Minelab X-terra 705 General Tips, Advice, Questions

[mike90199]

hey guys mike here .I noticed a few weird things today when I was searching some parks .it had been raining a bit today so maybe that had something to do with it .
but I noticed a lot of the time I was searching and picking up signals but when I dug there was nothing there .the soil was very dense and hard with lots of roots .
I had this one site where I got a good reading I think it was 38-40 or something like that and when I dug it and used pinpoint the pinpoint mode would scream then I would dig again and nothing there .then id put the detector over it again and the pinpoint mode would scream to the left of the hole then id do it again and the pinpoint would change position again .when I was searching this time the sensitivity was around about 28 when I got another false signal before it was 24 im just wondering if it is the way I have set up the detector or maybe my sensitivity was to high or something else .

maybe I need to invest in something that is a bit stronger or maybe I just doing things wrong ?.

I did find my first dollar tho burried about 4 inches under a slide so I guess that's a plus .

 

[KarlS]

Nothing weird, you have dug out very small piece of metal and in the wet soil you did not found it. XTERRA can sometimes sound on things size of pin head. It is sometimes very difficult to spot tiny bit of metal in the soil you have dug out. In the parks or tot lots XTERRA will almost never false signals. 28 setting is bit high, I usually detect with gain at 18 to 24.
Karl

 

[Wally69]

Hi mike, try pinpointing from a couple of directions to get a better centre position. If you have a screamer, lift the coil off the ground until the signal is faint and repeat the pinpoint from both directions, I find this works better getting a fix on on shallow ring pulls or foil.

I have had near surface tin foil show as a deep target and they often give me a false centre, as do ring pulls on occasion. Frustrating, but if I now use a pinpointer and if I don't get a beep when I cut a plug I pinpoint again with the 705 to check if it is deep or possibly foil out to one side.

With 3/4 sensitivity I got a Florin today registering 38-40. It was bouncing around at 28 and 16 depending on approach angle and distance from centre-spot, a bit like a ring pull. It was nice and clear and at about 10 inches deep, so you may need to dig deeper???

I usually turn my sensitivity down to about half when doing new ground so I can hit the clear shallow targets first. I would suggest doing this in an area and then cranking it up and going over it again with higher sensitivity. This way you can get to know your machine a bit better and work out what works for you.

And congrats on the $1, the first of many to come.

 

[mike90199]

hey thx guys a lot for your input .I was wondering also when im searching the parks I get a lot of 6 and 8 numbers and most the time I dig them its either a beer can or some sort of foil .should I discrime these numbers out or ?.even tho im not finding much this is a hobby that im really enjoying .

 

[Teemore]

Haven't had mine fired up for a while .. use it mainly at the beach when the weather warms up.
If you've found a dollar at 4 inches then there's nothing wrong with the unit or the way you were operating it at the time.
Don't think I've used the pinpoint mode myself (but do use a ML pinpointed), may be best to reset to Factory Presets and start again .... I've found at times that I forget to turn off one thing or another, in the wrong mode or forget to do a ground balance.

There's also the chance in very moist soil that you're just moving a small target (rusted mail/wire) and just not seeing it amonst the wet soil ....... I have a bugger of a time trying to find small shorty pellets when the ground is wet, much simpler in dry soil.
Don't give up,
Cheers T.

 

[Guest]

Hey mate,

28 sensitivity is way too high. For a modern park I usually go for 12 to 22.

If you just want modern coins set it at 15 as moderns have not yet had a chance to make their way too deep. You also get a lot less false signals.

Trial and error. Back the sensitivity off till it becomes stable.

Good luck, the 705 is! a sweet reliable machine

 

[mike90199]

thx heaps retirement will do .

 

[Wally69]

I agree, 15 will miss most of the crap, but if you like 5c and 10c, consider discriminating out at 6 and below.

To check a new area quickly, 15 is a good starting point, and will definitely reduce your frustration.

 

[Guest]

I noticed on the Minelab members site an ebook "Understanding your Xterra" available for download. You need to be a Minelab member to access but it may be worth a look for xterra owners:

https://www.minelab.com/aus/members/welcome-members/ebook

 

[vic]

Needing some help with a coil to suit my detector for gold prospecting any recommended coils would be great. Got the two coils that it comes with it, just wondering if anyone's using something else.

 

[Sa_bogan]

From my understanding the DD coil it comes with is the one to use as its the highest frequency available for the 705 to find the fine gold

 

[Guest]

Randy Horton wrote this report which I found very helpful when I had my 705

http://www.minelab.com/treasure-talk/which-x-terra-coil-is-best-for-me-part-1

http://www.minelab.com/aus/treasure-talk/which-x-terra-coil-is-best-for-me-part-2

http://www.minelab.com/aus/treasure-talk/which-x-terra-coil-is-best-for-me-part-3

Also download his free e-book 'Understanding Your Xterra' here. You need to register, but it's free.

https://www.minelab.com/aus/members/welcome-members/ebook?result=ok

Coiltek also has charts, test results on their website. All worth reading

http://www.coiltekmanufacturing.com.au/

Happy hunting

http://www.minelab.com/aus/treasure-talk/which-x-terra-coil-is-best-for-me-part-4

http://www.coiltekmanufacturing.com...all-terrain-x-terra/2012-xterra-test-results/

 

[Blind_Freddie]

I'm running the Coiltek 18.75 15inch Wot coil at the moment and can't complain, it seems very sensitive, I haven't found any gold with this detector yet (or any detector for that matter) even with the original 10x5 18.75 coil. I have found the original coil a lot more sensitive to the really small stuff but I cover a lot more ground with the bigger coil and I figure that when and if I find a patch to work than I'll go over it with both coils.

 

[condor22]

I got the duel pack 705 and got a 6" DD gold coil, I've yet to try it on the goldfields. My main detector is the 5000.

I'll obviously post if I find anything but that won't be till mid Oct.

 

[vic]

Thanks guys so might be better off with the coil that I've got.

 

[Blind_Freddie]

Thanks guys so might be better off with the coil that I've got.

I agree providing it's 18.75khz coil, you'll be surprised how small an object that coil will pick up. Also I didn't think to mention it before but I've personally found the factory coil (10x5, 18.75khz) seems more stable than my 15inch coiltek WOT 18.75khz in the mineralized ground that I've been detecting on.

 

[loamer]

I run the DD 10x5 18.75 on the Xterra 70 (the model before). As noted, super duper small gold on this little cracker of a coil. Excellent on clear mullock and deadly on very small quartz species. The trick is with this coil, do not walk. Detect standing still and swing very slowly - the faint threashold signals are just that - very faint. Good headphones are a must. Do an area and move on. I use the Xterra in conjunction with my 4500 as the Xterra in deeper holes on quartz reefs has a far superior pinpointing capability - you can be lying on your back and its so light and easy to manage. They are also very good for checking any quartz that is being dugout and they will find the smallest pieces/species I have seen. The downfall? VLFs on mineralised ground. There is a requirement to wind the settings right back but they are still very effective on small shallow gold, and being a small coil, this is the target area. Great on surfaced areas also in the bedrock cracks but be patient.

Over the years I have however managed to break two of these coils - snapped at the join on the shaft - a very weak point and keep an eye out for it.

On the Xterra70, and I guess the 705 may be the same, in detecting mode a reading of +8 -48, and it will swing between the two, has 100% of the time for me, been a hot rock. On clear mullock and quartz, run the thing flat out, sens at 30 for me, AM, tracking on and in the 'pick icon' mode.

 

[Blind_Freddie]

I run the DD 10x5 18.75 on the Xterra 70 (the model before). As noted, super duper small gold on this little cracker of a coil. Excellent on clear mullock and deadly on very small quartz species. The trick is with this coil, do not walk. Detect standing still and swing very slowly - the faint threashold signals are just that - very faint. Good headphones are a must. Do an area and move on. I use the Xterra in conjunction with my 4500 as the Xterra in deeper holes on quartz reefs has a far superior pinpointing capability - you can be lying on your back and its so light and easy to manage. They are also very good for checking any quartz that is being dugout and they will find the smallest pieces/species I have seen. The downfall? VLFs on mineralised ground. There is a requirement to wind the settings right back but they are still very effective on small shallow gold, and being a small coil, this is the target area. Great on surfaced areas also in the bedrock cracks but be patient.

Great pointers loamer, thank you for sharing.

Over the years I have however managed to break two of these coils - snapped at the join on the shaft - a very weak point and keep an eye out for it.

Thanks for letting us know this, I'll be keeping an eye on it now..

 

[vic]

Great stuff Loamer

 

[PhaseTech]

One other tip, don't set the Sensitivity too low. Run the detector a bit hot - i.e. make sure the threshold is a bit chatty. On the X-Terra's the depth is very related to your Sensitivity setting.
Also, unlike a PI, you don't want to sweep too slow with an X-Terra. If you sweep at a snails pace, you will lose depth.

Use a small bit of lead and sweep over it at different speeds to tune your ears into what you should be listening for. A 4mm diameter leadshot will give you a similar sound to a 0.3g flat nuggie.

Best of luck!

Nenad