My first Excal

[MrMikeJackie]

Just purchased a used Excal 1000 freshly serviced by Kellyco. It had the coil, headphones, and all seals replaced. My Anderson straight shaft should be here on Wed from Metaldetectors.com.
I've never used one and need advise as far as setup, daily maintenance, and cleaning tips.
Where should I apply grease(what type is best), how long do I charge the battery, how tight should the compression fittings be, etc?
All tips much appreciated. Thanks Mike

 

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[updownup]

Congratulation and Good luck with your Excal!

 

[DeepseekerADS]

You're going to love it! Most here run it in the Pin Point mode, but I run mine in Discriminate with a setting of 1. I've dug at least a foot deep for targets, so I don't think I'm missing anything, and avoid bobby pins, foil, and the like. Solid signal is a scooped signal, simple as that. To date, I've only been in salt water 3 times. Probably 30 hunts in fresh water this past season.

And you can also run in the pin point mode. Get Kellyco do the mod, and with a flip of the switch your running all metal, then back to discrimination.

The Excal really is a simple machine to learn, and to use.

 

[MrMikeJackie]

I've run Sovereigns for a while now. I'm very familiar with tones and how to run in all metal.
What I'm looking for are tips on the mechanics of running this machine. Where should grease be applied, what to hand tighten, how long to charge the battery, how to wrap the coil, etc. anything to keep me from making any costly mistakes.

 

[1KBlueTuber]

Great Choice! Always rinse your Excalibur and clean sand out of coil cover. If upper pot seals were replaced they probably put a little silicone grease on each which I would periodically check each month especially if hunting submerged in saltwater. Make sure to always have your gasket in place between battery pod and plug, I use a little dab of silicone on gasket before screwing down plug to battery. You'll need to check if you have stock battery or a replacement lithium with quick charge capabilities etc. stock take about a 12 hour charge or until slightly warm to touch. Aftermarkets can vary as to charge times. Learn your tones and she will reward you with every now and then with a sweet low growl that lights up the bottom of your Scoop. Happy Hunting

 

[gamiller]

Occasionally spray the wires with food grade silicon spray. Mcnett and trident are two well known brands. The spray will keep the rubber wires from prematurely becoming brittle. I learned the hard way.

 

[bigscoop]

DO NOT over tighten the battery pod connector! If you tighten this too tight you can cause the pod endcap to crack.....a very common occurrence on the Excals. This is also an area to keep clean and to apply silicone grease (on the seals) to prevent any potential seepage from shorting out the two battery post in the connector. From time to time inspect these two post connectors as well and clean as needed. Even if you never change your machine settings once you have things where you like them it's always a good idea to routinely turn these pods to prevent them from getting stiff or seizing up over time. And last, routinely check the set screws in the pod nobs as it is common for them to work loose over time.

 

[PI PETE]

Clivesgoldpage.com I don't even have my excal yet and I bought his book on getting started! I would start there my friend! Good luck!

 

[penzfan]

Best of luck with the Excal MrMike. It's a GREAT water/wet sand machine and will give you many hours of pleasure. One of the best features of the Excal is that it just feels great once you add the straight shaft and it's balanced to perfection. Once you start finding some "good" targets your confidence will soar and you will rarely want to water hunt with any other machine. PI, big, ga and 1K have provided you with some excellent tips directly below. I used some GE Silicone to attach/seal my coil cover to the coil which makes cleanup a breeze. GL and SH...

 

[RustyGold]

I'd add the Anderson knob protector. Does not add any noticeable weight. Keep strain and sharp bends off cables and don't put the silicone grease where sand will get to it.
Congratulations on the new to you Excal!

 

[RustyGold]

Here is a good silicone compound.

 

[cudamark]

Just purchased a used Excal 1000 freshly serviced by Kellyco. It had the coil, headphones, and all seals replaced. My Anderson straight shaft should be here on Wed from Metaldetectors.com.
I've never used one and need advise as far as setup, daily maintenance, and cleaning tips.
Where should I apply grease(what type is best), how long do I charge the battery, how tight should the compression fittings be, etc?
All tips much appreciated. Thanks Mike

Discrimination....1, Sensitivity....auto or just off, Volume.....max, Threshold....wherever it's comfortable, Hunt in Pin Point and flip to Disc to I.D. iron. If you got two batteries with it (both factory rechargeable and an alkaline pod), hunt with the rechargeable until you get the low battery signal, then recharge overnight (a good 10-12 hours). Hunt until the rechargeable needs recharging and swap in the alkaline when needed to finish a hunt. If you need to replace the factory rechargeable, get an RNB replacement. Better and much cheaper. You'll need the old pod housing though, so, don't throw it away! Tighten the Ikelite battery nut like you would a plastic lid for a jar of peanut butter. Just enough to snug it down so it doesn't leak. Be easy on the silicone. Just enough to coat the washer, no excess. Get some silicone spray (without petroleum propellant) for the cables. I don't recommend trying to seal the coil cover to the coil. The sand will likely get inside anyway and then it's a mess trying to remove the cover and clean it out. Just pull it off occasionally and wash it. I haven't found that to be a problem with any of mine. I don't seem to get any falsing, even with a bunch of black sand inside. Your results may vary! It's just not that big a deal to remove and clean. Recommended mods are: Straight shaft...both Anderson and Plugger make some nice stuff (I have both), The pin point mod where the switch is right on the handle (you'll wonder how you ever hunted without it!), headphone upgrade if you don't like the originals. I have three different ones and don't find any of them ideal. I like the sound and volume control on the GGA's, but they're not all that comfortable to me. The stock blue ones are ok, but, nothing special, the stock yellow don't have as good a sound as the blue. They sound kind of tinny, like two soup cans on a string! I also have a custom set made with the stock speakers and some aftermarket ear muffs from MSA via Amazon. They're the most comfortable, but, they still have the tinny sounding speakers. If the GGA's were more comfortable, or the custom set had better speakers, they would be the best. Headphones are such a personal thing that others may have a different opinion. Don't worry about greasing any of the pots. You really can't do it properly unless you pull the "O" rings or disassemble the pod. Just hose it off good with fresh water and let it air dry. I try not to get the headphones wet unless I've been under saltwater. After repeated dunkings, they can start to smell a bit mildewy when the foam inside the pads get wet and doesn't dry in between hunts. I use hip mounts with all mine and wear them behind my back. I like taking all that weight off my swinging arm. I know many don't recommend it due to cable problems, but, so far, in over 10 years of using Excaliburs, I haven't had a cable problem. It's important to route the cables properly so they don't flex much or put a strain on the ends going into the pod. I zip tie mine so they don't flex by the pod, and keep enough slack on the coil cable to reduce any sharp bends while swinging. Good luck and have fun! Oh, and get some aftermarket knobs with allen set screws and small pointers (so you can just feel where the knob is pointed). The stock knobs suck. Just be easy on turning the knobs. Do it slowly and in the correct direction so you don't break the switch stop.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Very good recommendations. Cuda has some awesome recommendations there. I need to remind myself to come back to this thread prior to water season here. I'm itching to get out in the water right now, but the fresh water parks don't open for a while.

Who ever reads this, by all means go with a straight shaft, save your elbow and swing it all day long with zero pain.

Season is coming and I am so danged excited for the year... I'm going to hit Florida again this year - TH - I'll be wanting to hit the water with you my friend! Then there's St. Pete with Larry, Ft. Lauderdale with Pat, and I'm going to get motivated this year. My friends, don't ya'll think it's about time. I wanna get in the water and it's too cold up here right now!

Good things coming

 

[jadocs]

Very comprehensive tips by cuda thanks. It will come in handy. My wife just got me an Excal so I will be learning this machine very soon. I picked up a 3 piece Plugger carbon travel shaft in anticipation of its arrival (included his hip mount and knob protector). I really want to do that pinpoint mod too, but figure I should wait until the warranty runs out.

 

[dewcon4414]

use two fingers when moving knobs.... so you dont break a switch. Ensure there is always a rubber gasket on the male end going into the battery. Use silicone spray occasionally on the cable. Check the skid plate for wear...... if there is a lot..... get some loctite marine epoxy and put on it. Remove your knobs and replace the upper O rings every year or so and put silicone plumbers grease on them. visually check your tube for any signs of water after a hunt. If you use a high pressure water hose to clean..... put it on sprinkle NOT full pressure. Water can get by those O rings. Rinse off after EVERY hunt. Those ikelites are tight enough if finger tight...... anything tighter can cause the wires to crack from movement. I use tape around the top of the main tube to hold the headphone wire in place...... less movement at the ikelite. Those old blues batteries are only 700 mah.......if you notice you cant do more than 5 hours hunting....... get a Maxxpack 1600 mah battery and charger. They have a light and charge in a little over an hours. Your battery...... charge about an hour for each hour used. Inspect that cable to ensure there isnt the casing isnt cracking. Some of the blues had a problem when setting to long..... kind of dry rotted. As far as running it....... they are simple. They hate iron as you know so if its not a bottle cap or iron..... in the water you best check the target.

 

[cudamark]

The RNB batteries are even better. I got my latest one for an Excal Blue 1000 back in early January. I have yet to recharge it. I must have over 60 hours on it an it's still going strong! Simply amazing.

 

[jadocs]

Great info. What's the procedure for long term storage or if you don't use it for several months? Anything special you need to do with the battery? (Half charge, full charge, etc...)

 

[WaterWalker]

If you want to get a head start or if one is not with the detector you can download the Excal's instruction book from the www.minelab.com site.
Look for Knowledge Base, then Product manuals. Read before using the detector...

 

[cudamark]

Great info. What's the procedure for long term storage or if you don't use it for several months? Anything special you need to do with the battery? (Half charge, full charge, etc...)

Nothing needed for storing the rechargeable battery. I'd recharge it a day or two before you pull it out of storage though. I'd remove the alkaline batteries before storage.

 

[jadocs]

Thanks last question, do you guys disconnect the cable to the battery or just turn the detector off...or does it matter?

Thanks.