Ace250/X-Terra30.

[Mick in Dubbo]

Hi all
Just dropped in to ask a few questions about the 250 if you don't mind?
Currently I'm an X-Terra30 user and mostly happy with it's performance. My main announce with it is the lack of coil selection and unless minelab get off their backsides on this one soon, I'll be looking for a more versatile detector. Which brings me here to ask a few questions.
With all these questions; they are based on hearsay only as I never even seen an Ace250, so please be kind in your responses.I figure that I should get the best answers from those that have used it and preferably have used the X-Terra's as well.Thanks.
With the Ace250, on paper they seem to be very close on performance, but I just wanted some clarification on some of it's perceived weaker points as I understand them.
1.How does the 250 go on hard packed(non mineralised) ground? I've heard that they don't cope very well.
2.With the discrimination on the X30 when you get a solid tone, you've got a secondary check on the target via the VID. A good target will give a solid lock on a notch or it might bounce to the next notch.If it bounces any more than that, you know with 99% accuracy that it will be junk. On the 250 as I understand it it may not have this ability, so you dig more junk.Is there other tricks with the 250 that help you sort good targets from bad?
3. Heard that the 250's tend to be a bit coil heavy.If the larger coil is on then it would become more pronounced.If true then has anybody tried to make up a bracket and mount it on a Whites or an X-terra type of shaft?
4. How does the 250 handle salt water? the only beaches I've seen don't seem to have anything that might cause problems mineralisation wise.
5.What is the bell tone sound like? Does it only give a short loud beep when you pass over a target or is the sound a bit more useful in identifying the target (i.e.longer or louder over certain types of metals)?Is it only a single tone machine?
Thanks.
Mick Evans.

 

[John-Edmonton]

I think Andy from New Mexico did some comparison tests, and if I remember correctly, they both performed equally well. I think the price was the biggest difference.

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

Thanks for replying John.I was unsuccessful in finding the post you referred me to. I did however come across your field test on the sniper coil. It seemed to shed some light on one of the reasons that I had heard about how the 250 gives off bell tones on junk (sweep speed too fast).
I'll reduce and confine my requests down to 2 points, and was wondering if anybody could respond?
1.Has anybody using the Ace250 in dry low annual rainfall areas,experienced any problems with the 250s' ability to discriminate between good and bad targets in hard packed non mineralised soil. i.e. how many bad targets that read good, to good targets reading good.12 bad to one good, or only 3 or 4 bad targets to good?
2.What is the bell tone?
I look forward to any insight.
Thanks,
Mick Evans.

 

[jimmileo]

Hard packed non-mineralized ground is not a problem. It has been awfully dry here this year and most of the ground is hard. I have picked up targets as deep as 8" with no problem. The bell tone is just a high pitched tone that sounds more like a bell. It is quite distinct when you hit a good target, especially silver. Saltwater? I have not used mine in or near saltwater and I have read it does not handle saltwater well due to its factory set ground balance. I hunt freshwater quite a bit and have no problems there. It has three distinct tones, the bell tone for most "good" targets, a midrange tone for nickels and pulltabs...and gold, and a low pitched tone for most junk or iron based targets. It has six factory set discrimination modes including all metal, and one custom descrimination mode that you can set, but you can modify any of the preset modes to any degree of discrimination you want. It has a full range of sensitivity settings and operates best in about the midrange. It is very sensitive and tends to false a lot if the sensitivity is too high. It has a seperate pinpoint button and for me it is easy to pinpoint. It is light enough with its standard coil that you can hunt all day without tiring out. It is a coin shooters delight and I have found more nickels with it than any of my 4 other detectors.(Nickels are usually hard to detect) Jim

 

[Ken_in_MI]

Mick, look at this video by Tinman. It has the audio of the belltone, and should answer your question for the sound. The belltone rings for the quarter demo, and the regular tone for the nickle demo.

I have used the 250 during the dry season up here, and I didn't notice any difference in the 250 performance, but I sure did in my trying to dig!

http://www.northernac.com/metaldetecting/

I hope this helps...
Ken

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

Thanks Jim and Ken.
Exactly the information I was seeking!
All the best'
Mick Evans.

 

[NM5K]

I don't know how mineralized our soil is here, but I
don't seem to see too much difference as far as how
dry it is. The soil here is gumbo clay type stuff.
I've tried both that ground when pretty much soaked,
all the way to pretty much bone dry. Didn't really
notice a heck of a lot of difference as far as depth.
Some of my deepest coins were found in pretty dry soil.
Actually, I might even prefer kinda dry ground to moist.
Here, it's easier to dig cuz I can just plop up a chunk
of ground pretty much in one piece. On the wet ground,
I have to dig a bit more conventional as it's like clay.
MK