Cherry Picker
Forum Supporter
OK, I know some of you are probably getting tired of me bringing up VDI resolution, but I know detector manufacturers read these forums and I'm hoping to strike an idea.
While I talk about the VDI resolutions of 30, vs 50, vs 100, vs 200 here, I will mainly use the NOX 800 (50 VDI segments), and the Simplex+ (100 VDI segments) because they are two of the popular models currently.
We seem to have reached a tone-dependent period in detectors. I believe this is only because the VDI resolution, and hence accuracy, has fallen off the importance list of newer detectorists. If VDI accuracy were much better you'd demand better VDI systems from manufacturers, and they would deliver. There was a time, not so long ago, when the VDI was as important as the tone, and the combination of the two helped dig less junk.
From the responses, I've read a lot of people just don't trust the VDIs. And I don't blame them because most are almost useless on deeper targets or even shallow ones. But there are still exceptions. I use for example the NOX 800 vs the much less expensive Simplex. I have hunted mostly tot lots for the last 12 years. This has a few unique lessons that can be learned because I have cleaned out all the junk over the last 12 years, so. like with many beach hunters, I do the dig it all because there is far better odds of jewelry to junk in these sites.
Hunting these clean tot lots has also shown me how important VDI resolution can be even in very trashy parks. Once you know what trash VDIs are you know what not to recover. That is the key. The VDI & tone should be telling you what not to recover rather than what to recover. I have learned that my Simplex, with 100 target ID segments, will read a 18-21 on the pesky foil 90% of the time. If in 10 swings it ever reads above 21, even on 1 or 2 swings, it will not be foil, but something like jewelry. The same is true down in the iron range. If my Simplex reads a solid 04 on every swing, it will be a hairpin, tac, paperclip, or some other piece of iron. If the VDI on any of the swings read above 04, even on 1-2 swings a 05 or higher, 90% of the time it will be a chain, earring, or even one of those $0.25 cheapy rings.
This same concept can be used in your favorite trash filled park. Now when I had the NOX 800 with only 50 VDI segments, actually only 40 in the conductive range, that 18-21 could be a number of things from foil to gold. And that gold chain will read the same VDI as a piece of iron because the VDI resolution is so much lower. The resolution does make a difference in
VDI accuracy. It was even better with the old Whites DFX and its 191 VDI segments. The DFX has twice the VDI resolution of the Simplex, which has twice the resolution of the NOX 800.
As someone who depends more on the VDI than the tones I would love to see new models of detectors with much higher resolution.
While I talk about the VDI resolutions of 30, vs 50, vs 100, vs 200 here, I will mainly use the NOX 800 (50 VDI segments), and the Simplex+ (100 VDI segments) because they are two of the popular models currently.
We seem to have reached a tone-dependent period in detectors. I believe this is only because the VDI resolution, and hence accuracy, has fallen off the importance list of newer detectorists. If VDI accuracy were much better you'd demand better VDI systems from manufacturers, and they would deliver. There was a time, not so long ago, when the VDI was as important as the tone, and the combination of the two helped dig less junk.
From the responses, I've read a lot of people just don't trust the VDIs. And I don't blame them because most are almost useless on deeper targets or even shallow ones. But there are still exceptions. I use for example the NOX 800 vs the much less expensive Simplex. I have hunted mostly tot lots for the last 12 years. This has a few unique lessons that can be learned because I have cleaned out all the junk over the last 12 years, so. like with many beach hunters, I do the dig it all because there is far better odds of jewelry to junk in these sites.
Hunting these clean tot lots has also shown me how important VDI resolution can be even in very trashy parks. Once you know what trash VDIs are you know what not to recover. That is the key. The VDI & tone should be telling you what not to recover rather than what to recover. I have learned that my Simplex, with 100 target ID segments, will read a 18-21 on the pesky foil 90% of the time. If in 10 swings it ever reads above 21, even on 1 or 2 swings, it will not be foil, but something like jewelry. The same is true down in the iron range. If my Simplex reads a solid 04 on every swing, it will be a hairpin, tac, paperclip, or some other piece of iron. If the VDI on any of the swings read above 04, even on 1-2 swings a 05 or higher, 90% of the time it will be a chain, earring, or even one of those $0.25 cheapy rings.
This same concept can be used in your favorite trash filled park. Now when I had the NOX 800 with only 50 VDI segments, actually only 40 in the conductive range, that 18-21 could be a number of things from foil to gold. And that gold chain will read the same VDI as a piece of iron because the VDI resolution is so much lower. The resolution does make a difference in
VDI accuracy. It was even better with the old Whites DFX and its 191 VDI segments. The DFX has twice the VDI resolution of the Simplex, which has twice the resolution of the NOX 800.
As someone who depends more on the VDI than the tones I would love to see new models of detectors with much higher resolution.