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Got Another X-Terra 70
- Thread starter steve herschbach
- Start date
there are simply too many variables to say one detector is universally better than another. I happen to feel that the X-70 fills most of my detectging needs. Old coins at old sites. It isn't the deepest detector I have used. And it doesn't separate targets as well as some detectors with smaller coils. But for all around THing, for my sites and my detecting habits, it fits me just fine. Thanks for the post Steve. Very well stated. HH Randy
steve herschbach
New member
Hi Randy,
Thanks.
There are times I will obsess over performance issues. Like when a 6 ounce gold nugget might be lurking in a pounded area. So I spend time with my prospecting unit trying for that extra 1/2".
My problem in Anchorage is the town is young and so the coins are simply not old enough to really make me perk up. So while the number one question on most people's minds is what machines eke out some kind of performance edge on coins it just does not matter to me. I have proven to myself that I can go out and pull up old coins with a PI unit that no VLF detector will touch and so I do dabble in that a bit for fun but otherwise coins are a type of trash for me. I prefer units that allow me to notch out pennies and dimes (but I'll still take the quarters).
The bottom line is the X-Terra 70 has hit a chord with me. I like the light weight. I really like the Prospect mode. I like the 10"x5" 18.75 kHz coil. I like the big number display. I like the fact I can notch out pennies and dimes. I like the sounds the machine makes both in Prospect and Coin Mode. I like the new price tag. I like the way it breaks down for travel.
I particularly like being able to set up the Coin Mode with its own sensitivity and ground balance settings and the Prospect Mode with totally independent ground balance and sensitivity levels and being able to switch between the two with the push of a button. Not many units can do that, in fact none that I can think of. When using the Coin Mode I toggle to Prospect to pinpoint. Far better than the normal pinpoint function in my opinion. And when in Prospect Mode I toggle over to Coin Mode to check strong signals (have to dig those weaker ones).
Could it give accurate id at greater depths in Coin Mode? Sure, but it is good enough for what I do. Could it have a faster target recovery speed? Sure, but it is not all that bad either and the coils make a difference there. Could we use that small coil? Sure, and I'm sure I'll have one before the summer is out.
So the bottom line is simple. I do like the X-Terra 70. Does that mean it is superior to other detectors or that people with some other detector should get an X-Terra 70? Heck no! That's putting too much on me. I just like detecting and it is fun to post about detectors I like using. And since I got myself an X-Terra 70 again I guess I'll be hanging out here again more often!
Steve Herschbach
Steve's Mining Journal
Thanks.
There are times I will obsess over performance issues. Like when a 6 ounce gold nugget might be lurking in a pounded area. So I spend time with my prospecting unit trying for that extra 1/2".
My problem in Anchorage is the town is young and so the coins are simply not old enough to really make me perk up. So while the number one question on most people's minds is what machines eke out some kind of performance edge on coins it just does not matter to me. I have proven to myself that I can go out and pull up old coins with a PI unit that no VLF detector will touch and so I do dabble in that a bit for fun but otherwise coins are a type of trash for me. I prefer units that allow me to notch out pennies and dimes (but I'll still take the quarters).
The bottom line is the X-Terra 70 has hit a chord with me. I like the light weight. I really like the Prospect mode. I like the 10"x5" 18.75 kHz coil. I like the big number display. I like the fact I can notch out pennies and dimes. I like the sounds the machine makes both in Prospect and Coin Mode. I like the new price tag. I like the way it breaks down for travel.
I particularly like being able to set up the Coin Mode with its own sensitivity and ground balance settings and the Prospect Mode with totally independent ground balance and sensitivity levels and being able to switch between the two with the push of a button. Not many units can do that, in fact none that I can think of. When using the Coin Mode I toggle to Prospect to pinpoint. Far better than the normal pinpoint function in my opinion. And when in Prospect Mode I toggle over to Coin Mode to check strong signals (have to dig those weaker ones).
Could it give accurate id at greater depths in Coin Mode? Sure, but it is good enough for what I do. Could it have a faster target recovery speed? Sure, but it is not all that bad either and the coils make a difference there. Could we use that small coil? Sure, and I'm sure I'll have one before the summer is out.
So the bottom line is simple. I do like the X-Terra 70. Does that mean it is superior to other detectors or that people with some other detector should get an X-Terra 70? Heck no! That's putting too much on me. I just like detecting and it is fun to post about detectors I like using. And since I got myself an X-Terra 70 again I guess I'll be hanging out here again more often!
Steve Herschbach
Steve's Mining Journal
and one of the things I like about the X-Terra 70, that you didn't mention specifically, is target sizing via the Prospect mode. Like you, I use the Prospect mode to pinpoint a target. And I have found that sizing the target with the Prospect mode has kept me from digging a lot of smashed aluminum cans that TID'd as good targets. Prospecting mode allows me to determine the general size of a target and make a decision as to whether I dig it or leave it in the ground for the next guy. HH Randy
Bobbylikesgold
New member
Well Steve I enjoyed your reply & do commend you on your exoteric rhetoric.
A question for you, most M.L. dealers are under contract not to export, how about you ?
Regards
Bobby.
A question for you, most M.L. dealers are under contract not to export, how about you ?
Regards
Bobby.
steve herschbach
New member
Hi Bobby,
Glad you are ok with my reply as I was worried I might have come off a bit snotty! I may be a dealer but I'm not a salesperson. I don't need to sell machines to make my living and am a dealer just because I've been a detector nut since 1972. Being a dealer keeps me in the toys! So if I hype a unit it is because I'm personally hyped about it. I'm not going to talk something up just because it is new.
I stock all the brands but due to manufacturer restrictions I can only sell a few White's unit outside of Alaska and no Minelab units outside of the US and Canada. As a rule I encourage people to support their local dealer whenever possible. But there are a lot of towns with no dealer and so that is where mail order comes in.
Steve Herschbach
Glad you are ok with my reply as I was worried I might have come off a bit snotty! I may be a dealer but I'm not a salesperson. I don't need to sell machines to make my living and am a dealer just because I've been a detector nut since 1972. Being a dealer keeps me in the toys! So if I hype a unit it is because I'm personally hyped about it. I'm not going to talk something up just because it is new.
I stock all the brands but due to manufacturer restrictions I can only sell a few White's unit outside of Alaska and no Minelab units outside of the US and Canada. As a rule I encourage people to support their local dealer whenever possible. But there are a lot of towns with no dealer and so that is where mail order comes in.
Steve Herschbach
Howdy Steve... I have a '70 and have been sorta quiet recently. However, so far I have found two nice eluvial nuggets in the Mojave
Desert.
I'm not complaining, just explaining: My biggest problem is my hearing loss, but running both volume and threshold at maximum has helped me.
The local Minelab dealer kindly loaned me a set of Sunray headphones to try out and with the right side volume maxed out I can faintly hear the threshold in my right ear. Then by lowering the left ear control I can balance out the sound in both ears.
I now have a set of Sunrays on order. However, I'm sure open to suggestions as to what is the best setup for hearing. While prospecting I have experimented with the tones and find #4 to seem
the best for me.
Desert.
I'm not complaining, just explaining: My biggest problem is my hearing loss, but running both volume and threshold at maximum has helped me.
The local Minelab dealer kindly loaned me a set of Sunray headphones to try out and with the right side volume maxed out I can faintly hear the threshold in my right ear. Then by lowering the left ear control I can balance out the sound in both ears.
I now have a set of Sunrays on order. However, I'm sure open to suggestions as to what is the best setup for hearing. While prospecting I have experimented with the tones and find #4 to seem
the best for me.
Bobbylikesgold
New member
Hi Steve,
Iv'e read enough of your stuff to respect what you say & how you say it.
Thanks
Bobby.
Iv'e read enough of your stuff to respect what you say & how you say it.
Thanks
Bobby.
steve herschbach
New member
Hi parrot,
Good headphones are the key. Sounds like you have a serious hearing loss, though. hearing is not like eyesight. My eyes are shot but my vision can be corrected to 20/20. But bad hearing all you can do is pump up the volume, and I suspect in the long run that simply makes our hearing even worse.
So you can crank up the volume to try and overcome the hearing loss but the fact is it presents an impediment to detecting something like tiny or deep gold where you need to be tuned in to whispers. Running super high thresholds in particular will pretty much kill faint targets.
All you can do is try and get the machine best tuned for your ear using a test item. The Sun Ray phones are very good and another I'd consider woul be the Black Widows. They are so hot they come with a warming about hearing damage resulting from high volume levels so use care.
In general the Prospect Mode gives a lot sharper responses to targets. Setting the tone correctly can make a big difference but it is whatever works for you - the is no tone that works best for everyone.
All else fails try a Gold Bug 2. It hits harder on gold then any detector I have tried. It is remarkably effective in the irn disc mode and gives a rifle shot response. Depth is poor overall in heavy mineralization compared to lower frequency unis but if you can't hear the gold it hardly matters. But again it depends on your ear and so you'd want to try one first.
The good news is you are finding gold so overall I'd say you are doing fine with the X-Terra and need to just keep plugging away. Most people never find nuggets wit a detector so I'd say you are already a success.
Steve Herschbach
Good headphones are the key. Sounds like you have a serious hearing loss, though. hearing is not like eyesight. My eyes are shot but my vision can be corrected to 20/20. But bad hearing all you can do is pump up the volume, and I suspect in the long run that simply makes our hearing even worse.
So you can crank up the volume to try and overcome the hearing loss but the fact is it presents an impediment to detecting something like tiny or deep gold where you need to be tuned in to whispers. Running super high thresholds in particular will pretty much kill faint targets.
All you can do is try and get the machine best tuned for your ear using a test item. The Sun Ray phones are very good and another I'd consider woul be the Black Widows. They are so hot they come with a warming about hearing damage resulting from high volume levels so use care.
In general the Prospect Mode gives a lot sharper responses to targets. Setting the tone correctly can make a big difference but it is whatever works for you - the is no tone that works best for everyone.
All else fails try a Gold Bug 2. It hits harder on gold then any detector I have tried. It is remarkably effective in the irn disc mode and gives a rifle shot response. Depth is poor overall in heavy mineralization compared to lower frequency unis but if you can't hear the gold it hardly matters. But again it depends on your ear and so you'd want to try one first.
The good news is you are finding gold so overall I'd say you are doing fine with the X-Terra and need to just keep plugging away. Most people never find nuggets wit a detector so I'd say you are already a success.
Steve Herschbach
Steve... Thank you for the return. I'm glad you find the Sun Rays very good. I have a set on order. Also, I'm now willing to consider other headsets and will check out the Black Widows, as well as any other that are a good choice for anyone with either an amplitude or frequency loss, or both, such as I have.
BarnacleBill
New member
Just a cautionary note, though you may have certain loss and the "very loud" headphones may allow you to hear targets better, that does not mean that you may not be doing further damage by using them. I would tread carefully in using them by either consulting an audiologist and allowing them to measure the headphones at a level you want to use them at, or using a Canary.
The perfect Canary would be a healthy female with normal hearing in the 20-25 year old range. They have the best amplitude & frequency response range in humans. Set the detector & headphones up the way you want and have them listen. If they tell you it's just too bloody loud & killing their ears, then that's a good warning sign that you have it cranked up too high. No sense making your hearing loss worse by accelerating it with very loud headphones.
Now I say this with some trepidation, but I think that "The Mayor" on another forum does environmental noise testing for a business and may have some good information. Yes I know he's full of pizz & vinegar, but on a serious note he may provide you with some helpful thoughts.
HH
BarnacleBill
The perfect Canary would be a healthy female with normal hearing in the 20-25 year old range. They have the best amplitude & frequency response range in humans. Set the detector & headphones up the way you want and have them listen. If they tell you it's just too bloody loud & killing their ears, then that's a good warning sign that you have it cranked up too high. No sense making your hearing loss worse by accelerating it with very loud headphones.
Now I say this with some trepidation, but I think that "The Mayor" on another forum does environmental noise testing for a business and may have some good information. Yes I know he's full of pizz & vinegar, but on a serious note he may provide you with some helpful thoughts.
HH
BarnacleBill
BarnacleBill... Thank you for watching my back... I really appreciate it. I will certainly consult with my audiologist. While I use the XT-70 with max volume and threshold, I only use enough headset volume to
hear a low hum.
Good thought...it happens our youngest granddaughter is staying with us while she goes to college. She is between 20-25.
hear a low hum.
Good thought...it happens our youngest granddaughter is staying with us while she goes to college. She is between 20-25.
brissietex
Member
that the Prospect mode allows you to swing just a bit faster and still catch the signals. I know it is better to swing slow but hey there is a lot of beach to cover with a teeny weeny 5x10 coil. 
Also, the fact that you can easily switch between All Metal and Iron Mask in both modes comes in handy around iron and rusty stuff.
This weekend I got out twice and though I didn't come back with alot of things (our beaches are still sanded in...come on winter
), I did come up with a few small pieces of silver jewelry that the prospecting mode hit solidly at depth where I had to dig a few inches before the coin/relic mode hit them.
I wish I could come up with a very good reason to get the 10" HF coil as the 5x10 HF coil is just too sweet. I'd love the extra depth but I am still not convinced that the 10" HF would hit the small stuff like the 5x10. Maybe we can convince Minelab to do a 8.5x11.5 Platypus or UFO-like HF elliptical and please make it waterproof.
cheers...Keith
Also, the fact that you can easily switch between All Metal and Iron Mask in both modes comes in handy around iron and rusty stuff.
This weekend I got out twice and though I didn't come back with alot of things (our beaches are still sanded in...come on winter
), I did come up with a few small pieces of silver jewelry that the prospecting mode hit solidly at depth where I had to dig a few inches before the coin/relic mode hit them.I wish I could come up with a very good reason to get the 10" HF coil as the 5x10 HF coil is just too sweet. I'd love the extra depth but I am still not convinced that the 10" HF would hit the small stuff like the 5x10. Maybe we can convince Minelab to do a 8.5x11.5 Platypus or UFO-like HF elliptical and please make it waterproof.
cheers...Keith
steve herschbach
New member
Hi Keith,
I tried the 10" round DD but did not feel there was enough (if any) performance difference worth the extra weight. I like the elliptical myself much better.
Steve H
I tried the 10" round DD but did not feel there was enough (if any) performance difference worth the extra weight. I like the elliptical myself much better.
Steve H
VIBRA-PHONE 280 Replaces Headphones with Vibration - Just clip it on to your detector and plug it into the headphone jack in place of your headphones. It uses a standard 9V battery. There are two adjustments. One sets the sensitivity or level when the unit will start vibrating. The other adjustment converts a short pulse of vibration to a longer pulse if needed. Set it once to match your detector. VIBRA-PHONETM 280 works with all common detector models. Price: $74.99 Check with your dealer. HH Randy
G,day Nugget. I got myself the 10" round 18.75 and have 2 weeks to go to get out with it. Just trying it out in my backyard, which is a goldfield right outside my back gate, has shown there is a performance increase. You will not see it on the small targets though.
But, on the small targets it still has plenty of sensitivity. A piece of quartz which I found with the 18.75 elliptical containing 1/10th of a gram it still gets no probs. The ellipt has more sens at its front and back thirds of the coil, a bit more than the round who's sweet spots are a bit smaller as would be expected. Target response on the ellipt is also a bit sharper as you would expect from an elliptical coil. It does start to pull away though as the targets get bigger. They run neck and neck almost up to 1 ounce with the round showing its gain over that range. Just slightly until it increases to 3 to 4 ounces where it now has around 2 inches over the ellipt. I was with a person weeks back who had the round and on a mullock heap where I had found 15 pieces of small gold and then scraped a few inches off in case there were more, there wasnt though, they got a nice signal which the elipt didnt and couldnt get which turned out to be a large 303 shell casing.
I wouldnt go freaking out that when I return to my spots where Ihave had good success that I will make a killing but I am confident that in some cases I will find targets the smaller coil did not quite register or get. It is true though that the little 10x5 is a perfect match and makes the balance A1. You can swing it all day, get in amongst the scrub and it has surprising sensitivity.
Horses for courses though and we all have our preferences.
For me who chases gold I want both. Dont let me convince anyone out there though to go and get one or feel they need to, its just an optional coil which if you want one you get one and if you dont, keep your bucks.
But, on the small targets it still has plenty of sensitivity. A piece of quartz which I found with the 18.75 elliptical containing 1/10th of a gram it still gets no probs. The ellipt has more sens at its front and back thirds of the coil, a bit more than the round who's sweet spots are a bit smaller as would be expected. Target response on the ellipt is also a bit sharper as you would expect from an elliptical coil. It does start to pull away though as the targets get bigger. They run neck and neck almost up to 1 ounce with the round showing its gain over that range. Just slightly until it increases to 3 to 4 ounces where it now has around 2 inches over the ellipt. I was with a person weeks back who had the round and on a mullock heap where I had found 15 pieces of small gold and then scraped a few inches off in case there were more, there wasnt though, they got a nice signal which the elipt didnt and couldnt get which turned out to be a large 303 shell casing.
I wouldnt go freaking out that when I return to my spots where Ihave had good success that I will make a killing but I am confident that in some cases I will find targets the smaller coil did not quite register or get. It is true though that the little 10x5 is a perfect match and makes the balance A1. You can swing it all day, get in amongst the scrub and it has surprising sensitivity.
Horses for courses though and we all have our preferences.
For me who chases gold I want both. Dont let me convince anyone out there though to go and get one or feel they need to, its just an optional coil which if you want one you get one and if you dont, keep your bucks.