Target stabilizer on the 70

[khouse]

I hunted about 2 hours tonight with the target stabilizer on for the first time. I dig a lot of trash and one 1944 wheat. But I think I like it. How about you?

 

[elvis earnhardt]

I always use it..I Like it

 

[khouse]

I'm just on my 3rd set of batteries and decided to use that option today. It works pretty darn good. The 70 has so many cool options! I cant wait to try the 18.75 X 10.5 coil prospecting in Colorado. Well that is if I ever get there!

 

[Donut]

n/t

 

[Beale]

Yes the target stabilizer is the way to go. I keep mine on, it does help, Beale.

 

[sport.pilot]

Hello everyone:

I am still new to the X-70, can someone explain to me what this feature does? What difference will I see if I choose to activate it. I hunt a lot of local parks, but at times I relic hunt in AZ where the ground is somewhat hot. I mainly hunt local parks, and am wondering if I should choose to turn on this feature when I hunt. The parks have a far amount of trash, and the ground does change fairly regularly since the fill dirt was hauled in from all over when they made them. Thanks.
Darryl

 

[Digger]

Target Stabilization is a setting that is used to help the X-Terra provide less irratic numbers on the TID. Typically, these are areas with high degrees of mineralization in the soil. As to whether or not you use it is up to you. If you are hunting an area with higher mineralization, then it will probably help settle down the TID. I think of the X-Terra Stabilization as being similar to Averaging on some White's detectors. If I were you, I would try Stabilization in combination with Track mode when hunting areas that you described. If you are hunting highly mineralized soil with a DD coil and Stabilization, your TID will probably not be as accurate as if you were hunting moderate soil with a concentric and Stabilization turned off. But that is the beauty of the X-Terra. We can adapt it to most any site, with excellent results. JMHO HH Randy

 

[khouse]

What I did was find a target. Then I would sweep the coil over the center of the target watching the TID. Then I would engage the stabilizer and resweep the target the same way. I would still get the same numbers but it would be slower to jump around. ie more stable. I think I'm going to give it some more tests but as of right now I like it.

 

[elvis earnhardt]

My question, Why not use it? What do you gain with it off? I tried the 70 when I first got it, half reading the book (anybody else done that?) I was ready to ship it back!! Then I set the stabilizer and boom! (sound like Billy Maze)

 

[khouse]

I had already read the manual before I got the 70. I don't remember reading much if anything about the stabilizer feature on the forums. So I just never used it. In fact I really just forgot about it until I read my manual again. So I thought what the heck? But it seems to work good. My ground balance was 45 and I was using the 10.5 HF DD coil.

 

[sport.pilot]

n/t

 

[BarnacleBill]

Although the X-Terra's are a completely digital (DSP) for processing the signal, I will try to draw an analogy to an analog detector. There are/were two sort of "classes/designs" of analog detectors designated as two-filter & four-filter detectors. The four filter detectors worked better in difficult ground conditions with more stability and solid ID. But under more normal conditions the two-filter detectors which could be swung slower, have dominated the market. There have been some designs in the past that have been variable to try to optimize the detector for the conditions.

The X-Terra's being DSP based can mathematically create the equivalent of all manner of "filter types" in software. Therefore the "Stability Function" can be thought of as the equivalent of a two-filter/four-filter switch. "Stability Off" and you have a two-filter detector in your hands, "Stability On" and you now have a four-filter detector. Now is it exactly a two versus four filter setting? Only the designers really know, it could be a 2 1/4 versus a 3 3/4 setting.

So in difficult ground conditions it can stabilize the ID, but there is a caveat, the audio and visual ID may not always agree with "Stability On". On the old single tone detectors with an analog meter that was not a big issue, but some may find it disconcerting in use. But it is another feature the X-70 offers that many detectors don't, and you are free to adjust the detector for your best use.

HH
BarnacleBill

 

[khouse]

Since I wasn't in a hurry I quickly shifted the feature on and off on about 20 targets. I hope to investigate the TIDS feature more this weekend.

 

[davkeene]

Digger: I have read a lot of information from detectorists on this site and get a lot out of your replies. This is probably a weird question but if you could own just one or two coils for the 70, what would be your top choises. Thanks very much. Dave

 

[Digger]

If I could only have two coils for my X-70, they would be the 9-inch concentric at 3 kHz and the 6-inch DD at 18.75 kHz. I like the 9-inch concentric at 3 kHz due to the distinct audio tone that the lower frequency provides me on ferrous targets. I use it in open fields and hunting old farmsites. It covers a lot of ground with each sweep, is well balanced and is less sensitive to deeply buried iron (than higher freqs). For my second choice, I am of the belief that there are more old coins still hiding due to masking rather than depth. And for that reason, I chose the 6-inch DD for it's excellent separation characteristics. It don't hunt any deeper than the 6-inch concentric at 7.5 kHz. But I do believe the concentric is "hotter" around the edges, making the DD have better separation characteristics. In a perfect world, I'd have a 6-inch DD at 3 kHz for those trashy spots. A 6-inch at 3 kHz wouldn't be as sensitive to aluminum can slaw. But as we all know, it ain't a perfect world! HH Randy