New to XT50

[stewartlittle]

Hi,I finally got a MD,a XT50.Ordered it last Tuesday and it showed up Friday.They had 2 day UPS free shipping.
I have some questions,but dont know where to start.I'll just start with my first experiance(not too good).

1) I assembled it very quickly,easy.
2)Went to the backyard Saturday morning.
3) Turned it on and I think there is alot of junk back there,cuz thats where the basement is and alot nails,nuts,bolts,washers,ect... has been scattered back there,esspecially right at the deck.
4) The thing kept goin haywire,beepin on every swing,even where I know not much stuff was,and I started wondering if I made a mistake of getting it,maybe shoulda got another brand.
5) Tried to GB it and that did'nt help.Started gettin MAD cuz it would'nt behave.Worse that tring to tell my cat to do something,thats BAD.
6) Figured out how to turn the SENS. down some(to about 3 or 4) and that helped.

Thats the worst of it though,I think I'll just have to get use to it to know what its telling me.

My first real find you may ask,well the meter read in the mid 40s.I think thats where a quarter is,but it was an old alu. diecast mini toy car buried about 4".Dont remember that one,but I've been living there for 34 years,moved there when I was 6.

One thing is the numbers,is there a chart I can print off to 1/2 way tell me what its reading? Coins,jewlery,or is that something I have to figure out my own.

Does it has has a THSHHLD sound I can adjust or is it silant search only?

One thing I think I noticed is when in all metal,it still reads everything,but it shows #s of what it is.That could be helpfull.

Also,this was my first time out with this machine amd only done it for about an hour total,my arm hurts from the weight of it cuz Im not use to it.I need to exersize bad.Sorry this is so long.

 

[morelic1955]

You will get used to the X50, I found my 1st Silver Dollar with mine last year, sold it, regretted it then bought a X70. The Xterras are great machines

 

[stewartlittle]

GBing it seems alittle hard right now,but I printed of that thread about GBing this morning.The way I did it was start at the lowest # then increase it till it goes to the higher pitch and left it there.Thought of the 70,but didnt feel I needed prospecting and beach modes and it costs more,but the auto GB and tracking would be nice.But as long I can adjust it will be OK.
But show does beat that Whites 5000D I got.

 

[khouse]

If all you've swung was you old Whites then you can see they are different animals. What your describing sounds to me like either/or GB way off, sensitivity too high, electrical interference, tons of trash - could be all of the above?

Push your PP button and swing your coil over your yard. Your looking for an area where you get no response. This is where you need to GB the unit. Run in pattern 2. Set your sens at 10. Then with good coil technique start searching with a medium swing keeping the coil 1 inch from the ground. Now if it starts going crazy shift your noise reduction up or down and try it. If it's still noisy reduce the sens to 5. If it's still noisy. Dig the next 20 targets and see what they are? If there is a lot of trash you may need the 6 inch coil to hunt your yard?

 

[khouse]

Here is a number chart I copied and pasted from another forum.
He had some targets in different colors so the chart at the very bottom does not apply.



Hi all ive been recording the vdi numbers which relate to different coins

type: Date vdi
Lg Cent 1856 39
Flying eagle 1858 21
IHP var 3 1881 30
Linc. Wheat 1937-D 33
3 Cent Silver 1853 27
V Nickel 1903 12
Buffalo Nickel 1937 12
Silver War Nickel 1943-P 12
Barber Dime 1912-S 36
Mercury Dime 1945 39
Roosevelt Dime 1956 39
Barber Quarter 1895 42
Standing Lib. Quarter 1925 42
Washington Quarter 1962-D 42
Seated Lib Half 1877-S 45
Walk Lib Half 1943 45
Franklin Half 1963-d 45
Morgan Dollar 1884CC 45
Peace Dollar 1934-S 45

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newer Coins:
Lincoln Copper Cent 1972 36
Lincoln Zinc Cent 1995 30
Jefferson Nickel 1996 12
SBA $1 1979-D 42
Sac $1 2000-D 42
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Compolation of Old Coins & Jewelry:
06 Sm Ladies Ring
09 Lg Ladies Ring
12 V Nickel, Buffallo Nickel, Jefferson Nickel
21 Flying Eagle Cent, Sm Mens Ring
24 Lg Mens Ring
27 3 Cent Silver
30 Indianhead Penny
33 Lincoln Wheat Penny
36 Barber Dime
39 Large Cent, Mercury Dime, Roosevelt Dime
42 Barber Quarter, Standing Lib. Quarter, Washington Quarter
45 Seated Lib. Half Dollar, Barber Half Dollar, Walking Lib. Half Dollar,
Franklin Half Dollar, Morgan Dollar, Peace Dollar

Blue = Gold
Coins = Teal
NOTE:
KEEP CHECKING BACK I WILL BE ADDING TO THIS LIST

 

[stewartlittle]

Thanks,I printed that off and I will modify it to keep with me.Lets say 1 - 10 = this target range.

Also the deeper the target,does the #s change? Like for a zinc penny is 30 to,say,27 or something like that.

I may do that also,keep a log of what I found @ depth with No.

There is lots of trash right behind the house,could put on the 6'' and see what it does.

 

[Digger]

I think if you take a look at the FAQFAQ post at the top of this forum, you will find answers to most of your questions. (FAQ = frequently asked questions) In there you will find a TID chart that I made for all the X-Terra models, as well as an article entitled CoinShooting. Pay special attention to the part where I talk about consistency. Consistent location, consistent tone and consistent TID. I would recommend reading all of the posts in that section, as they are packed full of useful tips and information. Be patient, practice and don't hesitate to ask questions. That is how we all learn. HH Randy

 

[stewartlittle]

Question on GB.
I dont understand what those numbers are.If I manually GB it,its on around #3.

What if you run out of numbers going down? Is that a posibility?

Would you increase the numbers the more mineralized the soil get?

#1 would be for stablest ground,and #7 for highly mineralized ground.?

I'll try to read it,but thats alot of readin.

 

[BarnacleBill]

In the FAQFAQ stickied at the top of the forum there are Target ID tables(Digger) and several hours worth of reading on the X-Terras. The FAQ serves several purposes, one of which is to not continually re-plow the same ground when a new user has questions. That doesn't mean that questions are not welcomed, they are, even encouraged. And there is a continual effort to refine the information in the FAQ to cover not only the most basic questions, but explore more advanced information and techniques. I know of no other X-Terra resource; book, DVD, video, articles etc. that contains the breadth of information contained therein. If you haven't done so already, read through the FAQ and you will hit the ground running instead of at a snails pace. It is also a great place to go back to as you learn the detector and pick up more advanced information.

If you've been using other detectors there may be a bit of culture shock, so take your time and hit a couple different spots. Most of all have fun even while learning a new detector! Some of us snow belt-ers are suffering cabin fever, so post some finds and provide us with tectin' relief!

Have a great holiday and hope you get a chance to get out for some serious one on one with your new X50!

HH
BarnacleBill

 

[Hammerhead]

I just purchased a Xterra 50 a few months back. Take the time to view the tutorial video and read the instructions. Take it out and learn the tones. You will hear the difference with the mellow and more robust sounds. Field test with different mediums to get a grasp of the number display coordination. It takes a little time to learn the ground balance. The pinpoint feature on this machine is the best. I have never had to dig more than a 3" diameter plug. I really enjoy the performance of the machine. I have dug Civil War artifacts, old coins, jewelry and a few gold nuggets. I haven't made it to the Delaware beach house yet for a little sand searching.
Hang in there, learn the machine and you will be thrilled with it.

Happy Hunting & Happy New Year!

 

[stewartlittle]

Still didnt find an answer to my GB question,

I did find out that # 1 is for more mineralized soil.
But,from other users expririence,has there been times when you needed to go lower than 1 but could'nt? Or can that happen?

Or could it be if its more that the ground too mineralized to hunt anyway?

When I GB mine in the yard it's set on around 3.

 

[BarnacleBill]

The GB number has nothing to do with how mineralized the ground is. I am not aware of any posts where GB range has been run out of.

http://www.findmall.com/read.php?55,566150,567211#msg-567211

http://www.findmall.com/read.php?55,356446,357270#msg-357270