"How to..." for the TDI, SL & SPP

[Guest]

Thanks for that Reg and John. I've contacted LukeOzDigger and he said he'd do the mod for me.

As to White's and this irritating mod crapola; I've come to expect this when they appear to be (like a lot of these outfits) standing on their Delta-Indigo-Charlie-Kilo!

 

[dazza513]

The trouble with buying even new machines Is you MUST ask for one that was made in the last 6 months because I bought mine almost 12 months ago, and the Date on the Box says 2012 so I cant bring mine back to OZ unless I want to pay to have the Mods done to it, And When I phoned Whites In Scotland they said they knew nothing about the hiccup/sensitivity Problem and that Whites US had said nothing to them About It, Which to me Is dishonest,
And I am bordering on Cancelling a New machine I have got Coming and buying another Brand, I am Not Impressed,

Why the devil whites have not started doing these mods for the Pro as well Ever Since Reg Solved the Problem For Whites Free Of Charge is beyond me.

john

The hiccup was'nt a major problem more of an inconvenience , on 95% of the places i detected in the vic triangle the spp was fine as it was. Some of the really red iron stone areas it did'nt like but no one detector is perfect as supplied in every situation, ever tried a minelab with a mono coil around lots of basalt?

 

[Ridge Runner]

The trouble with buying even new machines Is you MUST ask for one that was made in the last 6 months because I bought mine almost 12 months ago, and the Date on the Box says 2012 so I cant bring mine back to OZ unless I want to pay to have the Mods done to it, And When I phoned Whites In Scotland they said they knew nothing about the hiccup/sensitivity Problem and that Whites US had said nothing to them About It, Which to me Is dishonest,
And I am bordering on Cancelling a New machine I have got Coming and buying another Brand, I am Not Impressed,

Why the devil whites have not started doing these mods for the Pro as well Ever Since Reg Solved the Problem For Whites Free Of Charge is beyond me.

john

The hiccup was'nt a major problem more of an inconvenience , on 95% of the places i detected in the vic triangle the spp was fine as it was. Some of the really red iron stone areas it did'nt like but no one detector is perfect as supplied in every situation, ever tried a minelab with a mono coil around lots of basalt?

Thanks Daz, Ok then from what I was lead to believe I thought it was more serious than that, I am surprized about the ML and a Mono, Because Digger Bob actually balances out that basalt rock with the SL without even a Whisper in that Video of His.
So maybe it is not worth worrying about if it is only picking up hot pockets, because most PI's will do that, I know if you up The Delay on the SL to 12 or 13 you can knock out basalt rocks,

I am not sure if it is the Magnetic ground that makes the hiccup or the minerals, But what I just learned from ground balancing the SL and the MXT using a Fridge Magnet is there is a bounce effect as the magnet comes within 1/2 an inch of the coils to touching it and as it leaves the Coil from zero out to 1/2 an inch, which can be eliminated just by setting the GB a fraction more positive So that is Normal, and the magnet reads 84 on the Ground reading and when I did the same using a large magnetic sign that reads 86 to 87 which be classed as Very High in Iron neither machine had trouble dealing with them and Balancing them out and the highest reading you can get is 95/96? so what ever upsets them is not magnetic,

Still In my Opinion,,, makes the SPP/SL's the best all rounder because it does not sing to you for 8 hours a day and EMI is a Thing of the past,

Daz, let me know about them batteries when you get time, Ok

Thanks Mate,, john

 

[Guest]

Sounds like you need the mod done. LukeOzDigger might do it for you before he's off on the trek.

 

[Guest]

Where's Reg!

 

[Ridge Runner]

Sounds like you need the mod done. LukeOzDigger might do it for you before he's off on the trek.

I don't know if it does yet, nothing I do will make it hiccup so I don't think it needs it, If I could make it misbehave then I would get it done,

I might just buy another PI machine, I am getting fed up with all the BS I keep getting told,

I know Reg is the Go To Guy when it comes to these machines, so what he says goes, and if it does not do it in your area then that's fine but if it starts to play up then get it done asap,

john

 

[Guest]

Where's Reg?

 

[Reg]

I am not sure what the problem or worry is in this thread. If a person feels they can live with how their detector works now, then fine, there is no need to make a change.

Since I never have hunted in OZ, I can only go by what many people have said and that is what prompted me to come up with a fix for the hiccup. Is this mod absolutely needed? Of course not. If the hiccup causes little or no problems to a person, then don't worry about it. Over here in the US, there are almost no places where the mod is needed.

One thing the people should be aware of is the mod makes ground balancing easier and smoother. So, it has advantages to have it done. Now, with that said, then if a person is happy with how their detector ground balances and worried about having the mod done, don't worry.

Now, for those wanting to know more about the mod itself, it isn't brain surgery. It consists of removing a few parts and shorting across another. Actually, it could probably be done and work by shorting one diode and removing one capacitor. However, the best solution is to to also remove all or part of the parts not needed.

Think of this mod sort of like worrying about removing your appendix. If it isn't giving problems, why worry about it.

Somewhere along the line someone asked if White's is going to do anything to the TDI to reduce noise. Well, since I have no link or communications with White's I haven't a clue what they will or will not do.

Someone also added that Digger Bob showed how to check to see if an unknown signal was basalt. That little feature works for both basalt and, as Luke L found out, works on what he calls hot pockets also. Both can be ignored easily by simply knowing what to do with the controls. Remember, the manual is only a starting point from which to expand. Also, the manual was written well before additional uses for certain controls were known. Also, remember any and all controls on the detector are there to be used. So, feel free to experiment to see just what happens.

I hope this helps clear things up.

Reg

 

[Roscoe]

How are you going Reg.? Good to see you posting again.

 

[Reg]

Hi Roscoe,

Don't expect much in the line of posts or responding to emails for a while. I am still trying to deal with the fact I had to put down one of my dogs. She was almost 17 years old and my close companion for most of that time. Losing her is much like losing a child you raised for so long.

Reg

 

[Guest]

All the best Reg. That's a hard row to hoe.

 

[Picker]

Hey guys wanted to report back, was out yesterday and FYI it was a very bad EMI day with storms approaching. Nevertheless I was able to keep the delay in 10 and by reducing gain and threshold, combined with the occaisional frequency tweak, she purred along. No gold but just to show what I got, and 1 hole to show the depth on a piece of rusty iron with the sadie coil (tdi oz) was about a foot. Cheers

 

[Guest]

This business about the hiccup doesn't appear to occur on my machine. Have had it out a couple of times and it doesn't hiccup on any targets. So I hope I'm in the clear.

 

[Reg]

Here is a little bit of wisdom when using any TDI series detector. If you are beach hunting and you turn the GB off, the only tones that will be generated are high tones. So, to heart any signal, you need to be in low conductor or All mode. If you select High conductor, you will hear a steady threshold hum only.

On the standard SPP, this is a non issue but add the conductivity switch and one can select a mode that will not generate a signal.

I mentioned this because a TDI user asked the question on a different forum of what mode a guy was using on the beach when hunting with the GB off.

Reg

 

[Roscoe]

Sorry to hear about your best mate Reg. and your right they become part of your family. Reg. you were right about those mono coils needing to be lifted up over hot ground. Since doing this a noticed the machine runs better, thanks.

Picker looks like he has that TDI dialed in nicely with holes like that.

 

[Reg]

Here is another bit of wisdom to add to the book of knowledge when using the TDI or SL series. Know the gold in the area where you are hunting and pick the mode that will work best.

By knowing the gold, I mean, know the most common size and then know the purity of the gold when possible. Why? Simple, the purity along with the surface characteristics will determine the tone you will hear and at what size the tone may change.

Pure gold is highly conductive and will act dramatically different than that which has a lot of silver or copper mixed in it. Nearly pure gold will be a low conductor or a high tone even up to close to a 1/4 oz and then change to a low tone, but less pure gold may remain a high tone (low conductor) even up to and into the multi-oz range. So, if you are hunting a known area where most of the gold is small or less pure, it just might pay to operate in the low conductor mode and then use some of the tricks to eliminate "hot pocket ground problems".

In areas where basalt is a big problem, then use that same mode used to eliminate hot pockets and GB to the basalt. Watch lukeozdigger's videos if you are uncertain of what I mean. With a few tricks like this, hunting such troublesome areas can actually be fun. In fact, here is one video made while we were resolving the hiccup problem that displays the hiccup and also how one can eliminate "hot pocket" signals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtKaP9p1bCs

Reg

 

[user 4485]

In areas where basalt is a big problem, then use that same mode used to eliminate hot pockets and GB to the basalt. Watch lukeozdigger's videos if you are uncertain of what I mean. With a few tricks like this, hunting such troublesome areas can actually be fun. In fact, here is one video made while we were resolving the hiccup problem that displays the hiccup and also how one can eliminate "hot pocket" signals.

Reg in Lukes vids, which show the hiccup fix well & the elimination of hot pockets, he frequently mentions that his machines are modded - Reg's "gold mod" & "noise reduction mod" he calls them. He even says in one that a stock TDI without the mods would not pick up his small test piece.
My question is, as there seems to be confusion as to what Whites have done on their end, are these mods - gold mod & noise reduction mod - now carried out to all of the TDI series by Whites on new machines as part of the "hiccup" fix or do you need to have your machine modded as an after thought? Whites should be taking these improvements on board if they haven't already.
Also just a quick one with basalt. There are a few problematic areas around my local fields with scattered basalt. Some spots aren't a big issue & its usually only a few chook egg sized bits that signal. Problem is that they signal exactly like the small gold in the area which I have persisted to find there. My thinking is that if I balance them out I'll balance the gold out also especially using low/high conductor switch?
There are other basaltic areas here that I have walked away from as you get these same sweet gold signals on near every sweep of the coil such is the intensity/spread of the high iron content basalt. A machine to ignore them but still hit on the gold would be great.

 

[Reg]

You are mixing apples and prunes. In the video I mentioned, the hot pocket was cancelled using the GB control and when done, he could still detect small gold.

Now, Much of the basalt will ground balance out at the same setting as a hotpocket, but some will need a little more GB. That little more is no where near the GB setting needed to cancel small gold, so no you shouldn't lose gold.

The only way to know for sure is to take what I mentioned and try it yourself. I checked, and trying what I said is legal. Simply find a piece of basalt and then place that basalt in an area and a small gold nugget nearby. GB to the basalt and then try to to detect the small gold. I think you will find you can do both.

Now, as for Luke's videos, well like peaches and prunes, he has videos displaying the noise reduction mod added to the TDI and a small gold mod. What was found out later was the small gold mod would enhance certain small hotrocks, making them a problem. So I am not sure he is using that small gold mod now. The mods done to the TDI are not the same needed to eliminate the problem with the SPP.

As for the peaches and prunes, well the mods done to the TDI and those done to the SPP are not the same even though they are mods. As for White's adding any changes to the TDI, well, I don't know or sure, but I am guessing they haven't done anything to the TDI. I can't even say for certain they are modifying the SL like what is done for the SPP.

Remember, I don't communicate with Whites any more.

Reg

 

[user 4485]

Thanks Reg.

 

[Roscoe]

Mbasko, Funny thing is that basalt gives a nice sweet signal on a PI machine, but, the same piece will give a Boo sound on my VLF machine which makes it a dead give away as a negetive hot rock and not a good target. I could if you like set my SPP with GB off set and in low conductor mode as Reg. mentioned and test if i can eliminate the basalt signal and still pick up small gold. I do live on 10 acres of rich red basalt soil and its full of iron pisolite and small chunks of basalt rocks in places. I don't have gold on my property, so will have to plant a piece to test.