Whites MXT/MXT Pro for prospecting

[TravyLeigh]

Hey all, so I ordered the MXT Pro and 4x6" coil for prospecting up here in the gold country. I'll probably buy myself the GMT for Christmas also, just so that I can have both

I have always used the XLT, for coins and stuff, and love it, so I decided to stay faithful to Whites.

Do any of you folks have any tips/tricks or experience with the MXT? What's the smallest gold you've found on one? I ordered MXT EDGE, so that will be some good literature to tuck under my belt.

 

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[mouseman60]

I haven't found gold and like you i have an mxt pro. One thing i do know about finding gold, is that it tens to be around water or where water has been at one point, and in that case. You will need a d2 coil for wet water or a dd2 coil for around wet water.

 

[TravyLeigh]

I'll be using the 4x6 DD, I heard it'll handle high mineralization really well. And I think mine actually comes with the 10" d2

 

[meMiner]

A while back, I tried an XLT in prospector mode a few times with a small coil. It was unstable at those spots, because of the mineralization and pointed out every hot rock as a target. Perhaps, I was using it wrong, but I gave up on it. I tried an MXT in the same area with the same frustrating result. I have heard good things about the GMT and understand it is a great detector in the right area, as long as the mineralization does not overwhelm it. I hope your experience is better than mine. It probably depends greatly on the location.

 

[TravyLeigh]

I'm actually reading the book MXT edge, and other peoples experience with mxt in prospecting mode... It looks like the way they get around hot rocks is either; hyper sat and have it equalize the rock out, or ground balance ON a hot rock, lock your ground, turn the threshold up a little bit to hear the gold... Along with turning the gain down a little bit

 

[auferret]

I wish I had some tips for you. I have only been able to take mine out prospecting once soon after I got it. There's also some good info at The Very Unofficial White's MXT Metal Detector Users Support Homepage

 

[Steve Herschbach]

I have found over a pound of gold with my MXT, but that includes my 6.85 oz "Ugly Nugget". I know people who have done many pounds each with the MXT, all in tailing piles. I have a huge amount of information and tips at White's Electronics MXT Metal Detector

The MXT is a superb all around metal detector, one of the best ever built. And very easy to operate.

 

[TravyLeigh]

Thank you Steve! I've read lots of MXT reviews, and you seem to be very famous in the MXT world. What are the smallest nuggets you've found with your MXT, and how do you handle hot rocks? I think those are some of the questions most MXT users are curious about.

Thank you for chiming in!

 

[Steve Herschbach]

In prospect mode using ground tracking will help smooth hot rocks, as will lowering sensitivity and increasing SAT. You can also try and use ground tracking to find a middle setting between the ground and the hot rocks, then lock it in place. But usually I just go to relic mode and dial in just enough disc to make small nails go low tone. Most hot rocks will also go low tone. Just dig the high tones. If too many low tones get to you, put the trigger in the forward locked position and it will suppress the low tones and quiet the machine down.

If you are dealing with non-ferrous hot rocks like graphite slate, they usually have a similar VDI number, which you can note and ignore. It may cost you gold but you have to do what you have to do. If hot rocks and ground are bad enough, PI is the only real answer.

Jim McCullough is the hyperSAT guru. I admit to having not played around with that.

 

[TravyLeigh]

Thank you Steve! I'll have to test these things. How about MXT small nuggets? What's the smallest you've found with the MXT?

 

[Steve Herschbach]

I have never specifically chased small gold with the MXT as I would use a GMT or better yet a Gold Bug 2 for that. But with the shooter coil you should be able to get pieces down to a few grains with the MXT. I honestly do not remember what the smallest nugget is I ever found with an MXT. For some reason they are not as memorable as the largest ones!

On HyperSAT from the MXT Engineering Report:

"The VSAT system on the MXT is similar in a general way to the one on the GMT. The VSAT function is done entirely in software. Up to about 2/3 rotation, the SAT is of the conventional (first derivative or auto tune) kind, giving a "zip" sound on a nugget and a "boing" sound on a negative hot rock (cold rock).

As you approach maximum rotation, the MXT goes into "HyperSAT". HyperSAT is a completely different type of SAT system with different sounds and target responses. The background threshold sound is a little rattier, but nuggets are crisper, the ground is quieter, and negative hot rocks vanish when you slow down your sweep. For all but the most experienced users whose ears are calibrated to hear every little nuance of a regular SAT signal, HyperSAT gives more effective depth in bad ground than normal SAT."

Also, great post on the White's archive at
http://forums.whiteselectronics.com/archive/index.php/t-45571.html

 

[TravyLeigh]

Interesting! I'll try this stuff out next weekend. I'll be panning and crevicing this weekend

 

[TravyLeigh]

Okay! Just tried some air tests with the MXT all pro, and the small coil (4x6) and the 10" D2.

Wasn't really impressed, I guess I expected it to pick up smaller targets than what I tested.

.22 caliber pellet weighing 0.95 grams (14 grains) which I'd assume is a pretty good sized nugget... With max gain (doubt it will be maxed in the highly mineralized areas we like to find gold), and high SAT/hyper sat, I could clearly hear it at 1-2"... Assuming the hot rocks will be pretty hard to distinguish over faint target signals, I probably will miss anything under pencil eraser sized nuggets.

A dime I could pick up at around 4" pretty clearly.

The 10" coil had better depth on the dime, but worse sensitivity to the 14 grain pellet.

From the reviews I've read, it should be picking up match head sided gold... I don't think it could do that personally, unless it was less than an inch from the coil, and you had good ears.

Also I'm using nugget buster headphones

 

[Steve Herschbach]

Not in HyperSAT, you will not. You are trading sensitivity for ground handling. Try the lowest SAT setting if you are interested in the hottest setting.

 

[TravyLeigh]

I have a sand beach next to my house (bay area) so I might try it on the sand there, with a small fishing sinker. I did notice that relic mode responds kind of clearer than prospecting mode