MXT Still the Boss

[Mikel]

I wonder just how I can word this post so it doesn't get deleted. Lets see, maby I can say I bought a new other brand machine and paid 440 dollars for it, and maby I can say I also bought the new 5.75 DD coil and paid 110 dollars for it. And if I told you that it wouldn't detect a medium size gold chain laying on the ground from any angle would that get me in trouble? In case you are wondering what brand it is just think about the word treasure in a different language. Maby I shouldn't have said that but I bet I can say this,
My old MXT with the 3x6 DD shooter coil can see it from every direction, my old MXT with the 4x7 DD Excellerator coil can see it from every direction, and my old MXT even with the 10X6 DD coil can see it when scanned from side to side. THE MXT--DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT.
Thank you very much.

 

[BarberBill]

One reason the MXT can be noisy with the gain set high is due to the higher frequency, which is more sensitive to gold. Also, you don't tell us what settings you are comparing? All, coin/jewelry/, relic, or prospecting? How much gain/sensitivity? All metal, disc, or no disc. on the other machine? Small gold chains can be invisible to a number of machines, settings and coil combos. Happens fairly often with machines that can easily pick up other gold jewelry with just a bit more mass. I have an MXT and consider it one the most versatile and capable machines on the market today, but you are comparing apples and oranges just a bit here. My two bits.
BB

 

[Mikel]

The other machine was in all metal or low disc iron or lower it didn't matter , it was properly ground blanced, sensitivity was stable medium or max it did not matter. The MXT was ground balaned sensitivity medium or max, in all metal, relic or coin jewelery, disc set to low iron, gain set to meduim or max it didn't matter. I tried all setings in the other machine , it didn't matter, it just could not see it where the MXT could.

Mike

 

[Mikel]

What I said was a medium sized gold chain, not a thin one, even my 1977 Phantom VLF TR has no problem picking up this chain with low sensitivity and low iron disc.

 

[BarberBill]

I haven't personally fooled around with gold chains, nor found any for that matter and that may or may not relate to what we're talking about here, but I've read several different times where gold in the form of chains is more difficult to pickup than similar small gold or other gold jewelry that is in solid form. Probably makes a good test to compare machines, but I'm not sure where it fits in relation to the total picture as to coin hunting, artifacts etc. - Just as air tests don't give a good comparison compared to true ground depth. It is interesting though.
HH
Bill

 

[Nancy-IL]

n/t

 

[Mikel]

What your talking about I have no Idea. Im talking about the MXT seeing whats on the ground that the other machine doesn't. Seems pretty straight foward to me.

 

[licn2chill]

I bought an MXT last year and am still giving it my best shot every time I go out there and am trying so hard to believe everything I've heard about how great a detector it is, but is all I've managed to find so far is about 200 or so pennies! I've been to alot of sites that I would say have great potential and have yet to find anything larger than the odd nickle or dime (all new), and tons of pull tops and beer caps. I've read just about everything I can about settings and soil and everything else I can in order to "tweek out" my detector, but until I can ferret out something older than the stuff I've been finding, I'm holding back my opinion. My cousin wants to buy a detector like mine and I have a good friend that also has a new MXT, but he hasn't found anthing valuable either. I have put in lots of hours and since my retirtement, I've been able to get out several times a week, so I know I'm okay there. I've hit old creek banks and only found junk, lake banks and only found new coins, oh yeah, I did find a cheap watch in about 4-inches of mud, roadsides in the gold country where I live, construction and destruction sites, and again only found a few new coins. Do I have to pay some tribute to the metal detecting gods or what?

 

[BarberBill]

You will find a lot of pennies and pull tabs nearly everywhere people have been. As to older coins and artifacts possibly you haven't been lucky enough to pass the coil over the right spot or need to research and find older, hopefully non-hunted places. You don't mention what coil you use, which in trashy areas can make a difference. Do you use headphones? How much discrimination are you using, if any? Are you hunting slowly, overlapping the swings and listening for the fainter signals? There's more to this hobby than I first thought, such as really getting to know and trust the machine you use, target masking, hunting techniques, what coils to use and when. The MXT is a very capable machine, but I have to admit that I would have had problems starting out with it had I not had a lot of experience detecting with other machines when I first picked it up. Stick with it, you never know when the next beep will be that good find. As to paying tribute to the metal detecting gods, I don't think so, but putting in the time getting experience will pay off eventually. Sounds like you've already got a start on that.
HH
BB

 

[twinner]

ive only had my mxt for one month and i am having real good luck with it.but i agree with bill,having experiance with other machines really is a plus.have patiance im sure you will figure it out. pa tater

 

[jimw1957]

I have had my MXT a few months and have gone out 12 times to four sites (3 or 4 trips to each site) and i have found 1 18kt white gold band and a custom made silver ring with 8 real rubies (you can see it at Haufman's Jewlers of coranado web site) which sells retail for $900.00. I have also found $30.00 in quarters, dimes and nickles (mostly clad quarters and nickles) and numerous zinc and copper pennies. I also found some quarters buried in the sand with 40.00 in paper money. One ring was found on the beach and the other in a small park in my complex (which I don't think has been worked before in its 30 years of existance). I search the beaches at 5:00 am in the morning on the weekends. I have yet to find any old coins because I havent been to any old places. The point I am trying to make is that it is more likely your just not hitting the right places at the right time.

 

[Tin Nugget]

[quote Mikel]I wonder just how I can word this post so it doesn't get deleted. Lets see, maby I can say I bought a new other brand machine and paid 440 dollars for it, and maby I can say I also bought the new 5.75 DD coil and paid 110 dollars for it. And if I told you that it wouldn't detect a medium size gold chain laying on the ground from any angle would that get me in trouble? In case you are wondering what brand it is just think about the word treasure in a different language. Maby I shouldn't have said that but I bet I can say this,
My old MXT with the 3x6 DD shooter coil can see it from every direction, my old MXT with the 4x7 DD Excellerator coil can see it from every direction, and my old MXT even with the 10X6 DD coil can see it when scanned from side to side. THE MXT--DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT.
Thank you very much.[/quote]

Couldn't have said it any better! Over 5 years of faithful service and still lovin it!

 

[licn2chill]

Thanks for all the encouragement folks, I appreciate it. I have 2 coils, the original and I also bought the Eclipse DD and tried that recently. I really like that coil, it seems to be so much stronger. I bought the DD for my trips to the beach and realizing that it's intended for heavily mineralized soils, like the red clays here in Calaveras County, Without having found any really private places to hunt, I've been looking in places where I'm more or less visible to the general public and I hate to dig any deeper than a few inches, but like I said, I've found a ton of new coins and a few other interesting items. Like yesterday, I dug a white milk glass Mason Jar lid made by Boyd and worth about 10 bucks on Ebay. I'm surprised how sensitive this Eclipse DD coil is, It had me digging as deep as 8 inches in a deserted field to find a piece of rusted wire about 1/4 inch in length and an old bullet the same depth. My time is coming, I can feel it!

 

[Reggie]

Great. Just Great! NOW you tell me not to leave home without it, after I spent 6 days in GA not finding anything with my 3 letter (I called it a few 4 letter) word, only to have my partner find a half dozen c.w. relics with his MXT. I even took two other-named brand machines, to no avail. I wish you had warned me sooner . Thanks; I needed that!

 

[Pirate John]

Hands down the MXT will find more stuff than most detectors out there in my opinion. With that said, I have gone up against a Minelab Explorer and will admit it will find the occasional deep silver coin that I might pass up as trash or could not hear at all, but I will hear the small gold ring that the explorer would not even make the slightest sound. Know your detector, like your detector and it will find you treasure, of course the detector will only be as good as it's operator. Most name brand detectors are quality made, but I can't say that they all have great customer service. Have fun and HH.

 

[Canewrap]

I understand your frustration, but it really is about location, location, location. What is partly misleading is all these great stories about people finding stuff, but what you don't hear about, is how much trash they're finding. I've only been at it seriously for the last two years and I'm not retired, but I do have 3 boxes full of stuff that's really no better than trash, but I've held onto just because. This is not to mention all the real trash I've thrown out. The name of the game in metal detecting, just as in any kind of fishing, is patience rules. Most of us look at finding trash as practice for when that find of a lifetime passes under the coil. When you find something in that category all the trash you've dug will seem worth it. Fact is, if you're finding that much trash you'll find some good targets soon. Ya gotta find the trash to find the treasure. I'd be more worried if you just weren't finding much at all.

 

[jimw1957]

I agree with the location is important but there are more and more people searching so timing is also important. You will find more stuff on the beach 5:00AM Tuesday morning after a long Memorial Day Weekend than you will the Friday before after. Same goes for sporting events and county fairs. I have one small spot on a fairly busy beach that I have started to track my progress and I am starting to see trends in when and where I am finding stuff. I am also looking for the remote abandoned sites that may have been overlooked and I thought I found one but when i was out detecting a very nice guy drove up who also had an MXT in a conversation I found out he had been detecting there for a while I realized others probably had too. I do agree as Canewrap says "Ya gotta find the trash to find the treasure" but you can plan and increase your odds.