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Minelab SDC 2300 Headphone Cable Too Short?


~LARGO~

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Hi Chris,

 

This is all very interesting from all your travels and swing time on the SDC 2300!  I have followed most of you and Steve's adventure's through out.

 

As far as the supplied headphones, do you use them, or do you use the on board speaker?  I found my cable could be long enough, but so tightly wound that it made target recovery difficult, or near impossible, without disconnecting the cable from the detector, and using the on board speaker to check out what the target might be.  Kind of a goat rope, doing it that way, unless you have a second person on, as in a video I saw, showing one person detecting, and communicating verbally to another person, who would recover the target, a convenience most of us do not have. 

 

I have read that heating the coiled headphone wire with a hair dryer somewhat, and stretching it to help make the cable relax and extend, thus countering the memory effect, may help deal with the "headphone cable too short" complaint.  I have not tried that yet, just curious if you have tried it. 

 

I found my headphone's ball bearing locking mechanism was not locking in properly, would fall off after a time, so I visited the local dealer, who checked the connector, and verified there was an issue, and was able to provide a replacement.  Great service!

 

Keep up the great work, your finds are growing, and I and others are enjoying vicariously going along with you on your adventures!

 

Take care, as always,

 

Gary/Largo

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Hi Gary,

I moved your post to start a new thread. Chris will probably comment but I can tell you he always uses the headphones. I never see him going without. I have gone both ways myself.

Certain issues seem to take on a life of their own on the Internet. The new Minelab SDC 2300 comes with a set of Koss UR-30 headphones. These are of course made by Koss and sold for many uses worldwide. They are supplied by Minelab with other detectors, such as the CTX 3030.

Somebody complained on the Internet somewhere that the headphone cord of the headphones supplied with the SDC 2300 is too short. It has been picked up and repeated as if it is a flaw of some sort. Now, it may be the case that for some people the cord is too short, but if so most headphones are too short. Almost every set I have ever purchased was a bit too short brand new out of box, and I stretch the coiled part until they relax and get a couple inches shorter. It has never required more than that from me but I have heard of people using hair dryers to speed the process.

My complaint is I believe the proprietary connector of the headphones supplied with the SDC 2300 lacks proper reinforcement, making it prone to failure at the very end of the cord. There are reports of the cord simply pulling out of the connector. Perhaps the cord and end connections are not a perfect match where soldered (or however the connection is made)? I plan on adding shrink tube or some other reinforcement at the end of my set.

But the length? Well, they say a picture says it all so here you go. Laid out the cord on my UR30s as supplied is about 30" long. From left to right in the photo below, Sun Ray Pro Gold, DetectorPro Nugget Buster NDT, Minelab SDC 2300 phones (Koss UR-30), Garrett ATX supplied phones, and White's Royal GT headphones. Ironically the White's are the cheapest phones and have the longest cord. The Sun Ray Pro Gold and DetectorPro headphones are some of the most popular and highly regarded headphones used in the metal detecting world, and yet there are very few complaints about their headphone lengths. If anything they are a hair shorter than the UR-30 cord.

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My suggestion is that you simply run the cord through your hands and stretch the coiled part prior to use. It will relax over time. This will not hurt the cord - the coiled part is designed to stretch out, that is why it is there. Hanging it up when not in use to stretch it out can speed up the process, as can adding heat whether with a hair dryer, or with hot water. I have never had to use heat myself though so can't vouch for that personally.

I have also used the waterproof headphones for the SDC 2300. The cord is stouter and the phones fit my head better. I have never liked the UR-30 phones, whether they come with my GPX 5000, CTX 3030, or SDC 2300. They are too loose on my head, and have no independent volume controls. The underwater phones fix the too loose on my head part. However, they do not have the audio range of the UR-30 phones and so may not provide a good signal of the faintest targets.

The headphone adapter available at http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/293-headphone-adapter-for-minelab-sdc-2300/ is a possible solution in that you can use any headphones, and the use of the adapter itself adds 12" to the length of any cord. I just got my adapter and it works perfectly with my Sun Ray Pro Golds. I will be giving it the first field test the end of next week.

There is also the issue of headphone cable stretching and what to do about it. Link deleted since Findmall update broke all old links This is by far a more common complaint because - drum roll - the coiled part stretches out with use! If you Google around you will find almost nothing on how to stretch cables but tons on how to get them to coil up properly.

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It doesn't bother me as I normally don't lay the detector on the ground to sort targets. The may be the same length as others, but because of how its attached, if you don't stretch the cord or do something else, it will tug at the headphones when you lay the detector down.

Its really been totally insignificant for me.

 

I use the headphones most of the time, though occasionally have them unplugged for the exterior speaker when I am demonstrating it to some one.

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The SDC headphone connection is towards the middle of the body. The CTX 3030, White's MXT and others, Fisher F75, etc, all plug in at the rear of the detector. They all when set down with the operator trying to reach the coil will pull even harder on the cable than the SDC 2300. There is nothing unusual or exceptional about the SDC cable length or positioning of the plug in location that will cause headphone pulling issues any more than a hundred other detectors on the market. However, many phones use a 90 degree plug so at least the cable does not get pulled 180 degrees as is the case with the SDC.

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Thanks for your in depth discussion, Steve!

I have never used any of the supplied Minelab headphones, for more than the minutes it took to give them a fair shake.  Some folks like them, but as you I don't.  I have a pair still in the wrapper because they didn't fit well, and wind noise is always a problem with them.  If the new SDC 2300 had a standard female receptacle, I would use my Detector Pro headphones, which I have several of, and I have their best they make (at least I think the Black Widows are top drawer) For me, Detector Pro is the gold standard, and have been perfect for me. Good audio, good seal, robust cable, pricey a little, but you get what you pay for.  Their cords are robust, stretch and retract as I need them to, and any part of them can be repaired by Detector Pro, if something goes south on them. 

 

For a time, when I used the Whites Goldmaster's, I used White's KW Pros, whose cable is a little smaller in diameter than the one on the SDC 2300.  It is much more stretchy, to the opposite of the Minelabs.  It would hang up on sagebrush way back behind you, before you knew there was a problem.  They as well, were rather loose fitting, but that was before I found a better headphone. 
 
I was waiting, hoping someone on this side of the pond would come up with a alternative cable adapter, (Doc, where are you) or some deal buy a case of Nenad's adapter, but I think he has all the sales he can handle right now, and doubt if he can keep up with the demand.  Why Minelab departed from the standard plug receptacle is a head scratcher, to be sure.  

 

Minelab did make some odd changes, but I am sure they had their reasons, (new style headphone connector that is problematic, 9 volt batteries) but providing cheap goods, (battery charger with no 12 volt charging capability) and less goods (no bungee, no harness) with a high dollar gold detector wasn't such a good idea, IMO.

 

You will note I mentioned harness.  A harness has been always provided with the pulse induction machines.  What Minelab is saying, is this is a light machine by the lack or absence thereof, of the harness.  The SDC 2300 is not really a light weight detector, it can wear you down.  Old geezers like me (almost 73) will feel it after swinging this machine for a few hours.  

 

And finally, as mentioned elsewhere, the detector price point is really a little high, why not allow the end users a little more "stuff", to help justify the price, hmmm?

 

Thanks!

 

Gary/Largo
 

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Hi Gary,

 

I absolutely agree. For the price, the SDC should have come with a few extra touches to make the price go down better. I would have included at a minimum the headphone adapter and a simple bungee support like Doc's Swingy Thingy.

 

It is odd Minelab uses one adapter for the CTX 3030 and another for the SDC 2300. That makes no sense at all, and means my underwater phones for my CTX will not work on my SDC. You would think to minimize parts stocking issues Minelab would have come up with a common adapter for both units. It would certainly make people like me who own multiple Minelab units much happier.

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Steve,

 

And here I was all prepared for a whipping!  :)

 

I don't know how to pay for items from Australia. I don't do PayPal, don't think he wants my check, or postal m.o.   I wonder if Nenad would take English pounds for the connector.  I do have about enough to cover his price, or pretty close.

Would you have any suggestions as far as payment to Nenad?

 

Best wishes,

 

Gary

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Sometimes I may seem to defend Minelab but it is anything but that. I am just expressing my opinions and they fall where they may. It just so happens I think Minelab has been getting some unfair accusations about the SDC 2300, like it being an "ergonomic nightmare". Usually from people that do not own it or have not used it. Stuff like the folding armrest. It is a feature! It folds up for stowage! Yet now it gets made out to be like it was an accident Minelab overlooked and a major flaw. I was annoyed by it initially until I learned to hold the cuff open while inserting my arm, and now I do not even think about it. It really is that simple.
 
Nenad says "Please email me: nenad@phasetechnical.com.au with your postal address, and preferred payment method: Paypal, Bank deposit or Money Order." My advice is just contact him via email and work out a payment method. I think you will find him very accommodating.

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Thanks, Steve.

 

You are a compendium of great knowledge.

 

Gary

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