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Are TID's a scam?

Daugela

Junior Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2006
Messages
30
OK-

I'm new to the hobby and should be making apurchase within the week. I've been racking my brain with all the manufacturer's bells and whistles. Let me describe what my goals are and if I could get some comments to make sure I"m in the right direction.

1.) Live in Phoenix, AZ.
2.) Don't plan on traveling with it.
3.) Parks, schoolyards, and ghostowns.
4.) Primarily coins and jewelry. However my greatest find would be an old western handgun!
5.) rarely do goldshooting, but occasionally with my friend( 1X month)
6.) $800 limit

With that in mind, I'm down to the MTX and the Tesoro Vaquero.

I tried both at a local dealer and felt the ID display on the MTX wasn't very useful. The machine felt great, but I couldn't experience this "chatter" thing most MTX users complain about.

The Tesoro was simple and effective. I really liked it, but figured I couldn't go out with my buddy for some nuggetshooting.

So I'm trying to find the perfect balance. Again, nugget shooting would be a primary function. The coins would be.

THanks!
 
I feel like a fool- I guess I used the wrong terminology. Is the TID the TONE ID? I meant to say the coin display on the MXT. I didn't find it effectie. It read wrong several times with the dealer showing me......
 
Welcome to the forum Daugela.The choice is entirely up to you. I have used machines with and without ID screens, and personally I perfer them. I don't pay any attention to the icons for coins, tabs, etc. But really do rely on the signagraph for target strength, the VDI numbers, and depth. Now my Beach Hunter goes strickly off sound, and it is taking me longer to decide on if I will dig the target or not. :?: :roll:. I'm sure you will get several replies to this post, both for, and against ID meters. Good luck on your quest. Either machine will serve you real well.
 
I've had my MXT for a few weeks now and learned a few very important things about it, First it must be ground balanced very carefully otherwise it is noisy, and if your hunting in a trashy area you have got to lock the ground toggle or it is constantly trying to ground balance the old iron items in the ground. The same with "air testing" if the toggle is not locked it won't read correctly. I took me a few days to tame it but now I believe it's the best machine I've ever used.
 
The Tid on the MXT is not a scam unless your dealer is telling you that it is foolproof. As you found out, some trash items can give the same reading as desirable targets. There is no 100% reliable visual display that I am aware of. They are intended to give you some extra information about the target in case you do not want to dig every target. You still must learn the sounds of the machine very well. The Tid is used for a "second opinion" as to what your ears are telling you. Speaking for the MXT, it is pretty darn reliable once you know the VDI numbers and how they behave. Feel free to PM me if you have more Q's.

Kevin
 
I am a believer in the MXT. It is noisy but it has done me real well this year. Just today I pulled two IH's and two extremely early wheat's all at 7"-8" deep. I wouldnt give mine up...except maybe for a DFX ;)
 
I am a new MXT user and I really like the machine so far. As some of the documentation I have read states, the ID is just one of several indicators that can help you decide whether a target is worthwhile to dig.

The audio and operator interpretation are very important as the ID doesn't function to the full depth of detection. (At least one of White's documents describes this.) Also, on deeper items the ID may fluctuate because the MXT doesn't average multiple "swings" like some other detectors... each swing is identified individually.)
 
Get the MXT, Sunray probe and 6x8 DD coil. All can be had used in near new condition off ebay or classifieds.
 
I've used both types. I prefer the display types to confirm what the tone is telling me. I've found that with a display machine I am focused on the tone. After I get a hit and pinpoint then I look at the display to confirm what I've heard.
 
I thought of this thread today while I was using my MXT and new 6X9 DD coil.

My target ID indicated penny/dime while sweeping the eroded ground around the roots of an old tree. The depth indicated that the coin was shallow... I dug it and located a 1950 wheat cent.

Before closing the hole, I swept again and got a positive response, although I forget what the indicator said. I dug a metal plate from the same hole, a few inches below the wheat.

I was impressed with the ID accuracy! It correctly idenfitied the wheat cent, even though a much larger metal plate was below it in the same hole. The photo below shows the wheat and plate.
 

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The XTerras 50/70 can be effectively used for prospecting and are great coin/ring hunters to boot. The MXT is also good for prospecting and coin/ring hunting.. but I'd rate the X70 as a better all-round detector. There's also the Tesoro LST. One thing about TID is that, more often than not, it convinces you NOT to dig.. possibly missing out on a good find. ..Willy.
 
I don't live in a place to hunt gold nuggets but if the MXT does on small gold what it does on BB sized foil I have found at 5 and 6 inches deep I would jump at the chance to do some nugget hunting with it. From what you say you are looking for the MXT would do it well I believe.

As far as the MXT being noisy, at first it seems like a hendrence but if you learn to use it to your advantage it will become your friend.
 
Target ID, be it visual or audio, works pretty well on shallow targets, but as has been said there is no 100% guarantee that it is right. I believe Target ID is probably one of the most abused functions of a metal detector.

Having said that a properly used Target ID is a very important function for making the most of your time. I used to dig a lot of junk just to find a few goodies but today I dig far more goodies than junk. Like any other function you've got to learn how to use it, and what it's trying to tell you.
 
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