Question on the Explorer XS

[azdigger]

I noticed as I hunt the threshold will just go blank , nothing . I raise the coil and it comes back, this is over the same ground.
I dug it up a bit to see if there was a discriminated target but there was nothing there......Any ideas or is this normal or what can I do to fix it.

 

[IDXMonster]

Rick- It's discriminating. You'll note that if you run with a completely blank screen it will never do this. You can go to Settings and choose Clear to check this,or,switch to Iron Mask and set it to -16(clear screen). Hunting in either of these will show the machine won't null,but it won't ever shut up either in the specific ground you're hunting. You just have some contaminated ground,particles of whatever that are noticed by the machine but won't be anything of note when you try to chase it. Could be larger discriminated targets in there too that you just haven't dug up. It knows you're looking for coins and jewelry,it'll ignore(by nulling) the rest.
Also,if you have not...when you turn it on next time,reset it. Instead of pressing the power button to turn it on,press AND HOLD the power button for a few seconds,you'll hear a different "tune" than normal. Then go choose your setup the way you want it again. There's nothing wrong with it,it's just doing what it thinks you want it to do...

 

[azdigger]

Thought so , a BIG THANKS for settling my mind (what little I got) . I mean I talk to my targets....oh there you are, sound like a ???...

 

[Elton]

It goes quiet over discriminated out settings

 

[azdigger]

Only thing that worried me was such a large space was blanked out , I mean as in area , like about 2 or 3 foot square.
Maybe I just worry too much.

 

[michael NY]

The explorer XS is great machine. Don't let it over complicate yourself if your new to minelab or tone machines, get Andys book it's filled with tons of very useful information and set up of the explorer. Use the basic set up dig high tones for a while untill you can understand the machine is telling you slow steady is how you must swing this coil, plenty of good people here to help if you have questions about the machine. Build a test garden if possible will help out don't put coins all just flat try a few on edge see how the machine sounds after that might give it a try In test garden putting in some rusty nails near the coins see how it sounds. Give it time it takes some patience to hear what the xs is saying . Good luck with the hunt

Michael

 

[azdigger]

Thanks, so far I love the machine. I have the 6" excellerator coil for it and have been using it to hunt with.
I said on another forum that I am liking coin hunting more than nugget shooting and would almost consider trading my Gold Bug 2 with 6 " and 14 " coils for a Minelab x-terra 705 with a couple coils.

 

[Charles (Upstate NY)]

Rick- It's discriminating. You'll note that if you run with a completely blank screen it will never do this.

Actually...that's not entirely true, behold the all metal null.

This is a rare bird but I have dug several of these over the years. I pay attention to these because all were silver and multiple silver coins in the hole. Silver half with a silver quarter, multiple silver quarters, or a silver quarter with multiple silver dimes.

This is the target orientation that produces these, nail/silver/nail with the two nails pointing at each other with silver in-between, typically the nails are about 12 to 15 inches apart. Nail |---> Silver <---| Nail If you are hunting in all metal and suddenly get a null like this, which technically should never happen in all metal, bingo you found one of these. Turn 90 degrees and the machine will say rusty nail, turn back and you get the null. Dig a 6 inch plug, carefully, in the center.

Another version of this that does not produce a null is the three rusty nail silver, with a nail at 9, 12, and 3 o'clock. You get a silver hit but only with the front tip of your coil, maybe the front three inches of the coil. If you try to center your coil over the target its nothing but rusty nail, turn any other direction 90 left or right or even 180 approaching it from the other side and its nothing but rusty nail. But from the one position, with just the front edge few inches of your coil, the machine will give you a textbook silver tone and silver position on the screen, those are worth digging. The silver tone (ferrous tones) and cursor locking onto the textbook silver position on the screen don't lie. Versus say a rusty nail/iron false which bounces top left of the screen iron position and top right of the screen about 3/8 of an inch down from the top with the cursor half off the right edge of the screen, that's the classic iron falsing bounce pattern. This false bounce pattern also doesn't lie, I have dug countless example of this because its so enticing to wish maybe its silver and all were rusty iron. If you are unsure consider this, if it looks like silver on 8 swings out of 10 its likely silver, if it looks like a rusty iron bounce pattern 8 swings out of 10 its likely rusty iron. Nothing is 100% on every swing but one or the other will repeat overwhelming towards one type of target or another.

 

[IDXMonster]

Rick- It's discriminating. You'll note that if you run with a completely blank screen it will never do this.

Actually...that's not entirely true, behold the all metal null.

This is a rare bird but I have dug several of these over the years. I pay attention to these because all were silver and multiple silver coins in the hole. Silver half with a silver quarter, multiple silver quarters, or a silver quarter with multiple silver dimes.

This is the target orientation that produces these, nail/silver/nail with the two nails pointing at each other with silver in-between, typically the nails are about 12 to 15 inches apart. Nail |---> Silver <---| Nail If you are hunting in all metal and suddenly get a null like this, which technically should never happen in all metal, bingo you found one of these. Turn 90 degrees and the machine will say rusty nail, turn back and you get the null. Dig a 6 inch plug, carefully, in the center.

Another version of this that does not produce a null is the three rusty nail silver, with a nail at 9, 12, and 3 o'clock. You get a silver hit but only with the front tip of your coil, maybe the front three inches of the coil. If you try to center your coil over the target its nothing but rusty nail, turn any other direction 90 left or right or even 180 approaching it from the other side and its nothing but rusty nail. But from the one position, with just the front edge few inches of your coil, the machine will give you a textbook silver tone and silver position on the screen, those are worth digging. The silver tone (ferrous tones) and cursor locking onto the textbook silver position on the screen don't lie. Versus say a rusty nail/iron false which bounces top left of the screen iron position and top right of the screen about 3/8 of an inch down from the top with the cursor half off the right edge of the screen, that's the classic iron falsing bounce pattern. This false bounce pattern also doesn't lie, I have dug countless example of this because its so enticing to wish maybe its silver and all were rusty iron. If you are unsure consider this, if it looks like silver on 8 swings out of 10 its likely silver, if it looks like a rusty iron bounce pattern 8 swings out of 10 its likely rusty iron. Nothing is 100% on every swing but one or the other will repeat overwhelming towards one type of target or another.

Hmmmm...haven't run across this yet. Usually when digging, things get upset to the point of not knowing how things were sitting. MY Explorer2 wide open in Ferrous has NEVER nulled in ANY situation. The aforementioned situations may be so far and few between that the new user doesn't have to worry about it too much. Old house sites/cellar holes may need closer attention to what is going on. Interesting though....

 

[Charles (Upstate NY)]

Rick- It's discriminating. You'll note that if you run with a completely blank screen it will never do this.

Actually...that's not entirely true, behold the all metal null.

This is a rare bird but I have dug several of these over the years. I pay attention to these because all were silver and multiple silver coins in the hole. Silver half with a silver quarter, multiple silver quarters, or a silver quarter with multiple silver dimes.

This is the target orientation that produces these, nail/silver/nail with the two nails pointing at each other with silver in-between, typically the nails are about 12 to 15 inches apart. Nail |---> Silver <---| Nail If you are hunting in all metal and suddenly get a null like this, which technically should never happen in all metal, bingo you found one of these. Turn 90 degrees and the machine will say rusty nail, turn back and you get the null. Dig a 6 inch plug, carefully, in the center.

Another version of this that does not produce a null is the three rusty nail silver, with a nail at 9, 12, and 3 o'clock. You get a silver hit but only with the front tip of your coil, maybe the front three inches of the coil. If you try to center your coil over the target its nothing but rusty nail, turn any other direction 90 left or right or even 180 approaching it from the other side and its nothing but rusty nail. But from the one position, with just the front edge few inches of your coil, the machine will give you a textbook silver tone and silver position on the screen, those are worth digging. The silver tone (ferrous tones) and cursor locking onto the textbook silver position on the screen don't lie. Versus say a rusty nail/iron false which bounces top left of the screen iron position and top right of the screen about 3/8 of an inch down from the top with the cursor half off the right edge of the screen, that's the classic iron falsing bounce pattern. This false bounce pattern also doesn't lie, I have dug countless example of this because its so enticing to wish maybe its silver and all were rusty iron. If you are unsure consider this, if it looks like silver on 8 swings out of 10 its likely silver, if it looks like a rusty iron bounce pattern 8 swings out of 10 its likely rusty iron. Nothing is 100% on every swing but one or the other will repeat overwhelming towards one type of target or another.

Hmmmm...haven't run across this yet. Usually when digging, things get upset to the point of not knowing how things were sitting. MY Explorer2 wide open in Ferrous has NEVER nulled in ANY situation. The aforementioned situations may be so far and few between that the new user doesn't have to worry about it too much. Old house sites/cellar holes may need closer attention to what is going on. Interesting though....

Hence my astonishment when my Explorer running wide open with no discrimination went totally silent, just like a null. And since target orientation (don't hate me people) can result in these types of nulls or nothing but rusty nail responses when swept from one, two, even three directions...after you hunt out a productive/high value site in a north/south direction, you can start over hunting them east to west, then hunt them again in a NE to SW angle.

Question: How many easy gimme finds are left out there? Answer: Not many, this is why I love rusty nails and trash (evil grin)

 

[IDXMonster]

That really seems to be the scenario,the easy finds,unless in an area not hunted before are basically non-existent. The shift around the forums sure has leaned toward unmasking for awhile,and hitting different sites with different techniques/angles. I suppose the attack angle of the DD has something to do with this...gotta hit it just right. I'll have to really pay ALOT of attention this year,I honestly have not heard it do it yet. Actually,I hope I DONT hear it,that way I won't have to worry about it

 

[Charles (Upstate NY)]

One of my favorite trash targets, rusty bottle caps, silver half dollars like hiding under them.