Finding the Deepies...

Well, since I started tuning my GQ as below, I have been finding stuff deeper. I have been able to discern faint (read DEEP) signals due to a really stable and consistent threshold. So stable that I sometimes doubt the machine is still on :)

Some of deep targets disappear after you remove the second or third scoop of sand. This has been a cause for much frustration and exhaustion. Not finding a target after pulling up a few gallons of sand can do that to you. What to do?

I gave up on quite a few of these deepies before I realized that I could flip the coil straight on the rod and use the coil sides to detect the target within the hole!

The coil is usually at a 45 degree angle to the rod. Flip it parallel to the rod. Doing so allows you to insert the coil into the hole and get maybe 4 to 6 inches extra depth vs. just waving the coil on the surface. Pinpoint by changing the orientation of the coil perpendicular to the previous position, just like Xing it. For some reason, the edge of the coil is sensitive to the plane of the coil. This helps a lot pinpointing. Have fun!

/bing


p.s. dont be afraid to retune to two more BANGs from relatively stable. this seems to provide the most stability which results into being able to better hear the deepies. Even then, my machine is still 1/4 a notch below the first notch on the DELAY knob.

Tuning the GQ

I dont know if this is the right way to tune the GQ SS v1.0, but its been working real well since I chanced upon this tuning procedure. I live in SoCal BTW, and for the GQ, its must be good.

If you've been pulling your hair trying to tune the GQ, has it been banging a tone left and right of a swing, are large and loud targets all you hear? Try this little trick.

First, set the threshold to "just audible". A slight whimper is what you want. Take the GQ for a cruise along the wet sand. If your hearing intermittent banging, whether on the left swing, on the right swing or on the apex, speed up the SAT 1/8th turn at a time. When you max out the SAT, then start bringing up the REJECT (DELAY knob).

This is where the technique begins. There was no way to tell how much REJECT to add since there are no detents or marks on the unit. I used to just randomly twist the REJECT knob by 1/8 turn to quiet things down. I really felt that this was not a good way to do things. As we all know, more REJECT is less sensitivity on small gold. We do not want too much less we lose our ability to detect small gold. Hell, you paid a $ 1000.00 for the GQ. Better use it to the hilt.

As you finesse the REJECT knob up from MIN, you'll get a loud BANG of audio. STOP! At that exact point, when you stop moving the knob just enough to get that BANG, the unit will quiet down enough to allow you to back off the SAT by 1/8th to 1/4th turn. Finessing the REJECT knob is the key. Adding enough REJECT (speeding up the DELAY) to get that BANG quiets down the machine and allows one to start detecting again without the "Whum...Whummmm" sound when you swing. If it is still noisy, repeat the procedure again.

Since discovering this little trick, I have been able to run my GQ SS v1.0 reliably in Socal black sand beaches and purring like a kitten. It so smooth that it allows me to listen for really faint signals and hunt faster than I used to. Something which was not achievable before. Furthermore, the threshold has changed from coming in and out with a swing, to a stuttering slightly harmonic background (which I like).

The procedure allows one to have a benchmark in setting the delay with the added confidence of not adding too much. After 2 to 3 ajdustments of the DELAY knob in one hunt, I checked and saw that the knob was still less then 1/8 turn from MIN.

According to Eric Foster, the sensitivity of the DELAY knob is non-linear (correct me if I'm wrong). So the first 1/8 turn will have very little effect on the DELAY (not as much as when it is half way) and shouldnt affect out ability to find small gold. I theorize that there is some drift to the actual DELAY relative to the knob. Which is probably why running it on MIN can be just a tad too much. A little tweak every now and then is necessary due to changing conditions of temperature (electronics) water and iron in the sand.

Remember to back off the SAT from MAX after retuning the DELAY. This gives you some leeway to retune the unit without having to unnecessarily touch the DELAY.

I hope this helps some of you. Ive never dug so deep with the GQ (is the a plus :)) and it took me 2 years of owning and using this unit to get really comfortable with it.

bing