Mr. Bill's MOD. Rocks!!!!

[silverseeker 2]

Well I finally got out with my IDX Pro that I had Modded about a month ago.Took her to an iron infested site
where 3 early 1900's homes sat.This has been hunted by guys with e-tracs and me previously with
a fisher CZ3D. I pulled silver out of here before but after the e-trac boys were there the silver has been harder to find.
The performance is night and day with this Mod. I couldn't believe the difference as it is very noticeable
especially with the sensitivity which can be controlled very nice in these kind of sites. Ground Balancing
made all the difference in the world with this unit. I will never sell her or the 5.3 coil which worked exceptionally
well in this site and conditions. I managed to pull out a buffalo nickel, silver war nickel and some really
cool old relics and some wheat back pennies. While there someone came and scraped off the top 3" of dirt
due to a Community Garden project and I have permission to go back and work the scraped dirt as long as
no planting has begun and I can work the piles of scraped grass anyway as it does not interfere with the
planting area. Can't wait to go back and see if I can get more.Had a great day with my New Mr. Bill MOD. !!!!
The IDX PRO with the Mr. Bill MODS. is a KEEPER and best kept secret I have found in awhile!!!!
I would recommend this unit for iron infested sites in a heartbeat and feel in these conditions it
will smoke those high end units... Just my thoughts!!!!
silverseeker 2

 

[lytle78]

The Classic III SL with the mods is an even lighter machine, missing only the meter, which isn't of very much use in the kind of hunting you are doing.

Nice write-up.

 

[silverseeker 2]

Thanks Rick,
I totally understand what you mean by the meter not
being much use in these conditions as this was an
eye opening experience. Wish you the Best Rick!
silverseeker 2

 

[MR_A]

Who did your mods? I have a near mint idx pro I would like to have the mods done too. Thanks in advance

 

[OregonGregg]

The Classics ( ID, IDX) are very hard machines to beat when it comes to iron infested sites , like the one you are hunting. I have a MXT Pro and a M6, but when it gets really infested with iron and trash I use my Classic ID or Clasic IDX with either the 5.3 coil or the 350 snooper coil (4 1/2") and have found a lot of old coins and tokens that other machines have missed. The Classics with their fast recovery and very slow, small sweeps sure does find the good stuff in all the trash. Ya I agree, I would hold on to that machine. You won't find one better.

 

[silverseeker 2]

Thanks Gregg,
Great minds THINK alike! This MOD rocks for sure
and like I said I don't see this machine ever leaving my arsenal...
silverseeker2

 

[silverseeker 2]

Call Jimmy
(70 547-7985
I will give all details on a great upgrade....
silverseeker2

 

[pulltab]

what is the upgrade, i mean what does he do, without giving away his secrets

 

[SilverFinger]

PLEASE HELP!
I hope somebody sees this, as the post is reasonably new. I bought a Mr Bills modified Classic ID on eBay. HELP! Regardless of where the DISC setting is, in DISC mode (center toggle position) it continues to sound LOUD AND CLEAR ON ALL TARGETS. Small iron, big iron, foil, DING DING DING! Even with the DISC cranked up to max. It's clearly NOT supposed to operate this way.

I am REALLY frustrated as the guy who sold it said no problems and doesn't accept returns. I have to go thru the hassle of opening a eBay case, waiting, blah blah blah.

Is there ANYONE out there who can direct me to perhaps a COMPONENT I could look at? I've tested the DISC pot with a multimeter and it checks out. No visible bad solder pads (except for the crap job someone did on the mod)

I DREAD the thought of hunting someone down to fix this, as it's an oddity or a detector. What a friggin' HASSLE.

The unit is super clean. Hardly looks used. I suspect the seller knew it wasn't working right as you can tell cosmetically its 9 out of 10.

 

[lytle78]

Send it to whites, they will likely sort it out for about $100, including return postage.

If it's not worth that to you,, salvage the rod, you can probably get $75 for it as is.

Sorry, but not every deal works out, the guy who sold it to you either had no idea what it was supposed to do or was a crook.

Maybe somebody here can suggest something else. One possibility is that the coil is crap. Do you have access to another whites coil? If so try it.

Another possibility is that someone has messed with whatever internal trimmer is used to set the Discrimination level. If so, perhaps someone knows which trimmer it is and you could fuss with it a bit.

Sorry

 

[SilverFinger]

Thanks for the reply. The guy offered to take it back, but honestly, I don't WANT him to take it back. I want it working. I've heard so much about the 'beep and dig' Tesoros. I tried a Compadre hoping to have the best iron rejection in the sites I hunt that I am confident has more goodies. I always come back to Whites. If I can get a machine that had TID and excellent iron separation, I want one.

 

[TH'er]

Lytle78 has given some good advice, but first I would call White's to be sure they will take in your modified detector for repair. I successfully did the Mr. Bill's on my PRO and there are plenty of opportunities to make a mistake. You will like this detector, since modifing mine I have put the DFX in the closet.

 

[Monte]

can make quite a difference.

It might be a case where someone tried to follow Bill's instructions but didn't get it right.

Without moving the Discrimination control, when the toggle is in the center position, do you hear a Threshold audio? If so, the toggle might be mis-wired or defective and you are locked in the All Metal mode.

Good condition modified Classic series models are getting tougher to find because many savvy users don't want to part with them. I have my modified IDX Pro w/6

 

[SilverFinger]

Alls well that ends well. All it was is the 3 pin connector from the DISC pot to the logic board was plugged in using only 2 connectors. A quick correct alignment and plug in and she's runnin' like she should. Ron Nelson, if youhappen to see the post, thanks for the attention and for the follow up! Already found a bauble I passed over with other machines. Can't wait to get it out there in the real world....

 

[SilverFinger]

Update - Call me crazy, but I sold my MX5 (took a loss too, which SUCKS) and bought a second modified Classic (IDX). Still pretty confident I did the right thing.

Before I sold the MX5, I field tested the target separation - MX5 vs. the modified Classic ID's.

No less than 100% of the time, the Classic ID would provide a solid, repeatable beep. I would then take the MX5 over the same signal before digging and with one exception, would always get a broken tone and crap VDI # with the MX5 due to heavy junk at the search site. While all the signals turned out to be clad, it still illustrates to me that these old machines can't be beat in trashy or iron infested sites.

Only wish I had the MX5's depth to go with it.

I found a '39 merc in a hunted out site, and have been plucking wheaties from the ground like crazy with the Classic.

I'm still not sure I'm sorry I sold the MX5. I'm a little numb as I lost close to $150 by selling it, but after I got the first Classic, I didn't even bring it with to the spots I hunt.

The perfect detector (IMHO) would be a Classic type of machine with 2-3" more depth a backlight and a battery meter. Since I sold the MX5, I'm back in the market for a 'main machine' and if any of you can suggest one that might fit that bill as described, please let me know!

 

[Monte]

I can assure you the MX5 is a worthy detector to own and use for many applications. My MX5 is my 1st grab detector when I get to a new site. Kind of a "scouting unit" that I also use a lot. However, it is not my only detector, as I am sure you likely know, supported by my MXT All-Pro w/9" spider coil mounted and modified IDX Pro w/6