Minelab X-terra 705 General Tips, Advice, Questions

[StirFX]

I've had the XTerra 705 for a year now. Only just got the bug about a month ago though.

I recommend having the sensitivity from 15-20+, Noise channel on 0 then the beep sound setting on 4(not sure what it's called).

Don't think you should discriminate things just yet, for me, all metal keeps me interested. Although, if you're at a campsite set it to preset 4(Have a look at the manual to see what preset will pick up the stuff your after).

It should find gold, I've read many stories of people finding gold with it.

As for beaches you'll have to watch Sa_bogan's video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxs7-CeZtGA&list=UUi8kWOXihVP8btDI4EeXc8w

Also where did you hunt today, at a park? If so, make sure it's reasonably old, that's if you're after old coins etc.

cheers,

 

[gcause]

Hi Mike welcome to the forum

Don't over think it.

Minelab make great metal detectors.

These metal detectors come with default settings from the factory.

They are default settings because they will give the novice the best chance of finding something.

Best to read the manual. Then retread the manual.

Then reread the manual again after you have been out in the field and worked out the basics of how it operates.

And yes the 705 has found Gold.

It's a great beginners machine according to all the reports I have read on the various forums.

Cheers,
Grant

 

[mike90199]

thx for all your help guys .even tho ive only had the detector for a day .I really enjoyed taking it out yesterday .cause you just never know what you will find .one thing that I fully don't understand tho is the auto tracking feature apparently it auto balances the ground or something .but I read that one guy said if I use this feature there is a chance it could balance off a target I have found and not sure weather I need to switch it on and off everytime I detect something or .

anyway thx again guys .my father had a old metal detector when I was young and metal detectors have always intrigued me .I hope one day to save enough for a really good machine and go searching for gold but that's a long way away .

oh side note .I got the gold pack new from anaconda and everywhere I have looked it retails for $990 and I asked the guys at anaconda if they could give me a good price and they ended up giving me the detector for $760 new so think I got a ok deal .

 

[Digger Danny]

I have a 705 and for the first 50 hours only used factory settings. I have found coins, rings, all sorts of
interesting stuff and heaps of trash. The more you use it the better you get. Dig every thing to start with and try
to remember the sounds and numbers.

 

[mike90199]

thx danny . I just ordered a minelab pin pointer to cause it seems like they would make finding stuff alot easier .

 

[StirFX]

thx danny . I just ordered a minelab pin pointer to cause it seems like they would make finding stuff alot easier .

You're going to love the pin pointer, without it it's very hard to find things that are covered in dirt.

 

[Goldpick]

Congratulations on your first detector, the 705 is an excellent detector to have just starting out, you should have some great fun with it. If it were me, I'd run in all metal, and dig all stong repeatable signals till you get used to what the detector is telling you. Don't pile on too much discrimination, you will miss out on some good targets.

Bury a few coins at home or at the beach in dry sand to become familiar with their particular tones and related vdi numbers, also try some jewellery if on hand. Also bury a few of your junk targets (bottle caps, pull tabs), and take note of the vdi number on the screen and the tones of different items. You Tube is also a great resource to learn from, there should be a few clops on there of the 705 in action, plus some Minelab instructional videos on how to properly setup and use your detector. Digging junk targets is unavoidable to a point with detecting, you can use discrimination, but looking at your on screen vdi numbers whilst running in all metal will should achieve better results.

Yes it can find gold, not as competant as some of the more expensive pulse induction machines, but running the 18.75kHz eliptical coil will give good sensitivity to gold. You should able to run in tracking mode most of the times, usually when you encounter a good target, the best method is to use the pinpoint button to accurately locate the target, and this should disable the tracking so you don't track out the target will multiple swings of the coil.

Don't crank the sensitivity up too high, just high enough not to have any false signals, especially when on the beach in damp sand, or when out gold prospecting. The idea is to have a smooth background threshold with minimal falsing.

Here's a bit of a beginners guide to the 705:

http://www.garysdetecting.co.uk/minelab_xterra_705_beginners_guide.htm

 

[mike90199]

thx heaps for advice goldpick .yeh I was wondering about all metal mode rather than the 4 discrime modes .ill do that hey and try train my ear .would you reccoment me using more tones with the machine .currently I have it on 4 tones but it can go up to 99 .

 

[noncents]

Here is a post from before. You will have to log in to get the information.
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=4282

 

[StirFX]

Hey everyone, just wondering if someone could help me identify this problem or give me some recommended settings.
I seem to mainly get false signals when the coil scrapes on a bush etc...
Thanks,

 

[bazza2210]

I have the same issue with my 705 but not solved it yet, I was going to try reducing sensitivity next time I went out but that may impact depth.

Cheers

Barry

 

[Nugget]

Here's a few possible causes that might be worth looking into.

• Sensitivity set too high for the ground conditions.[/*]
• Loose coil cable, moving when the coil is bumped.[/*]
• Using the wrong coil for the ground conditions - I noticed a similar issue when using a large concentric coil in mineralised ground, however changing over to a smaller DD resolved the issue (AT Gold).[/*]
• Faulty coil OR control box.[/*]

A little food for thought

 

[XIV]

Sensitivity is set to high
The 305, 505, and 705 are all the same when it comes to this problem
Tune down to suit conditions
same goes for the sand (wet to dry)
On dry you can have the sensitivity quite high
but will need to be turned down when over wet sand or in the water

Try lowering sensitivity down by one and touch the bush and do it till it almost stops
It will always give off a false reading if bumped while swinging and does the same on hot sand too
Hope that helps you out a bit

 

[StirFX]

I have the same issue with my 705 but not solved it yet, I was going to try reducing sensitivity next time I went out but that may impact depth.

Cheers

Barry

That's what I was worried about too, I have to get it under 12 for it to not go crazy. Then I'd be loosing some targets though.

Thanks nugget, maybe it is the coil. It's just the stock standard coil.

Hey XIV, I have to have the sensitivity extremely low, getting below 12 some days. Or is that quite high?

Thanks,

 

[Nugget]

I have the same issue with my 705 but not solved it yet, I was going to try reducing sensitivity next time I went out but that may impact depth.

Cheers

Barry

That's what I was worried about too, I have to get it under 12 for it to not go crazy. Then I'd be loosing some targets though.

You're loosing targets while the detector is falsing with sensitivity set on high, so by lowering it you'll actually increase your chances of digging real targets. Obviously you'll loose a little depth and sensitivity on smaller targets, but if you're only dropping the setting down a few notches you probably won't notice too much difference on coins and the like.

Just remember the detectors sensitivity is adjustable for a reason, so choose the right setting for the specific application.

 

[Goldpick]

It is a bit of a misnomer that running with high sensitivity is ALWAYS the best setup for detecting deep, for low mineralisation and low amounts of junk in the ground, it may be possible to crank it up a bit more. Have the sensitivity too high, and the detector will pick up "everything" in the ground including mineralisation and abundant small junk targets. You are better off lowering the sensitivity to the point of having a stable background threshold, and you will find the more prominent high conductors will still come through, and be clearly distinguishable from all the bits of iron and foil in the ground. This is especially a common mistake on the beach (wet sand), and for gold detecting where background mineralisation or salt will make the detector false and become unstable if set too high.

Every area detected will be different, so be prepared to readjust sensitivity to suit.

 

[Bazz]

Hey StirFX

I'm not big time "finder" of the gold stuff but I run sensitivity around 5 and I thought I was getting a lot of false signals......

Maybe I really need to re look at the videos.

Cheers

 

[XIV]

I can have it set up from 4-15
Haven't found any ground that I can crank the sensitivity to max
Most times its set mid range 8-12

 

[Goldtarget]

It's the concept that gets hard to explain but Goldpick is spot on, falsing because of winding it out to max won't help go "deeper" best to hunt with stability on your machine. I GB to a slight negative and adjust the threshold till it just crisp and virtually a single solid sound, anything just out of reach on that sensitivity will create a muted threshold, a drop out that by taking off an inch or so will likely produce a target response. I have gone back over areas I've hunted out and maxed it up a couple of different ways but using the explained method above is rare to get much more. If you want depth you will need a bigger coil or take a bit of the top layer, colder conditions, less Emi, or better headphones. My f75 will be no different to your machine it has more "grunt" than be comfortably and reliably used and if cranking the sensitivity up it will quickly reach the point it will become unusable.

Also securing your cabling within an inch of its life is best I've found but for due diligence just check the connection between your coil and cable, but more likely is just running too "hot". Put a couple targets in the ground at different depths and play with the sensitivity and threshold, you will be surprised what the best settings are for the greatest depth.

 

[Bazz]

Thanks GT, that makes sense to me