Minelab XT18000

[PhaseTech]

It has always made me wonder with the GMT & GB2 being popular for gold as high frequency detectors why the Eureka hasn't got more of a following with 3 frequencies giving it more versatility for coins etc. too. I got a GMT because I found more info so went with that at the time. On paper they look to be a good, versatile machine that would be good on gold in the right location?

Possibly because in mild ground a high gain unit like the gb2 and gmt are quite effective, and in hot ground a second hand sd2100 or later is a much more effective option. Kind of leaves the Eureka with no real niche.

I think the Eureka gold is very good for a vlf. If it had a full range discriminator like the old musketeer it would have a lot more crossover appeal. In 6.4 khz with the 11" round coil will give you scary depth on goldies and pre-dec coins, but the limiting factor in making it a very good coin detector is the iron reject type discrim.

The gb2, Eureka Gold, GMT, Tesoro LST are the last of the traditional vlf gold detectors and all have been on the market relatively unchanged for donkeys - I wonder what the future holds for these types of machines??

 

[Chewy]

Yeah I wonder if vlf's will become more of a dedicated coin and relic shooter, moving away from any technology that is suited to the goldfields. Or if some new technology will change the game?

 

[MJB]

All I know is that my XT17000 with standard coil sings sweetly on the smallest bits of lead shot....if I ever walk over gold it will make a sound

 

[Dual Ace]

I honestly dont recal there ever being 2 18000's released , and looking at the minelab website there is definitely only one listed , unlike say the 2200d and the v2 which are in the list as released models . Id say perhaps he is talking about the Eureka model perhaps.
So hmmmm dont know ?

Hi.

I wrote that review many many years ago on one rainy day.

The first xt18000's made are easy to pick. They work hot ground well and are extremely sensitive , but blank-out on medium surface targets or large pieces of ironstone. Not very good in irontone ridden ground - very pippy poppy. But hot red clay and other bad ground no worries.

Then Minelab hired a Yank engineer and he added more digital componentry to them and stabilized the tracking, smooothing the units out and added suppression so they wouldn't blank out over medium/large targets. These were the late model xt18000's. These were the best!

I notice a depth comparison by Nened, must be an air test I guess.
With a Wot coil on, which would be the best comparison due to the 18000's, Eureka's and xterra 70/705's all being able to run them in close frequencies, 6.4khz to 7.5khz and 20khz to 18.75khz , The late model 18000's are deeper on all targets in-situ to the Eureka Gold (because of more stable and less digitilised Threshold) and twice as deep as the 70/705.....these fully digital units can only crank full sensitivity through pipe-clay and even then come up short. The late model 18000 can punch it through hot ground.