Is the mxt that bad at coinshooting?

[Bajanick]

I am on the verge of buying a new machine and really like the mxt but ive read alot that its not very good at coinshooting. Why? I am considering an mxt because its a multipurpose unit but I will be doing mostly coinshooting. Maybe a prizm 4 would do what I need?

 

[Nocanfind]

I have been using the mxt for a little over 2yrs. now and I just love it. I coin shoot with it all of the time and have found a ton of coins. I use the 8" excelerator coil and the 5". The MXT is a little noisy compared to some other detectors but this does not bother me. The MXT has excellent depth. I have found a few silver dimes in highly mineralized soil to a depth of 8" and that is saying alot for a detector in my book. I plan on keeping it for a long time. The main thing about a detector,which ever one you get,is to learn it's language and that comes from practice,practice,and more practice. Good luck with what ever your decide to get.

 

[Monte]

The MXT can do rather well and offers a lot for the $$$. Some people like it a lot and use it almost exclusively. I appreciate the MXT's abilities, and have owned four (4) of them. Presently, it just doesn't 'fit' in my personal detector battery as I have a 3 or 4 detector arsenal that covers all my needs. Where I had to make a decision, for me and for my hunting style and preferences, was did I want to hang onto an MXT or go with either the XLT or XL Pro to be used for 'cruising' purposes in wide-open sites? I ended up with a favorite friend, the XL Pro.

If you opt for the MXT, or any good detector for that matter, make sure you budget a little extra to buy an accessory coil or two. The 950 is 'OK' for more open areas, but on the MXT I ended up mainly using either a 4

 

[Bajanick]

Thanks for the replies. I had a 5900 and a classic around 10 years ago and want to get back into detecting. I would rather have one " multi purpose " machine, I know theres really no such thing but the mxt is pretty close. I have always wanted to do some relic and nugget hunting but never had the time. I will probably end up with an mxt but I am afraid that 2 weeks later a better machine will come out for a lower price. , just like my darn computer parts etc.........

 

[Dave Z]

I tried one in a trashy park.There were anywhere's between 5-10 signals per sweep.Most of them being trash.WITHOUT a tone ID,it became very annoying,very fast,trying to separate all the targets.I had to isolate each target and look at the meter to see what it was.THe depth was good on it and it would make a nice relic machine.BUt if you're going to coin hunt most of the time,I don't think you'll like it.Dave

 

[Anonymous]

should use a smaller coil. I use the MXT for coins in trashy parks and use the 4x6 DD coil. Works perfect. The MXT is really good at ID ing Nickels and that is what other detector can't do well.

No detector does great in trash with a large coil, because it sees many targets at once and tries to display them. In trash target separation is more important than depth.

HH,
Andy

 

[Dave Z]

Standing in one spot checking all those targets and having to look at the meter to do it is just not fun for me.When relic hunting,it's not a bother,any beep is a good beep.But in a trashy park or school,you need more tahn a small coil.

 

[DPW]

You can do ALOT worse than the MXT. If you're looking for a deep seeking, sensitive, versatile detector try out an MXT. You DON'T have to hunt for coins in the coin and jewelry mode. Relic mode has three distinct tones. High tone for non-ferrous targets, low tone for ferrous targets, and a mid tone for targets it's just not sure about.
And if you hunt a spot that has tons of trash targets there is no detector made that will be consistantly accurate in target ID.
Compare like priced detectors. See which one YOU like. Then spend time learning your detector of choice.

 

[Richard@BackwoodsDetectors]

use the relic mode...turn the disc. to right below nickel, put on the 5.3 coil or if it's really trashy, the 4 x 6, and start hunting.... Being primarily a relic hunter, I will dig anything that gives me a high tone.... Works super..... Tnx RichardnTn

 

[Big Boys Hobbies]

If you put in in relic mode coins will hit in a high tone. Then you can look down at the screen after you get a high signal. I agree with Andy. I had my MXT with a 5.3 inch coil in several trashy parks and it was great. The standard is a pain in trash but the 5.3 really helps for coin shooting with multiple targets.

Dave he asked about coin hunting not relic i believe. I totally disagree with your opinion about a smaller coil with a MXT in a trashy park for coins. Worked really good for me but the are a bit noisier than most. Mainly I believe because of the frequency it uses for detecting small gold. When u get a good solid sound and vdi # its usually a goodie. Overall GREAT detector.

 

[B.RATNY]

You have to understand Dave is DFX guy if its not the DFX for some reason he thinks it's a substandard machine, too bad, I agree with you the MXT is a great coin machine in trashy parks I've found hundreds of older coins silver, indians, buffalo & V-nickels large cents etc. The key is learning what the machine is telling you.

 

[Dave Z]

Actually,I do think that small coils work better in trashy parks.As for the tone thing.Only iron gives a low tone,everything else from foil to a silver dollar gives off the same tone.

 

[Dave Z]

I used the MXT for a week.It's depth was the same as the DFX's.I would use one for a relic machine.It's just that I personally found it annoying when I took it to a trashy park.Stopping at each signal,centering it and trying to get a fairly accurate VDI off it so I could make a good guess at it was just not fun for me.I would rather listen for the targets tones then have to rely on the vdi's.

 

[dgravedigger]

what BRATNY said but add this
Dave i think you may have "tried" it or "used" it but i dont think you LEARNED it.

 

[Rudy]

As for the tone thing.Only iron gives a low tone,everything else from foil to a silver dollar gives off the same tone.

In Relic mode, the low tone is not just for iron, it is for any target that falls within the discriminated range setting. The high tone is for targets above the discriminated range.

 

[DPW]

...rely entirely on the VDI? I use every clue the detector can give me. With an MXT that means audio clues, VDI number, "probability" bars, three different modes and a trigger that changes the information you get in each of those three modes. You can also track the ground or lock it for heavily iron infested areas. The MXT holds its own looking for coins, jewelry or gold nuggets. I'd call that fairly versatile. And it's in the middle of the road cost wise.

 

[Dave Z]

I don't like relying souly on the VDI.For example,I dug a few nickels that read 10 last week.They were in iron.VDI said 10 but the tone id said nickel.If I had the tone id off,all I would see is a vdi of 10.I found a seated dime last week that vdi'd at 78,same as a penny.BUt it had a silver tone to it.I dug it.Again,without a tone id,I would have just saw 78"penny".I just don't like hunting like that.If that works for you,great.HH

 

[Dave Z]

You do all that for each target.God bless you,i'm not that patient.I just like to stroll along and listen for good sounding targets.If something catches my ear,then i'll examine it closer.

 

[Monte]

the audio tone (pitch) is based closely on the VDI number range.

You stated:

"... don't like relying souly on the VDI.For example,I dug a few nickels that read 10 last week.They were in iron.VDI said 10 but the tone id said nickel.If I had the tone id off,all I would see is a vdi of 10.I found a seated dime last week that vdi'd at 78,same as a penny.BUt it had a silver tone to it.I dug it.Again,without a tone id,I would have just saw 78"penny"."

I'll say:

It isn't going to be so neat and proper when you have targets mixed with trash or if there are ground mineral issues. If you had a solid '10' reading or a solid '78' reading, you would have had an audio tone appropriate for that reading and NOT an "nickel" tone or a "silver" tone.

Now, if you were to have said you had a miced VDI reading that was jumpy and hung around the '10' or '78' mark for thsoe two targets, AND if you would have said that the audio Tone ID was not stabilized but you had audio 'spikes' perhaps that sounded to you that they were potentially good targets, then I might buy it.

But the Tones are associated with the VDI. The DFX, the XLT, and any operator isn't that good.

You could get an Iron readout and a low-sounding audio Tone and still be sweeping over a 4" silver dime and all you would have to go by is the basic audio response as well as any sizeing and shapeing you might do to discern a coin-sized target. In those bad ground situations, Tone ID is worthless and can often work against you!

The folks with an MXT or other model who are relying on just a signle audiop report will then use the visual reference and not have the distraction of a NOT-proper audio tone. If hunting such a site that has those challenges you use a low discriminate setting and move dirt or rock to investigate the targets anyway. Tone ID is of no initial value.

The DFX and XLT have a nice Tone ID range, are killer for plucking quarters in sportsfields, and can be 'fun' to use. The best Tone ID I have yet used that provided multi-tones and ID's the best at depth is the Explorer. It's not perfect, either, but better.

Most serious hunters who get involved in a wide variety of hunting environments and applications (coins, jewlery, relics, prospecting, beach hunting, etc., etc.) eventually favor and appreciate the benefits of hunting W/O Tone ID a lot of the time. One of the best function features of the XLT and DFX is the OFF option for Tone ID.

Monte

 

[Dave Z]

I'd be missing about 40 reales,1000 lg cts. and hundreds of old silver coins.I tried the explorer and couldn't hear the difference between a nickel and a dime.Maybe it's just my ears,but I couldn't distinguish the tones on it.The tones on the XLT and DFX may sound close to a lot of people who only use the tone ID occasionally when piciking quarters at a park.If you were to use all of the time,you would get better at it.I have no problem hearing the difference between a penny and a dime.A silver quarter and silver dime are close but the quarters always register higher.It's biggest advantge is in the parks.I've found deep silvers that read anywhere's from 10 - 30,but had that short high toned silver tone to it.Also MONTE,take a penny buried in the same hole with a nail.YOu'll get a short iron growl with mixed with a short penny tone with a dropped VDI.This is where the mono tone guys that rely on the vdi will leave coins.I think anyone who's used the xlt or dfx for an extended period of time will tell you the same thing.If you don't use it or just use it ocassionally to pick quarters,then you won't understand what i'm taking about.HH