TedinVT

You nailed it, Steve. The technology is topping out and manufacturers seem to be relying more on “convenience” features to boost sales and compete. Sure, the convenience features are nice, but it still comes down to who is swinging the machine and how experienced and knowledgable he/she is with it and the targets he/she is seeking.

Looks good. So you basically only swapped the control pods since the  Nox coil will work with the X-Terra Pro control pod. Neat!

1 hour ago, Maximus said:

Is the discount dependent on individual dealers or has Minelab set a blanket policy of no Veterans discount on the Xterra Pro?

The dealer I spoke with today told me Minelab doesn't apply the veterans' discount to their low priced detectors like the X-Terra and Go Find models. He said there's so little profit in those machines that dealers would take a hit. So, that's what I can share. There may be large dealers that may offer the discount anyway so I'd recommend asking.

X-Terra Pro price info update…

$269, but no veteran's discount on this and Go Find detectors due to low price. 😢. Still worth it at that price IMHO.

On 2/5/2023 at 6:20 AM, palzynski said:

I like the rectangular telescopic shaft , the stems dont rotate when you adjust them , I wonder why ML has not used this design for the MCore or Equinox 700/900 btw ...

Probably because the XTP upper shaft pieces are aluminum and easy to extrude vs. the new Noxs' shafts are carbon fiber and require a more involved and expensive process to form. Too bad the XTP shaft isn't also CF, but at that price point…

1 hour ago, Chase Goldman said:

From the User Guide, Xterra somehow identifies "residual salt response" and assigns a "0" TID using it's "specialist salt noise rejection configuration", whatever that means.  It looks like the main difference between Beach Profile 1 (Wet and Dry Sand) and Beach Profile 2 (Underwater and Surf) is Profile 2 has a higher default recovery speed.  Black sand is more problematic without the benefit of Multi-IQ, as your only recourse after ground balancing is to reduce sensitivity.

Salt balance capability is not solely limited to simultaneous multifrequency detectors.  The Fisher F19/Technetics G2+/etc single frequency machine is known for its ability to balance well in salt sand and the Tarsacci MDT 8000, a multiple selectable table single frequency machine is specifically designed to have a salt balance adjustment separate from its ground balance adjustment.  So it can be done, with some limitations.

 

 

The Xterra Pro user guide can be downloaded here:

https://www.minelab.com/usa/metal-detectors/x-terra-pro

Good stuff! Thanks for filling in the blanks!

Agreed, Chase. No headphone packages available, yet. And ML recommends the ML85 phones which I haven't found sold separately, yet. Yes, they'll probably be in the $139 price area when available. BUT, if the plan is to dedicate the machine as a water hunter, the wired waterproof Nox, etc. headphones we already have will work with the X-Terra.

So, lots of good comments on my previous post. Be sure you've read the other X-Terra Pro (XTP) usage considerations I stated. My prominent reason for possibly purchasing the XTP is in the water beach detecting. Why would I consider the XTP for that purpose? Here's a link to Calabash's recent XTP saltwater beach test:  https://youtu.be/i6Gs0uKPk1c

A single frequency detector running quietly in saltwater? Who'd have thunk! I had tried my AT Pro in saltwater 6 years ago and quickly learned a 15kHz machine was no match for the saltwater. Great on the dry sand and tolerable in the wet sand. Thus the 800 entering my stable to cover all the bases. But the drowning worry still exists even though it's in its 5th year and I detect up to neck deep in saltwater and fresh water and hasn't leaked - yet. So, for the price and better chances of not leaking than the 800, why not pick up a cheap machine that, so far, seems to be a decent performer in saltwater? Especially if could serve the other purposes I stated in my previous post. The 800 will remain my land machine for sure.

Good discussion guys.

On 3/24/2023 at 1:40 AM, Jeff McClendon said:

Anybody that already owns an Equinox 700/900/Manitcore already has every feature included with the X-Terra Pro plus a lot more. Unless I am missing something, why would anyone that already owns those three detectors or even an Equinox 600 or 800 or a Nokta Legend really need an X-Terra Pro?

I get it. I love metal detectors and I really like the looks of the X-Terra Pro.

I am so tempted to buy Ridge Runner's really nice ORX package.......but I have a Deus 2 which has a really good Mono selectable single frequency program that is every bit the equal of anything on the ORX aside from the higher frequency HF coils.

I agree that most of us already have everything we need in our current high end detectors. My reasons for buying an X-Terra Pro (assuming I can sell my AT Pro first) would be to use it exclusively as a beach machine so I don't risk drowning my 800, as a backup machine (we all want a backup machine right?), a simple to use spare machine for maybe getting my wife interested or for getting a friend interested, plus I'm your basic tech junkie. 

The word is out on the XTP price though availability in the U.S. is still an open question. The $269.00 base price (no phones included) for a totally waterproof machine (yeah, we've heard that before) with collapsible aluminum upper & fiberglass? lower shaft is really tempting for a starter or backup machine especially for saltwater beaches.

I watched some of Calabash's videos this morning. The one on saltwater beach detecting was super impressive. There's another one on handling bottle caps that was impressive. He hit a silver dime in his test garden at 11.5”.  That's not too shabby for a $269 machine.

As a some times saltwater beach hunter in New England an FL Gulf, I'd probably reach for the XTP instead of my Nox 800 (which still hasn't drowned yet in spite of many hours under water). The only XTP issues I see are, 1. the need to buy the proprietary ML-85 wireless phones and 2. the coil ear design appears to be the same as the Nox coil ears, but for the $269 XTP price buying wireless phones isn't a deal killer. My  800 will still be my dry land machine. Just sayin'.

10 hours ago, Badger-NH said:

I don't see how using the coil support could cause the ears to break. I'm positive that if I had added the support in the beginning, my ears never would have broken in the first place.

You only need to glue it if the ears are broken. You are better off getting the coil support before they break.

You might want to check your ears for cracks. They may be on the verge of breaking. I also went for many years with no problems. Then one day it happened.

 

I used a coil ear stiffener and my 11” ears broke in a week or two. If the ear stiffener bolt holes aren't perfectly aligned with the coil ear bolt holes the coil ears will be stressed as the coil moves. That's what happened to me. I'd never use one again. I did the Gigmaster fix of glueing 1/8” ABS plastic to the ears which doubled the thickness / strength of the ears. Rock solid fix if done right.

20”-40” in depth would be everyone's dream, but no hobby detector I've heard of will come close to that. 16” might work, 12” might be more realistic. The old adage “size matters” is also applicable.

I've got 5 years on my 800 and love it, but today I'd go for the 900 with it's more processing power and both the 6” and 11” coil just to name a couple of the many 900 features.

I'm not a Manticore owner, but are the Beach modes less sensitive like with the 800? If so, are you penalizing yourself on depth by running in Beach modes for park hunting? Odd situation for sure.

All spot on advice in the replies. In my Gulf experience you won't miss much by dropping sensitivity from say 20 to 18.

You may also get chirps if your coil briefly contacts the sand ripples on the bottom. I would suggest getting a pair of wired waterproof headphones because you will probably end up ruining your bluetooth headphones. It only takes an unexpected wave or a splashing swimmer to toast the wireless phones.

Definitely call Minelab's Ft. Bedford service center if the detector and headphones are still in warranty.

9 hours ago, Gary985112 said:

Is it possible for detector to make a noise but not show screen info? Like if I am hovering over a target and it barely picks it up, is it possible to hear the noise but get no screen info (VDI number) for it? Like if its maybe a little too deep underground?

With Equinox 800

Other possible noise contributors: is your cell phone on and near your detector, cell phone towers, electric fences, buried power lines, overhead power lines, restaurant paging systems, etc. Try going to a single frequency on your detector and see what works best for your location.

On 1/9/2023 at 1:21 PM, abenson said:

I'm not a fan of the 99 target ID's to begin with, I liked the compressed Nox 800 ID's better. But that just my preference. On the Nox 800 you could expect of spread of 2-3 at the most. But on the 900 I'm seeing as much as a 10 number difference one way or the other. High conductors are not the issue I've dug several 12" quarters and a half at the beach that were within 1 or 2 numbers of what they read in the air. Nickels on the other hand have been all over the place 23-29 at depth. But it really is no concern to me as I don't park hunt much and I'm going to dig practically anything that is a positive number beach, gold or relic hunting.

I have to believe there will be a software fix for the unstable spread TID numbers for the 900. That's just too much spread for a target reading. My 800 spread of maybe 2 numbers is fine in my book. My AT Pro also shows 1 or 2 numbers on a 99 number scale. If “ancient” AT Pro technology can produce a tight TID on a 99 scale, one would think state of the art 900 technology could/should be able to do the same on a 99 scale. A 10 number difference is not acceptable.

Good report, Chase. Glad to hear they F I N A L L Y fixed the glitchy pinpoint! And live TID is the icing on the cake.

Interesting on the 800/900 11” coil swap. We should be hearing from others soon in that regard.

On the more “bouncy” numbers, I guess I'd expect some of that since the 900 scale is basically double the 800 scale. IE a coin that might use 1 or 2 ID numbers might now use 2 or 3 - or 4?

The 900 cuff is made using a more flexible plastic than the 800 cuff. The 900 cuff should hold up a lot better.

29 minutes ago, HellScript said:

Do you use F2 or FE? 

F2

Great write-ups, Jeff. Great photos. Thanks for taking the time and sharing!

That's such disappointing news, Chase. Looks like Minelab still has a lot to learn about component suppliers and manufacturing quality control. Nothing learned from their Equinox foray. I wonder how long it will be until the leak reports start coming in. Probably when warm weather returns in the US.

Good luck, Chase. I hope the FT Bedford repair depot has laid in a good supply of control pods and you get a quick turnaround.

Really great info and pics, Dan. Very informative. It looks like replacing failed 800 control pods with a 900 pod is out of the question.

More manual questions:

Has anyone seen any mention of the warranty duration? I emailed this question to ML quite a while ago and no answer.

Do the 700/900 machines still use the annoying (to change) screen protector?