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E-gor E-gor Published on Oct 1, 2015 The music without the use of any musical instruments. In this time feature: Metal detector Minelab X-TERRA 705, top of the folk flute and old Russian coins.

Is one of these any better than the other for nugget hunting or are they about the same? How do they stack up compared to the GMT? Any input appreciated as always. Thanks

Are these almost identical machines? Just wondering, a friend of mine has one that might be for sale. He indicates they are almost identical, but why? The 70 was discontinued in 2007. All thoughts and replies are welcome.

I'm considering buying (yet) another coil for my ML X-terra 705 -- 15 inch DD operating at 3kHz. Often Minelab and Coiltek offer complementary (different size/frequency/winding) coils, but in some cases, as what I'm considering, they offer coils that appear to be quite similar. Given that the Coiltek costs about 50% more, I'm wondering if I should apply the "you get what you pay for" standard advice or save $100 for a future coil purchase.

I had been running my threshold setting at 7 to get the slight hum in my phones and it finally dawned on me this is not an optimum setting for picking up deeper fainter signals since a setting closer to 0 should be best. Having always ran the detector volume control in the upper ranges and using the headphones to control the audio level, I decided to switch it around by setting the headphones to max and using the detectors volume control to set the overall audio level. This made a huge difference, now I can get that same slight hum with a threshold setting of 2. Subjectively there seems to be much less modulation on the deeper targets where now coins in the 10"+ range are much louder hits. I'm also running the detector volume control at 4 to 5 to get the same audio volume I was getting before with it set in the mid 20's. Tom OK so I decided to do some air tests to see what difference there is in audio modulation and on coin size targets there is a difference in audio the last few inches. First number is a full audio report distance (or as close as my ears perceive it), second number is the distance target lost. The difference between is the amount of audio modulation where the target volume decreases to the point the signal is lost. The first column is with the headphone volume at max and threshold audible at 1 setting (0 is silent), second column is detector volume at max with threshold at 7 (6 silent) Headphones max......................-... Detector max dime............. .............9" /10" ...- ..7" / 10" Buff nickel......9-1/2" / 10-1/2" ...-.. 8" / 10-1/2" IH penney..........10" / 10-1/2"....-....9" / 10-1/2" As we see there is no difference in detection distance between the 2 settings but a more modulated audio response with the detector volume at max. I also tried the dime with the detector volume at max with a 0 threshold setting and the results were a full volume report to 6" with a max detectable distance of 9", for a 1" loss. Because of this it is apparent that ML has designed the threshold level to follow the volume setting (7 equals 1) which would allow max sensitivity when the detector is used without headphones in cases where a high volume setting is needed to overcome ambient noise. The loss of response on the dime indicating a negative threshold setting because at this volume setting 6 is actually zero. Since these were coin sized targets and not tiny nuggets the difference could be even bigger when nugget hunting.

This is primarily a coin and jewelry hunting topic, I think. Getting more experience with different detectors, I'm wondering if I'm seeing a common (but hopefully not guaranteed) issue. What I'm referring to is called 'wrap-around' and I'm sure it has other names. Basically the low end of the induction balance (IB) ID scale is low conductivity iron and high end is pure silver. But sometimes with iron you get a high ID, usually in conjunction with the low ID. I've had this happen on three detectors but don't remember it on a 4th. The three are: White's DFX-300 w/ 950 concentric coil (least experience), Teknetics Gamma 6000 w/ egg-shaped conc. coil (intermediate experience), and Minelab X-Terra 705 w/ both 7.5 kHz 8.5" round conc. stock coil and Coiltek 3.0 kHz 6" round DD "Digger". I don't remember this problem with my Gold Bug Pro with any coil. I go into detail here with the 705 because I've used it the most in iron infested sites. The lowest ID on the 705 is -8 and the highest is 48. (All even numbers except 0 in between occur but never odd numbers -- by design.) Iron is anything below 0; high conductive coins (Cu and Ag alloys) are above 35 (usually) with silver dollar being highest US coin at 46. (Don't know what a pure silver round would read, maybe 48, but who drops those?? ) In the US Midwest we mostly have moderately low iron content (at least compared to US West) -- may be exceptions in iron mining areas like Minnesota and Michigan Upper Peninsula. I've seen phase auto at 35 with the 7.5kHz coil and 8 or 9 with 3 kHz "Digger" (don't know why the disparity...). I run max tones (~30 of them?) in "Coin and Jewelry" discriminate and alternate between "all metal" and notching Off below 0 and also notching Off 48. Note: this detector has a prospect mode but that operates quite differently and I haven't used it for hunting coins, although I see that some have. Even with the notching described above I get 46's and even 44's on iron targets. In all metal I can hear the jumping between iron ID's and high conductive ID's, but this can (and does!) happen when you're going over a coin near a nail, for example. The hope was that I could listen to tones and not have to look at the screen, but that doesn't seem to work well for me in the iron infested parks I hunt. I'm sure with more experience (and, yes, I've read Randy Horton's "Understanding the X-Terra" multiple times) I'll get better, but I still find myself, even in max tones, having to look down at the screen way more than I would like. So I guess I have a two part question: 1) is this an inherent problem in all coin hunting and multipurpose IB detectors, and if not, which ones are immune to it? 2) Do you have tricks, besides over-notching, to work around this problem? I've found enough old coins that I don't want to notch out halves (ID=44), because I know, although rare, they are out there. Lastly, I'm not interested in modern coins, although those come with the territory. So far I've found old coins at shallow depths (4 inches or less) and none deeper, although I'm sure they are there. I dig lots of pulltabs (square but mostly ring & beavertails) and don't mind that. There are coins in that zone and I'm willing to put up with the Al in order to find them.

Minelab X-Terra 705 metal detector It was just this spring that I noted the price for the Minelab X-Terra 705 had dropped to $600. I thought that was good, but somewhere along the way the price dropped again to $499. As of today I find these internet prices... X-Terra 305 $259 X-Terra 505 $349 X-Terra 705 $499 This makes sense with the new Equinox 600 coming in at $649 and Equinox 800 at $899. The X-Terra 705 can be had standard with a 7.5 kHz 9" round concentric coil for $499 or you can also get it standard with a 18.75 kHz 5.5" x 10" elliptical DD coil for $499. The higher frequency elliptical coil variant is known as the X-Terra 705 Gold. Note that the X-Terra can change frequencies by changing coils so owners of either version can have the other by buying the appropriate coil. I don’t think there is another detector out there that matches the X-Terra 705 for features at $499 and it has an excellent threshold based all metal VLF Prospecting Mode. In particular the X-Terra 705 has every ground balance option possible - Ground Grab, Manual Ground Balance, and Ground Tracking with Tracking Offset. It also has a special Beach Mode that allows it to properly ground balance to wet salt sand conditions. The $500 segment is really heating up! Understanding Your X-Terra by Randy Horton is a free 95 page color booklet on how to get the most out of your Minelab X-Terra but with information that owners of any metal detector will find valuable. Minelab X-Terra 705 Owner's Manual / Instruction Guide

I have had this detector since last Christmas, as a back up to my GPX5000, Which recently has been hijacked.so now its old faithful. Is the Coiltek 15" 17.75.KLH. Worth my time ? I'm just a prospector looking for that pot of gold. Thanks for looking..HH.

Cors (aftermarket independent coil manufacturer) has made coils which are advertised as operating at all three frequencies. I couldn't find anything regarding this at their website, which either means I'm not good at finding web info or they've discontinued making them (temporarily or permanently). At least one Ebay seller has them -- here's an example ad (they were making them in various configurations): http://www.ebay.com/itm/CORS-Scout-12-5-x8-5-DD-Search-Coil-Minelab-X-Terra-All-Frequencies-/291652981609?hash=item43e7df5369 These cost 1.5 to 2x what you pay for a single frequency Cors coil of the same general design (size and config) but if they really do work at all three frequencies then it's about a factor of 1/2 what you'd pay for three coils. Real time multifrequency detetectors such as the Whites V3I and VX3 and Minelab 3030 give you more options (and don't require a coil change) but at considerably higher initial prices. I already have two 3 kHz DD coils (Coiltek 6 inch and 15 inch, both DD) for my X-Terra 705 plus the stock coin & jewelry 7.5kHz 9 inch concentric. Later this week I'll be receiving an 18.75 kHz 6 inch round DD Minelab coil, but I'll likely be on my way to the Southwest US by then so won't have a chance to try it out until I get back mid-February (weather permitting ). It will be especially enlightening to compare the performance of the two 6 inch DD's because the 'only' thing significantly different is the operating frequency. Personally, changing coils hasn't been an issue for me because I usually am hunting with one purpose (e.g. coins or nuggets) and typically you know which coil you want to use, at least which frequency. Also I often am within close proximity to my vehicle in case I want to do a change. I understand that backpacking your swappable coils is more hassle than just walking over to your vehicle.

People send me emails or PMs asking questions and I now have a new policy whereby I will post and answer the question on the forum, then aim them at the answer on the forum (names left out). The whole point of asking questions on a forum is everyone gets to share the answer, plus other opinions can be sought. That gets lost with email and PM. "Regarding the Racer 2, I know you will point me in the right direction, I am looking for a Racer 2 or the X-Terra 705, will be doing coin and jewelry hunting as some beach hunting (two or three times a year) in dry and wet sand, so which one do you recommend? Or do you think they are about the same?" They are very similar detectors in a lot of ways and having used both I don’t think either has any particular magic ability over the other. Nothing a more casual user would perhaps discern anyway. If you are really into your detectors there are feature differences that may or may not be important to you so look carefully at the feature list of both detectors. For instance, if you are into tones, the Racer 2 has mono tone, two tone, or three tone hunt modes. The 705 has mono tone, dual tone, three tone, four tone, and 28 tone modes. However, on the X-Terra how those tones are laid out is preset and cannot be modified. The Racer 2 lets you shift the ranges on the two tone and three tone modes and even change the pitch of the sounds. So while the Racer 2 has a limit on the number of tones within those limits it has more ability to be customized. I like that. I also like full tones so the 28 tones on the 705 appeals to me. That is the sort of stuff one has to weigh. These are the sorts of things that matter to me and that I look at. People always talk about depth and that is a waste of time discussing in most cases. It varies due to the ground minerals at each location and all VLF detectors worth the name are so close it results in endless debates. It is just hair splitting. Now when it comes to picking out different closely spaced items one from the other the Racer 2 has an edge from being a faster response detector. This can help if picking through dense trash. But again, that is more a feature expert hunters appreciate. The Racer 2 runs at 14 kHz. The 705 can be had stock in 7.5 kHz or 18.75 kHz versions, and customized via coil options to run at 3, 7.5, or 18.75 kHz. This seems impressive but in real life has not been a huge factor with the X-Terra because having to change coils to change frequencies is cumbersome. Still, if chasing small gold nuggets was an issue the 705 at 18.75 kHz might have an edge though the Racer 2 is surprisingly hot for 14 kHz. The bottom line is it is like having me try and choose between two different sets of similar hiking boots for you. They are too close to tell which will fit you better and either way I could be wrong. I can use either detector and be happy. My best advice is scrutinize the feature list and both owner manuals online and see if any feature really pops out at you as being something you care about. Nokta/Makro Racer 2 and Minelab X-Terra 705

Been using both the White TDI Sl and ML Xterra 705 with 5x9 coils here in the California Mother Lode and along the Klamath and Trinity Rivers. Between the two detectors been able to handle the ground conditions. Lots of magnetite. Use the TDI Sl over the serpentine. Heavy thick brush, steep terrain, occasional old cabin and tent sites from 1850 through the Depression Era into 1950's. The smaller coils are a must, just can't sweep the larger coils on the steep brushy slopes. Been looking at the Fisher F19 and F75 which both seem comparable to the Xterra 705. Like the option of searching for coins & relics while detecting for gold when an old camp site is discovered. After reading several of Steve's articles on the Fisher Series and Xterra, here is what I think I have learned: The F19 at 19 kHz and Xterra 705 are very close except the Xterra multi-frequency coils selection ( 3, 7.5 & 18.75 kHz); the only waterproof Xterra coils is the 6"; all Fisher coils are waterproof. Not sure if the F19 displays discrim target id in true all metal mode; the Xterra 705 does not. The F19 is a little pricey compared to the Xterra 705. The F75 at 15 KHz 13 kHz in true all metal mode will indicate discrim target id. The Xterra 705 does not display target Id in the prospecting true all metal mode; requires you to toggle over to Coin/Relic Discrim mode for target id resulting in a loss of detecting depth. The F75 Discrim notching is limited compared to the Xterra 705. The F75 apparently has a history of EMI problems; the Xterra does not. The Xterra with a 18.75 KHZ coil runs a little hot for coins and relics but works. The F75 apparent ability to separate out good targets in trashy areas may be a big plus over the Xterra. The F75 stock coil ( 8x11?) may work in the brush. The current base F75 and Xterra 705 price are the same; the F75 Limited Editions $ 250 plus higher. Often switch from Prospecting mode and use the Discrim notching feature on the Xterra 705 then toggle between the notch and all metal to weed out the iron using target id when in trashy old mining camps. ( Use the Garrett AT Pro in pro mode when strictly coin/relic hunting; great target separation; iron audio; but no true all metal mode for prospecting.) Do not know enough about the F75 Limited Edition Boost/ Cache features to decide if they will be useful. Use the TDI Sl detecting for nuggets under a gram so the Fisher F75 15kHz is not an issue. Really like the F75 feature of displaying discrim target id in the true all metal mode; current pricing on the base F75 with two coils at $599 is hard to pass up. Have drop the F19 from the list. Any opinions and experience with the Fisher F75 compared to the Minelab Xterra 705 are welcomed. Keep in mind on the west coast during the gold rush US coins were in short supply; some military buckles from the war with Mexico were exchanged for trade goods. Let me know what you think and keep Santa out of this; on the wrong list. Good prospecting & detecting To all you devil dogs out there, have a Merry Christmas where ever you may be. Semper Fi

Since I am new to metal detecting and read a lot on the 705 dual pack, I decided to purchase one. I sent an email to Minelab and left a voice message regarding a question over two weeks ago with no reply. If I am in all metal mode , how would this differ from prospecting mode with 0 iron mask? It would be nice if Minelab customer service would respond to questions. I sent a question to White regarding their TRX and received a replay with in two days. I am not sure if this is normal or not. Dave

Hello everyone. I'm a newbie looking to purchase my first detector. My budget is up to 1.000 €. I'm in Portugal, Europe. I'm looking to primarily look for gold nuggets as I live in areas where gold has been mined before (granite with quartz veins abound around here. The soil is highly mineralized and several streams cut through these granite rocks). But as I also live near the beach and also possible historical sites, I would like to try my luck with some coin / jewelry / relic hunting. I would say 70% gold hunt and 30% coin/relic/jewelry hunt. Will a more specialized gold hunting machine be able to also find coins? I don't quite seem to find that answer. Preferably I would like a machine where I could switch frequencies without having to change the coils. But I guess that throws me into a much higher price tag? I narrowed it down to the Makro Gold Race and the Minelab X-Terra 705 Dual. I'm slightly more inclined to the Makro because its coils can be submersible. Any other suggestions within the set of functions I'm looking at? Having two machines is no option for me, not only because my time is limited, and also because my wife might divorce me ;)) (unless I get rich doing it, that is...) Thanks for your tips.

Minelab's site/advertising lists the 505 applications as "coin, relic, jewelry and beach". For the 705 it adds "gold prospecting". But when you look over the details and specs for the two instruments, it's hard (for me) to see the distinction. Both have all metal mode as well as discriminate mode. Both operate at 3 kHz, 7.5 kHz, and 18.75 kHz (all determined by the coil you choose to attach). Both have manual ground balancing (705 also has automatic and tracking in addition). Both have adjustable threshold and adjustable sensitivity. Both have fine-tunable frequency to eliminate EMI. The Minelab site list something called "detect modes" where the 505 says (1) "Coin and Treasure" while the 705 lists (2), that plus "Prospecting". Are these preprogrammed setup options? For some of the adjustable settings the 705 has higher precision than the 505. An example is the Ground Balance where the 505 says "0 to 50" and the 705 "1 to 90". Sensitivity is another example: 1 to 20 vs. 1 to 30. Pinpointing is more detailed on the 705, and the 505 doesn't have backlighting. Discrimination divisions can be configured to a higher level (iron mask on the 705 and more segments). So, yes, the 705 does have more detailed features. But what distinguishes the 705 as a prospecting detector compared to the 505 (for which the Minelab site's implication is that the 505 isn't a prospecting detector). And if one were to compare the 505 to competition from Garrett (AT Gold) and Fisher (Gold Bug family) to name just two, what makes those prospecting detectors and leaves the 505 in the "coin and treasure" (only) category? BTW, I did read Randy Horton's "Understanding your x-terra" monograph and he does talk about the prospecting mode of the 705, but it's not clear that one couldn't configure the 505 to be close to these settings.

i've been looking all around for a target id chart for raw metals for my x-terra 705. all i've been able to find is ones listing coins and when i try to look up what material the coins are to cross reference them, they all seem to be made primarily of copper. if anyone have suggestions what these might be or another target id chart out there i would appreciate it.

A short video from a metal detecting trip using my Minelab X-Terra 705 metal detector on some local wasteland. My friends have detected this area over the years but I thought I would give it a go myself, I didn't have the best day finds wise but the Minelab X-Terra 705 did manage to find me my first love token made from an old coin. Because I hadn't heard of such a thing before today, I didn't realise what it was and when I dug it, I tried to bend it back in to normal shape, not realising it had been purposely bent to the shape it was, now I know for next time if I dig a bent coin, not to instantly try ans straighten it, live and learn ehh...

Here's an air test video comparing a Minelab X-Terra 705 with a Garrett Ace 250. Now I am fully aware that metal detectors react differently when out in the field compared to in an air test environment and I also know that air test's aren't a true reflection of a detectors abilities, however, I still found them useful when I was looking to upgrade my detector so hopefully other people will also find this video useful. The test is carried out using a variety of UK coins and jewellery. The Garrett retails for around £200 where as the Minelab retails for £450-500 so it's more than double the price so I wanted to know, in a really simple test, how much more sensitive the Minelab would be compared to the Garrett at half it's price. Anyway, I hope you find the video useful and informative like I found them when upgrading detectors:

A nice woodland hunt video where I found 6 nice coins with the oldest dating back to 1908. Along with the coins I found a couple of bullets, rifle casings, toy guns and a few other bits and bobs. The metal detecting dig was done with my Minelab X-Terra metal detector which I've been using the last couple of months and the Minelab X-Terra hasn't let me down yet. There is a photo of the coins at the end of the video showing more detail and I'll be back out with the xterra 705 soon.

Here's a woodland metal detecting hunt with my Minelab X-Terra 705. I was out in the woodland I've only visited a couple of times and on previous metal detecting trips, my friends and I have found a variety of old coins and bullets so we continue to metal detect the area to see what else it has to offer. On this particular metal detecting trip with the Minelab X-Terra 705, I managed to unearth a 1950's metal kids cap gun, it still has lovely engraved detail on it which made it identifying it very easy. Along with the gun, the Minelab X-Terra 705 metal detector also found me some more lead bullets, rifle casings and the usual bits of trash too, but the gun was certainly the find of the trip.

Well i pulled the trigger on a 705 the other day and i am having a wonderful time trying to figure it out----- First thing i learned the hard way was the screen icons....as in sensitivity and beach mode----- I hunted all one day in NorCal and when i got with in 30 yds of the truck on my way back in i realized I had been in beach mode the whole day -- - (have to be careful with the GB button) But once i came out of beach mode and resumed walking back to the truck i immediately hit a target that was a penny---- so i know it will get a target if i have it set properly.. I also found that it was driving me crazy after that making all kinds of noises (making the 2300 sound like a Buddhist monk) then i looked in the handbook and saw i was running sensitivity as high as it would crank!!!! Turned it down and all is well....lol I got this to hunt in trashy areas ......and in a bunch of tailing piles i have found while out exploring..... I am in NorCal and the trash is crazy!!!! I couldnt stand running the 2300 any longer-- i had to have a break--- I am also looking a a TDI-SL for the areas where it may be a little too hot--- i like the idea of cranking the knobs on it to get the desired effects... an ATX would be nice too--if it were lighter---- too many steep hills over here for this old man!!! Got a good deal on the 705 i think---500.00 with three coils---3khz round, 7.5khz round, and an 18.75 khz eliptical.... SO far i am one cent closer to paying for this unit!!!! lololol If anyone has any NorCal settings for gold that wanna share I am all ears---- And i already downloaded Randy's book.....

Iv'e been wanting to see what the coin shooting/relic hunting thing was all about so I borrowed a buddy's X-terra 70 last week to give it a go. I did all the usual prep- YouTube vids, read the manual, practiced in my back yard, etc. I felt that I had a pretty good grasp of the machine and it's capabilities. Iv'e only ever had dedicated prospecting machines so I was pretty stoked about all the different modes and disc, etc. The machine has two coils a 9" concentric 7.5khz and a 10"x 5" DD 18.75khz. I found during my practice sessions that the DD handled the Az. ground better so I put it on for my maiden "coin hunt" adventure. ( I know the differences in the two coils and their uses. The DD was just more stable. The GB #s were anywhere from 10-20.) The first place I went this morning was to a farm that hosts a bunch of festivals, fireworks, etc.. Thousands of people a year tromp through there. I know the owners and they told me to knock myself out. TONS of garbage but the machine did well. I hunted in 3 tones, all metal and then went through the disc patterns to pick out the good targets. I used a small shovel as I was in fields. Here is where the frustration comes in....even with a SHOVEL and my scoop it was taking me waaay too long to get the target out of the hole. I will never ever, ever complain about pinpointing with my SDC again! So, I leave the farm (found a few corroded modern coins) and move on to a old park. Think grass here. I grab a big screw driver so as not to make giant holes in the grass. I decided to hunt under some big trees which was a good decision as I got a number of good sounding targets and could not recover any of them due to my inability to pinpoint them! ARRRGH! I didn't want to leave big areas of plugs (which I was doing) and ruin it for other detectors. Now I see why they make the small pinpointers and, honestly, I don't know if even that would have helped me. The guys on YouTube make it look easy. Well, I sorely need more practice at this coin shooting thing and probably more appropriate digging tools. At this point, though, I'm sticking to prospecting until the frustration wears off:(. Dean P.S.- I was very surprised at the depth capabilities of the XT-70. Very capable machine in the right hands.

First off I'd like to thank you for all the info you have provided for all us prospectors and your "Best Gold Prospecting Detectors report" is awesome. Couple of questions, I have owned 2 Xterra 705's and loved them both using them mostly on beaches here in FL. 2 years ago I went out to my old stomping grounds in WY and took along a 705 and a Tesoro Diablo Gold Demon. I was working a mining tailings pile when the 705 just would not keep quiet, it just continued to sound off in the prospecting mode. I did not change to coin mode but called Minelab from right there on the top of old Centennial Ridge. I spoke to John and he could not help me nor could he come up with any reason for this. He told me he would have Kevin call asap, well I never heard back from them. I ended up taking out the Gold Demon and ran it over the same ground. It ran fine and I did find some nails and various sized bullets. If i used the 705 off the tailing pile it seemed to work fine and I tested it with some gold I had with me. I am headed back to WYO soon and I'm planning on getting a couple of gold detectors to take along, I'm leary about getting another 705. Now I have a Safari that I also love to use here in the east, since it has a the FBS Multi frequency Technology I am wondering how it would perform in the western Goldfields. Your expertise would be greatly appreciated.

I've been doing some cleanup work at a site where two historic buildings burned early this year. What more could a detectorist ask for than a known site with lots of history, fenced, and good sized excavator. I'm not a coin hunter but another forum member here forced me to try it so I've been monkeying with a 705 ML. The damned thing works pretty good. I was able to pick out lots of bits of lead and copper, brass screws etc. but nothing even close to a coin. The only item of interest was an old wall mount brass oil lamp in very poor shape and I'm positive that if I rub it with my shirt tail a Genie will come out and grant me 3 wishes. I think I'll wish for a free cell phone, free health insurance and a check every month. I could use some advise if anyone here has experience with a 705. Or a Genie.