Just got my XT 70 today, used it for a hour before work....???

[Ed in Mo]

Ok, I finally got my new X Terra 70 today and only got to use it about 1 hour before I left for work...that sucks! But the weekend is here!! I went to usual hunted out park,trashy as heck...tones on every swing. I did manage to find 3 dimes and 8 pennies...oh, well. But I have a couple questions. I have been detecting for several years now and in the past after making any adjustments to the machine, it was always my understanding that it needed to be ground balanced again. Is this not true with the XT 70?

Also, I realize that normally the more you discriminate, the more depth you lose. I would like to hunt this area without only digging the high tones. It is a old fair grounds from the late 1800 but is still in use today. I have found several gold rings in the past and a hand full of silver from there but am lost on the ring numbers(Ids). I Am thinking most rings fall in the mid tone area. I tried some of my rings and got a wide range of numbers there. Can I notch out some of the known junk without losing to much depth? The 10.5 DD coil is in the mail and should be here Monday, that may help somewhat, but for this weekend I will learn with the standard coil. I did try some out in the baseball field with less junk, but still had quit a few low tones. Hate to dig every low tone I get. I was using the 3 tone setting, 26 on the sensitivity, and only got lows (a lot) and high tones there..no mid tones.

You know I will head back there first thing in the morning and feel like the trashy site will teach me a lot. I have a lot of ground to cover. If I can conquer trash...I will have it made. My first weekend out with the new one....remember all that fun guys!

 

[BarnacleBill]

On the GB no, no re-adjustment, this is a digital machine for the most part.

On ring hunting, the X70 has a bit of an expanded mid-range resolution which is good for ring hunting. Look at this post half-way down the page for the gold target table and pix of the items. Yes it is for the X50, but the ID's are close enough to the X70 for what you are trying to do.

http://www.findmall.com/read.php?55,290751,290751#msg-290751

If hunting a fair ground and new to the machine I wouldn't set the sensitivity above 20, maybe as low as 15. For cherry picking the rings, notch out all iron(negative numbers) and zincs and above. I would set the machine to four tones, but that just might be my preference. Now comes the decision part; I would dig all remaining tones, but if the square tabs are driving you nuts then take them out, usually around 16 to 18 for me.

Now here's where the versatility of the X70 can shine. You can set the Pattern 1 to accept all of the middle section of tones, and then on Pattern 2 notch out the above plus 16 & 18 for use on the fairway area where the food courts are located and trash is very heavy. You can also then set up Pattern 3 with another variation, and at the push of the Pattern button change on the fly.

By the way don't waste time trying to arrow up and down to reach the ID numbers to notch out. Find a trash item, wave over coil, while the ID is still visible on the screen, hit ACCEPT/REJECT, and presto it is gone.

Good luck!

HH
BarnacleBill

 

[Ed in Mo]

Ok, old habits are hard to break. So I need to look at it as, "3 fully customizable programs" that I can switch on the fly....hmmm. With no readjustments, I could learn to like this. No mention of loss of depth, but thinking it would be a great trade off in this area anyway. So, a person could really take pattern 3 (for example) and make it a "ring only" mode for my 18.75 coil as well. I am starting to see now, the endless possibilities here. I thank you so much Bill for this new insite. It's the little things that make the difference in the hunted out and trashy areas.

I am thinking I will take a note pad with me to record all ID's with the finds. Surely this will help me recognize more ,in time, without notching out too much. Maybe have to put a ID list on the machine itself for awhile. Funny how a new machine is making me feel like a green horn again.

 

[BarnacleBill]

Some seem to think there is a little less audio masking by using All Metal. I haven't subscribed to that, but even if there is, most of the time I'm in so much iron my ears can't take the pounding. I think much of it depends on how much rest I've had and what kind of mood I'm in.

Some days I go over a patch and just want to cherry pick, other days I'll go at All Metal and crawl over the same spot. And yep if you're an old analog guy this can be an eye opener.

Here's a decal designed for the Fisher Excel, I don't recall the author but kudos to them for a nice design. After you gather your data this could make a nice template.

[attachment 51789 pic1405.jpg]

HH
BarnacleBill

 

[Ed in Mo]

Thanks again Bill. Thinking I am not ready for all metal mode yet...lol. But I do hate to reject more than I have to. I'm thinking learning the ID's and tones, and they way they respond will be my lesson today. I am heading out now, belly full and ready to take on the world!

 

[Kelley (Texas)]

I fail to understand why you would have less audio masking by using All Metal. If the desirable target is being masked, how would any "one" particular mode have the capability of unmasking the target and some not? Please have a great day! Kelley (Texas)

 

[BarnacleBill]

Like I said, I haven't really checked it out, my tolerance of low iron grunts is probably less than others. I think Digger & Jackpine are the ones posting about that characteristic, they could probably chime in and explain it better than I. Also 95% of the time I use the HF elliptical which has a slightly different response to high & low conductors.

HH
BarnacleBill

 

[Jackpine Savage]

Hi Kelley

Your question is a good one and I don't know the answer. Does the detector recover/reset faster from an iron tone or from a null and does it (the detector) really care how much sensitivity (gain) you have cranked in. Some feel that deep nulls cause more masking because to the ear an iron grunt is audible as a single event in time. No matter how many iron tones you hear in rapid succession they are distinguishable one from the next so the logic is that the detector seems to be recovering faster when compared to being in a state of constant nulls (no audio input to the listener. Our brains like input so the silence can be deafining! Does that mean there is actually less masking going on in all metal? We would have to ask the engineers I think for the correct answer to that but I'd bet iron masking is iron masking regardless of whether we hear a tone or a null.

After my banter with Digger about techniques for hunting in iron/trash it seems that either method can work depending on how it is applied and the site conditions.

The amount of iron I have to deal with demands lower sensitivity. In all metal the 70 chirps, bloops and bleeps and with the predominate iron tone notched out its in an almost constant null when trying to use too high of a setting regardless of sweep speed. I can't put up with the chirping or the constant nulls so I lower the sensitivity and the best way for me to judge the proper setting is going by the amount of nulling. But again, thats me in my conditions. Now when I'm in a relatively trash free area and the ground allows... Katie bar the door.. the sensitivity gets cranked and I may just decide to switch to all metal to get a feel for what all is in the ground.

I will say this. Do a search on the Explorer forum and look for a person that uses conductive with some iron eliminimated and note how well he does in those old St Louis parks. His theory is the same I use on the Xterras. drop the sensitivity to reduce the nulling. Heck I can't argue with his success.

Tom

 

[bfodnes]

Hmmmmmm. From the explorer I cen tell that Kelly has a point. Iron ID or null has the same effect. Its blanking out good finds.

May be the same on the terra but it is faster recovering from iron ID then from null. With iron and coin under coil its much better then explorer.

As for less sens less null, ofcourse, The deeper iron is way out of range so you can find the less deep coins easier.

Deep Iron where the deep coins are is my nightmare!!

Masking and master it is way more important then deeeeepest detector available

Terra-prospect, mmmmmmmm

regards

bjorn

 

[Ed in Mo]

I had a rough time in the trashy park and didn't do so hot. I had allot of work on my hands and could see that. I gave up after and about a 2 hours and 28 cents later. I am sure it was me and not the detector so I ate lunch and headed back out. This time I was going to another spot, a hill side behind a school that I hunted before, but was too much junk for my White's XLT. But I also took the 18.75DD coil with me...had to try something different already. This is were my fun beg, I loved it!!I didn't get rich but found some coins I and many others have left behind. Now I know I am the newest one here with only one day under my belt, but putting my 2 cents worth in here.

For those wanting a smaller coil, have you tried this one? In all honesty, it seemed as if I was only hunting with the back half of the coil anyway. It found coils between trash and easy. The signals were very small sounding in size and easy to find between other stuff. All the signals seemed to be steady with no ID jumping. I did find myself swinging a bit slower and over lapping my swings as well. I found 3 coins close enough that the holes I dug almost joined. But I seen them as single targets. I was impressed. I ran at a sensitivity level of about 20, anything much higher I got what I call, chatter. Searched in pattern 1.

Todays totals....10 quarters, 21 dimes, 41 pennies, 2 nickles..and one gold button. I wish someone would tell me why I can't put photos on here....believe me, I tried with no luck.

No, I didn't get rich but learning is all I am doing now. I have to admit, it was a very enjoyable hunting once I changed coils. The high tones were easy to hear and stood out well. The only problem I found was while hunting, when I did get a high signal...it took me a bit to find it back sometimes because of the size of the signal. Like I said, it seems very small to me and easily pin pointed it with out changing modes. Dimes, pennies, or quarters..the signal never changed size. Ok...so I didn't get many nickles and no rings, but it is a start. My problem is that nickles ID the same as pull tabs here...12, and by the end of the day I had had enough of them. So I only listened for the high tones...newbie I tell you...ha ha ha

 

[Jackpine Savage]

Deep Iron where the deep coins are is my nightmare!!

It is a nightmare for us here in the US at older sites as well. On US size coins and I believe Digger will agree with me on this, you can't beat the ML Advantage for picking them out.

HH
Tom

 

[Ed in Mo]

But being new and all...I have to wonder if it is the 18.75 kHz or the DD design? I am getting the 10.5" DD in the 7.5 kHz in the next couple of days. I have to go back to the old fair grounds to make it a true comparison, but the only changes I made was the coil and slight sensitivity lowering. All I know is I was impressed knowing that I have searched this exact spot before and missed them. This detector is quiet and smooth. Grant you, I did not find anything old but many pennies that were ate up from the minerals. Nothing that was shinny at all. It had been there awhile. I am not sure about the depth yet, most of my finds were 3" to 5". Also I have to keep in mind I passed up alot of low tones that could have been something as well. Most locked on very well as a tab at 10-12 and 16-18. And, only searched a area of about 40ft by 40ft...alot of ground left. Coin only hunting like this was a breeze, rings on the other hand may be another story. I can't wait to try some open ground...free of trash so I can open it up some too.

 

[Kelley (Texas)]

That sounds about normal. Most of my coins found over the years were usually 6" to 7" or less, even at some of the old sites. I have found coins deeper, but not often. Many of the folks finding old coins at a depth of 10" or so are often finding them at so called "worked out" sites and the key has often been the fact that they knew what their metal detector was telling them...they have learned how to properly use their metal detector and how to push it to the limit. I suspect that you will be very successful with your X-Terra and will soon be posting some photos of some good finds! Please have a great day! Kelley (Texas)

 

[Digger]

I've bought my first Advantage right after they were introduced. And, I have found more coins with it than any other single detector I have owned. When I use the Advantage, I like the TS800 coil for most coin hunting. But the 5-inch Excellerator is very good for separating targets and trash. And, the TS1000 coil gets a work out in open fields with little trash. As Tom said, deep iron can be a problem for any detector. Even for the Advantage when you don't want to crank the discrimination up for fear of losing jewelry, nickels or old IH. When I reach a point that I need a "silver fix" in those iron infested sites, I crank the discrimination up and dig when it beeps. HH Randy

 

[Ed in Mo]

OK, I figured out how to resize my photos to put on here. My first day's finds. I will get better at the photo thing and hopefully better finds as well. See...I am not too old to learn new things. Wishing you all good luck and happy hunting.

 

[BarnacleBill]

First on posting pix, make sure it's the right file type, JPEG,GIF etc. and 100K or under in file size, or it will kick back on you.

And it's nice to hear a fresh user with no pre-conceptions discover how good the 18.75 HF is in trash. Because of the DD pattern, once you work an area E>W, turn 90deg and re-work it N>S, more targets will be revealed. The small signal size is due to the DD, but that is what helps the trash pickin' also. With the DD once you hit a target, slow down and sweep over it a couple times to isolate and give a better ID.

Pulltabs around nickel ID will improve as you get to know the audio better. It will take a little more practice time hearing the tell tale double beep. Once you get some more time in with the DD, then go back to a trashy area and try again. Better to start huntin' Gophers before tacklin' Buffalo. On a little nature side note, had a Mink in my side yard today, ran for the camera, but it scooted before I got back, getting a photo would have been just as much fun as findin' some silver.

HH
BarnacleBill

 

[Ed in Mo]

For the first day, it felt pretty good. My trouble was file size on the photo..I had to figure out how to reduce the size down to fit.

You know, I read most every thread posted in here since Oct. 06, before I even logged on with a user name. I have heard/read all kinds of advice, and to be honest...I would not have the 18.75DD if it hadn't came free with the detector purchase. I would not have spent the money for it, just to try it out. But I read about a few people having good luck with it and figured no harm in trying. I feel it is a much better coil than the stock coil in trashy areas, and that is my opinion. Only time will prove me wrong. And sometimes that is all it takes, confidence and belief to excel.

I have heard negative and positive on this coil, this machine, that swing, the settings....etc. Anything is worth a try, in general like most things..if you ask 100 people you will get 100 answers. I seem to think that there are too many variables to be closed minded. Every person, every swing, every step....hell, I would bet some of our detectors are not Exactly the same in some ways. Nothing is perfect. So what works for me, may not for you...but we all must admit we strive for the same things. It is fun, it is a passion...it is a way of life for some. I am not afraid to voice my opinion and none should be. It may help, or it may not...but it is a different point of view. Maybe it won't work here...but it might work somewhere else. Maybe it didn't work today, but it might tomorrow. When you are having a bad day, what the hell, try someone else's silly idea. A bad day may just get better, or at least more interesting.

Is is jealousy, or envy? What makes us down what others do or say? If it works for them...more power to them. If it is science or luck, good for them. Tell us about it. If you hear enough ideas, you just may find one that works for you. Any find, is a good find. And if I don't find it, I want you to. A few things I admired the most about this site was the support, the wide range of views, and the motivation to strive at what we do. I would hate to ask a question and only get one direct answer..that's too easy. If we all hunted the same, that would suck as well. No closed mind here, just having fun!

 

[Digger]

Great analysis and great advice!!! HH Randy

 

[Jackpine Savage]

n/t

 

[Jackpine Savage]

You are not going to want to go thru with our "deal" after reading this.

Toss that 12.5" on the Advantage and hit some sites with deeper iron where coins have been found in the past. Drop the disc to around the 11:00 position and dig all repeatable beeps. Sometimes they only come thru using a normal sweep and other times you can "wiggle" them up ala Sovereign mode. Take a shovel!!!!

Tom