X-terra 50 Yesterday

[Monte]

the two "Pattern" modes as well as the "All Metal" mode. What needs to be understood is that the 'All Metal' mode on the X-Terra 50 is NOT what some will refer to as a "conventional" or "traditional" All Metal mode that is threshold-based. Most of the time the good 'old-fashioned' All Metal mode lacked any autotune or maybe had some autotune to maintain the audio Threshold. This provided the ability to PinPoint a target w/o any extra or exaggerated coil motion.

With the X-Terra 50, "All Metal" simply refers to a motion mode that is basically an "all metal accept" mode, or you could say a motion discriminate model without any rejection selected.

It is the same as going to Pattern 1 or Pattern 2 and "accepting" ALL of the notch segments. No discrimination or rejection.

So, yes, in all the operating search modes you will get visual and audio TID. In the Pattern models you can adjust them to accept all segments, or accept and/or reject those you want to. It is easier to use the shortcut button to go to All Metal (which can not reject any segments) and then back to a selected Pattern mode (which you totally control).

I am really enjoying the new X-Terra 50. Very functional, with ample controls, yet easy to adjust.

Monte

 

[John(Tx)]

the all metal mode would work the ground better than the regular disc mode. By that, I mean, if you just use a piece of iron ore like hematite to ground balance the XTerra then put a coin underneath the iron ore sample, wave it under the coil and see if you still get a hit along with the id. On some machines I've used, putting a coin underneath the iron ore sample will not get a hit unless in the all metal mode. I hope I'm making myself understandable, I can sometimes confuse myself....Thanks, John

 

[John(Tx)]

n/t

 

[BJ in Okla.]

My Friend with the DFX and Hot Foot coil, WAS NOT running in a factory prog. Even I know that the factory prog. is not very deep. What I said was, even a factory coin prog. should have picked up that Merc. once it was un covered. My Explorer ll had a 8" ML coil, whitch is about 7 1/2" and so was the other Explorer, the 6A was using the stock 8" coil. This merc was in heavy iron,stright up, I could only get a one way signal, at a one angle. The Minelab coils were DD. The Hot Foot is a DD, but it is like 9" or 10" long. This is why I think the DFX could not see the dime.<BR> Now the other guy with the DFX is using a stock 9 1/2" coil and some kind of custom prog. This site has a lot of iron trash and alum trash.<BR> When I use my Sovereign, I sweep super slow, no disc. sens at 10 to 11 o'clock. I check every null ( iron ) in disc and all metal mode. I use a 8" DD coil.<BR> When I use my CZ 3d 5" coil and CZ 70 8" coil, I use no disc and sens at 4. I hear everything and listen to the tones.<BR> I hope that Whites has something good coming out, because, I thought the IDX pro and the 6000 were good units.<BR>Now this new X-50 is sounding better all the time. HH...BJ

 

[bazooka]

BJ, I've only been detecting a fem months so I'd rather you not use my results of the DFX at Douglass to compare to your results. I know you guys are all seasoned veterans.

Btw, I did get the 5.3 eclipse per your recommendation but haven't gotten a chance to try it out. Hope to see you guys soon.

 

[Dave Z]

Cuz that's even worse.The 3x6 coil will go deeper than that will.My dealer put on once and we compared signals.The stock coil went about 3" deeper.Also you need to acceppt iron with the DFX and let it average the signals together.It's just tooooo much machine for most.Too many adjustments affect depth.I hunted a cellar hole last two days with a 3x6" coil.Found loads of stuff and all of it was lying in iron.You should send your friend over to the DFX fourm,i'm sure i could help him.

 

[Dave Z]

I hunted a park to death with an XLT a few years back.I use to average 2 IHs and 2 Barbers each trip there.After about 100 IH's and 50 barbers,it dried up.Went back with the DFX and found a few more of each and a bunch of V and shield nickels.Took a guy with an Explorer to the park(Charles from upstate)who knows how to use it.Spent 3 hours there and didn't find a thing.You have to understand whichever machine you use.Let me know what settings your using Bazooka.Stick the bigfoot coil on ebay and get a 1400 if you want more depth.DAve

 

[BJ in Okla.]

Covers a 9" swath in one sweep
Super Light Weight
Fun to use
Excellent Depth
Easy to pinpoint
works great on the
GMT, GM2,Vsat,GM3 GM4B
DFX and MXT
2" Wide and 9" Long for getting into tight places
Double D technology for ideal ground cancelling
>>

 

[BJ in Okla.]

You look bigger than a Bazooka,more like a 105 or a 155. Meet you at the swiming pool this Sat. morn, ok ? HH..BJ

 

[BJ in Okla.]

n/t

 

[bazooka]

n/t

 

[Dave Z]

I find buttons up to 8" in cellar holes all the time with the little 4x6dd coil.I'd tell your friend to unload the hot foot and get a 4x6.

 

[Monte]

I have posted this a number of times on various forums, but I'll do it here one more time but I'll be brief.

Let me first say that an "air test" of the coin under a small hematite sample that is waived past the coil is interesting, but you get better overall info on performance potential when you use a larger rock and sweep the coil with the rock (and coin) laying on the ground. That way you are providing the ground signal before and after for the detector to handle.

Okay, about my "homestead rock." I plucked this one up from a 19-teens or twenties homestead in Central Oregon. It is a somewhat flattish rock about 6"x9" and about 2" thick, and is very similar to other rocks scattered about from a fallen-down chimney, house wall, well, etc.

Usually I search most sites with my discrimination set at the point where I just reject iron nails, but when I encounter a location with scattered rocks from a decaying old structure, I have to take a different approach.

I know that he intense mineralization will easily mask a good target, but I also know I do not want to have to move each and every rock to scan the ground beneath it. So I make the necessary adjustments to be able to sweep the rocks and then, should I get a good audio hit, I can move that rock and retrieve what cause the signal.

This can be accomplished by doing two things:

1.. Reduce the Discrimination to minimum IF YOU HAVE A TRUE ALL METAL ACCEPT, NON-DISCRIMINATION LOW END.

2.. Make sure the Ground Balance is adjusted so as to be operational in the Discriminate mode.

One thing to keep in mind when searching sites with fallen-down rocks, or any site with bad pea gravel, intense black sand, challenging dirt clods, etc., etc., is that you will almost never get a proper Target ID. Not a proper visual ID or a proper audio ID on a coin type target. If you do, then that is not a very mineralized and problem environment. Instead, you will get a visual TID that says "Iron" almost every time. Then, once you kick the rock out of the way you can sweep over just the natural ground and target as normal.

NOTE: Before you kick one of these rocks to the side, sweep over the area to make sure you're not going to scoot the rock over another potentially good target!

Detectors can all operate a little differently based upon how they were designed. While I could adjust the GB in the All Metal mode to scan over the rocks, that will often be a different GB setting than needed to handle them in the Discriminate mode. Therefore, I prefer to have manual GB control and do what I refer to as a "power balance" GB in the Discriminate mode.

This is done by setting the Discriminate level at the minimum, all metal, accept position and then bobbing the coil towards-and-away from the rock going from about 6" down to maybe

 

[John(Tx)]

n/t

 

[Digger]

On page 52, it says: "Using the detector in all metal, find a clear area of ground without any targets." Then it proceeds to explain the ground balancing method.
With amount of ferrous trash in many of the places I hunt, I would rather know for sure that I am not trying to balance over a ferrous target that does not register in a Preference mode. That is why I always use the all metal mode for ground balancing. As well, when ground balancing, I always set my sensitivity quite a bit less than max. (15 or lower on the X-Terra 50) After I have achieved optimum ground balance, I boost the sensitivity up to maximize the detector's potential, wihtout causing falsing, chatter or eroneous TID. This seems to work best for my soil conditions and the areas I hunt. HH Randy