Another TDI-Pro .............. without problems.

[U.K. Brian]

Arizona, the trade are there to sell you things. Avoid if you can. The picture under my name is the three gold coins plus gold rings found with the TDI in the first fifty hours of detecting with it that paid for the detector itself and a better/lighter (Razorback) coil.

You don't have to use a threshold if you want but as Ivan says its really a must or do you want to waste a great deal of your time ? You could leave the battery out and it will run really quite !

 

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[TerryC]

Arizonajames. I have been following your posts for some time.You know what you're doing... no mistake. But, I am scratching my head. A post above says you found .1 gram gold at 2 to 3 inches with the TDI Pro and it sounded like you were pleased with that. I have been thinking about getting a TDI (or Tesoro Lobo Super Traq). If that is as good as a TDI Pro will do, I may stay with my GB2. The GB2 will sound off at 2 inches with just .04 gold. Please do some more testing on the amount of gold the TDI pro will hit on so I can further define my needs. Are you close to Stanton, AZ so that I may try out the Pro over some flakes I can bring? I am VERY interested in testing the Pro IN THE TRENCHES. I'll pop for lunch! Tnx. TTC

 

[TerryC]

TDI-SL threshold is a true threshold, done the same as the TDI & TDI-pro. The depth difference is due to the lower battery voltage.

Carl, AZjames says you are a Whites engineer. May I DRILL you on the TDI in up-coming weeks? I predict one is in my near future and I can use some answers FROM THE SOURCE! Do you remember the Fisher Impulse 8? I still own that relic.... but it WORKS in the salt! But it's getting old.... rusty. How does the TDI (I know it is not submersible) compare to the Impulse 8 or Excaliber on the wet salt beach? But my main interest is how it stacks with the Gold Bug 2, my main squeeze. Tnx, sir. TTC

 

[arizonaames]

Hi Terry,

I was headed out to your area when I injured my knee in a motorcycle accident last August and ended up at the VA in Gainsville, FL to get er done. I did enjoy my 2 month stay on the Alabama coast (the fishing in Weeks Bay was awesome). I used the TDI (standard) and the Pro on the beaches of St Augustine, Crescent Beach, and Flagler Beach in FL and used only the TDI-Pro on the beaches of Pensacola, and Gulf Shores, AL. They are great beach machines. The GB2 that you now own will find gold much smaller than what a PI machine will find but the PI machine will work better on mineralized ground or mineralized salt conditions that one finds on a salt water beach. The GB2 is an awesome machine to use to find a place to set up a drywasher.

The PI machines will hit deeper than a VLF but on bigger targets. I was able, not to find, but to air test a .01 gram picker with an air test using a 5x10 razorback mono coil with the TDI-Pro. The Pro is more sensitive to nickles and gold and will pick up a nickle deeper than a dime if coin shooting. The ideal match for detecting gold and setting up a drywasher that I saw other prospectors in nothern NV use was a ML GPX4000 and a GB2. The ML for nugget shooting and the GB2 to set up their drywashers. You can substitute the very expensive ML for the TDI Pro. It will not hit as deep as the ML GPX 4000 - 5000 series but for the extra few inches it will be half to a third of the price. The TDI machines can also be used for coin hunting and yes they do have discrimination and they can also be used as a beach detector. I hope that this information is helpful....jim

 

[TerryC]

Hi Terry,

I was headed out to your area when I injured my knee in a motorcycle accident last August and ended up at the VA in Gainsville, FL to get er done. I did enjoy my 2 month stay on the Alabama coast (the fishing in Weeks Bay was awesome). I used the TDI (standard) and the Pro on the beaches of St Augustine, Crescent Beach, and Flagler Beach in FL and used only the TDI-Pro on the beaches of Pensacola, and Gulf Shores, AL. They are great beach machines. The GB2 that you now own will find gold much smaller than what a PI machine will find but the PI machine will work better on mineralized ground or mineralized salt conditions that one finds on a salt water beach. The GB2 is an awesome machine to use to find a place to set up a drywasher.

The PI machines will hit deeper than a VLF but on bigger targets. I was able, not to find, but to air test a .01 gram picker with an air test using a 5x10 razorback mono coil with the TDI-Pro. The Pro is more sensitive to nickles and gold and will pick up a nickle deeper than a dime if coin shooting. The ideal match for detecting gold and setting up a drywasher that I saw other prospectors in nothern NV use was a ML GPX4000 and a GB2. The ML for nugget shooting and the GB2 to set up their drywashers. You can substitute the very expensive ML for the TDI Pro. It will not hit as deep as the ML GPX 4000 - 5000 series but for the extra few inches it will be half to a third of the price. The TDI machines can also be used for coin hunting and yes they do have discrimination and they can also be used as a beach detector. I hope that this information is helpful....jim

Outstanding post, AZJames! I will digest, regurgitate, then digest this info again. Tnx, my friend. TTC

 

[arizonaames]

An important fact, that is not mentioned enough is when using any detector, especially a PI detector that is impowered by increased power with a large battery pack, do not use shoes that contain any metal in eyelets or in the construction of the shoe or boot. You can also pick up noise from change in your pocket or a belt buckle. The metal detector coil radiates not only up and down but horizontally as well. This will effect an unstable threshold and for those that are not in the know will think that the detector is unstable. On the beach, I use wet suit booties. You can also buy boots or shoes that do not cantain any metal.

 

[ivanll]

Hi Terry,

I was headed out to your area when I injured my knee in a motorcycle accident last August and ended up at the VA in Gainsville, FL to get er done. I did enjoy my 2 month stay on the Alabama coast (the fishing in Weeks Bay was awesome). I used the TDI (standard) and the Pro on the beaches of St Augustine, Crescent Beach, and Flagler Beach in FL and used only the TDI-Pro on the beaches of Pensacola, and Gulf Shores, AL. They are great beach machines. The GB2 that you now own will find gold much smaller than what a PI machine will find but the PI machine will work better on mineralized ground or mineralized salt conditions that one finds on a salt water beach. The GB2 is an awesome machine to use to find a place to set up a drywasher.

The PI machines will hit deeper than a VLF but on bigger targets. I was able, not to find, but to air test a .01 gram picker with an air test using a 5x10 razorback mono coil with the TDI-Pro. The Pro is more sensitive to nickles and gold and will pick up a nickle deeper than a dime if coin shooting. The ideal match for detecting gold and setting up a drywasher that I saw other prospectors in nothern NV use was a ML GPX4000 and a GB2. The ML for nugget shooting and the GB2 to set up their drywashers. You can substitute the very expensive ML for the TDI Pro. It will not hit as deep as the ML GPX 4000 - 5000 series but for the extra few inches it will be half to a third of the price. The TDI machines can also be used for coin hunting and yes they do have discrimination and they can also be used as a beach detector. I hope that this information is helpful....jim

Never deny a man his dreams,............... but a .01 gram picker with a TDI any of the TDI's, might just have to stay a dream...........or it could be a misplaced (.) point.

Not to worry, a TDI-Pro do have cababilities and with frequent and proper use in the right places it will alert the user when the coil is over heavy metal.
Detecting small pickers is a thrill as it indicates the detector/coil combination is optimised and used correctly, especially when the ground is "Hot".

I find it strange that there are so few posts regarding the TDI's. ? ? ? Glad I got mine while they were available.

ivanll

 

[arizonaames]

I redid the air test on the wee picker and indeed it was smaller than a .1 gram picker. I did have the decimal point off and meant to state it was a .1 gram picker that tested 2 to 3 inches from a 5X10 razorback coil with the TDI Pro. Anything smaller one would have to use a GB2 or similar VLF detector. Even so, that was excellent for a TDI PI machine. I run the TDI Pro with no background hum and keep it silent as far as threshold is concerned. When coin hunting, I usually have the pulse delay set to about 14 to 15. The Pro is more sensitive to small gold and nickles than a standard TDI. The GPX MLs do find small gold deeper but that could be due to the increased battery power that they employ. More power would make the pulse signals go deeper for deeper detecting. I would assume that Whites could increase power also for deeper penatration but I would bet that for every gain there will be a loss to some other benefit. The TDI is not bothered by EMF as much as a ML and perhaps with the increased power there will be a problem with EMF.

 

[ivanll]

I'm not much for air tests, much prefer to see video's in actual ground tests so the effect of the ground is included.
This one 0.21 gram is from Hot ground not friendly to VLF detectors.
Every setting maxed out and with a threshold right on the border to allow the whisper of a ripple in threshold audio to be heard.
No threshold................ no little pickers in this ground, even with a PI unit.

ivanll

 

[Brivic1]

Terry, my condolences on your recent Fire Dept losses.What a tragedy.

I still use my GM# and Vsat and it talks real well to me.
When I can do no good in an area, I ask my mate to go over it with his TDI Pro.. or Minelab.. and when he has the same result as I, then I know that I am still not too old to cut the mustard

 

[TerryC]

Terry, my condolences on your recent Fire Dept losses.What a tragedy.

I still use my GM# and Vsat and it talks real well to me.
When I can do no good in an area, I ask my mate to go over it with his TDI Pro.. or Minelab.. and when he has the same result as I, then I know that I am still not too old to cut the mustard

Brivic, I have been through Magalia 4 times! I have sluiced and panned near the Forks of the Buttes a coupla-three years ago. Nice place for course gold! Tnx for the concern on the fire fighters. TTC

 

[Brivic1]

Hi Terry, blimey how time flies, and I missed your reply, sorry.
This area is getting so policed by BLM LEOs; and closing of forest trails with big gates by Logging concerns thatI have not been to the forks in a while.
I have been exploring further afield but still coming across locked gates.
It is starting to make me need to join a group like GPMA ,or AMRA, here in Ca. just to economicaly fossick around.
Private land-owners have been forthcoming and that has been fun..
Cheerio 4 now

 

[ca.miner]

I got lead bird shot with my TDI. It's all in the settings. Real trashy areas will normally force me to look for a bigger target in order to get a good ground balance. So I'll run around the 17 on pulse delay. Some areas you can dig bird shot all day. Me I like to nugget shot. So how big of gold do you wish to fined. You will fined it with the TDI if that's what you are looking for. Settings settings settings. My mom always told me. Go big! Or go home... Found my first 1 once nugget in quarts this year. Yuba river

 

[Saving Tennessee History]

You guys say that the reason the TDI SL doesn't get as deep as the TDI is because of the battery....and yet the TDI power/gain goes to 12 and the TDI Pro goes to only 10 and yet you still say the TDI Pro goes deeper.

That does not make sense to me.


TDI 14V ; Power 1-12

TDI Pro 14V; Power 1-10

TDI SL 12V; Power 1-10

Looks to me like the original TDI offers the most power out of them all.

 

[vferrari]

You guys say that the reason the TDI SL doesn't get as deep as the TDI is because of the battery....and yet the TDI power/gain goes to 12 and the TDI Pro goes to only 10 and yet you still say the TDI Pro goes deeper.

That does not make sense to me.


TDI 14V ; Power 1-12

TDI Pro 14V; Power 1-10

TDI SL 12V; Power 1-10

Looks to me like the original TDI offers the most power out of them all.

Can't tell if you are joking or not (like Spinal Tap - "this goes to 11"). If not joking, not sure how you can tell anything from arbitrary numbers on a potentiometer dial (or whatever it is). Fact is, the max voltage of the TDI SL battery is lower so it makes sense that the pulsed power into ground will likely be lower compared to the legacy TDI's. Though again, you can't really make a definitive call just by looking a battery voltage alone.

 

[Saving Tennessee History]

I was told by White's that the only thing that changed from TDI to TDI Pro was the filter and course ground balance controls. If that is true the potentiometer should be the same, only it is missing two gain settings.

Wouldn't it make sense that the further you turn it up the deeper it gets? No?

 

[vferrari]

I was told by White's that the only thing that changed from TDI to TDI Pro was the filter and course ground balance controls. If that is true the potentiometer should be the same, only it is missing two gain settings.

Wouldn't it make sense that the further you turn it up the deeper it gets? No?

I would think the even with the two different numbers of increments, the max gain setting would be the same between the two legacy TDI's (esp. if all they changed was the filtering and GB controls) just that the difference between adjacent gain setting steps would be different (e.g., Max Gain/12 steps vs. Max Gain/10 steps) with Max Gain at the 10 and 12 setpoints being equal. The minimum gain setting might be lower though for the 12 step variant since its divided by 12 vice 10.

 

[mntnflyr4fun]

I was told by White's that the only thing that changed from TDI to TDI Pro was the filter and course ground balance controls. If that is true the potentiometer should be the same, only it is missing two gain settings.

Wouldn't it make sense that the further you turn it up the deeper it gets? No?

I see you are getting the same answers on this forum as you did on the Whites forum..... I am having trouble understanding why this seems so important to you, but maybe you don't quite understand gain.

Gain is nothing more than a signal amplifier in the machine. The further you turn the knob, the more it boosts the signal for analysis. It is a receiver gain which amplifies the received signal, NOT a transmit power booster, it doesn't go deeper per se', but by amplifying the smaller signals from (possibly) deeper or maybe just smaller targets it mightget easier for the circuitry to see it, or conversley if the mineralization or emi or both is really bad, increasing the gain past a certain point can cause the detector to basically go blind and not be able to see at all. In simple terms the gain amplifies every part of the signal including the noise, so sometimes too much of a good thing can kill ya. Even tho PI machines are much less susceptible to ground mineralization than VLF detectors, it is not uncommon to get into ground that is to hot to be able to run max gain, which can also be affected by the coil you are using.....On any given day Max is Max, it really is that simple, turn it up as high as you can with a stable signal and that's the best the detector can do. 10=12 12=10....relax and enjoy

If you want max depth, ya gotta push the power supply up and go to bigger coils but bigger coils lose sensitivity to small targets so round and round we go....I don't know how much detecting experience you have, but the tradeoff between coil size/depth/target size is the balancing act that goes on all the time and there is no one right answer. It comes down to what kind of hunting you are doing and where you are doing it as to whats going to work best for you. Gain is a small piece of the puzzle.......

 

[Saving Tennessee History]

I've been detecting since 2003 and have spent over $5500 in White's machines. I never get to try out machines before I buy them so I am stuck buying and selling at a loss until I find what I am looking for, so maybe after five thousand in purchases I require a little more explanation than the average consumer.

To my monkey self, in my mind 12 is more than 10. I've been taught by the metal detecting marketing teams that more gains means more power which results in more depth. So when I see a detector knocking the gain down telling me it will get deeper there is a conflict.

Before the TDI Pro was released I was emailing a particular dealer every month or more asking about when the new TDI machine would be out when it was still just a rumor. This carried on for over a year. Finally I told the dealer I guess it's not coming any time soon so I will just take a TDI instead. I made an appt on a Sunday to drive out of state to the dealer's place of business to pick up the TDI. The very next day on a Monday, I learned through other people that the dealer I had just visited now had the TDI Pro.....so yeah, maybe I'm a little more jaded than most over the whole thing.

I was assured by White's at the time that both detectors got the same depth, the only thing that changed was settings that would suit people in Australia and would make very little difference to most people stateside. Cut to the present time, now I read people saying the TDI Pro is deeper than my machine. My whole deal was wanting the deepest relic machine White's offered save for the TM 808. After waiting for over a year I not only purchased the TDI one day before release, I made a special out of state drive to do it.

Now I'm thinking about getting a TDI Pro, but is it an upgrade or not? That's what I am trying to figure out and I don't see any response giving a definitive answer other than hypotheticals and arguments. Has nobody ever made a test garden and put the TDI and TDI Pro to the test yet? Instead of telling us all that it should be deeper because of this , that , or the other, why hasn't it been shown in a controlled test? I'm not talking about air test either, real test.

I guess it just takes more to sway me than others after being burned so many times. I'm as loyal as they come, maybe that's my problem.

 

[Saving Tennessee History]

...And yes, I have been trying to get an answer on the proper White's forum for quite a while now too. Maybe it's time I just give up and move on to another brand. I'm over it.