Testing The XP Deus2 11" - Inland Hunting : Field Tests , Depth Tests Etc

[palzynski]

First thanks to the Chateau Numis MD shop ( France )  https://www.metaux-detection.fr/fr/ for the Deus2 loan ( I have it for 3 weeks testing 🙂 )

 

MY DETECTING CONDITIONS : 
EUROPE ( FRANCE ) , COIN HUNTING , INLAND , LOW TO MEDIUM MINERALIZED SOIL , MEDIUM TO HIGH IRON TRASH

 

1) TESTING THE P1 "GENERAL"  MODE:
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I did a first outing yesterday evening with the Deus2 11" in a field where I have a permission and where I have tested a Quest Q30 2 weeks ago .  The soil is moderately mineralized with quite a lot of iron trash ; old nails , 1st WW shell fragments etc ...  I spent only one hour in the field as the night was coming and it was getting colder , but that was enough to have a first feeling of the machine .

I decided to focus on the GENERAL nr1 mode . I first changed the audio from PWM to SQUARE , because for me the SQUARE audio is one of the main and most interesting differences between the D2 and the D1 . I have immediately been impressed by this new SQUARE audio with its fast and crystal signals on targets . I like this audio . I also changed the multitone from 3 to 5 tones to have more info about the targets IDs .

I used the RC loudspeaker with the RC in my pocket to save weight . I dont need to permanently watch the screen as all conductivities can be an interesting target over here ... BTW It took me a little time to get used to the RC interface , as it was new for me but it is ok now ...

I have found a lot of targets , including an old 1774 Prussian silver coin, a brass hook and a buckle .  This coin has probably been lost by a Prussian soldier on 1814 during the Napoleon war when the Alliance ( Prussia , GB , Russia ) invaded France ... A very nice historical find btw .. 🙂

Long story short , the Deus2 has been very efficient in the field , even with this large 11" coil .  Usually I prefer to use smaller coils in open fields but the 11" did a very good job .  Without any EMI , always very stable ...

Actually this single GENERAL mode with the SQUARE mode is exactly what I was expecting from the Deus2 and I am already happy with this , knowing that I am just starting to test the machine and there are perhaps even more performing modes 🙂 🙂  ...

 

A few pics below :

The testing area :

The 1st coin found with the D2 :

 

IT is a  1774 Prussian silver coin ... unfortunately corroded :

A buckle :

A bronze hook :

 

And the trash ....  :

[NCtoad]

Very nice!   Congrats on getting out with your new deus2 and having success with it right off the bat!   

[abenson]

Nice first hunt. It always helps to finds some good stuff to boost the confidence with a new machine.

[CPT_GhostLight]

Very nice finds! You have such great history over there and it looks like the D2 will help you find much more of it. Well done!

[palzynski]

2) TESTING THE BH01 BONE CONDUCTION HEADPHONES :
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I did a 2nd outing yesterday evening with the D2 11" . Same area as the 1st one . I was curious to see how the BH01 would behave in the field . I thought that they have been designed to be only used underwater , but I was wrong and I discovered during this test that they work perfectly when inland hunting ... 

During this outing I had the D2 RC ( remote control ) in my jacket pocket , with the BH01 cable connected to rear of the RC. Actually I was surprised by the excellent sound quality provided by these headphones . They leave the ears free . And they are cumfortable too .. 🙂 🙂

I did not change my D2 settings I used the GENERAL nr1 factory mode just changing from 3 to  5 tones and from PWM to SQUARE audio .

After this second outing I confirm that this SQUARE audio is really excellent , very reactive and accurate on targets . I will probably use it permanently in the future with my D2 , this rather to the historical PWM Deus1 audio ... However may be the PWM will be more efficient in specific situations like nail beds , I need to check this ...

As this outing was short I did not find a lot of things , just a nice 1st WW French soldier button and the usual trash ...

Concerning the downsides , the only that I dont like on the D2 is the rod which is a little too short for me . I definitely need to order the optional longer mid-shaft which has been designed for tall guys like me .. 🙂

Apart from that the D2 electronics/ergonomy are perfect from what I have seen up to now .  

The D2 seems to be the best machine I have used/tested since 1998 btw ... And I am very impressed by what they ve done at XPs with this detector... 🙂 👍

 

A few pics :

The BH01 bone conduction headphones connected to the rear of the RC :

A beautiful sunset :

The RC inside its hipmount case :

The BH01 headphones in action ... :

A 1st WW aluminium French button :

 

[Ogliuga]

Nice reading with a particularly beautiful second photo. Thanks

[palzynski]

3) TESTING THE P2 - SENSITIVE MODE :
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In the field again yesterday evening at around 6PM ... Same area as before .  This time I decided to leave the RC in my jacket pocket with the RC speaker ON.  As I previously said I only detect by hear and I only use the RC for changing settings . I set the P2 SENSITIVE factory mode . But after a few minutes  I changed to SQUARE audio that I definitely prefer to the PWM ( Deus1 like ) factory audio . Also I changed the multitone from 3 to 5 .

The SENSITIVE mode is faster than the GENERAL mode . Apart from that I did not see much differences between them. However I was detecting in a medium iron trash area and perhaps I would have seen more differences on a nail bed  ... Anyway I like this SENSITIVE mode and it performed very well during this outing . 🙂

Btw I have also used the new Quest Xpointer Mmax pinpointer during this outing . It has been very helpful because it is sometimes tricky to locate targets with this big 11" coil.  Btw I am currently testing this pinpointer , I will create a dedicated thread about it soon ...

Long story short I found a nice bronze medieval hook and at the end of the outing a nice revolution coin dating from 1797 ✌️ 🙂.   Actually I was in the dark when I dug it , I knew that the target was off the hole but could not see it and I had to use the pinpointer to eventually locate it ..

This was a nice outing again with the Deus2 . I definitely like++ this detector  👍 👍,  especially with these SQUARE tones and I will order it with the 9" coil as soon as I have a good deal on it ...

The Deus2 P2 SENSITIVE mode :

A nice medieval bronze relic :

 

Looking for the target somewhere on the surface ,I cant see it because the sun is gone and I am in the dark ...hopefully I have my pinpointer ...

 

It is a coin ... :

 

5 CENTIMES AN8 BB ( 1797 Strasbourg Mint )

[Ogliuga]

Sensitive is my favourite program. I have my own program which is based on prog.2 but with pitch tone and variable reactivity depending on the iron in the field. Sensitive prog is good on mineralized soils as well. Prog 3, Sensi FT, would be my favourite because of full tones but full tones on mineralized soils are not as performing as prog 2. Crotal bell is really nice!

[palzynski]

4) DEPTH TESTS WITH THE DEUS2 11"   :
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Large coils like 11" coils are usually used for hunting relatively big targets at depth ( big coins for example ) , this in clean soils ( low/medium iron trash ) because of their important iron masking . While smaller coins like 9" coils are rather used for hunting shallower and smaller targets in iron trashed areas .

Depth bed tests are very interesting because they give a very good and idea of a coil depth performance .  They are also allow very helpful to find the best detector settings for depths as those tests are done at home and are easily reproductible . They are usually very reliable I use them since several years now ...

I use plastic boxes filled with ground with a target ( a coin ) set down just under the middle of the box , see pics below. The ground thickness is chosen so that the target is at the depth limit for a VLF machine whatever the brand . My ground is moderately mineralized it displays 79 after a ground balance with the Deus2. Notice that the results could be totally different with a high mineralized soil ...

For the Deus2 11" I have done 2 different tests :

A) A coin ( copper 10g ) at 12" ( 30cm ) depth test  

B) A small coin ( bronze 2g ) at 6" ( 15cm ) depth test  

For either the big or small coin test I have tested the following Deus2 factory modes :

- P1 GENERAL
- P2 SENSITIVE
- P3 SENSITIVE FT
- P4 FAST
- P5 PARK
- P6 DEEP HC
- P9 RELIC

The challenge was of course to find the deepest mode of the Deus2 on these 2 coins  ... 
I have also compared the Deus2 11" results with my 2 other machines , a Quest Q30+ and a Deus1 HF 9X6

AND THE WINNER IS  ...:

1ST - P9 RELIC :
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( Updated on March 5th - IAR disc  )

 The RELIC mode is the most powerful Deus2 mode , it is around 15% deeper than the other modes on the bed tests , either on the big coin at 12" or on the small one at 6".

However the RELIC factory mode has no iron disc audio , it is an almost all metal audio . There is an IAR discri setting ( from 0 to 5 ) but I noticed a depth loss when it is activated .

Notice that the targets VDIs are correct and accurate as long as the target is not too deep ( not too close to its max detection depth ) .  For example the VDI is accurate up to say 13" on the 10g coin test  , beyond 13" the VDIs swap to negative ( iron ) numbers  

This RELIC mode looks interesting , however I have to check how it behaves in the field  ... . If it works well , it could be used for hunting deep targets (coins or other) missed by other detectors ...

2ND - P6 DEEP HC :
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 This mode is the deepest mode featuring a very reliable iron discrimination .  A little deeper than the GENERAL and PARK modes  ( 2 cms more on the 10g-12" coin test )... 👍

3RD - P1 GENERAL and P5 PARK :
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 These 2 modes detect the big coin at 11" with a faint but clean and accurate signal . A very good result similar to the ML Equinox 800 11" or Vanquish 540 V12. 🙂 👍

   The small coin is detected at 6" with a quite clean signal which is an excellent result. The Deus2 seems to be very sensible to small targets . 👍

   Increasing the audio response gives a stronger signal , but it might be tricky to use in the field ,  to be confirmed in the field ...   
 

4TH -  P2 SENSITIVE , P3 SENSITIVE FT and P4 FAST :
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   These 3 modes are less performing than the above modes for depth. Probably because they have been designed  for high iron trash areas where the reactivity is more important than depth.

THE QUEST Q30+ AND THE DEUS1 9X6  RESULTS :

- The Quest Q30+ is a good machine but the Deus2 goes definitely deeper with more accurate VDIs at depth.
- The Deus1 6X9 is a killer on small and shallow targets in the high iron trash but it is a poor depth performer  , it fails on both the big coin and small coin tests ...

CONCLUSION :
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The Deus2 11" shows similar ( and excellent ) depth performances to the current best performers like the Equinox 800 11" or Vanquish 540 V12 12X10 in my local conditions ( moderately mineralized soil ) . 

Clearly the Deus2 goes deeper than the Deus1 thanks to the FMF multifrequency ... Then very good news there is now with the Deus2 a powerful and an ultra light detector available for MD hunters  ... 🙂🙂

 

A few pics :

The 2 test boxes with the Deus2 11 , Deus1 6X9 and Q30+ :

 

The targets , the small bronze 2g coin and the bigger 10g copper coin  :

 

The Deus2 11 on the 10g coin at 12" , no pb the signal is faint but clean :

 

The Equinox 800 11" on the same test . The Deus2 and the Equinox are excellent performers on this deep 10g coin test ..

 

The Deus1 6X9 fails on the 2g coin at 6" ( the Deus2 11" detects it with a clean faint signal ) , however the Deus1 6X9 is excellent for hunting small shallow targets in the irons ...

 

The RELIC mode is really impressive and very deep , with accurate VDIs except when approaching the target depth limits ...

 

DEEP HC is a little deeper than the "standard" Deus2  GENERAL or PARK modes , and has a full audio iron disc :

 

[Ogliuga]

Thanks for your nice report. In my area, central Italy, on high mineralized hematite best program for relic hunting, I’m talking about little targets like the 2g coin not bronze but mixture one,  is number 2 which is better than 1...excluding Goldfield.