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THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ Minelab ‘GP extreme’ 4901-0036-Revision 1.2 4901-0036 Version 0.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com TABLE OF CONTENTS © Minelab Electronics Pty Ltd This document contains proprietary information which is protected by copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission from Minelab Electronics Pty Ltd, 118 Hayward Avenue, Torrensville, SA 5031, Australia. WARNING.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DETECTING TECHNIQUES ............................................................................................... 39 Detecting techniques ............................................................................................................................... 40 Prospecting techniques ..........................................................................................................................
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com INTRODUCING THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ ABOUT THIS MANUAL This manual is designed to introduce the detector’s features. It gives you step-by-step directions for everything from assembling and adjusting your detector, to basic and advanced detector use. 1. INTRODUCTION Basic overview of the ‘GP extreme’ and this User’s Manual. 4. CONTROLS This chapter is designed to familiarize you with the various features of the ‘GP extreme’ control panel.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com UNPACKING YOUR ‘GP extreme’ LIST OF PRE-ASSEMBLED SECTIONS AND PARTS easy reference D E 2 2 ASSEMBLY ASSEMBLY C F B A. P0501-A The ‘GP extreme’ as shipped A. ‘GP extreme’ 1100 Coil with Skid Plate and Fibreglass Lower Shaft attached. B. Intermediate Shaft. C. ‘GP extreme’ Control Box with Upper Shaft, Handle, Arm Rest, Arm Straps and Neoprene Armrest Cover attached. Figure 2.1 Contents of the ‘GP extreme’ pack G. Battery Cable.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com Attaching the handle and bungy cord COMPLETE ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS Figure 2.4, refer also Figure 2.2 Slide the handle (9) onto the other end of the upper shaft (8) and set it to a comfortable position. Tighten the two screws in the base of the handle with a small flat tipped screwdriver to hold the handle in position. STEP 2 Slide the bungy cord knuckle (22) of the bungy cord onto the upper shaft (8).
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com Attaching the lower fibreglass shaft Figure 2.2 Slide the lower fibreglass shaft (4) into the intermediate shaft (7). STEP 2 Adjust shaft length and coil angle for a comfortable position. Minelab recommends that the shaft length be set to give a comfortable sweep length of approximately 2 meters.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com 3 2 ASSEMBLY 3 BATTERIES Battery The ‘GP extreme’ is supplied with a 6v DC rechargable battery pack plus both mains and vehicle chargers. This chapter provides details on battery installation, use and performance.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com Mains Battery Charger BATTERY AND CHARGING The mains battery charger will charge the battery from local mains (AC) power outlets. The Battery The 6v DC rechargeable battery should provide enough power to operate the detector for 10-12 hrs, when fully charged. It is very important to fully charge the battery before storage. Do not leave a battery fully discharged for longer than one day.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com 4 3 BATTERIES Controls 4 It is important to familiarise yourself with CONTROLS the features of the ‘GP extreme’ control panel. A few minutes spent reading this chapter will be a worthwhile preliminary to detecting.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com DETECTOR SOUNDS CONTROL FUNCTIONS easy reference There are two control panels: the rear panel and the front panel. Rear Panel Threshold and Tone Figure 4.1 This is the background sound produced by the detector. The level is set using the Threshold control. The tone of the threshold is set using the Tone control. Target Signal This is the abrupt change of the tone and volume of the threshold sound when a target is detected.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com Boost (Shallow/N/Deep) If the threshold level is set too low there is no audible background signal and small target signals will not go above the threshold of audibility (Figure 4.6). Figure 4.3 Enhances the signals produced by different types of targets. Boost P0519-A • Figure 4.3 Boost switch • • Shallow enables target signals, from small objects close to the surface of the ground to be amplified. This allows for easier detection.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com Signal Pitch Front Panel Figure 4.12 Figure 4.16 Adjusts the pitch response of the target signal. Audio P0522-A Figure 4.12 Signal control In Figures 4.13 and 4.14 the curving line represents the high/low pitch response to a target. The dotted line represents the threshold tone. • At minimum position the high/low pitch variance to a target is reduced. • At maximum position the high/low pitch variance to a target is increased.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com • Iron Discriminate (All Metal/Disc) Figure 4.18 Iron Discriminate P0525-A Selects between discrimination or to turn off the discrimination altogether (All Metal). In All Metals, the detector will give varying volume and pitch signals but this information does not indicate the type of metal in the object. Figure 4.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com Cancel will again be to one side of centre and signals may be complex if target is close to the coil. This setting will limit sensitivity to deep targets. NOTE Coils not specifically designed for the ‘GP extreme’ may behave erratically or be ineffective in either E (Enhance) or Cancel modes. Balance (Fixed/Tracking) 5 Figure 4.21 The ‘GP extreme’ may be operated with fixed ground balance or automatic ground balance.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com DETAILED OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS QUICK START INSTRUCTIONS easy reference HINT Turn the ‘GP extreme’ On • Hold the coil away from the ground and metal objects and switch Power to On. STEP 1 Turn Power switch On. Take time to read this manual STEP 2 Set Boost to N (Normal) for general detecting. thoroughly to obtain the best STEP 3 Set Volume to maximum, and Signal to midway.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com Set the Tone control • E (Enhance) changes the way the coil transmits and receives its signals. Operating in enhanced, the coil has some of the characteristics of a Monoloop coil. Use of Enhance will often increase the sensitivity of the detector but may also be a little more unstable in heavily mineralised ground. Pinpointing will be off to the left of centre.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com Sometimes it may not be possible to remove the effects of interference completely by using the Tune control alone. Once the detector has been tuned for a particular location, it should not require readjustment unless conditions change or new interference is introduced, e.g. other detectors being used in the same area. If the interference persists after tuning, consider using the Rx switch set to Cancel position.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com Ground Balancing Procedure Figure 5.2 • • Figure 5.2 Setting the ground balance Move the coil up and down between 20mm and 100mm above the ground and, while moving the coil, change Balance from Fixed to Tracking. The fast ground balance takes only 5 sec. after switching to Tracking. Therefore, it is important to be moving the coil as the switch is changed. • Keep moving the coil until all ground noise has stopped.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com Iron Discriminate Level Adjust Control Figures 5.4, 5.5 Level Adjust gives the user the ability to select the sensitivity and likelihood of a target being discriminated as ferrous when used in the Disc mode. Iron discrimination with the ‘GP extreme’ is the silencing or ‘blanking’ of the threshold which occurs when the detector determines a target is comprised of ferrous metal. P00514-A Figure 5.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ DISCRIMINATION CONTROL USING LEVEL ADJUST easy reference MIN (FULLY ANTI-CLOCKWISE) OPERATION 5 MAX (FULLY CLOCKWISE) Almost all iron objects are discriminated, but a few small non-ferrous items will also be ignored. Detect more rubbish, but less likely to cancel a gold nugget. Detect less rubbish, but may mistake a nugget for ferrous rubbish Suggested for areas with large amounts of ferrous rubbish.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com Covering the search area DETECTING TECHNIQUES Check your footwear Figure 6.2 and Figure 6.3 Some user tips: • The battery should be worn in the backpack supplied. This places the battery at the furthest practical distance from the coil. • Ensure that you do not set the shaft length too short. • If the coil is too close to your body it might detect your pick, the battery or any other metal which you are carrying.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com PROSPECTING TECHNIQUES The ‘GP extreme’ has superior ground balancing and it is possible to find quite large objects near the surface in well-worked areas where other detectors have been unable to cope with the high degree of mineralisation and / or salt. Therefore the user should dig all target signals, even in previously detected areas. For Maximum Gold Recovery Keep the coil as close to the ground as possible.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ Pinpointing To find an object, and reduce the size of the hole required to remove it from the ground, it is necessary to pinpoint the exact location of the object. If a target is heard, first confirm it by setting an accurate ground balance and then pinpointing.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com HINT STEP 9 Keep halving the pile which has the target. Salty Environments STEP 10 If it is still difficult to find the target, place the detector on the ground with the coil horizontal. STEP 11 Take a handful of the diggings and pass over the coil. The ‘GP extreme’ will find objects at greater depth in salty environments.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com 7 User Info This chapter provides a glossary of terminology, user guides, technical specifications, warranty and repair details and troubleshooting tips.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 7 TROUBLESHOOTING The ‘GP extreme’ Use the following table to check for suggested solutions to problems. Table 7.1 Technical specifications Table 7.2 Troubleshooting Length Maximum Minimum 1300mm 1100mm Weight Complete with 11” coil (exluding battery) 2400g Configuration Shaftmount Transmit Freq.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com WARRANTY SERVICE REPAIR FORM Today’s Date ___________________________________________________________________________ Repairs ______________________________________________________________________________________ In the unfortunate circumstance Detector Model ________________________ Serial No.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com ACCESSORIES GLOSSARY OF COMMON TERMS Search coils The ‘GP extreme’ is supplied with the ‘GP extreme’ 1100 and ‘GP extreme’ 1800 coils. These coils have been specially designed to take advantage of the new technology and features of this detector. In addition to this there are also a number of other size coils will become available in the near future.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com Halo Effect After a metal object has remained undisturbed in the soil for a considerable amount of time, a diffusion occurs around the object. This has the effect of the object appearing to the detector to be a larger size. Hot Rocks A hot rock is an individual rock which has a particularly high degree of mineralisation as compared to the average ground around it.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com DETECTOR CARE AND SAFETY take care The ‘GP extreme’ is a high quality electronic instrument. It has been designed for professional gold prospecting use and the electronics circuitry is housed in a rugged case. Take care of your detector in the following way: Keep the detector clean and dry. It is very important to keep all electrical connectors clean and dry.
THE MINELAB ‘GP extreme’ www.minelab.com AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM MINELAB We ask YOU, as a responsible detector operator, to take all due care regarding the environment. Minelab cannot stress enough the importance of being responsible when recovering targets. BACKFILL EVERY HOLE YOU DIG. If care and consideration is taken, during and after the removal of targets, especially with respect to the back filling of holes, this should ensure the continued access to areas for prospecting and treasure hunting.
