Classic IDX air test

Caintuk

Full Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2013
Messages
206
Location
Kentucky
Hello everyone! I have been running a series of tests to get the best out of my classic IDX. I ran a complete air test on a Morgan dollar, Peace dollar,Franklin half, silver quarter, mercury dime, buffalo nickel and wheat cent. I found that the best depth came from setting detector at highest sensitivity, black sand mode, no discrimination.the greatest depth was the peace dollar at 10-1/4 inches, with the shallowest depth being the Mercury dime at 9 inches even. I thought I would've gotten greater depths with the air tests. Thoughts?
 
Nope. Sounds about right to me,if you were using the 9.5" coil and sweeping the coins fairly briskly. Good depth on the Merc...
 
I do use the 9.5 inch coil. With these type air tests, what may the soil test be? In other words, how much depth do you expect to lose? I know density, dampness, etc. Is a factor. Just looking for a generality.
 
I can find dimes and wheats reliably at 8-9" in most any kind of dirt,as long as there aren't any other interfering signals,such as nails or pulltabs around...they must be by themselves. My IDXPro is modified which enhances the performance SOME but you should be able to get the same coins at 7.5-8.5" in similar tests in dirt with the settings you have. Unless the surrounding EMI is outrageous,always run that thing wide open Sens with the switch set to Black Sand. Run the Disc as low as you can, it WILL cost you depth on that machine,and it's considerable when you're hunting the deepest of coins.
If you do NOT have the 5.3 Black Max coil,also known as the Bullseye,it is a MUST have for that machine. It makes hunting in any kind of trash very very easy.
The biggest thing is to go swing the machine. The longer you do,the more you'll find,and eventually you'll realize that you have one of the best machines ever made for coin hunting. Ever...and I also have a CTX and Explorer...FWIW
 
Thanks for the input. You have been very helpful. The coins where I hunt here in Kentucky tend to be very deep including clad. Just tying to find a way to up the game. I even considered getting a 15 inch bluemax, but I am partially disabled and that thing would get me down before I got started.
 
You don't want the 15" coil,not the Blue Max. If you're partially disabled now you'll be COMPLETELY disabled after a short time with that thing. I believe they made a 12" coil for it as well,though I've never tried it. I'm not even 100% sure about it's existence,you'd have to Google it...
Good luck,trust it. Concentric coils like yours are very good discriminators, especially if your ground is not too mineralized. Do you know how to set the Ground Balance manually? The little screwdriver under the USA flag routine?...this is critical for achieving MAX depth in a certain area!
 
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Finding out what settings work best for you in air testing are 100% meaningless once you put the coil to the ground. There is no "air matrix" to concern about. Just EMI, which you would be subject to ground testing just the same. There is a ground matrix, and that will be where what ever buttons you press, knobs your turn, or levers you throw make the real difference.

The VDI of the air will always be the same. It doesn't change. The VDI of the ground does, as does the concentration of minerals in the ground. You can have the ground be very ferrous (-95) but still have a low mineral level to the soil. This is where detecting is easy and where you will get your greatest depth. You can also have that same very ferrous ground (-95) and have moderate or even high levels of mineralization in the soil. That makes detecting much more difficult. How you configure your machine makes ALL of the difference here. You will be fighting for every inch in high mineral ground.

The depth baseline you reach in the air is only a good baseline for the air.
 
The above is correct,for learning sounds and such of different coins,air testing is fine. Actual hunting conditions changes things sometimes. A two filter detector like the IDX will struggle some in really mineralized ground APPARENTLY....I don't have to contend with much here that I've ever been aware of.
Just Google " ground balance Whites Classic",it's pretty straight forward.
 
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