Unsettled with the term "Prospecting Mode"

[Android]

After quite some time with heavy hunting in the c/t mode, I never really used the Prospecting mode. Mainly because I'm not looking for nuggets. I'm a coinshooter. Well I now have many months using the prospecting mode and have learned that it is a very helpful mode for my coin hunting.
I read about people wanting to get into this wonderful series of detectors but they "Don't plan on prospecting". So they end up buying an X50. In some way I wish that there was a different terminology used for this mode. All metal non-motion mode. Many times I have found a piece of jewlery in c/t mode. After I recover the target, I switch to p/m and find the clasp for the necklace or the broken off pin to the cuff link. I also find it very handy to size objects in the ground. The way I use it the most is when I am over a trashy area with my bigger coil and i'm getting many numbers and jumpy signals. I can switch to p/m and actually count the many targets under the coil. I can then get a picture if there is coin beside a bolt. Prospecting Mode has helped me decide to dig targets that I surely would ignore in only c/t mode.

Just a thought.

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

Thanks for your thoughts Android.
You have just epitimised what the forum is all about with some very useful insight.
Top marks.
Mick Evans.

 

[nero_design]

* There's usually two different types of detectors: VLF (Very Low Frequency) and PI (Pulse Induction).
* VLF detectors are preferred for coin hunting because they tend to offer superior discrimination.
* Most coin and relic detectors are unsuitable for nugget hunting or prospecting.
* The X-Terra 70 is one of the very few detectors capable of handling both Coin& Relic hunting as well as Prospecting.

The term "Prospecting Mode", as featured on the X-Terra 70, is used to describe a mode that was specifically engineered to produce the best results in a VLF detector for those who like to detect for native Gold nuggets. Some coin hunters enjoy using this mode on beaches because they find that it can often penetrate deeper on the saline tainted sands. Prospecting mode is actually more sensitive to smaller targets than the usual Coin/Relic Mode. Prospecting Mode on the X-Terra 70 is neither "non-motion", nor is it "All Metal" unless the user activates this feature with the All Metal button.

The X-Terra series were designed to fill a range of hunting preferences. Obviously, the X-Terra 30 is the preferred detector for those who may just want to hunt in the occasional park or beach. Then there's the X-Terra 50 which is designed for more serious hunting with a number of additional features to make it attractive to the seasoned detectorist. Finally, there's the X-Terra 70 which has even more features for the more serious detectorist (and plenty more buttons on the control box too). VLF detectors have been fairly successful in finding Gold Nuggets in the past although their depth is not nearly as great as those achieved by Pulse Induction detectors. One of the major strengths of the X-Terra is that it is a single frequency detector. By allowing the X-Terra 70 to use higher frequency coils (18.75khz) that are available in Double-D windings, the manufacturers produced a detector that can (and does) detect gold nuggets. Many of which are much smaller than many common jewellery items.

Coin & Relic mode is best for discrimination and for objects which are regularly shaped like rings, coins and the like. Smaller chains and nuggets (usually irregularly shaped) are always going to be best detected using Prospecting Mode. Most Gold Nuggets are usually found in areas where higher concentrations of other minerals occur such as iron etc... and this is usually a legacy of their volcanic origins. Most VLF detectors can't read past the amount of minerals in these sorts of hunting grounds. But the X-Terra 70 with its Prospecting Mode certainly can handle these soils better than other VLF detectors and part of this reason is the signal processing chip inside the detector (VFLX) which smooths out a lot of unwanted information and cleans up the audio. As you may have noticed, the X-Terra 70 comes with a Medium Frequency (MF) Concentric Coil but has a range of Double-D coils in Higher Frequency available as optional coils. If you decide you want to Prospect for Gold nuggets, these High Frequency (HF) DD coils have a considerable advantage over the Concentric MF coil. The DD coils are more stable on mineralized soils than other types of coils, offering a quieter performance allowing the user to listen for fainter signals (usually Gold is a fainter signal at most depths).

Since beaches are mineralized (salt water), you can use the Beach Mode in conjunction with a DD HF coil to seek out targets which might be masked from other detectors. The X-Terra detectors as a whole are amazingly robust and powerful detectors and their light weight may not imply this to some users. But for those who want a detector which can be used to hunt for Coins & Relics but occasionally might want to try their luck on the Goldfields, the X-Terra 70 offers the opportunity to do it all. Admittedly, the PI type detectors are preferred for Prospecting because they reach down much deeper into the ground. But in many instances, the PI technology is not nearly as suited to coin hunting for a number of reasons. The reason the X-Terra 70 prefers the higher frequency coils for Prospecting is because anything close to 20khz is considered to be "ideal" for both deeper and smaller targets in the same conductive range that Gold occurs. You can use the X-Terra 70 with it's stock MF Concentric Coil on the Goldfields but it won't penetrate the minerals in the soil as far as a Higher Frequency Double-D coil will do so you'd only find nuggets right on the surface with the stock coil.

Those who don't think they'll need to use the Prospecting Mode on a Goldfield may benefit from the features nonetheless. As you appear to have discovered already.

Cheers,

Marco

 

[1859large]

It works deep and small. I like the ability to size items and the ferrous/non ferrous behavior.

I have not use the HF coil much yet nor have I done much beach hunting but I do have a fine beach nearby and must get there this year for a good workout.

HH

1859

 

[Digger]

I've been using the Prospecting mode for target sizing, pinpointing and even help in determining target shapes, for nearly 3 years. (Hard to believe the X-70 has been around that long!)

I did a quick search of this forum and found some of my previous posts for using Prospecting mode in coinshooting.

http://www.findmall.com/read.php?55,318212,318212#msg-318212
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?55,320164,320174#msg-320174
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?55,497015,497015#msg-497015
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?55,448358,448443#msg-448443
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?55,631087,631389#msg-631389
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?55,639982,640075#msg-640075
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?55,639982,640149#msg-640149
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?55,719686,719824#msg-719824
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?55,736476,736520#msg-736520
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?55,742938,743056#msg-743056

HH

Randy

 

[Donut]

Yesterday I had a chance to do a air teat with a fine link gold chain with my 10.5 HF DD. In coin/treasure mode it would not register even with sensitivity turned up but when I switched to PM mode it was singing like crazy.

 

[Donut]

n/t