White's PI v DFX, V Others....

[au4greg]

Dare to compare the White's PI with the DFX, how about other models on some very elusive jewelry (low conductors).

Your PI is going to get you deeper but will not pick up some of the finer jewelry that the DFX is capable of seeing.

Those gold jewelry items that both detectors will see in the lower conductivity scale approaching wet salt, the DFX will 'hear' them with greater signal relative to physical depth in the sand, especially on the 15 kHz mode v Best Data.

Its all about hearing that Signal clearly, and keeping the Noise from the Surf or Turf in check.

Since I multi-line all the majors, I tested most of the models over a very expensive diamond Tennis Bracelet I recovered for a wealthy woman who lost it at a wedding reception in Atherton,CA. Findings: Found it with a Tesoro Vaquero (similar frequency to MXT). Only a handful of detectors could even hear it: White's MXT (M6 was not out but uses the same frequency), DFX Selected at 15 kHz, Tesoro Vaquero, Cibola, Tejon, Tiger Shark, Compadre.

Ones that could not: Fisher CZ7a Pro, Fisher Coin Strike, Minelab Excalibur 800, Explorer II, Quattro, Sovereign Elite, White's 6000 XL Pro, Classic IDX, Tesoro Cortes, El Dorado, Silver Sabre. or the PI Pro.

What I concluded was that the VLFs in the frequency between 12 and 17.5 kHz were more sensitive to that particular diamond tennis bracelet without suffering from too much ferrous reactivity and still maintaining an ability to ignore/id ferrous targets. Too High a frequency and iron becomes very difficult to ignore or reject. Too Low a frequency and iron starts deep nulling/rejection which adds other problems.


Leasons to be learned as far as which make/model is deeper, should read which detector model is even going to HEAR it...
Factors into whether a detector is going to hear the signal are:

* Single Frequency?
* Multi-Frequency?
* Filters; 2 or 4
* Size of Loop
* Type of Loop
* Intensity of Ground Mineralization
* Amount Trash
* Degree of Discrimination
* Too Much or Too Little Sensitivity v the Optimum Right amount of sensitivity.
* Quality of Headphones
* Did you get a good nights rest
* Peets Coffee to Start Your Day
* Wife's being nice to you or is she making adverse Noise causing your hearing to shut down?

Disclaimer: No discrimination detectors were injured or had their feelings hurt in this particular comparison test. However, none of the general purpose Fishers tested could bring anything to the table in the way of even hearing this valuable piece of jewelry... what more can I say... Bounty Hunter, Good Luck in your marriage, because your Land Star with minimal discrimination wouldn't see it either.

 

[Pirate John]

Hey Greg,
Thank You for the detailed report, you are a great asset and help in this hobby. Will the DFX see the the tennis braclet in 3khz, just curious to see what the DFX will do on small gold at the lower frequency.

 

[crazyman]

How do you think the Compass Gold Scanner Pro and Coin Scanner Pro2 would have fared in that test? I know I wore myself out digging small splitshot from underneath a swimming/fishing pier at depth with the Gold Scanner recently. Nasty beaches here in Puget Sound Wa.

 

[Ralph Bryant]

Hi Greg,

Have seen those little Compadres smoke alot of the high-end models over the years. Great little machine for the price........ I still use that one more than all the others combined for just going out on a quick "fun" hunt, and I've now been at this hobby for some 38+ years.

 

[au4greg]

Your going to have to read about those in a book I'm writing. I'm limited by time and space and honey dos and don'ts.

Since the Gold Scanner Pros have been out of full scale production since Compass Electronics in Forest Grove went out of business, those Models in spite of being produced on a much more limited scale by Steve Goss, a former Compass Technician, are really a historical model tracing their development back to John Earle, now one of White's leading Electronic Engineers and Tops in Analog Development.

There are always going to be 'What ifs and What Abouts' with anything people post and it is not my intention of taking four hours and writing a complete novel to address the What ifs and What Abouts.....

The Gold Scaners were outstanding combination of the best of a full filter detector and two filter... because they were varied filter which Dr John Earle attempted to come up with a detector that could handle the worst mineral as two filters at the time lost performance in bad ground before the advent of ground tracking. The Scanners did the trick although depth wise, they were good on average down to 7 to 8" in a black sand beach. They operated at approx 13.77 kHz which made their response to Gold and Gold Jewelry very acceptable.

My Compass Coin Magnum at 5 kHz would also respond to the diamond tennis bracelet and I once saw a guy by the name of Jim Leamer @ 925Bill's Beach on the Peninsula, locate a very fine gold necklace several inches in the sand with his Compass Coin Magnum in spite of its lower frequency... nonetheless, I thought it would make more sense to discuss today's current crop of motion based detectors rather than going Back to the Future on the older series detectors like the Coinmasters, Yukon, Judges, Coin Getters, and Coin Hustlers as well as the Scanners...... That info is best reconciled for a book not a thread.

 

[Eddie Currents]

... California wet beach sand hunting for jewelry?
(wet sand just above the surf).

EC

 

[au4greg]

John,

Thank you for the unsolicited compliment. Now, if Monte would give me even a partial kudo, that would make my day.

The DFX @ 3 kHz may because of its overall excellent circuit design see a fine necklace. But by running the DFX at 15 kHz, your transmitting the majority of the voltage at that point which will double if not triple the signal from that same item. Likewise, although 15 kHz will have no problem seeing a deep silver dime at over 7", the signal response at that frequency is very modulated, just enought to raise the threshold enough to let you know something DEEP Down In the Ground is lurking.