Since the release of the GPX 5000, one of the lesser talked about new features is the Salt-Gold timing. This replaces the Salt-Coarse timing found on the GPX 4800 and previous GPX and GP series models, so what is different about it?
The Salt-Gold timing has been improved in two ways:
- Provides an improvement in stability and ground balance in mineralised and high salt content soils
- Provides greater sensitivity to smaller targets.
The Salt-Coarse timing does a good job in partially salty soils, but in highly saturated salt conditions, a ground balance may not be possible. The only way to work these areas is to run a Double-D coil in Cancel mode, or use one of the aftermarket Salt coils. The GPX 5000 with Salt-Gold now allows you to run your favourite coil in high-salt environments, with very little depth loss, and in many cases a Monoloop coil can still be used.
There are several inland salt lakes in the West Australian goldfields, and there are some smaller lakes in other areas but these are not the only spots that Salt-Gold will give you an advantage. Goldfield soils with a high salt content are actually more widespread than people realise, and it isn’t until heavy rains saturate the soil that the salt is leached out and affects your detector. Some symptoms may be broad ground noise type signals, and ghost signals, i.e. faint target like signals that disappear when you dig them up. In these conditions Salt-Gold may often be the solution, so it pays to try it out.
The other use for Salt-Gold is on ocean beaches, and let me say that it works great! Previously when using the GPX-4500, my favourite settings on beaches were:
Dry Sand - 11” DD coil, Sensitive Extra, Mono (coil switch)
Wet Sand - 11” DD coil, Salt-Course Timing, Rx Gain & Stabilizer turned down to suit
The above settings worked well, but depth was a bit limited, and I would often think I should just be using the Sovereign or E-TRAC. With the GPX 5000 in Salt-Gold, I can easily use an 11” Monoloop coil, and it cancels the salt with no false signals whatsoever. Using General Search Mode in factory settings, it can easily pull a 5c coin from over 33cm (13in), and an 18ct gold ring can be found at 42cm+ (16.5in)! With a little fine tuning, you can squeeze even more performance out of it, and if you are game enough to strap on a 15x12” mono coil, you’ll be digging some seriously deep holes!
The Salt-Gold timing is a really powerful feature, so where are you going to use it?
Nenad Lonic
Comments
This summer has been incredibly wet especially in QLD, with moisture comes rising salts which the "Smooth Class" of timings can struggle with, Salt/Gold has some surprising qualities in these types of conditions.
JP
Excellent posting, it is renewing my excitement about the Salt/Gold timing on the GPX 5000.
There are a number of locations here in the States that we have never been able to hunt with any real results due to the high salt content. I am looking forward to treating these areas as virgin ground and start bringing out items lost beginning in the 1840’s. There’s almost 160 years of finds waiting to be uncovered in this one area alone.
Not to mention the possibilities that are now open for beach hunting some of the worst mineral beaches we have on the West coast.
Kevin
JP, from what I hear Clermont is pretty waterlogged at the moment, Salt-Gold and a big Monoloop coil may be worth a swing over some deep ground...