lost confidence in my DEUS

[Boilermaker27]

I have been impatiently waiting for the 4.0 update which it seems that the manufacturer want to keep as a closely guarded secret as to when it will be released, for what?
Today I went out with a friend who is a total expert at detecting, he has a 25 year old White's Eagle, his machine was beefed up by Jimmy Sierra and Charles Garrett (if you wonder why Charles Garrett it was because they wanted a competitiion machine that would totally defeat the Fisher machines of the day, they just wanted Fisher out of the way) and he probably has the best Eagle on the planet. Today we hit an old Catholic church built in 1863 and he proved that his machine is a wonder. In the three hours we were there he found one indian head cent, one silver .50 cent piece, one Merc. and one Rosie plus a whole pocketful of wheaties plus two rings and two watches. I found one clad dime. I've been detecting since 1971, so I am no newbie. What irks me is the fact that he found a few coins and asked me to go over them and my machine barely made any tone plus there were no numbers, his machine was loud and clear. I went through every program to see it the target could be picked up better, I also have Gary's Ultimate Program and two coin programs from the Sabich book, and none of those programs would pick up the coins. I'll admit they were all over six inches and in fact some were deeper than his pinpointer, but this is pitiful. I then tried digging the really faint signals, same kind of signal that I had going over his coins, and in almost every instance thinking it was a deep coin, it turned out to be a very small piece of metal within two inches of the surface. I know I was up against a souped up machine but I should have found more than one clad dime. Not overly impressed anymore.

 

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[Goldfleks]

All my machines are analog using just a few knobs. What does the programing do on the DEUS?

 

[Xraywolf]

If you can't get a good, repeatable signal on a coin 6-10" either your programs are flawed or your machine is broke.

I get decent signals on quarters at 12", I think what you need is a test garden and a little bit of patience to sift through and tweak settings.

 

[vferrari]

While I completely believe the experience you describe above as true and accurate from your perspective, please don't take offense to what I am about to write, no offense is intended but it may strike a nerve.

Based on what you have written here and previously, I get the distinct impression you do not really understand how the various Deus settings work together and as a result you are just punching in custom programs from Andy's book and Gary's website without really understanding how they may have to be tweaked for your specific conditions and hoping for the best.

While the Deus enables even an inexperienced metal detectorist to have some success right out of the box (i.e., grab and go), getting max performance out of the machine takes some hours swinging the coil and experimenting with settings. I find it really hard to believe that none of the programs you described and none the built-in programs, (specifically Deus Fast nor Gold Field) would reliably hit on the coins you describe.

That tells me either the machine was not properly initialized with the coil in the air, you have a an expert setting such as silencer out of whack which can really affect depth (most of the built-in programs have the silencer setting set too high which kills depth), ground balance may not have been set correctly, you have an improperly set notch or discrimination setting, you are not using full tones, your swing speed may not have been compatible with whatever reactivity setting your were using, you have a battery problem or low battery or you have a defective machine.

You also never described whether tweaking key parameter settings made any difference (rather than the brute force approach of running wholesale through whole program changes which keeps you from zeroing in on the problem). For example depth is maximized by operating at the lowest frequency - what frequency were you operating at? What was your sensitivity setting? What was your disc setting? Where you in full tones, two tones, three tones, or 4 tones? What was your reactivity and silencer settings and corresponding swing speed? Did you have any notches set? What were the ground conductivity conditions? Were you tracking or using fixed ground balance? What was the mineralization bar telling you? Was the site full of modern trash or masking iron? If you do not know the answers to these questions, you are kind of flying blind with the Deus and it would be hard for you to tweak the machine settings in an effective manner.

To really learn the machine takes hours and hours of swinging and recovering the targets the machine hits on and then understanding what the machine just told you. One of the best things you can do to "learn" the machine is to set up a test garden with several different setups. That way you can play with the various settings on each known target and see how the machine's response varies. As a detectorist with 40+ years of experience as you describe, I know you know this, but it is certainly not coming across in how you describe about your experience with the machine.

Another distinct possibility is the machine just does not set up well for you and the way you hunt. I would say, hey just because you only found one clad dime, that does not prove anything except the old adage that metal detecting is 33% detector, 33% operator, and 99% luck. But since you did try to pick up the coins your friends machine hit on, then something else is definitely wrong somewhere.

Either you try to investigate further what is going on or perhaps you are right and should move on from your non-impressive machine. I will tell you that Version 4 sw is not going to help in this case. The good news is that you can probably recoup a significant percentage of your investment since the Deus tends to hold decent resale value. Good luck in whichever path you choose (continued learning or moving on to a different detector).

I would really like to help you get to know that machine better to see what the issue was but need a little more info. I can understand why you were really disappointed.

 

[tnsharpshooter]

Boilermaker,

For depth using Deus,,,you need silencer at -1,,,you need sens at 94 or higher,,you need reactivity 1 or 2,,, Using 11" coil reactivity level 3 can work sometimes.

Tx power at 2 or 3.

Now,,,on deeper coins,,,you ain't going to get a full fledged beep or even a tone.
A small ramping up and let down as the coil passes over.

I will say Deus is not a depth monster on dimes,,,but it does well with nickels (in 12khz),, and pennies and quarters.

There is also a way for an experienced Deus user (in a cleaner site) to intentionally run GB a little negative and get a bit more depth.

Don't forget,,,emi could have been affecting your Deus too.

Getting no numbers TID on deeper targets,,you will likely never get any worthy ID numbers on deep targets.

Keep at it,,,I promise Deus can deliver.

 

[Kodiak43351]

Something is wrong here. I can find silver deeper than 6" with the deus. I have custom programs set up to do about any type of hunting in my area. I've found stuff in the same spots I've used multiple machines that they missed or didn't give a dig me signal. What coil are you using. What are your settings? The deus is the best machine I have ever used.

 

[gunsil]

If a Deus with out of the box factory turn on and go program can't find coins at 6" who really needs one. Heck, every detector I've owned including my 1970 Garrett BFO would find coins at 6" or deeper without doing anything but hunt.

 

[Xraywolf]

If a Deus with out of the box factory turn on and go program can't find coins at 6" who really needs one. Heck, every detector I've owned including my 1970 Garrett BFO would find coins at 6" or deeper without doing anything but hunt.

You are missing the point - Almost certain his settings are skewed or the machine is flawed.
People can't just get a high tech detector and expect old, deep coins to come flying out of the ground at them, a little user effort is required for optimum performance.
Obviously, was a much simpler affair back in 1970 when you had all of 2 knobs - times have drastically changed so your analogy doesn't even remotely make any sense.

That said, sure a factory program should find coins at 6", something is not addling up with OP.

 

[namxat]

Def. something wrong here, i pulled out 1 gram coins below 6 inches @ 8 khz.

As a first test or maybe even remedy I would say: Get update cable (if you dont already have), download deus update program, follow the instructions on said program and install the current version again.

This should set back the detector to factory standard. Most likley it will also cause loss to your custom programs but if it does not work anyway...

Try again, afterwards. If still underperforming there may be somthing wrong with the hardware which would be of course a greater problem.

 

[Deft Tones]

Only one person mentioned his soil conditions. Good on Vferrari!

Bump you audio response to 6 and see if you can catch those coins.Setting it at 3 in full tones will cause targets to be missed when ran 0 discrim, silencer -1. Ground noise can mask the audio from a lightly squeeking signal.

No test garden to practice in? I'd get a few coins in the ground and start adjusting my settings to respond how I wanted.

 

[Introfiant]

I've found shoe tacks deeper than 6" lol. Also, consider the Audio Response. I run mine at 6. I know this is not giving your machine more depth, but instead of hearing little whispers and squeeks you will hear a tone. As the targets get deeper I still hear the machine attempt a tone, but it might be partially broken and scratchy. So when your friend hits a target and lets you try it and you say you can barely hear it, try turning up the audio response.

As far as not being able to "hear" the deep targets, I hear a signal, and find out how deep it is based on the horse shoe and how far I have to dig lol.

 

[Calabash Digger]

what everybody said above is sound advice. You MUST learn the machine and the settings or you will be very dissapointed as you already are.

 

[Keppy]

If a Deus with out of the box factory turn on and go program can't find coins at 6" who really needs one. Heck, every detector I've owned including my 1970 Garrett BFO would find coins at 6" or deeper without doing anything but hunt.

Well they the Deus are way over priced for what they do.. You will always have some find a reason why it would not do what the Whites did. So many reasons why and the fact was it was not as good as the Whites..

 

[Jeff H]

Well they the Deus are way over priced for what they do.. You will always have some find a reason why it would not do what the Whites did. So many reasons why and the fact was it was not as good as the Whites..

Keppy, since you seem to hate your Deus, I will be happy to buy it from you. I already have one, but wouldn't mind another. Since you are a White's guy, I will trade you both my DFX and XLT and all six coils for your Deus.

 

[fmrUSMC_0844]

I had a Deus for over a year. It was a good machine but I dont like all the tweaking. I got rid of it and went back to my roots. A Whites MXT. This time the Pro version. The recovery speed on the Deus was nice but am I really going to need that kind of recovery? My MXT is almost as fast. Im not knocking on the Deus, its a great machine. What put me over the edge was the way it sounded. To me it pierced my eardrums. I never got used to the sound int made.

 

[vferrari]

I had a Deus for over a year. It was a good machine but I dont like all the tweaking. I got rid of it and went back to my roots. A Whites MXT. This time the Pro version. The recovery speed on the Deus was nice but am I really going to need that kind of recovery? My MXT is almost as fast. Im not knocking on the Deus, its a great machine. What put me over the edge was the way it sounded. To me it pierced my eardrums. I never got used to the sound int made.

I totally get this and endorse this perspective. If someone is passionate for a detector and it is doing the job they need, how can anyone argue with that?

I'm a firm believer that the best machine for someone is the machine that works best for them.

I will never try to convince someone that the Deus is the best machine out there (it's not - no machine can actually make that claim) nor tell someone it's the best machine for them (how would I know?). I am not brand loyal. The right tool for the job. I think the Deus is one of the best all-around machines out there but there are some things it just cannot do (find small brass beyond about 3 inches in highly mineralized Culpeper soil). Regardless, when a machine is getting a negative rap, I will try to look at the post from the user's perspective and provide an objective point of view that is based on my experience with the machine and try to point out opportunities where someone can make adjustments to settings or how they are using the machine for the task at hand to improve their results.

On the other hand, broad, unsubstantiated statements like:

Well they the Deus are way over priced for what they do.. You will always have some find a reason why it would not do what the Whites did. So many reasons why and the fact was it was not as good as the Whites..

Not sure what they add to the discussion.

Whites V3i with wireless HP = $1555 / Deus 9" or 11" with control module and wireless HP = $1520 (priced from same dealer, not "on sale")

What they both do is find pieces of metal buried in the ground (not sure anyone can argue with me about that) - which one is way over priced for what it does? Answer: That's up to the individual detectorist to decide, certainly within Keppy's right to claim, but without substantiation certainly within my right to counterargue (i.e., the purpose of a discussion forum). [BTW - When you claim "Whites" in general you do not get to claim which Whites detector you want to use in the ol' price comparison, so please don't come back with "I meant the MXT". I know you won't come back with "I meant the MX Sport" - BTW I own or have owned both of these machines and my opinion differs from you regarding Whites in general -perhaps unfortunately colored by the MX Sport performance issues I have experienced first hand]

Like I said, I get it when someone chooses one detector over the other, but not sure why people have to be judged by their choices or passive-aggressively told they overpaid for a detector or why subjective and unsubstantiated claims like "BRAND X would not do what BRAND Y does" would make a convincing argument.

Does it matter to anyone that swinging a Whites all day would cause me to reach for the advil pez dispenser because my shoulder was killing me while swinging the Deus all day would cause me to reach for the pez dispenser because of all the great finds I was forced to dig up? (I know, I know, trash too - lol). Or that the Deus is way over priced for what it does? Or it has way more than necessary recovery speed? Well it may all be interesting information but does not prove one machine is better than the other.

And frankly does not explain why Boilermaker27 was disappointed.

 

[fmrUSMC_0844]

On the other hand, broad, unsubstantiated statements like:



Not sure what they add to the discussion.

Whites V3i with wireless HP = $1555 / Deus 9" or 11" with control module and wireless HP = $1520 (priced from same dealer, not "on sale")

What they both do is find pieces of metal buried in the ground (not sure anyone can argue with me about that) - which one is way over priced for what it does? Answer: That's up to the individual detectorist to decide, certainly within Keppy's right to claim, but without substantiation certainly within my right to counterargue (i.e., the purpose of a discussion forum). [BTW - When you claim "Whites" in general you do not get to claim which Whites detector you want to use in the ol' price comparison, so please don't come back with "I meant the MXT". I know you won't come back with "I meant the MX Sport" - BTW I own or have owned both of these machines and my opinion differs from you regarding Whites in general -perhaps unfortunately colored by the MX Sport performance issues I have experienced first hand]

Like I said, I get it when someone chooses one detector over the other, but not sure why people have to be judged by their choices or passive-aggressively told they overpaid for a detector or why subjective and unsubstantiated claims like "BRAND X would not do what BRAND Y does" would make a convincing argument.

Does it matter to anyone that swinging a Whites all day would cause me to reach for the advil pez dispenser because my shoulder was killing me while swinging the Deus all day would cause me to reach for the pez dispenser because of all the great finds I was forced to dig up? (I know, I know, trash too - lol). Or that the Deus is way over priced for what it does? Or it has way more than necessary recovery speed? Well it may all be interesting information but does not prove one machine is better than the other.

And frankly does not explain why Boilermaker27 was disappointed.

I also had a V3I. Good machine, but in my opinion, it was a DFX with a color screen and more bells and whistles than I cared to use. I prefer turn it on and go. The machine that is best is the one that works for you. Like I said, I went back to an MXT after using a V3I, VX3, Deus, Minelab SE Pro. To me the MXT is the machine I know the best. I speak its language. I have a friend that uses the Deus and he kills it. I used mine with him at the same site with the exact same program. He spanked me good. What it boiled down to is he knew what his detector was telling him more than I did.

 

[Keppy]

Keppy, since you seem to hate your Deus, I will be happy to buy it from you. I already have one, but wouldn't mind another. Since you are a White's guy, I will trade you both my DFX and XLT and all six coils for your Deus.

That is ok i had a XLT & DFX did not care for them. As a matter of fact i had Steve Herschbach's DFX i guess he did not care for it so i got his and then i did not care for it so i sold it. .. But the Whites MXT Pro that is a good detector . We all have our favorite brand just like cars..

 

[vferrari]

I'm a firm believer that the best machine for someone is the machine that works best for them.

I also had a V3I. Good machine, but in my opinion, it was a DFX with a color screen and more bells and whistles than I cared to use. I prefer turn it on and go. The machine that is best is the one that works for you. Like I said, I went back to an MXT after using a V3I, VX3, Deus, Minelab SE Pro. To me the MXT is the machine I know the best. I speak its language. I have a friend that uses the Deus and he kills it. I used mine with him at the same site with the exact same program. He spanked me good. What it boiled down to is he knew what his detector was telling him more than I did.

I guess we are in violent agreement then.

I also concur with what you said above. In fact, I have that experience all the time. The other detectorist using the same machine I am using at the same site usually spanks me good. lol.

 

[tnsharpshooter]

Well,
Maybe the op here and a Deus just don't mesh.
They will have to figure that out on their own.

What can I say about Deus?
I will keep mine,,,until someone can show another detector while wearing a 9" coil or 11" coil,,that can go head to head with Deus unmasking/ separating in iron and nails and best it.
Right now,,I don't see.

Had the supposed flagship White's,,and sold it.