TedinVT

Also, CF shafts are a plus for folks that detect in saltwater that will eventually ruin aluminum shafts.

A trick from fly fishing to “tighten up” loose rod ferrules was to slightly roughen up the male part of the ferrule connection then build it up with super glue, smoothing each layer with 400 grit sand paper, until the desired tightened fit was achieved. This might work for the loose carbon fiber shaft problem.

I bought the Sound Blaster BT headphones & the 1Mii BT transmitter for my wife's X-Terra Pro last April. No ML85 headphones available at the time. The Sound Blaster BT headphones are APTX LL and worked well with her XTP to get her started. When the ML85s became available I bought them for her and she is much happier with them than she was with the Sound Blasters.

My caution comments are:

The Sound Blasters are “on-the-ear”, not “over-the-ear” and they will not block out ambient noise (trucks, waves, wind, people, etc.) nearly as well as “over-the-ear” headphones.

Cold weather has arrived here in VT and “over-the-ear” headphones will keep your ears warmer in winter.

Now we need see some real world Double Score saltwater Beach mode testing. And still no manual for download on the Nokta site.

Very nice job! Tnx.

All good info. Sure would be nice to know when your battery was charged to 80% so you could take it off the charger. Lacking that info, charging to full capacity has worked for me for 5 1/2 years and still going strong. My 800 does “hibernate” from January through most of March here in VT though.

Your battery should last a lot longer than 1 1/2 years. My original 800 battery is still going strong since Feb. 2018. I charge my battery after every outing so it's always up for a day's hunting. Try keeping your battery charged and see if that helps. Last resort, try a factory reset. Good luck.

I bought a Minelab X-Terra Pro for my wife and she's very happy with it. Key features for her are light weight, waterproof and simplicity. We recently added the ML85 Bluetooth headphones. Notable finds in the last week are an 1883 V nickel and a 14K wedding band.

JCR's comment on laying out some targets is great advice. I'll add starting out in Park 1 in All Metal is a good place to start learning the machine. When I take a new-to-metal detecting person out for the first couple of times I take them to a tot lot where there are usually lots of targets from pop tops to junk jewelry plus the usual coins to find and get practice with. Plus, those wood chips are easy to dig in. Also, learn to use your ears first and look at the numbers second. Welcome to the hobby. Have fun.

Has anyone tried the Thresher waterproof headphones with the Nox, Manticore or X-Terra Pro? Any thoughts on build and sound quality?

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.