new mxt

[jayhop]

Hey everybody.
i just got my mxt Friday.
i have read the book and i feel like i understand the controls.
i have used it twice. i understand that almost nothing works as it is advertised but after paying $750 i expected it to be a little more accurate than it is.

the trigger forward in the c/j mode still sounds off on pull tabs big time.
and i understand that large iron will still register but why dose
it show 80 or better and not in the iron range.
and i have to turn the control to 5 or 6 to get the ground silent.

do i have a bad machine or is this just the way it is?
i live in eastern n.c. 100 miles from the coast black soil,sand and clay no rocks.

thanks for any reply or help.
jay

 

[mikesarott]

hang in there,i got mine 2 wks.ago and still learning it.read all the items relating to your ? on this forum and you will start to get the functions close.good luck

 

[DFX-Gregg]

First congratulations on your detector purchase. Second not sure how many detectors you have owned. Third you spent the money and if you plan on enjoying the hobby and having the detector pay for itself you will have to use it and learn it! Of course it sounds off for pull tabs!!! Rings as in gold often show up the same as pull tabs so I hope it sounds off! If you don't want to hear them adjust your discrimination but be aware you will lose a lot of jewelry. Lastly I actually own a DFX and have found over $100 in change and over 1200 coins in a month and a half. But I have worked extremely hard, good luck, happy new year!

 

[jayhop]

about the pull tabs. the book says that when you are in the c/j mode if it registers pull tab that you can push the trigger forward and it should ignore or that the sigal will be broken.my machine still rings clear.

do you think the dfx is worth the extra money?
thank you
jay

 

[jayhop]

thanks mike.
i did find a silver fork this afternoon and a small button.
it's just irritating that the indicator jumps all over the place throughout the entire range from time to time. and even if i don't know what i am doing i still cant understand it reading iron in the 80+ range.

 

[DFX-Gregg]

Jay I have heard great things about the mxt. I think if you choose to put in the time you will be fine. I am extremely happy with the DFX. But I have been swinging it so much since I got it, 5-6 days a week my arms are sore! That is how I chose to learn it! Also great tips on the forums. I know there are tons of people who can help you more than me especially with the MXT hopefully they will speak up, Oh about the pull tabs, I think you will have to learn to live with them, learn the different tone responses to gold, silver coins pull tabs, don't second guess yourself now, learn your machine. Trigger forward with DFX does not do what you say! Maybe with MXT, it does...With trigger pushed forward on DFX it is used for pinpointing and depth not discriminating out pull tabs, adjusting or blocking/editing out would do that. I am sure someone using a MXT will step forward and explain better than me, good luck, Gregg.

 

[bubblehead]

Hi Jay...you have a good machine there. Be aware that lots of items can give the same readings as a particular coin. First rule I learned is that you will dig alot of trash to get a little treasure. I myself, live in western NC...near Asheville and the ground readings are horrible most of the time....low 80's.
My point is...be patient....the stuff is out there. As far as your readings with the iron, of course it's possible that you have a problem with it. I can only pass along to you what I experienced in the beginning. I would get a reading of 83 and get excited about a silver coin. But the display said iron. Then I realized that I had mistaken the minus sign as a dash. There is no plus sign for positive numbers so just be attentive when you look at the display. If you don't get a minus sign and it still says iron, then you most definitely have a problem.
Have you tried the relic mode yet? I'm starting to lean more towards that mode rather than the CJ mode. The iron gives a lower "grunt" while non iron targets give a higher tone. You still get the VDI number but all you will see for an ID is Bullet, Button or Buckle. Give it a try....you can always pop back and forth to the CJ mode to check the ID.
My opinion on the DFX..great machine but too many bells and whistles for me. If you work your way back thru the forum and read all the Q&A's about the MXT, you'll find that a common response when folks question if they should have gone the extra bucks.
Good luck with it and happy hunting. Look forward to seeing your posts in the MXT forum.

Tom (bubblehead)

 

[Rick(ND)]

The MXT is the best Whites I have ever used and so easy to use compared to the DFX as it takes more Patience's and settings than the MXT does.
Now on the pull tabs in the C&J mode with the trigger forwards only reject some of the pull tabs and not all of them, if it did than you would get no gold rings and no nickles either as many pull tabs will read the same as a nickle as some will read like a IH penny too. What Whites did was reject the most common ones without losing the coins.
Take your time and learn the MXT, it is not learned in one or 2 outings and does take time, but no where near what many detectors take to learn. The MXT is one of the easiest detector to use and one of the best you will find.
Myself and my wife uses relic mode and go by the number ID and the bars on the meter and not the icon and find we can tell the pull tabs from coins with no problem, but can not tell the gold rings from the pull tabs so you have to dig all pull tabs if you want gold.

 

[Rick(ND)]

This can happen when the iron is big enough, but if you listen to the signal you will see it is not a nice 80 reading and may be big sounding or breaking up a bit. Some will even go into over load too. A good signal will be more solid sounding and the number don't jump around a lot. Next time try going to pinpoint and pinpoint it so you know exactly where it is, then let go of the trigger and swing over just that area it pinpoint in, think you will see a difference.
Like I say it does take time to learn this detector or any detector and feel the MXT is still one of the easiest to learn.

 

[jayhop]

thank you fellows for your advice.
this is the first detector i have owned in 32 or better years.
i guess i was a little naive to expect it to work as simple as the adds make it sound.i really didn't but i was hoping.

i will try the relic mode and pay more attention to the tone.
until i can learn the difference i will dig a lot of pull tabs and sardine cans.

and if i get a large target in the 80+ it's probably not coins.

jay

 

[DFX-Gregg]

Jay, I think the modern technology is great! But I truly believe this hobby is one that requires >time <to learn to use detector and >effort< to put in to make hobby enjoyable. I noticed right away you mentioned cost....that does not have anything to do with using and learning your detector! I do all my learning in the field (not in my yard pretending)and the more you use the better you will get. I think you spent the money and now need to make the commitment. Look at the great responses you received. I look at that and would get really to leave the house as I am doing right now. (Sneaking out to local park while wife and kids still sleeping)! Note being put on table, detector going in car! Oh one last thing the adds are true! Use it and learn it, you will find things! If you need inspiration read this and other forums! As far as me having a DFX and you having an MXT it does not matter....I use all the message boards for motivation. Check out the XLT board, there is a guy Steve (cintisteve) posts pictures daily. It is cold where he is at (Cincinnati), and also where I am at (Chicago) but as long as trowel goes in ground I go out almost daily and work full time, good luck Gregg.

 

[markl59]

Jay You sound excited which is great but take your time and learn the detector. I used to use C/J mode all the time, but I found the MXT noisy. I started using relic mode and a smaller coil (I use the 5.3 Eclipse). I know you really do not want to invest any more money into something you are already unsure about. If you cannot afford or do not want to buy another coil right now then here is a little help and info for you. First the reason you get a different number each time you pass over a target is the MXT does not average readings like other detectors, this means every time you sweep over a target it gives a number then clears itself, next sweep same thing ( If the numbers are not consistent and the item is deep DIG). If the numbers are not consistent and the item is not deep dig a few and see what they are, but listen carefully to the sound before you dig and try to remember the sound and VDI and what it was for future reference. You said also the detector was not eliminating pulltabs (trigger forward C/J.) There are many different pulltabs, (dig a bunch save them them, see which ones are eliminated and which are not I,ll bet you will be surprised how many there are out there and the little square tabs that everyone breaks off will drive you nuts, It's a fact of life if you want to find rings you are going to have to dig pulltabs. Now for the noise you can turn the threshold to just below audible and it will still work fine. You do not want to run the detector hot ( I mean +1 or +2 sensitivity until you are comfortable with it. I would keep it at or below the preset. I hunt in Relic almost all the time and I use the 5.3 coil, Just ignore the icons and use the sounds and VDI numbers. Later you can try locking the ground in (sometimes this will help in an iron infested site). I keep my disc. at 2.5 and my threshold barely audible, I use trigger centered this is a mixed mode audio ( iron has a low grunt non-iron has a high pitch sound), I also push trigger forward when I get a promising target to get a better sound, this eliminates the low iron grunt. I find the detector is more stable with relic mode and trigger centered.
I hope this helps, I have had my MXT for a little over a year it takes time to learn it be patient and get out there and detect, detect, detect. This is how you are going to get better.

 

[jayhop]

thank you for all the tips Mark.
From all the comments i guess my machine is doing what it is suppose to.
that is the main thing i wanted to be sure of before i banged it up too much.
jay

 

[Jackpine Savage]

Jay if Whites eliminated all the different types of pulltabs produced over the years you would lose everything from just below nickel up to zinc penny. What they did was get rid of the most bothersome of the older style ring pulls that have the tails attached. We call them "beaver tail" tabs". Even those read differently depending on if the tail is flat or bent over and the type of metal content ect ect. The modern square tabs that people break off soda cans are a pain as they read almost identical to a nickel, its possible in your area that they may run a number or 2 higher than nickels so pay attention as most are shallow and will read in a tight range. Its all part of the learning experience. There are just too many types of trash out there for ANY detector to be 100% accurate, thats what the literature does not always mention.

Tom

 

[jayhop]

I'm starting to understand now tom.
i have come across both the tabs you are talking about
and as you say the newer ones i first thought were nickels.
i almost didn't dig a 18-20 tone and it was a nice gold heart necklace with a cross and 18 small diamonds.
so i will be digging a lot of tabs.
the thing that is still the most annoying is the iron in the 80 range.
I'm starting not to dig if it seems too large.
jay

 

[Gila Marc]

Hi, Jay. I have to agree with most of the replies here. I've had my MXT for nearly two years and am still learning it's "language". I recently bought a Minelab Quattro, but the MXT will probably always be number one. The pull tab thing will always be a pain in the butt. As lots of folks here have said, you can discriminate them out but lose the nickels and gold. I prefer to put up with them and use some judgement.

I detect a lot in an old dumpsite, so it is really trashy. I find that using a little 5" Excelerator coil works wonders separating out the good signals. I have also seen iron come in at +80 or thereabout, if it is big. A large flat piece of iron, unless it overloads, will give a strong silver-like signal sometimes. Some people call it "ferrous bounce", or something like that. The same thing happens with deep aluminum cans. They can have you digging all day hoping for silver, only to find a Coors can at 12".

A trick I learned by experience is to look at the signal as an inverted cone. The MXT is calibrated to coin-sized objects. If you read a "coin" signal at a depth of supposedly 6", it could also be a very large object at 10" or more.....OR a very small item at a shallower depth. If you dig past 6", in this example, and find nothing (but the signal is still there)it is nearly always a large piece of junk lower down. With a little more experience, and with the MXT's wonderful pinpointing ability, you will soon be able to avoid digging a lot of deep garbage.

Two great investments, after you learn your machine well, are a good pinpointer and the smallest coil you can find.

Good luck, and keep practicing.

Marc

 

[jayhop]

Thanks Marc.
i have been using my mxt a lot and i have come to realize that it is not magic but that it will do a good job once you learn it.
the 5" excelerator is that different than the whites 5.3 coil ?
i really want good coverage and depth for open field hunting but i tried one old house site that was just littered with so much iron that i have given up on it until i get a smaller coil. the constant noise almost drove me crazy.
jay

 

[Gila Marc]

The White's 5.3 coil is, I believe, actually six inches in diameter. The Excelerator is a bit smaller, a real five inches. I bought the Excelerator because it was the smallest I could find for the MXT. They are both approximately same in price, but some say the White's coil is a better quality product. I haven't had any problems with the Excelerator, and it does absolute miracles in heavy trash!

The Excelerator is made for Kellyco and runs about $120 right now. The White's is just a tad higher, about $126 or so last time I looked. Both will probably be fine. I just like the smaller size of the Excelerator.

Marc

 

[bubblehead]

Hi Jay...I have both the 5" and the 5.3 inch. The 5.3 is my favorite coil and leave it on the machine all the time. I also have the 4 X 6. That is good for getting in and around brushy areas or places where the larger ones just don't get into. My opinion....stick with the 5.3 but don't count the 5" out.

Tom

 

[au4greg]

There are about 40 types of Pull Tabs with different signatures. By notching, you'll eliminate a good percentage of the older snap tabs and some ring pulls but you RISK losing gold rings that also fall out in the notch reject window.