Coil questions I haven't been able to find the answers to by searching this forum

[Mike Hillis]

It is a high conductive conspiracy. How dare they!

I had forgotten about the testing you put together so well.

Thanks for bringing to my attention again

 

[Monte]

The REAL benefit of the DFX is the ability to chose a low or high operating frequency and get the better responsiveness to low-conductive gold jewelry or higher-conductive silver coins based on the op. freq.

If you use the DFX's lower frequency to help locate older, deeper, silver coins, you're going to also be recovering a lot of Indian Head and early 'Wheatback' coins that read lower because some deeper silver dimes will also sometimes read a bit lower.

You're NOT going to try to sort out thin, old, deep Barber & Seated dimes from Indian Heads or from Quarters or, hopefully, a silver Half of silver Dollar. You ARE going to rely on a good audio response and perhaps use some TID info, knowing that it can be a little skewed due to a deeper target. You're also going to rely on some of the Coin Depth read-out to help determine if the target might be what you're looking for.

If you use the higher frequency on the DFX to help find low-conductive gold jewelry, you're also going to be recovering a lot of small, low-conductive trash because there is such an abundance of it out there. While nickels, pennies, dimes, quarters and dollars might tend to produce fairly consistent TID's, it is due to their more uniform size, shape and alloy content. Gold jewelry, as we all know, just doesn't 'fit' that same description. You have the open-design gold toe rings, the small and thin gold ear tacks and various other earring hardware. There are thick rings and thin rings. Tiny, small, medium and large rings. Skinny, medium and wide rings. Gold might make up 10/24ths (10K), 12/24ths (12K), 14/24ths (14K) or on occasions 18/24ths (18K) but remember that the other metals used in the alloy can vary quite a bit.

Then there are the gold pendents, and those touch-to-find gold wrist and neck chains of many different lengths, thicknesses, and 'K' ratings. No, I don't think that anyone who tries to 'fine-tune' the acceptance and rejection of a wide array of low-conductive gold jewelry is going to have long-term success.

Instead, whether you're after silver coins or gold jewelry using a specific coil and/or operating frequency to accomplish the task, it is going to be MOST important to pay attention to SITE SELECTION. The second best thing a person can do, besides master their detector and use the best settings to get the best signals from the maximum number of desired targets at a selected site, is to have the patience to cover the site and employ my "Beep-DIG!" philosophy to successful metal detecting.

It's my belief that Minelab has given us an excellent, well-balanced tool in the X-Terra 70 to accomplish any task we might have. We can select the operating frequency through coil selection for the task at had, then make any necessary or desired settings to get underway in short order. Then the fun begins!

I think you're both going to be impressed with hat the X-Terra 70 provides in the way of in-the-field performance, especially compared to the DFX or most any other detector.

Monte

 

[Mike Hillis]

and one of the benefits of that frequency to target responsiveness is the enhanced id range.

I don't want to "beep-dig" Its just not fun for me. I like to hunt for what I'm in the mood for that particular day at that particular site. I may just want to clad hunt, choosing quantity over quality, and so thats all I want to hear and dig. No trash, just quarters and dimes and nickels. Yes, choosing nickels means I get the occasional tab, but for the most part, many coins, little trash.

Some days I get the urge to just hunt for ladies platinum or white gold rings at a particular site where I expect them to exist. All low foil range targets. So thats what I go for. Don't want to hear anything else because thats whats on my mind and thats what I'm mentally geared for. Now I'm digging more trash, but its all focused in a narrow band and most important...I am having fun digging all that tiny foil

You get the picture. I don't care that gold hits all over the spectrum and I have to dig every signal to get it all. I just want to dig what I have defined as being fun for that moment.

Yep...I am excited. Todays the delivery day! Course...I'm not there to sign for it, which means waiting until tomorrow to go pick it up at lunch

Thanks for the posts Monte. I'm excited!

HH

 

[steve herschbach]

Hi Mike,

Wow, could have posted that myself! You and I think alike about detecting.

Technically Monte is certainly correct. You got the time, dig it all. But I often do not have the time. I have an hour, or maybe two. Maybe I'll never try this particular place again. So I may do exactly as you and dig only foil targets. And no, I do not want to hear the other stuff. My perfect detector beeps on what I want it to beep on, and stays quiet otherwise.

I'm not saying that is "right" or what others should do. It simply is how I enjoy hunting. One thing that does not really excite me much is digging pennies. So I may reject iron, and then zinc penny through copper penny/dime. Not much jewelry falls into that range, and I can live without the pennies and dimes. But I will take the quarters on up!

But the next day maybe I'll just go for silver - everything below copper penny rejected. And the next day... maybe it will be beep-dig! The point is, I want the choice to hunt how I please. People that do not want to notch targets do not have to if it is offered as a feature. It does not hurt them to have it and not use it. But machines that offer little or no notching deny it to people like me who might want to use it. The bottom line is I think notching is fun, and when I am detecting in town I am doing it more for relaxation then anything else. It is how I meditate - Zen and the Art of Metal Detecting!

That said I've been using the DFX for some time, and I have to say this summer may well see me deciding to use the X-Terra 50 and/or 70 more than the DFX. We will see how it plays out. I really do like the XT50 but it may be the XT70 will offer me something I can't live without. As of now I am unsure on that count. The only real thing I am worried about is that I'm thinking the Bigfoot on the DFX might be the way to go for some huge park areas, and there is nothing even remotely like the Bigfoot likely to happen on the X-Terra any time soon, if at all.

The expanded id range on the DFX is kind of cool, but I can't say that in reality I have actually used it to make a practical difference in the field.

At some point it will just come down to grabbing what I prefer over a period of time. Sometimes I just never know until time goes by and I realize a certain machine is sitting unused. But the X-Terra units are as close as anyone has come to building a machine that in general features at least gives me what I want for coin and jewelry hunting. I'm just waiting for a small coil to cement the deal.

Well, that got typically long-winded. I am curious to see how you like the X-Terra, Mike, as your thoughts on detecting mirror my own.

Steve Herschbach
Steve's Mining Journal

 

[Monte]

Mike,

I also like to "mix-it-up" a bit and No, I do not always dig every beep myself. More often than not, when hunting in a discriminate mode, I use a program or setting with a detector that just knocks out iron nails and then I want to hear everything else. I take that approach when I am working a relic hunting site, large lawns at parks and schools, wide-open sports-fields, 'bushwhacking' overgrown park and recreation sites, etc., etc.

Seldom, as in hardly ever, did I hunt with a high discriminate level setting but that has been due to the fact that most of the detectors I have preferred came equipped with the conventional variable discrimination control. Of all the notch or segment-based discriminating detectors I have used, none have appealed to me more than Minelab's X-Terra series. Why? Because for ease-of-use and performance in the field, the X-Terra 50 & X-Terra 70 really work, and work well, and have met my wishes.

My previous post was really intended to address the XLT/DFX misconception that many have and I hoped some might read it and gain a little. I am referring to all of the goofy "Custom Ring Programs" that I have seen in print for those detectors. I know that way too many XLT/DFX buyers have the misconception that to accept a particular target you only need to accept one or two numbers, or to reject one in the field you only need to do the same. That's incorrect.

With those models to safely accept or to reasonably reject any target you have to include from 2 to 4 or 5 numbers on either side of the best target number lock-on. Thus, a tinkering type will sure mess things up trying to lock-in and lock-out a wide assortment of good and bad targets resulting in a 'custom program' that will have very poor practical performance.

As you indicated, there are times when you might want to go for smaller gold jewelry and pass on those larger rings that might blend in with the pull tabs. Or, as Steve commented below, a person might want to go for some nickels and some gold jewelry, and the higher-conductive coins, and reject most tabs, screw caps and penny/dime targets. I have felt, and still do, that the X-Terra 50 can do a good job of that, but I am becoming more and more of the opinion that the X-Terra 70's enhanced range of segments might let us do a little better job of 'target-picking'. Besides, the X-Terra's allow you to set them up at a site in very, very short order.

Keep us posted on your thoughts as you use your new Minelab afield.

Monte