Whites TDI SL quick set up question.

[Relichunter1]

I have the opportunity to try the Whites TDI SL in the next few days. Has anyone got a good pointer on settings to hunt small gold nuggets. I don't want to hear the negatives...I have a number of detectors and have been using a ML 4500 ...but I do like to try out different detectors now and than. I also know that experienced hands on any machine make the difference in success, rather than the price paid for a detector...that said I also understand their is no comparison to a Whites TDI and a Minelab. That being said, I do believe this machine has its place in the gold fields. So.....if you use the TDI SL give me a few pointers...on the frequency knob and the ground balance knob....everything else looks fairly simple. Thanks and all opinions welcome..

R.H.

 

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[Johnnoh]

I use mine mostly for relic hunting as there's not much gold around here. There is a pretty good field guide floating around that might help you. I used it as a reference sometimes if I use the TDI for coin shooting. I'll see if I can post it here (once I find it).

 

[Relichunter1]

Johnnoh,

Thanks for the reply...I have been playing around with it in the front yard...had some targets laying on the ground and was making the adjustments. Looks pretty simple, its just the ground balance and frequency settings I am curious about. I am used to ground balancing Whites Vsat detectors and at present I am very comfortable with Minelab. But what I have read is, not to teat it like a Minelab and a Vlf. I did notice that swing speed should be slow for best target response, and there is a difference in tone when set in, High, Low or All on conductivity toggle switch. I am taking it out today and play around with it, as this is the best way to learn the machine. If you come up with the manual, I appreciate you posting it or the link..thanks again !

 

[Johnnoh]

Here it is . . .

http://www.whiteselectronics.com/media/downloadable/files/samples/t/d/tdi_field_manual.pdf

 

[Relichunter1]

Thanks Johnoh,


I took it out the other day to do some nuggethunting and found the tdi sl a capable machine and did very well with mineralized soil. it produced a constant smooth threshold, suppose its the filter system, its superb! The detector is extremely light also. I also tried a number of after market coils like the Detech elliptical and it worked flawlessly...the only thing is, I am not so confident how well it picks up on small tiny gold....being a PI..the tdi sl does well with nuggets half a gram or more. A good VLF lets say a gmt...would have no problem picking up the bits 2-3 grains in size.I also think its a good coin and relic machine....overall ...I found this TDI SL a good machine for the money, especially how well it handles hot ground ! Thanks for the link !

Relichunter

 

[Johnnoh]

I never hunt tot lots, but last year when I was learning the TDI it was much easier digging all targets in the wood chips. I was amazed at the tiny pieces of iron that made the TDI scream. The pieces were so small that I was having trouble seeing them! I didn't know it then, but you can actually balance out small iron (and nickels unfortunately). The TDI can see these targets as part of the ground. With practice, the TDI is a really competent coin shooter - super sweet on silver. My main problem is that when I'm using it, I'm missing my V3i. I guess I just stick to relic hunting with it. HH.

 

[TabWhisperer]

The TDI SL can be an awesome coin machine. I never considered using a PI for coins until I ran into Reg Sniff. Reg knows those machines. Like Johnnoh said it will skip nickels but can pull silver and copper out of areas you thought were cleaned out. It can see past nails and foil. Set the Target Conductivity switch to High, set the ground balance around 3-5, gain mid range. pulse 10, threshold where you can barely hear it. If the site doesn't have many nails crank the ground up a bit to get a little more depth. If you have a hit at ground balance 9 and are not sure, turn to 3. If the target disappears it's a nail, still beeps and it's probably a good target. Check your targets from two angles. Nails will tend to have a double beep lengthwise. They may overload when the coil is near the ground but you will quickly lost the target as you raise the coil a few inches. Coins will continue to give you that nice round sound. Consider a RNB HP2900 battery that can give you a good day of hunting without losing performance.