DFX: Three months later

[Detector]

Well I have my DFX for about three months now so I thought I post a review. Before I purchased the DFX I did a good bit of research hoping to make picking the right detector for me as easy as possible.

For myself who no longer can spend hours upon hours hunting I needed to make my short hunts count. For this reason I limited my choice to the top tier which I feel gives me the best good target vs junk target ratio.

I looked mainly at the DFX and the Exp II to fit my needs. I made my choice of the DFX based on being familiar with it's adjustments(from my old spectrum), construction and weight/balance. Now that I've had some time with it I'd like to debunk a myth I've seen about the detector.

COMPLICATED: I had seen posters make the comment that the DFX is a complicated detector. This concerned me at first but now I feel it's just been misinterpreted. Yes there is a lot of complicated adjustments but it's only as complicated as you want to make it. The DFX IS a very friendly turn-on-and-go detector. Although I have played with some of the adjustments the vast majority of my time, so far, has been spent using the factory preset programs.

Over 90% of the places I've hunted so far are places hunt not only by myself but by other local hunters in the past. In every case I was able to pull good targets missed by past hunters. I have no doubt most of these were found due to the DFX's capabilities over past machines. And with turn-on-and-go settings.

I will say that I think Whites could have cranked these turn-on-and-go programs up a tad because depth isn't all that impressive, but I suppose they need to make sure stability in all locations was a priority. With that being said, I need to add that even though with the turn-on-and-go programs depth was probably not much better than some lower priced machines, it still managed to pull missed targets out of heavy hunted locations. And still at good depths.

Now that I've gotten some time under my belt learning the DFX's sounds I'm going to move to the next step and see whats under the hood. I have played with some of the adjustments that I'm familiar with and can say the DFX is a monster waiting to be released. Just adjusting a few settings like AC sensitivity and preamp gain I've noticed increases depth IMMENSELY.

I just wanted to give my opinion on the DFX so far and clarify what you may be thinking about the DFX. I think it's important to know that while the DFX can be overwhelming with it's plethora of adjustments for someone looking to upgrade, or jump into the hobby both feet first, as a turn-on-and-go detector, in my opinion, it is second to none.

Here is my collection after three months of really casual hunting.

[anode]

Great story, very well stated. i think if the DFX was only a turn on and go machine you would get bored and want to up grade. but with all the adjustments possible there is nothing to up grade too, just my opinion

[local_coins]

Detector, thanks for this information. I have also heard so much about the "complicated" side of the DFX. It is good to hear this side of the argument when most other reveiws focus on the multitude of adjustments that are available. Granted, they are neccessary to fully utilize the machine, but like everything else, practice makes perfect. I think I am sold on the machine as my upgrade in a year or so, although I still have yet to test it.

[TonyinCT]

Great bit of finds there. Keep up the hunting .

[hoser]

Detector I read the same things about the DFX. But that didn't stop me from getting one. I knew there would be a few issues concerning the learning curve, but found that it wasn't as bad as some stated. I play with the adjustments all the time. This is definately the machine for me for a long time to come. BTW, very impressive haul of loot you have made with your machine. Well done.

[puma]

the DFX IS a complicated machine. Yes the factory programs work good for MODERATE conditions. but to get down to the deep good stuff you nedd to learn how to use the pro options and how the different hunting modes affect the site your working on. the best thing to do is to get out there and use it to its max. take an old homesite or other similar area and grid out some space, then go over it, again, and again, and again, using the different settings and hunting modes the machine has to offer. AND TAKE NOTES on how each one preforms. This is the only way i was able to adjust to my DFX and learn how the complicated operations worked and preformed. i also had a XLT spectrum, in my opinion, my DFX is much more advanced than my old machine. I'm still learning how to use it. I've had mine for about seven months now and wouldn't trade it for anything else.

[hoser]

Make yourself a target garden. Put your targets(coins, pull tabs, an old ring etc.) at different depths, and learn the different settings to see which one works the best for you in the conditions in your area, and go from there to inhance them. Thats what worked for me anyway.

[mxtswinger]

Big thanks Detector for the review. I suspected as much, but its great to have someone clarify it.

Good Huntin
Kevin

[Scavenger]

Any suggestions on how to tweek the DFX for greater depth. I am using the High Trash program with some minor changes most of the time?

[puma]

Scavenger, if your hunting really trashy sites, MY FAVORITE, by the way!!!!!!!! you want to use the smallest search coil you can find. The shooter coil works really good to get in between all the junk. also the smaller eclipses work well to. You can tweak your AC AND DC sensitivities up a little higher with these smaller coils and still remain stable, turn off your visual discrimination, turn off your rachet pinpointing and turn on your VCO, this will make pinpointing easier in high trash areas, or any area for that matter. Also adjust your recovery speed to about 30 and drop your sweep speed to 1. you will need to really slow down your coil movement rate to SEE between the trash items. the increase in recovery speed will help your machine interprit multiple targets better. a ground filter of 3 or 4 is also advisable, but it depends on the mineralization in your area. If your running into lots of iron trash, the dual frequency CORRELATE mode works fantasic in sorting out the junk and good targets. Overall for me though, i try to use as less discrimination as i can for better depth, and STUDY my signagraph readings, which are the bars on your display. This is the best and most accurate way to tell the treasure from the trash. Learn how the graph works. I hope this helps you.

[hoser]

Good advice Puma. Sounds like we are running about the same program of sorts. One thing that should be mentioned is the decrease in size of the coil will mean you won't cover as much area, so be PATIENT and try to overlap your swings. Can be a little tough to do with the small coil, but you will get the hang of it.

[puma]

couple more things i forgot to mention scavenger. you might want to set your fade rate higher, this is what clears your graph screen. with the accumulate on it gets a little annoying having all the signals you encounter cluttering the signagraph, a higher fade rate will help this. Also turn on your DC PHASE which giver you an approximate VDI reading of the targets your detecting, this will help in sorting out the multiple targets you encounter. By squeezing your trigger and enabling pinpoint mode the DC PHASE will give you the VDI readings for each target.

[puma]

thanks hoser, i hope this helps him. the DFX is a monster waiting to be unleashed. but all the modes and programs can be a little intimidating for the newer users. good luck with your machine if you have any questions feel free to ask me, maybe we can put our minds together and come up with more pieces to the puzzle!!!!!. my email is skylinegrizzly@yahoo.com.

[Scavenger]

Thanks puma and hoser for the suggections. The main things I have tried with the Hi-trash program are A.C. sen to 74 and ground filter to 4 and using 3kHz freq. I'll try some of your suggestions. Do you evaluate the programs by burying test items or just by subjective assesment of your search results?

[hoser]

Scavenger, I made a test garden using different items that you will come across while hunting. I also buried the coins I wanted to find the most, and buried them in plastic tubes so I could vary the depth whenever I wanted to. Its a real good way to try out different programs on known items, and helps you fine tune your machine to the ground conditions you have in your area. I started by placing them at around eight inches below the surface. None of the factory programs would find them on a consistant basis. Thats when I started playing with the settings. This has been the best learning tool for me. Hope this has helped you out some. Good luck & HH.

[puma]

scavenger. my suggestions are from actual field situations that ive found helped improve my hunting capabilities. the 3 khz is a fine program for ground VDI readings in the -95 to -80 areas as long as there is not a lot of electromagnetic interference. it is more sensitive to the higher VDI scale than the other modes with this kind of ground reading and you can reject the +94 and +93 VDI numbers to eliminate any carryover from mineralization to the positive end of the scale. BUT, you cant use the kind of sensitivity increase with 3 khz as you can with either dual mode or 15 khz. in an area where electromagnetic is not a problem then you can jack up the ac and dc a little and get a fine result in depth detection increase, but only then!!!!! I would use the correlate mode if theres lots of iron present. The 15khz mode is awesome for low VDI numbers as far as sensitivity goes, and it is much less affected by electromagnetic interferrence. You can get really deep hunting in this mode. But like i said earlier, turn your discrimination down and rely on the signagraph to tell what is good and what is bad. You MUST have patience to hunt like this however, for you will be moving at a snails pace as you analize each and every signal coming out of your headphones and watch your signagraph readings. Trashy areas are my favorite hunting sites because, first, you know its been used, ALOT, and second, not very many detectorists can stand to hunt it for very long. that leaves MANY good recoveries waiting for the patient hunter. good luck and i hope to see some of your finds posted soon.

[puma]

One more thing scavenger, hoser has an excellent system for learning your machine, try it, i personally haven't made a test garden because im more of a jump in with both feet and go for it kind of guy, its the only way i learn . But he makes a very valid point. In my state, using a test garden isnt really practical because the soil here is very varied as to its make-up. And the mineralization is fairly strong. I live in idaho. Lots of mineralized ground here. so i consitantly run into different situations in many areas i hunt. And consequently, one setting or program almost invariably wont work for the next spot i hunt. So, i've learned to adapt to each site i hunt and spend the first 5 minutes or so learing which of me settings is most likely going to get me the best hunting results. This has worked out amazingly well for me as I've found many old coins this year, especially silver coins. I don't know your situation so try hosers suggestion and apply your results to some of your hunting sites. Just GO WITH IT and see what works. HH as always.

[Schrecky]

All you will ever want to know about the DFX can be had at DFXonly.com. Bought my first ever detector, a DFX, a little less than a year ago, and love it. The turn on and go programs work well and are easy to use. If you want to get into making changes to these programs you can change and save them. Been real happy with my DFX.

I too have a DFX but unlike most of you guys it has been relegated to a backup machine. the XLT was a far better machine in my own opinion and i curently use an XP Goldmaxx Power as my primary machine. For outright depth the XP blows the DFX out of the water and as it runs at 18khz it is also more sensitive to small hammered silver, roman and celtic coins than the DFX.

I must add though that the XP is an inland machine and no good for beach work so if i did go t the beach the DFX would get dusted off for a run out. Alot of people swear by the DFX and if it works for you then go with it.

[Scavenger]

..... if it works for you then go with it.

To me that is the key part of your statement.