New to the forum and Almost ready to buy the X70

[mountainplayer]

Hi All,

I've been a T'Net member for a while now, and a MD'er for almost two years. My first, and current, machine is an Ace250. I've logged literally hundreds of hours on this machine and know it intimately. I think I'm squeezing every bit of performance out of it that I can expect. So....now I'm looking to upgrade.

Like many others, I've read tens of thousands of words on the various machines (I want a combo coin/jewelry shooter that give me a bit more depth, as well as a machine I can take to the gold streams near my home to nugget hunt). The X70 caught my eye, and looks like one of the best combo units out there. It edged out the Lobo Super Traq due to its auto ground tracking even in discrim mode.

I've been saving for this purchase for a Looooong time, and was just about ready to punch in the credit card numbers when I read a post on T'Net regarding depth comparisons on a European coin. The X70 performed only 1" deeper than my Ace250. Got my mind spinning.

I've read a zillion posts, it seems, about why depth tests mean nothing. I understand the large number of variables involved (ground conditions, etc), but in my mind there has to be at least some validity to an air test. I'm one of those folks who believes, for the most part, that a detector isn't going to do any better in the ground than it can in the air.

So that being said, has anyone run across videos, posts, articles, etc., that deal with air testing of the X70?

P.S. Thanks to Coinshooter for suggesting that I check out this forum. And hello to all of the great folks I recognize from TNet.

MP

 

[BarnacleBill]

Welcome to the forum, have a look see in the FAQFAQ sticky at the top. Have a look at the X50 saltwater review for air tests, the X70 will match those and do a bit better.

HH
BarnacleBill

 

[mountainplayer]

Thanks for the reply Barnacle Bill. I need to really spend some more time digesting the tables on the X50 and seeing how my Ace250 performance stacks up. I did do one air test just a few minutes ago on a clad quarter.

Running sensitivity at max and no discrimination (well, as close to that as the Ace allows...I ran in All Metal), I could read a quarter consistently at 9". Now, the sensitivity setting that I used isn't something I'd normally use to hunt. Too prone to falsing if I so much as bump into a blade of grass. I do hunt in All Metal quite often.

If the X50 can give me another 3", as per the test results you pointed me to, I'd be pretty happy with it. One question...was the sensitivity setting on the air tests cranked up to a point that would be unusual to use during "typical" hunting conditions (i.e., not too trashy, not too mineralized)?

MP

 

[Digger]

Having owned all three X-Terra models, a couple Ace 250's and several dozen other detectors, I will say that there are many more things to consider other than depth on airtests. In the ground, I want excellent target separation, proper ground balancing capabilities, sensitivity to small targets and excellent TID performance, to name a few. Not to say depth isn't important. But even if the depth was only a couple inches more, compared to the Ace 250, the X-Terra 70 offers many MANY more features and functionality. To name a few....... Adjustable threshold, Auto GB, Manual GB, Auto Tracking, Beach mode, Auto Noise Cancel channels, Manual Noise cancel, 28 "narrower" notch segments, more defined TID, Prospecting mode with Iron Mask discrimination, ability to use 8 different coils in 3 different frequencies, more precise pinpointing, 3 programmable Pattern modes as well as all metal mode, programmable audio tones, VFLEX technology.

As I have posted before, I am of the belief that single frequency VLF detectors will not detect any deeper in the ground than they do in the air. Exceptions being if you have neutral, wet soil conditions. And that isn't the norm. Usually we have to contend with varying degrees of mineralization, adjacent targets etc. So, although I don't place a lot of stock in comparing different makes and models via airtests, I do use airtests to compare like detectors or coils on a specific detector.

If you are looking for a lightweight, well balanced detector that provides excellent depth, superb sensitivity, great target separation, excellent discrimination characteristics and you can take it coin shooting, jewelry hunting or Prospecting, AND one you can use in farm fields, parks, yards, beaches or in the gold fields, you will like the X-Terra 70. The old saying "jack of all trades and master of none" certainly does NOT apply to the X-Terra. It does a lot of things. And it does them all quite well. JMHO HH Randy

 

[mountainplayer]

[quote Digger]
As I have posted before, I am of the belief that single frequency VLF detectors will not detect any deeper in the ground than they do in the air. Exceptions being if you have neutral, wet soil conditions. And that isn't the norm. Usually we have to contend with varying degrees of mineralization, adjacent targets etc. So, although I don't place a lot of stock in comparing different makes and models via airtests, I do use airtests to compare like detectors or coils on a specific detector. [/quote]

Randy,

Thanks for contributing here. Your comments on air testing (quoted here) mirror my beliefs EXACTLY. I also agree with what you said are the other reasons why an X70 is such a good machine. The GB features alone are one of the reasons why I'm considering the X70 as a dual purpose (coin/jewelry/relic and nugget) machine instead of the Lobo ST (which defaults to fixed GB the moment any level of discrim is kicked in).

That being said, I would have had a hard time justifying my purchase of a machine that is 4X the price of my Ace if I couldn't ALSO gain a depth advantage.

I'm feeling right at home on this forum already, and I don't even own a Minelab yet. Thanks to you and BB for being willing to help.

P.S. Just for fun, I'm attaching a photo of a find I made on a very special recent hunt. I assisted a group of aviation buffs in their efforts to "prove" the crash site of a B-24 bomber that went down near my home in June of 1943, killing 6 of the crewmen. Our task was to recover items that could positively ID the airplane. The result will be a designation in the official list of crash sites, as well as an exhibit in our local museum. I was fortunate to find three items with complete, legible part numbers. The "plum" was this brass ID tag off of one of the radio racks. Complete part number, order number and manufacturer info.

MP

 

[Digger]

You know, we spend so much time discussing the in's and out's of finding coins, relics, jewelry or gold, that we sometimes don't think of the other "treasures" that are out there waiting to be discovered. I spend quite a bit of time researching old sites in this part of the Country for the sole purpose of documenting their location and proving their existance. Homesites, churches, post offices etc. Places that have been lost or forgotten in today's hectic world.

Congrats on finding those old tags. You've not only proven the whereabouts of that fateful crash. But by doing so you have preserved a piece of history that is priceless. HH Randy

 

[rifleman]

In the real world of dirt, the adjustable ground balance on the X-Terra 70 will help make better finds because it is adjustable. The 250's fixed ground balance will only let it detect to it's maximum if the ground happens to match the set ground balance of the 250. If the GB is different, you are loosing depth. The X-Terra 70 is clearly worth 3 times the price of the 250. I started out with the 250 and it's a darn nice unit for the price, but it doesn't hold a candle to the 70. It wouldn't take too many extra finds with the 70 for it to pay for it's self. The finds from the crashed B-52 were really great. It's great to know that history has now recorded the crash site of the B-52. It's possible there are relatives who will now know where their loved one's are resting now. Great job !!!

Good hunting, John K