qxt&xlt

[t.w.]

hi,just purchased a never been used qxtpro for myself& a xlt-e for my wife, paid $ 350. for each, how bad did i do? i am new to this hobby.

 

[padgett79]

seems like a fair price and real nice if the xlt is a almost new unit, I think she is going to run circles around you tho. I feel the xlt i the far better detector. but that is my opinion.

 

[skookum]

High,
I would say that you are a lucky guy,

 

[Mike T]

Critterhunter has written a booklet of tips for the QXT he believes it is a vastly underrated detector. He has a lot of experience with this detector and you can search this forum for his comments on it. You can google QXT tips and find the booklet he wrote.
Good new is both your detectors use the same coils and if you upgrade with a smaller or larger coil it will work for both.

 

[widebody]

[size=medium]just my observation is this. if the decal on the xlt machine is a rainbow, you did okay. average price from what i've been seeing.your machine will have been made prior to 2004. if the decals are newer then you have what is called the E-Series. machine is newer is all. i would expect you got a very good deal. the e-series has been selling, when you can find one, for around $450 on up.
don't know anything about the QXT
most XLT owners find it hard to part with such a great machine. there is a XLT classroom forum on this website. just like what this thread is. great place to learn your machine.

HH[/size]

 

[TC-NM]

The good thing is you can both adjust programs for your area and conditions. The bad thing is when you turn off the QXT, you lose your program whereas the XLT program(s) will be saved. That's the nature of the beast. Hope it doesn't frustrate you to much?

Good Luck,

TC-NM

 

[t.w.]

thanks for all the info, downloaded critterhunters tips on the qxt-pro,looks like its going to take awhile to learn all this.took out the wifes xlt-e in my yard found a 1899 barber head dime,

 

[t.w.]

thanks for all the info. downloaded critterhunters qxt-pro tips, looks like l got a lot to learn, took out the wifes xlt-e and found a 1899 barber head dime in my yard

 

[Critterhunter]

The QXT does not forget your settings when turned off. Everything you set customized to your liking will remain the same on power up. Only thing you need to do on power up is re-ground balance the machine. It goes into balancing automatically on power up but I always just pulled/released the trigger to take it out of balancing mode and then swept around to find a spot of ground free of any targets or iron.

Note: How do you know the spot is free of iron if you are editing out iron with your settings? One other reason not to edit out iron. Use the tones set high or low and not discrimination settings, which will provide max depth and unmasking speed.

Once I found a clean spot I'd then put it back into balancing mode and slowly raise and lower the coil until the threshold doesn't change on approach/leaving the ground or only slightly increased in tone as I approached the ground (this will set it slightly hot and give it more depth).

Don't assume if the threshold evens out a second or two after approaching or leaving the ground that it's balanced right. The SAT (self adjusting threshold) will fool you on a machine when doing that. If it smooths out a sec or so after approaching/leaving the ground that doesn't mean it's set right. Don't use the auto ground tracking either as my first tips article said. That costs you depth.

Also, don't put the coil all the way to the ground when balancing. Instead, only lower it to your normal hunting coil height so as to not bias the balancing by kissing the ground when you don't hunt that way.

The QII I think perhaps didn't remember settings. Owned one of those first years ago and liked it so much I decided I wanted the QXT, which for one has assignable tone alerts to any zone where as (from memory) the QII wouldn't allow that if I remember right. QIIs can be upgraded in software to become a QXT. Other than software, the only difference between them is the QII came with the 8" coil while the QXT came with the 9.5" coil.

Being that the QXT Pro was never used I'd said you did very well there. Typical used prices for a QXT are around $250 to $375 or so, or at least the last time I checked on that. The QXT Pro and regular QXT are identical according to Whites, but I found the Pro allowed about 2 clicks higher in sensitivity without getting unstable (18 vs 16). Whether that was due to less noise generating newer versions of components on the board or just some software scaling where 18 now equalled the old 16 in the prior software I don't know. Set up as my tips show they both got about equal depth. In my soil about 7.5" on a silver dime, but my soil is somewhat mineralized most places I hunt.

Fantastic machine and still my favorite Whites. It's deadly in trash thanks to assignable high tones or lows to any zone and also it's lightning fast recovery speed and ID without the need to slow down as much to insure you don't mask targets. It's pretty much as fast as fast gets for recovery speed if you want to swing fast, though I find recovery speed these days is pretty much a non-issue so long as you swing slow enough on a detector. The real advantage in unmasking is by using a coil with a sharp field to see between targets IMO. I wish Whites had made a DD coil to enhance that further on the low freq whites, although I hear they do make I think a 4x6 DD coil for them, which is probably what I'd opt for for a trash coil over the concentric 6 or so inch coil they sold.

Had Whites made a 12" DD or there was an SEF 12x10 DD to push the depth/separation of the low freq Whites further I might never had parted with my last QXT, but one day I plan to bring another back into my line up as a fast scouter in the woods and also when I want to work heavy trash without having to slow down as much. The assignable tone alerts allow you to just train your ear to listen for high tones among the lows, which meant I didn't discriminate out anything including iron, and which then meant it would point out any highs in heavy trash or iron fantastic.

Only other thing that would have made the QXT a perfect 10 in my book, besides larger DD coils, would have been a numeric target ID # to split hairs on tabs vs nickels and rings and such better. I keep waiting for some tech head to hack the software on a QXT and do that, as I would figure it's just a matter of re-working the software a bit, as I would think the conductivity is valued in the software in order for the machine to judge when of the 8 zones it falls within and also the proper tone to use. I'm thinking they excluded a target ID # (other than 8 zones) so it wouldn't compete too much with the XLT at the time money wise.

I prefered the QXT for various reasons over the XLT. One of which was the non-top heavy software on the QXT didn't cause it any software lag issues with target IDs and such when working trash. For a computerized/display detector of it's age, the QXT was almost unheard of in how fast it was thanks to I bet some very smart software writers and also just providing enough controls to max out performance without going overboard with settings you'd never really use. That's one of the things I liked about it. Just enough software to turn it into a deadly weapon on old coins.

I've owned a lot of machines over the years and for a long time the low freq Whites (6000, QXT, etc) seemed to have the best depth and stability in my soil. For me, anything over about 8khz in a single frequency machine doesn't seem to handle my soils/sands too well. I'm hoping and watching for Whites to bring out a state of the art low frequency machine again with some larger DD coils to penetrate my soil. Many others I suspect are as well. Those low freq Whites were smooth like butter and got some very good depth.

There is a dongle around now that will mate Fisher coils to the low freq Whites line, which means then that you could pick up a SEF 12x10 coil made for those Fishers. I love this coil and I just wonder what it will do for a QXT in both depth and left/right separation as I've seen it do for my current machine.

PS- The original tips sheet I wrote for the QXT has a few things in it (like ground tracking should be used- NOT!) that I changed my mind on later, and also updated some more info on settings and use. I posted that second tips article a few months back (August) here in the forum if you search for it.

Some initial QXTs came with bad ground balancing software that had issues getting balanced in some soils. That's one of the reasons this machine got a rough start IMO, not to mention many thought it was a stripped down XLT when in fact the two machines are completely different animals to each other. I think Whites still will do software upgrades and when I had a QXT updated in software a while back the price was very reasonable. The old software said "1c to $1" or something like that for the coin zone, where as the newer version said "COIN" or such. You might also want to note the version of the software displayed on power up and then call Whites and see if any newer versions have been made since then. I'd for sure recommend any QII owner send it in to have it turned into a QXT (it's just the software), as it's extra features are well worth it for max depth and performance IMO.

 

[t.w.]

thanks critterhunter for the info,i maybe asking a few more questions as i use it more, one question that i do have is, when i bought this qxt it has a plastic cover that fits on the bottom of the coil it is hard to get off, do you think that this cover hinders the pickup of the coil?

 

[Critterhunter]

No, but it can trap dirt under the coil cover and cost you stability or depth, so it's very important to clean under them often. I don't like coil covers for that reason and instead use 4 or 5 coats of spray on bed liner to protect the bottom and sides of my coils. It also saves several ounces by not using a coil cover as 4 or 5 coats of spray on bed liner from a can (auto parts stores) is lighter. If you do go that route make sure you let it dry rock hard between coats in a hot place (full sun on a warm day) or it won't get hard like it should. Also, some spray bed liners contain metals or minerals like zinc. Bad news. Spray a thick coat on some cardboard first and then sweep over it in all metal (meaning nothing discriminated out including iron) and make sure the machine isn't sounding off at all to it, meaning no metals/minerals are present. Or, search the beach forum as many use it there. I used Rustoleum spray on bed liner myself. It, like many others, has a fantastic textured factory like coil surface to it.

 

[t.w.]

thanks,i will do that when the weather gets warmer,i will put that on the xlt coil also. i would have never thought of that

 

[OregonGregg]

@critterhunter. I agree I like the lower freq. machines and wish Whites would make just that.Lot of hot rocks etc etc here in Oregon. I was wondering about the V3i or the DFX apparently you can run them on a single freq. (2.5kHz V3i and 3kHz for the DFX) Whats your thoughts on that and I don't know if I want a totally programmable machine etc.....looks like it makes it a little unnecessarily difficult ??
Had the MXT for a few years, traded it in, was kinda a 3 in 1 machine. Think they tried to make it do too much. Would rather have a machine that does 1 thing great and not 3 things good. Currently have a GTI 2500 and Fisher F4 both running lower freq. But I admit I really liked the Whites and living in Oregon I feel I should have one lol. I see you like the QXT.....any other suggestions on White Machines.
thanks, gregg

 

[Critterhunter]

If you surf down this forum a page or two, you'll find another QXT thread where I've already ran over my wants and likes, so no need to re-hash it.

 

[CWRelichunter]

Hi,

I was a big fan of the QXT despite what some of the forum experts were saying about that model when it was in production. Although I only hunt in all-metal mode, I found that the DISC mode on the QXT was deeper in my then testbed, and could not be beat by all of the other models I compared it to.

I have owned one QII, a QXT, and the last version called QXT Pro. However, I only used the 950 coil on all of those models (even on the QII), and I can't imagine what these new off-brand 12x13 coils of today could do on a QXT.

I just today tried a 12x13 coil on my new Coimmaster GT and I am very surprised the results. Hopefully, Whites will come out with a larger coil for the GT so the popularity with relic hunters will grow. The GT is quite impressive for only $399 and the lack of a true all-metal mode.

J in FL

 

[Critterhunter]

You mean IF there was a newer 12x13 or 12x10 or something available in a version for the QXT and other low freq Whites, right? Because far as I know there aren't any aftermarket larger DD coils out for this machines, other than say using the Fisher dongle to use Fisher coils on the low freq Whites, which I still haven't heard anybody try yet. If that thing works to match say the Detech 12x10 for the Fishers to the QXT well, man the possibilities of punching deep and handling minerals might be fantastic. Still waiting for somebody to try one of those dongles out.

Yes, I found disc was as deep if not deeper than All Metal mode. In fact, on just about all the machines I've owned over the years, All Metal was no deeper than disc. I think that old rule of thumb that all metal was deeper was primarily due to the old up to about the 80's models of detectors featuring primative discrimination circuits. Always found it far batter to hunt in disc, by using zero discrimination so I hear it all (and use tone alerts to discriminate), than to use all metal for me. That's one of the most powerful features of the QXT- the ability to set high or low tones for each and every zone. Every detector should have the ability to assign specific tones to specific conductivity zones.

Only machine I've thus far found all metal to be deeper than disc for me is my Sovereign, when using pin point mode (which is a form of all metal that doesn't feature a ground balance). It's got PI-like depth even in the worst of grounds. Even the Mixed Mode on the QXT I saw no need for, other than perhaps providing in a sense a third "tone", as then if you do discriminate out a zone it will then have an all metal sound off, so then you've got a high tone, low tone, and and all metal response, but even then I saw no use for it. Just assign high and low tones to all the zones, then edit nothing out, not even the ground (hot rock) or iron zones.

 

[robertj298]

The QXT does not forget your settings when turned off. Everything you set customized to your liking will remain the same on power up. Only thing you need to do on power up is re-ground balance the machine. It goes into balancing automatically on power up but I always just pulled/released the trigger to take it out of balancing mode and then swept around to find a spot of ground free of any targets or iron.

Note: How do you know the spot is free of iron if you are editing out iron with your settings? One other reason not to edit out iron. Use the tones set high or low and not discrimination settings, which will provide max depth and unmasking speed.

Once I found a clean spot I'd then put it back into balancing mode and slowly raise and lower the coil until the threshold doesn't change on approach/leaving the ground or only slightly increased in tone as I approached the ground (this will set it slightly hot and give it more depth).

Don't assume if the threshold evens out a second or two after approaching or leaving the ground that it's balanced right. The SAT (self adjusting threshold) will fool you on a machine when doing that. If it smooths out a sec or so after approaching/leaving the ground that doesn't mean it's set right. Don't use the auto ground tracking either as my first tips article said. That costs you depth.

Also, don't put the coil all the way to the ground when balancing. Instead, only lower it to your normal hunting coil height so as to not bias the balancing by kissing the ground when you don't hunt that way.

The QII I think perhaps didn't remember settings. Owned one of those first years ago and liked it so much I decided I wanted the QXT, which for one has assignable tone alerts to any zone where as (from memory) the QII wouldn't allow that if I remember right. QIIs can be upgraded in software to become a QXT. Other than software, the only difference between them is the QII came with the 8" coil while the QXT came with the 9.5" coil.

Being that the QXT Pro was never used I'd said you did very well there. Typical used prices for a QXT are around $250 to $375 or so, or at least the last time I checked on that. The QXT Pro and regular QXT are identical according to Whites, but I found the Pro allowed about 2 clicks higher in sensitivity without getting unstable (18 vs 16). Whether that was due to less noise generating newer versions of components on the board or just some software scaling where 18 now equalled the old 16 in the prior software I don't know. Set up as my tips show they both got about equal depth. In my soil about 7.5" on a silver dime, but my soil is somewhat mineralized most places I hunt.

Fantastic machine and still my favorite Whites. It's deadly in trash thanks to assignable high tones or lows to any zone and also it's lightning fast recovery speed and ID without the need to slow down as much to insure you don't mask targets. It's pretty much as fast as fast gets for recovery speed if you want to swing fast, though I find recovery speed these days is pretty much a non-issue so long as you swing slow enough on a detector. The real advantage in unmasking is by using a coil with a sharp field to see between targets IMO. I wish Whites had made a DD coil to enhance that further on the low freq whites, although I hear they do make I think a 4x6 DD coil for them, which is probably what I'd opt for for a trash coil over the concentric 6 or so inch coil they sold.

Had Whites made a 12" DD or there was an SEF 12x10 DD to push the depth/separation of the low freq Whites further I might never had parted with my last QXT, but one day I plan to bring another back into my line up as a fast scouter in the woods and also when I want to work heavy trash without having to slow down as much. The assignable tone alerts allow you to just train your ear to listen for high tones among the lows, which meant I didn't discriminate out anything including iron, and which then meant it would point out any highs in heavy trash or iron fantastic.

Only other thing that would have made the QXT a perfect 10 in my book, besides larger DD coils, would have been a numeric target ID # to split hairs on tabs vs nickels and rings and such better. I keep waiting for some tech head to hack the software on a QXT and do that, as I would figure it's just a matter of re-working the software a bit, as I would think the conductivity is valued in the software in order for the machine to judge when of the 8 zones it falls within and also the proper tone to use. I'm thinking they excluded a target ID # (other than 8 zones) so it wouldn't compete too much with the XLT at the time money wise.

I prefered the QXT for various reasons over the XLT. One of which was the non-top heavy software on the QXT didn't cause it any software lag issues with target IDs and such when working trash. For a computerized/display detector of it's age, the QXT was almost unheard of in how fast it was thanks to I bet some very smart software writers and also just providing enough controls to max out performance without going overboard with settings you'd never really use. That's one of the things I liked about it. Just enough software to turn it into a deadly weapon on old coins.

I've owned a lot of machines over the years and for a long time the low freq Whites (6000, QXT, etc) seemed to have the best depth and stability in my soil. For me, anything over about 8khz in a single frequency machine doesn't seem to handle my soils/sands too well. I'm hoping and watching for Whites to bring out a state of the art low frequency machine again with some larger DD coils to penetrate my soil. Many others I suspect are as well. Those low freq Whites were smooth like butter and got some very good depth.

There is a dongle around now that will mate Fisher coils to the low freq Whites line, which means then that you could pick up a SEF 12x10 coil made for those Fishers. I love this coil and I just wonder what it will do for a QXT in both depth and left/right separation as I've seen it do for my current machine.

PS- The original tips sheet I wrote for the QXT has a few things in it (like ground tracking should be used- NOT!) that I changed my mind on later, and also updated some more info on settings and use. I posted that second tips article a few months back (August) here in the forum if you search for it.

Some initial QXTs came with bad ground balancing software that had issues getting balanced in some soils. That's one of the reasons this machine got a rough start IMO, not to mention many thought it was a stripped down XLT when in fact the two machines are completely different animals to each other. I think Whites still will do software upgrades and when I had a QXT updated in software a while back the price was very reasonable. The old software said "1c to $1" or something like that for the coin zone, where as the newer version said "COIN" or such. You might also want to note the version of the software displayed on power up and then call Whites and see if any newer versions have been made since then. I'd for sure recommend any QII owner send it in to have it turned into a QXT (it's just the software), as it's extra features are well worth it for max depth and performance IMO.

Reading this it is funny because I have a copy I printed out back in 1999 that was written by someone named Thomas Hill titled Quantum Tips which gives all the same tips you give here...Great read!!!!!!

 

[t.w.]

n/t

 

[t.w.]

anyone have any info on setting up the xlt-e series as critterhunter has on the qxt?

 

[Hunt4Fun]

Look on this website for the "Whites XLT Classroom Forum" at:

http://www.findmall.com/list.php?41

And, check your "Private Messages" on this site.