired

 

A hearing impairment alone should not prevent a person from effectively using a metal detector. Furthermore, digging up gold nuggets, or coins, or jewellery, or relics, certainly does not require hearing.

With tactile/vibrational feedback solutions now available, there is a range of options of new Minelab detectors for people with hearing impairment.

Recently released Minelab detectors - with the optional feature of  HANDLE VIBRATION  - include the  X-TERRA PRO  ($499), and  Equinox 700  ($1,079), and  Equinox 900  ($1,549), and  MANTICORE  ($2,349).

 

 

There is also the unique  Minelab SDC 2300  ($3,999) – a highly compact, robust, & waterproof detector, featuring extremely fast Pulse-Induction (PI) technology - that is especially suited for sub-gram gold nugget hunting on land and underwater – which features an LED display (above the handle) that provides a visual indication of target size & proximity. This detector has been very popular, particularly in Australia, for many good reasons.


 

 

‘LUCKY KNUCKLE’ Speaker/Target LED Light packs
The Target LED Light Pack allows you to change the audio from your detector to a visual indicator. This is ideal for those with hearing issues, or those who prefer quiet detecting. Features include:
•    Adjustable between light & sound
•    Sound On/Off switch
•    Light sunshade & diffuser
The 3 LED Light pack is suitable for the Minelab SDC 2300 and GPZ 7000 detectors.
The 2 LED Light pack is suitable for the Minelab SDC 2300, GPX 4500/5000, and GPZ 7000 detectors.

 



‘Gold-Tec Australia’ “have developed and designed hearing impairment aid device using the latest Audio/ Haptic Technology to help you with your partial or profound hearing loss.” …..
“The QUAVAR-PI is design for persons with a hearing impairment, who are or desire to be Detectorists. The device offers tactile perception delivered by an haptic transducer to the operator. The detector does not require to be operated without audio. The QUAVAR-PI has the ability to discern between proper and false targets. For beginners this aid will make it easier in reducing false targets and having to do less digging.”

 

Bone Conduction Headsets

Another option to consider is the use of Bone Conduction Headphones, including an option of wireless connectivity via aptX Low Latency codec. Minelab detectors such as the X-Terra Pro, Equinox range, MANTICORE, and GPX 6000 are compatible with aptX Low Latency / Bluetooth headphones.

Bone conduction headphones use vibrations to transmit sound directly to your inner ear through the bones located in your upper cheek and jaw. Your cochlea, inner ear, does not realise that the sound is coming from the bones rather than the eardrum. Your brain processes the sounds vibrations in the same way as if they came via your ear-drum, meaning you can hear sound clearly.

 

 

Pin Pointers
There is also a range of waterproof, hand-held pin-pointers – that feature both vibrational & LED light functions, including:

Minelab PRO-FIND 35
Garrett Pro-Pointer AT
Garrett Pro-Pointer II
Nokta Pointer
Nokta PulseDive Pointer
Nokta PulseDive 2-in-1 Underwater Metal Detector

 

 

So please don’t let a hearing issue prevent you, or a family-member, or a friend, from pursuing a passion for metal detecting or prospecting.  You may be more than surprised at what you find !


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