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How many still use their Explorer XS?

Tony N (Michigan)

Tony N (Michigan)

Active member
I recently sent in my Explorer XS to have the top part of the brain box replaced with a new one due to a Minelab repair shop breaking the plastic that holds down the top part.
This happened years ago so I bought an Explorer SE. The XS just sat there.

I hope to get the repaired XS back soon. I am very confident with the XS as it has found many deeply buried coins and other things for me.

Anyway, how many of you still use the XS?
 
I still prefer the XS. I do not like that they stuffed all the ferrous values on the 12 line. Minelab took a detector that stood out from all the others and changed it to imitate the rest. A few month ago there was a post from an apparent Minelab engineer that said the reason they did this was to eliminate the "S" curve. What BS, I've been reading this and other forums for years, never heard of anyone ever complain about an "S" curve. First time I heard of this was from Minelab trying to explain why they changed things.

On the XS nickels hit bottom middle, CuN cents slightly above, indian heads in one area, wheaties in a different place, silver another. How the signals bounce from their normal positions gives much information. The XS actually uses much of the screen. With Minelab Etrac and CTX and every other detector from every other manufacturer out there now you just get a bounce a few pixels right or left. Much less informative.

Chris
 
My hunting bud of 18 years is still using his and does quite well with it.
No issues with it other then I had to install a new Headphone Jack in it for him. Pretty typical problem so, no surprise there.
 
I'm still using mine .When something better comes along I'll buy it. When using a WOT I dug a 1900 barber dime elbow deep & it was in the center of the hole. I don't use a pinpointer or pinpoint on the machine . From finger tip to elbow is 161/2 inches. That was in a hunted out park.
 
I too have the large WOT coil. I haven't used it much except in a clean park setting. I doubt I could get away with it being used in my square cut iron laden yards here.
Is your soil pretty mild? What state do you live in if you don't mind me asking?
 
Tony:
I have no way to measure the soil. This is S. W. Pa.. Coal country, Coke ash, stone iron furnaces & a west wind from the Ohio valley steel mills & a north wind from the smokey city steel mills (Pittsburgh).
Matt
 
The Explorer XS is an awesome machine. I just got mine back from England today. They put a new top on the control box (that another Minelab repair shop broke years ago (it wasn't Kellyco) and a new face place or whatever you call it.

Can't wait to hear those sweet tones again. There's just nothing like the ole XS.

I think there are USGS maps that tell how mineralized the soil is in each state and parts of each state. Can't remember where they are located but I was looking at them for my state a week or so ago.
 
Tony,

There is a hot spot half way down the center of the coil that seems to be able to pick up good items in heavy trash. You need to overlap your swings hugely so you don't get the benefit of the WOT's full diameter. But..... It can pick up signals that smaller coils miss, even in heavy trash. I also find it does much better in areas where you can't get the coil close to the ground, especially in dry ground/tall grass.

Chris
 
Chris(SoCenWI) said:
Tony,

There is a hot spot half way down the center of the coil that seems to be able to pick up good items in heavy trash. You need to overlap your swings hugely so you don't get the benefit of the WOT's full diameter. But..... It can pick up signals that smaller coils miss, even in heavy trash. I also find it does much better in areas where you can't get the coil close to the ground, especially in dry ground/tall grass.

Chris
Click to expand...

Thanks, Chris. I never knew that. I'll have to try mine out again.
 
MikeO said:
My hunting bud of 18 years is still using his and does quite well with it.
No issues with it other then I had to install a new Headphone Jack in it for him. Pretty typical problem so, no surprise there.
Click to expand...

Hey MikeO, what does one have to do to install a new headphone jack? Sometimes I only get a sound on one side of my headphones but when I twist the headphone plug just a little, I get both sides of the headphones.

I imagine you have to take the handle completely apart which means having to take off the detector box? I don't see how to do that on my XS.
 
I have a mint unused secondhand one in reserve. I use my mint Explorer 11 at the moment .
 
I predict a WOT coil is in my near future, first I have to machine and assemble the Explorer SE Pro Ultralight. The carbon fiber tubing is inbound, coil connectors have landed.
 
No, you dont have to take off the control box.
You simply remove the arm cuff then ren remove the screws the keep the handle halfs together..
Simply open it up enough to get to the jack and attached wires. Radio Shack used to carry the jacks but, they had extra tabs (you only need to use certain ones) so, you would just break off the not needed tabs. Solder the wires onto it and hot glue the jack back in.
Its a simple task once you get into it.
 
MikeO said:
No, you dont have to take off the control box.
You simply remove the arm cuff then ren remove the screws the keep the handle halfs together..
Simply open it up enough to get to the jack and attached wires. Radio Shack used to carry the jacks but, they had extra tabs (you only need to use certain ones) so, you would just break off the not needed tabs. Solder the wires onto it and hot glue the jack back in.
Its a simple task once you get into it.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Mike! I'll have to check it out. I wish I had remembered that when I sent it in for repair a few weeks ago. Already got it back. It works 99.99% of the time. Just every now and then
I have to slightly twist on the plug to get both sides of my headphones to work. I'd rather take out the teeny jack and someone be able to put in a 1/4" jack. Don't know if that is possible.
 
I joined the ranks of the Explorer XS back in 2000 and used that detector for a decade before moving to the etrac. What a pair of great detectors.

I will always have fond memories of the Explorer XS.


Rich (Utah)
 
Rich (Utah) said:
I joined the ranks of the Explorer XS back in 2000 and used that detector for a decade before moving to the etrac. What a pair of great detectors.

I will always have fond memories of the Explorer XS.


Rich (Utah)
Click to expand...

Did you jump from your XS to the etrac? Or did you use an SE prior to the etrac? And if so, have you noticed better detecting with the etrac?
 
Sure you can do it.
Guys did it before called it the dongle. As they would just attach the 1/4 cable inside housing. Then hot glue the cable in there and let the jack on cable extend out the enlarged hole.
Do a search here on it I am sure it will turn up. :)
 
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