Minelab extera 505
- Thread starter hollywood
- Start date
Sold the Garett at pro, now buying a minelab 505, I am excited to try it out. Any feed back about this unit would be appreciated.
Great machine, been using one for almost two years. It takes some time to learn the numbers and tones but once you do, its pretty reliable on coins and iron in the 6-8 inch range. I suggest using 4 tone until you get used to it, the multi-tone (28 tones, not actually 99 like the menu states) might give you sensory overload. Going to take some getting used to since you are used to the standard VDI 0-99 scheme found on a lot of machines. The VDI on the X-Terra series is completely different (-9 to 48). I run all metal and pretty much dig everything on the positive side of the scale. I suggest you read Randy Horton's e-book on Minelab's website for more tips.
Good luck, and happy hunting.
Longhair
Elite Member
Good, deep, accurate machine. As always it will benefit greatly from the purchase of a DD coil. They're not fast, but they don't miss much in the hands of anyone that takes the time to learn it.
The 505 only has 19 tones. It's the 705 that has 28.
And the toughest part for new users is GB, because unlike other machines the Xterra series GB numbers are higher for low mineral compensation, and the lower the number the hotter the soil conditions.
Randy's book (Understanding Your Xterra) is the single best tool you can get to cut the learning curve. It's easy to read, so read it twice. Then go back to it after each hunt until you get a good grip on what you're experiencing in the field.
The 505 only has 19 tones. It's the 705 that has 28.
And the toughest part for new users is GB, because unlike other machines the Xterra series GB numbers are higher for low mineral compensation, and the lower the number the hotter the soil conditions.
Randy's book (Understanding Your Xterra) is the single best tool you can get to cut the learning curve. It's easy to read, so read it twice. Then go back to it after each hunt until you get a good grip on what you're experiencing in the field.
