Understanding the X-Terra Ground Balance system and adjustment.

[Monte]

I

 

[plugger]

I guess the smaller coil she told me about at the end of March was the DD coil (which I have). I still would like a small round 7.d coil for coinshooting in the trashy parks. Maybe, you will have better luck finding out when we can expect one.

Bill

 

[Monte]

n/t

 

[Digger]

Monte, I didn't know you were working on an X-Terra book too! I've been working on "Coin Shooters Guide to the X-Terra" for several months now. Unfortunately, the folks at Minelab didn't tell me that you were working on one as well. Do we need to visit? Randy

 

[Monte]

It is an extention of another book I have had "in process" for several years that is/was going to be sort of a "seminar in book form", but with some of the changes in designs and spending too much time on various forums and E-mail, it got moved to a back burner. I have now put it back on a front burner and am posting less.

Monte

 

[John(Tx)]

I took my X70 outside and auto GB'ed and the reading was a 59 in our low mineralized soil. I then took a piece of hematite and it auto GB'ed at an 11. John

 

[John(Tx)]

Doesn't Minelab hear us at all? Guess I'll just have to use my grandson's Ace250 with sniper coil. Wonder how long we will have to wait on the small round 7.5khz coil, what a bummer? John

 

[BarnacleBill]

n/t

 

[Gary in Daytona]

The GB info was great. That's definitely going to help some people.

 

[Tinfoil]

I really do like this X70 and I think it is a fine machine. I will be glad when you get the 5X10 DD and test it out maybe it has some little quirks that we have missed. I have not even put the 7kHz coil on yet. It is too trashy where I hunt and iron filled and 9" coils just don't work in these areas for me. That is why I like the DD coils. It would be great if they made a smaller DD for the trashy places. BTW if you look on page 48 of the X70 book they have the X70 already configured to check your coil type. The have the Standard DD 7.5KHz, The Low 3KHz DD, and the HI 18.75KHz DD coil and the 3 concentric coils already set up in the machine. I think they will make all the new DD coils 5x10" as that is what they are already set up for. I can handle a 5x10DD 7.5KHz coil. That would be better for me and my type of hunting even at the beach I like the DD's better. They handle the beach mineralization better. I never did like that having to overlap 50% with the concentric coils. I like the 1/3, 1/4 overlap on the DD. It is faster and you can cover more ground. Anyway thanks again for the post and teaching me how to backward think. I needed that and no I did not mind you using my post to help out. I just wonder how many guys were as confused as I was on this machine. If I only had a few machines then it would be different and if I would have just stuck to the basic and not have tried to set them up like my other detectors I would have been alright I think. I have to squeak out every inch out of a machine I can so I can get the deep 8, 10, and 12" stuff down here that is left. That is how deep the old stuff is down here. The good stuff is in the iron, in the trash, and is deep. I will be glad when you get the book out. I will buy one. Well I got the X70 all sealed up and I am going shallow water wading with the DD and 9" coil this weekend. Thanks Monte, Jerry aka Tinfoil.

 

[McNickle]

n/t

 

[Jackpine Savage]

In mild ground you have to increase (make more positive) the GB adjustment to get to the point of neutral response compared to more mineralized ground. Given that the Ex-terras are set up a little differently that still however holds true. If Hot ground balances out at a low number you would never get a good balance in mild ground as you would run out of adjustment range before you got there. Don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out is is just plain ole logic.

You have stated many times that your ground balances at 3-4 on the 50 and around 14-15 on the 70.
Well so does the ground in my area and it is NOT highly mineralized or what I consider even moderately mineralized. Either one of us is totally wrong on this issue or...the number you balance out at is meaningless as far as determining the amount of mineralization present. for sake of good relations I'll go with the latter.

I have posted this type reply to you twice in the past and you totally ignore them.

there is a ton of mis-information being posted ont he Ex-terras on this forum and I hope you guys have good luck with your books. Me, I'm about done with the mess and will stick to hunting with my "freebie" X-T 70 which is by no means any ground shaking revolutionary detector. It is a good all around machine that will please most people.

My last tip. If you hunt iron, use 2 tones with tracking on and the elliptic DD coil if you want to be competitive with other detectors.

My last post on the subject!

Tom

 

[steve herschbach]

Hi Tom

The Ground Balance debate is just plain flying over my head. I did not know it was this hard? For whatever it is worth my X-Terra 70 balances out at 11 in ground that my MXT says is 78. If I recall correctly the X-Terra 50 balanced out at 3. Whatever. Just get it ground balanced and get detecting. Or run in tracking!

You said "X-T 70 which is by no means any ground shaking revolutionary detector. It is a good all around machine that will please most people".

I by and large agree with that. If it is revolutionary at all it is just in the overall mix of features and lightweight packaging. The coin mode will set no records for performance. The Prospect Mode on the other hand holds huge promise I'm still exploring.

I've been hauling the X-Terra 70 around with a dozen other machines this spring just playing around with them all. I've been looking for that machine that will be in my truck all summer, and which I will grab to do in-town detecting whenever I can. My main focus is not deep coins, but shallow jewelry in turf areas, or anything that beeps in sand, pea gravel, or wood chips. And so far I'm thinking the X-Terra 70 will be my main in-town unit this summer. The other two units look to be my CZ-3D with 5" coil and Explorer with 5" coil for dinking coins when I'm in the mood. Again, it is obvious with 5" coils that extreme depth is not my main goal.

When I am in the mood for depth, I'm going to use my GP 3500 with 14" mono coil on dry land and my new Platypus coil in the water to go for stuff no other detector I know of can touch. Now that should be fun... and tiring!!

I think you've summed it up best, however. Time to quit all this talking and go detecting. Summer is finally here in Alaska and I'm done playing and now I'm just going to get out and go detecting. My posts going forward will just be simple "see what I found" posts.

Happy Hunting to all!!!!

Steve Herschbach
Steve's Mining Journal

 

[John LA]

or 7.5kHz DD comes up for sale. Wait too long and I may get used to the ID Edge.

 

[Jackpine Savage]

Good luck on your claims Steve. Find a big one (or two or three) for us to drool over!!!

Tom

PS Let us know how the 70 handles the hot rock hell up there.

 

[Tinfoil]

The Shadow X5 and the 5" coil a shot. Set sen. at about 8.5, Dis. at 3.75 (that will get the small stuff). Push the target sw. down I call it my nickle and below gold switch, if the target goes away then dig it if you want the small stuff. Now that is the one machine that is in my truck all the time. The gold and all the good targets just have that sweet little ramp up and ramp down audio and when you hear it it just makes you want to dig. Now if you get to some bad ground just go to the beach mode and proceed to detect if you don't want to g/B it. Also if you are in the bad iron and the trash use the beach mode and you don't even have to turn down the sen. like you have to on a lot of machines. Oh BTW how does the EXP ll with the Platypus coil do on the small gold. Is it better then the Stock 10" coil. I have never asked that Question and have always wondered about that. What better person to ask since you hunt that gold. My Exp sucks on the small gold jewelry and I was wondering about the Platypus coil. I know you gold Prospectors use the Platypus on your high dollar GP3500 and GP2200 and they work great. Later bud Jerry aka Tinfoil

 

[Tinfoil]

I am out of the house tomorrow. .Got all the Honey Do's done and I am going to go . From daylight to dark. As far as the Xt70 goes I am going to Either auto G/B or just hit Track and forget about it for a while. . life is to short. Later bud Jerry aka Tinfoil.

 

[steve herschbach]

Hi Jerry,

Well, check out http://www.troycustomdetectors.com/reviews/x5-herschbach-review.html I had an X5 for awhile. Great unit. I kind of wish I had not sold it.

The Explorer with the small Sun Ray coil is not half bad on small gold. I have no intentions of sinking more money into it to get a Platypus at this time however. I only just now got the Platypus on the way for my GP 3500!

Steve Herschbach

 

[Tinfoil]

Very low maintenance Sweetie. Don't gripe, Bi@$h,or complain. Never has honey Do's for me to do, and is always ready to go hunting. Will even hunt in the rain with me. Now ain't that sweet. Her S/N is 006 so that tells you how long we been together. She is just a sweetheart and I could never ask for a better hunting partner. Later bud Jerry aka Tinfoil

 

[argyle]

as it is my other xterras are gathering dust waiting for their new baby.