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I have questions for users and former users of XLT's

longbow62

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Joined
Apr 20, 2017
Messages
1,974
Location
Jonesboro, AR
I am getting a new detector, but it's on back order. Still using the XLT until I get it. So to the guys who have used Whites XLT I have a question.

A lot of times I get a killer dime, quarter, dollar etc. signal that will register somewhat shallow. Maybe four inches or less. No bars in the negative side of zero. I start digging and nothing it's deep iron giving a nonferrous readout. I get paranoid and usually keep digging until I am tired of digging or find the culprit signal which is always iron 8"+ it seems.

Is there a way to tell before digging it's deep iron?

Sometimes it will not pinpoint and I won't dig. But other times it does pinpoint leading to digging for nothing.
 
How does the signigraph behave on these signals? It's been a while since I used an XLT but if memory serves the signigraph would display several staggered bars all across the positive side when it's falsing iron.. Tone would sputter more as well. A good target would only build 1-3 bars and the tone would be smoother.


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Exactly Rattlehead. You would think what you described would happen and sometimes it does. But many times a straight up good signal with coil swung from two directions. Sometimes with just two positive side bars just like it reads on silver targets I have dug with a solid tone. It will pinpoint shallow. You start digging and once you get down to where target should be it's not there, but I will admit once several inches of dirt is removed the negative iron bars do sometime show up. Sometimes depending on just how deep and large the iron object is. I will swing the coil over spoil dirt from hole to make sure nothing was missed.

On another note I have found my best chance for digging good silver targets with my XLT are one or two bar targets in the 3.5-5.00". Oddly deeper or shallower than that seems to be clad or more often junk. That is just a trend I have noticed. Certainly not a hard and fast rule.

I got started back metal detecting the end of April and since then have dug 6 silver dimes. None were over 5". No silver other than the dimes. I have dug Wheats that deep, but most of the clad coins are under 4" including the few clad quarters I have dug.
 
I have found modern memorial cents deeper than most of the silver coins that I have found. By using your pinpointer you can run it around the inside of your hole. A coin usually only sounds off in one spot while cans and other junk can be heard anywhere in the hole.
 
When I'm getting a strong pinpointer signal but the target isn't where I think it should be, (keep digging and it's still sounding off) I reset the pinpointer to about 1-2" then try again. If the signal has disappeared it's usually some big deep chunk of junk.
 
Lifting the coil can also tell you a lot. If you can lift the coin 6" or more off the ground and still get a hard signal chances are very high it's iron.

Does it breakup when you hit it with the edge of you coil? A good target, in most cases, will remain a clean signal even at the very edge of you coil, Iron will not.

Stomp the ground good and hard where the target is and test it again. If it remains good or gets even better, dig. Most iron will give a weaker signal or broken signal.
 
Ah okay, I have not tried lifting the coil and stomping compacting soil. I will try that trick on future hunts.

I just got a pinpointer last week so I have not gotten completely used to it yet. I have found the best use of the pinpointer so far is when the target is out of the hole in spoil or plug, but have also used it inside the hole some. Using the pinpointer is for sure faster at finding the target. Thanks for that tip.

I just found out my new detector shipped. I should have a new detector by the end of the week. These tips will still come in handy as I am keeping the XLT for backup and for family and friends to use who want to hunt with me.
 
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