Xlt e-series

shadowcat1971

Full Member
May 5, 2012
105
42
Northern MN
Detector(s) used
Whites XLT E series with sunray probe
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have an XLT e series that I bought brand new this spring, I have spent countless hours learning the machine, by both using it and reading everything I can possibly find about it, I must have at least 100 plus hrs in the field trying all sorts of different programs, I have the stock 950 coil, and a deep scan 600 coil. I have found prob $150 in clad and a few nice silver rings, and only 2 silver rosies, a few injuns, and a few other neat items. My question is all my finds are shallow, haven't found anything over 4-5 inches, I know I must be missing some deeper silver. Can anybody tell me what I'm doing wrong? I know the XLT is a good machine and I love it and hear of people out there going way deeper with their XLTs, I've tried a ton of different programs off the Internet and still can't find anything deep. I hunt a good share of old sites in northern MN, any help would be much appreciated!!
 

hello,your there, try and Barry a quarter at 10" and see if you pick that up I have mxt 2008 model it's older than yours and a different model but the power should be the same and mine will find a quarter at 10 " no problem what was the deepest you ever dug on a non coin target.
 

About 7 inches, I buried a silver dime 6" on a deep silver program in slightly mineralized soil and wouldn't pick it up, I could only pick up a quarter at 6". That's with the standard 9.5 inch coil. I can pick up stuff all day 0-4.5 " but nothin much deeper than that that's a coin. Kinda bummin me out, my Xlt should go deeper, I have even tried programs with less discrimination, bumping up pre-amp gain and ac sens, any more help appreciated!
 

sorry been away you mite have to send it in but then it will come back good as new and you will have your piece of mind back but first you need a back up detector so how is your budget can you a ford another one or wait till there's snow on the ground then send it in but it sound like it should be sent in.hope that helps liftloop
 

You just might not have any deep coins in MN. As the ground freezes and thaws coins move around some but hardly go deeper. It is usually derbies that settle to cover them up. Buried coins won't give a true test till they have been there a while. You could send it in for a check up and tell about the lack of depth so they know where your coming from.
 

Thanks for the advise! Think I'm gonna send it in anyways just to make sure nothings wrong!
 

shadowcat1971, Do send the detector in to White's along with both coils. No need to send in the battery pack or the shafts. Do call White's and get their permission to send the gear in. You will love the machine you get back!.......63bkpkr
 

63bkpkr, thanks for the info! Do you have an XLT? I'm just really frustrated! Dam near to the point of getting something else. Do you think it will help to send it in? I hope so! Thanks again
 

If there is ANYTHING wrong with the coils or the machine they will find it. I just have to believe there is something wrong with part of the system as you've done a buried coin test, yes it was a fresh bury so no corona effect, but you still should have been able to find it. I just reread your post, you bought it brand new this spring so the check/repair should not cost you a thing! Call Whites and talk with them, they Will be very good to you they might even pay for shipping & insurance in both directions.

I have an XLT Spectrum that I purchased brand new a long time ago and its likely I still do not have the hours on it that you do. I have the 950, the 600 and the 350 concentric snooper coil. IF everything goes well I intend to purchase the 4 x 6 shooter coil this fall. Why? I'm living back in the city and I plan to start using the machine likely in December during the plant shut down. And, I want to see the difference between the 350 and the 4 x 6 DD coils as if there is an edge, one coil is more useful in certain situations, then I'd like to be able to use that edge. Also, I sent my XLT in last year for a check up and a new mounting of the box to the shaft and they went through the entire thing and even updated it as it did not have a ground lead from the box to the circuit board. Sending it in was a good thing as I "know" it is good to go. I feel you need that assurance that the machine is everything it should be otherwise you will not be enjoying yourself, worse yet you will doubt the machine. I also sent my GMT back in as I managed to break a toggle switch. They fixed it and got it back to my really fast, the XLT did not take long for it to be back with me so the turn around service is worth it.

Were you using AA Alkaline Batteries or the rechargeable pack? You might want to switch to absolutely fresh AA's and try it but I doubt it is a battery problem.

Were it I in your shoes I would send it in for the peace of mind.

A little about me: I started out with a White's 6000 D Coinmaster in about 1976. Once I learned how to use it I was in heaven. Then it was stolen and I was without a detector till I purchased the original Fisher Gold Bug. Never found a piece of gold with it. Then I purchased the XLT ~ 1995 and used it some but just never got back into it as I was living in the country and the location just did not work for detecting. In 2007 I purchased the GMT as I was backpacking and wanted to try again to find gold. With only making a few trips into the hills each summer it took me till 2010 to find gold and I've found it every year since then. Not large quantities but finding any gold is a thrill. I sold the Fisher Gold Bug last year for $125.00. That's the way things go sometimes. I found Whites machines do find what we want to find and that once I've learned them I trust the dickens out of them. My 6000 D - I learned how to super tune it and would run it in all metal, I'd get a target, flip the switches, twist the knobs (all while waving the coil over the ground) and before I dug it I knew what was in the ground. It was amazing and I'm looking forward to the XLT doing the same only better. I purchased a second 6000 D from ebay just to have it to play with.

Okay, send yours in, get it back and go have fun! Please, let me know how it works when you get it back!! Thanks.....63bkpkr
 

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Thanks so much 63bkpr! I'm new to detecting and bought my XLT from a little store here in Grand Rapids Minn. It was a couple years old but still brand new. From the minute I turned it on I was obsessed with it trying to learn everything about it. I enjoy learning everything I can. I'm glad that you said sending it in will prob help, I'm just not confident that the machine is up to par, and yes I think I've done everything possible with it the time I've had it to try to improve the performance but haven't been able to, not to say I haven't found alot of stuff with it but nothing deep at all, and when I say deep I mean nothing over 4 inches, I have read that people find deeper things than that with the XLT, my ground tests pretty much prove that there is room to improve! Thanks again and I'm calling whites tomorrow, to get it sent in, detecting season is coming to an end here in the great northwoods! HH everyone!
 

Have you ever tried mixed mode in the relic program ?
 

Yes I have, still can't pick up anything that's somewhat repeatable? Over 4", and if I do dig any deeper signals that aren't that great, I get alot of false signals. Dig it and there's nothing there.
 

Shadowcat,
Why not make yourself a test garden just before winter sets in that way when spring comes it will have had some time to "season" in the ground. Leave a good 3' between targets as that will give you plenty of room to swing the coil and not hit two or more targets on every swing. The best of hunting to you..........63bkpkr
 

Thanks for the tip 63bkpkr! I need a good test garden anyways.
 

Yes I have, still can't pick up anything that's somewhat repeatable? Over 4", and if I do dig any deeper signals that aren't that great, I get alot of false signals. Dig it and there's nothing there.

Hi shadowcat1971

I have the XLT. Been detecting with it since 1996 and have found thousands of coins with it. Yeah, sometimes you can get false signals, what I call ghost signals. When scanning the ground and if you get a signal, rescan the area to see if it repeats. If it does, then dig it if it's a good signal. I've had ghost signals disappear when I've rescanned the target and sometimes they are still there but vanish when I go to dig it. It's weird. I have been detecting since 1978 with other detectors too. Had a BH RB7 once. Killer detector but very hard on batteries. A lot depends on how hot the ground is when detecting as to how deep the detector will go. Keep at it and try different settings. Try this program I found on the net. Blue Ridge Metal Detecting Club - Tips
 

I don't know if you have tried different swing speeds but it was my findings while using the XLT that I had to use a faster swing speed to get maximum depth. You might try again with a faster swing and see if that helps. Low and Slow was not the answer for me with the XLT or the Eagle Spectrum.
 

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