I took stumpy for a walk today.

[Mick in Dubbo]

I decided to attack my X-t30 with the drill and angle grinder again on Friday night. I had previously reduced the length of the lower shaft by 2 holes a few weeks ago, but found that it was still a bit too long for my 5'6 figure to swing comfortably. I reduced it by an other 2 holes. Found that the ideal length of the detector (for a person my height) is 3 holes shorter than the standard minimum height you normally get.
The result is that it is now one very sweet detector to swing. The coil is now as close to my feet as I want, and can imagine that attaching the round DD should be just as easy to swing.
I had the Ace out yesterday for a couple of hours at this same spot and I was interested to see if I'd missed much with it. The sounds on the Ace can lull you into being a bit blazae at what hearing sometimes. Yesterday felt like one of those days. Picked up $9 with the Ace. Anyway, I spent the first hour going over exactly the same ground and found 4 coins for a total of $4.10, which I'd missed with the Ace. So I hadn't done as badly with the Ace as I'd thought; but I do prefer the sounds of the X-Terra better. I picked up another 2 $1 coins in the next half hour to end the hunt with. It wasn't anything earth shattering, but very nice to be swinging the X-Terra again. I had the X-Terra at this same spot a couple of weeks back, and pulled out $20 then. Little no wonder It's one of my favourite spots.
The detector looks pretty short and stumpy now, so I might have to refer to it as stumpy from now on.
HH,.Mick Evans.

 

[NH Bob]

I'm 5' 11" and run it in the last hole. I like a wide swing. My swing in open ground is most of 8' . I move ahead slowly but cover a lot of ground doing it.
With the Explorers I ran a shorter rod because of the weight.

 

[B.T]

G,day Mick.
Dont know much about the Ace. Is that the 250 or 150, hope I got the numbers right? Does it run a threshold and whats it like on bad ground minerals wise?
I have heard some good reports on it but I dont know of anyone having a squirt on one in the bush.

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

G'day BT.
It's the 250. Feature wise, it's almost identical to the X-Terra 30. They each have their features which will allow one to outshine the other in different conditions. I have not hunted on mineralised ground with any detector myself as yet, so I can't give you first hand info on them. I have heard that they have been used on gold country, but to be honest, I think you would really struggle with it. If you couldn't get the GTI 2500 near the ground (They now have a new chip to allow that now (as of October 2006)) then I don't think that the Ace250, with a fixed ground balance would have much hope. I have hunted on a few beaches, around Newcastle, with it and it ran well even with the sensitivity cranked right up.
It doesn't have a threshold that you can hear and the only real all metal mode it has, is when you hold down the pinpoint button.
as far as general use goes, The Ace is quite comparable to the X-Terra30. The Ace will out hunt the X-Terra's around metal play equipment eta, and I also seem to have a lot more luck with it pulling up our 5,10 and 20 cent coins. For a couple of reasons, it can pick through the pull tab range better than the X-Terra30. Just my opinion.
Thanks for giving us the heads up on how the X-Terra70 goes in gold country. It certainly peeked my interest.
Mick Evans.

 

[B.T]

Sounds like a good detector Mick. That guy in GG&T a month or so back sure found some stuff with it.
Wasnt you was it?

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

No. His name is Chris Durbridge. He has got 25 years experience at gold hunting, till he bought the Ace250 18 months ago. He lives in Victoria and posts on the Findmall Garrett forum sometimes.
Yeah, the Ace is a pretty good machine, I think that it has the edge on the X-Terra 30 in non mineralised ground, but after talking to a fellow last year who hunts in the same sort of conditions that you do, he said that the Ace just can't handle the ground very well. He owns a X-Terra 30 and 70. Both these machines left the Ace in their dust in these conditions. In my opinion, I think that the sounds and the display on the X-Terra's are a lot nicer. The Ace sounds more abrupt by comparison and has no volume control.
Mick Evans.