Excaliber ground balance issues,interference

[pb-to-au]

Just found this site, looks pretty cool! Anyway, to get to the meat of the post, I am a long time detector user (30 yrs.) Not a Newbie.I have an Excaliber 1000 and have found two or three beaches the machine won't ground balance on, threshhold goes silent or goes into that nice annoying low buzz, no depth and corrupted audio (BOINK BOINK) response. Also have this problem much worse off the beach, with the added interest of super electrical sensitvity chasing me out of anyplace I plan to work unless it is in the woods. So much for a do it all versatile land and sea machine! I kind of thought that the Ex 1000 (and I have a Wot coil besides the regular 10 inch)would only work in the water, on the beach, and in the woods and I was right.Question is though, owners manual states that the Excalibur has an active ground balance (agt) and compensates itself for ground mineralization, and I say this is pure horsehockey and the machine has a set of parameters for ground minerals and will not run or compensate for ground outside these pre-set functions. Am I right or is there a functional issue with the circuit in my machine? Every other function works, great beach machine. I just don't like to get chased out of an area I have invested research or time into because of ground balance issues. Yes I know the difference between electrical interference and low battery function and the ground balance issue I am having. Anybody else having these problems or just me?(I.E. I need to send in for service?) Just as an aside, I have found a solution to having to listen to that annoying iron rebound threshold without turning the switch to pinpoint and back ( rough on the equipment).I always wear some sort of rubber shorty boots on the beach or really anytime I detect and I put a quarter in the boot and make sure it is in the toe and every time I null out, during the swing back, I put my toe under the loop and goes right back to a regular threshold. Once you get used to it it becomes second nature and you don't even break stride or stop your loop swing.Naturally, this is only effective in areas with medium or less trash levels. Try it, you will like it! Oh, you can't have a big steel insole in your boots!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Farmercal]

I don't seem to have any problems with mine at all. The problem I have is trying to keep the waves from knocking me down when I am trying to use the detector. I wouldn't use an Excalibur for anything except water hunting because it is too heavy for land use in my opinion. The only adjustment I make is to sensitivity. I don't even have to turn it off as I just disconnect the battery pod when I am finished for the day. You may have a problem with your unit.

 

[TechBill]

Try backing off sensitivity to regain your threshold and make it stable again in hot grounds and I would not use the auto sens.

Even with sensitivity backed off some it still a deep seeking machine IMO.

Bill

 

[allison]

I am very interested in your post. I just got back from a couple of hours at a nearby Lake Michigan beach. I had no success whatsoever. Frustrating. My Excal 1000 was making all sorts of strange noises - even when PERFECTLY STILL. I did find three battle caps near the surface (how could you miss them?) We have had lots of rain so all the sand was wet. Made no difference if I was near the water or up the beach. The noise was nearly constant - pop - zip - blip - burp etc. etc.
You are using terms I am not familiar with in your original post and I am not a long term veteran. Have been using the Excal 1000 for a couple of months with moderate success. I thought I was learning but today was a disaster!!
Any ideas or suggestions.
The battery MAY have been low????
Al

 

[ejudasf]

I have experienced the same thing. Uncontrollable. The AUTO feature didn't fix it either at the time. I had to set the sensitivety to about 3 o'clock. It was quieter, and the thought of missing deep ones was in the back of my mind. I just crept the sensitivety higher and higher while hunting till I was at about 11 0'clock position. That seems to be where the max for me is at my beach.

I was wanting to put a remote pin-point switch for my Excal. Also thinking about the possibilities of adjusting the Excal to be in Silent Search mode. I will need to inquire about that.

Laterz

ejf

 

[pb-to-au]

I am sure I do in the ground balance issue. I agree that any other use of the Excaliber except beach/water is a total waste of time.

 

[pb-to-au]

The excaliber is a tricky machine and you have to get used to it. Just get a stable threshold when sweeping the ground and increase sens. until you start falsing, that is your max sens.for where you are hunting.Also you should airtest a quater at max sens. (just before you feel the autotune Clik In), mark that spot on your shaft and on the sens.pot, then gradually turn down your sens. until you JUST start to lose detection depth. Make another mark on your pot, and that is your max sens. range. I like to look sometimes to see how close to max I am after I set up as outlined above.

 

[pb-to-au]

Thanks. Read my other replies today and see what you think

 

[pb-to-au]

Sounds like electrical interference or low battery. Try change of battery pack to fresh, and if still unstable it is electrical interference. The excaliber is VERY VERY sensitive to power lines and other electrical interference. You will just have to live with that and go somewhere else, or be like me and travel with 3 detectors!