I need a new detector - help

BaileyLBC

Full Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2013
Messages
129
I have a Minelab X-Terra 305 which I purchased a month or two ago, I've found a few hundred coins, but only 2 rings... I've put the hours in, and someone on the beach showed me where they lost their ring but my machine wouldn't pick it up...

I just watched some youtube videos where the detector barely picks up several different rings, if at all. Pretty disappointing to see it was clear about picking up only 1 of 5 different rings.

What would you suggest for beach hunting in both dry and wet sand? I need to be able to go deeper, this machine only efficiently seems to go 4 - 5 inches down.. I'd like to go at least 8 - 10 inches down accurately...

I want to be able to submerge this is salt water, so I'm looking for something water proof.

Thoughts? I really like the pin pointer function it has so that would be a plus

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated

Thanks in advance
 
new md

HI, If you can keep your 305 for dry sand hunting would be great. I use a tesoro sand shark.
Great price, easy to use. I have two for the beach because what i have seen on this forum one machine can't do it all. Maybe the minelab water machine may come close to what you want. But it's around $ 1,200.00 to $1,500.00 new. Maybe you can find a used one. the Sand shark is a pi machine were you dig every signle. I like doing this any way , and the machine works for me.Look up forums on here about the differant water machines. Also terry soloman has great articals on here about them. good luck.
 
I am not sure why you are not picking up rings.
After watching and reading about Ryanchappel using his, swinging that same unit for a bit, and reading a lot about the Xterra line including the 305, that thing seems pretty capable to me and should be able to find rings of all kinds pretty easily.
I think some of the Minelabs could have a little trouble with chains, I have seen this myself in the field, but rings should not be a problem

What sort of rings were you having problems with?
Metal type, size, depth?
What kind of settings were you using at the time you couldn't pick these up, and the coil you were using?

Which Youtube video showed the 305 not seeing 4 rings?
I see many vids over there showing the 305 easily finding rings of all kinds.
 
I am not sure why you are not picking up rings.
After watching and reading about Ryanchappel using his, swinging that same unit for a bit, and reading a lot about the Xterra line including the 305, that thing seems pretty capable to me and should be able to find rings of all kinds pretty easily.
I think some of the Minelabs could have a little trouble with chains, I have seen this myself in the field, but rings should not be a problem

What sort of rings were you having problems with?
Metal type, size, depth?
What kind of settings were you using at the time you couldn't pick these up, and the coil you were using?

Which Youtube video showed the 305 not seeing 4 rings?
I see many vids over there showing the 305 easily finding rings of all kinds.

If he is in one of the 2 preprogramed modes and not A/M, it will not see gold. Minor oversight in the programming :laughing:
Need to put the +4 back in.
 
Check out the Garrett AT Pro. It's approximately $600... Not sure what your budget is.

But it has GREAT depth, and its waterproof up to 10 feet deep water!

I just got mine and I love it!
 
If he is in one of the 2 preprogramed modes and not A/M, it will not see gold. Minor oversight in the programming :laughing:
Need to put the +4 back in.

This is probably the vid he was talking about.
I see several problems with his testing methods.
Keep in mind I have only swung this unit once for a limited time, but I read a lot and I do have some observations...I could be totally wrong so forgive me Xterra owners if I am.

When swinging those rings in air testing, half the time it looked like he wasn't too close to the center of the coil.
I also think he was swinging pretty fast when passing most of those rings past the coil.

In the ground testing, freshly dug dirt I don't believe will give you a real world result.
The matrix in that loose dirt is very different than you would find in real life.

In passing that coil over the buried rings he was going way to fast.
I have read many, many posts and articles about swinging this brand slow.
All the Minelabs including the Xterras need a little more time to lock onto targets than many other brands, but if you do swing at the right speed they can go deep and the signals should be much more solid than this guy was getting.

I would not put a lot of stock into this guys testing methods if I were you.
I am not impressed.
He says he does other How-To videos on his site.
I hope he is better at doing those than he was at doing this very unscientific test with a very good detector.


 
Your sensitivity is probably down too far. That is what mine was causing. Also, don't believe those videos on YouTube. They often fake it as much as they can. That is just my experience with it. I had the opportunity to get an AT Pro for only $400 that was 6 months old and I turned it down. I can find a thin gold ring about 4-5 inches down. I think that's good enough for me. A lot of people don't like the 305 though for some reason. Probably the same reasons you don't. If you have the money, your next machine should be an AT Pro or X-Terra 705. Hear nothing but good reviews about those 2 machines and they are in the same price range.
 
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