XP Deus = Silver Ring...Coin Spills...Old Token (video)

[TheHunterGT]

Thanks to Loco-Digger for letting me use his XP Deus for a few weeks. Wow what a detector. Still learning it with only about 20-25 hours on it and just barely borrowed the Andy book from a local guy who does not even have one...go figure. So all you 500-1000 hour guys go easy on me.

I'm a coin guy in a terrible iron and lead infested area eastern Colorado (according to USGS survey). Any tips would be rad as I probably won't get through all the book before deadline anyways.

Here are my settings and some things I've noticed....let me know of any red flags.

12khz is what I have been using mainly...according to manual it is a good choice for mineralized dirt like mine. 8khz does seem to be less chattery with the same settings...so been playing there as well.
2 reactivity (according to manual for mineralized dirt)
1-2 silencer (according to manual for mineralized dirt)
power at 1 (according to manual for mineralized dirt)...tried 2 and noticed no difference
sens 80-85 (anything more is chatteriffic)
disc 0-10
notch at roughly 0-89 depending on mood (hate zincs...rarely dig nickels although will be trying soon with this machine)



Landed a kids silver ring as my first find of the day....found tons of coins. Just this morning I hit every damn copper penny from 60-69...so I know it is working ok...just wondering if anything glaring I should NOT be doing with those settings.

Here is the video. Enjoy.

 

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[jadocs]

Great vid. That's a pretty good friend to lend you his machine like that

 

[vferrari]

Not bad settings for highly mineralized soil (hope you are verifying mineralization level with the the right side bargraph. Anything less than 1/2 to 1/3 height I would not consider highly mineralized.) For a chatty cathy machine due to mineralization, I would try adjusting the following in order of precedence: First always initialize/turn on the machine with the coil in the air and away from large metal objects such as vehicles. Then ensure you are optimally Ground Balanced and ground notch (different than audio notch) out hot rocks if necessary (see Andy's book on how to set this). Push GB slightly positive (3 to 4 units) if highly mineralized to reduce chatter (positive offset) before reducing sensitivity. Then reduce sensitivity as necessary trying not to go below 80 - 85 or so, if possible. Running TX power higher than 2 in highly mineralized soil is like high beams in fog, go to 1, if necessary to enable increasing sens. Finally, keep silencer at 0 if at all possible, you lose significant depth if set above 0 (many recommend -1, but Andy says 0 is a good tradeoff to reduce chattiness with minimal depth loss). I would only go to greater than 0 on silencer if necessary to reduce chattiness to avoid taking sensitivity below the 80's after setting Tx down. Also, changing reactivity does not technically reduce depth, but Rx =1 is faster than any machine out there recovery wise, so you might want to step it down from 2 unless your site is really trashy and you need the separation because lowering Rx could reduce noise. Careful about the Rx setting gotcha, if you do adjust Rx, you need to go back and readjust silencer because it will automatically go to the default setting associated wth that reactiviy setting which can be as high as silencer = 3 for Rx = 0 or 1 and sil = 2 for Rx= 2 or 3 (see Andy's book for all the Rx/Silencer defaults). Also check on silencer defaults for the preprogrammed modes. What # of tones are you using? Also, try out the pseudo all metal gold field program for a very different Deus XPerience (see what I did there?). Most of all, have fun and happy hunting. Good luck.

 

[jadocs]

Great post vferrari. I was outside for a few minutes testing my new XP out and couldn't figure out how to get rid of all the chatter I was hearing. I have ordered Andy's book and look forward to understanding this machine. I will try your tips tomorrow.

 

[TheHunterGT]

Great vid. That's a pretty good friend to lend you his machine like that

He is a great guy...sold me his Land Ranger Pro as well. If I'm ever in Ohio he never has to buy a beer.

Not bad settings for highly mineralized soil (hope you are verifying mineralization level with the the right side bargraph. Anything less than 1/2 to 1/3 height I would not consider highly mineralized.) For a chatty cathy machine due to mineralization, I would try adjusting the following in order of precedence: First always initialize/turn on the machine with the coil in the air and away from large metal objects such as vehicles. Then ensure you are optimally Ground Balanced and ground notch (different than audio notch) out hot rocks if necessary (see Andy's book on how to set this). Push GB slightly positive (3 to 4 units) if highly mineralized to reduce chatter (positive offset) before reducing sensitivity. Then reduce sensitivity as necessary trying not to go below 80 - 85 or so, if possible. Running TX power higher than 2 in highly mineralized soil is like high beams in fog, go to 1, if necessary to enable increasing sens. Finally, keep silencer at 0 if at all possible, you lose significant depth if set above 0 (many recommend -1, but Andy says 0 is a good tradeoff to reduce chattiness with minimal depth loss). I would only go to greater than 0 on silencer if necessary to reduce chattiness to avoid taking sensitivity below the 80's after setting Tx down. Also, changing reactivity does not technically reduce depth, but Rx =1 is faster than any machine out there recovery wise, so you might want to step it down from 2 unless your site is really trashy and you need the separation because lowering Rx could reduce noise. Careful about the Rx setting gotcha, if you do adjust Rx, you need to go back and readjust silencer because it will automatically go to the default setting associated wth that reactiviy setting which can be as high as silencer = 3 for Rx = 0 or 1 and sil = 2 for Rx= 2 or 3 (see Andy's book for all the Rx/Silencer defaults). Also check on silencer defaults for the preprogrammed modes. What # of tones are you using? Also, try out the pseudo all metal gold field program for a very different Deus XPerience (see what I did there?). Most of all, have fun and happy hunting. Good luck.

Thank you for taking time to reply vferrari....I appreciate your wisdom. The bar graph on the right side of the base screen shows everything from 1/4 to 3/4 full in a 75x75 foot area. Some areas being very quiet...others being quite chatty.

My GB is usually at 84-86 with the Deus if I use the pump method. If I push a little higher that is about the standard 90. Should I just stay at 90 like the manual says? Or go ahead and pump GB to 84-86 and then go up 3-4 no matter if it is 88-89 and so close to 90? I have noticed it is much less chatty at 90 than if I start the pumping GB cycle at get it GB'ed at 84-85-86. Bonkers that only 5-6 on the GB cause such chatter. I have not tried the GB notch yet but will give it a whirl. The manual was lacking on setting it up IMO.

Will keep TX power at 1...did not notice a chatter difference at TX 2 but I like the headlight analogy and trust your insight so 1 it will stay. This morning I had sens to 90 and all was well for a very large portion of the day. 85 seems to be the sweet spot so far.

Most of my sites are not terrible trashy other than the mineralization chatter. If I hold the coil in the air is goes away so not EMI....as soon as I sweep is when it starts up. I will reduce the reactivity from 2 to 1 as I agree the recovery speed is still amazing at 1. I know the manual says to take it to 2 and even to 3 for mineralized dirt. However it did not seem to take the chatter away at all when upped to 3. I did notice the silencer adjusts itself when I set the reactivity so glad you mentioned it as well and I am not crazy. 1 on reactivity and 0 on silencer it shall be.

As far as tones I have not played with the frequencies of the tones or anything. Since I notch so high I figure all I need is one beep. so I just place it in 4 or 5 tones since it gives me a high pitch tone I prefer over the middle tone the 2 or 3 tones setting gives me. I had it in full-tones as well but not sure if my high notch even does it justice so gave up on it. Figured full-tones is for guys who run low notch and disc and let their ears do the work. I prefer to let the detector do the work since it has the notch feature there. IDK...new school thinking I suppose. I do like the "pitch" tone...reminds me of the VCO tone of First Texas machines I am used to. So ran that a bit as well. If I was hunting nickels I'd definitely add a tone for that notch in.

One thing I can say...is even with the chatter I can tell a target right away. Even the 6-7 inch ones (a miracle in my soil) come in nice a clear compared to the chatter. So that is a bonus. Just like it a tad quieter to stop the brain fatigue.

Thanks again for the insight and information.

 

[jadocs]

Great info again. Please keep the tips and what you have learned coming. This is definitely speeding up my learning process!

 

[Loco-Digger]

Nice video HunterGT. I liked all your reviews and wanted to see what you could do with the Deus. Heck you are teaching me a thing or two already. I simply set it up the way Eastcoasthunter21 recommended and went out hunting with it a couple of times. I am looking forward to your future videos, especially the ones on the Deus.

 

[TheHunterGT]

Thanks Loco I appreciate the kind words. First thing I did was look at each stock program then create my own tweaked from there. Read about every "Deus XP and coins" and "Deus XP in bad soil" post on every forum. I'll leave the programs on there for you to check out. One for coins...one for coins in trash...one for relics etc etc.

Stock programs probably do just as well....but I notice most of them are low disc and notch...not something I am fond of. The stock Basic 1 program is quite nice actually...very stable and pretty deep from preliminary tests.

Nobody wants stock settings on a XP though. You buy it to fiddle with it half the hunt and actually detect the other half. I love AND hate that aspect of it. A fun detector one minute...a time consumer the next.

 

[HighPlainsHunter]

I'm sure you have watched all of these, but thought I would post the link in case anyone else hasn't. Very good explanations on Reactivity, Silencer, etc...

XP Deus Wireless Metal Detector Videos | XP Metal Detectors Americas

 

[vferrari]

GT,

Regarding the ground balance readings, adjust the the GB to lower the noise level as necessary. There is no hard and fast rule regarding how far above the actual ground reading you should bias the offset in mineralized soil, it is more of a "feel" thing balancing/trading off lowering of the noise against the incremental loss in depth detection (but if you cannot hear the deep targets through all the chatter, whats the point in "going deep"?). So don't get overly scientific about it. It sounds like you are doing things about right by keeping it around 90 if ground conductivity is fairly steady. Yes, you definitely have mineralized soil based on those bargraph readings. Also, I know your are not a "gold" guy OR a sound guy, but by notching so high you may miss something you actually want if you are strictly going by VDI and notching out anything that is definitely not copper or silver. The machine is definitely a sound machine AND a VDI machine at its most capable. I rely on sound and the VDI to tell me about the target - pull tabs, small gold rings, and nickels all ring up about the same on the beach where I do most of my hunting, though I scoop them all, I can pretty much guess what I am about to scoop based on the subtle differences in how they sound. Also, on dirt, I am mostly a relic digger but love coin shooting. I had a notched coin shooting program and a non-notched relic hunting program which were otherwise very similar except for the notch and the disc settings. As I have gotten to know the sounds the deus is telling me, I no longer audio notch (except for iron wraparound at 97-99) and rely on the sounds, including discriminated iron audio. Liked your vid especially because it reminded me about X-Y mode, which I am going to try next time out and keep plugging away with the Deus (pun intended).

 

[Tedyoh]

Careful with the X/Y screen - toss a piece of iron next to the coin and the line will be jumbled - you probably had iron or junk close to that quarter in your X/Y demo....point being don't let the line be your "dig / no dig" decision maker.

The Deus is a copper magnet for some reason, found at least a hundred the ATP missed on my "pounded" sites.

 

[Deft Tones]

She does hit hard on copper, no doubt about that.

I'm suprised 18khz isn't best for your soil. Near Windsor I was running tests and the mineralization bar was near if not max everywhere on the property. The 18 hit hardest on a .22 case at 5" and on 4khz I'd not have dug. Kind of a sliding scale on that particular target.

The tracking is pretty good, so perhaps try it if conditions allow.

 

[vferrari]

She does hit hard on copper, no doubt about that.

I'm suprised 18khz isn't best for your soil. Near Windsor I was running tests and the mineralization bar was near if not max everywhere on the property. The 18 hit hardest on a .22 case at 5" and on 4khz I'd not have dug. Kind of a sliding scale on that particular target.

The tracking is pretty good, so perhaps try it if conditions allow.

I would normally recommend tracking except for the fact that it is advantageos to go with the positive offset in mineralized conditions to reduce chatter. I am not sure you can do that while tracking unless that is a feature I am not aware of (i.e., you would lose the advantage of tracking by having to constantly readjust the offset every time the gb setting changed). I may be wrong, but I thought that was something that was going to be provided in the Version 4 software update (i.e tracking with offset).

 

[CZconnoisseur]

I've been using 4khz for a long time and actually prefer it over 12 or 18khz. I live in the Springs, where the ground is actually not too bad for mineralization, but Pueblo is far worse - sometimes I have trouble seeing 5-6" deep coins there. 12khz will be more sensitive to nickels, but there won't be much difference with copper and silver coins between 4 and 12 kHz.

Occasionally 4khz will pick up lots of EMI, I guess it just depends on where you hunt. Good luck on future hunts!

 

[vferrari]

I've been using 4khz for a long time and actually prefer it over 12 or 18khz. I live in the Springs, where the ground is actually not too bad for mineralization, but Pueblo is far worse - sometimes I have trouble seeing 5-6" deep coins there. 12khz will be more sensitive to nickels, but there won't be much difference with copper and silver coins between 4 and 12 kHz.

Occasionally 4khz will pick up lots of EMI, I guess it just depends on where you hunt. Good luck on future hunts!

CZ good point. I did not discuss operating frequency. Not sure there is a hard and fast rule other than trial and error since you are talking random EMi, but I do know that 18Khz will provide higher resolution on small targets (e.g., small gold). But 18 khz may be attenuated more by ground effects including mineralization than the lower frequencies because that is just radio physics so, in theory, the lower frequencies should provide more ground penetration and depth. What I don't have a feel for is how pronounced the attenuation effect is between 4 khz and 18 khz (I am thinking, not much if any). Bottom line, however, is one should vary frequency to eliminate potential sources of frequency specific EMI chatter. A couple of gotcha's as far as that is concerned (I don't have the book in front of me so I may get this wrong so those who know better please correct as necessary). You also have the option to do a frequency offset from a given base frequency (e.g., I am making the specific numbers up but say 17.7 khz or 18.25 khz around 18 khz), rather than changing to a completely different operating frequency such as 12, 8 or 4 khz. While that sounds attractive, the coil is optimally tuned for the various default frequencies so you may lose some performance, also if you are operating on an offset frequency, then TX power is locked at 2, I believe. Also, you cannot do frequency offset on 4 khz, I believe. Those who know better correct me if I am wrong. But definitely, vary frequency as necessary to eliminate noise.

 

[TheHunterGT]

I'm sure you have watched all of these, but thought I would post the link in case anyone else hasn't. Very good explanations on Reactivity, Silencer, etc...

XP Deus Wireless Metal Detector Videos | XP Metal Detectors Americas

Yes I did watch them. Great quick videos for anybody new to it. Thank you.

GT,

Regarding the ground balance readings, adjust the the GB to lower the noise level as necessary. There is no hard and fast rule regarding how far above the actual ground reading you should bias the offset in mineralized soil, it is more of a "feel" thing balancing/trading off lowering of the noise against the incremental loss in depth detection (but if you cannot hear the deep targets through all the chatter, whats the point in "going deep"?). So don't get overly scientific about it. It sounds like you are doing things about right by keeping it around 90 if ground conductivity is fairly steady. Yes, you definitely have mineralized soil based on those bargraph readings. Also, I know your are not a "gold" guy OR a sound guy, but by notching so high you may miss something you actually want if you are strictly going by VDI and notching out anything that is definitely not copper or silver. The machine is definitely a sound machine AND a VDI machine at its most capable. I rely on sound and the VDI to tell me about the target - pull tabs, small gold rings, and nickels all ring up about the same on the beach where I do most of my hunting, though I scoop them all, I can pretty much guess what I am about to scoop based on the subtle differences in how they sound. Also, on dirt, I am mostly a relic digger but love coin shooting. I had a notched coin shooting program and a non-notched relic hunting program which were otherwise very similar except for the notch and the disc settings. As I have gotten to know the sounds the deus is telling me, I no longer audio notch (except for iron wraparound at 97-99) and rely on the sounds, including discriminated iron audio. Liked your vid especially because it reminded me about X-Y mode, which I am going to try next time out and keep plugging away with the Deus (pun intended).

The more I play with a machine the more I delve into the gold range. Somedays I'll even set myself a "dig it all" goal of 40 targets until my brain about cracks in half. Then back to coins. I am definitely used to the First Texas sounds. My Land Ranger Pro tones were identical to my wifes digital Gold Bug (non-Pro)...both being FT products. My guess is that since I only have the Deus for another 1.5 weeks I will never really have the chance to learn the full-tones setup and master it. Just not enough hours. I am however learning the cracks and pops on the edge, middle, end of a target...that is helping me alot and not something I had really heard so clearly on any other machine. I can see how guys could swear by audio only on the Deus. A ton of nuances there.

Careful with the X/Y screen - toss a piece of iron next to the coin and the line will be jumbled - you probably had iron or junk close to that quarter in your X/Y demo....point being don't let the line be your "dig / no dig" decision maker.

The Deus is a copper magnet for some reason, found at least a hundred the ATP missed on my "pounded" sites.

Agreed 100% and thanks for the confirmation on my gut feeling. It had me fooled in BOTH directions more than once. Could have swore a coin was trash...and vice versa. I do find it very useful however and wish there was a way to switch back and forth from it and the horseshoe screen instantly.

She does hit hard on copper, no doubt about that.

I'm suprised 18khz isn't best for your soil. Near Windsor I was running tests and the mineralization bar was near if not max everywhere on the property. The 18 hit hardest on a .22 case at 5" and on 4khz I'd not have dug. Kind of a sliding scale on that particular target.

The tracking is pretty good, so perhaps try it if conditions allow.

I am amazed at how many coppers this things nabbed me in such a short amount of time. Quarters too...loves em.

My wifes Gold Bug is 18khz...so probably why I am trying the other 3 frequencies first....idk. I plan on doing full hunts in each frequency to see how each works and what sorts of avg depth I'm digging. When I tried the tracking briefly today I was not a fan. The chatter was even worse at the park I hit today than when I tried tracking at the school.

I've been using 4khz for a long time and actually prefer it over 12 or 18khz. I live in the Springs, where the ground is actually not too bad for mineralization, but Pueblo is far worse - sometimes I have trouble seeing 5-6" deep coins there. 12khz will be more sensitive to nickels, but there won't be much difference with copper and silver coins between 4 and 12 kHz.

Occasionally 4khz will pick up lots of EMI, I guess it just depends on where you hunt. Good luck on future hunts!

That is how it is here...I live an hour east of Pueblo and the USGS chart shows terrible conditions for my area. Even worse than some areas of the mineral belt near Cripple Creek area...not sure how that is possible but that is what the chart says. Here in my back yard dirt in La Junta...I am lucky to get a quarter at 5-6 inches in AM mode...disc modes can kiss it goodbye. 11DD on my wifes Gold Bug is the only detector I have tried that touches a 6 inch quarter in my back yard. When people say they get 10 inches on quarters in AM mode and 8 in disc with the same detectors....it makes me want to cry.

I plan on trying 4 and 8khz much more...even 18. Most has been 12khz so far...that is for sure. Thanks for the info CZ.

CZ good point. I did not discuss operating frequency. Not sure there is a hard and fast rule other than trial and error since you are talking random EMi, but I do know that 18Khz will provide higher resolution on small targets (e.g., small gold). But 18 khz may be attenuated more by ground effects including mineralization than the lower frequencies because that is just radio physics so, in theory, the lower frequencies should provide more ground penetration and depth. What I don't have a feel for is how pronounced the attenuation effect is between 4 khz and 18 khz (I am thinking, not much if any). Bottom line, however, is one should vary frequency to eliminate potential sources of frequency specific EMI chatter. A couple of gotcha's as far as that is concerned (I don't have the book in front of me so I may get this wrong so those who know better please correct as necessary). You also have the option to do a frequency offset from a given base frequency (e.g., I am making the specific numbers up but say 17.7 khz or 18.25 khz around 18 khz), rather than changing to a completely different operating frequency such as 12, 8 or 4 khz. While that sounds attractive, the coil is optimally tuned for the various default frequencies so you may lose some performance, also if you are operating on an offset frequency, then TX power is locked at 2, I believe. Also, you cannot do frequency offset on 4 khz, I believe. Those who know better correct me if I am wrong. But definitely, vary frequency as necessary to eliminate noise.

I know my wifes 18khz Gold Bug finds the tiniest bits when we go relic hunting. Bird shot small stuff all day long. My Land Ranger Pro at 7.69 khz could hit small stuff too....but nothing like the depth her Gold Bug can.

If it is smaller than a dime I'm just not interested (unless relic hunting or prospecting obviously). Gotta have me my coppers! And silvers..but since I rarely find those I settle for wheaties. They make me smile...so whatever.

I'll def try the 18khz...but I am going to assume it will take alot more fiddling to conquer the chatter. Switching from 12 to 8 did help in a few spots at that school.

Thanks again to all of you for the help. Trying to cram as much info in as possible before I send it back to Loco. Very helpful. I keep going back an forth on if I want to just buy one already or not. $1200 is alot....but I'm afraid after using it I'm spoiled now. Thanks Loco! LMAO...I'll let my wife know you are responsible.

 

[Loco-Digger]

I still am rooting for you to dig a silver coin with the XP Deus. I mean a silver ring as your 1st target has got to be a good omen ... right? As much as you like to detect, you might as well pull the trigger on one. No sense in half stepping, The detector is very adjustable and it appears to be addicting when I sue you moving around the menu. The set-up I was running, was used to go back over permissions that I had previously hunted with the F75 LTD SE. It is a deep sensitive setup for Ohio.

It's been way to dry to even think of hunting permissions, so I have been using the Aquanaut and getting into the water and on the beaches along lake Erie. My only other option is to hunt in the woods where a few farms once were. I'd rather do that in the fall and winter, when the ticks aren't a danger and the undergrowth subsides. If you think the Deus is chatty, it falses far less than my F75, but I'm used to it and stay focused on where I am swinging the coil.

I hope your get the wife the 9 x 11 DD coil. Man she will kill you in the finds dept. if she gets that coil. She will be able to cover much more ground as she already beats you only using a sniper coil.

 

[TheHunterGT]

I still am rooting for you to dig a silver coin with the XP Deus. I mean a silver ring as your 1st target has got to be a good omen ... right? As much as you like to detect, you might as well pull the trigger on one. No sense in half stepping, The detector is very adjustable and it appears to be addicting when I sue you moving around the menu. The set-up I was running, was used to go back over permissions that I had previously hunted with the F75 LTD SE. It is a deep sensitive setup for Ohio.

It's been way to dry to even think of hunting permissions, so I have been using the Aquanaut and getting into the water and on the beaches along lake Erie. My only other option is to hunt in the woods where a few farms once were. I'd rather do that in the fall and winter, when the ticks aren't a danger and the undergrowth subsides. If you think the Deus is chatty, it falses far less than my F75, but I'm used to it and stay focused on where I am swinging the coil.

I hope your get the wife the 9 x 11 DD coil. Man she will kill you in the finds dept. if she gets that coil. She will be able to cover much more ground as she already beats you only using a sniper coil.

I am going to dig a silver tomorrow! Going to an old school in the morning and then and old school elsewhere in the evening. Going to bust out 2 relic hunts on Sat/Sun then get it out Monday morning 2-3 day air.

Been crazy dry here...until just the last couple days. Bad electrical storms that have kept me indoors more than I want.

The $1200 price tag is the only thing keeping me from it. Stepping from the $799 headphone version would be ok...but after using the LCD controller I would feel cheated lol

Pretty sure I am going to give the T2 a whirl...or even the new standard F75 for $599 they are selling. Seems like a hell of a deal.

Let's not talk about the wife. She found a 62 Rosie yesterday...on the damn surface! I swept the Deus all around the area for like 3 hours and of course just clad for me. Ridiculous I tell ya! Still undecided what coil we will get...but we want a NEL Hunter or Sharpshooter. Even been looking at MARS coils.

 

[vferrari]

Hmm. That rosie sounds suspicious. Does it look like one she already had in her collection? Lol


Be advised that one advantage of the F75 vs. the T2 is the F75 can accept both DD and coaxial/concentric coils, while the T2 can only accept DD coils. I opted for the LTD model which included an awesome 5" sokid round DD coil in addition to the 11" DD.

 

[TheHunterGT]

If my son didn't watch her pick it up I might question her! lol

From what I hear the F75 might be a little more accurate ID wise on coins as well? I absolutely prefer coins over relic hunting....so might be the better choice for me.

IDK...if I'm going to spend $499 on a T2.....I might as well spend $599 the F75. And if that is the case...I might as well save another $200 and get the WS4 setup for $799 and work up to the LCD.

Loco-Digger would probably be kind enough to send the LCD back to me for a couple days so I could load programs into the headphones....then I'd be set.