minelab woes

[history_buff]

Hi Fellow t-netrs,
I recently bought a se a month or so ago.Added a explorer 1050 coil thanks to captn se"s advice which I must say even though I only put in on yesterday quietened the machine and stabilixed it very much...Thanks Dan for the advice..
I must say that even though it is early in the game and I dont plan to give up I am somewhat disapointed in the machine.I havent found much and no older coins as of yet.
I guess I had it in my head that I was going to go into heavily hunted areas and find coins other machines had left behind.Hasnt happened yet.
One of the main drawbacks I have found is in order to achieve dramatic depth which it is definitly capable of you must scale or alleviate your discrimination all togeter.The factory program wont give you anymore depth than anything else.
Thats kinda like throwin the baby out with the bath water isnt it?I mean with my spectrum I discriminated well and achieved decent depth and didnt have to listen to a bzillion signals while doing it.
I guess If I stick with it though from what i have read on tnet if I slow down keep listening to those deep signals I will eventually start picking those good deep targets.
There are 3 things that I would like to find out from other se owners that will help me I think to lessen the learning progress.And shorten the pencil gnawing sequence(lol)
1)- i have had several high piched fluty signals that are deep say 7 inches plus that disapear all at once?get your plug cut signals still in the hole,pull out some more dirt and Zip gone into the blue.You guys have any trouble with this?I know dang well it didnt fall in a gopher hole!!!
2)-on a deep target is the bullseye reliable at all?If is say on deep dime is it still going to be acurate and stay in the upper right hand corner?I know you all say this is a sound machine just wondering how accurate the bullseye realllyyy is.
3)-Theres a setting for either fast,deep ot both.Expermenting I cant really decide which is the best and what situation to use them.Any tips here or just leave it be?
I am heading out in the am west about a hour from here to a civil war camp I used to detect a long time ago.Reaaly looking foreward to putting my new buddy to the test.Its in a field and some deep targets because its been plowed periodicy over the years.Some good stuff came out of there in the past even a 3 dollar gold piece(not me).Its loaded with square nails because it was a permanent camp.My plan is to run a iron mask of around 27 with no disc and dig everything thats not a low tone.Good idear?
Thanks guys and GLH,
Don R
sw missouri

 

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[bakergeol]

I am an ex- EX11 user so I will let the more experienced Se users chime in and
bring this topic back up to the top.

Deep coins were all over the screen on my Ex 11 and tones were more reliable.

Happy Hunting
George

 

[history_buff]

Thanks George,
I just had a sneaking suspicion thats why I asked!!!We"ll see what the se guys has to say bet the conduity readings are more accurate.........Don

 

[hollowpointred]

Hi Fellow t-netrs,
I recently bought a SE a month or so ago.Added a explorer 1050 coil thanks to captn SE"s advice which I must say even though I only put in on yesterday quietened the machine and stabilized it very much...Thanks Dan for the advice..
I must say that even though it is early in the game and I don't plan to give up I am somewhat disappointed in the machine.I haven't found much and no older coins as of yet.
I guess I had it in my head that I was going to go into heavily hunted areas and find coins other machines had left behind.Hasn't happened yet.
One of the main drawbacks I have found is in order to achieve dramatic depth which it is definitely capable of you must scale or alleviate your discrimination all together.The factory program wont give you anymore depth than anything else.
That's kinda like throwin the baby out with the bath water isn't it?I mean with my spectrum I discriminated well and achieved decent depth and didn't have to listen to a bazillion signals while doing it.
I guess If I stick with it though from what i have read on tnet if I slow down keep listening to those deep signals I will eventually start picking those good deep targets.
There are 3 things that I would like to find out from other SE owners that will help me I think to lessen the learning progress.And shorten the pencil gnawing sequence(lol)
1)- i have had several high pitched fluty signals that are deep say 7 inches plus that disappear all at once?get your plug cut signals still in the hole,pull out some more dirt and Zip gone into the blue.You guys have any trouble with this?I know dang well it didn't fall in a gopher hole!!!
2)-on a deep target is the bullseye reliable at all?If is say on deep dime is it still going to be accurate and stay in the upper right hand corner?I know you all say this is a sound machine just wondering how accurate the bullseye really is.
3)-Theres a setting for either fast,deep ot both.Experimenting I cant really decide which is the best and what situation to use them.Any tips here or just leave it be?
I am heading out in the am west about a hour from here to a civil war camp I used to detect a long time ago.Really looking foreward to putting my new buddy to the test.Its in a field and some deep targets because its been plowed periodicy over the years.Some good stuff came out of there in the past even a 3 dollar gold piece(not me).Its loaded with square nails because it was a permanent camp.My plan is to run a iron mask of around 27 with no disc and dig everything that's not a low tone.Good idear?
Thanks guys and GLH,
Don R
sw missouri

to answer your questions, those deep signals that disappear are probably rusted iron. its called the halo effect. when an iron nail or something finally rusts away it leaves iron particles in the soil. as you dig you disturb this "halo" and the signal disappears. nails can fool just about any machine i have seen. this has happened to me with all of the machines i have ever used.

on deep targets the bullseye is not the same as on shallow targets. while the explorer does a better job than most IDing deep targets, the minerals in the soil make target ID less accurate as the signal has to pass through more soil, and more minerals. this is also true of all machines (except maybe PI machines which is a whole other topic altogether). try to think of the smartfind screen as a tool only, and not the main way to decide whether or not to dig. i rely much more heavily on the tones which i find to be more reliable.

fast and deep settings are really not that complicated. in most hunting areas with moderate trash both of these should be turned off. use the deep setting in areas with little trash, as the machines recovery time will be a little slower. deep enhances or amplifies weak signals but the trade off is that the machine will take longer to reset after detecting a target. the fast setting should be used in high trash areas. the machine will reset itself faster after passing over a target but the trade off here is that target ID will be less accurate. never hunt with both fast and deep on simultaneously because it confuses the detector. ........hope this helps.

 

[history_buff]

Pointred,
You bet it helps.I wasnt real sure when and how to use Those fast/deep settings.
Was also sceptical about the target Id.Now I know whats going on with the ghost targets.Will have fun tommorow I bet with the square nails(lol)Some of those suckers are deep and some of them are great big spikes too.Thats ok maybe I"ll get a button or minie.Nice thing about it is the machine will be teachin me the whole time too. .........Hope everybody gets rich this weekend...hh

 

[Rifleman]

Hope your weekend hunt is successful. I don't have an SE, but hear it does have a rather steep learning curve. Once you learn it, it's an awesome machine. I have only moderate experience in metal detecting so I bought the X-Terra 70. It gives up a little depth to the SE, but is much easier to learn. The Minelab site, www.minelabowners.com has a section on learning the SE. If you have not checked it out, it might be worth looking at.
Looking forward to seeing some good pictures on Monday.

Good hunting, John K

 

[history_buff]

Thanks John K,
Ive heard some good stuff on the xttera 70 too.I just couldnt make my mind up when I bought this se and still think I made a good choice but I figured Id dive right into it after running several spectrums.Its different but hopefully better once Ive mastered it.
I relied heavily on my id meter and discriminaion and I think once I have weaned myseld from that I'll be on the right path..
After I ran the 1050 coil I did see that I could actally turn my sensitivity up and still not chatter like I did on the slimline.Targets are more defined and clearer too.Thats going to really help me hear deeper softer tones.A big definite improvement over the stock coil but man they are hard to find.Had to find mine in the UK.
Thanks for the wish for sucess tommorow!..Theres several dropped minies there that are good and deep.Not a whole lot of trash either and I think that will help me listen for those deep fluty tones capt se talks about.I noticed lead gives a nice high pitched tone too.Gonna be chilly here but Just maybe I"ll bring a few home.............HH.Don R

 

[hollowpointred]

the SE is a fantastic machine once you learn it. one thing i do when i get a deep high tone target that is kinda iffy is, i put the machine in iron mask with it wide open, to accept all metal, and see if the target still looks good or if its looking like a bit of iron. it doesnt always save you from digging those nails, but it does help.

 

[history_buff]

Hollow.......thanks i'll give that a try too.what about the ferrous-conductivity reading? Is that dependable at all on nails/coins whatever?
Don

 

[hollowpointred]

its the same info as the smartfind screen, just laid out numerically instead of on a graph.

 

[waseeker]

I guess it's time to fess up that I also bought an SE a few months back. After my first couple of hunts I was ready to throw it in the river. But thanks to CaptSE and Stormtrooper, I also switched to the older 1050 coil and I'm slowly learning to use the machine. I've found a total of 6 silver dimes this year all with the minelab. It's still a bit frustrating to me and I still dig a bunch of rusty nails but I'm learning. I also still have the DFX and it will get lots of use as well.

After 4 months I feel like I'm just starting to understand the machine(with considerable online help from CaptSE) and am becoming more comfortable with it. Don't give up on it, as it will get better.

I'm going to visit some old sites in the next couple of weeks and will have both machines with me and will be hunting with my brother and nephew. Between us we will have 3 DFX and an SE. We'll be using a standard 950 coil, a super 12 and a 6x10 eclipse on the DFXs and the 1050 on the SE. Should give us some interesting comparisions.

 

[history_buff]

waseeker,
I was the same way 1st time or two out I thought man Ive been rooked.With my old spectrum within just a bit I was pulling coins.But I was detecing in the fac preset and wasn hiting any coins at all.Even though I thought they ought to be there.Wish I had another machine too use along as I learn would help to keep me going.
Do you run your machine the way capt does iron mask around 27 and listen to all the signals?
I cancelled my trip this morning raining here in the ozarks been the standard lately(lol)...Bu Im on vac the next two days so no big deal will go tommorow or tues.
Course you are used to rain out there where you are huh?
HH,
Don R

 

[Digger]

Another new SE owner and old DFX/XLT/Eagle Spectrum owner here. I took the SE out for the first time yesterday and while I wasn't "disappointed" I did learn a lot about it. First off I'd have to say I can't even imagine someone new to metal detecting trying to understand the SE. Heck I've been detecting for 30 years and have used almost every detector out there and the SE had me confused.

After 4 hours, and very sore arms, I did start to get a grasp of what the SE was saying and started finding some coins. Not old and not deep, but they were coins. As an avid Whites user I found the visual information pretty much useless for the first time user, and the tones very confusing to say the least. Beer cans sounded and ID'ed just like coins for me. I'm headed out again today and after making some adjustments to the SE I feel confident my experience will be better. I just hope my arm can hold up.

Whats with the threshold? In my front yard no matter what I tried I could not get the SE to hold a threshold unless the coil was completely motionless. If I moved the coil at all the threshold went null.

 

[history_buff]

Digger,
I noticed the same thing.I think it is because the machine is nulling on targets under the coil such as nails and stuff?...When I installed the 1050 coil I got to use it a couple hrs and it ran a more smooth steady threshold.I think this in iself is going to help more than anything else.
Im like you I wouldnt advise anybody that hadnt had quite a bit of detecting hrs behind them to buy a se especially with the price tag.I started on a whites 6000 di pro and went later to a eagle spectrum and then a xlt then had a fisher 1266x for relics.I"ll be honest I nearly bought a dfx.And have no doubt if I had That I would have found some silver by now.But I do think that after mastering this machine that I will have had better finds than I could have with the latter.I guess its a in the long run thing?
Just another little tip too.I talked extensively with a minelab store owner in the south.He said he had good luck with the platypus coil.Said it was way better and more stabil than the slimline.I have also located a 8 inch explorer coil and intend to buy one for highly trashy areas.They are not as hard to find.....HH....Don R

 

[hollowpointred]

Whats with the threshold? In my front yard no matter what I tried I could not get the SE to hold a threshold unless the coil was completely motionless. If I moved the coil at all the threshold went null.

historybuff is right. the machine is telling you that it is discriminating a target. i kinda like this feature because it lets you know how trashy the area is even if you have the trash discriminated out. one thing i cant stress enough is to read your manual!. once you have read it re read it two more times! most of the time the answer to your question is in the manual.

 

[Digger]

Thanks!

I read the manual 4 times before buying the SE and 3 times since. I understand that the SE nulls on rejected targets, but what I don't understand is why it thinks every inch of the entire front yard is full of these nulled targets. No matter where I'm at if I move the coil it goes silent. ONLY when I hold it still does the threshold return. I noise cancel many time with the same results. If the coil moves at all, even very slow, the threshold goes away.

My DFX experiences sorta the same, only its in the form of chatter. Over the entire yard! The chatter on the DFX is annoying but I can get around it to find solid signals. The SE going silent is less annoying, but I can't help think I'd be missing the really deep signals.

On a side note. I've used several Garretts and even the ACE 250's threshold was rock solid in this yard. Go figure! I guess this would explain why the garretts would detect the 7-8" targets in my test garden and neither the DFX or SE would

 

[history_buff]

Digger,
I went out awhile this morning and picked up about 8 clad coins 1 wheat a 1946 and my 1st silver!A 1948 rosie!Nothing to do flips over but considering what Ive been through on this dang machine its a milestone(lol)
take your machine and put in iron mask set it at 27 and hit your test garden and just for the heck of it see what happens.Take it out of disc completely and just use the iron mask.If its really trashy out there move your recovery setting to fast.It will hit faster on the targets to where you can hear them individually.If one of them sounds high pitched and flutey dig it!Once you hear that silver tone you wont forget it.Giver a try and if you have hit it hard with the ol spectrums(your yard) you might have to get some more experience to pull those under what the whites already sucked up.You"ll get a ol rusy nail sometimes but other times... ...you get the picture.............HH.....Don

 

[hollowpointred]

Digger,
I went out awhile this morning and picked up about 8 clad coins 1 wheat a 1946 and my 1st silver!A 1948 rosie!Nothing to do flips over but considering what Ive been through on this dang machine its a milestone(lol)
take your machine and put in iron mask set it at 27 and hit your test garden and just for the heck of it see what happens.Take it out of disc completely and just use the iron mask.If its really trashy out there move your recovery setting to fast.It will hit faster on the targets to where you can hear them individually.If one of them sounds high pitched and flutey dig it!Once you hear that silver tone you wont forget it.Giver a try and if you have hit it hard with the ol spectrums(your yard) you might have to get some more experience to pull those under what the whites already sucked up.You"ll get a ol rusy nail sometimes but other times... ...you get the picture.............HH.....Don

there ya go!

 

[Digger]

"Flutey?" I went to our city park today and dug 2 wheaties(1944 and 1920) that were roughly 8". I avoided all the signals that sounded what I'd call flutey. Maybe that was the wrong thing to do. I also dug another musket ball at about 6".

On the second wheatie I had my buddy check the signal with his Garrett CX Plus and he said it was a broken signal. To me it sounded solid and was a 1920 wheatie.

 

[history_buff]

Digger,
What I mean is the machine has low tones for iron and the higher the pitch the more conductivity.When you hit silver its really high and solid sings like a flute.You hear it on a good deep one it"ll make your antennae go up the next time.
Its tougher than chinese arithmetic till it comes together.(grin)Then you"ll be like OH IIII get it.That dime was in a place where there was fill I swear it was a good 8 inches deep.Had to hack through 6 inches of pea gravel before I ever hit topsoil.Heck I found a old square nail I know solid ten inches....I just know Im gonna wave this thing over a good seated or bust quarter anytime. ....Theeen I''ll do the flips........HH .......Don R