Minelab X-Terra 705 vs White's V3i

[Justinian]

I just got a Minelab X-Terra 705 and will use it on Saturday alongside my V3i to see which one works best when searching for Roman artifacts. The difficulty is searching in a field filled with ancient hand-forged square nails and very targets. Should be interesting.

 

[Longhair]

Which coil did your 705 come with? The coil used, site soil conditions, and conductivity of targets sought will all play a part in how the Xterra will perform for you.

 

[Justinian]

It was a good buy on eBay. For less than a new 705, I got four coils; a large 15" DD 7.5 kHz Coiltech, a 9" 7.5 kHz concentric, a small 6" DD 18.75 kHz, and a 8.5" x 12.5" NEL Hunter (18.75 kHz). I did some air tests with the Nel - and found it to be VERY good.

 

[Longhair]

Depending on specific soil conditions and object density, I would choose the 15" 7.5kHz for it's overall accuracy, honesty, and depth. It will separate well, but would be limited as much as you'd expect from any 15" DD due to the heel-to-toe length.

 

[Justinian]

In air tests, the 15" can not see these tiny Roman coins when next to a nail. The 8x12 did, but the 6" was a killer. Also, the paper thin thin medieval silver coins were virtually invisible with the 15".

 

[Longhair]

From what I understand, a lot of ancient silver hammered coins are low conductors, and as such they will respond to higher frequencies best.

Personally, I can't abide with the use of NEL coils on an Xterra. They are NOT authorized by Minelab to produce any V-Flex coils, and as a matter of fact, Minelab changed firmware in January 2012 specifically to negate their use. NEL are in effect thieves, whose Xterra coils can't even be legally sold by U.S. retailers because they are a Patent infringement.

 

[Justinian]

Thanks

 

[Briman05]

There is actually a dealer in nj that sells nel coils

 

[Justinian]

In air tests, that Nel was sweet. I can;t wait to try it tomorrow in the field.

 

[Longhair]

There is actually a dealer in nj that sells nel coils

He can sell NEL coils, just not for the Xterra. If he is selling Xterra coils, and he gets caught, he's in deep doo-doo.

 

[Briman05]

I'm pretty sure he has xterra coils