Steve Herschbach

Again, just my opinion but Orx has to be priced versus the target competition, not the Deus. From my new thread on the Orx for gold prospecting. When looked at versus the competition Orx is the premium price option. Over 30 kHz gold prospecting detectors

OK, let's talk XP ORX. This is an offshoot of the XP DEUS that is set up more specifically for gold prospectors, though it does still retain some basic coin, jewelry, and relic features. Everything nugget hunting has been moved front and center, with other features pushed to the background. The XP Orx features the two new high frequency (HF) coils as one of the two options at time of purchase - either the 9.5" x 5" HF coil or 9" round HF coil. The new X35 coils offer three lower frequency coil options compatible with the Orx. The older black low frequency (LF) coils are not compatible with the Orx. XP ORX metal detector for gold prospecting and more The Orx like the Deus is a selectable frequency detector. You can choose from one of several frequencies depending on the coil you are using. The frequency is dependent on the coil. The ORX high frequency coils give you a choice of three operating frequencies which cover most detection needs. The optional X35 coils have five frequency options. All primary frequencies have numerous offsets available to help alleviate electrical interference, but these shifts are so small as to make no performance difference. Ignore the statements about 21 frequencies and 35 frequencies as marketing games. The round 9’’ coil runs at 15 kHz, 30 kHz and 50 kHz. The elliptical coil has a higher top end frequency 15 kHz, 30 kHz and 80 kHz. The optional X35 coils run at a lower range of 4 kHz, 8 kHz, 12 kHz, 17 kHz and 25 kHz. XP ORX coil options and specifications For those familiar with the XP Deus there are some key differences. The rod / shaft assembly has been remade out of injection molded plastic, eliminating the aluminum and rubber grip. This both lowers the cost of the rod assembly as one of the more expensive parts of the Orx to manufacture plus reduces the weight even more. The Deus is the lightest high end detector made and this shaves even more grams. The Orx rod and coil only weighs 770 grams or 1.7 lbs if you put the controller in your pocket. Another big difference is in the wireless headphones. All controls have been removed except power and volume. This means that unlike the Deus you must have the controller with you if you want to make any tuning changes at all. Other wireless headphones options are not listed in the accessory list in the ORX User Guide (see image at bottom of this post) and so I can only conclude that the other XP wireless headphone options are not compatible with the Orx. I have used the Deus HF elliptical coil and there is no reason to think the performance of this coil is any different using the Orx controller instead of the Deus controller. The coil itself is the detector after all and the coils are the same whether used on a Deus or an Orx. The only difference is in how the functionality is accessed and what features are available. The Orx controller as has been noted earlier is set up for gold prospectors first and foremost. Click images for larger versions.... XP Orx controller and basic functions XP Orx basic screen functions displayed The Orx does not display target id information until a target is found. Then a pop-up screen appears, showing the target id number and a variable "iron probability" meter. XP ORX target id and iron probability meter The long story short is I have used the XP Deus with elliptical high frequency coil and I believe performance here will be identical. And as far as I am concerned the Deus HF coils are right up there with the best high frequency gold prospecting options out there. I am not a hair splitter, so from my perspective there are quite a few good detectors in this category. Rather than try and determine what finds gold better than the others I tend to focus more on big picture aspects to determine the machine I prefer over others. Things like weight or how waterproof a detector is can sort things out fast, and personal preference issues like feel on arm and how the audio sounds make a big difference to me. This is just my opinion but the appeal of the XP Orx is the very lightweight and very compact design. There is no other option as light on the arm except perhaps the for the Fisher Gold Bug 2 if you hip mount the control box. Then you are attached to the rod assembly by the coil cable. Not a huge deal, but the Orx being wireless gets rid of the possibility of that cable hanging up in brush. On the other hand the Orx is priced a little high compared to the other gold prospecting competition. This is not a problem per se as long as you get all the features you need or want. However, if it was I and I wanted to make this detector to compete as a gold prospector I would have made sure the Orx could lay claim to being at least as good at gold prospecting as the Deus and it would be best if the Orx actually could be said to be the better gold prospecting option compared to the Deus at least. Yet when you dig in it seems XP limited not just the coin hunting features but also some prospecting features. The big standout is no ground tracking on the Orx. Now I am not a huge fan of ground tracking but when you need it you tend to really need it, and for XP to leave tracking off the Orx when it is included on the Deus seems like a particularly poor choice since this is a detector intended for dealing with extreme ground conditions. Tracking comes at a cost normally, but it can be a huge aid in highly variable ground. I can live without it, but given the cost of the Orx as compared to the competition this feature should be included. The other items I am not sure of is ferrous handling. The ferrous tone break appears to be preset and not adjustable on the Orx though you can change the pitch of the ferrous tone. Instead of an adjustable tone break XP appears to be relying more on the iron probability meter for making decisions regarding whether to dig ferrous or not. I may be missing something but I don't think at this time that you get to choose where the dividing line is on what reports audibly as ferrous and what reports audibly as non-ferrous. Consider the jury out here on this question until more information is found. Most people don't care about it anyway, and it may that the Orx reliance on adjusting the IAR (Iron Amplitude Rejection) serves well enough that adjusting the breakpoint is not required. I am not really making any determinations here but I am just trying to lay out some details in hope it will help people make their own decisions. I have plenty of detectors that will detect small gold as well as the Deus or Orx so for me personally the thing that keeps me coming back to the XP machines is the crazy compact and lightweight design. Yet in looking over the features and price I personally lean more towards the Deus instead of the Orx. It seems to me XP is being stingy with features given the price and for just a little more money a Deus can eliminate questions about whether those features would be missed or not. If I had to buy right now I would be more inclined to get a Deus with 9" X35 coil. The top end frequency there of 27 kHz should do just fine on small gold and I would get features missing in the Orx. If I really needed extra high frequency hots I could add a high frequency coil as an option later. More to the point, XP is saying this is a lower price option to the Deus. Technically that is true of most Deus models, but as of V5 XP has added enough capability to the WS4 module that the $799 Deus Starter Package actually offers the Orx competition at an even lower price. In that regard XP sort of shot themselves in the foot by upgrading the WS4. Anyway, that's just a few thoughts from me on the Orx versus the Deus. I won't even attempt to get into the Orx versus all the competition other than to offer this chart below giving a big picture comparison. Given that the Orx is aimed at gold prospectors, and given how there is almost no mention of the detector on the prospecting forums I am very curious to hear people's thoughts on this model. Is XP doing the right thing here for prospectors? Or is it a swing and miss? Opinions? XP ORX Information Page XP ORX User Guide Over 30 khz (LF) gold prospecting metal detectors 1/2019

The 15” x 12” Commander mono is a solid performer. I never took to the Goldstalkers personally. There seems to be more housing than needed in the Goldstalker models.

We don’t get to pick the price. The only question is whether the machine has what you want for the price. You either want a Deus type machine or you don’t. In my case I don’t consider the tiny savings on the Orx are enough to deter me from getting a Deus instead. Deus does everything that Orx does and more for almost no extra money, so why settle for the Orx? If the Orx does something the Deus does not do I have not figured it out. What I don’t understand Chuck is why you are even considering the Orx? From my perspective the Orx is quite simple. The big money has been in gold prospecting, not coin and relic. The Orx is an attempt by XP to make a detector that appeals more to gold prospectors. That’s it. There is nothing else to see here. The concern for XP should not be what coin and relic people think of Orx but what prospectors think about it. The total lack of interest from the prospecting community is not a good sign. There is almost no mention on all the major gold prospecting forums so if prospectors are the target market XP has some work to do. The real game here is Orx versus the other gold machines, so I will have to do up a comparison and post. XP ORX Gold Prospecting Metal Detector XP is pleased to announce the ORX Gold Prospecting Metal Detector. Get ready for some High-performance Gold prospecting and Coin hunting! ORX Gold Prospecting Metal Detector Key Features: HF coil technology (21 Frequencies ranging from 13 to 81kHz). Extreme sensitivity to small targets with high frequency 50kHz and 81 kHz. 4 factory programs: Gold Prospecting (x2) – Coins and Relic (x2), + 2 user. Trusted XP fast wireless technology: Coil – Remote – Headphones – MI-6. The all new “WS Audio®” compact wireless headphone receiver. Re designed ultra-light Telescopic “S” stem. The lightest machine on the market at only 770grs (remote hip mounted). Easy to operate with a user-friendly interface. Wireless connectivity to the MI-6 pinpointer + advanced remote settings. Lithium batteries, giving up to around 20 hours detecting. Easy to charge with any certified USB charger or via computer (XP USB charger optional only) Available with a choice of HF coils – 22cm (9’) Round or 24/13cm (9.5’/5’) Elliptical. Compatible with the X35 coil range (22, 28, 34/28cm). Software Update (remote control via USB cable). Go terrain mobile app compatible (coming 2019). 5-year warranty – Made in France. Affordable price – Suggested maximum retail price: 699€ including taxes – 799€ including taxes with wireless headphone (WSA).

Thanks, I was pleased with that one, combining both jewelry detecting and gold nugget detecting into one find! The article is an older one, so I added lots of links and a couple notes to freshen it up. I particular I had a couple great outings with the Garrett ATX after the article was written.... Garrett ATX Review - Beach Detecting In Hawaii Garrett ATX Return To Hawaii Steve scores with Garrett ATX in Hawaii

The Charles Garrett Memorial Hunt is rapidly approaching, March 29 at Jefferson, Texas. Details here. February 1st is the deadline to receive a free hunt T-shirt in your hunt package.

I am collecting manufacturer catalogs and user guides into the Downloads section of the website. I am building a Metal Detector Database and want to be able to link to manuals that stay in permanent locations. It also makes it easier for members to find manuals from various sources all in one place. I was unable to find reader versions of the manuals for the Fisher F75 DST, Fisher F75 Ltd DST, and Fisher F75+. The versions available online are set up for printing and the pages are out of order for reading on electronic devices. I carry all my manuals on my phone or iPad these days, and so reader versions are more useful for me and I suspect also for others. So I took the time to reorder these documents into reader forms for download. The pdf reader version of the basic F75 with DST can be downloaded here. The pdf reader version of the F75 Ltd with DST and F75+ (they are the same detector) can be downloaded here. All the Fisher manuals and catalogs I have uploaded so far can be found here. I am adding models daily.

Welcome to the forum! Basically from my perspective it is a clearance and weight thing. You have to have fairly open ground for large coils.... I am assuming you have that. If you have the strength to swing it, go for the KR40 15.5" x 14". Why? Maximum ground coverage and depth. But it may be due to the weight that the AF35 is a better choice. That part only you can answer.

Possibly chalcocite, another conductive copper mineral, and dark grey color more the norm.

Specie Post & How To Specific Gravity Test!

Welcome to the forum! I am not selling my GPZ due to any advance knowledge of any new detectors coming out. Anyone making a decision based on what I am doing is misleading themselves. I have no idea when an updated version of the GPZ may appear.