mtx pro trouble please help

[gglav]

hi every one

Im new to metal detecting i had got a used mxt pro over the winter with the 10 " D2 coil anyway after 3 months of using it ive notice it cant find anything deeper the 4 inches unless its a big object not a coin. so today i did a master reset on it changed the batterys and i did a field test and i used a penny and quarter at different heights 2'' 3'' 4'' 6'' 8'' 10'' and i wasnt surprise it couldnt pick up anything after 3 to 4'' so now i know somethings wrong its in like brand new condition no scratches or signs of it being dropped or abused does anyone know what it could be should i send it to whites i dont think it will be covered since its second hand i was think about buying a new coil plus if i send it in who know how long that will take. i leave camping on the ocean next week the reason why i got it. if the chances are high that its the coil i was thinking of geting White's Eclipse Deepscan DD 8x14" Search Coil if thats it a bad coil but im not even sure that it could be the coil or the machine it self. if anyone has any info or anything please help thanks

 

[widebody]

[size=large]did you do just a regular air test? take your machine outside and put in prospect mode to get a reading on how your ground is. the experts will like to know that. what part of the country are you in? did you do the steps for ground balancing? these are simple questions but sometimes that's all that's causing the problems.
the machine's warranty is on the machine. not the owner. if you transfer the info ( can be done on whites web site ), then any warranty left is good for you. at least that's how i understand it. the label on the inside of the battery box will have the year it was made on it. and the sn #. if you call whites they can tell you if it's still covered and when it was made.they of course have their techs also. they'll get you going.

HH.[/size]

 

[srf2112]

When you do an air test make sure your tracking toggle is set to the "lock" position. Your coil and/or machine may not be bad from what you've written. The strength (loudness) of the signal responses you're getting is determined by your gain setting which is, in turn, determined by your ground (see above post), EMI, etc. 4" may be as deep as your hearing the strong signals w/your settings and experience. Solid, clear, steady VDI signals fall off quickly as you get deeper. From what I've been told stay away from the 8x14 coil ! Good luck . . .

 

[gglav]

i talked to a whites dealer today and he said bring it in and we can look at it and test it. i live in massachusetts when i did the field test i did in soil and sand all different heights shouldnt i aleast get a positive VDI and anything after 4 inches on a penny there no VDI after 4 '' and a quarter there only a VDI from 4 and half inches and less and the VDI is neg. 30 around there. and if i was goin around under normal conditons i wounld even know to dig that cause it came up neg. 30 VDI how could a quarter come up in neg. 30 VDI. only 4 inches down i ground balanced the machine i tryed in ground,salt,and locked all modes

 

[widebody]

[size=large]sounds like it's a send in.

HH[/size]

 

[gglav]

so i bring it to a whites dealer and he looked and did a few air tests for 2 minutes and said its me not the machine he also said when i coins is in the ground for a long time there a halo effect from siting there so the machine picks it up easyer he said the air test wont work right unless the coins sits there in the ground for aleast 9 months or longer when its deep so i bought a 5.3 coil anyways for the high trash area so i tested it out in my yard after 10 mins on a area that i hit aleast 5 times with my 10'' D2 coil i got a 1913 50 centimes so i was happy about that. i still have a feeling in the back of my head there something wrong with that coil so um looking for good coil for salt beaches and fields in the massacusetts area. for coins and rings.

 

[gglav]

so i bring it to a whites dealer and he looked and did a few air tests for 2 minutes and said its me not the machine he also said when i coins is in the ground for a long time there a halo effect from siting there so the machine picks it up easyer he said the air test wont work right unless the coins sits there in the ground for aleast 9 months or longer when its deep so i bought a 5.3 coil anyways for the high trash area so i tested it out in my yard after 10 mins on a area that i hit aleast 5 times with my 10'' D2 coil i got a 1913 50 centimes so i was happy about that. i still have a feeling in the back of my head there something wrong with that coil so um looking for good coil for salt beaches and fields in the massacusetts area. for coins and rings.

 

[widebody]

[size=large]the dealer for whites in my one horse town doesn't seem to know sgat about them. i call the other dealer in portland and he refers me to monte. monte answers my questions. i have confidence in monte. you need a guru. i fail to see how you can be happy getting no more than 4" from a D2. i get at least 5" from my 5.3. and my soil is high in minerals.and i have to deal with ash from a volcano. now call whites in sweethome and get your answers. i for one don't see you got any help from that dealer. an air test is in the air. not the ground. put some coils on some clear dirt and pass your coil over at differant heights. this will tell you your coil is working or not. coins that are buried will be differant but you're just trying to find out if your coils work.
you didn't say how far down was the target you did find.mybe your whole area is sitting on a slab of iron 4" down.[/size]

 

[MrPopTop]

Theres something wrong i get more inches in the air with my bounty hunters....

 

[Monte]

ignore the fact that you could have a bad detector and/or a bad search coil. of the two my money would be a bad search coil, but it's hard to say w/o having it in-hand.

One problem comes up whenever someone posts a "help me", but there isn't ample info for readers to help with. In your case, some of that is possible because you are new to metal detecting, and probably are not that familiar with some input that could help. For example, it would be good to know the following:

Type of ground you are 'testing' in.

The Ground Phase read-out at the location you are doing the tests (on the MXT that is reported in the Prospecting mode).

The Discrimination and Sensitivity/Gain settings you use.

Is there a 'proper' Threshold setting used?

Are the sample 'test coins' passed across the coils center axis in a 'flat-to-the-coil' position?

Im new to metal detecting

So, lacking any experiences with other makes and models you're probably also lacking any pre-experience of what is anticipated or required for proper performance. It takes time to master any detector, even for an experienced user.

i had got a used mxt pro over the winter with the 10" D2 coil anyway after 3 months of using it ive notice it cant find anything deeper the 4 inches unless its a big object not a coin.

It shouldn't have taken 3 months to figure out if there was any 'poor performance' or not. Any detector can be "air tested' indoors or out, even during a stormy winter, so by now something should have clicked to start inquiring.

I'm also curious, as I always am when I read of a newcomer selecting a particular make or model is 'Why?' What prompted you to select the White's MXT? It is a very good detector, but not what I would call a 'starter' for most people, so I am curious about the types of sites you had planned to search, what you intend to search for, and why you picked the MXT?

so today i did a master reset on it

Please explain to me what you mean by a "Master Reset" with the MXT.

changed the batterys and i did a field test and i used a penny and quarter at different heights 2'' 3'' 4'' 6'' 8'' 10'' and i wasnt surprise it couldnt pick up anything after 3 to 4'' so now i know somethings wrong

Were the batteries bad? How low was the voltage?

By "field test" did you actually test the MXT with targets positioned on the ground rather than a simple "air test"?

When you say you couldn't pick anything up beyond 3"-4", are you referring strictly to hearing any audio 'Beep', or are you also referring to seeing a proper TID or VDI for the particular target? Remember, TID and VDI can be inaccurate if the target is too far from the search coil, close to a masking target, in a bad position, or mixed with challenging ground conditions, such as intense mineral bodies (rocks, dirt clods, etc., etc.).

its in like brand new condition no scratches or signs of it being dropped or abused

That's good that you received an undamaged or unabused detector. I hate it when people offer a well-worn detector but try to suggest it is in good condition. But there could still be a problem with a detector and/or a search coil. This could be especially true if it was an early-release 10" 2D search coil because there were some that had a problem. I know because I had two of them.

does anyone know what it could be should i send it to whites i dont think it will be covered since its second hand

What it would be is a checked-out and properly operating detector and coil. They do great work in Sweet Home, Oregon. It's just too bad that you didn't take care of this during the prior 3 months and before your pending camping trip. If in doubt, now or after your trip, it wouldn't hurt to send it to White's for a check-up. First, however, is to check out the search coil as well as your control set-up and testing methods. I'd be willing to bet that the search coil might be the 1st point of concern.

i was think about buying a new coil plus if i send it in who know how long that will take. i leave camping on the ocean next week the reason why i got it. if the chances are high that its the coil i was thinking of geting White's Eclipse Deepscan DD 8x14" Search Coil if thats it a bad coil but im not even sure that it could be the coil or the machine it self. if anyone has any info or anything please help

IF you send it it won't be back in a week, but it would be good to check out a different search coil.

Probably the LAST search coil you ought to consider is the 8X14 DD. I love the MXT and M6, having had several of each, and the 6

 

[gglav]

it was the 10" D2 coil that was the problem i found 3 more merc silver dimes just in my yard at 5 and 6 inches i have gone over the area aleast 4 times with the 10 " D2 coil the last three months thanks every one for the info

 

[Keith Southern]

n/t

 

[bowser]

hi i live in S.Weymouth, most of my finds are between 4-6 inches, i have read posts of claims of great depths,mine have been beer cans and melted aluminum, in the soil around here a rusty nickle can read 3 different vdi's and on my machine which is a year old ,i can't reject pulltabs as well as some of the mxt owners claim,i think it depends on where you live.I have 3 coils 4x6 6x9 and the coil that came with it.I have 1 gold cladder ring a small 14k that came in at 14+ vdi at 4 inches, with the 6x9 coil. I have had limited sucess with mine, and i sometimes question some of the claims made by other owners There is a whites distribitor in Framingham, i beleive there is a store there too.Dig all 18-22 sinals they can be pulltabs, nickles,rings,I don't find the mxt to be the great coin shooter as some claim ,i have a whites idx-pro, that does a better job and dicriminates iron better Also the mxt is terrible on saltwater beaches in new england,good in dry sand. I have been detecting 8 years,still not to enough time to be a know it all. good luck JIM

 

[widebody]

[size=large]i found the XLT to be a darn good coin finder. the MXT i hear is better at gold rings. XLT will find gold but the MXT is just re-puted to be better. my nickel count has really jumped using the MXT. you're never going to get the depth of an air test from the ground. it seems you lose maybe 2" at least. in my soil anyway. now that i've learned to crank the gain up to the +3 range my targets got deeper.
i too am a doubting thomas on some of these claims but i was shown today with my own machine and D2 coil that cranking the gain gets you depth. you'll get increase noise but volume controlled headphones will help deal with that. my finds doubled from the time i cranked it up. ya gotta be aggressive. try things and learn. just don't make it a job. enjoy what you do.

HH[/size]