So if all the settings are important

[relic-hunter]

Such as "tone", "ground elimination balance", 'sensitivity" and the other settings on an old Whites 4900 why do more detectors not have them? I went to the beach today for a couple of hours and played around with the 4900 and then realized that I had not read the instructions as thoroughly as I should have yesterday afternoon. I came back with about $1.20 in pocket change and the thought that once I learn the settings, I think the whites will make a good detector. I found some seriously small objects. A fish hook that was so small it look like the size that you might tie into a fly for a trout. So clearly the Whites while not operating in disc mode is sensitive. Do the newer Whites models have the same feature that are just a bit easier to use?

Ken

 

[HotTexas]

I think the anwser here is some like to play with knobs and some don't.

It's come down to the one you like to hunt with. I would think the M6 would be easier to use, I have the prizm IV and easier yet, but not going to be the machine the M6 is or even the 4900

But then I don't care, I just like to turm it on and go.

 

[Monte]

Such as "tone", "ground elimination balance", 'sensitivity" and the other settings on an old Whites 4900 why do more detectors not have them?

[size=large]Ken, many (most) models made today rely on a factory preset Ground Balance in order to make it easy-to-use and appeal to the beginner ... or those who just want things simple.

Some models do have a Tone ID or audio ID feature, but not all. Some have the provision to have it On or Off, which is quite important because there are many times when you'll have better all-around performance with Tone ID turned 'Off'. This is true of White's DFX & XLT as well as the Matrix M6 and the Prizm 6T and other Prizms. The Sensitivity on most modern detectors is only tied in with the motion Disc mode and most detectors have this adjustment.

Your 4900, however, has one function not found on most detectors today,m and that is TR-Discrimination. If hunting a salt water beach this can be a very valuable hunting mode, using he expanded-range Discriminate control to cancel out the very low-conductive wet salts. Just the fact that you have such an expanded range of adjustment in your Disc. circuitry is quite different from most of the competition out there.

While you lack visual Target ID and Tone ID, or the light-weigh design of some of the models offered today, you have a quality-built detector that does offer some performance potential that you just need to learn and master.[/size]

I went to the beach today for a couple of hours and played around with the 4900 and then realized that I had not read the instructions as thoroughly as I should have yesterday afternoon.

[size=large]Well, you learned one lesson and that is make sure you read, and fully understand, your detector. To be fair, I will let you know that the "learning" doesn't stop there. This great hobby provides a great opportunity for us to continuously lean more about a metal detector and techniques. My #1 goal whenever I turn a detector on is to learn more about it and/or refresh something I have learned in the past. having a better understanding of the unit in hand and how to make it work best will result in more pleasure of the hunt, and rewards in finds as well.[/size]

I came back with about $1.20 in pocket change and the thought that once I learn the settings, I think the whites will make a good detector. I found some seriously small objects. A fish hook that was so small it look like the size that you might tie into a fly for a trout. So clearly the Whites while not operating in disc mode is sensitive. Do the newer Whites models have the same feature that are just a bit easier to use?

[size=large]Some models have similar features, but for the most part what they are making today isn't in the same class as your 4900.

The 4900's are a 4-filter design and that calls for a moderate to faster sweep speed, whereas the MXT & M6 models are 3 filter types and are slow motion, with more tolerance for a moderate to fast sweep, and the Prizm series are 2-filter types which operate best with a slow sweep. The MXT, M6, and Prizm's are, by design, a quicker-response and faster-recovery type of circuitry, and the XLT & DFX can be 'programmed' such that they, too, will work much more quickly than the older circuitry models.

All of the Prizm's up to the DFX will allow the operator to set the discriminate level low enough to accept all metals, and they have very good discrimination of undesired targets. It's much easier to compare one specific models with a 4900, but to describe the entire line-up from White's let me just put it this way.:

The 4900 models were very good detectors for the dollar, and can offer good performance in a variety of hunting applications. More modern/current models provide several level of improvement in weight reduction, improved balance, and field performance, plus most models feature visual Target ID and some also have audio Tone ID. The 4900 can serve a hobbyists well, if mastered, but at some point I think anyone would want to consider a move to a more current model as an "up-grade."

Monte