New member in PA, trying out my 705 Gold for the 1st time tomorrow!

[hotrod53]

Greetings from Pittsburgh, PA! I finally made the switch, after having detectors since about 1972, I recently added an Xterra 705 Gold. After getting past the disappointment of my detector having pieces missing and having to rig my handle, I'm ready to give it a try tomorrow! Fortunately the factory and my dealer stepped up somewhat to get me the parts coming in about a week, fortunately I could redesign it temporarily.

I'm looking forward to going back to a few places that I have hit before to see if I missed anything. My last detector was an older model from another manufacturer which I knew inside out, it was a comparable higher end unit and I really hated to part with it. We now have (4) 705's in the family and I was the last hold out. My brother has been kicking butt with his and tomorrow is "training day".

Looking forward to chatting with you on this new-to-me forum.

 

[7centsworth]

Welcome to the forum. You are going to really like the 705,

 

[jimz49]

I've been thinking about getting an X-terra, so any feedback you can offer will be very much appreciated. I've always liked the performance delivered by Minelab detectors ever since my first sovereign many years ago. By the way, I'm a neighbor to south, down around Uniontown. Looking forward to reading about tomorrow's hunting results.

 

[jeepcj5]

best of luck buddy!!! Tear em up....

 

[hotrod53]

Ok, first time out, started off REAL slow, it's kinda like startig over again! I started out feeling like a newie but I knew what I needed was to find a coin so that I knew what it sounded like. Once I got that out of the way, I was good. I'm still struggling with the pinpointing too. It seems as though the first sweep pinpoints it in one place and loud, the second sweep it seems like it moved and it's not as loud.

I pretty much ran the whole spectrum, 1 wheetie, 2 dimes, 2 quarters, 5 clad pennies, 1 clad nickel. I'll get it down, eventually..LOL. We just did some park hunting just to try it out, not much oppertunity to get many good finds.

The biggest differences that I see between my old analog and this hybrid digital is getting used to the sound. Eventhough my analog was one tone, I could easily differentiate between good targets and junk by the sound, followed by looking at the ID meter. The tone on my old machine would be louder on a good target and more distinct, this new machine is pretty much the same sound no matter what. Not that there is absolutely no difference, I just have to train my ears to understand it. The Xterra requires more looking at the ID meter to differentiate.

My ears are liking the lower volume with no blasting, the weight is much better too. My old machine had true components and a steel enclosure unlike this one with surface mount components and a plastic case.

Thanks to my brother who has already figured out the hard stuff like creating custom programs for our area and saving me time by teaching me what he has already learned. I'm looking forward to my first "real" find.

 

[SeniorSeeker]

Heading Out to Hunt is a Welcome Experience. However ... first things first. Read the manual. Read it again and then ... read it again! The X-terra 705 isn't like any detector you've ever hunted with before!
Here's Some Tips!
Minelab Metal Detecting Basics & Theory

Minelab Frequently Asked Questions & Answers

Minelab Terminology for Beginners

Minelab Product Reports for the X-terra 305/505/705

The Basics of Metal Detecting

 

[hotrod53]

SeniorSeeker, I have been spending time reading the manual, I realize that is important. I've already answered one of my own questions regarding pinpointing. My analog detector went into pinpointing mode and all you did was swept back and forth. The louder the signal, the closer to to the center of the coil. I now read that my 705 starts loud and then reduces as it pinpoints, I originally thought that something was wrong.

+1 on like no other. Man, I'm struggling with the sound! I was so used to 1 tone but different volumes, I could tell good targets by how sharp the sound was. I don't think switching from my current four tone to the one tone mode would help either, still one volume level. I got into the habit of scouting around visually while I was swinging, I don't feel like I can do that now. I had my old detector for a long time and I was really used to it. I'm finding things now, but not nearly as easy as I should be. I think the biggest problem is where I hunted, our local parks are trashy and hit hard. I need to find a site with good targets and less trash to get it locked into my mind. I'm going on a road trip on Tuesday with detector in tow, I'll get more practice.

Some of the attachments that you linked are ones that I haven't seen yet, I'll browse those too. Theory, I get that, I've been doing this for 39 years, the rest will come....I hope!

 

[RickIowa2009]

Enjoy the 705!

 

[SeniorSeeker]

Believe me, one day the light will come on and you'll know you've got it figured out and, when that day comes, you'll rejoice and enjoy the hobby even more!

 

[Des D]

Greetings hotrod53 from a former Pittsburgher...(North Hills)
and part of the Team who brought you the X-Terra line!
I apologise for the shortcomings with the package you got and am glad to hear it's been put right.

Best of Luck on he 705's maiden voyage...
Where you headed first...Schenley Park maybe??? (a wild guess!!!)

Good Hunting

Desi Dunne

 

[David]

Buy or borrow a smaller 6" coil for your 705 for those trashy areas.

Some people who always hunt in All Metal will not agree with me but if you are finding trashy areas way too much to bare driving you crazy and you do not mind sacrificing most small gold items then block out all numbers 32 and below.

Also you can open a few selective windows below 32 for Indian Head pennies and 10-12 for nickles you want to keep, and 26 for a $5 gold coin.

Des Dunne, I thought you were Irish being born in Ireland, or did you just live in Pittsburgh for a while? Anyway thank you for being part of the Team who brought us the X-Terra line and for also for you personally naming the X-Terra.
http://www.minelab.com/usa/treasure-talk?author=18161

We should do like Kevin Hoagland and also buy a Nissan Xterra 4wd to match our X-Terra's. http://www.nissanusa.com/xterra/
http://www.minelab.com/usa/treasure-talk/introduction
http://www.minelab.com/usa/treasure-talk?author=18163

And of course Digger(Randy) our moderator:
http://www.minelab.com/usa/treasure-talk?author=24630

 

[hotrod53]

Desi, not Schenley but South Park. I have hunted Schenley in the past up on top of the hill near the pool as well as another area in the woods.

I'm on my second voyage now and I think I got it now! I found that if I increased the volume it all started coming together. I found 10 coins in an hour and a half in the pouring rain tonight. And YES, the environmental covers work! I started out today feeling like I was 25% competent and finished the day feeling like I was around 75%. I have been detecting for a really long time, but I need more swing time to re-hone my craft...LIL. I'm ready for a target rich environment now, enough of this park hunting stuff!

I received my missing parts and pieces today, thanks to Mine lab who stepped up and got them out right away. Fortunately I could drill and install a threaded rivet thru the original handle to make it work until my official piece came.

 

[xlogit3k]

Nice I just got a brand new X-Terra 70 from my dealer, it was his last one. I took it out 3 times and I'm pretty good with it now but I still have much to learn. One of the biggest things that confuses me is coin spills because they ring up as a lot of different numbers. I can tell the difference because even though its hitting numbers like crazy, I can still manage to hit a single coin and lock on. Thats with the concentric 9" 7.5khz by the way.