The X-Terra 70 saga

[Anonymous]

I suspect a few Dealers will get blasted for selling 30s and 50s within the last few weeks and not mentioning the now announced 70 model. I've been using and selling Minelab equipment since early 1992, and friends, yesterday is when I received the news. I've been around this hobby a while; this month celebrates our 21st year in the metal detecting business, and although I knew a new model was coming (through common sense deductions) most of us knew zero. I tend to be too busy helping others to keep my nose buried deep where it doesn't belong (nor would I want it there) so I'm not the rumor mill "go to" guy. I'm still in the process of truly learning the detailed aspects of the 50 and two other new detectors. I can say will all certainty and honesty; I really love the X-Terra 50; and bet the 70 will be the "all around" detector of choice for a great many people world wide. But the 50 is a great detector. If you own one, use it, learn it and love it like many of us do. Did I field test a 70? No, didn't ask; wasn't asked. (Off the subject; I have to respond to earlier posts concerning Andy Sabisch; In all the years I've been associated with this "hobby," I can say with 150% honesty, I have never known a harder working field tester than Andy. Never met the man face to face, we've been "phone and computer" friends and associates since 1992. We may agree with his opinions; we may not. But I am telling you that he works harder than most factory techs at getting the best out of a new metal detector and I value his opinion; right, wrong or indifferent. We'll most likely never find the perfect detector, but all I'm saying is; Andy has brought some good things out of some "junk." No one should feel rebuked by this; it wasn't directed or intended to point and fingers. Just my personal knowledge of the guy. Enough said on that). My point of this thread is to say I didn't have anyone at Minelab or any other Dealer tell me about the 70 until it was announed to us yesterday. Minelab has told Dealers in the past to expect something new. What happened (Sov Elite) was, delays caused the "pre-order" folks to panic. We had a 2 month wait while Sov's were held up in Customs. So I suspect Minelab currently waits until product is in Las Vegas before saying "it's here!" Aside from that; call me if you want an X-Terra 70. We're ready to rock and roll. Good hunting and have a great weekend! David @ Dixie Metal Detectors www.dixie-metal-detectors.com

 

[John(Tx)]

Would like to know if it's worth the extra $ whatever that may be? John

 

[BOB VALDEZ]

Of course the X-Terra 50 is great. Only had problems with breaking 4 or 5 cables of my headphones. All I can say is Minelab should give some advice on the headphones for this detector.

But the detector itself ? I use my X-Terra almost daily. Nothing wrong with it !

BOB VALDEZ, Belgium

 

[crazyman]

n/t

 

[BOB VALDEZ]

John,

If you WANT it, it is WORTH it !

Simple, John.

Just look at cars... People get loans for cars to go to work to pay for the loans they took for the cars. Stupid ? Of course it is.

But if they WANT it, it is WORTH it.

BOB VALDEZ, Belgium

 

[John(Tx)]

n/t

 

[Andy Sabisch]

As I have said in previous posts, I was one of those that was involved in the X-Terra project and have spent a good deal of time swinging the X-70 in a wide range of sites.

The initial field test that I wrote will be in Lost Treasure - shorter version in the print form next week and the on-line version with more details shortly thereafter.

In the meantime, if any of you have specific questions that you would like fielded, feel free to E-mail me and I will try to collect them and post a collected response on this forum.

I will say that the X-70 is in a different "class" than the X-30 and X-50 which are really "turn-on-and-go" detectors. The X-70 can be used right out of the box but to get the most out of it, there is a learning curve and some tricks that I'm sure will find their way to the forums soon enough.

Andy Sabisch

 

[Andy Sabisch]

As I stated in the post above, if anyone has specific questions let me know and I will see if can answer them for you.

Andy Sabisch

 

[John(Tx)]

I will wait on the field tests to surface. I do own and use the XT50 more than my other machines and just want to see if I can justify getting one. If the depth of the 70 is within an inch of the 50, I will be hard pressed to justify getting one. It would have to do alot better than that. I normally would be upset that Minelab knew this machine was coming out and didn't tell us before I bought the 50 but then again, I have found one gold bracelet, 4 gold rings, one almost perfect US belt plate, a very nice 1800's lock, a few silver quarters and lots of clad with the 50, so I really can't be upset, it's one hell of a good machine. Appreciate you doing the field tests. HH John

 

[buttondigger]

Did they ever fire the job super near Atlanta?

 

[buttondigger]

I guess I'm lucky to be able to afford it. You will have to pay to play. We all will need several.

 

[jbow]

I agree with you re: Andy. I think he does us all a great service and I think he does it with honesty. We need more like him. I have confidence in you too David.

As far as the X-Terra 70... I may well wind up with one. I tried out a Tejon today and after being used to the SoverignGT... i'm not sure if I could use a Tejon. I could not tell the difference in anything! Everything sounded alike except for a quarter. Everything else did a "Beep" that all sounded the same and a quarter did a "beep beep" but othere than that it sounded just the same as everything else. I am used to knowing what I am going to dig before I dig it, or at least having a good idea about it.

I have a question re: the X-Terra coils. How much do the coils weigh. I have come to the conclusion that that is really what matters more than total weight because the coil is what pulls on you.

Thanks,
J

 

[christian_99]

I own a C and V, as well as an Explorer. I have used the Exp for about four years and am still learning the machine. Since owning that machine, I needed to buy a back up. I purchased first the "C". I took it too a highly mineralized site in VA, and started digging percussion caps about 2" to 6" in the ground. Keep in mind that this site has been POUNDED by every brand of detector on the market for the past thirty years. There is literally iron nails everywhere and the soil is "HOT". While searching in the iron, I got a small light "ping" as a signal. I dug down, and unearthed a large square nail. Swept the coil over the whole, and about 7" down, pulled out another square nail- large 3" at least. I swept the coil again, and then dug down another few inches to pull out a carved bullet at about 10" in mineralized soil- with two large iron nails laying right next to it- one being above and the other the latter. Needless to say, this impressed me. On the same day, I got an light "ping" in the signal, dug down about 10" to pull out a button. There were smaller iron bits near the button, but the signal sounded very good. Needless to say, this sold me. Again- as mentioned the explorer was my primary machine- and many do quite well with it, however in this site- there would have been no-way to have dug these items as doing a simple test- which anyone on this or any other forum can do-


Experiment:

Take a square nail and a nickel in one hand. Turn the machine with disc on. Sweep your hand across the coil and see if your machine reads the coin or masks it as iron? You can conduct this experiment at 4", 6", and 10". And guess what you will read the coin in all of these situations but not the nail with the Tesoro's. Increase your discrimination to nickel, and you will hear an iffy tone. Now if I were to take the Explorer and conduct the same experiment, IM- 16, gain at 6 to 10, sens at 16-32, 8" or 10" coil, then guess what? That particular machine, may or may not read the coin. I have tried this many times and if I put the coin in front of the nail, it MAY read it, but more often than not it comes up with an iffy, ironish- signal that I would not dig. Try this with your machine and if it doesn't read the coin, and the nail masks your signal, how many signals have you passed up while digging? Think about that for a while? How much time have you wasted in the hundreds of sites you have been too? If it DOESN'T pick up that lower conductive coin, next to that nail- how many signals have you passed up, thinking "nothings there- time to move on"!


Button results in four years of using the explorer, possibly 6 to 8 buttons- some bullets- etc. In 8 Months of using both the C and V, I can take both of them out to the field with me, one with a smaller coil and one with a larger coil- I have found 10 buttons. One button pictured on this forum, was found at a depth of 14" in hot, disturbed soil with iron nails, and bits of iron all around it. Due to the conductivity of this button- it sang like an aluminum can, but as I dug, and dug, and dug, I realized I had found something very good.

Needless to say, the individuals who are stating that Tesoro's dig too much iron- etc- haven't given the one thing to their machines that they need. And that is patience! In the area that I live, the ground is VERY mineralized in most area's, with many hot rocks, iron nails and such. One thing I noticed and what frustrated me was digging so many empty holes with the Explorer. Get a great signal, dig, and dig, and dig, spending valuable time- only to find nothing? With the C and V, Cibola and Vaquero- sure I will dig some nails, but guess what? I WANT too! The conductivity of some items are at the same level of the iron nails. Anyone who cranks up their discrimination at a site over nails, will LOSE signals as well as goodies! So please, who ever trash's Tesoro's, you really need to spend some time with those machines and see what the results really are. Now, if you use brand X with multiple frequencies at a site, with much iron, that masking affect will happen, similar to the test that I asked you to conduct with your own detector. If your machine can cut through the iron next to the coin when you sweep your hand, you have a good machine, keep it. Don't waste your money as you have a decent, detecting machine. On the other hand, if your machine can't detect the coin, right next to the nail- then perhaps you are wasting your time?

 

[jsamsky]

I'd have to agree with Christian 100%. I hunted with an Explorer owner friend of mine and the machine would not find a button amongst iron nails. And this guy is a die hard, owned an Explorer for years, hunts every chance he gets kind of guy. Not a novice. And the machine was very slow on the re-tune. My Cibola, in hot! ground (Fredricksburg) had no problem, even though the GB is preset. I may have lost a little depth, but so what. Unfortunately, my buddy never read any of these problems in the field tests.

 

[Mike Bearden]

I agree with some of your consensus but this isn't the Explorer or Tesoro site so I'll try to keep it short.

1. I have NO problem hearing & pulling good targets from iron ladened sites with the Explorer but once the ground is broken up to recover a good target, well, you better have a X-1 probe or the target may never be found, very typical. I don't dig many EMPTY holes, if the Explorer hit's good, SOMETHING is down there even if it's clinkers.

2. Your button results improving could be from simply covering more ground quicker, the Explorer must be hunted slooooow, you know that!

3.Masking can happen with ANY detector IMO, but I can use a Minelab 7.5" or the 8" Sunray coil on the Explorer and do as well with it as you or anybody else can using any Tesoro with a stock coil. I'm not taking anything away from Tesoro, they make great detectors and I use them too but I prefer the X-Terra series for personal reasons like having good TID. But that's purely a matter of choice.

4. The MXT performs better doing the type of in hand iron/coin air you refer to in testing than any detector I've ever tried it on, and it gives pretty darn good in-ground results too but I still prefer an Explorer, again it's personal preference and confidence in what works for me.

You bring up some good points though, as soon as this sprinkle rain stops I'm headed out to give the T2 some more time, it's a different animal altogether from what I'm use to
H.H.
Mike

 

[Andy Sabisch]

They have made finds that make even the most seasoned hunter jealous . . . . and most of the finds have come from trash filled parks including areas with heavy iron and all with the Explorer. Is it the detector of choice in all locations? No, but I'm sure you can find a great number of hunters that will show you great finds made in high iron sites, even with the stock coil or larger!

 

[christian_99]

First of all, I too have been amazed at the finds of the Explorer, both from what I have dug and literally from the web, that is no question it is a good all around machine. Now, most of us have a few machines at are disposal. It doesn't matter what manufacturer, or brand. All I am asking anyone to do is take out the machines and conduct this test. Take an iron nail, and a nickle and keep it in one hand. Turn your machine on, again it doesn't matter which brand. Sweep the iron/coin hand across the coil and see how the machine first does in all metal. Then click on the discrimination and see what happens. All machines will read or "should" read the first signal, then as the discrimination is turned "on", first to its lowest setting, than higher going in clockwise fashion depending upon your machine, and then to just below the nickle mark or equivalent. If the machine discs out the nickle and the nail at the lowest level, guess what? Then you are losing finds out in the field. Sure you may own X machine and are used to the various tones, well thats great-but once you are used to a new machine it really doesn't matter as long as you are finding things with any machine.

However, the moment brand X goes into iron laden areas, it is a different matter completely. We aren't talking about "trash" but iron. You may have the deepest machine in the world, but if it can't separate the iron from the goodies, or does it marginally, you will be spending more time digging up false signals and spending lest time sweeping your coil. If you have a machine that can go through the iron and "detect" through the signals, then you will dig up some nails, but you will also, without a DOUBT, dig up good finds. The number one reason why, is that NO ONE ELSE has been able to detect in that iron. It doesn't matter what machine they have unless it is a European Gold max that excels in detecting in iron and which isn't sold in the US or the machine happens to be a Tesoro.

My machines are, Minelab Explorer I, Sovereign, Fisher 1266X (Iron Maiden), Garret GTA Ultra, Tesoro Bandido, and have owned Whites 5900, 6000di, and finally the XLT. All of these machines had their merit, but when it comes to iron, biased upon ALL research through field use, test, and from reviewing the Internet as well, there isn't a machine that can detect that well in iron- with the exception of European Goldmax, Tesoro's and I forgot to mention the Nautilus machines.

In summary, do the nail test. I am not saying that any machine is better than the other, but if a machine cannot detect good signals next to iron- then perhaps- you should consider where you are hunting and what you are hunting for. My examples were trying this with the Minelab Explorer and I also did it with the others, the only machine that could PASS this test and get an "A" were both of the Tesoro's. The Minelab Sov, nulled, and the Explorer gave me a truly iffy "bad" signal that would not have been dug in the field. The Tesoro's could detect this nickle and nail at about 12" air, and although not conducted in the field, however- I did dig a carved bullet next to two large square nails at about 8" or 9" inch's in heavily mineralized soil, one was next to and the other had been about an inch above it. The signal was repeatable and sounded good. I was only disappointed when the signal turned out to be a carved bullet instead of a coat or cuff button as the signal sounded very good to say the least.