I have been using the Minelab Explorer XS now for about a year.
I have put it through its paces, in sand (dry and wet), in the
rain, in the wind, in hard packed soil, in highly mineralized
coal soil, in the ice cold, to the deathly hot swealtering days
of summer, from morning to night, and yes, even in the darkness.
I have used it in the ocean, up to its CPU (display box), and
NEVER ONCE did it ever not perform PERFECT!
The PLUS side of the detector:
1. 28 frequencies, it really does make a difference. The Minelab
operates with 28 different frequencies, unlike the usual one or
two of other models.
2. The display is a perfect "10" It displays the conductivity/
size one way, and the other way is the ferrous content, giving
you a two dimensional view, or you can use the straight number
display as on other minelabs. It is a nice size, plus it is backlit
for those night adventures.(can be turned off to save battery
power)
. 3. Deep penetrating double "D" 10.5" coil. This
detector should be named the Explorer XD... for EXTRA DEEP! I
consistantly find items deeps than my detecting friends. Even
in clay or mineralized soil... it simply goes deep!
4. Battery power: The detector lasts quite long on a set of batteries
I usually get a couple of trips out of a set. It also comes with
a rechargable stick, which last a tiny bit less than the "AA"
pack, but I tend to use both.
5. Pinpointing: I find it very easy, and also accurate. It is
a little different than using a concentric coil (cone shape) but
once you are use to it, it is highl;y accurate!
6. Weight: I find it to be light enough to swing all day long.
Any detector feels heavy at the end of the day. This is no different.
It is well balanced & evenly distributed. 7. Customizing:
You can customize the program to what you are looking for, it
is limitless to the discrimination patterns you can use. It has
learn capabilities, but it also has a SUPER factory preset mode,
so you can take it out of the package, put batteries in, turn
it on and detect, it's that easy!
MINUS SIDE:
1. It is a complicated detector to learn the advanced functions,
but it is WELL WORTH IT to learn!
2. The shaft could be a few inches longer, I am 6' tall, would
like to see Minelab add two inches for us taller folks.
3. The bottom where the coil meets the shaft could be "beefed
up" a bit. I know it would be a little heavier, but I would
rather the peace of mind. Mine did not break or even crack, but
just a thought.
MY CONCLUSION:
The Explorer XS is one of the BEST machines money can buy. It
is complicated to learn, but if I can do it... anyone can! I have
used most detectors out there, and this is the detector of choice
for me. I could write 20 pages on this machine, but there is not
enough space, so if ANYONE has any questions, about this or any
other detector, and you want an honest opinion (I don't sell them,
I just use them!) please email me! TreasureQuest360@aol.com As
I said, I have used most of the detectors available, and have
a kazzillion hours in the field, so if you have a question, or
need some help... email me. TreasureQuest360@aol.com ( Marc Pontician)
MINELAB
MUSKETEER
BY
Patrick McDonald
The Minelab Musketeer was the first metal detector I bought when
returning to the hobby in my "mature years." I confess
that I first chose it because I wanted a locally made product
(here in Australia) that would be sure to have servicing and parts
close at hand. I also liked the study-looking, no-nonsense appearance
of the Muskie compared to the coloured plastic look of other models.
My first experiences almost changed my mind about Minelab, even
though the detector worked perfectly, so to speak. There was a
defect in the Sensitivity/On&Off switch which meant that the
machine was "on" as soon as batteries were installed!
So . . . everything worked fine, and I took to the Muskie's operation
straight away, but I had to return it to the local dealer for
repair under warranty to have the switch replaced. This was done
within a week and the dealer gave me a "loaner" to use
in the meantime.
Since then, the Musketeer has worked just fine.
Apart from the ground balancing, all the controls are straight
forward and reasonably intuitive. I leave the ground balance switch
on the default "Fix" setting and so far have seen no
reason to change it. Perhaps when I go out into the gold mining
territory in the west of NSW I'll find that the high mineralisation
level of the soil requires its use. However, I am only interested
in coin and relic hunting, so this is not a likely scenario, even
though I'm told that casual gold prospecting is possible with
a Muskie. Discrimination works in standard fashion and the all-metal
switch is similar to that on other detectors. I quickly learned
how to pinpoint in the pinpoint mode, but no longer use this very
much, as I find I can pinpoint sufficiently well in the ordinary
discrimination mode. After considerable use, I now leave the sensitivity
switch at the maximum and try to keep the discrimination setting
as low as possible, around 3 or 4. I know that you have to be
prepared to dig a lot of bottle caps and pull tabs in order to
find things of value!
How well does the Musketeer XS work? Well, the quick answer is:
just fine! I have found lots of coins and relics around old houses
and parks in my neighbourhood, which is just what I wanted. However,
in reading reviews of metal detectors in various newsgroups over
the past year, I realise that almost all new users say this about
their first machines. Probably all entry-level metal detectors
of modern vintage work pretty well. The question is one of comparison.
What would happen if I had a couple of months with a Sovereign
or (my dream) an Explorer in my hot little hands? From the reviews
I've read, my guess is that, after another learning curve, I'd
find that these more expensive models have nuances and features
somewhat beyond the basic Muskie. The same might be true for the
White's, Fischer, Tesoro and other ranges of popular metal detectors.
Two factors come to mind. First, I think I was typical as an
adult hobbyist in having reasonable financial resources, so that
I didn't have to buy the cheapest product available; at the same
time, I didn't want to spend a lot of money and discover that
the hobby wasn't really for me. Secondly, I guessed that I would
have a lot to learn about the basics of metal detecting, and that
a standard "ears only" machine might build important
listening skills and keep me from focussing too early on "bells
and whistles." I was supported in the second opinion by my
brother, a much more experienced THer who has used a very simple
metal detector for many, many years, and can virtually predict
the date of the dime from the tone he hears! The Musketeer, a
mid-range machine from a reputable company, seemed to fill the
bill.
I hope this review helps. I do not recommend the Muskie for finding
gold or for shallow water detecting. My more experienced friends
tell me that gold requires quite different technology and that
the Minelab SD range is the b est in the world. I take their word
for this. My several attempts to detect with my Musketeer on salt
water beaches seems to indicate that the machine is much better
in dry sand; the salt seems to confuse it, even though the coil
assembly is completely waterproof. Again, my local friends tell
me that the Minelab Excalibur is what I want for this purpose!
Otherwise, I am a very happy Minelab Musketeer XS user! Patrick
McDonald 23 May 2000 patrick@mpx.com.au
MINELAB
EXPLORER XS
BY
Gillraker
"Can you say deep?"
The full band spectrum technology, that went into the creating
of this unit, is simply outstanding. 28 simultaneous frequencies
make this possibly the deepest seeking unit on the market today.
Now you can go back over all those places you have pounded previously
with other detectors, and really find the long lost gems. 20 inches
in wet salt water logged sand? No problem......the Explorer will
find the tiniest of targets with amazing accuracy. I personally
have found coins and jewelry at stunning depths, in every thing
from salt water saturated sand, to the darkest of murky black
sand mixed with salt water......the explorer seems to be hindered
by these highly mineralized soils, not in the least.....actually
it seems to excel......for beach hunting, Im not sure a finer
machine exists today.
The large easy to read oversized display and 2-d target smart
find screens, make this one a breeze to use in high trash areas,
and still pick out the good targets amidst the trash(However,
much practice is needed to be successful).....although the pinpointing
feature is a non motion all metal mode...and hard to find the
target you are locked on in heavy trash areas. its dead on in
cleaner areas.....no problem probing for the target in clean areas,
and poking it on the first strike......locating it to within a
few inches in high trash areas is easy with the smart find features....now
getting it in your hand is all up to your persistence and perseverance.
Forget the sand scoop....you won't be using it anymore....get
a long handled shovel instead.
The iron mask is amazing.....no more hits on those rusty old
iron targets, one push of a button and they are forever gone....
allowing you to find those really deep old coins in a field of
rusty old nails. This unit is fully customizable, enabling you
to shrink the size of the cross hairs for more accurate discrimination,
to increasing them for a wider range of targets of similar conductivity.
"The Pros and Cons"
The good points:
1. Superior dept in any type of soil.
2. large easy to read display screens
3. Targets can be identified in 3 ways. 2-d graph (smart find
display ) Digital meter screen tone variation ID.
4. Signal blanking on discriminated targets
5 Over load signal on large targets.
6. Options of factory preset programs, or make your own.....search
for only a single specific type of coin or ring, block out everything
else, or accept any target, or anything in between.....
7. Very simple push button menu control.
8. 10.5" coil, submersible in salt or fresh water
9. concealed coil cable....( No more winding it around the shaft,
or ghost signals due to loose coil wire)
10. Use alkaline, or NiMH batts. Never a reason to be at a loss
of power.
11. Awesome adjustable back light display for night hunting.
12. All features are fully adjustable and programmable....save
your programs and screens, pick the one that best suits your scheduled
hunts with the touch of a button.
13. The pinpointing feature is extremely accurate with a little
practice, completely eliminating the need for apin pointer of
any type.
"The bad points"
1. The learning curve on this unit is extremely steep, not for
the faint of heart nor, the beginner who is in a hurry to get
out and hit the jackpot. Patients and perseverance is required
to master this beast.
2. The overall weight of the unit is lacking a little to be desired,
as the 10.5" coil is well balanced, but makes the units less
than comfortable to use on long hunts.
3. This one is a power hog, no doubt of that......NiMH batts
last approx 10 hours, and alkaline will get you up to 14-20...
Ive seen better.
4. The digital target Id is lacking a lot to be desired, as the
ring and coin symbols aper on almost every target, but not a major
factor as the 2-d smartfind screens are dead on as far as accuracy.
5. The 10.5" coil make learning to hunt high trash areas
very difficult...Much time is required to master high trash areas.....However
in defense of the unit, if you take the time to learn, and have
the patients to prevail, you will find this unit practically unbeatable.....dont
expect instant results.
MINELAB
SOVEREIGN
BY
TerryWilliams
I have been metal detecting for almost 20 years. I started with
an old Metrotec model and moved up to an early White's detector
soon there after. I used several different White's products for
years with good results searching for civil war relics in and
around Kennesaw Georgia. I have owned and used Garretts and Fisher(1260X)
machines as well. All the machines did a good job for me in normal
soil conditions. I used to have many false signals in highly mineralized
soil with all the above mentioned machines. If you tuned the machines
to avoid the false signals you lost depth and sensitivity.
I bought a well used Minelab Sovereign about 4 years ago from
a man that sold civil war relics that he found with it for a living.
He did quite well with this business and I was sold on his testimony
of the muti-frequency (17 separate frequencies) Minelab Sovereign.
I am still using this great machine even with the original battery
pack. I have found that nothing I have ever used compares to the
performance of the minelab when the soil is heavily mineralized
or at the beach. With the standard coil depth is great. With the
optional larger coil depth is fantastic, bring a long handle shovel.
I have replaced the control box and armrest with a new ones just
to make it look pretty again for a cost of about $20.00. That
is all I have had to do and it still looks and functions as new.
I do not use it as a hip mount although it is quite easy to do.
I am still able to manage the weight in the normal configuration.
My machine has a nice removable meter on top of the control box
that I never look at. I have been around long enough to know that
the "Target ID" and "Object Depth" are gimmicks
that are a waste of time to the experienced and serious treasure
hunter. I hunt in the "All Metals" mode and although
the discrimination with this unit is the best I've ever used I
still dig most targets.
There are only three minor negative things I can say about this
unit:
1) The weight is a bit much for most people especially with the
bigger coil unless you use it in the hip mount configuration.
2) There is no way to control the volume output to headphones.
I solved this by getting a small pair of Sony headphones that
have an in-line volume control. I think this has been fixed with
an upgrade on the new Sovereign XS Model.
3) The instruction manual was not the best I've ever seen.
Once you experience the Minelab it would be difficult to go back
to anything else. I live in Columbia SC now and I look forward
to searching for Revolutionary War artifacts this spring. Terry
Williams
MINELAB
SOVEREIGN
By
Mike Bloodsworth
I have been detecting since 1977 and in that time I have had four
different detectors. My first was a Bounty Hunter Red Baron, next
was a White's Di 6000, currently I own a Shadow X2 and a Minelab
Sovereign.
All four of these detectors have basically been good machines
and I have made good finds with all of them. The old Red Baron
was a good machine in its day and a lot of fun to use in open
ground where you could whip it back and forth rapidly. It was
hard to use in many relic hunting situations because of the need
for rapid coil movement.
The White's Di 6000 is a good machine. Its best feature is its
metering system which I found to be very accurate in both id'ing
the target and depth determination. The depth that it gets is
fair. The negatives to me were that depth is drastically affected
by how loud you have the volume turned up and the ground balancing
is a little complicated for someone not entirely familiar with
the machine. Overall a good machine and can be balanced to do
a little bit of good even in sites that have been burned. A little
heavy for my wife when she tried to use it.
The Shadow is the machine that I sold the 6000 Di in order to
buy. I bought it primarily for my wife to use and as a backup
machine for me. It definitely is light and this is a big plus
for her! It is also very easy to use, basically you can turn it
on and go. Discrimination seems to be good and it is very quick
to rebound between signals. Depth is fair and definitely not spectacular!
I have hunted with it in my left hand and the Sovereign in my
right hand and more often than I would have thought I could hear
a signal with the Sov. and not hear anything with the Shadow X2.
I must admit that I don't have near as many hours on the Shadow
as I do the Sovereign and that definitely makes a difference.
Overall the Shadow is a decent machine with some real advantages,
but not as good as a lot of people think, at least in my opinion.
The Sovereign is the best machine I have ever had. I have used
it for about 7 yrs or so. There are a few disadvantages including
the weight which is a little heavy even with the hip mount. There
is a little bit of a learning curve, but not a lot more than other
machines. I like the tone id, works pretty good. The Sov meter
is not so hot but the Sun Ray is nice and accurate. Depth is very
good in most soil conditions. Deepest dime is about 8-9",
Minnie balls 2-4 inches deeper. Larger brass and iron objects
up to two feet. But depth is such a variable thing with any machine!
Best indicator is that I have found many, many, many more finds
with the Sov than with any other machine that I have used. Also
the days that I hunted with both the Shadow and Sov at the very
same time was quite revealing. Bottom line: if all my detectors
were stolen today I would buy another Sovereign no question.
The
Minelab Electronics Explorer XS Revisited
Enhancements Build on Proven Performance!!
By Andy Sabisch
From page 43 of the January Issue of Lost Treasure Magazine
Copyright Lost Treasure Inc. 2001, 2002
In mid-1999 I received one of the first prototypes of a metal
detector utilizing a new technology being developed by Minelab
Electronics. Building on the well-proven and extremely effective
BBS-circuitry used in the Sovereign and Excalibur models, the
Explorer was intended to provide treasure hunters with level of
performance not found in any other detector currently on the market.
Over the next few months as I began to master the Explorer, the
quantity and quality of my finds from areas myself and others
had hunted for years continued to grow. When the production units
started rolling of the assembly line in early 2000, the word quickly
spread about how effective the new FBS technology was in virtually
any area one wanted to hunt and the newest member of the Minelab
family developed a loyal following of successful treasure hunters
worldwide.
As the number of users increased, Minelab received comments and
suggestions from their customers on how to further improve the
Explorer series and many of these were incorporated into the Explorer
XS & S units since their inception. The purpose of this field
test report actually two-fold – first, to discuss how these improvements
enhance the Explorer’s performance and second, to provide some
additional information, tips and techniques gathered since my
original field test report was published in the April 2000 issue
of Lost Treasure.
NOTE: Many of the features found on the Explorer S model
are identical to the XS model covered in this report. The previous
field test reports on both of these units contain additional information
on their features and operation and may be helpful if additional
insight is required.
Features
When the Explorer XS was introduced, it featured an entirely new
type of detection circuitry called Full Band Spectrum (FBS). Unlike
the circuitry found on the Sovereign & Excalibur models which
used 17 different frequencies simultaneously, FBS uses 28 different
frequencies and a substantially higher upper range which was increased
from 25 kHz to 100 kHz. As a result the Explorer is able to provide
even greater detection depth and accuracy of target identification
than the BBS models that have become so popular. The truly unique
feature on the Explorer series is that the detector does not always
use the same ‘set’ of frequencies. The upper and lower limits
are set; however, the 26 points in between vary depending on what
Noise Channel has been selected. On the Explorer XS model, you
can either make this adjustment manually (effective but time consuming)
or have the internal circuitry make it for you (recommended and
extremely accurate). To find the optimal set of operating frequencies,
one simply has to place the coil on the ground, press the NOISE
CANCEL button and allow the circuitry to cycle through the 11
possible options. The detector will have selected the best set
of frequencies for the specific area you are hunting to ensure
you are getting the most accurate information from any signal
that you might come across. To maintain optimal performance in
the field, the NOISE CANCEL feature whenever you reach an area
where ground conditions change or if you change sites.
In addition to the FBS circuitry, Minelab found that with the
aid of new microprocessors, additional characteristics regarding
the composition of a target could be obtained and displayed on
an LCD display panel. Now, by combining the conductivity value
of a target used on all other detectors to provide target ID with
the object’s inductance value, the ability to differentiate similar
targets such as a gold ring and a pull tab can be achieved. This
2-dimensional target identification circuit, called SmartFind
(discrimination) is found only on the Minelab Explorer series.
With the SmartFind circuitry, a greater degree of target acceptance
or rejection can be obtained than with conventional conductivity-only
discrimination circuits. This allows users to select specific
targets to either search for or eliminate which translates into
more finds in less time when in the field. For example, if you
are hunting a site where you know there are Indian Head pennies;
however, it is also littered with screw caps and pull tabs, the
SmartFind circuitry allows you to open a "window" where
the Indian Heads will be accepted while ignoring most of the surrounding
trash. And, once you have setup one of these "discrimination
patterns" as they are called, it can be saved for use later
on. Up to six different patterns can be created and saved on the
Explorer XS which is convenient if you do different types of hunting;
i.e., beach, coin, relic, etc., and want to create a pattern to
locate specific types of targets.
The LCD display screen provides a wealth of information, both
in terms of target ID and depth as well as when adjusting the
detector — and is easily visible at all times thanks to a contrast
control and backlight for low or no-light conditions. All of the
adjustments are made using the 6 touchpads surrounding the display
screen and 8 touchpads below the screen on the control panel face.
The controls are fairly self-explanatory; however, if you are
not sure of the function of a control, pressing and holding the
touchpad will cause a help box to pop-up on the display screen
that explains most features. The display screen was one of the
areas where enhancements were made based on user feedback. While
the changes are subtle in nature, the screen is easier to read
in varying light conditions and responds quicker to signals and
adjustments. In addition, the internal software was changed to
support the new screen capabilities.
Another extremely useful feature on the Explorer is the ability
to select the degree of iron elimination through the Iron Mask
circuit. Sovereign users may remember the Iron Mask toggle switch
on the original Sovereign. On subsequent models, this switch was
removed as 99 percent of all hunters left it in the ON position.
This was the right setting for most applications; however, it
was not ideal for relic or beach hunters who may have wanted to
find ferrous artifacts. Well, the Explorer has restored this control
and now allows users to select any degree of iron-rejection ranging
from none to full. Depending on the type of hunting you do, you
now have the ability to define precisely what type of target will
produce a positive response thanks to the SmartFind and Iron Mask
circuitry.
The Explorer has multiple display options that aid in identifying
objects. The Digital mode depicts target ID with a numerical value
ranging from ‘1’ to ‘32’ and a corresponding picture icon; i.e.,
coin, nail, pull tab, etc. The Digital mode is best suited for
basic coinhunting. The increased target differentiation of the
SmartFind and Iron Mask display modes make them more suited for
most forms of treasure hunting. In the SmartFind and Iron Mask
modes, the unique Conductivity and Inductance value for each target
will define a point on the display screen and this point will
be indicated with a cross-hair icon that can move around the screen.
A small portion of the first ‘batch’ of Explorer’s that came out
were found to have an ‘Achilles Heal’ in that the plastic housing
in the area of where the shaft entered the control housing as
well as where the adjustable arm rest connected to the battery
pod assembly developed spider cracks with use. The factory replaced
those that developed cracking and developed a new composite that
was less susceptible to stress cracking. The fix has virtually
eliminated the problem and is an example of how Minelab responds
to both feedback and problems when they arise.
The Explorer XS comes with a 10.5 inch Double-D search coil. Double-D
coils take a little practice to become proficient at pinpointing
targets; however they do a more through job of covering the ground
than a concentric coil. The depth indicator that appears on the
display screen and registers depth in the motion search modes
aids pinpointing. At first glance, one may question the ability
of the Explorer to operate in trash-filled sites due to the large
coil size; however, there are advanced settings that allow it
to handle all but the trashiest sites after one has some experience
with the detector.
The armrest is adjustable which allows users of different sizes
to use the Explorer comfortably. Adjustments are made by loosening
a screw in the center of the armrest and re-tightening it in the
appropriate position.
The NiMh battery system has been designed to avoid developing
a memory often associated with conventional Nicad batteries. It
provides approximately 10 hours of use and can be recharged at
home or in your vehicle using the cigarette charger that comes
with the Explorer. It also comes with a holder that allows 8 standard
AA batteries to be used if the NiMh battery goes dead in the field.
The XS package also includes a coil cover, detector stand and
a set of padded stereo headphones.
FIELD TEST
When I conduct a field test on a detector, I typically head for
areas that have been well-hunted in the past as I feel this provides
a better indication of how well the unit performs rather than
hunting an un-touched site where any detector may have done well.
Since the Explorer XS is a high-end detector, I wanted to try
areas that I knew some of the better hunters in the area had been
to before me to see what might still remain.
The first site I visited was a mid-sized public park located near
downtown Wilkes Barre that was a 45-minute drive from my house.
The area dated back to the late 1800’s and had produced well in
the past. As with most of the sites in central Pennsylvania, ground
conditions are less than optimal since coal cinders have been
dumped everywhere for more than 150 years and the park was no
exception. The nice thing about using the Explorer with its FBS
circuitry is that highly mineralized ground such as that in the
park or salt water / black sand is literally ‘ignored’ automatically
and maximum detection depth is achieved with no complicated adjustments.
I loaded in a custom pattern I had programmed in the night before
designed to detect only silver or copper coins, pressed the NOISE
CANCEL touchpad so the Explorer XS would select the optimal spread
of operating frequencies and started searching along the path
heading into the old park. Not even five minutes went by before
I received a solid, repeatable signal that registered in the white
area in the upper right portion of the SmartFind display. The
DEPTH icon indicated mid-position which meant the target was approximately
6 inches deep. Cutting and removing a plug, I saw the telltale
shine of a silver coin in the edge of the hole. Pulling it free,
I put a nice 1937 Mercury dime in my pouch. I continued on towards
the a small shelter / pavilion and recovered several copper pennies
– both Memorial & wheats – at depths ranging from just under
the surface to nearly 8 inches down.
I spent the better part of the afternoon hunting portions of the
park – in no particular pattern – trying out several patterns
to see how they performed in the adverse conditions throughout
the area. Checking my finds before I left, I was quite happy to
see that I had come up with a Barber quarter, three Barber dimes,
three Mercury dimes, two Roosevelt dimes, 11 wheat cents, more
than 30 Memorial pennies and some clad coins & a toy car I
found in the playground area when I reduced the amount of discrimination
I was using. The Explorer XS had done quite well in an area that
many other detectorists had been through before me.
The true benefit of the Explorer XS was evident not simply by
the finds I had made but by the total lack of trash targets in
my pouch. The ability to create up to 6 custom discrimination
patterns, save them and them recall them for use later in the
field is a feature found on no other detector. They can be as
broad or specific as one wants as in my case where I opted to
ignore everything except for copper and silver coins. This can
be a great time saving feature if you have a limited amount of
time to search a site and want to maximize what you find in the
available time (I use this quite a bit while travelling when I
see a promising site and can only spend a half hour or so).
The local YMCA occupied the next site it visited in my local town
that had once been the High School and then the Junior High School.
The small grass area remaining combined with the previous hunters
that had searched it over the years did not bode well; however,
I was hopeful that the Explorer could ‘snake’ out a few keepers.
Not wanting to limit myself to copper & silver coins as I
had in the park, I went into the standard discrimination settings
and placed a ‘checkmark’ next to COINS and an ‘X’ next to CROWN
CAP which left a white area on the right side of the meter. This
would let me find all types of coins and non-ferrous ‘trinkets’
while still rejecting the pesky rusted bottlecaps that are common
in older sites.
The area alongside the sidewalk was quite trashy and I slowed
my sweep speed down in order to avoid missing anything due to
target masking. I hit several pulltabs and crushed screwcaps;
however, it was easy to identify them by the cursor position that
they produced; i.e., higher on the vertical axis than nickels
or jewelry typically registered. In the one block area I covered
near the sidewalk, I found 11 nickels without digging a single
pulltab – definitely a time and frustration saver when compared
to using a detector without the target ID capabilities of the
Explorer XS.
Most of the good targets I found at this site were at least 6
inches deep; however, they all produced clear, repeatable signals.
Several wheat cents, two memorial pennies and three silver dimes
along with a few keys turned up during the time I spent there
which was quite impressive considering the area had been heavily
hunted in the past.
The next site I tried was an abandoned home just off one of the
main roads paralleling the Susquehanna River. It dated back to
the late 1800s and several of the local club members had mentioned
hunting it over the last few years. Luckily the summer had been
quite dry and the undergrowth was not as high as it had been during
the wet Spring weather.
Starting near the path that led from the road to the front door,
I opted for the IRON MASK search mode since I was looking for
any interesting items that might still be in the yard. Leaving
the SENSITIVITY in the Semi-Auto mode set at ‘25’, I pressed the
NOISE CANCEL button and allowed the Explorer XS to find the optimal
set of operating frequencies to operate on. The first few signals
produced indications that jumped around on the meter and when
I checked them in the pinpoint mode, I could tell that they were
larger targets indicative of trash. Just to check my hunch, I
recovered most of them and found an old metal toothpaste tube,
a crushed canning jar lid and a ball of wire. As with most other
detectors, a consistent response both in terms of audio and visual
indication is what usually indicates a good target has been detected.
I picked up a few ‘keepers’ in the front yard including a 1944P
war Nickel, two wheat cents, a child’s Cracker Jack prize from
the 1940’s, a brass car key and a few buttons. Hoping to pick
up a few artifacts from the barn area, I walked around back and
headed towards the back of the property. There appeared to be
the remains of coal cinder piles near the barn so I opted to use
the NOISE CANCEL feature again to get the Explorer’s circuitry
to re-analyze the ground and make any necessary adjustments to
ensure I was getting maximum detection depth and target ID accuracy
in the new area.
Several signals that appeared to register right on the edge of
the BLACK region turned out to be rusted pieces of metal so I
increased the IRON MASK setting slightly and continued searching.
This adjustment eliminated most of these bothersome targets and
I was able to cover much of the area surrounding the barn focusing
on the more interesting targets. Several horseshoes, three old
axe heads, half of a pick and a few other tools such as hammer
head and drill bits came to light. The Explorer’s IRON MASK circuit
had allowed be to find larger ferrous targets while not waste
time digging up small pieces of iron such as nails and wire.
Another area that typically gives detectorists ‘headaches’ is
the wet sand area of ocean beaches. Most VLF detectors operate
erratically when they approach the surf line due to the salt &
black sand content. The two most common solutions to search this
area are either to use a pulse detector which lacks discrimination
or use the VLF detector at low sensitivity settings which greatly
reduces the effective search depth the detector is capable of.
The Minelab FBS circuitry has earned a reputation of being able
to hunt these areas with little impact on performance. I took
the Explorer XS to the stretch of beaches north of Atlantic City,
NJ that have the reputation of being a difficult area to search
due to the iron content and black sand found on them. Since I
wanted to make sure I did not miss any jewelry, I opted for the
IRON MASK mode and set it to ‘-10’. This should eliminate virtually
all of the iron trash, while still picking up all non-ferrous
targets such as coins and jewelry. I spent almost a full day hunting
several different beaches and the most noticeable aspect of the
Explorer’s performance was the stable operation around the wet
sand region of the beaches. I was not plagued with any falsing
even when the waves washed over the coil and recovered coins at
depths of up to 15 inches. Unfortunately I didn’t do very well
in terms of gold as my take at the end of the day included a lone
small 10KT gold ring and several silver ones but the Explorer
had found targets deeper than one typically would find them with
a conventional VLF detector would be capable of on salt water
beaches.
I hunted a number of other sites – most of which had been previously
hunted and a few that I had the opportunity to be the first one
to search – and was able to make good finds in all of them. Some
required additional adjustments in order to compensate for specific
conditions; i.e., mineralization and/or trash, but they were easily
made and the Explorer XS had the ability to find targets others
could not even when side-by-side tests were conducted.
SUMMARY
I will say that the Explorer XS has been an exciting detector
to use over the last two years and it has added many fine pieces
to my collection from areas that I – and many others – had long
considered ‘worked-out’!
The Explorer XS is a detector that provides a wide range of adjustments
allowing you to customize it to meet whatever conditions or applications
you come across but unlike some detectors which require a computer
engineering degree to set properly, even a novice can start using
it effectively immediately after unpacking it from the box. I
frequently attend treasure hunting shows and club meetings across
the country and it is becoming more and more common to see the
top hunters displaying finds made with an Explorer. It’s a detector
that will allow you to hunt a wide range of sites and with some
time in the field under your belt, the more advanced features
on the detector will enable you to be even more successful in
searching sites others have long since given up on.
Minelab offers a number of accessories designed to enhance the
Explorer’s versatility including a smaller 8-inch coil, a weather
cover for the control housing, a padded carrying case and additional
rechargeable battery packs. These are all available from your
local Minelab dealer.
MINELAB
GP EXTREME
By Chris Gholson
From page 41 of the November issue of Lost Treasure magazine.
Copyright © 2001, 2001 Lost Treasure, Inc.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There’s no gold left in those old nugget patches! The surface
gold was cleaned out long ago by VLFs in the 1980s, and the deeper
ones were plucked out by the SDs in the mid ‘90s. Say that to
the new owners of a GP extreme and they’ll just rattle their pokes
at you and smile — or perhaps the smarter ones won’t.
Minelab’s newest addition, the GP extreme, comes in its own heavy-duty,
plastic carrying case that has an inner skin molded to the shape
of the detector’s components. It is supplied with both 11inch
and 18 inch extreme coils, metallic blue control box, armrest,
shafts, handle assembly, 6 volt/10 AH battery, curly power cable,
110 volt charger, 12 volt vehicle charger, 600 ohm Telex headphones,
battery pack and instruction manual. While its overall appearance
is ergonomically similar to the SDs, you can rest assured that
this is not merely a 2200d wrapped up in a fancy new package.
In fact, it is the first gold detector to utilize Dual Voltage
Technology (DVT). This new technology was developed based on the
existing Bi-Polar technology used in their military mine detectors.
DVT, refers to changes in voltage used to create the electro-magnetic
field, transmitted by the coil into the ground. It has nothing
to do with the power supply. The magnetic fields, which are transmitted
by a metal detector, can ‘magnetically-saturate’ the ground, especially
if the coil is held close to the surface. Minelab discovered that
by applying two different voltages to the transmit coil they were
able to cancel out many of the signals caused by this magnetic
saturation. Thereby improving the detector’s sensitivity, depth
and its ability to balance out mineralization.
Features
Below is a very brief description of some of the more important
features found on the new GP extreme. The Rx setting changes the
characteristics of the new ‘extreme’ coils by altering their transmit
and receive fields, giving them the ability to change their configuration
pattern with the simple flip of a switch. When the Rx switch is
set in the Normal position the coil will function as a conventional
double D.
If the Rx switch is set in the E (Enhance) position the coil
will essentially function as a ‘pseudo’ monoloop. By this I mean,
it will exhibit some of the characteristics of a traditional monoloop
coil. When operated in this mode the GP’s detection depth is still
good, but sensitivity on the right hand side of the coil is virtually
non-existent. The Cancel feature changes the electro-magnetic
field of the coil so that it is relatively stable in areas of
electrical interference. This feature is especially useful when
hunting near power lines, electrical fences or under poor atmospheric
conditions.
The Boost feature allows the operator to select the type of processing
and filtering used while hunting, thereby enhancing the signals
produced by different types of targets. Shallow amplifies signals
from small, faint targets near the surface. N (Normal) can be
used in most any soil conditions. This setting does not boost
any signals, regardless of size or depth. Deep may be used when
searching for large nuggets in highly mineralized ground at depth.
The Soil feature optimizes the detector for different soil conditions
and targets by changing the signal processing. This switch offers
three different settings: Normal, Sensitive and Salt. The Normal
(N) setting may be used in all types of ground, ranging from lightly
to highly mineralized soils. This is my preferred setting for
the Soil switch. The Sensitive setting is useful when searching
for tiny, shallow gold nuggets. The Salt setting enables the GP
to search in areas containing large amounts of conductive salts.
Although I have not had an opportunity to test the GP on the salt,
I have talked with several professional Australian hunters who
are impressed with its capabilities. My advice is this; unless
you are hunting the dry salt lakes of the outback avoid using
this setting, as it reduces sensitivity towards small nuggets.
You will find that the American goldfields are much less mineralized
and using this setting is largely unnecessary.
Like its predecessor, the SD 2200d, the GP extreme is also equipped
with automatic ground balancing (AGB). The Balance switch, which
controls the ground balance function, is located on the front
panel. Unlike manual ground balancing detectors, the GP, when
placed in the Tracking mode will continually adjust to minimize
the effects of ground mineralization. It also has the ability
to be dialed or ‘tuned’ in for a particular piece of ground when
placed in the Fixed position. Strangely enough, it has come to
my attention that the AGB feature often works too well. Tiny or
deeply buried gold nuggets are often difficult to hear because
of the feeble signal they emit. Usually these signals are in the
form of a small dip or rise in the threshold level, and are often
so weak they’re nearly impossible to distinguish from the background
noise.
Unfortunately the GP, because of its improved canceling ability,
may interpret these subtle responses as being nothing more than
ground noise and attempt to balance them out. This problem can
be remedied by leaving the machine in the Fixed position after
it has been properly balanced. Based on my own findings and the
comments of others, the general consensus towards the Balance
feature is the following. If the ground is quiet to medium mineralized
there is a sensitivity advantage if the Fixed position is used
for searching. Not to mention, the machine will not accidentally
balance out those faint murmurs. If the ground is variably mineralized
and noisy, then Tracking is the preferred position.
The GP is outfitted with an Iron Discriminate feature, which
allows the user to select between a Disc or an All Metal mode.
In the All Metal mode, the detector will respond to all types
of metallic targets, including ferrous (iron) items. In the Disc
mode, the detector will cause the threshold to be ‘blanked’ or
silenced when the coil is passed over a fairly large ferrous target.
Field Test
Trying to decide where to test the GP was a tough decision. I
knew I would have to choose the test site very carefully, as it
would be crucial in determining the GP’s performance. After consulting
with my father Steve, we finally decided on what we thought was
our best ‘hunted out’ spot. Our destination was a nugget patch
located in the desert southwest of Quartzsite, Ariz. This was
not an area that had been casually hunted in the past by amateur
detectorists, oh no! This patch had been tediously gridded, scrapped
and pounded to death by some of the most successful hunters in
Arizona. That is why we knew it was the ideal place to test the
GP.
It was early morning when my father and I finally reached the
patch. We decided that I would start off in the immediate patch,
while he focused his efforts on the surrounding hillsides. Since
the overburden was rather deep in some areas, I decided that the
stock 18 inch coil would be the best choice for maximum ground
coverage and depth penetration.
I slowly worked my way across the patch without hitting a single
target until I reached a promising bit of red stained soil. As
I passed the ‘trashcan lid’ sized coil above it I picked up a
faint disturbance. It wasn’t exactly a signal, but the variation
in the threshold was enough to get my attention. By the time the
hole hit ten inches the target was really screaming. Finally it
was out of the ground and I began running handfuls of dirt across
the coil. When the detector let out a high-pitched squeal I knew
it was in my hand. Slowly I peeled back my fingers and there in
my palm lay a chunky 4.3 gram nugget!
A few feet away I encountered a hefty boulder partially submerged
within the soil. As I walked past I swept the coil across its
surface. The rock was rather large and cumbersome, but once out
of the way the signal got considerably louder. After digging nearly
six inches I finally discovered what was setting off the detector.
It was nothing more than a fragment of rusted iron, probably part
of an old miner’s pick. Even though it had not been gold, I was
utterly amazed that the GP had been able to pick it up so deeply
beneath the rock.
Recovering the next target was a difficult task, as it was situated
amongst an old-timers drywash tailings pile. The signal was a
little stronger than the others, but not by much. After rummaging
through the loosely classified material for nearly 15 minutes
I finally found what I was looking for. Eureka! Another nugget
had been found, this time shaped like a teardrop. I managed to
find a few more bits of rubbish in the diggings, but no more gold.
By now it was late afternoon, so I decided to check how my father
was getting along with his GP. “How’d you do?” I asked. “Not too
bad,” he replied with a smile. He riffled through his pockets
and produced a leather pouch, which he immediately dumped out.
Three miniature lumps of yellow metal rolled out into my waiting
hand. He informed me that all three nuggets were found on the
outskirts of the patch with the stock 11 inch coil at an average
depth of 5-6 inches.
Much to our surprise the old patch had given up another 5 nuggets,
for a total combined weight of 7.2 grams. Truthfully, I didn’t
have much hope of finding gold in this particular location, considering
my father and I had been over it no less than 20 times — and there’s
no telling how many other hunters had been over it. These results
lead me to believe that either the GP was indeed outperforming
the earlier VLFs and SDs, or we were extremely lucky.
Summary
After finding a fair amount of gold in a well-hunted site, the
GP extreme has proven itself capable of finding smaller gold than
the previous SD 2200d and punching deeper than any other detector
on the market. Its new features, ease of operation and uncanny
ability to knock out ground mineralization make the GP an extremely
tough machine to beat.
While I would highly recommend this machine to anyone, I don’t
want this to come across as a sales pitch. All I can offer you
is my own honest opinion. The cost for instance, is one drawback
that must be taken into consideration. The GP carries a suggested
retail price of $3,495 making it the single most expensive gold
detector on the market. The increased weight of the coils and
general bulkiness of the unit is something a potential buyer should
also keep in mind. With that out of the way, let me close this
article with one final suggestion.
If you only get the chance to go out detecting a few times a
year or are unsure about your interests in prospecting, I suggest
you save your money. The GP is a big investment, so there’s no
sense shelling out that kind of cash if it is going to sit at
home collecting dust. On the other hand, if you are a serious
hunter with a passion for detecting or are thinking about becoming
heavily involved with prospecting, the GP is probably the perfect
machine for you. It is equipped with the very latest in detector
technology and will give you that extra edge where it counts most
— on the goldfields!
Explorer
S Metal Detector
From Lost Treasure Field Test By Andy Sabisch
From page 35 of the August 2001 issue of Lost Treasure magazine.
Copyright ©1999 Lost Treasure, Inc.
FIELD TEST
By Andy Sabisch
In January of 2000, Minelab introduced the Explorer series of
metal detectors that introduced technology found on no otherdetectors
on the market. Almost immediately reports of exceptional finds
from even the most heavily-hunted areas began to come out. The
Explorer S and XS proved to be one of the fastest selling detectors
of all time
and its popularity shows no sign of abating. Since its release,
I have used the Explorer XS extensively with a high
degree of success in a wide range of conditions and applications;
however, despite my familiarity with the XS model, I have had
only limited exposure to the S model so I was looking forward
to seeing how it performed in comparison.
Features
The Explorer series is the result of extensive research and
development using input from treasure hunters worldwide. The extremely
popular Sovereign and Excalibur models, utilizing Broad Band Spectrum
(BBS)
technology, had developed the reputation of being able to handle
extreme ground conditions and provide top-notch detection depth.
Capitalizing on the processing power of today's micro-processors,
Minelab engineers were
able to develop an enhanced detection circuit as well as extract
additional information from the target signal to more accurately
identify it in the ground. The Explorers utilize Full Band Spectrum
(FBS) which is the newest
detection circuitry from Minelab. FBS simultaneously transmits
28 frequencies up to an upper range of 100 kHz. The Explorer is
able to provide superior detection depth and accuracy of target
identification
in even the most adverse ground conditions. In addition to the
new FBS circuitry, Minelab found that with the aid of new microprocessors,
additional characteristics regarding the composition of a target
could be obtained and displayed on an LCD display panel. Now,
by combining the conductivity value of a target used on all other
detectors to provide
target ID with the object's inductance value, the ability to differentiate
similar targets such as a gold ring and a pull tab can be achieved.
This 2-dimensional target identification circuit, called SmartFind
(discrimination) is found only on the Minelab Explorer series.
With the SmartFind circuitry, a greater degree of target acceptance
or rejection can be obtained than with conventional conductivity-only
discrimination circuits. This allows users to select specific
targets to
either search for or eliminate which translates into more finds
in less time when in the field. For example, if you are hunting
a site where you know there are Indian Head pennies; however,
it is also littered with screw caps and pull tabs, the SmartFind
circuitry allows you to open a "window" where the Indian
Heads will be accepted while ignoring most of
the surrounding trash. And, once you have setup one of these "discrimination
patterns" as they are called, it can be saved for use later
on. Up to six different patterns can be created and saved. The
LCD display screen provides a wealth of information, both in terms
of target ID and depth as well as when adjusting the detector.
The
controls are fairly self-explanatory; however, if you are not
sure of the function of a control, pressing and holding the touchpad
will cause a help box to pop-up on the display screen that explains
most features. Combine that with the 100 plus spiral-bound manual
and pocket-sized menu short-cut sheet, it is apparent that the
factory has put more effort
into the manual than typically found on metal detectors today.
Another extremely useful feature on the Explorer is the ability
to select the degree of iron elimination through the Iron Mask
circuit. Sovereign users may remember the Iron Mask toggle switch
on the original Sovereign. On subsequent models, this switch was
removed as 99 percent
of all hunters left it in the ON position. This was the right
setting for most applications; however, it was not ideal for relic
or beach hunters who may have wanted to find ferrous artifacts.
Well, the Explorer has restored this control and now allows users
to select any degree of iron-rejection ranging from none to full.
You now have the
ability to define precisely what type of target will produce a
positive response thanks to the SmartFind and Iron Mask circuitry.
The Explorer has multiple display options which aid in identifying
objects. The Digital mode depicts target ID with a numerical value
ranging from 1 to 32 and a corresponding picture icon; i.e., coin,
nail,
pull tab, etc. The Digital mode is best suited for basic coin
hunting. The increased target differentiation of the SmartFind
and Iron Mask display modes make them more suited for most forms
of treasure hunting.
In the SmartFind and Iron Mask modes, the unique Conductivity
and Inductance value for each target will define a point on the
display screen and this point will be indicated with a cross-hair
icon that can move around the screen.
The Explorer S comes with a 10.5 inch Double-D search coil. Double-D
coils take a little practice to become proficient at pinpointing
targets; however they do a more through job of covering the ground
than a concentric coil. Pinpointing is aided by the depth indicator
which appears on the display screen and registers depth in the
motion search
modes. The Explorer S is powered by 8 AA batteries. An optional
NiMh rechargeable battery system is available from Minelab and
can be recharged at home or in your vehicle using the charger
adapters.
Field Test When I field test a new detector, I try to hunt areas
that have been previously hunted since that gives a truer indication
of how well a detector performs rather than hunting a "virgin"
site where virtually any detector can find targets. The first
site I took the Explorer S to was an old high school in a town
20 miles away. Built in the 1920s and
closed in the mid-1980s, it had been HEAVILY hunted by hunters
from all over the area for years. Opting for the COINS option
on the SELECT menu, SmartFind search mode and semi-automatic sensitivity
set at "30", I
started hunting the small front yard. The first few signals registered
in the area where screwcaps / pulltabs would and were quite shallow
based on the target depth indication. To check the accuracy of
the Explorer S, I recovered them and they were exactly what the
indication had been. As I approached the hedges near the building,
I received a
repeatable signal that registered in the upper right corner of
the SmartFind screen and was approximately 8 inches deep according
to the depth indicator. Cutting a deep plug and removing some
dirt from the
bottom of the hole I saw the glint of silver and pulled out a
1937 Mercury dime. I continued hunting along the hedges which
seemed to be the most productive area in the lawn - apparently
most detectorists had
avoided the overgrown area. Over the next hour or so, I recovered
six wheat cents, two more silver dimes, a Cracker Jack toy from
the 1940s and a key. The SmartFind screen combined with the target
depth indication had allowed me to identify and ignore virtually
all of the modern trash that littered the area. The next spot
I took the Explorer S to was my mother-in-law's backyard which
I had hunted with numerous detectors over the past 20 years. While
the house was only some 50 years old, the land had been part of
a small coal-mining town since the mid-1800s. My in-laws had used
coal to heat the house up until recently and the cinders had been
dumped in the
backyard for years. As a result, the ground was extremely mineralized
making detecting difficult at best. The Explorer S with the FBS
circuitry made short-work of the bad ground. After determining
the optimal NOISE channel for the conditions, I hunted a portion
of the yard with no change in threshold or any falsing. Since
the potential for
finding a relic or two existed, I hunted in the IRON MASK mode
with the left-third of the screen blacked out; i.e., accepting
everything in the white area. This allowed me to identify targets
and then decide if they
were worth recovering. The first few targets turned out to be
"unidentifiable" pieces of metal ñ made of brass
or copper - that came from depths of 5 to 9 inches. Near a large
tree, I received a good signal that registered slightly above
where screwcaps typically registered and appeared to be approximately
6-7 inches deep. After nearly 15 minutes of trying to dig the
target out from under the roots, I found an 1887 Indian Head penny
in the loose dirt. A few wheat pennies
and a clad dime capped off the hunt. Considering I would have
thought the area was thoroughly hunted-out after years of searching
it, the Explorer S had proven what Minelab states in their ads
which is "Even
worked-out areas are productive again with the Explorer series!"
I hunted several other sites throughout central-Pennsylvania and
New Jersey and found the Explorer S to be as effective as the
XS model in
detecting and accurately identifying valuable targets in sites
most hunters have long since given up on. FBS-technology is definitely
a detector technology that results in improved performance where
it counts
- in the field! Summary As with the field test report I wrote
on the Explorer XS, space limitations keep me from delving into
many of the unique features found on the Explorer S. The new FBS
technology and SmartFind target analysis
circuitry in the Explorer has taken metal detecting technology
to a new level. The ability to hunt in even the most adverse conditions
and obtain information to aid in identifying targets with accuracy
not found on other detectors make the Explorer S a "detector
of choice" for a wide range of applications. A hands-on demonstration
is highly recommended to
see just how different and effective the Explorer S is - especially
in comparison to the detector you are currently using.
The Explorer XS offers some additional features not found on the
S model as well as accessories such as the rechargeable battery
system; however, if price is the deciding factor, the S model
will save you some money.
MINELAB
USA RELIC HAWK METAL DETECTOR
By Andy Sabisch
From page 37 of the April issue of Lost Treasure magazine.
Copyright © 2001, 2001 Lost Treasure, Inc.
Most treasure hunters have come to recognize the Minelab name
as a company that produces metal detectors utilizing cutting-edge
technology; however, they are also a company that has achieved
the reputation of a company that supplies highly-acclaimed mine
locating equipment to military forces and humanitarian groups
worldwide. Based on requests and input from treasure hunters for
a detector optimized for location of deeply-buried relics, Minelab’s
engineers worked on combining technology found on their consumer
and military models with the result being the Relic Hawk.
Features
When I received the Relic Hawk, I was immediately impressed with
the way it came packed from the factory. Rather than “stuffed”
in a cardboard box as is typical with detectors today, a high-quality
padded backpack slid out of the shipping box. The backpack is
designed to hold the Relic Hawk and all of the accessories that
come with it in one, compact location. Unzipping the cover revealed
the detector (which comes apart into three short sections), headphones,
battery pack, battery charger, cords and instruction manual.
The Relic Hawk can be setup with the control housing in one of
two configurations — attached to the shaft or hipmounted. Surprisingly,
with the mounting point of the control box and searchcoil, the
Relic Hawk is well-balanced even without hipmounting the housing.
This shows that the Minelab engineers had listened to actual users
during the development phase since many relic hunters spend their
in-field time searching overgrown areas and tend to dislike having
to hipmount their detector to avoid getting the cables snagged
on underbrush.
Three knobs (Sensitivity, Ground Balance and Discrimination)
and five toggle switches control the Relic Hawk’s operation. The
Relic Hawk is a VLF-based detector with a unique three-position
toggle switch labeled Operating Mode. The “S” mode enhances the
detector’s sensitivity to smaller shallow targets while the “L”
mode optimizes the Relic Hawk’s response to larger, deeply buried
targets. The “M” mode is designated as the one for general use.
The ground balance circuit has both a Manual and Fixed mode and
a corresponding knob used to make the necessary adjustments. The
Relic Hawk also features two search modes — All Metal and Discrimination
— and a non-motion Pinpoint mode. The last toggle switch turns
the power on and off.
The standard searchcoil is a 15 inch Double-D design that ensures
you receive complete ground coverage without the need to overlap
each sweep unlike conventional concentric coils found on most
other brands. It is an open coil which keeps the weight to a minimum
and aids in pinpointing. The advantage of a Double D coil over
a concentric coil is that sensitivity to small targets can be
maintained even with coils as large as that on the Relic Hawk.
At first glance the 15 inch coil might seem to be “overkill”;
however, after spending sometime testing the response to targets
ranging in size from coins to artillery shells, it is a size well-suited
for the Relic Hawk’s intended use. The only downside to the coil
is that being open, it does tend to get caught on sticks or tufts
of grass but there are aftermarket coil covers designed to address
this issue.
The Relic Hawk is powered by a 12 volt Gel Cell battery contained
in a small padded pouch. It is designed to provide 20 plus hours
on a charge. The recharger allows you to keep the battery pack
on a float charge for extended periods without damaging the battery
or creating a memory typical on many other types of rechargeable
batteries.
Design features carried over from their military detectors include
the rugged connectors used on the searchcoil and battery cables,
the composite housing and square shaft assembly. Through the use
of these components, the Relic Hawk should provide years of reliable
operation under even the most adverse conditions.
Field Test
I have been involved in field testing treasure-hunting equipment
for more than 15 years, and it always seems that I receive equipment
at the least opportune time in terms of weather to test it. Water
detectors in the dead of winter, coin detectors in the middle
of the summer with temperatures in the 100s — the Relic Hawk was
no exception. Having recently moved the family from Georgia to
Pennsylvania, I had forgotten about that season called winter
and the funny white stuff that came along with it. I was able
to get two weeks of local hunting in before Ol’ Man Winter arrived
and dumped 6 inches of snow forcing me to drive south to Maryland
for additional testing.
The first site I took the Relic Hawk to was an old cellar hole
in the woods not far from our house. I had hunted the area before;
however, much of the site was covered with downed tree limbs.
In order to hunt it effectively I had tried to move the branches
so as to get my coil close to the ground but that was a time consuming
task. Setting the Relic Hawk to MAX sensitivity, switching to
the All Metal search mode and selecting the “L” operating mode,
I made a quick adjustment to the Ground Balance circuit and started
sweeping the 15 inch coil across the limbs. I wasn’t long before
I received a repeatable signal and moved away nearly 10 inches
of branches to reach the ground. Two shovels of earth were removed
to uncover an axe head dating back to the 1800s. Considering the
axe had been buried nearly one foot down and covered by 10 inches
of limbs, I was quite impressed at the Relic Hawk’s performance
so far. I spent more than two hours hunting the area surrounding
the cellar hole and was rewarded with a number of relics dating
back to the mid-1800s including tools, part of a lantern, horseshoes
and some unidentifiable metal objects. With the use of the “L”
mode, much of the small metallic items such as nails and shards
of tin from the old roof were either ignored entirely by the Relic
Hawk or produced signals that were easily distinguishable from
those produced by larger objects.
The next site I took the Relic Hawk to was an old picnic grove
that had been heavily hunted over the years yet based on my experience,
still had some deeply buried targets worth pursuing. This time
I opted for the “S” mode and set the Discriminate level at “5”
to eliminate some of the ferrous trash that was present. I had
some difficulty in maneuvering the coil through the underbrush
which was to be expected with an open coil that large. Opting
to stick to the less-overgrown areas, I hunted for less than five
minutes before receiving my first signal. I turned the Discriminate
control up to “8” and rechecked the spot and still heard a solid
signal. Careful probing turned up an 1894 Barber quarter in VF
condition at just over 10 inches. The next good signal turned
out to be a clad quarter just under the surface — considering
the site had not been used in more than 50 years, I can only assume
another detectorist dropped it. After hunting for close to 1 1/2
hours, I received another good signal. From almost 11 inches,
I pulled up an 1844 Mexican 4 Reale silver coin — a surprising
find since it predated the site by some 45 years. As the sun began
to set, I started to hike back out to the truck and head for home.
After the snow hit, I decided to drive down to a farm that I
had gotten permission to hunt years ago near Antietam, Maryland.
The scene of considerable Civil War activity during the battle
of Antietam, I had made a number of good finds over the 150 plus
acres that were part of the farm. I drove out through the fields
to a low ridge where I had done well in the past. Wanting to optimize
the response to both small and large targets, I opted for the
“M” operating mode and the All Metal search mode. Sensitivity
was set at 2:00 and due to the ground mineralization present,
I switched to the Manual ground balance setting. Quickly adjusting
the balance control, I started hunting along the top of the ridge.
The first few signals turned out to be recently lost tractor parts
at fairly shallow depths. Starting my second pass I picked up
a softer signal that was smaller than the other signals recovered.
Cutting a deep plug and removing the loose dirt, I could feel
the tell-tale weight of a Minnie ball in my hand. Filling in the
hole I continued searching. Several more bullets came to light
over the next hour or so at depths ranging from a few inches to
more than 10 inches down. A larger signal near the fence line
produced a Cavalry saddle buckle in nice shape. Over the next
few hours I picked up a number of period relics; however, the
best find of the day turned up as I was starting back to the truck
(isn’t that always the case?) As I crossed the “road” crossing
the field, I picked up a solid signal in the area between the
tire track grooves. Expecting to find a part off a vehicle, I
cut a plug and was surprised to see that the target was still
in the hole. A few inches further down I saw the edge of a coin
sticking out. Wiping the loose dirt off the face of the coin I
was surprised to see that it was an 1822 Large Cent! Not a bad
find to add to my pouch before hitting the road for a 3 1/2 hour
drive home!
Summary
Minelab has developed a first-rate metal detector designed to
excel in its intended application — search for and locate artifacts
at extreme depths without fancy bells-and-whistles or complicated
adjustments. It is obviously not the detector-of-choice for coin
hunting in your local trash-filled park or private yard; however,
if you are searching for deeply buried targets in well-hunted
sites, the Relic Hawk deserves your attention.
Minelab
Electronics Sovereign XS-2a Pro
By Andy Sabisch
From page 16 of the October issue of Lost Treasure magazine.
Copyright © 2000, 2000 Lost Treasure, Inc.
Nearly 10 years ago Minelab Electronics in- troduced a new technology
to the metal detecting industry that revolutionized how targets
were detected and identified in even the worst ground conditions.
It took a while for “the company from down under” to build up
a base of users worldwide, but as reports of the success enjoyed
by those early coverts spread, the sale of Minelab detectors grew
exponentially.
Recently Minelab reviewed their product line and, due to the
introduction of the new Explorer series, felt that a change in
the price point of their Sovereign model was in order. At the
same time, they opted to add a few features to the unit based
on feedback they have received from users and dealers worldwide.
The result is the new Sovereign XS-2a Pro which has replaced both
the Sovereign XS-2 and XS-2 Pro models.
Features
Most of the features of the Sovereign XS-2a Pro are similar to
those on it’s predecessors. It comes with the choice of either
an 8-inch coil (all-purpose coil with good target separation and
depth) or a 10-inch coil (better ground coverage, increased detection
depth but a little more difficult to pinpoint and more susceptible
to target masking in trashy sites).
The XS-2a Pro uses Broad Band Spectrum (BBS) technology to operate
at 17 different frequencies unlike other detectors, that use one
or at most two frequencies. As a result, the Sovereign is able
to effectively ignore even the most adverse ground conditions
while achieving above-average detection depth and consistent target
ID accuracy. All of this is done without the need for any complex
adjustments or setup procedures found on many other brands.
The Sovereign’s adjustments are made through five knobs and two
toggle switches on the face of the control box. The knobs are:
Discrimination, Notch; Volume, Sensitivity and Threshold. The
toggle switches are: Mode Select (Discrimination or All Metals)
and Tone ID Selection.
The biggest difference between this Sovereign and its predecessors
— and one many people may not immediately see the value of — is
the Tone ID Selector Switch. A complaint that Minelab has heard
from would-be users over the years is that the different tones
produced by different targets was too confusing to learn in conjunction
with the different response produced by the BBS circuitry itself.
This was especially true when someone had years of experience
with another brand that simply had a single tone for all targets.
Well, even though the different tones do help one identify targets
quite accurately, users can now turn that feature off while they
learn how a BBS detector responds and later, when they are more
comfortable with what it is telling them, switch the variable
tones back on.
The digital meter is the same one that came with the XS-2 Pro
and takes some time to get used to. It displays a numeric value
with negative values indicating iron objects. Non-ferrous objects
register from “0” to “550”. The display does “jump around” a few
numbers when you pass over a target; however, with a little practice
in a test garden or the local school yard will help you make sense
of what the meter is telling you. The XS-2a Pro is powered by
8 AA batteries which provide between 15 and 20 hours of operation.
In addition to adding a few new features, the XS-2a Pro does
not have a few items that were included with it’s more expensive
predecessor. These include the hipmount bag, rechargeable battery
pack and the charger. All of these items are available from your
Minelab dealer.
Field Test
The timing for conducting the XS-2a Pro field test was ideal,
as I had just been told about several old schools and parks near
the town I was staying in central Pennsylvania. With two large,
active treasure hunting clubs and several detector dealers in
the area I knew I wouldn’t be the first person to sweep a coil
across the ground at these sites; however, I was optimistic that
the XS-2a Pro would prove itself and come up with a few “keepers.”
The first site I visited was a school built in the 1920s that
had recently closed. Being inside the city, there was very little
grass to search. As I got my detector ready I saw several plugs
lying alongside holes and knew someone else had hunted here recently.
After spending 10 minutes filling in the open holes, I began my
hunt. Using the 800 (8 inch) coil, I set the DISC control at 10
o’clock, left the NOTCH control fully CCW (off) and used the AUTO
setting on the Sensitivity control. With a faint threshold hum
in my headphones I walked across the grassy area in front of the
school. The first few signals were quite loud and I knew from
the meter reading that they were probably pull-tabs and screw
caps. As a testament to the XS-2a Pro’s accuracy, that’s exactly
what they turned out to be. Near a large bush I received a repeatable
but weaker signal that registered between “544” and “548” on the
meter. Cutting a deep plug, I removed some of the loose dirt at
the bottom of the hole. As I was getting ready to check the hole
I glanced in and saw the edge of a silver coin sticking out —
nearly 8 inches down. It turned out to be a 1937 Mercury dime
in XF condition. I continued hunting the area on one side of the
school for nearly an hour and in that time found 19 coins including
four wheat cents dating back to the 1927.
Before I left I switched to the 1000 (10 inch coil) and re-hunted
the same area I had just gone over to see if the larger coil might
pick up targets that were a little deeper than the 800 coil could
reach. I left all of the settings the same as those I had used
with the 800 coil to provide a true comparison. I did receive
several signals that would not repeat; however, when I switched
to All-Metal in order to check them, I found that what I had come
across was a large, shallow trash target. That is one drawback
to using a larger coil in areas where you are likely to hit large
trash targets. I did receive two faint signals that registered
good on the meter as I re-checked the area. Marking them, I switched
back to 800 coil to see what response I would receive with the
smaller coil. One was questionable even knowing there was a target
there and the second one was not detectable at all in the AUTO
setting. Switching to Manual sensitivity adjusted to 11 o’clock
did allow the 800 coil to see both targets; however, with the
coal cinders in the area, the detector was not as stable as it
had been in the AUTO setting. Both targets turned out to be coins
— a 1917 and a 1910 wheat cent — between 9 and 10 inches deep.
All in all, the Sovereign XS-2a Pro functioned perfectly in the
highly mineralized ground I used it in. Having hunted the central
Pennsylvania area for almost 20 years, I know that many detectors
have trouble handling these ground conditions and loose a considerable
amount of detection depth because of it. The XS-2a Pro kept a
constant threshold at all times, required no additional adjustments
as I used it and detected targets at depths of up to 18 inches
at the sites I visited.
Summary
I’m not a marketing expert so I won’t even try to explain the
new pricing on the Sovereign XS-2a Pro; however, I will say that
at the new lower price, it offers a real bargain in terms of what
you get for your money. The new XS-2a Pro sells for $760 with
your choice of either the 8 or 10 inch coil. For around $80 more
you can get the hipmount bag, nicad pack and charger which then
gives you virtually the same detector (less the added features
on the XS-2a Pro such as the tone selector switch) that would
have cost you almost $200 more with the XS-2 Pro!
Since the price is the same with either coil, consider what you
will be using it for when you make your choice. If you plan on
hunting wide open beaches or searching for deeply buried relics
in areas that are not too overgrown; the 1000 coil is probably
the one for you. If you will be hunting for coins in schools and
parks or typically search very trashy sites, the 800 coil will
be better suited for your needs. If you have any questions, ask
your local dealer and if need be, try them both before you buy.
If you have been thinking about trying the Minelab BBS technology
but held back because of the cost or the learning curve needed
to get accustomed to the multiple tones it produced, you no longer
have any excuses. Sovereigns have proven themselves in areas other
detectors were unable to detect. It is versatile enough to meet
the needs of all types of treasure hunters from coin and relic
hunters to avid beach hunters at a new, more affordable price.
Minelab
Electronics Explorer XS Metal Detector
By Andy Sabisch
Metal detector technology has come so far since I started treasure
hunting in the 1960s that sometimes it amazes me that any of us
in the hobby back then were actually able to find anything. Features
such as discrimination, ground balance, target ID, depth reading
and even “turn-on-and-go” operation were not even on the drawing
boards.
Well, over the years, metal detector manufacturers have spent
countless hours and $1,000s of dollars developing the technology
that has produced new and improved detectors year after year.
When I got word of a new detector from Minelab Electronics which
had some “revolutionary” new circuitry and features, I was anxious
to see if a new chapter in detector technology had been written.
Features
The first thing I noticed when I received the Explorer XS was
the wealth of accessories that came standard with the detector.
Rather than having to buy them separately, the Explorer XS comes
with a coil cover, NiMh rechargeable batteries, car and home chargers,
detector stand and a set of padded stereo headphones.
The Explorer is the result of more than two years of research
and development using input from treasure hunters worldwide. The
Sovereign and Excalibur models, utilizing Broad Band Spectrum
(BBS) technology, had developed the reputation of being able to
handle extreme ground conditions and provide top-notch detection
depth. Capitalizing on the processing power of today’s micro-processors,
Minelab engineers were able to develop an enhanced detection circuit
as well as extract additional information from the target signal
to more accurately identify it in the ground.
Full Band Spectrum (FBS) is the newest detection circuitry from
Minelab found on the Explorer. Increasing the number of frequencies
used by the detector from 17 in BBS to 28 in FBS and the upper
range of the frequencies from 25 kHz to 100 kHz, the Explorer
is able to provide even greater detection depth and accuracy of
target identification than the BBS models that have become so
popular. In addition to the FBS circuitry, Minelab found that
with the aid of new microprocessors, additional characteristics
regarding the composition of a target could be obtained and displayed
on an LCD display panel. Now, by combining the conductivity value
of a target used on all other detectors to provide target ID with
the object’s inductance value, the ability to differentiate similar
targets such as a gold ring and a pull tab can be achieved. This
2-dimensional target identification circuit, called SmartFind
(discrimination) is found only on the Minelab Explorer series.
With the SmartFind circuitry, a greater degree of target acceptance
or rejection can be obtained than with conventional conductivity-only
discrimination circuits. This allows users to select specific
targets to either search for or eliminate which translates into
more finds in less time when in the field. For example, if you
are hunting a site where you know there are Indian Head pennies;
however, it is also littered with screw caps and pull tabs, the
SmartFind circuitry allows you to open a “window” where the Indian
Heads will be accepted while ignoring most of the surrounding
trash. And, once you have setup one of these “discrimination patterns”
as they are called, it can be saved for use later on. Up to six
different patterns can be created and saved on the Explorer XS
which is convenient if you do different types of hunting; i.e.,
beach, coin, relic, etc., and want to create a pattern to locate
specific types of targets.
The LCD display screen provides a wealth of information, both
in terms of target ID and depth as well as when adjusting the
detector — and is easily visible at all times thanks to a contrast
control and backlight for low or no-light conditions. All of the
adjustments are made using the 6 silver touchpads surrounding
the display screen and 8 touchpads below the screen on the control
panel face. The controls are fairly self-explanatory; however,
if you are not sure of the function of a control, pressing and
holding the touchpad will cause a help box to pop-up on the display
screen that explains most features. Combine that with the 100
plus spiral-bound manual and pocket-sized menu short-cut sheet,
it is apparent that the factory has put more effort into the manual
than typically found on metal detectors today.
Another extremely useful feature on the Explorer is the ability
to select the degree of iron elimination through the Iron Mask
circuit. Sovereign users may remember the Iron Mask toggle switch
on the original Sovereign. On subsequent models, this switch was
removed as 99 percent of all hunters left it in the ON position.
This was the right setting for most applications; however, it
was not ideal for relic or beach hunters who may have wanted to
find ferrous artifacts. Well, the Explorer has restored this control
and now allows users to select any degree of iron-rejection ranging
from none to full. Again, depending the type of hunting you do,
you now have the ability to define precisely what type of target
will produce a positive response thanks to the SmartFind and Iron
Mask circuitry.
The Explorer has multiple display options which aid in identifying
objects. The Digital mode depicts target ID with a numerical value
ranging from 1 to 32 and a corresponding picture icon; i.e., coin,
nail, pull tab, etc. The Digital mode is best suited for basic
coinhunting. The increased target differentiation of the SmartFind
and Iron Mask display modes make them more suited for most forms
of treasure hunting. In the SmartFind and Iron Mask modes, the
unique Conductivity and Inductance value for each target will
define a point on the display screen and this point will be indicated
with a cross-hair icon that can move around the screen.
The Explorer XS comes with a 10.5 inch Double-D search coil. Double-D
coils take a little practice to become proficient at pinpointing
targets; however they do a more through job of covering the ground
than a concentric coil. Pinpointing is aided by the depth indicator
which appears on the display screen and registers depth in the
motion search modes. At first glance, one may question the ability
of the Explorer to operate in trash-filled sites due to the large
coil size; however, there are advanced settings that allow it
to handle all but the trashiest sites after one has some experience
with the detector.
The NiMh battery system has been designed to avoid developing
a memory often associated with conventional Nicad batteries. It
provides approximately 10 hours of use and can be recharged at
home or in your vehicle using the cigarette charger that comes
with the Explorer.
Field Test
The Explorer XS is a detector that requires some time in order
to become proficient with in the field and fully exploit the advanced
features and capabilities it offers. Rather than start out with
some of my initial forays in the field which were somewhat disappointing,
I will jump ahead to some of the sites I searched once I had some
time using the Explorer under my belt.
Civil War relic hunting is extremely popular where I live in
north Georgia and many of the less-obscure sites have been hunted
continuously since the 1960s. These are ideal areas to test out
new detectors as any remaining targets are either extremely deep
or masked by trash. I took my son to a site where a small skirmish
had taken place during the siege of Kennesaw Mountain. Much of
the area has been developed, so we started in the last remaining
stand of trees adjacent to the road. Setting the Explorer in the
Iron Mask mode, I began scrubbing the ground. Signals were few
and far between as I would have expected; however a repeatable
signal did come through near a section of barbed wire fence that
was laying on the ground. It registered in the center area of
the display screen, so moving the fence away, I started to recover
the target. Removing several inches of dirt, I rechecked the hole
and saw it was deeper still. Finally, after cutting through some
tree roots, I saw a .58 caliber Minnie Ball resting in the bottom
of the 9 plus-inch deep hole. As I approached the road, the number
of trash signals increased significantly. In order to reject the
trash and still try to detect some relics, I switched to the Advanced
SmartFind mode and recalled a discrimination pattern I had created
at home which was done using a number of Minnie Balls of varying
caliber’s. The Explorer ran quiet as I re-hunted the area I had
just passed over — now ignoring all the more recent trash that
littered the area. Less than 5 feet from the road I received a
signal that registered near the bottom of the depth indication
scale (12). Another Minnie Ball came to light from just over 8
inches. We spent almost an hour hunting the area near the road
and thanks to the “Civil War Bullet Pattern” I was using, recovered
9 more Minnie Balls from an area that would have otherwise been
virtually un-huntable due to all of the trash that had been deposited
over the years from traffic passing by on the road.
Another site I hunted was a small beach on a nearby lake. Lake
levels here in Georgia vary widely as the Corps of Engineers often
lower the water 20 plus feet in the winter for spring flood control
and this beach was now high and dry. Two fellow treasure hunters
— Bill Pfautz and Keith Utz — accompanied me to see how the Explorer
worked in the field. Leaving it in the QuickStart mode, we started
hunting the beach. Pull tabs were everywhere, so I switched o
the Advanced Learn mode and “taught” the Explorer what targets
to ignore. With most of the trash now being eliminated, we continued
down the beach. It was obvious from the open holes and trash laying
about that others had hunted the site before we did; however,
we were still able to find some coins at depths of up to 9 inches.
I re-visited this site a few more times over the next week and
found a total of 26 coins, one gold ring, some keys and miscellaneous
items that other detectorists had missed. All were deep and most
were adjacent to trash including a large anchor chain which was
where the gold ring was found.
Several old home sites that I and others have hunted repeatedly
also gave up numerous targets dating back to the mid-1800s including
coins, artifacts and at one, an 18KT gold cufflink. The ability
to create and save customized discrimination patterns at home
for specific targets such as old coins or relics and then quickly
recall them for use in the field made hunting these worked-out,
trash-filled sites seem like hunting “virgin” sites again. I was
amazed at the number of good targets that came out of sites that
most of us had long since given up on.
Summary
Unfortunately due to the space limitations of this field test,
I am not able to delve in detail into many of the unique features
found on the Explorer. It is a detector that really must be seen
in order to appreciate all of its capabilities. The new FBS technology
and SmartFind target analysis circuitry in the Explorer has taken
metal detecting technology to a new level. The ability to hunt
in even the most adverse conditions and obtain information to
aid in identifying targets with accuracy not found on other detectors
make the Explorer XS a “detector of choice” for a wide range of
applications. The Explorer is a detector that requires time to
master all of the inherent capabilities and, as one gets more
experience under their belt, the detector will become even more
powerful in terms of what it can do in the field. However, even
the Quick Start mode will provide treasure hunters with above-average
performance right out of the box.
Minelab
Electronics Golden Hawk Metal Detector
From Lost Treasure Field Test By Reg Sniff
From page 14 of the December 1999 issue of Lost Treasure magazine.
Copyright ©1999 Lost Treasure, Inc.
Before I begin, I have to apologize to Minelab for the limited
time I had for this field test. Although time was restricted to
begin with, a near fatal accident involving a close family member
further reduced my time to search.
With that out of the way, I can say I did have time to fully
evaluate all the features of this new detector, but as any serious
nugget hunter knows, time and luck are two great assets necessary
in finding gold. Unfortunately, I didn't find any gold, but did
find more than enough similar targets to do a fair evaluation.
First of all, for those of you who may be unfamiliar with prospecting
for gold with a metal detector, Minelab is one of the most popular
machines for this type of treasure hunting.
The simple reason for their popularity is they work and work
well. The Golden Hawk is no exception. It is one of Minelab's
top line machines.
Working on the same fundamental principles as the popular XT
18000, the Golden Hawk is a VLF instrument that can be set to
3 different operating frequencies, 6.4Khz, 20Khz, and 60Khz. If
an analogy can be drawn, the best way to describe the differences
between an XT 18000 and a Golden Hawk is to think of XT 18000
as a Ford or a Chevy and the Golden Hawk as a Cadillac or Lincoln.
The differences between the Golden Hawk and other similar Minelab's
lie in both physical layout and operating features. Physically,
the Golden Hawk more closely resembles Minelab's SD series of
detectors than their other machines, but with enhancements.
Unique to this gold detector and its sister machine, the Relic
Hawk, is the design of the shaft/stem and coil cabling. Like the
Relic Hawk, but unlike most detectors where the search coil lead
is of straight design that is wrapped around the detector shaft,
the coil lead on the Golden Hawk is straight where it goes up
inside the stem and coiled where it attaches to the control housing.
Physically, the main control housing of the Golden Hawk looks
more like the SD 2000 housing than any of Minelab's other gold
machines. Like other Minelab's, the controls are very well laid
out and clearly marked on this detector.
It is clear Minelab put a lot of thought process and engineering
into this detector. Subtle features in the overall design make
any adjustment quick and easy. For example, lengthening or shortening
the shaft or moving the handle is easily done by flipping a lever,
making the adjustment, and then easily locking everything in place
with the same lever. The control housing can be carried three
different ways, mounted on the stem, or it can be chest or belt
mounted using the control bag.
Unlike the XT series of detectors that come with an elliptical
coil, the Golden Hawk is supplied with an 8 inch round coil, and,
at the present time, is the only coil available. Somewhat different
in appearance than previous models, this new coil has a great
built in feature -- a gold trapping tray.
The natural curved indentation in the top of the coil works great
when trying to recover very small targets. One can grab a handful
of dirt, hopefully with the nugget, and slowly drop the dirt onto
the top of the coil. The natural trap will help keep any target
from sliding off.
Power for the Golden Hawk is supplied from a 12 V battery-pack
and comes with its own charger. The pack is designed to be belt
mounted. Power for the Golden Hawk is supplied from a 12 V battery-pack
and comes with its own charger.
The pack is designed to be belt mounted. Like the SD series of
detectors, the Golden Hawk does not have a speaker. However, Minelab
does supply a very respectable set of earphones.
General Features And Initial Testing
After quickly reviewing the owner's manual and the one page instruction
guide I began testing. However, later I did sit down with the
manual and carefully re-read it before doing any serious testing
in the field. This is something I strongly recommend to all owners.
With basic knowledge of the instrument, I took the Golden Hawk
outside along with a few gold nuggets ranging in size from about
2 grains to a quarter ounce. Testing consisted of evaluating each
control and its functions on the overall actions of the detector.
Initially, the large number of controls (7 toggle switches and
4 knob adjustable controls) found on the Golden Hawk might seem
somewhat intimidating. Fortunately, a new owner or perspective
buyer can relax, the layout of the controls is such that initial
setup is a snap. Also, the detector works extremely well at those
settings.
I set all the controls to their recommended settings (top 6 toggle
switches up, the Sensitivity and Volume at maximum, and the Threshold
for a slight audio). Then I re-adjusted various controls and re-checked
the gold targets.
The Sensitivity and Threshold controls perform typical tasks
of increasing or reducing the sensitivity and initial audio level.
The Volume control on the Golden Hawk, like on other Minelab's,
only sets the maximum volume level. In other words, reducing the
Volume level does not effect weak signals, but rather limits the
overall loudness.
Next it was time to try adjusting the 7 toggle switches located
across the top, one at a time, and comparing the results with
what the manual had to say. The results were as follows:
Top left switch, labeled Recovery, determined the autotune speed,
slow (up position) and fast (down position). Selecting the fast
mode reduced the sensitivity ever so slightly but did smooth out
many of the minor ground variations.
The second switch, labeled Balance, adjusted the rate the ground
balance adjusted to the ground conditions. Track 2 (up) is the
normal speed. Options include the center position where ground
tracking is off or fixed, and Track 1, the down position tracks
about twice as fast as Track 2. The Track 1 speed is very fast
and very effective. However, both tracking modes will reduce the
signal strength somewhat from a gold target after multiple passes.
The third switch, labeled Signal, is basically a modified or
specialized sensitivity control. Up is normal operation, the middle
position labeled Fine filters the signal to enhance signals from
small targets near the surface, while the down position labeled
Boost, amplifies all signals. Testing indicated that Normal and
Boost seem to work better on all targets tested.
The fourth switch is labeled Soil and can be best thought of
as another modified sensitivity control that allows the operator
to switch between Normal (up) and Difficult (down). Difficult
mode also seemed to smooth out some of the small audio variations
but did reduce the sensitivity slightly. This mode is useful in
areas having concentrations of blacksand.
The fifth switch labeled Discriminate selects between All Metals
(up), and Discriminate (down). When down, the Discriminate control
directly below is activated. Increasing the discrimination level
increases the probably of rejection of small iron objects. Unlike
other Minelab instruments where the audio changes to a stuttering
sound on iron objects, the Golden Hawk's discrimination feature
mutes the audio on iron objects.
Finally, the last top switch labeled Freq selects between three
different operating frequencies, 20 (up), 60 (mid), and 6.4 Khz
(down position). Concentrating on smaller targets, I found the
two higher frequencies to give a better response, especially on
the extremely small ones.
Field Test
Actual field tests included multiple trips to known gold producing
sites in the Colorado mountains. The first site searched was at
an operating placer operation. With permission, I was able to
search a range of soils from the surface to depths of about 30
feet. Ground conditions changed from typical surface vegetation
to rocky terrain of a river bottom.
Throughout this area the Golden Hawk adjusted to the varying
ground quickly and easily. Unfortunately, no gold was found but
various metal targets were recovered from depths up to a foot
or so. Those included everything from lead bullets to metal shavings
from the blade of the digging equipment.
I initially set the controls as recommended in the quick setup.
All top selector switches up, volume near maximum, and the threshold
for a very low threshold signal. I also set the discrimination
to on and at maximum.
Metal targets were very sparse, so every one brought excitement.
I typically found extremely small slivers from the blade of the
caterpillar, none of which was rejected by the discrimination.
Two larger metal objects, a bolt and a nut were rejected.
At another site, I elected to vary the controls more than normal.
For example, I decided to use the ground tracking to initially
adjust to the negative rocks and then turn it off.
Although this site has proven to be very difficult for other
detectors, the Golden Hawk tackled it with ease. Even with the
tracking off, I had very few false signals. Furthermore, I found
it easier to hear very weak signals.
Conclusion
Overall I found the Golden Hawk works and works well. Built with
a large number of great features, this detector adds subtle but
distinct increases in sensitivity and conveniences not found on
the XT line of detectors. However, it is more expensive, and presently
no elliptical coil is available. It is also somewhat heavier than
the XT 18000.
This is a great machine that comes complete with almost everything
except a digging tool. It is easy to recommend the Golden Hawk
to those who are willing to pay top dollar for a top machine.
Minelab
Electronics Excalibur 800 Metal Detector
From Lost Treasure Field Test By Andy Sabisch
From page 22 of the June 1999 issue of Lost Treasure magazine.
Copyright ©1999 Lost Treasure, Inc.
Despite the fact that Minelab Electronics is a relative newcomer
to the metal detecting industry, they have developed a worldwide
reputation of producing high quality products that incorporate
new and innovative technology rather than simply repackage existing
circuits in a different housing. Their early detectors were focused
on the electronic prospecting market -- based on the overwhelming
demand in their home country of Australia -- but as the acceptance
of the Minelab name increased around the world, they branched
out into the coin hunting, relic hunting and water hunting sectors.
I have used both the Sovereign and Excalibur detectors with great
success since they were originally introduced and looked forward
to field testing one of the re-designed Excaliburs.
FEATURES
After nearly ten years, virtually any treasure hunter that reads
a magazine or logs onto the Internet knows that the single most
important feature of the Sovereign and it's waterproof brother
the Excalibur that sets them apart from other detectors on the
market is the Broad Band Spectrum or BBS circuitry they use. Unlike
other VLF detectors that operate on only one or two frequencies,
BBS detectors send out 17 distinct frequencies ranging from 1.5
to 25.5 kHz simultaneously. What this does is enable the circuitry
to remain unaffected by even the most adverse ground conditions
which typically cause conventional detectors to lose a significant
amount of detection depth -- and all of this is done without ANY
complicated adjustments by the operator!
The Excalibur is also the only waterproof detector that offers
tone target ID which allows the user to hunt at low discrimination
settings and use the different audio tones produced by various
targets to determine which are worth recovering. One of the best
ways to use this feature is to set the discrimination low; i.e.,
"3" and then ignore any high tones which indicate a
coin. By doing this you can focus on targets that fall between
Foil and Coins which in most cases will be rings, pendants or
chains. You may pass up a few coins but with a dozen pieces of
gold in your pouch at the end of the day, it's a trade-off most
of use can live with.
The waterproof housing has been time-tested and has an enviable
record as far as being leakproof. The housing never needs to be
opened since all of the controls and connections are on the outside
of the case, and as a result, should provide years of dependable
operation.
There are two versions of the Excalibur currently available,
the 800 and 1000 -- with the only difference being the size of
the search coil (8 and 10 inches in diameter). Both coils feature
the Double-D design which eliminates the cone-shaped search pattern
found on most detectors and ensures that maximum detection depth
is achieved across the entire width of the coil with each swing.
One no longer has to overlap each swing by 50 percent or more
to avoid missing the deeper, more valuable targets which allows
more ground to be covered effectively in less time.
The Excalibur's come with a rechargeable battery system which
provides between 10-15 hours of use per charge.
Note: I did not discuss several other features on the Excalibur
that have not been changed since the unit was initially introduced.
Read the original field test report I did in the March 1997 issue
of Lost Treasure for more details on this detector.
FIELD TEST
As Murphy's Law would have it, I received the Excalibur 800 to
field test in early January; obviously not the best time temperature-wise
to put a water detector through it's paces. Luckily my family
and I were heading to Charleston, S.C., to visit relatives so
in addition to our suitcases, I packed the detector, scoops, my
dive gear and a thick wetsuit.
The beaches in this area of South Carolina consist of fine, hard-packed
sand layered with heavily mineralized black sand that causes most
detectors, including many pulse models, to be marginally effective
at-best.
Placing the Sensitivity control in AUTO and Discrimination at
"3", I headed away from the seawall towards the surfline.
It wasn't long before I received the first signal. At close to
ten inches I found an encrusted clad quarter. As I approached
the wet sand, the threshold remained completely stable, with no
adjustments required as would be on most detectors. Even when
I got into the actual surf, it did not change. This is characteristic
of the BBS circuitry and one of the main reasons Minelab detector
users have been so successful worldwide. After recovering several
more coins at similar depths, I headed towards a nearby pier.
I recovered a handful of coins near the low-tide line and other
than an occasional screw-cap, was not bothered by any of the iron
I knew was still there from when hurricane Hugo passed though.
One of the last targets I recovered before I left was a small
10 kt., pinky ring from just under seven inches in the wet sand.
Walking to the truck, I ran into a local treasure hunter who
was just starting out for the day. When I showed him what I had
found, he was taken aback, especially when I told him that I had
not dug any rusted iron and had only hunted for an hour.
To put the detector to the true test, I headed out the following
morning to try diving a popular freshwater swimming lake about
90 minutes north of Charleston. With temperatures in the 40s,
my normal hunting partner in the area agreed to come along and
hunt the beach area. Standing there at the waters edge with the
wind blowing off the lake, I had my reservations but as long as
I was there I opted to see what I could find.
Converting the Excalibur 800 from the conventional configuration
to the shortened dive version took less then five minutes and
did not require any additional parts or kits -- another positive
feature! Slipping under the surface I kicked along the bottom
until I reached the anchor chain for one of the three large floats.
The silt layer was almost a foot thick; however, by pressing down
on the coil, I was able to hunt and still get close enough to
where the "goodies" were. Signals were there but not
as plentiful as I would have expected. Nearly every target was
6-inches or more down in the sticky sediment below the silt and
I quickly realized that I was not the first diver to hunt the
site.
After almost 1 1/2 hours, I surfaced and swam in to see what
I had found. Emptying my goody bag on the shore, I counted 32
coins including five silver quarters, four silver dimes and several
wheat pennies. I had a few pieces of junk jewelry but the best
find was a nice 14 kt gold man's ring with a small diamond in
the center and a 14 kt gold ladies ring with three colored stones.
One thing I did not have which my partner had been plagued with
were rusty hair berets lost by swimmers over the years. Despite
the fact that I knew they had been there, the Excalibur's circuitry
had completely ignored them while still picking up the coins and
jewelry in the same area and at depths greater than whatever detector
the previous divers had been using. Even my partner said that
a new detector might be a wise purchase with the upcoming water
hunting season approaching.
I used the Excalibur 800 on several other lakes in South Carolina
and Georgia as well as the eastern coast of Florida when I flew
there on business and in each case, found it to operate without
problem. No adjustments other then those made initially to achieve
exceptional detection depth on a wide range of targets. I even
had a chance to do a little Civil War relic hunting with it and
recovered several bullets and other artifacts at depths of up
to 15 inches which for mineralized, red Georgia clay is impressive
with any detector.
SUMMARY
The BBS technology has proven to be technology that can actually
re-open previously worked-out sites by providing above-average
detection depth, accurate target identification even at the fringe
of the detectors capabilities and doing so without any complicated
adjustments. Many treasure hunters have opted to purchase an Excalibur
for all of their treasure hunting needs -- since it performs equally
as well in the water as it does on dry land.
With the addition of a hipmount kit, one can search for hours
without tiring. And now with your choice of two coil sizes, there's
a model that fits the needs of a wide range of treasure hunters.
Even if you only plan on doing some beach or water hunting a few
times a year, you need to take a closer look at the Excalibur
line before you purchase your next detector. The Excalibur comes
with a one-year parts and labor warranty with service handled
by a repair center located in the United States.
Minelab
Electronics SD 2200 Metal Detector
From Lost Treasure Field Test From page 12
of the March 1999 issue of Lost Treasure magazine.
Copyright ©1999 Lost Treasure, Inc.
Almost every serious gold nugget hunter has heard of the SD series
of detectors made by Minelab. To be more specific, a large majority
of the serious nugget hunters I know are already using one of
the three SD models, either the SD 2000, SD 2100, and now the
new SD 2200.
In fact, at one site during my field test, it looked like an
SD promotion since there were four different nugget hunters, all
using SD's. There were two SD 2200's, one SD 2100, and an SD 2000
in use amongst the four people. Oh yes, all found gold, some really
nice gold, but let's discuss that later.
The SD 2200 Machine
Unlike most typical metal detectors designed for gold hunting,
the SD series are not typical VLF type detectors. Minelab refers
to the operation of the SD series as "Multi Period Sensing."
In my opinion this means these detectors are a sophisticated high-powered
pulse detector.
The SD 2200 package, like its predecessors, is expensive, having
a suggested retail of $3,495. One big question that goes through
people's minds, is the SD really worth the cost? Well, talk to
most owners as I have and the general consensus is yes, simply
because it provides extra depth capabilities and ignores most
ground and hotrocks.
Besides the SD 2200 machine itself, Minelab includes in the package,
one 11-inch DD search coil, a pair of headphones, a hefty battery,
a backpack (to carry the battery). Also included are two battery
chargers including a 110 V charger for home use and a 12 V charger
that can be used in an automobile, a hat, a bag (to carry found
trash/treasure), an arm rest cover, and a bungie cord to assist
in reducing the weight of the detector while searching.
Each generation change of the SD has shown distinct improvements
and changes of controls over the previous model. The new SD 2200
is no exception. For example, this new detector has two new automatic
features, automatic ground balance, and a "Tune" control.
The latter is designed to reduce many forms of interference by
merely pushing a button. One other significant new feature was
the addition of Iron discrimination.
A total list of the SD 2200 controls include the following: Power
(off/on switch), Threshold control, Audio (three position switch;
Shallow, Normal and Deep), Tone control, Tune push-button, Balance
(three position switch; CH 1, Both, CH 2), Search switch (Fixed
or Tracking, ground balance), Iron Discriminate (three position
switch; Disc, Disc plus ID, and All Metal), and Level Adjust control
(for Iron Discrimination).
Initial Testing
I began testing the SD 2200 at my home. Instead of the typical
coin targets I normally test for, I cleared an area in my back
yard and buried pieces of lead, obscuring some of the buried targets
with typical hotrocks I had previously found in gold producing
areas. I then compared responses from the targets using the new
SD and of a couple of popular gold hunting machines including
Minelab's 18000.
In all cases the SD 2200 clearly outperformed the VLF instruments.
The SD 2200 simply ignored the rocks and detected the targets.
On targets such as a 357 caliber slug, the SD 2200 did not display
a tremendous depth increase over the VLF's. It did display a depth
advantage of somewhere between an inch and two inches where hotrocks
were not involved.
On some of the targets hidden under the hotrocks, the VLF's ignored
the lead targets even though they were within detectable range.
The SD, on the other hand, easily responded to the hidden pieces
of lead. It was obvious that where this new SD detector really
excelled was finding the targets hidden under hotrocks. What was
apparent, the more severe the conditions, the better the SD 2200
seemed to perform over other gold machines.
Black sand and hotrocks are two of the major problems for a nugget
hunter. Although I didn't test the black sand advantage of the
SD, Pat Whitehead who has found almost 2 ounces in a short time
with his SD 2200 did. He related how well the SD 2200 performed
in severe black sand environments, especially when compared to
typical VLF's.
A couple of big drawbacks of the SD came to light quickly during
my initial testing. They were the weight of the instrument and
its ease of swinging of the coil. Simply stated, this instrument
was both heavy and bulky. Carrying the battery supplied was awkward
and heavy since it was to be carried in the backpack supplied.
To help overcome the battery weight problem, I elected to purchase
the optional smaller battery and the hipmount pouch that I used
during most of my field testing.
Going for the Gold
True testing of the SD 2200 required I hunt in gold producing
areas. For me this was a perfect opportunity to visit some of
the areas in Arizona that have been good to me in the past. Unfortunately
I only had a week's time to field test this instrument.
One of the two main areas I visited was a location known to have
both gold nuggets and meteorites. I hoped to find both with the
SD 2200. After three days of hard hunting, I did not find any
gold, but did find one meteorite. Ironically, I found the meteorite,
not with the detector but by simply stepping on it.
I should point out the SD 2200 is designed to find gold, not
meteorites. However, I was hoping there was sufficient iron content
in the meteorites that they would respond positively. Unfortunately,
as I found through testing, the type of meteorites found at this
location responded very similar to basalt (a typical hotrock),
something the SD 2200 is designed to ignore, especially when set
to the tracking mode. My father did find one meteorite with his
SD 2100 but it gave only a faint response.
With time running out, I headed for my second selected area to
hunt. Since my dad wasn't having any luck either, he decided to
meet me at that location the next day. I had already made plans
to hunt with a couple of fellow nugget hunters at this second
location.
Upon my arrival, Pat Whitehead, who as mentioned above uses an
SD 2200, Tony Pancake who hunts with an SD 2000, and myself discussed
several possible sites to hunt. We finally decided to try a nearby
site which we visited the next day.
After a few hours of serious hunting at this site, I decided
to deviate from the specific area known to produce nice gold nuggets.
My meandering turned out to be the best thing I could have possibly
done. In less than an hour, I had detected a fairly weak signal
in what was an old tailings pile. Expecting to find a nail or
trash I was stunned when, after digging a hole about a foot deep,
I uncovered one beautiful half-ounce gold nugget.
About an hour or so after my first great find, I got another
reasonable signal. Digging down about 7 or 8 inches or so, I recovered
a nice solid heavy lump. Rubbing the unknown object gently quickly
brought out the color of gold. I couldn't believe it, I had just
found my second half-ounce nugget.
Although Tony and Pat had each found one small nugget (about
a pennyweight in size, I was holding the two prize finds. My "king
of the hill" position was short lived. A short time later,
Pat came up the hill and informed me my dad had just "kicked
my butt." I walked down to where my father was sitting, looked
at the manhole he had dug and asked to see his prize. He quickly
popped his newly found ounce nugget into my hand he had found
with his SD 2100.
A short time later Tony found a nice quarter ounce plus nugget
and one more small nugget with his SD 2000.
The second day at this site began with Pat disappearing for quite
some time. Later he returned with a 7 pennyweight beauty he found
with his SD 2200. Late in the afternoon, I stumbled into another
great signal, which ultimately turned out to be my third nugget.
This third nugget weighed in just short of a half-ounce. That
was the last great find of the trip.
Conclusion and Comments:
The new SD 2200 provides significant improvements over previous
models, including automatic ground balancing, push-button noise
reduction, and iron discrimination.
When compared to other gold hunting detectors, the SD 2200 is
expensive, somewhat awkward to swing and it is heavy. However,
it clearly finds gold deeper than other detectors especially in
really hostile environments containing black sand and hotrocks.
For serious nugget hunters the added depth and other enhancements
clearly outweigh the negatives.
It is a pleasure to use simply because one doesn't have to fight
the abundance of false signals normally associated with nugget
hunting. Gone are the strong reactions to large pieces of magnetite,
the SD basically ignores them. If the detector responds with a
reasonably strong signal, one can be almost assured the object
is not a rock, but is a piece of metal, hopefully gold.
For the really serious gold hunter, the SD 2200 is one detector
to seriously investigate. Simply stated, it does a great job of
finding gold. As such, I can heartily recommend this detector
to the serious nugget hunter who wants a truly deep seeking machine.
Minelab
Electronics SD-2100 Metal Detector
From Lost Treasure Field Test By Andy Sabisch
From page 43 of the January 1998 issue of Lost Treasure magazine.
Copyright ©1999 Lost Treasure, Inc.
Minelab Electronics has been building metal detectors designed
for electronic prospecting for more than a decade and during that
time, they have acquired the reputation of a company that produces
a high-quality product that gets consistent results where it counts
-- in the field! Beginning with the GS 15000, Minelab detectors
have been responsible for the recovery of literally thousands
of ounces of gold in Australia, the United States, South Africa
and South America.
Despite the success experienced by Minelab customers over the
years, the engineering staff has continued to solicit feedback
from users in an effort to "build a better mousetrap."
The new SD-2100 is the latest metal detector developed by Minelab
for the electronic prospecting market.
FEATURES
The SD-2000, which was released in 1995, earned the reputation
of a metal detector that was completely unaffected by even the
most severe ground mineralization. It was the first detector to
use the patented Minelab circuit called Multi Period Sensing or
MPS for short. This circuit was designed to allow targets, both
large and small, to be detected at maximum depths even in areas
of extreme mineralization. Feedback from users as well as additional
testing by the Minelab staff, identified several enhancements
that could be made to the SD-2000's design, and after two years
in development, an entirely new model called SD-2100 was released.
The first thing that stands out when you unpack the SD-2100 is
it's unique configuration. Due to the SD's inherent sensitivity,
the shaft is considerably longer than that of a conventional metal
detector in order to keep any metal away from the coil itself.
In addition, the detector uses a rechargeable 6 Volt gel-cell
battery which is about the size of a motorcycle battery. To keep
the weight of the actual detector assembly at a minimum for operator
comfort and keep it away from the coil, the battery is held in
a small nylon backpack. To put the SD-2100's sensitivity in perspective,
the manual states that "if the battery pack is worn on your
side, the 18-inch coil will detect it resulting in false signals."
The SD-2100 has two toggle switches, three knobs and two internal
potentiometers that control it's operation. The ON/OFF switch
is located in the center of the rear panel. Beneath the toggle
switch is an LED indicator which warns the operator when the battery
voltage becomes low and should require recharging. The gel cell
should provide approximately 20 hours of use between charges.
The Threshold knob below the LED allows one to set the background
audio signal to a level at which faint signals are easily discerned.
Beneath the Threshold knob are two plastic caps. Removing the
caps will reveal small potentiometers which can be adjusted using
the special screwdriver that comes with the SD-2100. The control
on the right is labeled Tone and allows you to vary the pitch
of the signal produced by a target. The other control labeled
Tune is designed to allow the operator to reduce or completely
eliminate the effect of external electrical interference such
as that caused by power lines, transformers or even radio signals.
This feature greatly enhances the actual in-field performance
of the SD-2100 as compared to other detectors which must typically
be run at lower sensitivity settings when used near any source
of electrical interference.
The control panel.
On the front panel, there are two knobs labeled Balance 1 and
Balance 2 along with a three-position toggle switch. This panel
really holds the secret of the SD-2100's overall success in the
field. Each balance control is used to compensate for the mineralization
present in the ground independently of the other. Minelab describes
the SD-2100 as "essentially two detectors in one where each
half must be ground balanced separately." Ground balancing,
while being manual in nature, is simple and straightforward. Once
the detector has been ground balanced in both the Balance 1 and
Balance 2 setting, the toggle switch is placed in the center Search
position to begin hunting. The location of the three-position
toggle switch makes it quite easy to periodically check the ground
balance settings as you move from one area to another to ensure
the SD-2100 is always operating at it's optimum setting.
The SD-2100 comes with two search coils -- an 8-inch Mono Loop
(similar to a standard concentric design) and an 11-inch Double-D.
The 8-inch coil is designed to provide maximum sensitivity to
smaller targets. The 11-inch coil provides maximum coverage with
each sweep due to the Double-D design and will detect medium to
large sized targets some 25 to 40 percent deeper than the 8-inch
coil.
An optional 18-inch Mono Loop coil is available for maximum detection
depth in areas where targets may be buried at extreme depths.
The SD-2100 does not have an internal speaker so a set of comfortable,
durable stereo headphones come with the detector. Other accessories
provided at no charge include both a 110-volt and 12-volt cigarette
lighter battery recharger (so you can charge the battery in your
vehicle), coil covers for both coils, trash pouch and audio and
video instructional tapes that cover all aspects of the detectors
operation.
FIELD TEST
I'm fortunate to live in the area I do since it offers me a wide
range of choices when it comes to treasure hunting. From Civil
War campsites and popular swimming beaches to old parks and the
Georgia gold fields, it affords me the ability to test virtually
all metal detectors under the conditions they were designed for.
As a matter of fact, my home is situated in a section of the north-Georgia
gold belt that was one of the most productive of the 1800s --
with several profitable gold mines operating nearby from the 1820s
up until the 1930s.
Author field testing Minelab's SD-2100 metal detector.
While this area has produced a large quantity of gold over the
years, the highly mineralized red clay and hot rocks have limited
the ability of metal detectors to be used with any degree of success.
I was hoping that the SD-2100's new MPS technology would enable
me to work some of the old mine sites without the adverse affect
the ground mineralization typically produces.
The first site I took the SD-2100 to was a wooded area with a
small creek running through it. The creek had been heavily mined
several times over the last 150 plus years and much of the gold
recovered had been in the form of coarse nuggets. Installing the
8-inch coil, ground balancing the detector and adjusting the audio
threshold to a faint hum, I began searching the gravel bar on
the inside bend of the creek. After a short period of time, I
was able to distinguish the difference between the repeatable
sound produced when the coil passed over a target and the random
signal caused by changing ground conditions.
I had moved only a short distance when a smooth, repeatable signal
came through the headphones. Using a trick I picked up from some
seasoned prospectors in Alaska, I put a shovel-full of gravel
into a large plastic gold pan and then passed the coil over it
to see if the target had been recovered. I repeated this process
several times until I had the target in the pan and there was
no longer any signal in the hole. Typically I would have dumped
the contents into a 5-gallon plastic bucket and continued hunting
-- waiting until the bucket was full before panning the contents
down and recovering the targets. Curious to see what I had found,
I walked over to a pool and panned out the sand and gravel. Unfortunately,
I hadn't found a nugget but rather a lead fragment from a modern
bullet. This had been nearly 10-inches deep so I was still hopeful
that the SD-2100 would prove productive at the site.
As I walked along the creek bank, I found that a minor adjustment
of the two balance controls was needed on occasion to accurately
compensate for changes in the mineralization. This was easily
done by simply tipping the control housing to one side and "tweaking"
the two ground balance knobs and returning the 3-position toggle
to the Search mode.
Near an outcropping of bedrock the SD-2100 produced a sharp signal.
Clearing away all of the surrounding gravel, I found that the
signal was coming from a narrow crack in the rock. Laying the
detector on the ground, I used a hammer and pry bar to break off
a portion of the rock. Brushing out the debris, I saw a beautiful
coarse gold nugget wedged in the bottom of the crevice. While
weighing just under a pennyweight, it was probably the nicest
specimen of Georgia gold that I've recovered in the last few years.
And considering it had been buried under nearly 6 inches of coarse
gravel and then encased in 3-4 inches of mineralized bedrock,
the SD-2100 had done an excellent job in detecting a nugget in
an heavily-hunted area.
I continued searching a short section of the creek and over the
next few hours recovered three more nuggets, along with an assortment
of other metallic objects including bullets, shell casings, several
square nails and even a deeply buried screw cap. Many of the targets
had come from depths exceeding 12-inches which was indicative
of the unit's strong in-field performance.
I tried the SD-2100 at several other sites throughout north Georgia
and in each case I found that the high mineralization and hot
rocks which had plagued me and others in the past were not even
noticeable. Once the ground balance controls had been adjusted,
the response of a target was clearly distinguishable from the
slight variations caused by changes in ground mineralization.
I'd like to say that I found enough gold to retire on, but such
was not the case. I did find a number of deeply-buried targets
at depths far greater than I had recovered similar targets with
other detectors so I know that had I gone over that 100 plus ounce
nugget I would have found it.
SUMMARY
The SD-2100 was developed by Minelab in response to feedback
from prospectors world-wide who found that most of the productive
gold fields contained highly mineralized ground that adversely
affected virtually every other detector on the market. While these
detectors were able to locate small pieces of gold at limited
depths, seasoned prospectors wanted a detector that would be able
to find the larger, and more valuable, specimens at the maximum
depth possible.
Based on the results of my field tests as well as feedback received
from prospectors in the United States, Australia and South Africa,
Minelab's engineering staff obviously did their homework. The
SD-2100 does what it was designed to -- detect gold nuggets at
previously unreachable depths with a only a limited amount of
adjustment required on the part of the operator.
At $2,995 the SD-2100 is admittedly one of the most expensive
detectors on the market; however, when you look at the performance
it provides in the field, it would be easy to recoup your investment
in a short period of time hunting areas that others have had trouble
searching due to adverse ground conditions or where targets are
buried beyond the range of conventional detectors.
Minelab
Electronics XT18000 Metal Detector
From Lost Treasure Field Test By Reg Sniff
From page 15 of the August 1997 issue of Lost Treasure magazine.
Copyright ©1997, 1999 Lost Treasure, Inc.
The Minelab XT18000 gold metal detector is a perfect example
of the improvements that have occurred in metal detectors over
the last few years. This new turn on and go detector is both sophisticated,
easy to operate, and most importantly very sensitive to the elusive
gold nuggets while doing an excellent job of compensating for
the wide variations in ground conditions that normally occur in
gold hunting areas.
What I found that really makes the XT18000 metal detector stand
out is its excellent automatic ground balance capabilities. This
feature has been significantly improved over previous models to
the point that tackling extremely tough ground ladened with a
wide variety of hotrocks is a relatively simple task.
THE CONTROLS
Before going into the field test portion, I need to mention the
features of this instrument. The Minelab XT18000 metal detector
has 9 different controls that may look complex to a new user.
Fortunately, this is not the case. Also Minelab has included a
"Quick Start Instructions" page in the owner's manual
that makes setup a snap for the most novice of users. More importantly,
once set most controls can be forgotten about in most cases.
Some of the controls are easily recognizable to a casual metal
detector operator such as the TONE control (sets the initial tone
of the threshold signal), the THRESHOLD control (low level audio
level heard with no target present), and the Sensitivity control
(how deep it will go). A control called SIGNAL VOLUME is a little
different than a typical volume control. Instead of reducing the
volume of all signals heard, this control only limits the maximum
volume allowed, a feature that allows a wide range of earphones
to be used without worry of too loud of a signal.
The remaining controls are toggle switches that allow the user
to refine the settings of the detector by simply making a choice
between two or three options. A recognizable toggle is the discriminating
control marked SELECT. This control allows the owner to select
between All Metals and Iron Reject. When in iron reject, large
or easily identifiable iron targets still respond but give a staccato
(stuttering) sound.
One toggle labeled SOIL allows the operator to select between
normal and difficult ground conditions while another toggle labeled
SIGNAL effects a target's response. This latter mentioned switch
is one of two toggles that will likely be changed on a more frequent
basis between three settings, Normal, Fine and Boost. The difference
between normal and boost is the target signal is further amplified
in the boost mode. The Fine setting does something a little different.
In this mode a target responds with a "double beep"
making it easier to distinguish a target from a ground change.
The second most likely toggle to be adjusted is labeled FREQ.
This toggle allows the operator to select between 3 distinct operating
frequencies, 6.4KHZ, 20KHZ, and 60KHZ. The three settings allow
an operator to select a lower frequency for larger deeper metal
targets or select one of the higher frequencies for nuggets.
Finally, the last selector switch to be discussed is the GROUND
ADJUST toggle. This toggle has two settings, Auto and Fix. In
almost all cases this toggle will be left in the Auto mode.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
When you purchase a Minelab XT18000 metal detector, it comes
with extras not normally accompanying a detector. For example,
Minelab provides a ni-cad battery pack, a corresponding charger,
a coil cover for the standard 10-inch elliptical coil, and a blue
hipmount bag that allows an operator to either hip or chest mount
the control housing. Minelab also provided a set of basic earphones,
as well as a belt mountable pouch to place retrieved trash items.
Finally, included is an excellent instruction booklet, which takes
a new user through a systematic explanation of the XT18000, its
assembly, setup, and discussion of each control, plus some brief
but valuable prospecting tips.
The metal detector itself is equipped with a 3-piece breakdown
shaft assembly for compact portability. The control housing is
high-impact plastic; equipped with Minelab's quick wedge fit shaft
mount design, which makes attaching the control unit to the shaft,
a breeze.
IN THE FIELD
I received the XT18000 metal detector while I was vacationing
in Arizona on one of my nugget hunting ventures. Unfortunately,
the metal detector arrived midway through my week's vacation,
and because of the late arrival plus the battery required a 12-hour
charge, I was severely limited in time.
Although I had enough time to evaluate the metal detector and
its many features in some really tough ground conditions, as any
serious nugget hunter knows, you don't just run out the door and
find gold nuggets. Such was the case with me. I was able to get
a good feel for all the controls, how the detector responded to
the typical conditions that plague a gold hunting site, but I
personally didn't find any gold with it.
Fortunately, because my brother-in-law was staying in the area
for a while, I left the metal detector with him and, wouldn't
you know it, he found 2 small nuggets the first day he used it.
Such is the luck of nugget hunters. His success also indicated
how easy the XT 18000 metal detector was to use since I didn't
give him any specific instructions.
Because of my personal time limits, I started out at daybreak
with the metal detector assembled as recommended with the control
housing mounted on the shaft. Because I had been accustomed to
body mounting metal detectors, the metal detector seemed somewhat
heavy in the uneven terrain. After about 1 hour of hunting, I
returned to my vehicle and converted to a chest mount using the
provided hipmount bag. To make it more comfortable, I installed
a second strap to the bag that went around my back. This second
strap kept the control unit from falling forward when bending
over. With this combination, the XT18000 was extremely comfortable
over a full day of hunting. I also abandon the basic earphone
set provided and began using one of my favorite pairs.
In the field the XT18000 metal detector was a pleasure to use.
The automatic ground tracking worked excellent, tackling the worst
of conditions including hotrocks. The normally highly reactive
pieces of magnetite that normally would knock your earphones off
responded with little signal. In fact, with the exception of one
small type of reddish rock, which has fooled every detector I
have used, I could easily distinguish a rock from a very weak
target.
Although I tried all of the different settings, I settled on
the following settings as the best for the area; Sensitivity at
maximum, Signal on Boost, Freq on 60KHZ, Soil on Normal, ground
tracking on, and Iron Reject on. In essence I had the detector
set at maximum sensitivity and was able to hunt comfortably.
The first location I picked, I hoped I would at least find a
small nugget, but that was not to be. Instead, I managed to pick
up several pieces of small lead shot (about a #6 to 712 size),
among other things that had been left behind by other hunters.
Because I was finding targets that small I knew I could easily
find a very small nugget if I passed over it.
One feature not mentioned earlier I liked was the pitch variation
that occurs when a target is encountered. In other words, as the
signal volume goes up so does the pitch of the audio. I felt this
feature made distinguishing some small targets an easier task
such as pieces of tinfoil or little piece of iron. When I encountered
a very small target that caused the detector to squeal, I was
relatively sure it was foil or a small piece of wire.
The iron reject feature worked about as expected. In most cases,
small iron objects responded as good targets and only larger iron
objects produced the staccato sound. I know how easily it is to
reject a small gold nugget with typical discrimination and I realized
Minelab doesn't want to reject a piece of gold.
CONCLUSION:
All in all, I really enjoyed using the XT18000 metal detector
and look forward to more outings with this detector. I had extreme
confidence in the automatic ground tracking and its ability to
positively distinguish between the ground, a rock and a deep target,
which are the most common problems. Except for the above mentioned
type of hotrock which I could readily see in most cases, everything
that indicated a metal target was just that, some type of metal.
The metal detector also displayed exceptional stability even
when in use for long hours. Depth capabilities were also excellent.
Although I didn't personally find gold during my brief field test,
retrieving non-ferrous items such as lead bullets indicated the
depth abilities matched or exceeded any other comparable metal
detector I had used before. One controlled test of burying a 38
slug about 8-inch deep indicated all frequencies could easily
detect a similar size gold target well beyond that depth. Also,
controlled testing indicated an exceptional response to gold nuggets,
including to extremely small ones.
It is easy to recommend the XT18000 metal detector to both recreational
hunters and professionals for all types of gold hunting whether
it be for extremely small nuggets or large deep ones. This metal
detector seems to do it all and do it extremely well in all types
of ground conditions.
Minelab
Electronics Excalibur Metal Detector
"Minelab responded to the requests of many of their customers
who had asked for a waterproof version of the Sovereign by introducing
the Excalibur."
From Lost Treasure Field Test By Andy Sabisch
From page 16 of the March 1997 issue of Lost Treasure magazine.
Copyright ©1997, 1999 Lost Treasure, Inc.
In terms of metal detector manufacturers, Minelab Electronics
is one of the more recent entrants into the market. Founded in
1985, Australia-based Minelab has quickly established itself as
a producer of high-quality metal detectors that can be found in
use worldwide. Originally focusing on the electronic prospecting
market due to the huge demand for this type of detector in Australia,
they received limited acceptance in other countries due to the
interest in other types of treasure hunting. In 1991, they recognized
the need to expand their line and developed a revolutionary new
circuit called Broad Band Spectrum (BBS). Introduced in the Sovereign,
treasure hunters worldwide found that the BBS circuitry excelled
in coin, relic and beach hunting applications.
As a company that has recognized the importance of listening
to their customers, Minelab responded to the requests of many
of their customers who had asked for a waterproof version of the
Sovereign by introducing the Excalibur.
FEATURES
The Excalibur is a VLF-type detector; however, its circuitry
is unique in that it does not operate on only one or two frequencies,
as is the case on other VLF units. Instead, the BBS circuitry
on the Excalibur sends out 17 distinct frequencies ranging from
1.5 to 25.5 kHz. What this does is enable the Excalibur to be
unaffected by even the most adverse ground conditions which typically
cause conventional detectors to lose a significant amount of detection
depth.
Notice the Excalibur's slimline control housing.
Another distinct difference between the Excalibur and other detectors
is its ability to identify targets through a distinct audio signal.
Each target that the coil passes over will produce a unique signal
allowing users to accurately identify objects before recovering
them. After a short learning period, it becomes easy to distinguish
the low tone of a rusted nail from that of a gold ring, pull tab,
penny or quarter. In terms of waterproof detectors, this feature
is unique and can significantly improve your success rate in the
field.
The sensitivity control on the Excalibur also deserves an explanation.
When the knob is turned fully counter-clockwise, it clicks in
a setting labeled Auto. In this position, the micro-processor
brain of the Excalibur automatically sets the sensitivity level
as high as the ground conditions in the area will allow. No longer
do you have to think about what sensitivity setting to use in
order to ensure you are getting the most detection depth your
detector can achieve without getting any falsing or chattering.
The Excalibur senses the ground conditions and makes the adjustment
for you.
One of the most striking features of the Excalibur is its innovative
waterproof housing. Through the use of advanced circuit board
design and high-impact plastics, the entire tube containing the
electronics measures a diminutive 1112 inches long and 112 inches
in diameter. The entire unit has been designed to remain waterproof
at depths of up to 200 feet, well beyond the range of even professional
treasure divers. While some Excaliburs were originally assembled
in the United States, Minelab decided to consolidate their production
facilities earlier this year in Australia to ensure all of the
units were built to a consistently high standard of quality. With
numerous checks conducted on units coming off the assembly line,
the Excaliburs are designed for years of trouble-free operation.
The Excalibur comes with a rechargeable battery system which
provides between 10 and 12 hours of use per charge. Additional
battery packs can be purchased if you will be in an area where
recharging the batteries may not be feasible.
FIELD TEST
A few days after I received the Excalibur, I took my family to
Florida to visit my parents. Having hunted the saltwater beaches
of the Florida treasure coast with a number of detectors over
the years, I was anxious to see how well the Excalibur worked
under the adverse conditions found in this area. The combination
of saltwater and black sand found on most ocean beaches typically
results in a significant loss of detection depth on VLF-type detectors.
Pulse detectors can ignore these conditions, but they lack discrimination,
and with 200-plus years of metal accumulation, you usually spend
a great deal of time digging junk targets. Since the Excalibur
was designed to offer discrimination while ignoring even the most
adverse ground conditions, I was hoping to hunt these beaches
with more success than I've experienced in the past.
After talking with my parents, we decided to try a popular beach
known as The Bathtub. It gets its name from the coral reef that
protects the swimming area. With the sensitivity control in the
Auto position and a faint audio threshold present in the headphones,
my son Paul and I began hunting the dry sand area. Almost immediately
I received a high-pitched tone indicating a probable dime or quarter.
Paul dug furiously with the hand scoop and from a depth of nearly
10 inches recovered a heavily encrusted clad quarter. Several
more coins were uncovered along the dry sand ridge - all from
depths ranging from 6 to 12 inches. It's interesting to note that
we watched another treasure hunter search the same area and not
recover a single target during this time.
Hoping to find some jewelry or possibly a piece of eight from
one of the Spanish galleons that sank just off the coast, we decided
to try the shallow water area. Fully expecting to have to make
an adjustment to the sensitivity control as I reached the wet
sand, I was pleasantly surprised to hear no change in the threshold
signal. My previous experience with VLF and even some pulse detectors
was that frequent adjustments were needed in order to hunt this
area with any degree of success. During the next 30 minutes, the
two of us found a small handful of coins along with a hotel room
key and a small piece of copper sheathing from some unknown ship
that sank many years ago. One could imagine that it came from
one of the galleons in the famous 1715 fleet. Wading out into
the shallow water just off the beach I immediately noticed that
the Excalibur's slim profile presented almost no resistance as
I swept it back and forth. Compared to most of the water machines
I have used over the years, the Excalibur was extremely comfortable
to use both in and out of the water. My son's height limited how
far out I could hunt, but we traversed the shallow swimming area
in search of targets. Signals were plentiful and combining the
Excalibur's discrimination and audio target ID circuits, I was
able to bypass all of the iron trash along with most of the pull
tabs which littered the area. Unfortunately I had brought only
a hand scoop along and as a result, the Excalibur was able to
detect a number of targets that were buried deeper than I could
reach. Even so, almost 30 coins and a small ring found their way
into our goody pouch before a tropical downpour accompanied by
lightning put an end to our hunt. Based on the detection depth
I experienced using the Excalibur, I would strongly recommend
buying a sturdy long-handled scoop capable of recovering deeply
buried targets.
Returning to this area once more before we headed home, I experienced
similar results recovering coins that had obviously been there
for quite a while despite the number of times the beach had been
hunted by local detector users.
The author and his son Paul recover another deeply buried coin
from an ocean beach in Florida.
Arriving back in Georgia, I took the Excalibur to several smaller
beaches on lakes surrounding the Atlanta area. The first beach
was a pay-to-swim site that I had hunted heavily in the past.
Hoping to find at least a few targets that were beyond the detection
depth of our other detectors, I turned the Excalibur on and waded
out toward the ropes defining the swimming area. Signals were
few and far between, but I did receive several clear signals that
produced coins, a brass buckle and a small 10k gold nugget ring
at depths ranging from 8 to nearly 14 inches.
Hoping to make a few more finds in deeper water, I took my scuba
gear out of the truck and brought it down to the water's edge.
Converting the Excalibur to the diving configuration was quite
simple, taking less than five minutes to complete. Swimming out
to the deeper section of the beach, I dropped to the bottom and
began searching. The unit was extremely comfortable to use in
this configuration and was just the right length to cover a wide
area with each sweep yet not being unwieldy when recovering a
target. Just to test the Excalibur, I took it down to 65 feet
at the far end of the lake. Neither the electronics housing nor
the battery compartment showed any signs of leakage, a real tribute
to Minelab's engineering staff in a designing detector intended
for use in the water.
Searching other beaches throughout northern Georgia and Tennessee
produced a generous amount of coins along with a mixture of items
such as keys, toy cars, sunglasses and several pieces of jewelry
including nine gold rings, a gold earring and a 14k gold chain.
In all cases I was able to identify most of the targets with a
high degree of accuracy before recovering them with the aid of
the audio target ID circuitry.
This unique feature gives the Excalibur an unbeatable advantage
over other detectors. How this feature can be used to increase
the number of valuable targets you recover is actually quite simple.
Let's assume you are planning on searching a beach that contains
the typical mixture of a few hundred coins, some gold jewelry
and an assortment of trash such as tin foil, bobby pins and bottle
caps. With other detectors, you would have to recover every target
that registered above foil to make sure you didn't miss any of
the gold we're all hoping to find. To recover the requisite 500-plus
targets would take a considerable amount of time. With the Excalibur's
target ID circuitry, you could cruise through the entire beach
area and ignore most of the trash and all of the coins, focusing
on recovering just the gold jewelry.
Over the next few weeks I used the Excalibur at several sites,
both on land and in the water. Surprisingly, I had a good deal
of success hunting some Civil War sites surrounding Atlanta even
though they had been heavily hunted. Minnie balls were recovered
at depths of up to 10 inches, and larger artifacts such as a scabbard
tip and horseshoe were unearthed at depths exceeding 18 inches.
What makes the Excalibur attractive to relic hunters is its waterproof
design. No longer do you have to worry about ruining your expensive
detector in the event you get caught in a sudden downpour a mile
from your car.
SUMMARY
Minelab's engineers revolutionized the metal detector industry
with the introduction of the unique BBS circuitry found on both
the Sovereign and Excalibur. No longer does a water hunter need
two separate detectors to hunt saltwater and fresh water beaches.
And combined with the audio target ID and discrimination circuits,
the Excalibur is equally at home in a park, long abandoned ghost
town or battlefield as it is on a beach or 200 feet underwater.
If you are looking for a detector that is unaffected by adverse
ground conditions, extremely simple to operate and offers above-average
detection depth, you need to stop by your local dealer and try
out the Excalibur.