Problem with my Excal 2...help from the pros needed!

[twistidd]

So I headed over to the beach today to break in my Excal 2, which I've had since December but haven't been able to use til today. I got to the beach and turned the machine on the way everyone suggested, and began sweeping the dry sand toward the water (freshwater). I noticed that it was very quiet, a little too quiet. I know that this beach is trashy because I used to hit it with the Ace 250 all the time. To be sure, I swept the coil past the sand scoop at the end of its pole, and it blared out loudly and wouldn't go away! The noise was piercing my ears, so I turned the machine off and back on again. Right away, that really loud blaring again. Off and on again, and again, and again. I played with the settings, sensitivity, everything, even the volume at its lowest, and all I was getting was this piercing blaring noise. Frustrated, I went back to the car and went home. What makes this even more frustrating is that it took an hour to get to the beach, about thirty minutes to find parking, and a half mile walk to the beach and back to the car afterward.

The only thing I can think of is that I charged the battery about a week ago. Did I wait too long to detect after charging the battery? I really don't want to charge the battery only before detecting because I'll be detecting on a whim a lot this summer. This was in fact the first time I've used this machine outdoors in its natural habitat. And how do you Excal guys know when the battery is too low? I'm wondering if the Excal was trying to tell me that. I REALLY don't feel like sending this back.

Please, if any of you guys have any suggestions, feel free to share them with this Minelab newbie. I'd like to get out in the next two weeks if possible. Thanks.

Joe

 

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[Dixie Digger]

1st thing id do is recharge the battery 16 hrs...they omit a loud squeel when low,,,.also make sure the little rubber gasket in the batt pod conection is clean (i wipe mine clean and apply light silicone grease to it)...other than that it sounds like a broke coil wire? good luck.DD

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Get the backup AA battery pack. You can't beat it and you can always use it if you decide to go on a last minute whim..............

 

[OD_hunt]

Hey TH we meet again

BTW, I placed my order for the Excal 1000 at a good price (The exitement....) I'm curious about the battery thing: It seems like spare packs are available. The 1000 apparently uses a NiCD pack. What are my options for a spare? Do I need a spare?? The alkaline pack as mentioned in this topic is in my mind not rechargeable right? That means you should be able to insert new batteries into a water-tight 'module.' Does this 'module' slide into the little pod behind the machine shaft? Or do the new AA alkalines go directly into the little pod behind the MD's shaft?

Thanks
OD

 

[Hardtack1862]

The battery thing. Well with the Excalibur ll you get as standard the NiMH pod. You have two options, you can purchase another NiMH pod which is what I did, or purchase the Alkaline Battery pod. You have to consider if you want to dive, because the Alkaline pod is only good for beach and shallow water hunting only, it is only water resistant, NOT water proof to 200 ft. The NiMH pod is a waterproof unit for up to 200 ft.

The Alkaline pod takes 8 AA batteries and is lower priced. It is designed to be taken apart, and for that reason, makes it only water resistant. The NiMH pod is a factory sealed unit and for this reason makes it waterproof for up to 200ft. When purchasing the NiMH pod you have to make sure you get the one for your unit. The Excalibur ll is different than the Excalibur of previous year models. If your are thinking of installing rechargeable NiMH batteries in the Alkaline pod, they won't supply the sufficient voltage needed for Excalibur because each battery is only 1.2 volts each. Alkaline AA batteries are 1.5 volts each.

So this the battery thing with the Excalibur, so you have a couple of options to think about. Hope this helps.

Hardtack1862