I had posted a few weeks ago asking for members to compare several detectors I was considering to replace my venerable Compass Scanner XP-Pro - I love the ol' Pro, but needed something with more depth to it (the XP Pro won't see a dime deeper than about 4-1/2 inches with the standard 8" coil and the 12" coil weighs a LOT and doesn't pinpoint worth a dang). I went with the MXT, which I received last Wednesday. I've put in about 7 hours with it since then with some success, but a bit of frustration, too.
First, to explain what I find frustrating about the MXT, I'll explain a bit about what I was accustomed to (and loved) with the Compass. My ONLY complaint with the Compass was the depth. If they still made them and could add about 2-1/2" inches to the depth, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. The discrimination is great - when you notch out pull tabs and iron, you don't hear pull tabs or iron at all, but the meter shows what's under the coil. And nickels are notched in. And the notch system works just fine. Pinpointing (with the 8" coil) is perfect and very, very easy. The item will be right under the dot in the middle of the coil (with the exception of some on-edge coins). Ground conditions are never a problem. No ground balance issues, mineralization problems, etc. It's automatic. The volume is constant. You have to trust the meter to tell you an approximate depth, and it won't blow your ears off on shallow or big targets.
Now to the MXT - I realize that some of these issues will resolve themselves with practice, but some of them really irritate me right now.
Before it arrived, I told another metal detectorist I happened to meet that I had ordered it and it was on its way. He said 'have they fixed them to where they'll work in this East Texas red clay and iron ore? Everyone who had one says the ground around here plays havoc with them.' Uh-oh, I think.
It arrived on Wednesday, I take it outside to give it a test run. I notice right off that it is a really noisy machine, constantly talking to itself. I mean, constantly. I did a spin around the yard (our house was the neighborhood meeting place for all the kids for blocks around in the '40s to the '60s, so I've found lots of change in the yard). I've hunted it thoroughly over the years. I notice the iron in the clay seems to keep it from maintaining a constant threshold. Also, the discrimination is not too good, but maybe I'll figure it out better. I passed over a grass-covered brass sprinkler head and just about lost the hearing in both ears - OK, turn down the volume on the headphones! I did find a 1940 mercury dime, and that was cool. Next, on Thursday I went to the city park where I've had some success (a number of wheaties and a couple of silver dimes). I only found a couple of clads - the topsoil is shallow on most of this park, with the red clay and iron ore rocks only 3-4" down, and that does seem to irritate the MXT. A good bit of trash, too, and the machine has a rough time of that - probably need a smaller coil (I'm using the 9.5" standard coil now).
Today I went to a very old church site, not used as a church since 1907, but where they have held annual picnics since then, so lots of pop-tops. I've hunted the heck out of this site over the years, found a number of wheaties, buffalo nickels and mercury dimes. Today I spent a couple of hours there and found a 1917 mercury and a 1910 wheatie, and a few modern coins. This is deeper sandy soil, so the machine ran quieter. I also figured out that I do better without headphones and running in relic mode.
My first impressions:
Really good depth - both good coins today were at 6 to 7 inches.
Discrimination - what discrimination? Not satisfied with it at all - maybe with more practice...
Pinpointing - well, all I can say is that I now understand why everyone needs a probe. That will be my next acquisition. The 'pinpoint by squeal' is really irritating, too loud, and not terribly accurate - just my initial reactions.
Oh well - I'm sure it will grow on me. I do like that my first coin with this machine was a mercury dime. And I know when I go relic hunting I'll REALLY appreciate the depth! (My first coin with the Compass was a walking lib half - it was 1" directly under my coil when I turned the machine on at the first place I went to search - an abandoned baseball park. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good!)
BTW - any hints, suggestions, schooling, etc. any of you may have for me on the MXT will be GREATLY appreciated! I've got a lot of $$ (for me) tied up in it, I know it's a good machine, and I want to get the most out of it I can.
First, to explain what I find frustrating about the MXT, I'll explain a bit about what I was accustomed to (and loved) with the Compass. My ONLY complaint with the Compass was the depth. If they still made them and could add about 2-1/2" inches to the depth, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. The discrimination is great - when you notch out pull tabs and iron, you don't hear pull tabs or iron at all, but the meter shows what's under the coil. And nickels are notched in. And the notch system works just fine. Pinpointing (with the 8" coil) is perfect and very, very easy. The item will be right under the dot in the middle of the coil (with the exception of some on-edge coins). Ground conditions are never a problem. No ground balance issues, mineralization problems, etc. It's automatic. The volume is constant. You have to trust the meter to tell you an approximate depth, and it won't blow your ears off on shallow or big targets.
Now to the MXT - I realize that some of these issues will resolve themselves with practice, but some of them really irritate me right now.
Before it arrived, I told another metal detectorist I happened to meet that I had ordered it and it was on its way. He said 'have they fixed them to where they'll work in this East Texas red clay and iron ore? Everyone who had one says the ground around here plays havoc with them.' Uh-oh, I think.
It arrived on Wednesday, I take it outside to give it a test run. I notice right off that it is a really noisy machine, constantly talking to itself. I mean, constantly. I did a spin around the yard (our house was the neighborhood meeting place for all the kids for blocks around in the '40s to the '60s, so I've found lots of change in the yard). I've hunted it thoroughly over the years. I notice the iron in the clay seems to keep it from maintaining a constant threshold. Also, the discrimination is not too good, but maybe I'll figure it out better. I passed over a grass-covered brass sprinkler head and just about lost the hearing in both ears - OK, turn down the volume on the headphones! I did find a 1940 mercury dime, and that was cool. Next, on Thursday I went to the city park where I've had some success (a number of wheaties and a couple of silver dimes). I only found a couple of clads - the topsoil is shallow on most of this park, with the red clay and iron ore rocks only 3-4" down, and that does seem to irritate the MXT. A good bit of trash, too, and the machine has a rough time of that - probably need a smaller coil (I'm using the 9.5" standard coil now).
Today I went to a very old church site, not used as a church since 1907, but where they have held annual picnics since then, so lots of pop-tops. I've hunted the heck out of this site over the years, found a number of wheaties, buffalo nickels and mercury dimes. Today I spent a couple of hours there and found a 1917 mercury and a 1910 wheatie, and a few modern coins. This is deeper sandy soil, so the machine ran quieter. I also figured out that I do better without headphones and running in relic mode.
My first impressions:
Really good depth - both good coins today were at 6 to 7 inches.
Discrimination - what discrimination? Not satisfied with it at all - maybe with more practice...
Pinpointing - well, all I can say is that I now understand why everyone needs a probe. That will be my next acquisition. The 'pinpoint by squeal' is really irritating, too loud, and not terribly accurate - just my initial reactions.
Oh well - I'm sure it will grow on me. I do like that my first coin with this machine was a mercury dime. And I know when I go relic hunting I'll REALLY appreciate the depth! (My first coin with the Compass was a walking lib half - it was 1" directly under my coil when I turned the machine on at the first place I went to search - an abandoned baseball park. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good!)
BTW - any hints, suggestions, schooling, etc. any of you may have for me on the MXT will be GREATLY appreciated! I've got a lot of $$ (for me) tied up in it, I know it's a good machine, and I want to get the most out of it I can.
