glacialgold

Hi all! I've been laid up for about three weeks with a sciatica flare-up, which pulled me off of all detecting activities. Right before it hit, I was playing around with a [new to me] MXT Pro with some success, and I'd ordered one of those scythe-type coils from https://www.thrace-detectors.com/, the Detech Arrow 18x4. The Arrow arrived a few days ago, and I've been lusting to take it out to play since it arrived. Except for fiddling around in my own backyard, today was the first time I was able to take the MXT Pro + Arrow coil out in the field. Went to my usual testing spot, an elementary school playground/field I've worked over many times with the Nox 800 and Legend. End result is I'm A) definitely still on the novice side of learning the MXT and it's sounds/signals, and B) I did dig a good bit of trash (can slaw and pull tabs)...BUT, I did pull a Sacagawea dollar and a 1965 quarter. This was in a short 40 minute detecting period. Like I said, this is my regular testing ground and I've hit it many times over from multiple angles. I think the winning factor with the big sweepr coil on the MXT was covering gaps from prior work -- neither coin was a surface find or recent drop, and they were both 2-4" deep. Anyways, it was a short hunt but big fun, and I'm really looking forward to using this detector/coil combination in the future. Also, it feels FANTASTIC to be back in action again!

Still strikes me as a great deal! Having the upgraded mid-shaft/cuff doesn't really make much a difference weight-wise (at least to me), and I'm perfectly fine w/the original LG28 11" round stock coil. As long as one makes sure to connect the machine to a computer and update to v1.11 right off the bat, it's just as good as the top-of-the-line upgraded model, in my opinion.

My view (and I own a Legend) is: Pure price point - XTerra Pro Max utility - Legend Curious times we live in. So much decteting tech competing in different/shallow price points.

Agreed, there's a lot to explore with this machine than meets the eye. Knowledge retention-wise, I'm in the same boat. I have to read some material, watch some videos, then play around with the machine to explore new knowledge, and then repeat the cycle. Repetition is the key to cement concepts and actions into the mind. Unless of course one is some sort of detector savant, in which case call me jealous!

Very interesting observations -- thank you for reporting!

Nice! I sold my BH Tracker 4 at our last garage sale. Can confirm the machine dings hard on shallow/mid-depth coins, and is fun and easy to operate.

Tagging @JCR b/c it looks like we're both operating in the same scenario currently, pleased with recent "new to me" MXTs and figuring out how to use this [slightly] vingtage sports car. So much info here on all these older MXT threads! As a newbie to the MXT, a big thanks to the veterans for logging your experiences on this incredible forum for the rest of us to pour over in the future. Cheers! -Chris

Never have detected without a pinpointer, but I feel your pain. It must be a lot of extra time on your knees waving handfulls of dirt over the coil...kind of like nugget hunting. Hopefully you had a plastic scoop, at least? I just had my own "new to me" MXT out early today before it got too hot. Took it over to a nearby elementary schoolyard I've worked over extensively with the Nox 800 and Legend. Today's outing was a skunk, unfortanately, even though I did remember to bring the Garrett pinpointer. I find solace in knowing this outing today saved the children from many jagged chunks of can slaw, should they be running barefoot 4-6" deep in the soil. 🙂

Totally agree, JCR! Haven't had much of a chance to wade into it, but I will say the sprial bound is a much appreciated format. I picked up a copy on eBay, mainly per Steve H.'s recommendation on his MXT in-depth review here.

@auminesweeper Excellent advice, thank you! Do you know if there's a goood rechargable battery pack still available for the MXT? I've seen some available on ebay, etc., but wasn't sure if those are viable options. Alternatively, I can just run 8xAA rechargables in the magazine...but would prefer a single plug-in option. Agreed on all points above. Only have the 10x6 coil for now, but my plan is to take the machine out over sites I've "worked out" with the Nox and Legend and see what it pulls out of the ground.

Hey, I'm in the same "new to me" MXT boat as of yesterday, having picked up an MXT Pro w/the 10x6 DD coil from a fellow forum member. First off, my kids think it sounds like a "dying cow" 🤣, so yeah, different tones than the Nox or Legend. I read the instructions (and super helpful having a cheatsheet on the bottom of the box) and promptly took the beast out to my backyard, which I've worked over many, many times using an Ace 400, and with testing out various coils on the Nox 800 and Legend. Lo and behold, the MXT banged hard on two targets close together in the center of the yard, one coming up on the display as a penny and the other as a quarter. Both VDIs turned out to be true, w/the coins at ~4-5" inches down. No idea how I'd missed those so many times with the other machines. Anyways, happy to hear somebody else is trying out this same, slightly-retro detector!

That is awesome! Makes me thing of "nickel beer" night when I was in college (late 90s/early 00s, for context). What you'd get for that nickel once you waded/pushed through the line was an 8oz plastic cup of beer, and 50% was foam. No cards or bills accepted -- only change, and only up to a quarter...which would grant one 4x8oz. x 50% fills. Looked like the bar had excess/stale lite beer kegs running through the regular tap line, then routing inside a seperate styrofoam cooler for multi-tap disbursement. Rowdy scene, yes. I recall one, well-after-midnight experience where one of my roommates got frustrated waiting in line to use the can, then switched gears and charged the beer line. He then took care of his necessary business once he was in the front of the line, and was safely covered by the bar top and the line behind. 🙂

Nope, no rubber cap on either version of the mid-shaft...at least not the ones I have. I see what you're saying though, about how the lower shaft has a rubber cap on its top end and how that might add some stability.

Hey there, for anyone who has had a chance to compare the original aluminum (I think?) mid-shaft for the Legend with the upgraded carbon fiber version, have you noticed anything different? There's a [very] small reduction in weight for the CF version, but not enough for me to notice. What I have found, however, is that the CF version is a tad wobbly, and makes a bit of a creaking sound while swinging. Not a deal-breaker by any means -- more like a minor annoyance. I tried adjusting the length of both the lower and mid-shafts multiple times, and without making the overall length far too short for my swing, I experienced the same slight wobble/creaking. Switching back to the original stock mid-shaft solved the issue entirely.

Fancy digs!

Welcome, and glad to hear you had a fun first experience dectecting! If you don't mind me asking, what was it that turned you on to the hobby? Did you find something cool, liked the exploration piece, technology, etc.? I'm still a relative novice, but I can say it's the thrill of the hunt that pulls me in, and finding anything weird/cool keeps me going...or if I start hitting a bunch of quarters 🙂

Welcome, ORourke! Sounds like a fantastic location for all sorts of treasure hunting!

Most of the time US modern nickels and V nickels have been 25/26. The only common aluminum target that I regularly find with those numbers are beaver tails broken off of ring pulls and the occasional bent/damaged square or oval pull tab. Yeah, same here for modern US nickels. If I get a solid repeat signal centering around 25, I'm almost certain it's a Jefferson. My range for digging nickel signals is 22-27, but the targets get real dicey towards those boundary numbers. More likely a pencil eraser clasp or can tab, but sometimes a nickel on edge or fertilizer/rain pollution zapped.

@Jeff McClendon Excellent write-up and comparison/summary, many thanks! I purchased an 800 and a Legend around this the same time last year, and now have maybe 150 hours combined now between the two machines. Nowhere near your experience, but here's what I can note as a relative novice: Since I got the Nox first, it got the most use up front, but I found myself swinging the Legend more and more, especially after the v1.11 update came out. I now have a pretty full suite of coils for both machines, and I've branched out my hunting sites from a couple local schoolyards to a variety of park types (both local and distant), beaches, and permissions (still need to work on getting more older properties on my list). In any given hunting scenario, I'm probably 75% Legend. While I consider the Nox with aftermarket full CF shaft and cuff overall a generally "sweeter swing", it stays on the backburner. Legend with the stock LG28 has been my go-to on most occassions, but I'm also playing around with the LG24, and and the LG30 just landed yesterday (along w/the upgraded CF midshaft and cuff). Granted, what I'm hitting yields mainly modern clad and cheap bling jewelry -- no silver (although I hope!) or nugget shooting here. Some days are big quarter days, other heavy on the nickels, and the jewelry tend to show up in isolated clumps. The Legend seems like it bangs on all those targets, and I also feel like I'm digging less trash than on the Nox. On the other hand, I'm almost guaranteed a good hunt if I pull out the Nox with the 10x5 Coiltek coil and go over ground previousl proved good using the Legend. If I had to go back all over again and settle on a single detector, I'd definitely choose the Legend, primarily per the price point and the wider range of features.

Wow, welcome, Cal! Your prospecting reality is my fantasy!

Welcome, deecee60! You'll find plenty of fellow Manticore swingers here...although I'm not one of them. Since you live in N. Georgia, do you happen to do any prospecting in the gold-bearing areas there?

Very interesting situation to consider, glad you brought up this topic. Marketing and economics are not my forte, but I'd have to wonder about future impacts of short term (?) price reductions to capture external market share in an internally inflationary environment. Say Notka dropped the MSRP on the re-modeled Legends to 300USD, for example -- incredible deal, puts it on par pricing-wise w/the XTerra Pro. They'd move a ton of units, for sure. But what happens if/when Turkey pulls out of this inflationary cycle? Nokta would need move prices back up sigificantly to keep their margins, but buyers would be conceptually locked in to the brand at the lower price points, i.e., thinking of NM as even more of "super-value" brand than it already is. I'd be thrilled to hear from those w/deeper backgrounds in these areas, and please take my novice ruminations above w/many grains of salt. 🙂

Ditto -- much sweeter swing with a full CF shaft and sturdy cuff. I was using the Legend for a few months exclusively until I picked up the 10x5 Coiltek coil for the Nox. That coil on the 800 is a little piece of magic! Next thing I knew, I was pulling quarters galore out of previously worked territory. And then I brought the Legend w/stock coil out to the same worked/re-worked area the other night and pulled out even more coins (all clad) and absolutely zero trash! I'm starting to wonder if angle of approach is a significant factor here, on top of machine + settings + coil combo?

Hey, not sure if anyone else has ran across this, but there's is a new Legend tutorial (looks like it's based on the updated model with 1.11) by Detect-Ed Metal Detecting: Unlocking The Nokta Legend [Part 1] Turn On & Go Part 1 is linked to above, and there are two additional segments. I'd have appreciated this one earlier on my Legend experiece, but it still did clarify a few items. Great resource for new Legend swingers!

Excellent narrative w/pics, and congrats on that fantastic nugget! I hear you re: heat, and I run hot, too -- too hot and I can't labor well. Here in the midwestern US, however, I call it at 85F+ (so 29C?) in dry diggings, and can do 90F+ if in water and not constant direct sun. Those Australian miners, however, man...they can operate in wicked heat, Vo-Gus Prospecting being my favorite example.