Dave Johnson has been designing leading-edge metal detectors for American companies for over 25 years. He has designed successful products in all three mainstream technologies—VLF. multi-frequency, and pulse induction. His platforms are the backbone of several company’s high-end product offerings today. If you own a high-performance metal detector made in the USA, there is a good chance it originated with Dave Johnson.

Eva Shea, First Texas Products Marketing Manager, recently interviewed Dave Johnson to get some perspective on his latest design, the Teknetics T2.

EVA: Dave, when did you design your first metal detector?

DAVE: That was in 1972. I was working for the State of California doing traffic census for transportation planning purposes. The vehicle detectors we used worked on the eddy current loss principle and were powered by two hundred pounds of lead-acid batteries.
I got tired of hauling and maintaining those batteries. My solution was a vehicle metal detector that ran on a single 9-volt transistor battery, employing the phase shift principle. It was my first metal detector design. The prototype was not stable enough for practical use, but to my surprise it discriminated between cars and trucks. I was transferred to another department and the project was abandoned.

EVA: So when did you get your start in consumer metal detectors?

DAVE: Back in 1981 Fisher was looking for a new lead design engineer and I took the job. About a year later we introduced the 1260-X, which was a revolutionary machine for its time. Since the mid-1990’s I have also worked for Tesoro, White’s, and Troy. I began doing consulting work for First Texas Products in 2002 and late that year they decided to put on the payroll on-premises in El Paso.

EVA: So how do you like First Texas Products and El Paso?

DAVE: I wanted to work for First Texas Products; the president actually listens to his employees and customers. When he bought the company several years ago the Bounty Hunter line was a real mess. He turned it around and now Bounty Hunter offers is quality products and great value for the price. I like the can do attitude at First Texas Products. As far as El Paso goes, it is my new home. Decent climate, friendly people, low crime rate, and good hiking trails. I have really enjoyed the multicultural environment.

EVA: Tell me how the Teknetics T2 came about. Do you feel like you fulfilled a dream?
Teknetics Logo

DAVE: For many years, I have sought to improve metal detectors on all fronts-lighter weight, better ergonomics, lower power consumption, deeper detection, deeper discrimination and target ID, and maximum user-friendliness. Of course I did not always get what I wanted-that’s how life is most of the time, eh?
When I came to First Texas three years ago, the company did not have any high-end detectors. That gave me a clean slate to work with-the whole product had to be designed from the ground up. For the first time in my career, I got to design the electronics enclosure. Years prior I had declared war on bad user interfaces; at First Texas I finally had permission to do it right. I convinced the president that whatever difficulties we might encounter striving for an open-frame DD coil, we had to bite the bullet and do it.

EVA: So how about the performance?

DAVE: A high-end metal detector absolutely must have major league performance. The really hot machines out there (many of which I had a hand in) air test well past 10-inches, but lose a lot of targets in the ground. So rather than go for broke on air test, we decided to make it merely ruthlessly competitive on air hots, and concentrated our efforts on pushing the state of the art performance on things that matter in the ground like target separation, iron rejection, and stable target ID.

EVA: I’ve been told that to detect gold nuggets, a metal detector has to be really sensitive, because most nuggets are tiny, and they’re usually found in highly mineralized ground. How is the Teknetics T2 on gold?

DAVE: Gold detection is my field of expertise. Most American gold machines are my designs. A machine designed for gold prospecting only, theoretically has an edge on a general purpose machine. But a well-done general-purpose machine designed with gold prospecting in mind, will beat a poorly done gold-prospecting-only machine. The Teknetics T2 is a general-purpose machine, but its 13-kHz operating frequency, highly engineered standard-size DD search coil, high sensitivity, excellent ground canceling, and quick-recovery motion all-metal mode add up to superb performance for gold prospecting.

EVA: And how about silver?

DAVE: When detectorists talk about silver, they’re talking about silver coinage. Silver coins are worth at least several times their face value in silver content alone, and many have collectible value far beyond that. Silver coins are typically found at greater depth than modern clad coins, so the detectorists who are looking for silver need a machine with really good sensitivity as well as superior ground penetrating ability and good discrimination. Ability to see a deep coin without its being masked by nearby iron trash is very important. Although some users and content to search strictly by ear, most insist on visual ID to minimize unnecessary digging. The Teknetics unit meets these requirements; according to most users it excels when it comes to unmasking coins in iron trash.

EVA: Where did the name Teknetics come from?

DAVE: We decided to call our new high-end machine Teknetics in honor of the original Teknetics designed in the mid-1980’s by the legendary George Payne. The company that manufactured it went out of business, but the detector itself set the performance standard for its time. That’s a heckuva reputation to have to live up to.
Most people don’t know it, but the visual ID system in most Bounty Hunter products is based on George Payne’s circuit designs. So awareness of the Teknetics legacy runs high around here.

EVA: You must be pretty proud of the Teknetics T2.

DAVE: The basic vision was pretty much mine, but it took a lot of other people to make it happen. John Gardiner, another one of our engineers, wrote most of the software that runs it. For me this was just another step forward in the high end market, but for everyone else in the company the high end was a whole new world. I’m prouder of them than I am of me.

EVA: If someone is thinking of buying a new high-end metal detector, how would you convince them to buy a Teknetics T2?

DAVE: The best sales pitch for the T2 is what people who already own them are saying. Most of them also own other high-end units, so they are well-informed and do not have much brand loyalty. I could tell you what they are saying, but I might be biased. I would suggest that you do an Internet search on Teknetics T2, sort out what you find there, and make up your own mind.

EVA: Thank you Dave and congratulations on seeing a dream come true

DAVE: My pleasure.

A Review of the MPX Metal Detector

I recently had the honor of testing the MPX digital metal detector for Kellyco Metal Detector Superstore. One reason I was selected was due to the weather. Snow, sleet and cold had covered most of the U.S. while here in Florida we still had sunshine and mild weather.

I decided to really give the MPX a complete “shake-down.” I would work one week on the beach, a second week on land and the 3rd week on relic hunting.

Week 1 got me out of the house bright and early.

Sun was just coming up over the horizon and I was hoping to be one of the first people detecting on a favorite beach of mine near an inlet that I had been quite successful earlier in the year. As everyone knows, beaches have two to three “zones” to metal detect. The high and dry sandy beach away from the water is always easiest due to the fact that there is little to no mineralization to tune out. The second zone would be at water’s edge where the sand has been saturated with salt water and does have a mineral content. And the third of course is in shallow water where your detector experiences not only mineralization, but added pressure on the coil.

Setting up the MPX detector was extremely easy.

Coil connects to the lower rod, slide lower rod into upper rod, connect coil, turn on detector and I was in business. Slowly running the search coil over the sand produced a number of solid “hits.” My first recovery was a gold ring, followed by several (old) wheat pennies, followed by 2 silver rings. I found the MPX to be extremely well balanced and noted the difference between another detector I used to search the inlet beach earlier in the year that tired my arm out very quickly and I had to frequently stop to rest. With the MPX, I was able to hunt much longer and stop only when I wanted to (for water & snacks). I recommend lightweight detectors for a number of reasons, mainly to spend more time metal detecting.

The second week I went to several parks around Daytona Beach, Deland and Orlando, Florida.

Again the detector setup was quick and easy and tuning was simple. Since parks are notorious for being trashy, I ran my discriminator up to eliminate pull-tabs. Many detectors in pull-tab discrimination will lose targets including older thin dimes and small rings. I mention this because I did find several mercury dimes; one dated 1898 and one 1846 one cent coin. Once again the detector was proving to be extremely deep because among the many modern coins I was finding, I dug lots of wheat pennies, and 5 large One cent coins.

My last week of testing was Relic Hunting.

Few detectors really do well for Relic Hunting, especially when they are good coin detectors. This would be a good test for the MPX.

My research had discovered a small battle site from the Civil War not to far from where my farm was located. After setting up my detector I started my searching pattern and sure enough I started to get signals. I dug an old zipper, thankfully followed by a Navy Uniform Button indicating I was in the right area.

My next discovery was a gold tooth, showing that the MPX could also find gold! (I know the gold tooth was NOT from the Civil War) This area was mixed with modern metals as I found a round glass ball with silver holder from the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Lot’s of metal that would stop other detectors did not even slow down the MPX because my next find was “Pay Dirt.” I unearthed a Civil War bullet and about 10" under the bullet I recovered a U.S. Calvary belt buckle in pretty decent shape. Two things stand out in my mind as I was recovering the belt buckle. One was "never fill in a hole unless you have run your search coil over it again" - because many times there is a second or third find below the dug item. And the second thought is to "research any area before you hunt" so you can have some idea of what items should prove the site to be worth searching.

The MPX Digital Detector is a fantastic beginner unit and is a great metal detector for pros as well. It is easy-to-use, easy-to-tune and has great depth.

On the average, coins were found as shallow as one inch and as deep as 11.5 inches. The Civil War U.S. belt buckle was found 14" deep.

Target separation is great. No false signals on the beach in high mineralized soil.

Target Separation: I would rate the MPX as a “Pro” model.

Target Identification right on the money. MPX pinpoints every time in the center of the coil, so I had less digging saving me lot’s of time.

The 10" coil will get you more depth and covers more area in less time.

The MPX islightweight and can be used in both salt and fresh water.

Overall, for the money, the MPX Digital is as good as the higher priced detectors and you will have great results and lots of fun using this detector.

Thanks to Kellyco for letting me test this machine. I worked for Mr. “A.” and his Kellyco Staff for 3 years. I could not have found a better company to work for. They are honest and bend over backwards to get you the right detector at a price you can afford. Due to my health, I had to retire, but still keep active metal detecting and get to test metal detectors for them. I will honestly tell them (and you) exactly what I find, good or bad with each detector I test.

Sincerely
Glen H.

An Answer for Every Question: Titan 3000xd

Written by Monte V. B., Sr - A treasure hunter for the last 42 years.

Ever since I first got into metal detecting in the spring of 1965 I have encountered many questions. Here are several good examples what I get asked on a regular basis...

1. What would be a good 'budget' to mid-priced detector for coin hunting?
2. 
   
3. I have been using a low-end Tesoro model and think I would like to get a detector with Target ID, but I am on a limited budget. Do you have any suggestions?
4. 
   
5. I have been using a 'budget-priced' detector that requires coil motion all the time and I have a lot of difficulty pinpointing. Is there an 'affordable' detector that would have good pinpointing abilities?
6. 
   
7. I like the idea of Target Identification, but I am used to searching and just listening to the sounds when trying to find coins in local school and park playgrounds. Any reasonably priced models that have both audio tone and visual display that would help me 'hear' potential coins?
8. 
   
9. I have found more with my ten year old Bounty Hunter than my friends have with their very expensive models. Their detectors only have a two-year warranty and while I haven't had any major problems, is there a better warranty available?
10. 
    
11. What would be a good detector to get for the family to use just to have some fun?
12. 
    

Folks can get interested in this great hobby, but of the many who do, most seem to be on a more 'limited budget' than others. Logically, many would like to get into this outdoor sport with something that isn't bottom-end in order to see if it is something that interests them, and then down-the-road they might 'upgrade' if they get serious about metal detecting.

During a recreational metal detector seminar I conducted, questions like those were quite typical of what I fielded. At the time I was able to offer a few suggestions that might be within the budget of most folks. But I was curious about what may be out available at the time or up-and-coming in the future.

A friend who is in management at a local store had asked me on an earlier visit what I thought about the metal detectors they carried, noting that they had some 'new models.' I had the liberty of taking the three offerings out for some evaluation and was impressed with the two upper-end models they now have, made for them by First Texas. I was somewhat impressed with their top-end unit except for the difficult-to-see target references on the faceplate decal. With my eyes keeping up with the rest of my age I found it difficult to see them clearly. But I was inspired by what I got to toy with outside and decided that maybe a closer look was in order.

The next day, while checking some online dealers, I saw the new Titan series offered by Kellyco. These First Texas models caught my eye for several reasons:

1. The new physical package had a very bold red, white and blue theme to the decals, and the target ID references on the control faceplate were very clear and easy to see.
2. 
   
3. They are priced very competitively, and they have a 5 Year warranty!
4. 
   
5. The ample TID (Target Identification) info available to satisfy anyone who might make use of this detector.

I have been looking for a modestly priced detector with a lot of features that remained easy to use, and this appeared to be it. I figured I ought to get my hands on a Titan 3000-XD and see if it met my needs. Yes, I know it is a First Texas detector, which most folks simply refer to as a Bounty Hunter, but I have had some decent success with various Bounty Hunter models through the years and felt this one might work out.

Why have I felt a need for a mid-line model with all the added functions?

I hunt a lot of different sites and often find them located on private property. Long ago I found that having an easy-to-use detector that I could let a property owner help me use would gain welcome access to their land. Then, too, there are many times when I have an opportunity to introduce newcomers to this great sport. When they see that I am usually using a top-end model with the visual Target ID they naturally feel that it is something they just have to have. Well, a 'loaner' unit with a lot of target info is one way to introduce the curious to the fun of metal detecting!

While I make use of my MXT and XL Pro for most of my serious hunting, I still need to have a unit for 'fun' hunting in parks, playgrounds, school yards, etc. I want to use a lightweight model that has reasonably good visual Target ID, slow-motion operation with quick response & recovery, and handy discrimination to deal with the typical small junk, such as nail clippers and files, bobby pins, cheap hair clips, foil, and other fairly common trash. It's also nice to have good ID separation of some of the higher-conductive litter, too, such as pull tabs and screw caps.

So here is what the Titan-3000XD can give you:

No False Signals

I decided to test the Titan 3000 XD against another similarly priced detector. I felt it was fair to consider the features, prices, claims, etc. I continued with my side-by-side evaluations of the new Titan 3000 XD, the Prizm IV I had purchased, and a couple of Garrett GTAx models. Soon I noted that in the ground where I started my evaluations (which reads between 78 and 85 ground phase), I was having trouble with the GTAx 750 and GTAx 1250 due to their set ground balance. The Prizm IV could be operated in the same area without any trouble, but only if I rejected the first of a number of discrimination segments. The Titan 3000 XD, however, operated without any problems. I attributed this to the external, user-set ground balance.

Loaded With Features For a Low Price

The 3000 XD has a Ground Balance adjustment control that has 'Preset' marker. It is a simple, 1-turn GB control knob that increases the GB setting with a counter-clockwise adjustment, and has the word "Preset" at the left-most position. The nice thing about this control is that it adjusts the GB for BOTH the All Metal and Discriminate modes, something even many detectors at double the price do not do! After initial comparisons with the 3000 XD in the 'preset' setting I then adjusted the GB to be just slightly positive for some of the worst ground in my area. Once set I just left it there and haven't had any problems with it bumping out of adjustment.

Since the vast majority of treasure hunters search in a motion discriminate mode, this is where I gave the most attention. The 3000 XD has 11 discrimination TID segments, and the user can adjust the first seven of them as desired. The All Metal mode, which is a motion-based, all metal accept default mode when the detector is turned on, allows for full-range user adjustment of the discriminate settings. There is a mode change touchpad that lets the operator switch between the All Metal accept motion discriminate mode and a more 'traditional' Discriminate mode. In the Discriminate mode the first three TID segments are automatically rejected, allowing the operator to reject any of the next four conductive segments as desired. This provides ample iron trash rejection for most users. If used in the All Metal mode, the detectorist can reject just those lower settings they feel handles their iron discrimination needs.

In either the All Metal or Discrimination modes the Notch discrimination touchpad can be used to accept or reject any of the allowable user settings. To make it even easier to reject an annoying segment of trash, the 3000 XD has a touchpad marked ITD, for Instant Target Discrimination. This neat feature lets you immediately reject any of the 7 rejection segments that responds. If there is one particular type of annoying trash you do not want, then after it is detected and the TID pointer prompt points at that segment, simply press the ITD touchpad and an 'R' (for Rejected) appears under that segment.

Personally, I like to reject only the first two of eleven segments most of the time, using the All Metal motion mode and a custom setting, but those I have welcomed to try out the 3000 XD simply opted for the Discriminate mode with the automatic Iron Zone rejection (the first 3 segments).

I also noted that most of my friends and family who have used the 3000 XD were comfortable with the factory Sensitivity setting, with a few of them increasing it to maximum sensitivity. When turned on, the 3000 XD is set at four (4) sensitivity level bars registered, but the user can increase it with the touchpads to a level of six (6), or reduce it to a level of one (1). I found the turn-on sensitivity level to work 'OK' for most applications, but when I hunted near the metal pipes and playground structures, I was able to quickly reduce the sensitivity level to one or two bars and that improved the performance closer to the offending large metal.

While I was also able to reduce the sensitivity of the Prizm IV that I had purchased to allow operation close to pipes and get similar performance with their standard coils, the 3000 XD had another strong point in its favor which helped in my decision making. That is the ability to mount a small 4" search coil to hunt very close to metal structures & pipes, as well as handle the densest trash conditions. The Prizm series does have interchangeable coil capability, but there isn't a smaller-than-stock coil offered for it. With a 4" coil available through Kellyco for just $40 with the purchase of a new Titan 3000 XD, it puts a definite bold checkmark in the favorable column of the Titan.

Visual Target Indicator

One other feature some will like is a numeric VDI readout. For newcomers, TID is visual Target Identification. They are letters such as 'Zn' or 'Cu', words such as 'Iron', or other descriptive terms such as 'Nickel' or 5¢. VDI stands for Visual Discrimination Indicator which is a numeric reference the operator can use to have a better idea of what a potential target might be. With my XL Pro the numbers are printed on the analog display and range from 0-100. The Titan 3000 XD also has the very bold, easy-to-see digital readout with a numeric range running from 0 to 199. It is best to use this info along with the TID response as well as the audio response to master ANY detector.

Titan's Pinpointer Is One Of The Best!

Finally, I cannot let it go unmentioned that the Titan's Pinpoint function is one of the best I have used on many, many detectors. There is no auto-tune, and this allows the user to detune for a very precise pinpoint. It also makes it superior to fast auto tuning designs when it comes to sizing and shaping a detected target.

If you have any questions which are similar to those examples I gave at the start of this evaluation review, then you might want to take a good look at the Titan 3000 XD. A lightweight detector, easy-to-use, ample operator control for a variety of applications, good sizes of accessory coils, a 5-Year warranty, and all at a very affordable price.

Here are two photos to give you an idea of what kind of fun I had while working with the Titan 3000-XD this past six weeks!

What you see are both cleaned and unclean pennies, a pile of both cleaned and unclean nickels, dimes & quarters. As well as four of the six $1.00 coins I found. Also there was one Kennedy half in the cleaned 'clad' pile.

So what were the total finds I got to cash in after hunting wood chip playgrounds and other sites with the Titan 3000 XD?

6 - 1 Dollar coins , 1- Half Dollar, 174 - Quarters, 278 - Dimes, 130- Nickels and 1007- Pennies. That's 1596 coins with a face value of $91.87!

This beautiful, 14k gold ring with three outstanding Amethyst stones set in individual prongs is one of the many rewards we get from hunting those playgrounds. Many valuable gold rings, with diamonds and other precious jewels, are being found everyday wherever people have congregated.

Experiences with the Infinium LS Metal Detector

Written by Bob W.

I received my Infinium LS metal detector from Kellyco last August. In a flash, I put the detector together after lightly reading the instructions. The pocket size manual was well laid out and informative. I was planning to use the Infinium LS while hunting in parks with the control box attached to the handle, and while hunting in the surf with the control box attached to my belt.

Once at the beach I ground balanced the Infinium LS in the dry sand by pumping the coil until the noise settled down almost disappeared. I forgot to turn the knob to "lock" and started swinging only to find out that a lot of noise was present. I re-pumped and then set the knob to "lock."

Within a few swings I got my first target indication with a loud sound. I pinpointed by slowly moving the coil from right to the left. I did not need to zero in on the target. I was using my one gallon long handle digger scoop to dig all my targets. It took 2 full scoops, about 1.5’ deep, to remove the pull tab from the sand. "Great," I said to myself. I had never dug so deep before for such a tiny object.

The second target came 10’ from the first. This time the Auto Response screamed and I removed the coil away from the target. An echo occurred and then disappeared. I than tried the reverse discrimination method to tell if the target was iron. I turned the discrimination up slowly to max. The sound stayed loud, which indicated the target was iron. Well, I dug it up anyway to check. I dug a good 2 feet to find my first of many rusty nails.

Once I got to the wet sand, I turned the detector off and then back on, balanced it on fast and locked it. I was planning to hunt up and down the tide slope and slightly into the surf. The Infinium LS seemed not to respond to the salt content as the waves passed over the coil. I had the settings of the threshold at MIN the Discrimination up to three and got little salt interference.

My average depth for digging targets was two feet. This was mostly from iron targets. I found many bobby pins, nails, pieces of wire, tokens, and miscellaneous pieces of junk. The first few hours of hunting I had the control box on the handle. I had to switch swing arms many times. This metal detector is very heavy to swing with the control box attached to the handle. Saturday morning, found me waking up to rain. "No Problem, my new unit is waterproof!" I headed back to the beach this time with the control box attached to my belt, for less swing weight.

I hunted again with the MIN settings and very slow swings. I was now hoping to get some of the New Jersey gold (rings and necklaces). At every target I would do an iron check. The detector had a 100% correctness in detecting iron. I noticed that the loud echo only occurred when I detected iron targets near the surface. Once a quarter near the surface caused the echo.
Several times in the four hour hunt I had small crowds of bathers gather around me while I dug over two feet deep. They wanted to see my treasures.

On one target I dug 30 inches for a double battery. I decided to detect across the dry sand to the surf. It was now low tide. Perfect! I balanced the detector on the wet sand and locked the balance in. I started to hunt into the waves. The detector was now acting as it was not balanced by giving loud sounds as I swung it. The noise stopped when I would stop swinging. I turned the detector off and back on while the detector's coil was in waist deep salt water. I balanced it in Fast Mode and locked it. I turned the discrimination up to three. Still too much noise when I swung it and a different tone when I swung in the other direction. I then set the discrimination to five and then to seven - still a lot of noise. I could detect (hear) targets. I only hunted like this a short while and found only iron targets. I decided to give up the water hunt and the noise for a quiet walk on the wet sand. While hunting, I did hear different types of tones but I still can not identify any tone ID's for sure.

From these hunts I found about $21 dollars in quarters, several dimes, nickels and pennies. The one Susan B. was only a 1/2 foot under and the Infinium LS almost took my hearing from me when it responded to it. I also found some silver bracelets, a worn gold ring, 2 silver rings, a gold earring, a steel earring, and many iron nails, bottle caps, pull tabs and pieces of junk. All are treasures to me!

Areas of Improvement for the Infinium LS:

1. Be able to hunt in salt water with lower settings and no noise.
2. 
   
3. Improve on the loose arm cup. I lost 1 bolt, 2 nuts and washers. Hand tighten them enough to stay put.
4. 
   
5. I need to eliminate the undoing of the cable. I have been thinking of putting in a zipper in the belt pouch.
6. 
   
7. Replace the plastic bolts with quick release buttons like the one on the lower shaft.
8. 
   
9. It would be nice to have an IRON Check button, instead of turning the knob every time I got a a target reading.
10. 
    
11. It would also be nice to have a loud target response noise eliminator. About 1/3 second or less, that would save my hearing.

I can not wait to find time to test the Infinium LS on a small nugget that I have. Also, to hunt in my favorite parks for very deep treasures.

In conclusion I would like to thank the people who air tested a nickel at Kellyco for me. 16” is also what I got when I air tested a nickel. Also, thank you for a great package price!

Sincerely yours,
Bob W.

Testing the Trident in Water

Written by Andy Sabisch

Searching for valuables lost in the water has been a passion of mine for more than 30 years and it is truly one of the last forms of treasure hunting where valuable targets are continually being replenished in areas that are searched on a regular basis.

After all, if a Civil War campsite or old picnic grove is hunted by experienced detectorists, the number of finds will continue to drop until there is really nothing left to find. On the other hand, a popular beach will have a new “crop” of coins and jewelry deposited after every warm weekend, providing water hunters with more “keepers” to search for and recover.

So, with my avid interest in water hunting, ranging from shallow-water wading to deep diving, I was extremely interested in seeing how a new low-cost addition to the list of detectors capable of searching in the water performed in the field.

Features

The Viper Trident, distributed by Kellyco, was designed to be an all purpose metal detector unaffected by adverse weather conditions or even being submerged underwater at depths exceeding 100 feet. It is a “turn-on-and-go” VLF detector that operates at 12.5 kHz with a full range discrimination circuit. The Viper uses the conventional S-handle shaft design which keeps the controls accessible and balances the weight which comes in at 4.2 pounds.

For any detector that will spend at least part of its life in the water, the obvious “Achilles Heel” is how well the electronics are sealed to ensure no water reaches them. The Viper addresses this by using double O-rings on both the control knobs and the battery compartment door, s well as with hardwired connections for the search coil and headphone cables. As a result, the Viper is rated for full submergence at depths of 130+ feet. Having used underwater detectors since their inception decades ago, I’m used to the heavy, robust headphones used for that application. The Viper’s headphones at first glance appear to be similar in construction to most standard land models; however, the specs assure that they are waterproof to the same depth rating as the unit itself, which both cuts down on the weight of the detector and improves the comfort when used for long periods of time (which finding a gold ring or two will tend to make you want to do!)

Simplicity in operation was one of the key design requirements and, with only two controls on the faceplate, the Viper couldn’t be easier to set up and use. Both knobs actually serve a dual function. The knob on the left side turns the Viper on and off and is used to adjust the sensitivity level. The other knob is used to select the search mode—All Metal or Discriminate - and, when in the Discriminate mode, the level of discrimination desired. In the center of the face of the control housing is a target light that illuminates when a target is detected in addition to producing an audible response heard through the waterproof head phones. This is a useful feature when diving (in case you miss a signal due to bubbles from the regulator) or searching a beach in the evening after the crowds have left (if you opt to not use the headphones for personnel safety reasons).

The Viper is powered by a single 9V battery that provides ~25 hours of operation. When the battery voltage drops below the point at which the detector can operate effectively, a continuous tone will be heard through the headphones alerting the user that replacement is needed. Rechargeable batteries can be used with no loss of performance and you can pick up a pair of NiMH batteries and a charger for under $20, making it quite economical to operate.

Field Test

While one of the main reasons people will look at the Viper is for its ability to be used in the water, I find it advantageous to first test a water machine on land in order to familiarize myself with the settings, target response and pinpointing “quirks.”

A quick bench testing session let me get used to the response received from various targets as well as the points where they were rejected as the discrimination control was increased from the fully counter-clockwise position (All Metal) to the fully clockwise position (High Zone). It should be noted that even at MAX, the Viper will not reject silver jewelry or clad and silver coins. The faceplate has preset marks on both the Sensitivity and Discrimination controls selected to provide users with 1) stable operation, and 2) assurance that nickels and gold jewelry are not inadvertently rejected. Coins and jewelry test items all

produced clear, easily discernible signals at depths commensurate with the performance one would expect from a detector in this price range.

Ready to give it a try in the field, I packed up and went to a local park with a large sandy playground and several benches mounted in beds of woodchips. Setting the controls at PRESET, I started out across the first sandy section. It was quickly apparent that this site had not been hunted in a few months, as targets were fairly plentiful. With the Discrimination set at the PRESET mark, pull-tabs were still detected and, after recovering more than 20 in quick succession, I increased the control until they dropped out. I realized that nickels and small gold items would also be rejected, but based on the slim likelihood of finding a gold ring at this location, the time saved not recovering trash was worth the trade-off. Despite not having a non-motion pinpoint mode, pinpointing targets was fairly straightforward. Since only a small amount of coil movement is needed to produce a signal, I found that by “X-ing” the area of the target and then wiggling the coil slightly, zeroing in on targets with a fair degree of accuracy was possible after a little practice.

The next site I took the Viper to was an informal swimming spot on the lake near my house. The bottom drops off quickly, so I focused on the 15 foot-wide section that paralleled the shore that I could reach up to chest deep. Hoping to find a piece of jewelry, I dropped the discrimination control to just below the PRESET mark and, since I knew it had been hunted previously, I bumped the sensitivity towards its upper range. Suiting up into my wetsuit, I grabbed a long-handled scoop and waded out into the 54F water – sort of wish these water machine field tests would be timed better! While not a virgin site, signals were detected on a regular basis. Using the same technique I had in the playground, pinpointing and recovering targets was quite simple. Criss-crossing the area, the approximately location was quickly found. Then, placing my left foot against the right-hand edge of the coil, I would remove the coil and place the scoop against the outer edge of my foot….a quick swipe and the target was usually in the bucket of the scoop. An hour netted me a few dollars in change, two Avon-style rings and a gold-plated charm torn from a necklace.

Unfortunately, with the water temperature in the low-50’s, and having just gotten over the flu, I was somewhat reluctant to spend hours diving in one of the lakes in the area, but to test the Viper I felt obligated to at least give it a quick test. Grabbing a friend with a boat, I loaded up the Viper and my dive gear and we headed out to a spot where I found some relics from the 1800’s in the past – remnants of what the land had been used for before the dam was built in the early 1900’s, creating the lake. Sliding over the side, I slid down the anchor rope to the bottom about 30 feet below. Visibility was its typical “near-zero” so after shooting a compass bearing, I turned the viper on and started searching. I found a few targets over the next 30 minutes, including a pair of horseshoes, wagon parts and some mystery objects that will need some cleaning to ID. There were two comments I had after surfacing. First, the Viper does not collapse far enough to make it the right size for diving; however, cutting down a spare lower rod would solve that point. Secondly, the volume was a tad low to be heard over regulator bubbles, which required skip-breathing to ensure signals were not missed.

Summary

The Viper Trident was designed to be a lightweight, easy-to-operate, affordable option for treasure hunters looking to try their hand at beach and shallow water hunting, or simply looking for a detector that is not affected by the weather and, in these regards, it meets that goal. The Viper was not intended to replace or even compete with the high-end underwater metal detectors on the market, but for those that may not be sure water hunting is for them, or only get to a beach occasionally on vacation, this might just be what you’ve been looking for. Chattering will be experienced when searching salt-water beaches, especially those containing black sand; however, with the exception of more expensive multi-frequency VLF or pulse detectors, most other VLF-based detectors are also challenged under these conditions. On the other hand, the Viper will handle the majority of fresh water sites or land locations with no complicated adjustments and, just as importantly, without breaking the family budget!

The Viper, equipped with the 10-inch searchcoil, arm cuff strap, waterproof headphones and a 5-year limited warranty, sells for $299.95. Kellyco typically offers accessory packages with their detectors, so if you are looking at a Viper, check out their website or call for what specials may be currently available.

A Users Review of the Surfmaster P.I. Metal Detector

Written by Andy Sabisch

Reprinted with permission from Lost Treasures
From page 36 of the October 1993 issue of Lost Treasure magazine.

Dumping my sifter out on the grass, I picked out 13 coins, all modern, a set of car keys, and two rings -- unfortunately both of them were gold plated.

White's Electronics was one of the first companies to produce a fully-submersible metal detector called the Surfmaster TR back in the 1970s. In 1981 they released the PI- 1000, their first pulse type detector, which quickly became the "detector-of-choice" for shallow water hunters and divers around the world. Its pulse circuitry was able to ignore adverse ground conditions such as black sand and salt water while responding to metal objects at exceptional depths. Reports of "worked-out" sites producing literally thousands of silver coins and pieces of gold jewelry were received by the factory on almost a daily basis. Over the years, White's has continued to improve on the design and performance of their pulse circuit and their current line of waterproof detectors contains both the PI-3000 and the new Surfmaster P.I., as well as a detector featuring a VLF circuit -- the Surfmaster II.

FEATURES

The Surfmaster P.I. utilizes a pulse circuit which results in maximum detection depth under virtually all ground conditions. Unlike VLF or TR-type detectors which may require frequent adjustments when searching areas such as salt-water beaches or soil with rapidly changing mineral content, the Surfmaster P.I. automatically ignores these "ground effects" resulting in more time spent recovering targets and less time making complicated adjustments.

Unlike most other pulse detectors currently available, the Surfmaster P.I. features a form of discrimination that allows users to ignore certain types of non-ferrous targets such as tinfoil and pull tabs. This discrimination is accomplished through a circuit called "PULSE DELAY" which varies the signal transmission rate and is controlled by a knob on the front of the case.

Maximum target detection depth is achieved when the PULSE DELAY control is set at the minimum position; however, all metal objects will produce a signal. As the PULSE DELAY control is turned in the clockwise direction, specific nonferrous targets will be rejected; however, a noticeable loss of detection depth will occur. As with any detector, it is advisable to use as little discrimination as possible in order to avoid missing a deeply-buried target or a small piece of gold jewelry.

The electronics of Surfmaster P.I. are mounted inside of a case made of heavy-gauge acrylic plastic similar to that used on underwater cameras and other electronic devices used by divers. Two metal clamps hold the lid/O-ring assembly securely in place, and the case is certified leak proof to a depth of 30 feet.

There are currently two versions of the Surfmaster P.I. available with the only difference being in the search coil that comes with the unit. For those treasure hunters that plan on spending most of their time on dry land, the non-weighted 9.5 inch coil is recommended. Whit it does have a tendency to float when submerged, it is lighter in weight and more suited for extended searching on the beach. The weighted 9.5 inch coil is designed for divers as well as TH'ers that spend most of their time wading in shallow water. The weight of the entire detector with the buoyant coil is 4 pounds 8 ounces, and the weighted coil adds an additional 10 ounces. For those people that need the heavier loop but find the weight and overall balance of the detector to be uncomfortable for land use, there are two solutions. First, the control housing can be easily hip mounted by depressing a pair of spring clips and removing it from the shaft. The second option is to remove the control housing from its normal location in front of the hand grip and reinstall it on the section of the shaft between the arm cup and the grip. Spring clips are included for this purpose and it will greatly improve the "feel" of the unit - particularly when searching for extended periods of time.

The Surfmaster P.I.'s operation is controlled through two knobs located on the front of the control housing and an internal variable resistor. The knob labeled "PULSE DELAY" serves a dual function. It turns the unit on and varies the pulse rate of the signal as discussed previously. The knob next to it labeled "TUNER" also provides two functions. It is used to adjust the threshold signal heard through the headphones and, when turned fully counter clockwise, tests the strength of the batteries. The battery condition will be indicated by the volume of the tone produced when the knob is placed in BAT CHECK position. When the tone is barely audible, the batteries should be replaced. Releasing the two metal snaps and removing the lid of the control housing reveals the circuit board. There is an adjustment screw located on the lower left-hand corner of the circuit boardjust above the battery compartment which allows the user to adjust the volume of the signal heard through the headphone. It has sufficient adjustment range to provide the desired volume for both waders and divers alike. An interesting note in the manual states that due to the Surfmaster' s circuit design, increasing the volume has no affect on the life of the batteries which is unlike most other detectors.

Another feature that has been incorporated into the Surfmaster P.I.'s circuit is the Self Adjusting Threshold or S.A.T as it is commonly known. This feature shows that the engineers at the White's took the time to design a detector with the end-user in mind. Once the audio threshold has been adjusted for one's personnel preference, the S.A.T. circuitry will automatically maintain that setting even as the ground mineralization changes. By enabling treasure hunters to search from the dry sand to the wet sand and finally into the surf without requiring any adjustments to the detector, more time will be available to locate targets resulting in more "goodies" in your pouch at the end of the day.

The Surfmaster P.I. is powered by eight AA penlight batteries which are replaced by opening the control housing and removing the plastic holder. The detector comes equipped with standard carbon batteries; however, the manual recommends using high quality alkaline batteries for optimum operation. The carbon batteries supplied with the unit will result in 10 to 15 hours of use and alkalines will boost that time an additional 15 to 20 hours. An optional 10-cell Nicad rechargeable battery pack is available, however it will only last 10 hours between charges and the battery test feature will not provide you with an indication of the battery pack's strength.

A small packet containing silica gel is packed inside of the control housing and is designed to absorb any moisture that might find its way inside of the case. While it will not protect the circuitry from a major leak, it can remove the dampness introduced by a few drops of water or extremely humid air. The pack should be periodically dried out in accordance with the directions specified in the manual.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

After assembling the Surfmaster P.I. and reading over the instruction manual, I was interested in seeing how well it responded to various targets.

Laying out several items including a few gold and silver rings, coins, a pull tab, tin foil, and a rusted nail, I proceeded to air-test the unit with both the TUNER and PULSE DELAY controls at the preset marks. The first aspect that quickly became apparent was that the response to the various targets was remarkably similar to that of a standard VLF-type detector rather than the "oscillating" or "clicking" sound found on many pulse units. I also noticed that unlike previous pulse detectors, objects would produce a solid signal even when passed in front of the coil at a rapid rate.

On most pulse detectors the loop must be swept very slowly in order for a noticeable response to be obtained. This shortfall has been completely eliminated in the new Surfmaster P.I.

With the PULSE DELAY set at the minimum setting I was able to get repeatable signals on all of the targets at depths of up 7 inches. As I began to increase the pulse delay, I found that the tin foil was rejected while still responding to the larger gold rings. It should be noted that the PULSE DELAY control has no affect on the signal produced by ferrous targets such as nails, hair pins, screws, etc.

At the maximum position the pull tab gave only a broken signal; however, all of the gold rings were rejected and the overall detection depth was less than half of what it had been at the preset mark. As mentioned previously, one can see why very little discrimination, if any at all, should be used to ensure valuable targets are not overlooked.

Taking the Surfmaster P.I. out to my test garden, I received signals on most of the targets buried with the exception of a deeply buried dime and a pair of Civil War bullets at almost 9 inches. As with the air test, I found that by increasing the PULSE DELAY a significant loss of detection depth occurred and at the maximum setting, even some of the shallow targets would only produce an intermittent response.

Pinpointing was a little more difficult than with a conventional detector; however, by checking the target from several different directions and listening for the loudest audio signal, I was able to get within an inch or two of the target center.

The first site that I took the Surfmaster P.I. to was an older, well used beach located in central Alabama. This would be my first visit to the area; however, several fellow treasure hunters had told me that they had made some interesting finds there over the years.

Arriving at the beach I put on my wet suit, set the controls on the detector to the preset marks, and waded out from the shore. With the threshold signal just discernible, I began searching in about two feet of water. Almost immediately l received aloud signal, and after dumping a scoop of sand into the sifter, I picked up my first coin of the day - a clad quarter. It was soon apparent that no one had hunted this beach recently because clad coins were quite common. Over the next two and a half hours I recovered almost 30 clad coins and memorial pennies along with a number of pull tabs, bobby pins, and other pieces of trash so common to swimming sites. Despite my success I was a little surprised that I had not found any jewelry.

Hoping my "luck" would improve if I tried the deeper section of the beach, I headed out until the water was up to the middle of my chest. There were fewer signals in this area and it took several minutes before I located my first target. While attempting to recover the target, the desirability of the weighted search coil quickly became quite obvious to me. As I released the pressure I had been exerting on the rod of the detector, the loop floated towards the surface and the control housing, being heavier, sank towards the bottom. After struggling with the detector and long-handled scoop for several minutes, I found a way to work with the buoyant coil. Once I pinpointed the target and placed my foot next to the coil, I would move the coil to the side and gently place my other foot on top of it to keep it from floating to the surface. Another more durable solution would be to purchase a coil weight that clamps onto the detectors shaft from your local dealer and install it when searching in water any deeper than your waist (or buy a Surfmaster P.I. with a weighted loop initially).

Surprisingly, many of the signals that I received in the deeper water turned out to be pieces of tinfoil from cigarette packages. In order to avoid digging these pesky targets, I increased the PULSE DELAY control until they produced a "scratchy" signal and continued hunting. I realized that I would be sacrificing some detection depth and might miss some smaller pieces of gold jewelry; however, the number of good targets I would recover would increase by not wasting time on the foil. After nearly an hour hunting the deeper area, I headed into shore to see what I had recovered.

Dumping my sifter out on the grass, I picked out 13 coins, all modern, a set of car keys, and two rings -- unfortunately both of them were gold plated.

As I walked around in the sun trying to warm up, I looked down the length of the beach and saw a diving board at the end of the pier sticking out from shore. I felt fairly certain that the area underneath the diving board had not been worked previously so I pulled my SCUBA gear from the back of the truck and headed towards the pier. Shortening the Surfmaster P.I.'s shaft as much as possible, I put the regulator in my mouth and dropped to the bottom. As I approached the area near the diving board I received nearly a constant signal. Hoping that it meant a solid layer of coins and other valuables, I reached into the mud below the loop and immediately felt several beer and soda cans. Not willing to give up completely, I attempted to clear a small area and then work it with the Surfmaster.

After nearly 30 minutes of picking up cans and piling them on the edge of the pier I was ready to try searching the bottom. This time I was plagued by smaller pieces of trash such as tin foil and pull tabs so I increased the PULSE DELAY to maximum and rechecked the area. Despite the loss of detection depth caused by this adjustment, I was able to ignore nearly all of the non-ferrous trash and with the last 40 minutes of air in my tank, recovered 11 coins including a 1954 silver quarter and three wheat cents from the 1940s and 1950s. I found it difficult to maneuver the detector underwater due to the length of the rod; however, the factory indicated that the optional Divers Rod was designed to alleviate this concern.

The instruction manual states that the Surfmaster P.I. can be used for relic hunting "due to its inherent sensitivity to gold, copper-nickel alloys and lead." Since I spend a fair amount of time searching for Civil War relics from the Atlanta Campaign that was fought near my home, I decided to see how well it performed in this application.

One of the battle sites near Kennesaw Mountain contains extremely mineralized ground, and even the best detectors available have a difficult time handling these conditions. Hoping that the Surfmaster P.I. would be able to ignore the mineralization, I packed my equipment in the truck and drove over to the site.

Hiking up the hill to an old Confederate trench line, I set the PULSE DELAY at the preset mark and adjusted the TUNER until a faint threshold came through the headphones. After only a few sweeps I received a loud signal. Centering the coil over the target I began to remove several inches of dirt. When the detector indicated the target was out of the hole, I spread out the loose dirt and came up with a small piece of barbed wire that had been buried about 4 inches deep.

Over the next few minutes I recovered several more pieces of wire from the top edge of the trench and began to get somewhat frustrated. Walking about 30 feet further down the hill, I began searching again. Almost 20 minutes went by before I received my first signal. After several minutes of digging in the hard clay, I saw something white laying on the pile of dirt. Wiping it against my leg, I saw it was a dropped .58 caliber Minnie ball. Considering that it had been almost 5 inches deep, I was hoping that possible additional relics other treasure hunters had missed might still be in the area.

Carefully searching the immediate area produced three more Minnie balls and a small artillery shell fragment. Continuing down the hill Iran into more barbed wire and handfuls of rusted nails. Due to the inability of the Surfmaster P.I.'s circuit to ignore ferrous items I decided to call it a day and head back to the truck.

While I was not able to work this site as thoroughly as I would have liked due to the amount of trash present, the detector had ignored the mineralized ground which had caused problems for virtually all other detectors in the past. If there had been fewer iron objects in the ground the Surfmaster P.I. would have probably produced artifacts others had passed over.

SUMMARY

The Surfmaster P.I. has been designed to provide treasure hunters with a simple-to-use detector which is unaffected by adverse ground conditions. I found that once the threshold level was set, the detector operated without requiring any further adjustments. Precise pinpointing was somewhat difficult primarily due to the size of the search coil; however, since recovering targets from a beach or in the water is relatively easy, this should not be a major concern. Overall, the Surfmaster P.I. functioned well in the various sites I searched with it.

Since the Surfmaster P.I. will be used primarily on the beach, a coil cover is highly recommended to prevent damaging the coil. Another option worth buying if you plan on doing any diving with the detector is the Diver Rod Kit which allows the shaft to be shortened to a convenient length needed for one-hand operation.

Thoughts on the Spectrum XLT Metal Detector

Written by Joe Patrick

Reprinted with permission from Lost Treasures
From page 14 of the September issue of Lost Treasure magazine.

IMPRESSIVE! Yes, this was my initial thought as I held and ‘played’ with White’s new compact, lightweight, Spectrum XLT metal detector for the first time.

“Here, I thought, is a metal detector with some serious detecting capability. Powerful, versatile, with an array of user-selectable features and control options and yet not too complicated to use . . . a detector to successfully ‘grow’ with.”

As I explored and tried the different operating modes, settings and options, I could instantly see its almost limitless detecting capability and sense the value of its very informational LCD graphic display.

Its LCD meter and target identification system is outstanding. Large, well designed and very informative. The Spectrum XLT is indeed a ‘user friendly’ metal detector with enough available options to keep a ‘seasoned pro’ content and successful for years to come, yet with its five turn-on-and-go programs, easy enough for a detectorists of any experience level to use.

The new Spectrum XLT descends from a long-standing line of previous White’s I.D. models, but now provides improved microprocessor speed, easier menu navigation and other noteworthy refinements.

Features

As I closely examined and evaluated the Spectrum XLT, I came to the following conclusion: Its mechanical packaging is excellent. Compact, lightweight and durable with good balance and a very ergonomic design. Its LCD meter is very informative, large and is placed where it can be viewed easily. With the use of just five push pads and a trigger switch, the detector’s entire operation can be controlled, programmed and altered. The push pads are easily accessed and well-positioned, they are large, have a nice tactile feel when pressed and it’s easy to visually interpret their function. But there is so much more to the Spectrum XLT — much more!

The Spectrum XLT Offers: 5 Turn-On-And Go Programs — Coin, Coin & Jewelry, Jewelry & Beach, Relic, and Prospecting.

4 Custom Programs — These can be user-adjusted and labeled to any name you like and saved for future use.

10 Basic Adjustments — Target Volume — adjusts to your hearing. Threshold — tunes for your performance. Tone Adjust — features 255 different pitches. Audio Discriminate — selects all metals or discrimination. Silent Search — allows searching without a threshold tone. mixed Mode Audio — combines the best of all-metal and discriminate modes. AC Motion Sensitivity — selects the level of sensitivity in motion modes. DC Motion Sensitivity — sets sensitivity levels in non-motion & pinpointing modes. Backlight — adjusts the display brightness. Viewing Angle — adjusts the display for optimum viewing in extreme temperatures.

29 Professional Adjustments — S.A.T. Speed, Tone I.D., V.C.O Pinpointing, Absolute Value, Auto Trac, Trac View, Auto Trac Offset, Auto Trac Speed, Coarse/Fine G.E.B., Custom Programs, Disc. Edit, Block Edit, Bottle cap Reject, Learn Reject, Learn Accept, Visual Disc., V.D.I. Sensitivity, Graph Averaging, Graph Accumulation, Fade Rate, Modulation, Trac Inhibit, Recovery Speed, Icons, Pre amp Gain, Ratchet Pinpointing, Transmit Frequency and Transmit Boost.

As you can see, with its many available options, the Spectrum XLT is quite capable of handling almost any detecting site or situation.

Couple all of this with White’s automatic ground balance with Autotrac®; open-center Blue Max® 950 coil; selectable charge time rechargeable drop-in battery system; excellent owner’s manual and you have an awesome ‘detecting system’.

I found one of the most fascinating, helpful and productive features of the Spectrum XLT to be its SignaGraph® display. As is explained in White’s excellent Spectrum XLT Engineering Report (see below to obtain a copy). “The SignaGraph® or ‘Phase Spectrum Analyzer’ shows the operator everything we currently know how to display about the characteristics of metallic objects in the ground.”

In actual field use, I found myself relying on the SignaGraph® extensively — especially for identifying iron targets. When used in combination with the Visual Discrimination (V.D.I.) number, Target Icons and Audio Tone I.D. (Identification), I was usually correct at identifying iron targets versus good targets most of the time. This detector and its many I.D. features builds user confidence quickly. By the time I had operated the Spectrum XLT for three or four hours of my first day’s outing, I was getting quite good at ‘nailing’ targets.

The Spectrum XLT has several ways to graphically identify targets on its L.C.D. display meter. The SignaGraph®, as mentioned above, is a bar graph of sorts with a range of from -95 to +95. These numbers and bars correspond to the target’s conductivity and also the Spectrum’s Accept/Reject discrimination notching system. Good targets typically produce narrow vertical bars that stay in the same location with multiple searchcoil sweeps and build somewhat in their vertical height. Iron targets are quite different and identifiable. When an iron target is encountered, the SignaGraph® display shows it as a ‘smear’ pattern with random bars and segments showing up all over the display.

Another very helpful piece of information is the V.D.I. number. This number represents the target’s conductivity and is quite accurate and helpful in assisting the user to determine if the target is good or bad. The V.D.I. numbers are large and very easy to see and read. Numbers from -95 to 0 represent ferrous (iron) targets while numbers from 0 to +95 represent nonferrous items–coins, rings, pulltabs, etc.

Field Use And Findings

My first trip out using the Spectrum XLT was to the site of an old, abandoned trolley park. This park’s heyday was from about 1905 to 1925. Currently, it is a wooded site with an abundance of nails, bullets, shotgun shell brass and other iron trash, plus some modern junk left behind by ‘visitors’ over the years.

I was fairly confident using the Spectrum XLT, knowing that its excellent discrimination control and metering system could help me overcome most of the trash targets, giving me a better chance at the ‘good stuff’.

As mentioned above, I relied heavily on the Spectrum XLT’s visual and audio I.D. and especially its SignaGraph® display. As a result, my first trip a field was quite good.

An 1891 ‘V’ Nickel, 1923 Mercury Head dime, 1950 Roosevelt dime, Sterling Silver Art-Deco Joan of Arc pin, 1930s State Farm Auto Insurance tag, Art-Deco style lipstick tube and an old, engraved, Sterling Silver ‘McKee Sport Hospital’ spoon were all found at this trashy, well-worked site.

The following weekend, I tried the Spectrum XLT in a typical ‘park-type’ setting — a place with lots of ‘common’ trash items — pulltabs, screw caps, iron bottle caps, etc.

I started off with the preset ‘Coins’ program but did make some changes to the threshold, AC and DC sensitivity. I also increased the ‘Track Offset’ to +1 to increase its depth and sensitivity to small targets. I also rejected the +95 notch to help eliminate some false signals.

The Spectrum XLT did a really good job of identifying targets. Especially pulltabs, screw caps, iron and of course coins. In some areas though, I think I could have done better with a smaller coil. However, in the clear open areas, the 9.5 inch coil was very good for depth and ground coverage.

I ended the day with a 1918, 1923 and 1945 Mercury dime, nine Wheat cents and three Buffalo nickels.

As I became more accustomed to the Spectrum XLT’s various options and menus, the ‘navigation’ to them and their effect on the detector’s operation, I became much better at finding coins and eliminating trash.

After changing a control function or setting, I would try it for a while to see its result. Then, if needed, I could press either the ‘UP’ or ‘DOWN’ Push pad to quickly move back to that same option to make further adjustments. This saved a lot of time as I didn't’t have to scroll through the various menus to get back to the same adjustment again.

As mentioned previously, the Spectrum XLT is a detector with many options. To completely master this detector will take some time and commitment, but I can assure you that almost anyone could do very well, if they used nothing more than the factory preset programs.

Summary

Considering that you can usually purchase a new Spectrum XLT for less than its suggested retail price, and often get free accessory items included, such as headphones, digging tools, etc., makes it an outstanding top-of-the-line metal detector bargain — you get a lot of performance, functionality and versatility in the Spectrum XLT, without having to spend upwards of one thousand dollars.

The Spectrum XLT’s design and construction is first-rate. Its impressive performance has been field-proven and verified by 1,000s of successful and satisfied detectorists worldwide, of which, many believe its overall detecting versatility is unmatched.

Quite a following of devout Spectrum XLT users has developed and there are even Internet web sites for Spectrum owners, some even list custom programs you can copy and use with your own Spectrum XLT.

White’s Spectrum XLT is a modern marvel of electronic and mechanical engineering.

It wasn't too many years ago, that this type of futuristic, ‘computerized’, ‘high-tech’ metal detector was just a ‘dream machine’ for all detectorists. Well, dream no more the high-quality, high-performance, ‘Made in the USA’ Spectrum XLT is available now.

Spectrum Target ID Metal Detector - A Review

Written by Reginald G. Sniff
Reprinted with permission from Lost Treasures
From page 8 of the November 1993 issue of Lost Treasure magazine.

Instead of a handful of knobs and switches to fiddle with, the Spectrum has 5 pushbutton keypad type switches located directly below the large, sophisticated, but simple LCD display

The Spectrum is a proud display of how far White's Electronics microprocessor controlled detectors have come in such a short time. Although the predecessors of this instrument did have many features that could be adjusted just by pushing a few buttons, I find that the Spectrum gives the operator even more adjustments or, better stated, almost every possible adjustment a person could want.

It would be easy to dwell on the multitude of features, adjustments, etc. for the entire report but that wouldn't really explain the instrument so I have opted to incorporate many of the explanations during the use and will only cover the main features at this time.

Instead of a handful of knobs and switches to fiddle with, the Spectrum has 5 pushbutton keypad type switches located directly below the large, sophisticated, but simple LCD display. The switches are as follows; MENU, Up arrow, ENTER, Down arrow, ON/OFF. Instead of the usual twisting of a knob, the operator merely pushes one or more buttons in the right sequence for selections and adjustments. To assist the operator in the field, White's has a brief list of adjustments on both the top and bottom of the instrument.

To assist in learning the Spectrum, White's Electronics provides a large easy to read manual, plus a smaller Spectrum Guide. The two pamphlets do a very good job of explaining the adjustments. However, some of the more sophisticated adjustments will probably need further explanations for maximum understanding and best setting. Fortunately, additional information is available either from White's or third parties.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS AND HINTS

Right out of the box, I found the Spectrum to be very easy to get operating. Assembly was quick, simple, and took only a few minutes. More importantly, by following the instructions located on the machine, I found I was able to immediately start testing the instrument if I so elected. However, I decided to take time to go through the manuals to better familiarize myself with the adjustments.

One feature I really liked was the thought process White's Electronics put into their pleasing the customer. One obvious point was the fact that they supplied both a nicad battery pack (which normally needs to be charged for several hours) and another battery pack complete with standard batteries for instant use. It's obvious they listen to their customers and are willing to go that extra mile for them.

Initial testing was extremely simple, just turn the instrument on, wait for the logo on the display to disappear and follow the basic instructions. If I elected to start with the preset selections all I had to do was to hit the Enter pad when the preset programs menu appeared, and then follow the simple ground balance procedure. With this setting, the unit will come up in the coin hunting mode with a respectable sensitivity and rejection of typical trash targets such as foil, pulltabs, iron, etc.

If an owner did nothing more than select from the 6 different selections of programs, he or she would have an extremely versatile instrument. However, this would be like buying a high performance sports car to drive to the store. In other words, to get the full potential out of this instrument, one should learn the options available and take advantage of them.

I could see how a novice might be somewhat intimidated by all the possible adjustments at first. However, with a little patience and practice, plus taking a little time to experiment, I found making the more common adjustments became second nature, and the more I learned about the effects of the various controls, the more I appreciated the flexibility of this instrument.

During this initial testing, rather than try to learn all the possible adjustments at once, I found if I picked one or two at a time and learned how they affected the operations, learning them all didn't seem so difficult.

I guess now is the time to bring out one of the drawbacks of such a designed instrument. First of all, unlike the average detector where adjustments are a quick and simple turn of a knob, some changes on the Spectrum do take several steps. For example to change the discrimination sensitivity, I had to go back to the "main menu," select "basic adjustments," and toggle down to "AC sensitivity" before I could make the change.

On the plus side, the wide range of optional adjustments is fantastic. For example, who ever heard of having an adjustment of the discrimination filter characteristics. Well, one of the pro options is recovery speed. This control basically adjusts the response time of the filters.

With an adjustment between 1 and 40, normal adjustment of the recovery speed is 20. This setting gives a nice wide response to targets and has respectable recovery time. However, I elected to try different settings and settled for an increase to 30 to make the target response time shorter. Since I was accustomed to short quick target responses, this setting met my needs without any obvious problems. Also, it made for better detection of closer targets.

Still along the same line, White's discrimination mode can best be described as a slow to medium response system. Going too slow will cause very deep targets to be ignored, especially in highly mineralized ground such as my area.

On the other hand, unlike most motion detectors that lose depth when swept rapidly in mineralized ground, the Spectrum increases in depth capabilities with increased sweep speed. This feature allowed me to cover the ground as fast as I felt comfortable without the fear of losing depth by going too fast.

Setting up the Spectrum for the best depth capabilities and minimum false signals did take a little practice. For example, in the extremely mineralized ground where I live, when I increased the AC (discrimination) sensitivity too much, the detector would respond with a false signal with rapid up and down coil movements. Fine tuning for maximum sensitivity and minimum problems was done by increasing the sensitivity a couple of numbers and rechecking for false signals. I settled on setting the instrument at the point where occasional falsing occurred with rapid coil motions.

Because a combination of adjustments can take a while, once I found a couple of sequences of settings that seemed to work best for me, I saved them in the two optional programs. This made it very easy to quickly re-tune the instrument from day to day.

Now, getting back to the basics of the Spectrum, I have to say that I was impressed with the concept of the visual display. This display could give three different indications of probable good targets. One indication is the typical target number such as 78, also, the name of the coin such as "penny/dime" would appear, and finally a small bar appears above the horizontal bar graph. It is this line graph that makes the Spectrum stand out. Rather than take time in this report to try to explain the graph, I would recommend that a person refer to the excellent explanation White's Electronics provides in the advertisements.

Because most people will feel comfortable starting out with one of the factory calibrated programs, such as the coin and jewelry mode, I practiced with it for a while. This setup made the Spectrum a mild mannered instrument with good sensitivity. The unit responded smoothly, was relatively quiet with few false signals, and was extremely accurate on target responses to most targets.

However, with just following the instructions and pushing a couple of buttons, I decided to increase the sensitivity of both the discrimination and all metal modes. Also, noting a one liner in the manual that says +95 can be a hot rock or a very deep target, I selected this number to be accepted. With just these two changes I significantly increased the sensitivity to really deep good targets.

To display the difference, with the factory settings, I was able to detect many of my favorite targets up to and including a 5 inch penny. However, the deeper 6-1/2 inch dime was ignored. After the adjustments, the dime came through loud and clear, and was detected as well with the Spectrum as any other instrument I have tested. I should mention that I did have to select the number +95 as a good target to get a reliable response, although the deep dime would normally register between 78 and 94.

Unfortunately, as I have found with all other extremely sensitive instruments, after I made the adjustments, false signals became somewhat more common. In fact, this can be a problem for a really zealous operator since White's Electronics has done something that most manufacturers don't do, give the operator more sensitivity capability (through the adjustment of both the AC sensitivity and the pre amp gain adjust) than many areas will allow.

During my first days of checkout of the Spectrum, I quickly obtained a wealth of information about the Spectrum through communications with other Spectrum owners such as J. Powell of Meade Kansas who was nice enough to send me a couple of "special programs," and John Jimerson of Nathrop Colorado, who has found an unbelievable amount of items, many of which are extremely valuable. They informed me of a network out there of serious Spectrum owners that can supply "special" programs which work extremely well in their areas.

One little trick I picked up while trying the different programs was something serious relic and nugget hunters could easily use. This was the mixed audio mode. This mode combines both the discrimination and the non-motion modes and gives a two tone output. Targets that fall in the accepted range of the discrimination mode respond with a high tone, and other targets, such as trash or targets too deep to be accurately detected in the discrimination mode respond with a low tone.

The Spectrum, like all other detectors I have tried, will reject a very deep target if it cannot accurately interpret it. As a result, with the detector operating in a standard discrimination mode, a coin just out of the reach of the discrimination range will go unnoticed even at maximum sensitivity.

By using the mixed mode audio in low trashy areas, detection of many of those deeper coins out of the discrimination range is possible. The visual indications of very deep objects will vary from none to almost any possible indication. Unfortunately, all trash, including the deep junk items will respond the same, and in really trashy areas, this setup could be quite frustrating. However, on targets that do not give a reliable visual response, a person can elect to dig some of the deeper ones by making a quick check of the depth of the target.

Before discussing my testing of the Spectrum in the field, I would like to mention just some of the adjustable options available on the Spectrum. For example, an operator can: adjust the rate of the automatic ground tuning (called SAT); select tone ID where the frequency of the tone is dependent on the target; select several adjustments and setups for ground balancing including automatic, manual, offsetting, inhibiting, etc.; fully reject and accept targets through the Discrimination editing features; several different visual display features that can display common targets with numbers, names and bar graph locations; optionally transmit frequencies so similar detector interference can be minimized; high and low power capabilities and gain adjustments that can be made by adjusting the pre-amp gain and/or individual sensitivity adjustments of the all metal and discrimination modes.

IN THE FIELD

Field testing included several trips to local parks, ghost towns, and other isolated areas. In a one line evaluation of the Spectrum's performance, I have to say the Spectrum worked extremely well.

One of the adjustments I preferred at these sites was the use of the audio option called VCO. With this option on, the target signal would increase in tone and frequency when pinpointing in the non-motion mode. This option did take a little getting used to but it made pinpointing a target, in most cases, a quick and simple task.

Park hunting provided little surprises but did produce a handful of coins. Starting out in the factory preset coins and jewelry mode, I found the number of false signals to be minimal. Only one silver dime was recovered from a depth of about 5 inches. Shallow nickels responded correctly but the audio seemed to stutter a little at times. Most importantly, the target ID worked excellent, allowing me to sort through the trash with ease.

With this factory preset mode, I noticed that some of the good targets that responded with good reliable visual ID's properly had a raspy audio response that took a little getting used to. This was especially true of nickels and pennies/dimes. However, when I selected the coins/jewelry mode, the audio became a nice smooth solid response.

During most of the day I was able to easily read the LCD display, but during certain times, I did experience some difficulty, and had to tilt or twist the machine to read the information. Instead of constantly manipulating the detector, I went back to a program that ignored most trash and relied on the audio discrimination.

The parks I selected to hunt were somewhat less mineralized than my initial test site, and as a result, the Spectrum was much easier to adjust. For example, I could easily adjust the AC sensitivity to near maximum without the typical false ground signals, and with the maximum setting, the Spectrum still was respectably free of falsing.

With the near maximum discrimination setting, I still didn't have that many false signals and most trash items were easily recognizable. What was fun during this part of the testing was getting a solid Quarter reading and almost every time, retrieving a Quarter.

In the parks, I also relied on the non-motion or pinpoint mode to check depth indication. Since the depth feature was very accurate, it was very easy to know how deep to probe to find the target.

The ghost towns and other remote areas did present some different conditions. For example, with the coin's jewelry setting, I did encounter a lot of bottle caps that responded as good targets. Also, some other small round pieces of rusty iron gave good results.

Sometimes, just changing the sweep speed over these troublesome targets would cause them to be rejected, but at other times, nothing seemed to work. However, because of my experience with a wide variety of detectors that have the same problem, I wasn't concerned. I elected to mention this fact, not to criticize the Spectrum, but, rather to inform a perspective new owner that although this detector has exceptional capabilities, it too can be fooled by some trash.

One of the sites I hunted was with a friend mentioned earlier, John Jimerson. At this site, an old Boy Scout camp, John equipped his Spectrum with a 6 inch coil and showed me how experience with a particular detector makes a big difference. While I did succeed in finding a few newer coins and what I think is a scout necktie gizmo, with the words "CAMP TA-WA-KO-NI" stamped in it, John, found several more coins including one of his favorites, a mercury dime.

This site, like many others near John's home are extremely mineralized and plagued with hot rocks. As bad as the conditions were, the Spectrum did respond as well as, or better, than any other detector I have used in this area: Even with +95 accepted, I didn't get any false signals from hot rocks unless I had the coil right on top of one.

It is easy to say that the Spectrum tackles highly mineralized, hot rock plagued ground with ease, but someone doesn't have to take my word for it. All they have to do is look at John's collection of items he has found with his Spectrum and one would wonder if there was anything left for the rest of us to find. In fact, since my trip with him, John mentioned in a conversation that he had just found a nice gold ring complete with mounted gold coin and 13 diamonds.

CONCLUSION

If a person was to select the Spectrum just for the target ID features, and only used the factory calibrated programs, they would have a great machine. However, the true potential of the Spectrum lies in maximizing sensitivity in conjunction with the wide range of other adjustments.

With the proper combination of adjustments, the Spectrum's depth capabilities increase dramatically and become one of the deepest seeking detectors on the market. Just as important, the ground balance is about as easy as it gets. Target ID and depth indications are as accurate as can be, and notching out a range of targets is reasonably quick and simple.

Simply stated, no other one detector offers the depth, the many adjustments, and the versatility of the Spectrum. I highly recommend this instrument to people who want exceptional depth plus almost complete control of the detector's operations.

Quantum II Metal Detector - Yet Another Winner from Whites

Written by Joe Patrick
Reprinted with permission from Lost Treasures
From page 15 of the September 1997 issue of Lost Treasure magazine.

Is there anyone who has never heard of White's metal detectors? It always amazes me that the first name most people outside of our hobby mention, when the subject of metal detectors comes up, is White's!

It's no wonder -- White's Electronics of Sweet Home, Oregon has done a tremendous job of marketing its company and products over the past 40 plus years.

Throughout White's decades of manufacturing metal detectors, they have become well recognized for their high-quality products and innovative, leading-edge designs -- a tradition that continues today.

White's deserves much credit. As I have said a few times before in other detecting articles, where would our hobby be and what kind of equipment would we be using if such companies as White's were not around? I think the answer is obvious.

White's and Microprocessor-controlled Detectors

Up until the mid 1980s, metal detectors were somewhat limited in their ability to "tune in" what you wanted to find while "tuning out" what you didn't.

Standard, variable discrimination was a great innovation for metal detecting, and still is -- but its broad selection range does not give the precise control and accuracy of target acceptance and rejection that microprocessor-controlled, multi-notching detectors do.

It all began with the original White's Eagle -- their first "computerized" detector. The Eagle was unique and innovative and for the first time ever, it presented detectorists a way to easily and finely control each and every function of their detector's operation. The Eagle also incorporated a state-of-the-art display to indicate target type, depth and intensity and to monitor various control and program settings.

Recently, White's released a total redesign of their microprocessor-controlled detector which they have named the Spectrum XLT. This detector is extremely popular, and for many good reasons. It is much smaller and lighter in weight than the original Eagle and is improved in so many ways that I could write a whole article about it alone. But, this field test is about -- the newly released Quantum II -- which has many of the very same features that have made the XLT so popular.

Features

The Quantum II is designed to be a high-performance, mid-priced, easy-to-operate detector and White's has successfully met all of their design goals -- and more!

The Quantum II made it easy to find all of this!

The first thing I noticed about the Quantum II, is that it is constructed with the new streamlined wrap-around control box -- the same as used on the XLT. This is a significant improvement over older designs that were much larger and heavier. The wrap-around design is very functional as it keeps the top of the control box sealed, which helps to keep rain and dirt from penetrating to the electronic circuitry inside. A new slide-in battery system is used and is one of the best I have seen. A solid 7.8-inch waterproof concentric searchcoil is attached to White's unique counter-balanced S-pole assembly, providing a lightweight "feel" and exceptional balance.

The Quantum II comes with their standard (non-rechargeable) battery pack, which holds eight "AA" cell batteries. A new set of Alkalines will provide approximately 20 hours of search time. A rechargeable battery system is available as an option. White's rechargeable battery #802-5211, and charger #509-0022 are recommended for use with the Quantum II.

One of the major design goals for the Quantum II was to make it very easy-to-operate without forgoing performance.

A big step in that direction, is the automated ground balancing procedure. It is as simple as moving the detector searchcoil up and down until no change is heard in the audio threshold sound. Then, simply pull the trigger-switch and the Quantum is matched to the ground you are detecting over. If you do not pull the trigger within 20 seconds, a preset ground balance setting is automatically utilized.

A new wide-view display and zoned discrimination function of the Quantum are also unique. They are divided into eight separate and distinct user-controllable acceptance/rejection zones. These zones are:

1 Low Iron, 2 High Iron, 3 Foil/Sm. Ring, 4 Nickel/Ring, 5 Tab/Lg. Ring, 6 Screw cap/Zinc, 7 1--50/1$ and 8 (ground).

When a target is encountered, a couple of things happen. First, if the zone is programmed to be "accepted," the detector's audio responds with a "beep" to the speaker or headphones. At the same time, the display will indicate which zone the target falls into and what the probable target is. Across the bottom of the Quantum's L.C.D. display is a continuous rolling indication of the intensity of the signal displayed, which helps in estimating the target's size and depth. If the zone is programmed to be "rejected," no audio is heard when a target "falls" into that zone. However, the display will still indicate the probable target.

To pinpoint a target, squeeze and hold the trigger. This switches the Quantum to a non-motion all-metal mode. Two parallel bars are displayed on screen along with a numeric depth reading. Next, scan over the target until both bars are equal length -- this indicates the exact target center. At this point, stop and read the numeric depth reading -- this reading will be very accurate on coin-sized targets.

Controls and Settings

The Quantum II features a number of user-adjustable functions, settings and options -- too many to discuss in detail in this field test. I would however like to inform readers of just how versatile this detector is, so I will highlight on the various options available.

The Quantum II provides three preset programs: Coins; Coin and Jewelry; Relic/Prospecting -- all of which are capable of being changed and user-edited. In addition, users can select and control eight different functions: Volume; Threshold; Search Sensitivity; Viewing Angle; Transmit Frequency; Discrimination; Coin I.D. Tone; Discrimination Edit.

Field Test

I quickly discovered that using the Quantum II was a "breeze". The detector is very easy and intuitive to control and operate.

The site selected for my field test is a large field that has been used for well over 100 years as a baseball, "parade" and military drill field.

Another enjoyable day out detecting with the Quantum II.

It has produced an assortment of items, as witnessed by many years of detecting there, but for some strange reason, it has never produced many coins.

I began by ground balancing the Quantum -- which is super easy to do. I am glad that White's did not design the Quantum with only a factory preset ground balance. I am certain that by letting each detectorists accurately ground balance to the ground they are searching significantly contributes to the Quantum's smooth operation and high performance.

I decided to use the "Relic" program, but increased the preset "Sensitivity" and switched the "Coin I.D. Tone" to "on". I also decreased the audio "Threshold" slightly and rejected zones 1 and 2 (low and high iron).

In about seven hours of detecting, I recovered a pouch-full of items including: A Pennsylvania State Seal button; 22 miscellaneous military uniform buttons (circa 1900); A very unique "Turban Head" button; An ornate Sterling silver "wedding band"; A gold-plated "heart" ring; A P&O? lead freight seal; A sling buckle; A 1920 Cuban Centavo coin and miscellaneous clad coins. The Quantum II was quite effective at this heavily detected site and as a bonus, I retrieved very little trash!

The day of my field test, I was detecting with two friends. After a short break for lunch, we returned to our detecting spot when Don asked me, "Are you going to keep using the Quantum?" I replied, "Yes, it's been working very well for me."

Findings

I find the Quantum II to be an extremely well designed and constructed easy-to-use detector that provides many top-end features for its modest $499.95 (retail) price.

It provides very good detection depth, discriminates well and its target I.D. is accurate. It is easy enough for a beginner or "casual" detectorists to use, but has enough performance, versatility and features for a "seasoned pro'" to use effectively.

In less than 30 minutes time, I felt as if I had been using this detector for years. It became an integral part of my detecting and did not get in the way of it, as sometimes a new detector can.. until they are mastered.

The Quantum II's workmanship is flawless and I just love seeing that red, white, and blue "Made in America" sticker on the control box!

Further enhancing the Quantum II, is an array of optional searchcoils and accessories to suit almost any detectorists, detecting-site or situation encountered.

In a day and age when far too many products are compromised to save a "buck," it's refreshing to see such high standards followed and implemented to such a degree!

I very much recommend the Quantum II for anyone who desires a high-quality, easy-to-operate detector with just the right combination of features and performance -- this detector will not overwhelm you!

White's as a company, and their employees, distributors and dealers all have much to be proud of, and the new Quantum II is just one more reason!

An Opportunity To Test The I.D.X. Metal Detector

Written by Joe Patrick
Reprinted with permission from Lost Treasures
From page 18 of the August 1999 issue of Lost Treasure magazine.

It has been about a year and a half since my last field test of a White's metal detector. At that time, I had an opportunity to test the new Quantum 11 and was blown away by its performance, ease of use, and overall accuracy. Even my two detecting partners on one hunt, Bob Kinney and Don Miller, were impressed by my finds and positive comments about the Quantum 11.

Now, I have another opportunity to field test a new White's model the Classic I.D.X. and it too is making a believer of me!

One common characteristic that I have noticed about the two White's detectors I have tested is that they remind me so much of the smooth operating, 4-filter detectors that I began my detecting career with over 17 years ago.

They are very stable with almost no ground noise chatter and they discriminate iron extremely well, very impressive for a dual filter detector!

I found the Classic I.D.X. to be very well behaved and in my estimation, it is a detector that will astonish many users with its no-nonsense performance!

Features

As mentioned previously, the Classic I.D.X. is a dual filter, analog metal detector that features a handle mounted eight-category L.C.D. visual target identification meter. This detector uses a new, patent pending technology called "Flash Phase."

There are two search modes: silent search motion discrimination and threshold dependent, zero discrimination non-motion. The ground balance and all-metal threshold are factory preset, but there is access to an internal control to adjust the ground balance if required. The Classic I.D.X. is equipped with White's Blue Max 950 searchcoil.

To those not familiar with this coil, it is a very thin profile open center 9.5 inch concentric design that provides outstanding depth, discrimination accuracy and easy pinpointing in all but the trashiest locations. For high-trash locations, I prefer using a smaller White's coil.

Three variable external controls and one toggle switch control its entire operation. They are: Discrimination); Frequency) Adjust); and Sensitivity). A toggle switch is provided to select either Normal) or BLACK SAND ground balance offset. The three vanable controls all have PRESET markings to enable fast turn-on-and-go initial setup if desired. The DISC control is marked with both a coin range and ring range preset.

The SENS control sets the sensitivity for both the detector and the I.D. meter. If set too high for the conditions the display may either become unreliable, or tend to fill in with all the display blocks. Use only the amount of sensitivity needed, as this will provide the smoothest operation and best overall performance. Because metal detectors often operate at the same transmit frequency, cross talk or interference often results when two or more detectors are operated close together. The variable FREQ ADJ (Frequency Adjustment) eliminates this interference by allowing you to change the transmit operating frequency of the Classic I.D.X. in the range of 6.35 to 6.55 Khz.

The NORM/BLACK SAND switch allows an operator to switch between two different discrimination ranges #1 NORM which is best suited for normal conditions, #2 BLACK SAND which is best suited for extreme conditions such as black sand, saltwater beaches or other high ground mineralization. The BLACK SAND position allows for true zero discrimination which will provide superior penetration in such extreme conditions.

White's standard slide-in battery holder comes with the Classic I.D.X. and it holds eight "AA" batteries. Expect up to 65 hours of detecting time from one set of Alkaline batteries! For an optional rechargeable battery, White's nicad battery #802-5211, and charger #509-0022 is recommended.

The Classic I.D.X. uses White's standard "S" -- rod pole assembly and elbow cup design with both spring clip and camlock collars to adjust and secure the stem operating length. This dual-adjustment hardware system provides fast and easy adjustment with rigid, no wobble operation while scanning.

An all-metal control box housing is used, which features White's wraparound mechanical design. This helps prevent water, dirt and dust from entering the box and damaging the electronic circuitry inside. As an additional safety measure, the entire mating edge of the box is gasketed!

Using the Classic I.D.X. was quite comfortable as its weight is minimal and its balance is very good, although it is just slightly front heavy. An adjustable elbow cup arm strap is provided and it helps provide better balance and sweep control.

One surprising and highly valuable feature of the Classic I.D.X. is that the I.D. meter works in the all metal mode too! Most experienced users will immediately recognize just how valuable this feature is. It enables you to "run" in the all-metal mode for best depth, sensitivity and target selectivity, with no target masking and use the meter to identify all targets. This is a very effective "pro" method for finding deep coins and artifacts in all but the trashiest of locations. Coupling the Blue Max 950 coil with an all metal I.D. capable detector provides some serious detecting capability when needed, it is probably no accident that White's designed the I.D.X. this way.

Field Use and Findings

The identification meter of the Classic I.D.X. is well marked and referenced. Not only does it have IRON/ GOLD/SILVER ranges indicated, but also pictorials of trash items, a gold ring range and of course, 5 0, 10 Zinc, 100/10 Copper, 250 and 500/$l U.S. coins.

I did notice one quirk however ... in bright sunlight, at certain viewing angles, the meter would sometimes appear to have the $1/50 LCD I.D. segment illuminated. This was due to a shadow being cast from the control box housing onto the LCD meter face directly below.

Having used the Classic I.D.X. at several detecting sites, I quickly discovered that its iron discrimination and I.D. capability is excellent! It "nailed" iron correctly just about every time! The meter response is very quick with a solid, positive lock-on. I was also impressed by its quick recovery time after passing over a rejected target.

Pinpointing targets was a "snap" with the Classic I.D.X. which has my favorite and preferred method a finger-operated trigger switch, zero motion and a modulated audio signal which varies in strength with target size and depth.

The spring-loaded mode switch has three positions. In its center, normal position, the detector is operating in the discrimination mode. Pulling and holding the trigger switches the detector to its all metal, zero-motion pinpointing mode. Upon releasing the switch from the pinpointing position, the internal spring automatically returns it to its center, discrimination, position. The switch can also be locked forward to keep the detector in the all-metal, non-motion mode if desired.

In its all-metal mode, the auto tuning speed seems to be about once every two seconds fast enough to keep the detector operating smoothly. Repeated, quick pulls on the switch will detune a target making pinpointing even more precise.

During my field evaluation, I recovered a variety of targets including coins, artifacts, and an old cast-metal toy truck. However, my best find was a solid-gold, very ornate handle from an old walking cane.

Although somewhat damaged -- it's old and it's GOLD! Covered with a thin, caked-on layer of black grime, from being buried for so many years, I did not know it was gold until the next day when I cleaned it. I have unearthed other gold items over the years that had similar black coatings such as old gilded buttons so make sure you check and clean all items before discarding them.

In almost 20 years of metal detecting, this is only the second cane handle I have unearthed. The first, was found in an old city park in Wheeling, W.Va., and it is solid sterling silver. This one, came from an old home-site on my friend, Dave's, farm.

Conclusion

As a detectorists first and a field tester second, I am always and primarily looking for and impressed most by a metal detectors' overall performance ... not brand or model!

The Classic I.D.X. is an impressive, high-quality, made-in-the-USA, mid-priced detector that will more than satisfy the needs of most users. Its smooth operation, excellent discrimination, solid construction and ease-of-use is the right combination to ensure success at almost any experience level, site or type of detecting desired.

Its identification meter is accurate, well-marked and labeled and easy to view. The Classic I.D.X. is a turn-on-and-go detector, but I found it to provide much more than expected!

GMT Goldmaster Metal Detector - A True American Machine

Written by Chris Gholson
Reprinted with permission from Lost Treasures
From page 24 of the March 2002 issue of Lost Treasure magazine.

White's Electronics, a name known throughout the gold prospecting community, has been manufacturing metal detectors for nearly 55 years. The success of their 4900, Eagle, and Goldmaster series machines has earned them a solid reputation among nugget hunting enthusiasts. Although many of these detectors have been discontinued, White's commitment to product excellence has not. Their newest addition is the GMT E-Series. Unlike the previous GM/4, GMT users now have the flexibility of choosing between automatic or manual-type ground balance. White's has also given the GMT a more friendly appearance by reducing the number of knobs, dials, and gadgets on the control box.

Features

The detector is powered by eight "AA" batteries, which should supply enough juice for about 40 hours of operation. The GMT is outfitted with a 10 1/2" elliptical Twin-D search coil, however it is compatible with earlier Goldmaster coils. It operates at a fixed 48 kHz and is available exclusively as a pole mount. While you can undoubtedly find coins, relics, and buried treasure with the GMT, it was really designed with one thing in mind....finding gold!

Besides turning the unit on and off, the primary function of the GAIN control is to adjust the signal strength are indicated by the numbers 1-10, which appear around the knob. Turning the Gain in the clockwise position will increase depth penetration, turning it country clockwise has the opposite effect. The gain should be set in the highest setting whenever possible, as this will allow maximum penetration. However, when working noisy or "hot" ground you may be forced to reduce Gain, as the mineralization may actually bounce back the signal making it virtually impossible to hear targets over the ground chatter.

The Variable SAT Speed (or V-SAT) control, adjusts the speed that the GMT recovers its threshold "hum" when the search coil passes over changes in the ground mineralization. These mineralization changes affect the consistency of the threshold "hum" and can potentially mask a buried target. Remember, overall depth will be diminished with a faster V-SAT speed tan to lose a target altogether.

The Audio Signal Boost switch acts as both a battery tester and an audio amplifier. This feature is especially useful when seeking out extremely tiny nuggets or for "boosting-up" those faint, deeply buried targets.

As most experienced prospectors already know, gold is usually found in mineralized soil. In Order to find this gold a metal detector must be able to cancel out of adjust to this mineralization....this is where ground balancing comes in. The GMT can be ground balanced using either the new Fast AutoTrac system or the more traditional "Manual" Balance method. When placed in the Fast AutoTrac position the GMT automatically compensates for changing ground mineralization. Or if you prefer to do it yourself, just flip the switch into the Manual Balance position and have at it! The Ground Balance Touch Pad buttons and new digital microprocessor control with a 4000:1 resolution make manually ground balancing this detector quick and easy. Adjustments are as simple as tapping either the plus (+) or minus (-) pads on the display while pumping the coil.

White's has also incorporated a state-of-the-art, iron identification system. This unique development applies digital analyzing to predict the probability of a target being iron. The Iron I.D. System is presented to the user both visually on the display and audibly when desired. When the Iron I.D. trigger is in the center position the GMT responds to all metallic targets. Although this is the All Metal mode the "ferrous" probability of all targets will still be shown, however it is not as accurate as the Target Analyzer. If the trigger is locked in the forward position, sound is added to the Iron I.D. System.

When the coil passes over a target registering at least 85% iron, a "GRUNT" sound is added to the tail end of the signal. While the trigger is squeezed, the GMT stops tracking and analyzes the suspected target. With each successive pass of the coil more information is added to its memory bank and the % probability of it being ferrous is shown on the display. White's claim that their Iron I.D. System does not alter detection depth.

Field Test

I was already planning a prospecting expedition to north western Arizona and knew this was the ideal opportunity to test out the new Whites. This area, located not far from the town of Kingman has yielded 1,000 of placer nuggets, some in excess of 15 ounces! Evidence of past mining activities since its discovery at the turn of the century can be found throughout the district, most notably along the banks of the gullies and washes. Because running water is virtually non-existent, the drywasher was the old-timers most popular method for recovering gold in this region. Drywashers are not nearly as efficient as wet washing methods; therefore the tailing mounds should always be thoroughly investigated.

Despite my urge to jump down into the gullies I held back, deciding it was better to begin on the hilltops until I became more familiar with the machine's operation. With the machine set in the AutoTrac position, the Gain at 7, V-SAT at 3.5x, All Metal mode, and the audio boos turned off, I began scanning on of the ridge tops. The first target let off a solid "zip-zip". The meter showed an iron probability of 50-60%, however when I squeezed Iron I.D. trigger it quickly jumped up to 75%, a few more passes and it was up to 85%. The GMT analysis had been correct the target was a rusty nail. A careful search of the area produced a handful f worthless objects such as nails, decomposed cans, and boot tacks.

For the most part, I found the Target Analysis System very reliable. Nearly all-ferrous trash registered 75% or higher, while objects like gold and lead registered well below the 25% mark. While this feature works well, it can and will make mistakes from time to time.

Now that I had a better feel for the machine I decided to try my luck in one of the drywashed gullies. I quickly realized that my current settings would not do. Streaks of heavy black sands, clusters of darkly colored stones, and the erratic behavior of the detector alerted me that mineralization had changed considerably. The instruction manual states that a setting between 7-8 on the Gain and a setting of 3-4x on the V-SAT are suitable for most detecting. While it would be nice to maintain these settings, it is virtually impossible in mineralized ground. In order to keep the machine stable, the Gain was reduced to 4 and the V-SAT was speeded up around 7-8x. The machine's depth penetrations was definitely handicapped, but this was necessary because of the severe ground mineralization. If you experience false signals while out hunting or the words "BAD GROUND" appears in the display you should turn the Gain down a bit. As mentioned before, lowering the Gain will reduce over all depth penetration, but it will allow you to find nuggets in noisy ground. Also, if you experience a slight fluctuation in the threshold while in the AutoTrac mode, don't panic; this is just the GMT tracking out ground mineralization.

With the machine properly tuned I began scanning the remains of several coarse piles. After Digging a variety of surface rubbish I finally hit upon my first promising target. It sounded sweet and it registered below 50% ---- this was definitely a positive sign. Rummaging through the loose material I eventually isolated the target. It was covered in caliche, but sounded off nicely on the detector. YES! A quick wash revealed a lovely 1.2 gram nugget. My blood was really pumping now. Five feet away I unearthed yet another nugget, a little smaller but gold nonetheless. Excited by the discovery of the two nuggets I pushed further up the gully. Near its headwaters I spotted an unusually bit of red stained earth. Upon closer inspection I found the remains of several detector dig holes. Fifteen minutes had passed before I picked up what sounded like a faint target. I decided to activate the Audio Signal Boost. What a difference this made, the target was now clearly audible and distinct. Two inches later I was rewarded with a tiny 0.4-gram nugget. Although I wasn't able to locate any more nuggets in the area I was more than pleased with GMT's performance and the day's outcome.

Summary

A total of three nuggets were found during the course of the field test. The two largest nuggets were recovered from coarse drywash piles found along the bangs of a gully. The third, and much smaller nugget, was found embedded within a section of reddish stained soil at the headwaters of the gully. Although my finds were not tremendous, it still said a lot about this detector's nugget finding abilities.

The White's GMT proved itself capable of finding sub-gram and larger sized nuggets in areas of heavy mineralization containing abundant hot rocks. Even more amazing was the fact that one of the pieces was discovered in an area that had obviously been worked by other detectorists.
The GMT is one of the finest gold machines I have ever used; however this detector is probably not for everyone. It is a complex high performance gold machine that takes practice and dedication. If you purchase the unit be realistic; don't expect to master it your first trip out. It will find nuggets, but only if you are willing to take the time to learn how to operate it properly. With a transferable 2-year parts and labor warranty, the GMT is by far one of the most affordable, high quality detectors around. It isn't the deepest penetrating detector on the market; but then again it won't drain your pocket book either. Its extreme lightweight, automatic ground tracking capabilities, refined iron discrimination, and reasonable price tag make the GMT worthy of serious consideration when shipping for a new gold machine. Not to mention it's made right here in the good ol' USA.

Beach Hunter ID Metal Detector - A Great, Versatile Detector.

Written by Andy Sabisch
Reprinted with permission from Lost Treasures
From page 29 of the June 2002 issue of Lost Treasure magazine.

I have been an avid water hunter since the early 1970's when several of us started hunting the beaches surrounding New York City. It was an exciting time since competition was virtually non-existent and finds were plentiful. However, the equipment we used was crude at best, land detectors (mediocre by today's standards) converted for use in the water. We ruined our fair share by dropping them in the water but there was not much else to choose from in terms of commercially available equipment. My first waterproof detector was one from Whites Electronics called an Amphibian, a basic TR unit with no discrimination but it served me flawlessly for years. Well, as water hunting grew in popularity, other manufacturers started producing detectors for this use and their performance improved. White’s has maintained a line of water detectors since the days of the Amphibian and has devoted as much time in the research and development of new water units as they have land detectors. Their newest addition, the Beach Hunter ID, is one that incorporates features not found on any of its predecessors and I was looking forward to trying it out on both salt and fresh water sites.

Features

The Beach Hunter ID was developed through considerable engineering research and feedback from hunters worldwide testing numerous prototypes. Using a dual-frequency circuit it was designed to allow treasure hunters to search both fresh and saltwater sites with one detector. Typically, VLF detectors are best suited for use in fresh water and pulse units are best in salt water. The drawback to pulse detectors is that they lack discrimination resulting in unnecessary digging in areas that contain a large number of trash targets.

The Beach Hunter ID only requires three controls to adjust its operation. The threshold knob is used to turn the unit on and adjust the background hum heard through the headphones. The optimum setting is when a slight hum is heard over any background noise that my be present. The detector can be run completely silent; however, a slight loss of detection depth will occur. The sensitivity knob also serves a dual purpose. By turning the knob to the battery check position, the LEDs will indicated relative battery strength. In any other position, it controls the power output of the coil. A common misconception is that more power equals more depth; however, if adverse ground conditions are present, less depth may actually be the result. There is a pre-set mark, which is a good starting point; you should turn it up as high as possible without sacrificing stability. This control also affects the target ID LEDs, if set to high, the accuracy of the lights will be reduced.

The final control is the ground knob that adjusts how the detector's ability to compensate for ground mineralization. The more precisely this control is set in each area the detector is used, the better the detection depth and target ID accuracy will be. It is adjusted in the same way a manual ground balance detector would be; i.e., slight adjustments are made so that the background audio threshold remains constant as the coil is lowered to the ground. Anytime the sensitivity setting is changed, the ground control will need to be readjusted in order to maintain optimal performance.

There are two distinct search modes on the Beach Hunter ID, ALL METAL and DISC (ruminate). When operating in the DISC modes, one of three distinct audio tones will be produced depending on what type of target has been detected. A low tone indicates iron or steel, a medium tone indicates lead, nickels, pull-tabs and most gold jewelry and a high tone is indicative of coins or silver targets. In addition to the tones, there are three colored lights (LEDs), Red, Yellow, and Blue/Green, on the face of the control housing that correspond to the tones being produced to help aid in identifying targets. The ALL METAL mode is extremely helpful for pinpointing or when searching in confined spaces since the amount of coil movement required for optimal performance is considerably less than the DISC mode. When operating in the ALL METAL mode the audio ID features is disabled; i.e., all targets produce the same response; however, the LEDs still proved probable target ID.

The Beach Hunter ID uses that same style drop-in battery pack found on many of the other Whites detectors. The pack that comes with the detector holds 8 AA batteries that produce 30 to 40 hours of operation. The rechargeable pack offered by Whites can be used to reduce operating costs.
The searchcoil is a 9.5 inch design providing good ground coverage while not sacrificing sensitivity to smaller targets.

Field Test

The timing of this field test was less than ideal, a early Fall cold spell hit central Pennsylvania and the water temperature dropped a good 10 degrees in just a few days. Digging out my cold-water wetsuit and finding out it must have shrunk since I last put it on (the only reason I could come up with to explain why it was as snug as it was). I loaded my dive gear and the Beach Hunter ID into the truck and headed over to a large lake quite popular in the summer about 50 miles away.

The first site I visited was a public beach with a nice sandy beach. The interesting point about this site was that it had been much larger in the early 1900's but the older section was now overgrown with weeds and a layer of muck. As a result, this area receives less pressure from the other water hunters than the section still in use. Since I knew several local hunters had worked the active beach consistently throughout the season, I was not expecting much but I felt it would give me an indication of how the Beach Hunter ID performed in a "non-virgin" site.

Suiting up, I ground balanced the detector and selected the DISC mode and waded into the shallow water at one end of the beach and started working a patter parallel to the shore. In order to check the Beach Hunter ID's target ID accuracy I opted to dig any signal I received. The first pass produced three IRON signals that turned out to be well-rusted hairpins. Starting my second pass I received a HIGH tone and the corresponding GREEN light came on. In the second scoop I found a quarter, at least I knew the previous hungers did not get it all! The next few passes produced several more coins and almost all of them were at least 6 to 8 inches deep, with a few down close to a foot based on the depth of my holes before filling them back in.

Anxious to see how well the Beach Hunter ID worked in salt water, I drove to a popular beach in Rye, New York. It had been more than 20 years since I had last hunted this site and I was hoping to find a few keepers for "old times sake". The tide was just starting to go out so I would work my way out as the water receded. As I looked down the beach I saw two other detectors working the wet sand area so I knew that the area was being hunted on a regular basis. With a quick wave, I waded into the water and started hunting. Ground balancing was easy and the threshold remained rock-solid as I worked parallel to the beach. For the first 30 minutes I only received low tones indicating ferrous junk targets which I ignored. Finally a HIGH tone produced a clad dime from almost 10 inches. I spend most of the day working the shallow water and was quite satisfied with my results. In addition to a handful of clad coins, I had three wheat cents, two silver dimes, two old beach tags and a 14kt wedding band engraved with the date 08-12-51.

Over the next few weeks I visited several fresh and salt water sites and was impressed with the ability of the Beach Hunter ID to handle the ground condition present as well as locate targets at depths which indicated others had missed them. I used the Beach Hunter ID both in the wading and diving configurations. In addition to almost 200 coins, I recovered several pieces of gold jewelry, keys, buttons and other items lost by swimmers over the years.

Summary

The new Beach Hunter ID is a detector that is equally at home in salt water, fresh water or on land. The dual-frequency circuitry handles adverse ground conditions without sacrificing detection depth or target ID accuracy. The ability to identify targets even when hunting in the All-Metal mode is a feature that expands the usefulness of the Beach Hunter ID. In high-trash areas, the fact that it responds to all targets in the ground takes some getting used to; however, the audio target ID system combined with the LED's helps one pick out the "keepers" from the junk.

6000 Pro XL Metal Detector - A Thorough Field Test

Written by Joe Patrick
Reprinted with permission from Lost Treasures

As I slowly search the face of a steep, wooded hill- side 200 feet above the main entrance to the old campsite the detector suddenly gives a distinct audio signal. Glancing at the ID meter, it is solidly locked-on at 'DIME'. I am confident the meter is correct! Sure enough, the new White's 6000 PRO XL that I am field testing is again correct. This time, I hold a beautiful 1901 Barber Dime in my hand - a foot away, a '48' signal proves to be an 1899 Indian Head penny!

Anyone who has detected during the last ten to 20 years is certainly aware of White's various model 6000/D-series detectors. They are, and have been, some of the most used, most productive and most 'time-tested' detectors ever built. Their collective finds 'track record' is perhaps unmatched, as many thousands upon thousands of finds have been made with them.

Just recently, White's did a 'remake' of its ever-popular model 6000/D, which keeps all of its previous best features, adds a few new ones and significantly reduces its control box size and weight. This redesign has evolved into a new model - the 6000 PRO XL.

Features

White's new 6000 PRO XL is a single-frequency VLF metal detector featuring an analog identification (ID) and depth meter, four selectable search modes and an Auto GEB (ground balance) and tracking feature. New surface mount electronics reduces circuit noise and increases efficiency. This compact circuit design enables the PRO XL's control box to be 50 percent smaller. Prior to the invention of the microprocessor, digital electronics and displays, metal detectors with ID capability used the time-proven analog panel meter to indicate probable targets.

Analog, or needle-type, meters provide some significant benefits not readily obtainable with newer, digital displays. Most notably is the easy interpretation of readings, simply because the meter pointer moves its angular position in reference to the various targets detected. Many detectorists prefer analog ID. Some, because it is what they started with and have learned, but most like it (myself included) because it is an accurate, easy-to-view and interpret system of target identification.

The 6000 PRO XL has the following controls, switches and functions: Signal Balance: This control adjusts the amount of receive signal coming from the searchcoil. You can think of this as the sensitivity control on other brands. In low mineralization ground, the Signal Balance control can usually be set at or near its maximum setting. This will provide the best depth and sensitivity to targets. In higher mineralization, this control setting will need to be reduced to the point where the detector becomes smooth and stable.

Tuner: The Tuner control sets the amount of background audio threshold level (hum). This should be set for the minimum audio sound possible.

Mode: The Mode control (switch) is used to set the operating mode of the detector. Four choices are possible: GEB/NORM; GEB/DISC; TR/DISC; GEB/SAT. The GEB/NORM and GEB/SAT are all-metal modes, while the GEB/DISC and TR/DISC are discrimination modes. Most detectorists will use the GEB/DISC (motion) mode most of the time, but there are times and site conditions that may require the use of one of the other operating modes and may even be a better choice than the GEB/DISC mode. One very important feature of the 6000 PRO XL is that its ID system and meter works in ALL modes of operation - even in its all-metal modes! This can be a real 'plus' for relic, coin and jewelry hunters who want to use the maximum depth, low-target masking properties of the all-metal modes and still reap the benefits of an accurate target ID system. I really like this feature.

Power: The Power control turns the detector ON/OFF, selects either Hot Rock Accept or Hot Rock Reject, and tests the battery strength. The Hot Rock Accept mode provides maximum results, but in areas containing hot rocks, many false signals are likely while operating in this mode. The Hot Rock Reject setting cancels most responses caused by hot rocks and makes operation smoother, but may reject very deep or weak targets that appear similar to hot rocks in their response. It is recommended not to use this setting unless needed. The Hot Rock Reject setting has worked well for me while detecting some gravel-filled parking areas, old gravel roadways and even in some trashy sites where targets where not extremely deep. The Battery Check position of this control is used to check the condition of the batteries. A meter indication of '50' or above will operate the detector. If a reading of less than '50' is observed, batteries require replacement. Most batteries will provide from 8-16 hours of operating time. This 'time rating' will be dependent on battery type and brand, the use of headphones or not, and the operating mode selected. The 6000 PRO XL comes with White's standard drop-in battery pack (802-7150) that holds eight 'AA' type batteries.

Discrimination: This control sets the amount of discrimination and should always be set to the lowest setting possible. The meter can and should be used to identify targets instead of just using the discrimination control to totally reject them. The discrimination control does not work with the GEB/MAX or GEB/NORM modes.

Auto G.E.B.: The Auto GEB is used to select the actual ground rejection setting (ground balance). This feature is very easy to use and do. Once set, GND AUTO TRAC can be selected to automatically track any changes in the ground. This continual updating of the ground rejection setting improves performance.

For maximum depth and ground coverage, the 6000 PRO XL is supplied with a 9.5 inch open-center searchcoil, a 1/4 inch headphone jack and an internal speaker. Although no volume control is provided, the volume level can be controlled by using headphones equipped with volume controls.

Field Use And Findings

Conducting a field test in the months of December and January is always a risky venture here in Pennsylvania. You just never know what the weather will bring. My test started off fine, but by the end of December, winter had arrived and I was pretty well 'snowbound' for the remainder of my allotted time. Fortunately, I started in early November and had enough time to give it a good 'workout' before bad weather set in. As the field test progressed, with each new outing and site detected, I discovered just how smooth and 'deadly' the 6000 PRO XL and its analog meter identification is - it is surely one of the best analog-meter ID detectors that I have ever used. It is also very easy to understand and operate. It is not a difficult detector to use. Not exactly a turn-on-and-go detector, but with its marked control presets, automatic ground reject and tracking - pretty close to it - with a whole lot more power, depth and features.

Summary

In the weeks of my field test, I found and uncovered many coins and interesting items with the 6000 PRO XL. The smoothness, accuracy and repeatability of its ID meter is amazing! The large, easy-to-read meter has excellent visibility and markings. All-in-all, I found it to be an excellent performing, well-built, easy-to-use metal detector. The only two comments I have are that with the control box mounted and positioned under the operators forearm, control viewing and adjustment is a little awkward, but not really a problem. The other comment is that I could have used an extra set of adjustment holes in the 'S-pole' assembly to accommodate my shorter stance. It appears that there is room to do this.

At the site of the old campsite I detected numerous shotgun shell brass, these consistently read at around '38' on the meter and I always knew what they were before digging. All of the coins found indicated accurately as did most trash - White's metering system is excellent.

All controls and functions work well and I very much appreciate the trigger switch and its proper location under the index finger! I also like and prefer their smooth, single-frequency, modulated pinpointing audio.

White's 6000/D series detectors have always been popular with detectors worldwide and for many good reasons. Likewise, the new 6000 PRO XL is a very-well engineered metal detector with the right combination of features, balance and performance. In my opinion, this detector is as close to a perfect '10' rating as you can get for an analog ID metal detector with real switches, knobs and controls. While I freely admit that no detector is perfect and that we always want more, I have to say that from my experience, the 6000 PRO XL is impressive. As I write this field report, the year 2000 is less than one month away. How improbable and yet very appropriate is the finding of two coins from almost exactly 100 years ago - from the then turn of 1800s into the 1900s. As I hold and admire the 1899 Indian Head and 1901 Barber dime, I can't help but become captivated. I have touched history and traveled time in a way not possible by any other means. The 6000 PRO XL has done its job very well. I am confident that it will lead many detectorists to new adventures and discoveries for many years into the new millennium!

6000 Di Pro Metal Detector - A Detailed Discussion

Written by Jim Martin
Reprinted with permission from Lost Treasures

From page 38 of the April 1986 issue of Lost Treasure magazine.

Its Automatic Ground Balance adds a new dimension to coin-shooting.

The ''hands-on'' portion of my field test mission with the White's 6000/Di Professional proved so pleasing I readily admit I had a difficult time settling down at my desk to accomplish the actual writing. My reaction to this top-of-the-line member of the White's Coinmaster family was something akin to the feeling I get when I am enjoying myself working out productive placer gravels in a gold pan. It is so much fun, I keep telling myself, ''One more time before I quit. Just one more time.''

Similarly, my experiences with the 6000/ Di Pro were so rewarding I kept convincing myself I needed just one more session in the field in order to complete my research efforts. As a result, my testing endeavors consumed an extended time span, covering a wide variety of test sites ranging from old wagon trails in the historic gold country of Northern California to the sun-kissed beaches in Southern California. In the process I developed a great admiration for the Coinmaster Pro and what it can accomplish.

As the name implies, the Coinmaster Professional is designed for treasure hunters whose primary interest is locating lost coins, jewelry and similar valuables. The title is most appropriate because the detector is loaded with features that can make coinshooting both productive and pleasurable.

Offering four different search modes (GEB Normal, GEB Discriminate, GEB Maximum and TR Discriminate), a visual meter that identifies the probable denomination and approximate depth of buried coins and a full range variable discriminator, the 6000/Di Pro is capable of meeting any challenge a coinshooter will encounter. As a bonus, the electronics wizards in the White's think tank at Sweet Home, Oregon have devised a unique blend of components which allows the instrument to automatically ground balance itself to cope with varying soil conditions encountered during a search mission. Anyone who has not heard about this White's breakthrough simply has not been reading any of the publications in the treasure hunting field. Automatic GEB Tracking is big news and as such has received a lot of ink from a news-hungry press.

Automatic GEB Tracking is an extension of the Ground Exclusion Balance circuitry found on other Coinmaster models, which allows the detector to compensate for the effects of mineralization in the soil when the unit is being operated in any of the three GEB search modes. When the 6000/Di Pro is programmed to search in GEB Discriminate, the automatic tracking feature takes over to enable the instrument to self-adjust should changing ground conditions so warrant. Auto tracking is designed to solve the problems which occur at trouble spots where soil conditions change radically only short distances apart.

Such areas are prevalent in many parts of the nation, and problems can easily occur if the detector operator is not aware they exist and, as a result, fails to make compensating ground balancing adjustments; The Coinmaster Pro is built to take mineralization readings and automatically make any necessary adjustments.

Since GEB Discriminate is a motion mode in which the detector can be programmed to either accept or reject designated metal targets while at the same time neutralizing the effects of ground mineralization, it is the recommended primary search mode for use when coinshooting. The procedure for making the initial ground balance adjustment is A-B-C simple. Let's go over it step by step. This same process should also be followed when setting up the detector to operate in any of the three GEB search modes.

Notice the little triangles outlining the letter ''P'' beside each of the seven knobs on the control panel. These are factory recommended Preset positions, placed there to enable a neophyte to start operating his or her detector with a minimum of effort. These Pre-Set positions provide for satisfactory performance under average conditions, but may not be the best setting for an individual control under all instances. This is why the individual controls are adjustable and not locked in position.

To initiate the ground balancing procedure, we'll move the Mode Selection Control to GEB-Norm, and the other controls to the Pre-Set position.

To establish the threshold tone, hold the search coil in front of you at waist level, squeeze and hold the trigger switch located under the meter, then turn the Tuner clockwise until you hear a slight audio response. You'll hear this signal pretty close to the Pre-Set position, by the way. Release the trigger and the threshold point is now set.

While continuing to hold the coil waist high, push the Automatic GEB toggle switch forward to the indicated AIR position, then release it. The detector should immediately respond with a beep.

Next, lower the search coil until it rests flat on the surface of the ground. Now pull the AGE toggle switch backwards to the GND/TRAC position. Do not move the loop until the instrument responds with a second beep, which may take a second or two to accomplish.

To check whether the ground balancing was properly completed, lift the loop and listen for a change in the threshold sound. If the audio response remains the same, the instrument is ground balanced. If the tone changes, move to another location and repeat the AGEB switching process.

To activate the automatic ground tracking circuitry, move the Mode selection control to GEB Disc, then squeeze and release the trigger switch. The instrument is now programmed to ground balance itself should changing soil conditions warrant.

Although it may sound a bit complicated, the entire ground balancing process can be easily accomplished in less than a minute. The procedure is clearly explained in the informative 22-page operating manual.

Keep in mind, however, that although the Automatic GEB switch is used to ground balance the detector for searching in all three of the ground balance modes, automatic tracking is only operative when GEB Discriminate is used as the primary search mode.

Is automatic ground balancing essential? Does it really work? Will it help me find more coins? Questions of this nature were on my mind as I embarked upon my test mission with the Coinmaster Pro.

After all, my experience with the Coinmaster 6000/Di Series 3 produced such ''good vibes,'' I certainly was not about to write off this excellent model as being outdated. Furthermore, I was well-satisfied with the performance of the Pre-Set ground balance adjustment of the Series 3. Frankly, ground balancing has never been a problem with any of the many metal detectors I have been assigned to evaluate. So I couldn't help but wonder if the automatic tracking was a significant development.

My questions were quickly answered, and I soon became a member of the ''Auto Track Fan Club.'' I'll recreate one convincing incident.

The search location was one of the older campgrounds near my home. The site dates back more than 100 years and has produced several silver coins for me, plus numerous wheat backed pennies. The spot has been searched extensively by other treasure hunters and I presume they found some goodies, too. Even though the area has been used by the public for over a century, however, I have yet to find a single Indian head penny or any of the earlier dated silver coins here. I'm certain such items are still hidden in the area so I try and schedule a visit or two each time I field-test a detector.

My first two recoveries were pennies. Both were correctly identified as such by the visual meter. Positive audio contact number three came as I was working the loop around the base of a large sugar pine tree, a spot which had produced several ''wheaties'' during previous hunts. Checking the visual meter, I noted that the needle had moved out to settle on the half dollar reading.

Hmm! I knew I had searched around this particular tree several times and was certain that other coinshooter's had done the same. Nevertheless, with both the audio signal and the visual meter indicating a good target, and the depth needle reading 4 inches, I figured that someone must have recently lost a four-bit piece.

I inserted my recovery tool in the soft dirt at the base of the tree and carefully opened a hole. Much to my delight, I caught a glimpse of silver-a beautiful 1900 Barber half dollar!

How was it possible that I, and the other searchers, had missed this little gem?

The most plausible explanation seemed to be that the automatic ground tracking feature had self adjusted the detector so as to overcome the effects of something in the ground that had precluded our finding it before.

Continuing to search, I soon recovered another old coin-a vintage wheat back penny dated 1923. Again, it came from a spot in the middle of the campground area that has been heavily hunted. Neither of the coins were particularly deep, so I assume their presence must have been masked out by some type of mineralization.

Anxious to try out auto-tracking at another spot noted for its ''mean'' ground conditions, the next afternoon I visited another highly mineralized camping area. Here too the detector came through with a trio of older wheat-backed pennies and a small silver ring, targets that have been missed during previous search efforts. The answer again seemed to lie in the automatic GEB circuitry.

None of the coins I discovered in these highly mineralized areas were beyond the depth capabilities of other VLF/TR detectors I had used at the same spots. Which brought up the question: Does the Coinmaster Pro provide greater depth than the 6000/Di Series 3 and the other premium-grade detectors I have tested?

For answers, I returned to some of the more favorable search locations that have produced older coins for me in the past. Many of these are private lawns for which the owners have granted me exclusive grazing rights. If I was going to gain some extra depth using the Coinmaster Pro, it seemed likely that these areas would yield some choice targets.

I wish I could show you a photograph or two of a handful of treasures recovered from these ''happy hunting grounds,'' but, alas, I can't. My dreams of finding older targets at greater depths just never materialized.

Please don't interpret my observations as being a put-down of the Coinmaster Pro, because this is not my intention. The Pro is an excellent instrument with depth capabilities equal to any metal detector I have tested at these particular search locations. Maximum depths attained using the Pre-Set level of discrimination were around the 6-inch mark, which is doggone good as far as I am concerned.

Keep in mind that these were the results obtained at the locations I searched. Greater depths may be possible at other locations. Or, they may be less. Nothing is really cut and dried in this wonderful world of electronic treasure hunting.

For example, I did find several coins at around the 8-inch level when searching along a Southern California beach. Black sands posed no problem and the signals came through sharp and sweet. The Preset discrimination level-Number 5 on the dial between Nails and Foil proved to be right on the button when it came to locating nickels. Since nickels and small rings produce basically the same signals, I was extremely pleased with the performance.

Although GEB Disc, with its automatic ground tracking feature, is the recommended primary mode for coinshooting, the other three search modes are available for use when needed. Of course, the two all metal modes (GEB Norm and GEB Max) should get the nod when you are relic hunting and wish to receive responses from all types of metal targets. I also found both modes useful when it came to pinpointing coins located near the surface. Such targets are often difficult to zero in on when the detector is being operated in the motion mode (GEB Disc). Switching to either of these non-motion modes may provide a solution.

Moving from GEB Discriminate to GEB Norm is quickly accomplished with a pull of the trigger switch. Simply pull and hold the trigger. This action also activates the depth indicating needle which further facilitates the pinpointing process.

GEB Maximum proved effective as I tried to zero in on deeper targets. According to the manufacturer, GEB Max will give you approximately 30 percent more depth; however performance may be erratic at times. I really don't know how to verify this figure, but appreciate the fact that GEB Max does go deeper. Occasionally you may hear a positive audio signal without seeing a corresponding movement of the needle into a good target zone. Switching to GEB Maximum may help verify the presence of a deeper target.

Don't expect to hear any so-called ''faint whispers'' when coinshooting with the 6000 Di Pro. Audio signals come through loud and clean, even on targets hidden several inches deep.

Many of the spots during my travels were first-time areas for me. Because I didn't know what to expect, my search plan called for relatively fast scanning while getting a feel for what the location had to offer. Here's where the target indicating visual discrimination meter proved extremely helpful. By determining the probable denomination of a coin while it was still hidden, I could concentrate on recovering good targets.

While I don't consider a meter as being a ''must,'' a well-designed, easy-to-read unit such as found on the Coinmaster Pro sure comes in handy. If you accept what the meter tells you, the chances of recovering ''questionable'' items are low. Occasionally a chunk of melted aluminum can, such as found around a campfire area, will show positive, but by and large the meter tells the truth. The indicated setting found on the visual meter proved accurate for all types of coins from pennies to a dollar. Yes, I found a cartwheel. Alas, it was a 1972 Eisenhower clunker, not a silver clinker.

From a performance standpoint, the 6000/Di Pro came through with flying colors. Well, we did get off to a shaky start when the detector arrived with a malfunctioning meter, presumably the result of rough handling in transit. This problem was solved by a round trip to Sweet Home. From here on, the performance was smooth sailing all the way.

I found a lot of other things to like about the Coinmaster Professional, as well. Design-wise the detector is definitely a winner. The controls are functional, well-placed and easy to adjust. The operator's manual clearly explains the purpose of the various controls and how to obtain maximum performance from each. Especially noteworthy is the ''quick look'' explanation that provides a condensation of how to complete the various control adjustments.

Positioned at the end of the hand grip, the visual meter is readily visible no matter which hand is holding the instrument.

The variable discrimination control, which operates on both the GEB Disc and TR/Disc search modes, offers a wide range of target acceptance or rejection levels. Audio signals generated by targets above the established level of discrimination sound off loud and clear, while those below the set level produce broken or muted tones. As stated earlier, the Pre-Set position proved very effective when it came to accepting nickels.

The Coinmaster Professional carries on the White's tradition of providing a rechargeable nickel cadmium battery saver as standard equipment. Battery life is estimated at from 8 to 10 hours per charge, and since you can re-juice the rascals up to 1000 times (according to the manual) this system is a true budget stretcher.

A second pack of alkaline batteries is furnished as a backup unit should the ni-cads poop out in the field. This can happen and when it does, simply open the hinged cover at the rear of the instrument body and insert the fresh pack.

Quality-built and a first-rate performer in all respects, the Coinmaster 6000/Di Pro is just that--a detector for the discriminating operator who is seeking the maximum in coinshooting. rewards.

5900 Di Pro Metal Detector

Written by Webmaster
Reprinted with permission from Lost Treasures
From page 32 of the November 1986 issue of Lost Treasure magazine.

Welcome to a new, old friend

Field testing the new White's 5900/Di Professional Series metal detector was like renewing an old and trusted friendship.

I've had access to a 6000/Di Series 3 off and on since 1984, and the main difference I found in the two detectors was price. The 5900/Di sells for about $140 less today than the Series 3 did years ago, when it was introduced in 1983. Putting the control boxes of the two detectors side by side reveals identical controls and calibrations. The meters are also identical, except that the red background of the Series 3 has been changed to blue, which is also true of the other White's Professional Series detectors. In fact, the 27-page instruction book, which comes with the 5900, is titled as being also intended for use with the Series 3.

The 5900/Di is a multi-purpose detector that is particularly well adapted to coinshooting and locating lost jewelry and similar valuables. It offers four search modes: GEB (Ground Exclusion Balance) Normal, GEB Discriminate, TR (Transmitter-Receiver) Discriminate and GEB Maximum. The term TR requires a bit of explanation. Actually, all modern metal detectors operate as transmitter-receivers all the time. TR has come to mean a mode which is not GEB. Someday, the industry might arrive at standardized terms and end this kind of confusion.

A meter (4-1/2 by 2-3/4) is mounted on the handle in such a way that it is always easily visible while searching. The meter performs four functions. A Visual Discrimination Indicator (VDI) shows the probable identity of various targets and it does a remarkably good job of predicting the denomination of various U.S. coins. Another scale is used in all four modes to approximate the depth of coin size targets from one to nine inches. A reference scale shows the target's response in terms of numbers from 0 to 100; passing an object, say an aluminum tab, across the coil during a bench check will show where another will register on the scale. A little experimentation showed that the relationship was very close, even with a tab buried several inches down. Making a chart of where anticipated targets come in on the scale of that particular detector - they're all a little different- can be very helpful in the field. The fourth function of the meter is to show whether or not the batteries are putting out enough power to properly operate the detector.

A trigger switch is mounted to the meter case. Squeezing the trigger toward you performs three functions: regaining threshold sounds after the detector has locked onto the target or any control has been adjusted, changing the operating mode from the selected one by the Mode knob and changing the meter reading from Visual Discrimination to Depth. When the trigger switch is pushed forward, it locks into place the mode and meter changes activated by squeezing it.

The first place I took the 5900/Di Pro was a local park that has been searched so often that at times it looks like the scene of a recent tank battle. Last winter was the worst in many years, and no telling what the heavy rains might have churned up. Moreover, I knew it to be lightly mineralized and thus adaptable to searching at the factory presets (the letter "P" surrounded by a triangle).

With all controls at the "P" positions, the detector is in GEB (Ground Exclusion Balance) DISC., the motion mode. A slow sweep is required to generate a signal. The DISC. knob at "P" is set between "Nails" and "Foil," so a pull tab sounded off with a good, solid beep. The meter, however, revealed these nuisances for what they were. I dug a couple of these - and, sure enough. I also came up with a dime and a quarter, both clad and both correctly identified by the meter. Not very exciting, but encouraging.

There are several large oak trees in the park. Picnickers favor their shade. I chose one at random and began searching just far enough away so that the above ground portions of the roots didn't interfere with swinging the 8" coil I was using. Suddenly, the audio beeped on a target and the meter's usual discrimination scale showed a dime. The needle was far enough away from the "Tabs" area to make it worth digging. Squeezing in on the trigger and holding it' activated the depth scale and shifted the mode from GEB/DISC. to GEB/NORM, a non-motion mode that makes pinpointing much easier than it would be while sweeping in GEB/DISC. Moving the coil around a little showed the shallowest reading needle farthest to the right - to be five inches. The target should now have been directly under the center of the coil, and it was. Depth determination and shifting to a pinpointing mode were both accomplished simply by squeezing in and holding the trigger with the coil remaining directly over the target. No need to raise the coil to fiddle around with any of the knob controls, and then to find the target again.

A little probing around made contact' but at four inches. And it didn't feel like a dime. What could it be?

At first I thought it was a dollar, but closer inspection showed it to be a commemorative coin issued by the city for its 1974 centennial celebration. I immediately laid it on the ground and swung the coil over it back in GEB/DISC. mode. The meter identified it as silver, which since has been confirmed by a jeweler friend. It's a shade larger and heavier than a genuine 19th century cartwheel. It was on its side, which accounts for the meter identifying it as a dime and the discrepancy in depth determination. From its condition, it must have been there since not long after it was issued. How many times had this ground been searched over the years and the coin been missed? Surface erosion during the winter might have helped, but only to the extent of an inch, or at the most two. I was convinced that the 5900/Di Pro is every bit as good as the 6000/Di Series 3.

The "P" positions are a good place to start tuning the 5900/Di. The one exception is the Power control. It quickly became evident that this shouldn't be turned on until after all the other controls are set. Then, turn it all the way right to BAT CK. The meter's needle should swing to the right, to the BAT. GOOD area, just below the depth scale. This does more than just check the condition of the batteries; it shows if the detector is getting enough power to operate properly. If the terminals get dirty or corroded over a period of time or an internal problem in the power supply circuit develops, it won't perform even with fresh batteries. BAT CK will reveal this in no uncertain terms. How many detectors fall to operate properly and end up in a closet gathering dust purely because they aren't getting enough juice, even after the batteries are replaced? No one will ever know.

Then turn the POWER knob to its "P" setting, MAX. This sets the meter for maximum response. The only time MIN should be used is if the meter's response is unstable due to very high ground mineralization, nearby power lines or radio interference.

In 1985, I participated in a coin hunt near Austin, Nevada. in which a White's 6000/Di Series 3 was used very successfully ("There's No Help Like Local Help," Lost Treasure, January 1986) and I've had the opportunity to take the 5900/Di Pro to one site where the weather forced us to stop hunting prematurely.

This is GEB/MAX country; strongest signal, Ground Exclusion Balance, but no Discriminator. The valuable coins have been there since before the turn of the century and can be expected to be very deep. White's says that the GEB/MAX signal has about 30% more penetration than in any other mode, and every bit of this is needed. There are few, if any, pull tabs and anything else will be over a 100 years old and likely of some value for that reason alone. But, the soil is highly mineralized and a careful job of ground balancing is a must, otherwise the mineralization becomes part of the signal and will mask some targets. It's quite simple with the 5900/Di Pro.

The GEB knob is used for all modes except TR DISC. MODE which is set to either GEB/NORM or GEB/MAX. I planned to search in GEB/MAX, so I ground balanced in that mode. With all other controls set to "P," hold the detector so that the stem is about parallel to the ground and the coil is waist high. Set the TUNER so that the threshold sound is just audible; it will be very close to the "P" position. Now, lower the loop to the ground. If the sound doesn't change, the detector is ground balanced and you're ready to start searching.

If the sound does change, bring the coil back to waist level and turn GEB slightly left (counterclockwise) if the tone increased, or slightly right, if it decreased. Squeeze and release the trigger switch and lower the loop again to the ground and note any change in tone. Keep doing this until there is no change in tone between air and ground, being sure to squeeze in and release the trigger each time GEB is reset. If you want to search in GEB/DISC., ground balance the 5900/Di in either GEB/NORM or GEB/MAX, then turn the MODE knob to GEB/DISC., and squeeze and release the trigger.

My search yielded what was left of an Indian head penny and some metallic objects that the highly acidified soil had corroded beyond recognition. I think we got all the goodies last year before the weather did us in. What I really wanted to find out was if the 5900/Di Pro would ground balance in the usual way under such conditions, and it did. The penny, such as it was, verified that.

Had I run out of GEB control, there would still have been a way to ground balance the detector. The TR/DISC. mode can be used for ground balancing under extreme conditions. The procedure is the same as in GEB/NORM or GEB/MAX, except that the DISC knob is used in place of GEB. The DISC knob is used in the opposite rotation from the GEB knob. If the tone gets louder as the loop is lowered, DISC is turned clockwise and vice versa. The disadvantage of doing this is that TR/DISC doesn't have the penetration that GEB/MAX does and that DISC can't be used to ground balance and to reject junk at the same time. Nevertheless, this is very unlikely. The chances are that if the detector won't ground balance, it's over some metal and moving a short distance away will solve the problem.

The DISC. knob is used to adjust discrimination in the two DISC. modes. It affects the audio, not the meter, and permits the operator to set the detector to distinguish between desirable and undesirable targets. The audio responses of targets above the DISC set point produce louder tones. Targets below the set point produce softer or broken tones, or a complete dropout. I had some difficulty in distinguishing between nickels and tabs in a bench check, but this is a universal problem in coinshooting. The responses of the two items are very close and tabs - some in a variety of sizes and shapes - are often broken or distorted in use.

The meter and the trigger switch, mounted to it, come into play once the instrument sounds off on a target.

The VDI scale indicates its probable composition, starting with iron at the far left and working up through foil, tabs, gold and silver to the far right. It also shows the probable denomination of coin size targets in terms of U.S. coins.

Once the probable nature of the target has been identified, squeezing the trigger accomplishes two things to pinpoint its location:

A) It changes the meter over to read depth in inches from one to nine. This is very helpful in avoiding damage to the target with your probe.

B) It changes the mode from the one set by the MODE knob. For example, GEB/DISC is the primary search mode for coins in a junk laden area. But, the coil has to be in motion to generate a signal. This makes pinpointing difficult. Squeezing the trigger shifts to GEB/NORM, which is non-motion, making pinpointing much easier. A schedule of mode changes is shown in the instruction book.

All in all, the 5900/Di Pro operated every bit as well as its popular predecessor, the 6000/Di Series 3, which makes it one fine metal detector and, considering its moderate price, a tremendous value.

M6 Matrix Metal Detector

Written by Ben Myers

Reprinted with permission from Western & Eastern Treasures
From page 43 of the March 2007 issue of Western & Eastern magazine.

The numbers on the display screen of the M6 were reading +83 Target ID at a depth of 9". The signal was under overhanging bushes near the center of a park. Since the area dated back to the mid 1880's, with a nearby military establishment, an old silver coin definitely came to mind. Although well hunted by detectorist over the last 30 years, the location still produces a pleasant surprise now and then.

Pealing back a plug of grass, I carefully placed the deeper soil onto a small drop cloth for neater digging. The M6 had located a highly sought smaller variety of an antique military button. However, since I had thought, "Silver Coin," the button was not immediately noticed when I began poking through the soil pile. A pass of the coil over the dirt resulted in a VDI (Visual Discrimination Indicator) reading of +43. When I saw the small brass button, the change in target ID numbers initially gave me concern. Upon consideration, though, concern gave way to admiration. That button had been buried for over 75 years.

Due to halo effect (metal leaching into the surrounding soil to make the target look larger), the M6 had been right on target in its analysis. In Fact, it was impressive to get a high ID number on such a deep, small target. I was now confident that the M6 could be depended upon to locate deep &/or small silver coins and relics.

Features & Design

In producing the M6 Matrix Series metal detector, White's Electronics brings a new simplicity to finding treasure. Four controls make it a pleasure to use, a trigger switch on the handle, plus tow rotary knobs and a 3-position AutoTrac toggle on the box. Operation is effortless in the extreme, yet the features of this deep seeking detector include a full size digital display screen, VDI target ID numbers from -95 to +94, 3-lvel visual block system for separate source target ID information, target labels, traditional audio or 7-zone Target Tone ID, visual indicator Pinpoint and depth reading, Sensitivity and Discrimination Controls, and 3- position automatic ground balance with auto tracking. White's had packed a profusion of abilities into a lightweight metal detector that's easy to understand and use.

The M6 possesses an S-handled type arrangement, with the control box under the elbow rest for precise balance. The padded elbow rest can be adjusted forward or backward to match arm length. My only complaint about the design is the manner in which the cable extends from rod to the connector on the box. Although it's not a big deal, it is more desirable to have the coil cable run below (not alongside) the handgrip, as on the DFX and MXT. The M6 is standard equipped with a 9.5" Eclipse searchcoil that is interchangeable with all Eclipse accessory coils. The rod provides a solid, wobble free sing using stainless steel spring clips and adjustable cam locks. The control box contains an external speaker, stereo headphone jack, and battery compartment. Painted on the bottom of the box is a short list of "Quick Start" instructions for reference in the field if needed. The M6 is American crafted in Sweet Home, Oregon, and boasts an aircraft grade aluminum housing.

The sensitivity rotary knob turns the machine On/Off, in addition to adjusting the sensitivity level. Numbers around the knob run to 100, plus an extra-sensitive area at Max, The preset mark is an initial position. Raise or lower sensitivity according to hunting condition. The optimal setting is as high as possible without causing the detector to become unstable (False signals). The M6 has an LCD warning and audible squawk to warn that sensitivity is too high for the soil mineralization. The display reads "OVERLOAD - REDUCE SENS/LIFT LOOP." The message could also mean that the coil had gone over a very large or shallow target, making proper ID difficult. In that case, try raising the coil a bit and sweep again.

Discrimination (DISC) Control is the other rotary knob on the control box. It is used to eliminate audio responses from unwanted targets. Basically, target identify themselves by how well they conduct electricity. As with all metal detectors, high discrimination can lose some good targets along with bad ones. For example, a gold ring or valuable token can shore the equivalent conductivity (VDI#) of a pulltab. Gold can appear just about anywhere on the conductivity scale, mostly due to size, shape and alloys used. Thankfully, most U.S. coins register in the higher numbers. Discrimination level depends upon how many pulltabs you are willing to dig for the possibility of that one gold ring. 100? 1,000? Every hunting situation is different, with varying amounts of trash. Fortunately, the M6 provides a choice with a turn of the DISC knob.

As the control rotates clockwise, it audibly eliminates more metal targets according to their conductivity. There are two preset marks, with #1 recommended for most hunting. It is set to accept nickels and many gold rings while eliminating iron and tin foil. Preset Mark #2 raises the discrimination level to eliminate most pulltabs and everything below it. Take note that a discriminated item will have a slipped sound or not give an audible beep , yet the visual target ID number will always appear in the screen.

TRIGGER CONTROL is the toggle on the handle beneath the LCD pod. The forefinger reaches it easily. It has three position: Squeeze and hold for pinpoint, center position for one-tone discrimination, and forward locked for the 7-tone ID by pushing the trigger toggle into the forward position. With DISC control set low, all seven pitches are heard. The audio frequency of tone ID is not to be confused with the operating frequency of the M6 (14kHz). Each of the seven pitches matches a corresponding category of VDI numbers. The lower the tone, the lower the VDI number. the tones run from a VDI of (minus) -95 (57Hz low tone) through all seven tones into VDI +70 to +95 (900Hz, highest tone). With the trigger in the center position, you will hear the traditional, one-tone beep.

Visual Target ID displays for both 7-Tone ID and Traditional Disc. Depending upon the setting of the DISC control, signals will generally produce smooth, solid beeps fro accepted target and no beep or only a broken sound for targets set to be discriminated. PINPOINTING (squeeze and hold) also activates the depth reading in the LCD screen. After sweeping the coil over an interesting target, keep your eyes on the spot while sweeping from the 90 degree angles to the X the spot. Then squeeze and hold the trigger to switch a non-motion, All-Metal mode, bringing the coil over the object. When the signal is the loudest and the signal strength indicator is full, the center of the coil is over the center of the target.

The TRAC TOGGLE switch on the control box takes away the worry for those who dread ground balancing. This ingenious system from white's provides three choices - beach, Lock Off, and Auto Trac On. In most ground situations, just set the toggle to Auto Trac (On position). Select your choice for regular or Tone ID on the Trigger Switch, and set the discrimination level. Turn the detector ON with the Sensitivity Knob while setting the Sensitivity level. Find a small piece of ground containing no interfering metal. Lower the coil to the ground, then pump it up and down a couple of times about 2-4". AutoTrac now has the detector automatically set to handle mineralization and will continue tracking to keep it ground balanced. If false signals (Beep but no target) occur while hunting, excessive sensitivity is the most likely cause. Another problem is ground infested with decomposing rusty pieces of iron or some other unusual ground condition. If the detector is acting up only when the coil is in motion, try the Lock off position. Auto Trac is trying to track and reset to the unstable ground. In this case, find a clean area, pump the coil as before, then move the toggle to Lock. In this way, the detector will monitor but not readjust to changing soil conditions and thus allow smoother operation. Another use for the Lock is in handling an annoying type of "hot" ( or "cold) rock. Do the balancing routine over one of the rocks, then move the toggle into the Lock position to remove the ground response of the rock. Erratic detector behavior from difficult ground is not something most people will encounter. However, the M6 provides the tools to handle these situations.
The third position is "Beach." Most detectors work well on dry sand. However, saltwater or desert alkali conditions can drive a detector nuts with false signals. When using the M6 on wet salt sand or black sand, you can flip that toggle to "beach.: Do not forget to re-balance on wet sand in the "Beach" mode kept operation smooth.

The M6 uses eight "AA" batteries inside a holder, which slides into the rear of the control box behind a latched door. The either batteries provide about 40 hours of hunting. Rechargeable's can be used to about 30-35 hours. Kellyco sells these batters as (#802-5211) and the charger as (#509-0022). As with all detectors, using headphones will extend the life of batteries. Be sure to use headphones with a volume control, as the M6 does not have one. Watch the display screen when the detector is turned on for battery life. It starts at 12 volts and over time will deplete to about 8 volts or less. When the "Lo Bat" warning appears on the screen, replace the batteries.

The DISPLAY SCREEn or LCD sits in the po at the top of the handle and is large enough so that there is no difficulty in reading it. Just below it is a reference label with corresponding information for iron, gold and silver ranges. VDI numbers and target icons. The Display has an abundance of information to help the user gain knowledge of the target. In fact, there are five helpful indications: VDI number, Blocks, Labels, Depth Indication, and Pinpoint Blocks.
The VDI refers to the number assigned to the target by how well it conducts electricity. The numbers rage from mine (-)95 up to plus (+) 94. New detectorists will quickly learn that many targets (including US coins); produce consistent Target ID (VDI) numbers.

LABELS are words or coin references that appear on the right, top tide of the screen. Examples are Ring, 10 Cents, Iron, 25 Cents, etc. These are the most common target groupings in the identity range. If two are listed, the first is the most likely.

BLOCKS are darkened cursors that appear at the bottoms oft he display and line up with icons shown in the reference label below it. They come from a separate source than the VDI number and therefore offer a second target analysis. A fully darkened block means that the M6 is very sure of the target information, a half block means that partial information has been gathered and a quarter block means that partial information has been gathered, and a quarter block indicates only a small portion of information.

Depth indication of target displays up to 12" when the trigger is squeezed and held. Keep in mind that is is calibrated for coin-sized objects. PP BLOCKS are darkened blocks below the depth reading when the trigger is squeezed and held for Pinpointing. THe more blocks that are seen, the stronger the signal.

Field Trips

Remember that old military button mentioned at the beginning of this article? That was on the first trip, and the M^ was off to a stellar start. The button was deep, and the bush roots I had to cut through were difficult, but it was worth it. However, everything else turning up was modern, due to relentless detecting by many people over the years. Even so, the M6 provided me with two Barber dimes at about 5". How was this achieved? The M6 has a wealth of accessory coils available. Hunting near the sidewalk that surrounds the park is difficult. The metal bars inside it overload detector coils that come too close. So, it was time to switch tot he Eclipse 4"x6" Shooter DD coil.

This little coil is outstanding in trashy areas, fitting into tight spots and still providing great depth. A Double D coil provides a matrix that runs along the center of the coil and straight down into the ground. Some have described it as a "Windshield Wiper" blade. In any case, it allowed closer hunting to that metal barred cement to pick out those two silver dimes. This coil has excellent sensitivity on tiny targets. During testing, it was used to hunt near metal playground equipment and fences. You would be surprised at what larger coils miss in these areas. If your budget allows this extra coil, I would defiantly recommend it.

I would like to get back to that same park with another coil from an MXT, the DD 1400 8x14" Deep Scan. It is a good bet that combining the M6 with that deep seeking coil could provide more oldies but goodies out in the open areas. Both of the coils mentioned handle difficult mineralized ground well, and that is a plus to any searchcoil arsenal. White's offers a number of other coils for the M6 as well. This isn't an ad for White's coils; I'm just saying that the variety of coils available for the M6 makes a real difference in versatility and easier hunting.

My next trip was to a saltwater beach in New Jersey. While these beaches are generally lighter in mineralization, they do have stretches with black sand. The M6 worked very well in all areas. I used the 9.5" concentric coil, plus the 8 x14" DD. Both coils preformed flawlessly. The quiet operation of the M6 in saltwater environment was amazing, and yet deep targets were found. Starting on the dry sand, I kept the discrimination extremely low, down into the iron range; sensitivity high, between preset 90 and 100; Auto Trac in the ON position, and Trigger centered for traditional beep. Ground Balancing was easy and took only a few seconds.

Later, hunting into the shallow surf itself, it was necessary to switch to "Beach" mode while remembering to ground balance again. Coins and other items were hitting well at 8" and deeper, including two junk rings. Target ID was accurate even in these harsh saltwater surrounds. Where discrimination could be kept low, the 7-Tone mode identified iron and other items with correct tone pitches. The only good jewelry to show up was a little 14k gold earring in the surf. The M6 passed its saltwater tests while running quiet and smooth over the entire beach. It found tiny targets, including small gold, and provided good depth.

Several inland trips were made to parks, yards and ball fields. Some places were very trashy, some had difficult ground and some were clean from both trash and pesky ground. At a competition hunt, there was b it of interference from a couple of other Whites machines. Lowering sensitivity took care of that, since targets were not deep. The quick recovery speed between targets resulted in many great finds. Discrimination settings at hunting locations were usually kept as low as possible, at the firs preset mark or lower. In one place that I call Pulltab Park, I did not have to resort to raising the discrimination to preset mark 2 in order to avoid them.

Sensitivity in most locations could be kept at high levels without chatter. Auto Trac was always in the ON position except for a park loaded with decomposing iron. The manual's instructions are to ground balance in a clean area, and then switch the toggle to LOCK OFF. It did work and some amazing finds were made, among them two toy guns and numerous coins in and around iron. In fact, in other areas with Auto Trac ON, the M6 was able to make some good target finds near iron and junk.

In red, difficult soil, a jumpy signal +85 and +77 depth reading 5" proved to be a 1970's copper Memorial cent on edge at 7". Quarters were easily found at any depth, with hard hits. One weird, hard hit with a broken sound ID#57 was a rusty washer at 4". An overload and broken signal was a huge piece of iron. At #1 Disc setting, iron was giving negative numbers and broken audio, while a solid signal +74 was part of an aluminum can. However, Pinpoint showed it was not a coin. A +32 pulltab reading turned out to be an 8" long piece of aluminum, a bouncy signal +22 +47 +50 was a screwcap, a consistent +35 was indeed a pulltab as shown, +28 to +32 was a pulltab with no tail and at a playground #10 ID was foil with correct depth. A bouncy +52 +75 +77 reading that pinpointed off center was a junk piece of corroded bullet casing, aluminum tops of tennis ball cans were all overload signals near the surface, a bouncy 14 to 18 was the top of a pencil, and +2- at 2" was a nickel. A -52 from one direction, +67 & +78 was a clad dime. When that was removed, there was still a -38 signal in the same hole, a rusty iron washer. Good with iron again, gold colored aluminum ring surrounded by three pieces of iron, gave a high tone and penny reading.

From these and other date, it became apparent that a jumping around target ID (especially with an off-center pinpoint location) usually means junk targets. Shallow pulltabs sounded better than those a bit deeper, which had a slightly broken sound. After digging so many hump-around signals between +26 to +32 that were pulltabs, I started to believe the M6 and passed by those signals. One interesting signal was a long one in a gully on the side of a hill, with missed VDI's of +85 and +32. Lying there in prefect line, one after the other, were three quarters, two fishing sinkers and a pulltab with an earthwork through the center ring (the critter was returned to the hole). Another signal proved a +83 from one direction and +78 from the other. A quarter and a small belt buckle were in the same hole.

As you can see, the ID was very good with mixed targets in same proximity. The 7-tone audio mode does work well for those who like added audio information and less glancing a the LCD. It can be a bit noisy in trashy areas, though, where I preferred the single traditional tone. You will notice that the higher conductive targets have only two of the seven tones. However, that is as it should be. A serious searcher cannot afford to pass up targets that could be copper or silver anyway. Depth readings were very accurate, even for non0coin items. Pinpoint was spot on, and I could detune for even sharper pinpointing. VDI numbers were generally correct except when other targets nearby got into the mix, and that is desirable.

Bottle caps, pull tabs, and other junk tend to bound the VDI numbers around, and that is a tip off to trash. Of course, any good sounding, deep targets should be dug regardless of the VDI reading. Discrimination was very good. A number of times I would have the control set very low to pick up pieces of ron, perhaps at minus 34 ID. Then I slowly raised the discrimination halfway to the first preset mark, where the junk signal just disappeared. The M6 ran comfortably quiet. The sweep speed was not a consideration, and it was possible to use a nice, slow seep even in excessively trashy ground.

Summary

As you have read, there were many good things to say about White's M6 metal detector. Negatives bordered on non-existent, and I was looking for them. It is a good general-purpose detector for coin and jewelry hunting, yet could cross over into nugget and relic hunting as well. It is lightweight and well balanced for minium fatigue. The cornucopia of coils availble to the M6 is a real plus. Althought controls are straightforward and asy to use, they proved top-level operation and abilities. Espically likable points are the Auto Trac that not only ground balances the detector but tracks changes and keeps it balanced, a Beach setting to handle saltwater of desrt alkali locations, good depth, quiet and smooth performance with higher sensitivity levels, sharp pinpointing, and performance that matches that of more expensive machines. I feel confidenet in recommending this metal detector for your consideration.

MXT Metal Detector

Written by Mike B.

The word WOW best describes my impression of the 4.5 X 7" DD EXcelerator coil. I took my MXT to an area that was used for picnics dating back to the mid 1800's, and is still in limited use today. There's really not much left, only one remaining swing set and a few rusted out iron barbeque pits, but this area is very serene and quite beautiful. It's loaded with big oaks and pines along the back side of Lake Guntersville.
I've been having problems with the intense amount of iron and aluminum trash, and for the most part, this place has been hunted by some of the best detectors and coils on the market today.
I've personally hunted it with my Explorer, Tejon, MXT, Sovereign GT, Nautilus, and a few Garrett's with many coils to choose from. However, until yesterday, I've not found the right combination to hunt close in and between the iron and trash of the playground area with any real success.
This coil allowed me to get within a few inches of the old swing set frameworks, without falsing and masking targets, and still get good separation right next to the iron. I dug the antique stick pin right beside a piece of 7" long steel strap material that was within 1" of the good target.
I also dug the ladies 14kt. Opal and ruby ring right beside the main cast iron support of the swing set. The separation qualities of this coil made it possible. I know I've went over this ring several times but simply never heard it before, because it was masked by the iron. The ring was 4" deep so it's been there for a while. I also pulled several wheat cents among the trashy areas that were 6" deep, and stacked up, making it an obvious coin spill from long ago.
EXcelerator has WINNER here folks, plain and simple. Now I have to try out that 8" and see what it's capable of. It's anything like the 4.5 x 7, it has to be a good one. By the way, my MXT has never ran quieter than it did with this coil on it.

Good Hunting
Mike B.

DFX Metal Detector

Written by Doug J.
I finally got to take my new White's DFX out for a test on Saturday. The first place I tried was a high trash area. Along side an old railroad bed, it must have been a site where some maintenance or some metal work occurred. I dug lots of aluminum and copper. Learned a lot about the detector though, especially the preprogrammed coin mode. I haven't finished that site yet. But will probably shift to either the DP-Silver or Hi-Trash mode next time. The second site I tried was much cleaner; very little trash. Coin mode worked great there. I managed to find 24 cents in various change and 5 matchbox cars. Nothing old though; 1959 was the oldest coin. KELLYCO Sales Representative JW was right, the icons don't help much. The VDI number and the signagraph/bargraph, was well as sound, were the key.

The White's DFX is a good machine. I must say that the accessories really accentuate the purchase and make the hunting a lot easier. The headphones are good. The Gator Digger is especially handy and cuts through the dirt and sod easily. But the best thing, is the pinpointer. That thing was a tremendous help! It really helps locate coins that are buried in the soil and turf clods! Anyhow, I'm enjoying my new White's DFX so far and can't wait to get back out! – Doug J.

Classic 5ID Metal Detector

Written by Webmaster

Well, here it is late August and school is about to start up again. The summer has been especially hot and dry and activity at many local park and school playgrounds has been rather minimal. Just too hot! Annually, I try to hunt as many of the local schools and any nearby park playgrounds to get a good idea of where some potential might be after a week or two of school. I have recently hunted most of the local play places heavily when I evaluated my Titan 3000-XD, and after pulling over 1596 coins in six weeks time I had a pretty fair idea where I did NOT want to head out to with my new Classic 5-ID.

Actually, I had two tasks I wanted to address when I went last week. One was to go hunt with my youngest daughter (26) who uses a White's Classic III (which we did for about two hours on Friday afternoon), and then to spend some time Saturday with friends who use a Classic ID and XLT. Anyone who has the slightest idea who I am and what detectors I have preferred for many years can tell you that I am a very devoted White's Classic series fan! The problem is that I have promoted these excellent detectors to close detecting friends and family, and since they have all operated at 6.59 kHz, just like the XLT and XL Pro, it has been a challenge to hunt these confined playgrounds and keep a reasonable distance to prevent crosstalk between different units. Other than compare performance and make sure the interference issue isn't an issue anymore, I also wanted to see how much end-of-summer coinage I could pull with the Classic 5-ID. Other than the two hours I spent hunting with my daughter, including driving time, I hunted four different playgrounds on Saturday during a total four hour period. My overall results were quite satisfying!

For those not familiar with the White's Classic series, they have been providing exceptional performance and value to both casual hobbyists and serious detectorists for over a dozen years. The drop-in battery tray holds 8-AA batteries, and a fresh set of quality alkaline batteries will easily provide 50+ hours of detecting, and up to 65-75 hours if you wear a good set of headphones. The detector breaks down into three sections, if desired, for easy and compact transportation. The Classic 5-ID appears very similar to the Classic ID model it has replaced, and it features the excellent 8-segment Target ID display that incorporates "flash technology" to provide the operator with very quick and very accurate visual Target ID. There are only two external operating knobs and one toggle switch, making this a great "turn-on-and-go" detector for all sorts of detecting applications.

One control lets you set the Discrimination level to deal with the most offending type of trash. The other control governs the Sensitivity on the receive end. While each control has factory 'preset' markers, I prefer to set my Classic units up at full Sensitivity and then set the Discriminate level at about the 9-o-clock position. This is usually enough rejection to deal with most common iron nails. I very seldom use any higher discrimination with any make or model, especially when there is a very reliable visual TID system. The other control is very familiar with longtime White's users. It is the mode-change trigger toggle. With the Classic 5-ID this "trigger" in located in White's custom designed rod section just ahead of the handgrip. This makes it very easy to access and use it with the operating hand. As with the other White's models, the centered position is the Discriminate mode, and if locked in the forward position the detector is operating in an All Metal mode. If you pull the trigger back and hold it you are in a momentary All Metal mode that is handy for pinpointing, and upon the release of the trigger it springs back into the motion Discriminate mode.

Hunting with my daughter and her Classic III we were able to be literally back-to-back, or side-by-side within 3' of each other, and didn't experience the slightest bit of interference as long as the coils themselves were not moved any closer than that. Comparing the new Classic 5-ID with my friends on Saturday, and both their Classic ID and XLT, it was very apparent that I would no longer have to deal with a 'spacing issue' to hunt a crowded playground. Crowded, that is, by a few detectorists.

You can hunt typical playgrounds where you can find a good chunk of modern change as long as the kids (and adults) are active, and if they have a good wood chip or sand-filled medium. The Classic 5-ID is supplied with a standard 8" coil. While I usually prefer a smaller-than-stock search coil, I wanted to evaluate this new Classic model with some of the competition and they almost all come with an 8"± search coil. The slow-motion, very quick response of the Classic 5-ID is just the same as the former Classic series models. It does NOT have the delayed response time that many popular makes and models have, to include the new Prizm series. Due to the quick response, it is especially easy to pinpoint with the Classic 5-ID in the silent-search Discriminate mode. This is important when hunting very trashy areas and especially if working near metal pipes, such as can be seen in the playground photo. There is no interference from the 6.59 kHz models from White's because this new models was designed to operate at a higher frequency of 8.1± kHz. The 5-ID has very nice audio response to all the different target metal types, from the lower-conductive gold rings and US 'nickel' (5¢) coins on up thru the larger halves and dollar coins. With the Classic 5-ID I am able to hunt right along with my friends and not bother them, nor have them bother me, and the results show what this unit is capable of. Here is what I was able to recover from those late-summer playgrounds in about 6 hours total time (driving & detecting, that is): To give you a better view of the coins I recovered with my new Classic 5-ID, you can see them in an attached photo:

39 Quarters, 53 Dimes, 15 Nickels, 140 Pennies.This photo shows that these 247 coins still need to be cleaned, but when they are I will have another $17.20 to add to this month's total. I was pleased when I heard White's Electronics was going to keep their XL Pro Classic series model in production a few months back, but saddened to know that the Prizm series models were going to replace my long time friends. Oh, the Prizm series are good detectors, but I personally prefer the quick response performance of the Classic's electronics. The Classic series have been very popular models for many dealers, and with their end in sight there was an agreement with White's to 'custom make' two Classic models for Kellyco. The Classic 4 and Classic 5-ID. Both of these models operate at the same frequency as the Prizm series and share the Prizm series coils. Both appear very similar, and their performance is. The differences are that the Classic 4 is a non-metered unit and comes supplied with a 950 coil, while the Classic 5-ID has the same TID display and circuitry as the former Classic ID and current Classic IDX Pro, and comes standard with a thin-profile 8" coil. With three 6.59 kHz models already in my personal battery, I just had to add one with a different operating frequency so that I can hunt with others. Yes, I use my MXT quite a bit, and with the 5" EXcelerator coil I can go to that unit if the amount of trash gets to be really bad. But to hunt the wood chip& sand-filled play sites, and to enter a competition hunt or two, or just enjoy the quiet operation of the White's proven Classic circuitry, the new Classic 5-ID was a definite "must have" that is now a "have got!." Since having that fun Saturday we have been drenched here in the NW and I haven't had a chance to get out more. Our weekend is supposed to be back up into the low-to-mid 80's, however, and I set my goal to hunt up at least 400 coins this weekend with the Classic 5-ID. I have some relatives from out of town who will be joining the fun and now I won't have to be concerned about any interference when I am around them since they'll be using my other Classic's. Detectors I know. These blasted computers I don't but I will try and include both photos with this post so you can see one of the playgrounds I hunt here, and my 6 hour take with my new 5-ID. Just thought this might be of interest to those who are loyal to White's quality products, but are looking for something so as not to have the interference problems.

-Monte In my 40th year of having FUN with detector in hand!

Detailed Review of the Quattro MP Metal Detector

Written by Ben Myers

Reprinted with permission from Western & Eastern Treasures
From page 46 of the June 2006 issue of Western & Eastern magazine.

Design & Features

The Quattro is a solidly built detector of the ergonomic, S-handled type, with a weight of 3.7 lbs., plus batteries; and its precision balance makes a real difference in reducing arm fatigue. I like the sturdy feel of the detector and its easy height adjustment using the shaft camlock. The coil cable is protected from damage by entering the shaft near the coil connection, then continuing inside to the control box. This makes assembly a bit more difficult, but not too bad as long as one takes the time to follow the manual. Speaking of the manual, although well written, it does not explain certain operating characteristics, which I discovered only during field testing and will discuss later. The Quattro necessitates a different style of hunting, and perhaps future manuals will be expanded to further prepare the inexperienced user for the field.


There is a detector stand and an armrest at the elbow end. At the very back of the handle assembly is a rubber cap that hinges up to reveal the spring-loaded battery pack. Raising the yellow tab releases it to replace depleted batteries. The cap also has a 1/4" stereo jack for headphones. The other end of the detector holds the 10.5" (264mm) open web DD searchcoil. Epoxy filled for water submersion, the DD coil produces a search patter that resembles a wiper blade, with even detection range throughout its length and depth. Double D coils are known to have better ground canceling and ground coverage ability.


All controls are on the face of the control panel. The 64 x 128 pixel LCD meter screen displays easily seen digital Target ID numbers and Icons, Depth Gauge, Graphic Identification Bar with Target Cursor and Discrimination Pattern, Battery Power Icon and Mode Indicator. Adjustments made to the controls can be viewed in the screen, Pushbuttons provide four modes (Coin, Coin & Jewelry, Relic and All Metal), Power, Pinpoint, Menu Select with minus and plus pads, Accept/Reject, and Noise Cancel. There is no ground balance control, as it is automatic through digital filtering.


To use the Quattro as a turn-on-and-go detector, you can simply push the power button, perform Noise Cancel and hunt in a factory preset of saved mode while shortcutting the manual. However I would not recommend this for new detectorist or those unfamiliar with FBS (Full Bad Spectrum) detectors. The Quattro is an unusual type of detector, and a thorough reading of the manual is a must for best results. Mastering it will be much easier for those already using FBS detectors. Therefore, it only becomes truly turn-on-and-go when the detectorist learns to use the Quattro through practice.

In addition to discussing the controls and feature of the Quattro, as well as my findings during testing, I'll also relay the saltwater results reported by my friend Bernard Hehl. I appreciated Bernie beach testing the Quattro for me since I was unable to drive several hours to the seashore. In fact, when the Quattro arrived for testing, I mailed it to him first, as I was still completing another field test at the time.


Minelab is endeavoring, with the Quattro MP (Multi-Purpose), to provide microprocessor controlled, 28-frequency (1.5kHz to 100kHz range), Full Band Spectrum (FBS) technology in an easier format for those daunted by the Explorer. Although there are similarities to the Explorer models, the Quattro is definitely not a ditto, but a machine with its own distinct personality.
Based in Australia, Minelab has been building a reputation for innovative design and metal sensing technology since 1985. With manufacturing in Australia and Europe, Minelab also has distribution and Customer service facilities in the United State, and a world-wide network of authorized dealers.

Touchpads & Display Screen

Menu Select -/+ Touchpads - Notice that these pads are located directly beneath the Display Screen, and for good reason, the results of using them are seen in the screen. The Menu Select and Minus/Plus buttons make changes in Sensitivity, Threshold, Noise Cancel (or use the shortcut button), Target Volume, Contrast (to the LCD Screen), Trash Density, and Discrimination. Press the Menu Select button, and a box appears in the LCD with six ions to match the controls mentioned above. Push the -/+ buttons to highlight a control in the Menu and then press the Menu Select button again to access an adjustment sub-menu for each control. Use the -/+ pads to modify; then press the Menu Select button to apply the settings and return to the Menu Screen. Push a Mode button to return to the regular detecting screen in the Mode last used. We will discuss Discrimination settings later. Modifying the Quattro's controls is a straightforward and easy process.

Sensitivity - Has two methods, Auto or Manual. The detector comes factory preset in Auto, which allows the circuitry to automatically adjust to hunting conditions. While I especially like this feature for new detectorist, who often run sensitivity too high for conditions, seasoned hunters can also use it for smooth operation in certain situation. The other method is to manually set sensitivity. The control in the Display uses a horizontal bar with settings from 1 to 20, then into Auto. Higher levels generally bring deeper detections and more sensitivity to smaller targets. However, ground and outside conditions determine the usable amount. Too much sensitivity and erratic operation begins (i.e., false signals). There are situations in which a setting of 17 or even 20 will provide better depth. However, do not be too quick to bypass Auto. I, too, was ready to jump right into manually high settings, only to be surprised by some very decent depth and smooth operation in Auto. Decide for yourself through experimentation.

Threshold - Sets the background hum, allowing the user to hear changes in the audio. The control runs from 1 to 40, but comes factory preset at12. A good set of headphones may allow you to drop the level a number or two. The best spot is a barely heard audio.

Noise Cancel - In the Menu does the same thing as the shortcut button on the control panel face. I found no difference between the two. Explanation of this control will be included later, under "Noise Cancel Pad."

Target Volume - adjusts the volume of the target signal. Factory preset at 20, it can be adjusted from 0 through 20 for individual hearing abilities, preferences and conditions.

Contrast - Refers to the ability to change the contrast of the LCD screen for best viewing. Preset at 10, it runs from 1 (lightest) through 20 (darkest). Visual conditions will dictated, as there is no back light.

Trash Density - Is a two-position control -- Low or High. Explaining the differences is somewhat involved, but there are some basic concepts to keep in mind. Low or High depends upon the amount of trash in the ground. Low is the factory preset and provides the best overall performance at mst locations. It offers better target ID, allowing a narrower discrimination pattern, and somewhat better depth in most soils. The down side is that the target-to-target recovery speed is slower. The High settings is superior in areas of varying mineralization or trash, where a faster search speed is needed. While target ID in High is not as precise as in Low, and more digits may be needed to reject targets, the High setting is considered better at finding a good target near rejected targets or ferrous junk in mineralized soil.

More on the Display

In addition to Menu and Discrimination, the LCD screen displays other essential information. The top right has a Battery Power Icon to indicate the amount of power left in the 8 AA alkaline's or Minelab's NiMH rechargeable batter pack and charger. The less shaded the icon, the less power left in the batteries. A warning sound means only a few minutes remaining. After the detector sounds an alarm, the display will say, "Flat Battery Shutdown" before turning itself off. Just to the left of the battery icon is a temporary Loudspeaker Icon with a C or F to denote whether (C) conductive or (F) ferrous tones are employed. More about these tones later in the "Modes Pads" section.

While hunting, the central part of the screen displays Target Icons, Depth Bar, and Target ID Numbers. The Target Icons (images of foil, rings, coins etc) appear only in the Coins and Coins & Jewelry modes as a quick reference to the ID number. When an objects characteristics overlap a similar target, the two most likely Target Icons may appear.


- Target ID numbers appear on the left of the screen as the coil passes over targets. ID numbers range from -10 to +40 to identify an array of metals. All metal targets produce numeric ID's depending upon how well or how poorly they conduct electricity. Low conductivity objects will have lower numbers, while the more conductive ones will be higher. If a detected target is too large or too close to the bottom of the coil to identify properly, there will be a buzzing sound, and the word Overload will appear on the screen. Before your first hunt, assemble a variety of common targets on the ground free of other meals. Compare the ID readings and sounds of objects like nails, pulltabs, and coins, both near and far apart from each other. If you have a test garden, so much the better. This practice will improve your success in the field.


- The Depth Reading Bar appears in the middle of the screen and indicates target depth in the hunting mode. Unlike most detectors, on the Quattro the reading does not change in pinpoint. Starting from the top of the bar, the less shading showing, the deeper the target. When the bar is half-shaded, the target is likely to be about 6" deep, while totally un-shaded means 12" or more.


-Discrimination. There are a number of ways of discriminating to avoid digging trash targets. One is to hunt in All Metal and listen to the target tones, using your ears as discriminators. However, the basic meaning of discrimination in this sense is to prevent the signals of trash from reaching your ears at all. Any target set to be rejected will null out the background audio (threshold will go silent). As with all detectors, though, heed the old warning about eliminating good targets along with the bad when employing discrimination. A gold ring can show up almost anywhere, depending upon characteristics such as karat and size. For example, some gold rings can produce the same ID number as a pulltab; so, that rejected "pulltab" coil actually be a gold ring. At most beaches, where jewelry is more likely, nearly everything is scooped anyway. Conversely, at trashy inland parks, some form of discrimination is needed.


- The Graphic Identification Bar (seen horizontally across the bottom of the screen) shows the current discrimination patter at all times. Darkened bars are areas being rejected, while clear areas are accepted Target IDs. There are no numbers on the Bar itself; however, when an object is detected its Target ID number displays in the screen. At the same time, a small cursor blinks temporarily over the corresponding section of the Bar, and then holds with a darkened cursor. A small empty rectangle also marks the spot in the Bar.


Minelab provides three techniques for revising factory preset discrimination patters to meet individual needs. The Quattro uses a linear discrimination scale form -10 to +4-, for a total of 51 "accept" or "reject" choices. The first method rejects the specific Target ID number of a particular object using the Accept/Reject button. Sweep the coil over the object to et an ID number and cursor location, and then press the Accept/Reject button to reject it. You will notice that spot on the Bar has turned dark. The reverse is true to accept a rejected target.


The second technique accomplishes the same thing by using the -/+ pads to move the cursor along the Graphic Identification Bar. Pressing the Accept/Reject pad turns that Target ID location either dark (rejected) or clear (accepted).


The third method changes larger areas by rejecting or accepting a whole band of ID numbers. Starting at either end of the band, press and hold the Accept/Reject button while pushing the -/+ pads to move the cursor along the Bar. Release when finished. If the Accept/Reject was pushed into Reject, it will reject (darken) the band of ID numbers. If pushed into Accept, it will accept (clear) the band.

-Power Pad. Pushing this control turns the detector on and off. To return all control settings to the original factory presets, press and hold the button at turn on. After a few seconds, the screen will read "Factory Preset," accompanied by a short tone. Initial pushing of the Power button starts the detector in the factory preset Coins mode. Thereafter, it will start with the previous settings used.


- Noise Cancel Pad takes into account outside interference, and chooses what Minelab calls a "channel" that is the most stable for the area being hunted. An example would be overhead power line interference. (This may include interference from another detector. There was no other Quattro to test against and no reference was found in the manual. However, it makes sense that Noise Cancel could handle that job.)


The automatic procedure is performed by holding the coil perfectly still after the pad is pushed, simple and effortless. Just be sure there are no metal objects under or near the coil. The screen progresses by 10' through 100%, which takes about 20 seconds to complete. Also be sure to perform it prior to adjusting Sensitivity or Threshold, or making other menu changes. The goal is to start from a stable environment through Noise Cancel, and unstable one will affect those controls unnecessarily. Perform Noise Cancel any time the detector shows signs of becoming erratic. In fact, I would use the feature freely to be sure of the most stable operation.


- Pinpoint Pad helps the detectorist find the exact location of the underground target. Since Double D coils are not known for precise pinpointing ability, it was a nice surprise to find the Quattro's 10.5" coil outstandingly accurate. I was most impressed to find coin sized targets and even many odd sized ones, located directly beneath the Minelab sticker on the coil, regardless of depth. After pressing Pinpoint, move the coil very slowly from left to right and back again, then carefully push the nose of the coil into the signal. Pinpoint does not require coil motion to hold over that signal for the loudest audio and darkest locator Bar Graph. If there is any question, approach the target from a 90 degree angle. pressing the touch pad replaces the target icons in the screen with a five-section Locator Bar Graph. The last detected target ID number and depth bar will remain in the screen.


As the coil hovers, the intensified signal and the bars darkening to their fullest will indicate the center of the target. Very deep targets may fill only a little of the Locator Bar Graph, so if it is a high tone ... dig. I consider the bar graph to be a signal strength indicator. Take care not to push the pinpoint button directly over the target, as it can cause a continuous signal, sounding like a huge target. To avoid annoying tones during retrieval, push the Pinpoint button again for hunting mode when setting down the detector. This will also prevent you from trying to detect while still in Pinpoint, when hunting is resumed.


- Accept/Reject Pad is the button to use for accepting or rejecting targets according to their digital reference point. With 51 segments, this feature allows you to set many notches in the discrimination pattern. (For further information on this pad, see the earlier section on Discrimination.)


-Mode Pads. The buttons along the side of the LCD screen are for Coin, Coin & Jewelry, Relic,a nd All Metal Modes. Each has its own discrimination pattern, or can be adjusted as needed and retained in a saved Mode. There are actually four preset programs, plus four customized savable programs or modes, for a total of eight. A check mark icon appears in the display next to the preset mode. When a mode has been temporarily modified, the check changes to a star. The star changes to the saved icon when the alterations are saved, by holding down the mode button for several seconds. Following the detector's initial use, it starts with the settings last used, even when alterations have not been saved.


All Modes use either conductive or ferrous tones. At the top of the screen, a loudspeaker icon with a C or F appears for ten seconds when a mode pas is selected, to indicate Conductive or Ferrous tones. The Coins and Coins & Jewelry modes use Conductive tones, while the Relic and All Metal modes have Ferrous tones. Conductive tones are based ont eh conductivity of the detected object, and Ferrous tones are based on the ferrous (iron) content of the target. in the Conductive tone modes, objects with low conductivity have lower tones, such as low-karat jewelry, tinfoil, and nickels. Higher conductivity targets have higher tones, such as silver coins. In the Relic and All Metal modes, a target with content more toward pure iron has lower tones. Objects with less ferrous content have higher tones.


Modified settings are easily saved by pressing and holding the altered Mode button for three seconds, until "Saved" appears in the window. Thereafter, each push of a Mode button toggles it between a preset and saved Mode. After Bernie learned that he could save the audio tones of one mode to another mode, I played around with this idea to discover, for instance, that if one is operating in Relic mode then pushes and holds the Coin & Jewelry mode, the "Saved" is seen in the screen. That saved mode in Coins & Jewelry is now the Relic mode with its ferrous tones. While pushing the Coins & Jewelry button continuously, you can watch the loudspeaker icon as it changes back and forth between Conductive and Ferrous. Using the same button makes alternating modes to compare signals much easier. Rusty iron can leach into the soil to cause a "coin" Conductive tones, as on any detector; checking it in Ferrous will cause a low tone and minus reading. A high tone and ID in Conductive that drops to a low tone and ID in Ferrous is an indicator of junk.


If Minelab is accepting suggestions, I would prefer a slightly different arrangement of the control panel, placing the Graphic Identification Bar at the top of the screen rather than the bottom, and moving the Metal ID label under the screen to above the screen. That would allow room to move the four Mode buttons toward the bottom of the screen, to toggle between modes without setting the detector down or using the other hand. Nevertheless, the layout of the control panel is very functional as is, and allows easy access to the modes.


The Coins mode utilizes the highest amount of discrimination to reject the most trash. The digits set for reject are -10 to +2, +6 to +8 and +14 to +16. Notice the notch discrimination ability. The multiple-tone audio signals (Target Tone ID) vary in tone of pitch according to the conductivity of the target. The right hand side of the screen displays target icons to match the Target ID numbers to the left.


The Coins & Jewelry mode is like the Coins mode, except that the level of discrimination has been reduced to reject fewer targets. The digits being discriminated are -10 to -1. Those detectorist willing to dig more junk, in order to find an elusive gold ring or other good targets, could use this mode.


The Relic Mode drops the level of discrimination even lower to reject the digits or -10 to -3. The audio tones are based on the ferrous (iron) content of the target. Target icons cease to appear, as users of this mode will be hunting by audio tones and target ID numbers. In addition to relic hunters, beach hunters looking for those small pieces of gold jewelry may like this mode.


All Metal mode does what it says, detects ALL metal. It uses no discrimination, and the signal tones are ferrous as in the Relic mode. In addition to their obvious uses, both the Relic and ALl Metal modes are useful when coin hunting in difficult situations. The Quattro's tone ID permits one to accept more signals while listening for higher-pitched tones.

In The Field

In areas with trash, I learned early on that the Quattro requires an unusual style of hunting. The user will not go flying across a field in a hurry. The Quattro style is a slower, methodical type of detecting while investigating signals. Doing so allows the Quattro time to identify some deep targets. Once a good signal is isolated, the Quattro grabs onto it like a pit bull. I was impressed with the accuracy of Target ID even to the edge of depth. However, the other side of this ability is the necessity for slow coil speed.


Using the Quattro in heavier trash, one must search very slowly. In a junky park, the Quattro is evaluating a lot of information from its multi frequency operations. Moving the coil in trash terrain can hold the ID of the first target to the second.This is due to a very slow recovery speed as the coils moves from Target to target. Again, slow is the key word. By experimenting, I discovered a method of hunting with the Quattro to enjoy accurate target ID at good depths, while dealing with the recovery speed. Incidentally, although one was not available for this test, I believe that a smaller coil could do wonders for further separating closely spaced targets.


Forget the way you used to detect, if you have not hunted with this technology. If found it helpful to use High Trash Density and hunt in Relic or All Metal mode while listening for the high tones. Some may want to toggle back and forth between Conductive and Ferrous modes. Ordinarily, when a target sounds good you would re-sweep the spot to see if you heard it right. However, with the Quattro, it's best to raise the coil for a moment to allow the circuitry to reset itself. Just a couple of inches off the target will do. Then return it to earth and re-sweep with a couple of short back-and-forth motions, to see if the signal is still good. If so, then the target probably will be a good one. However, if the signal changes to some junk reading like iron, then it may indeed be junk. Watch for the opportunity to isolate a higher signal that could be a good target near iron. I could not help wondering if a return button might be of use in such situations, as in the old days.


Often when making that second ID, I would would hit the pinpoint button to ascertain quickly the exact locations of the target. Centering over the target provides the most accurate information. Keeping your eye on the pinpointed spot, raise the coil and hit pinpoint again to go back to the motion mode. A re-sweep of just a couple of short, back-and-forth motions will proved the best ID. Although it requires a slower style of hunting (which some do anyway), this method of separating the targets provides the most accurate visual and audio target ID, Regardless of depth.


When using the Coins, Coins & Jewelry, and even the Relic mode, you will hear a nulling of the audio when a target is rejected. If there is excessive nulling, there may be many iron nails present. Whit machines possessing a quicker response time, that is not as big a problem. With the Quattro, I preferred to hunt in All Metal mode with a very slow sweep, in order to hear the low tones of ion and just ignore them. After getting a signal in trashy areas, I often performed that little coil tip-up to reset. When targets were close, the audio ID changed more quickly than the retained visual ID. Employing the High Density Trash selection makes a real difference in recovery time. Reserve Low for cleaner areas such as woods and beaches.


Although the manual says there is some loss of depth going from Low to High Density, it can't be much. For example, hunting in All Metal mode with a High Density setting, I heard low-toned signals and saw -6 and -10 with a higher tone +37 ID in the middle. Some quick little back=and=forth motions while circling and changing my angle of attack, had the +37 hanging in there tough. It was even possible to pinpoint it narrowly, right between two iron targets. Once, the depth was saying 10", and indeed it turned out to be a 1964 silver dime at about 10" next to iron. Lessons learned here were to listen to the tones before looking at the meter, and to use a very slow sweep to reach deep.

Bernie's Beach Tests

Bernie used the Quattro on a variety of saltwater beaches in Southern New Jersey and repots stable operation in all sand situations. Pinpointing was stable as well. He liked the Coins & Jewelry mode for its lower discrimination patter, but also the Relic and All Metal Modes for their ferrous tones. Bernie felt he lost depth on beaches with the Auto Sensitivity, and found that a manual setting of #18 was best, as #19 and #20 often caused falsing. The Target ID of coins showed an overlap of numbers with an averaging type system. Targets read in a number range rather than on specific numbers. For example, quarters and dimes read in a range of 36 to 38, rather than 36 for dimes and 38 for quarters.
The maximum depth achieved on any target was about 11". The Quattro was very sensitivity to small gold as well as large gold items, which is what most beach hunters need. Having an All Metal mode with tone ID is a real plus, notes Bernie. It rejected iron extremely well while still detecting good targets above it. Overall, the Quattro's simplified operation made it easy to use on the beach, and it worked well on wet-salt sand. As you can see from the accompanying photos, Bernie cleaned up on the beaches and his finds included a nice gold ring.

Tips & Summary

Minelab Metal DetectorsMake sure you use the Noise Cancel feature anytime the machine becomes a little erratic or conditions change. Listen to the audio ID tones, and remember, the less discrimination you use, the more tones there will be, as rejection causes nulling from deep iron and don't want to eliminate discrimination, try lowering sensitivity to reduce the depth of detection to the iron. See what works best for you. With the Quattro you have to be willing to experiment with various settings to see how they affect operation. Above all, practice ..... practice.... practice.

The Quattro's slow recovery speed does necessitate slow, patient land hunting, even in moderate trash. On the positive side, though, cleaner areas such as most beaches apparently have target spacing that permits the target ID to recover between targets. The Quattro is unaffected by the wet salt sand that causes false signals in many other detectors. Although it is a little on the heavy side, its excellent balance lessens that effect most comfortably. I give Minelab accolade for a well built, sturdy machine, an easy to understand display panel, very good depth with accurate ID down to the edge of depth, and a Double D, 10.5" coil with pinpointing ability so accurate that it borders on the unbelievable.

A Complete & Unbiased Review of the SD2200v2 Metal Detector

Written by Jim Straight
Reprinted with permission from W&E Treasures: V34 June 2000

This field test is not a rehash of the Minelab SD-2200D oper­ating manual or even an impres­sive list of great finds that were made with the detector. I’m not a Minelab dealer, or in any way connected with the company. I bought the detector used in this field test from a nearby dealer, even paying California state tax on it. For those of you who are not familiar with Minelab, they are a relatively new kid on the block. Since 1985, this Australian com­pany has developed metal detec­tors capableof nugget shooting the mineralized Australian soils, and been a pioneer in the devel­opment of both Automatic Ground Tracking (AGT) and Multi-Period Sensing (M-PS) technologies.

Minelab SD-2200D- “SD” stands for Super Detector. For those of you who are familiar with earlier SD mod­els— the 2000, 2100, and 2200— the SD-2200D has additional features such as automatic ground balancing, a boost amplifier, a tuning control, and a limited, fer­rous-iron discrimination function not found in earlier SD machines.

The SD-2200D uses M-PS technology, which I understand is some variation of Pulse Induction (P1). It is not a complicated machine to learn to use. The operating man­ual is well written, and the machine comes with a video­tape featuring Doug Stone, a well-known Aus­tralian gold prospector. Currently, the SD-2200D is available from Minelab only as a shaftmount.

It does not have an internal speaker, and the operator must use headphones. The con­trols consist of a Power Off/On switch, a single-turn Threshold control, a three-position (shallow, normal, deep) Audio control, a Tone control, a Channel 1 & 2 control, a Fixed or Tracking Ground Balance control, an Iron Discrimination control, and a Level Adjust to control the amount of iron discrimination or ground tracking. The unit comes equipped with two 11” circular search-coils— one a DD, and the other a Monoloop. The Disc + ID mode functions while using either coil; however, the Disc mode doesn’t function while using the Monoloop coil.

Field Test

Bench Testing. I have learned that with any new detector, after carefully reading the operating manual, it’s important to become familiar with it by bench or air-testing it. However, due to electrical interference, I found that the SD-2200 is not a machine you can bench test with­in a house or yard. Therefore, accompanied by Jack Leuf, I went to a nearby park to bench test it. Because we both wanted to listen to the sounds, and as the machine doesn’t have an inter­nal speaker, we plugged in an external amplified speaker sys­tem as used with computers. Then, to become familiar with the machine’s modes, features, and searchcoils, we air tested it using a variety of targets and control settings.

Coin Hunting

Since the detector doesn’t have a full-range coin discrimination circuitry, and exact pinpointing is a little tricky (even in all-metal mode) with either of the 11” coils, I definitely don’t recommend digging down a foot or so in a well-manicured lawn only to recover a rusted bolt as a way to keep any groundskeepers happy! Howev­er, due to its sensitivity and depth, the SD-2200D could be a choice for a dedicated “deep target” hunter willing to dig trash while hoping to find old coins and jewelry worthy of a Find-Of-The-Month (or year) award. The challenge is in skillfully re-filling the deep recovery holes. Therefore, with this in mind, we stayed away from parks and schools. Instead, accompanied by Hye McCall, we searched along c.1900 flagstone curbs in the rural areas of Redlands, California. And yes, I carefully filled after every dig, compacting the loose soil with my foot. While I didn’t find any old coins, I locat­ed small brass screws and bits and pieces of an old pocket watch, all 12” or more in depth.

Cache Relic Hunting

The SD-2200D certainly finds deep targets and could be the machine of choice over a two-box detector in some “buried trea­sure” searches. In the past I have found it pro­ductive to search old desert sites having visible rusty cans, especially cans with soldered seams &/or shards of purple glass glittering in the sunlight. While using the SD-2200D with the 11” DD searchcoil, I hunted an old dump area along the south side of State Highway 6 on the outskirts of Tonopah, Nevada. Here, years ago and over a long period of time, old car bodies, household junk, and just about everything else was discarded over a large area. On this trip I recovered an old brass cartridge case stamped W.R.A. Co. 40-60 W.C.F., and also a deeply buried, nickel-sized brass token with the initials E and H on either side. I also recovered an interesting pouch full of trash: a stove pipe damper, a badly rusted old Ford Script sparkplug, and even a brass winged radiator cap once used on a Model T Ford. Incidentally, the cartridge case was manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. and it was of .40 caliber and used 60 grains of powder. The W.C.F. stood for Winchester Center Fire. As for the token, research revealed that it was likely from the old Esmeralda Hotel in near­by Goldfield.

Beach Hunting

Minelab gives fair warning that the search-coils for the SD-2200D are not waterproof. However, as anyone who hunts ocean beaches knows, during low tide a lot of dry beach can be hunted. Since the control box represents a lot of money, I took care to use the detector only in dry areas, and never set the control box down onto the sand. Accompanied by our wives, Hye McCall and I took the SD­2200D to Seal Beach for a few hours of hunting. The weather was miserable, and we had the beach to ourselves. While I did the detecting, Hye did the digging, and we worked the dry and wet slope down to the water’s edge. One thing I can say is that the SD-2200D surely goes deep, and it kept Hye busy scooping out and filling holes. I told Hye that he could keep any of the finds for his efforts. However, other than pieces of aluminum (mostly can bottoms), wire, and bottle caps, the only “treasure” we found was a deeply buried, corroded copper penny in sad shape and a large man’s ring. If the ring had been solid gold, and the stone a real diamond instead of a fake, Hye would be rich!

Nugget shooting

I had a lot of fun while testing the machine in the broad Mojave Desert area near Randsburg, California. I hunted with George Elwood, a full-timer, and also with Roger Schorg both successful hunters with SD-2200D’s of their own. Also, Hye McCall, Jack Leuf, Rick DiBacco, and Lee Pennington took turns using mine. After working with it, using various settings and both the 11” DD and Monoloop searchcoils, we all agreed: “It goes deeper!”

There was also a consensus that it could be used to advantage in areas known to have shallow gravel overburden. Out of all of this testing, a strategy was developed. For the field test I used the headphones that came with the machine. Since I have a hearing loss, I found the audio Tone control very helpful in selecting the right sound pitch. Although, as mentioned, the machine came with two circular 11,’ coils, a Monoloop and a DD, I have used DD coils for years and understand their advantages; so, the DD was my choice with the SD-2200D, too. While the DD may not be as sensitive as the Monoloop coil to small targets, DD’ s are very stable in mineral­ized areas.

Due to a cone-shaped detection pattern, the Monoloop coils require much more overlap than the DD’s, which have a longer heel-to-toe, but narrower paintbrush-like window of target acceptance. This requires a lot less searchcoil overlap, a decided advantage when you are on the edge of a known dry placer, looking for a continuance of the pay streak. Since I wear boots I used two bungee cords to counterbalance the coil weight. I hooked one bungee to each side of the battery harness shoulder “D” rings and pushed the shaft out against them, thereby keeping the DD coil far enough forward so as not to detect the metal eyelet in my boots.

This worked great, as it not only gave me a good coil swing, but kept the weight off my arms. Also, I was able to keep the coil height just above the ground contour. Through experimentation, I found that by setting the Level Adjust control nearly fully clock­wise and operating in Disc mode, most ferrous wire with the exception of a small, thin piece of spring steel and other ferrous junk, such as the rusted end of an old 12 gauge shotgun shell could be canceled out. In trashy areas, I moved the coil fairly slowly. I hunted in Disc and Tracking; but as soon as I got a target, I went to Fix. Then I scraped off the top dirt with my boot and pinpointed in All Metal.

Then I flipped back to Disc and used both hands to con­trol a fast, short, back-and-fo rth coil swing. I actually whipped the coil with short strokes above the target. If the signal came in clear and persistent, I dug it, and in all cases it was a nonferrous target such as a brass .22 caliber shell casing or a larger, such as a .38 caliber lead bullet. The real point, of course, is that it could have been a gold nugget. If the signal was “iffy,” I still dug it anyway, as I didn’t want to miss a small nugget.

I would like to say that I found a handful of nuggets, but must limit my bragging to a couple. The first was small and chunky, and weighed about a half -pennyweight. It was found in the Summit Range, within the side-berm along the outer edge of a graded gravel road, and was only about an inch deep. The other, a splintery looking nugget weighing about a pennyweight, was found on the Rand Mountain slope, was down about 4” and gave a good signal. To my delight, I found it in schist bedrock away from the main dig­gings, so there could be a lot more nearby, waiting to be found on my next trip out.

Personal Impressions

Not only is the SD-2200D an automatic ground balancing machine, but it also has a limited capability to discriminate out shallower pieces of iron junk. I have used both manual detectors (since 1979) and automatic ground balance detectors (since 1989) to find gold. Therefore, I understand, like, and can use either one.

The 2200D Ground Balance mode has both a Track­ing and Fix control. I was very pleased to find that by using the Tune button, I could operate the SD-2200D reasonably near another machine, and other detectorists didn’t throw rocks at me for causing interference. The need to carry the rechargeable battery in a back­pack seemed awkward at first, but I soon got used to it. I must admit that I used the smaller accessory battery instead of the one that came in the box with the detector. However, I did use the larger one as a backup.

I found that using the car charger to charge and “top off’ the battery, while driving to and from the goldfields, ensured satisfactory service. Due to my prior inexperience with the SD-2200D, and also my frequency hearing loss, I found the Disc + ID mode tricky, but I loved the Disc mode. While using the DD coil in Disc, I found that most shallower ferrous trash was blanked out, whereas deeper trash gave a good signal. Howev­er, I also discovered that upon digging and then rechecking by swinging the coil rapidly back and forth over the suspected tar­get, the trash would blank out.

The toe and heel of the DD searchcoil are full of energy, which is an advantage when pushing the coil forward and backward between rocks and into brushy areas. I have used large coils and know they can become heavy over a short time. However, by using two bungee cords instead of one, the weight of the shaft mounted control box seems to counterbalance the searchcoil; and due to the alternating stretching and slackening of the two bungee's, inertia of the coil swing is damp within reasonable limits. Further, since the 2200D doesn’t pick up “hand” sounds, the usual plastic cups, mugs, or pans aren’t needed to recover small targets. Summary If detecting for a tiny and shallow bit of gold is your game, the 2200D is probably not for you.

Depending upon the shape of the nugget, the 2200D can detect a nugget as small, or even smaller, as two or three grains. However, the 480 grains to the ounce, and gold hovering, as I write this, around $300/troy oz., a three-grain nugget is only worth a couple of dollars. Although so far I can only claim finding two small nuggets with my own Minelab SD­2200D, it has an established track record as a gold machine and can be used to advantage in areas where larger nuggets have been found in shallow gravel. In some desert dry placer goldfields, a false clay or caliche bedrock may be covered by only a foot of so of overburden.

It is within these broad regional areas where large, multi-pound nuggets are occa­sionally found. Like a deep-coin hunter, I guess I can say I’m a “deep nugget” hunter. It is in the open areas, away from the trashy main digging's, that I patiently search— finding old bullets, cartridge cases, and an occasional old coin, but hoping to someday find a really big nugget!

Explorer SE Metal Detector

Written by Webmaster

There's nothing better for a new detector model owner than to have a crowd of onlookers gather around to ogle your new purchase and ask about its performance and abilities while admiring its sleek appearance and asking for "a quick burn" around the field to try it out.

To achieve such a crowd-pulling feat these days requires either a prestige badge or an eye-catching appeal. This year's crowd-puller has both and appears to be the new all black Minelab Explorer SE.

Such was the interest recently in this new model at a one-day event it had to be handed around on a ten minute loan basis as so many wanted to take a closer look.

The entire build of the new detector is made up entirely of all black plastics which accentuate the striking sharp lines. This is truly a high-tech and high-spec machine and one which will continue to dominate in the "serious detecting" arena.

Improvements & Features

"3rd Generation" Software Features Include:

• New "logical" Main Menu format, re-arranged "selections" to make browsing easier with one hand.
  
• Now displays two separate screens, Smartfind and Digital - Learn and Edit screens now accessed through Main Menu.
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• New pin point -VCO type rising sound with improved volume on deeper targets.
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• New Iron Mask scale - now displays Ferrous range from 0 - 31 and AM = All Metal.
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• Fast turn on, quieter/faster turn off.
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• Audio 1, 2 & 3 are now Long, Smooth & Pitch Hold respectively. Pitch Hold similar to the BBS series of detectors.
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• Faster loading of User settings.
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• Factory preset Gain now set to 8 (used be 5)
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• Stabilized Threshold in high-trash environments.
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• New larger fonts.
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• New updated detection results on Fer and Cond in Pin Point mode.
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• Improved behavior of the Depth indicator during detection and pin pointing.

Hardware changes include:

• New colour, style and appearance.
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• New thinner, lighter coil with better balance (weight reduction 60grms)
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• New front keypad decal
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• Current consumption reduced by 8% approx. prolonging battery life increasing run time by 1 - 2 hrs.

Focus on New Features

The most important software changes are listed above however there are some more that are not. An example of one would be in the Digital display whilst using the large zoom screen, the icons which showed in the previous Explorer models as coins, rings and tabs do now not show on Explorer SE. Instead, the entire pixel space is given over to four huge and very tall numbers for Fer and Cond to enable easy viewing of the numeric values assigned to every detected target.

The major changes will be discussed in more detail here and they include the new RESPONSE sounds although Normal, Audio 1 and Audio 2 have not changed but instead have been re-named as Long (Audio 1), Smooth (Audio 2) and Pitch Hold (Audio 3). Normal response remains the same and no changes to it have occurred. The big change is to Pitch Hold which is, an exciting new innovative audio choice method for Explorer SE users and a lot of information can be gleaned from it which will be described in greater detail below.

The Response option allows you to select the way targets sound upon detection. These are described below. Each Response sound may work better in different scenarios and you should quickly develop your own personal preferences.

Normal - when the target signal drops the audio blanks, giving a crisp end to the target response. Normal allows the greatest differentiation between the ground and a target, but has the potential to miss small targets in areas littered with objects producing a target response.
Long - long audio lasts until the end of detection. There is no blanking at the end of the target response. Long allows less differentiation between the ground and a target.
Smooth - as opposed to the sudden change in audio response in Normal and Long, Smooth offers a more gradual change/rise in audio response from ground to target detection.
Pitch Hold - is identical to the normal response during detection. After blanking, the threshold will return to the same pitch of the peak target signal. The pitch of the threshold will not change until a new detection is made. The Minelab Sovereign series of detectors varies the pitch of an audio signal depending on the conductivity of the target: i.e. a highly conductive target produces a high-pitched tone, while a less conductive target item produces a lower-pitched tone. The advantage of the Sovereign's threshold tonal reproductive range is that the tone of the threshold also changes. After the target signal is heard, the threshold "hum," returns in a pitch similar to the pitch of the signal. When the target signal is blanked (or nulls out) due to some positive discrimination, the threshold returns again in the higher or lower pitch of the target's conductivity. The advantages of Pitch Hold should become apparent in ground that is considered fairly clean and also works very smoothly over salt wet sand.
The Iron Mask feature is an overall ferrous discrimination control, which can be adjusted to reject a large amount of ferrous targets at one time. An increased level of Iron Mask will reject more ferrous targets while a reduced level will accept more ferrous targets - ideal for relic hunting.
Some improved Iron Mask functions have been implemented:

1. The new Iron mask has values in 0 - 31 range to match the range of Ferrous numbers.
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3. The Iron mask screen has been modified to show "FER" inside the slider and to show "AM" when the All Metal is enabled.

All Metal - is the term used to describe a clear discrimination pattern - that is accepting ALL targets whether ferrous or non-ferrous. To select All Metal press the shift button next to the AM icon to reduce Iron Mask and clear the discrimination pattern. Bear in mind that A.M. might be "noisy" on certain soils that might have high levels of mineralization in them.

Gain - the Factory preset has been changed to 8, a higher setting from which it used to be set at in both former Explorer models (used to be 5). This might become noticeable right away as certain signals might be more pronounced with better, faster, louder and sharper signals when compared to an older Explorer ll model. Gain actually controls the amplification of target responses in respect to the strength of the original signal. The theory is, with a high setting (8) even weak target responses will initially be, easier to hear which could equate to more finds, especially small low-conductive ones at the end of a day's detecting or increased deeper finds from sites considered to be "worked out". On a modern site such as a concert field looking for recent losses one could use a lower Gain setting coupled with a Low sensitivity setting to deliberately look for surface/shallow finds as one would not require the extra sensitivity to search for losses from a day or so ago.

Sensitivity - following along from an increased Factory Gain setting there is also a noticeable increase to the Factory preset Sensitivity level - this is now set to 22 - an increase of six sensitivity increments from a lower sixteen. As a result of these two changes of (i) an increased sensitivity and (ii) gain setting it will appear the Explorer SE is more powerful on turn-on compared to the older models. These Settings have been increased at the factory and those settings were always present and adjustable. There might be a trade-off from using higher settings and this could result in unwanted noise and more ground signals. If this occurs simply lower the settings via the Main Menu. However, bear in mind that, Semi-Auto Sensitivity can be a good friend and will continuously monitor the environmental conditions and will automatically adjust the detector's sensitivity as close as possible to the last manually specified level of sensitivity - especially useful in those often difficult sites with ever-changing ground conditions. Manual Sensitivity on the other hand would be better suited to a trashy site or, where a very slow sweep is required or on a beach.

Depth Indication - is improved over that of Explorer ll and now updates visible information at the end of each detection and, updates in the new and improved Pinpoint Mode also.
The clear portion of the depth indicator represents the approximate distance of a target below the coil based on a single coin from 0 to 30cms. Try to think of the clear area as the amount of soil you will have to remove to get down to the target.

Digital Fer Cond - as per the depth indicator, Fer and Cond now display and update information on screen while in the Pinpoint Mode. Previously, this was not possible and is one of the most significant changes to the Explorer SE software.
The four numbers in the Digital screen display both the ferrous and conductive properties as perceived by the Explorer SE in magnetic response for ferrous and conductive response for non-ferrous.


Fer or Ferrous shows from 0 - 31 the ferrous resemblance of targets while Cond shows from 0 - 31 the non-ferrous conductivity properties of targets. So a display of Fer 07 Cond 25 would indicate Fer 07 as being of a low ferrous nature (non iron probability) and Cond 25 would show a high conductivity (copper/brass/silver) and the target might produce a U.K. copper ½d. Displays of Fer 04 Cond 28 could indicate a U.S. dime while Fer 08 Cond 10 might indicate a gold coin.

Threshold - has been changed to a Factory Preset setting of 16.
It has also been improved so that finer adjustments may be made to it, especially at the lower end so that one can set it to a very low level but that it shall still be audible whereas on the previous models it may have been too quiet or may have gone silent. A silent or non-existent threshold is not recommended as a small depth loss can actually occur as one may not hear a very small target, nor should it be too loud that one could not distinguish a false noise from a target response. As always, the threshold will need to be adjusted when connecting and disconnecting headphones (also recommended for privacy and extending battery life).

A Familiar Feel

When one picks up the new Explorer SE one can instantly feel that familiar solid grip but with the new and lighter coil that feel is so much better and is very noticeable when sweeping the detector in a location such as a wood or a stubble field where there might be objects to be avoided - it handles very well. The unit is noticeably better balanced and feels better "in the hand" while also easier to just skim across the surface of the ground.

Performance - In The Lab

During development of the new "SE" many hundreds of hours were spent with the new unit putting it through countless bench tests in order to guarantee the full and authentic and by now legendary characteristic accuracy of target information to ensure the new SE was consistent with known performance parameters. Together with the added functional and performance related improvements, more subtle improvements were also incorporated into the SE such as the featuring of new and larger fonts designed to give a greater amount of pixel space to reproducing much larger numeric displays on the Digital screen. Explorer SE is now much easier to read even fully extended away from the body. Numeric consistency for all target values has been carried over to Explorer SE whilst maintaining the usual degree of perfect audio clarity of all appropriate conductive responses on hundreds of targets.
With the added improvements to increase start-up sensitivity the Factory setting does now sound sharper and crisper on targets.

Performance - Outside

Serious devotees of the Explorer detectors use it for absolute and extreme depth and the sheer amount of information it provides on targets both audibly and visually via the various detection screens. In this regard, Explorer SE does not disappoint! It continues that tradition of sheer usability everywhere and, does so with a level of electronic stability that has to be experienced to be appreciated. On wet salt water beaches, pastures, woodland and industrial river foreshore areas it excelled with such ease that it became almost second nature to use whilst providing critical information to the senses. The stability and reliability of the information provided proved foolproof and above all else, highly accurate. All the electronic functions worked in tandem, seamlessly providing reliable, dependable audio-visual information - there was no second-guessing - it did what has been expected of such a high-caliber machine for years - providing an unsurpassed detecting experience and was pleasurable in doing so - as trustworthy as an old friend. With the new micro-processor especially designed for the new SE it is now much faster as well and this is instantly obvious even on start-up.

Tips & Tricks with the SE

As with any metal detector it takes time to get to know it really well. Explorer SE allows one to do this really quickly and it provides a wealth of information with just a few button pushes to glean extra information for some signals that you may not be quite sure about.

Pitch Hold - The Pitch Hold mode, when combined with the updating of ID's in Pin-point is a powerful tool, and a great aid in isolating a good from a bad target. An advantage noted during the testing of the new SE was that Pitch Hold just suddenly "grabs onto" targets which were audibly quick, unmistakable and instantaneous signals.

Digital Screen - should you have a signal you are undecided about, simply engage Digital and hit Pinpoint - pass over the unknown target a few times and it should reveal it's identity very quickly by displaying four numbers e.g Fer 31 Cond 31 (large ferrous) and in the new detector a depth estimation as well all via the new VCO Pinpoint mode.

Conclusion

Originality is hard to come by in any format and it is Minelab, the company who gave us ground breaking and earth-shattering performance with the introduction of BBS technology many years ago who built on that solid foundation. Producing cult favorites such as the Excalibur and Explorer ll they are still at the forefront of detector design today providing unparalleled performance to bring us the new Explorer SE, truly deserving of a place of honor in the long lineage of Explorer metal detector development.


Certainly Explorer SE is a lot of metal detector in a fantastically built package and everyone is catered for from absolute beginners to very experienced users who will customize it to obtain exacting results. Minelab's engineers deserve great credit for their ability to take a great product and make it better, smarter and faster.


This detector truly expands the reputation of the company and I am delighted to be able to report on such a classy machine. These people obviously know the meaning of the word "heritage" but they also know the meaning of the word "technology", and in this wonderful detector they have brought the two together.