Hi. If it has a coil cover, have you cleaned it out?
Yes and it didn't help. Thanks
I have a 7". It helps but doesn't stop the excessive chatter. Thanks
| Ground Balancing And Checking For Electrical Interference |
Yes, there are several controls that if not adjusted correctly can and will cause excessive noise when searching in the DISC mode. Let me run through a quick check with you on how to best set up the X5. 1) Place the mode switch to All-Metal. With the coil up in the air adjust the Sens control to approximately 8 and adjust the Threshold control to a very slight audio tone. Note: The higher you set the Threshold tone volume, the more dominant the noise will be in the DISC mode. 2) Find a spot of ground that has no metal targets and go through the manual ground balance procedure. After the ground balance point has been found, then adjust the GB control ¼ to ½ turn clockwise (positive). This last GB step is very important to reduce ground noise pick-up. Note: During the GB procedure, if you do not find the point where the threshold tone goes silent when lowering the coil to the ground, then you do not have the X5 ground balanced correctly. This is the NUMBER ONE cause for ground chatter and Fixed GB should be used. 3) With the DISC control set to 3.5 to 4, place the mode switch to DISC and with the coil up in the air adjust the SENS control clockwise until slight chirping starts, then back-off counterclockwise until the chirping becomes quiet. This setting should be between 8 to 9 depending on the electrical activity in the area. If chirping is still present at 8 or less (7, 6 or 5) then you are in a very high electrical activity area. This can be verified by holding the coil up in the air while in the All-Metal mode and listen to the Threshold Tone. If the Threshold Tone is not stable and is fluctuating or motorboating then you are in an area with high electrical interference. To help this situation you should then go to BEACH DISC mode which is the fall back mode any time excessive noise is experienced. Troy |
| Chatter, Interferrence, Ground Effect, and Nails |
It's important at the outset to remember that the X-5 is one VERY HOT machine, and as such, the settings of the X-5 can be somewhat more critical than those of a detector that exhibits less gain, sensitivity, and depth. In most hunting environments, the FACTORY SUGGESTED SETTINGS are the ones that will provide you with the best performance overall. I don't mean the "PRESET" marks on the individual controls, but those suggested in the manual as proper adjustments for the soil and target conditions you are hunting in. With that said, let me go back to the threshold issue, and my suggestion that you can hunt with the threshold at it's maximum level in the discrimination mode. While that is true, there are some prerequisites that need to be considered in doing so. When you increase the target volume via the threshold control above its suggested setting of a barely audible hum, you can in fact increase the audio on smaller and deeper targets. BUT....and this is important to understand....by doing so, you are also increasing ALL audio response on the X-5, including that of any ground effect present or external electrical interference, as well as the normal "click-out" you might normally hear on certain metallic items that are just below the discrimination level setting. While increasing the threshold control in QUIET ENVIRONMENTS can be of some benefit as explained, in other areas it can compound some types of instability. For this reason, it is best to use this method judiciously according to the conditions at hand. FOR MOST HUNTING, THE SUGGESTED BARELY AUDIBLE HUM IS THE BEST SETTING FOR THE THRESHOLD, and it should be checked periodically in the ALL-METAL mode, and after ground balancing prior to switching to the discrimination mode. Where chatter and interference seem a problem, there are specific things that need to be considered with any machine. Chatter can be caused by a number of things, including the ground conditions. This is usually just a matter of making the proper adjustments to handle the specific piece of ground, including proper ground balancing and sensitivity settings. In extremely bad areas, increasing the discrimination level might also help. On the X-5, you can also try the beach discrimination mode if the ground conditions are extreme. Remember that this was designed for wet saltwater sand conditions, and no ground gets much worse than that in producing "falsing" and chatter. External interference is another problem in some areas that can cause chatter, and the first and most obvious method of taking care of this with the X-5 is by using the frequency control, trying each of the 3 different frequencies to determine which operates most quietly. These problems can be caused by 60 cycle electrical lines, cellular phone towers, microwave transmitting towers, television and radio station transmitting towers, etc. and affect most all types of detectors to some degree or another. The more powerful or receptive a detector is, the more noticeable these effects may become. But ask yourself, would I rather have a machine capable of detecting coins beyond 5 or 6 inches, or have a totally "quiet" machine walking over targets that I may never know I missed ? I think the answer is obvious for most of us. One quick way of determining whether you are experiencing external RF (radio frequency) noise or chatter is to simply hold the coil up above the ground and point it out and away from your body while moving it around you in a circle. At times, you may even be able to pinpoint the cause of the interference by using the detector as a "directional antenna". But don't dismiss the possibility of underground electrical or telephone lines in your area either. One final thing I want to address is some of the concerns about nails. While most common nails are easy to discriminate out or identify via the audio of the X-5, let's not forget that not all nails are made solely of iron...... In years past, many types of nails, and especially some of the old square nails and horseshoe nails were made of alloys of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, including copper-cobalt and others. This is not to mention some of the more modern nails that are coated with a galvanizing wash made of non-ferrous materials. The reasoning behind these types of nails was (and is) the prevention of rust or deterioration. Other types, such as fencing staples (U-shaped "nails") are difficult for any machine to completely discriminate, simply because of the shape of the target and the field it produces. In some cases, the best that you can hope for is "identifying" the target as iron rather than completely discriminating out all audio response. Hope this is of some help....... Ralph |
| RF Interference |
......and that's with a capital IF because the X-5 normally does not have much problem along these lines. But, if you experience outside RF interference, there are several things you can try. First off, the ground balance will usually have little or no effect on RF interference. The problem with 60 cycle electric lines is that they interfer across a wide spectrum of multiples both above and below their own "frequency". Next, just reduce the sensitivity to help eliminate the interference. In most cases, this will be sufficient. If not, try the beach mode. A higher discrimination level also may or may not help with external RF interference. That's something you will just have to experiment with in your own location. Another thing that many forget is that the coil of the detector is nothing more than an "antenna", and the larger it is, the more it receives. Try a smaller coil, and that will also help in most situations to some extent. Most of the larger transmission lines are the ones that really cause problems, more so than the little service lines. Sometimes the lines are not as much of a problem as nearby transformers. Try moving away from the transformer itself. One season in southern Arizona, some of the guys were using Minelab PI machines that were extremely sensitive to external RF, so much so that if two of the Minelab guys got separated, they just raised the detector coil and spun it around in a circle until it detected the signal of the other machine..... kinda like a directional homing antenna. Ralph |
| Other Possible Causes Of Chatter |
You might want to check one or two things. First, the wind shouldnt affect your X5 at all. Period. If it IS, then you need to check these.. 1# Have a look at the connector where your coil wire goes into your control box. Make sure its good and tight. The connector WILL have a tendancy to loosen from time to time, from normal use, and its a good idea to check it on occasion. 2# Make sure your coil cable is wrapped tight, AND correctly. When you wind it around the shaft, be sure to wind it OVER the shaft when you start, and not under it. Make sure at least the bottom half of the windings are tight, and cant move. Secure the cable with those velcro wraps if necessary. 3# Have a look at your headphones, and your headphone jack. Try to simulate the windy conditions with the cord, and see if you can make it sound like it does when its windy out. If wiggling the cord produces noise, then you most likely have a defective headphone cord or jack. Most things like this can be attributed to loose connections, or something thats moving when its not supposed to. give your machine a good look over and see if it doesnt help. Streak |
Broadband Interference and Sweep Speeds |
You have asked a couple of good questions. During the development of the X5 we spend a great deal of time and effort perfecting the broadband electrical interference filtering so that we would have very good broadband interference rejection and at the same time maintain excellent depth with both fast and slow sweep speeds. The type of filters and where they are placed in the circuit has a big effect on broadband electrical interference rejection, depth and sweep speed. The rule of thumb on sweep speed is that you need to slow down when searching in heavy mineralized soil and when searching in high trash areas. Otherwise, the X5 does very well with a fast to moderate sweep speed. The chirp you hear when manually adjusting the discrimination control is normal. The X5 is a very sensitive detector and it is actually sensing the changes your making in to the discrimination circuit during the time you are moving or adjusting the discrimination control. Once you have adjusted the control to the point you desire, then it will only chirp or beep on a target when the coil is passed over it. Thanks, Troy |
Vito, thank you for suppling the info. I was able to get away from the power lines and it was quiet. But still this suddenly started chattering. Out of the blue. Never had trouble before. Using it many years Thanks
I'm sorry I can't be of more help. The only other thing I can think of is that, due to their age, some of the large electrolytic capacitors should probably be replaced. That should be easy to do and doesn't require recalibration. Perhaps it's time to take it to a repair shop?
You've done a lot in helping me and I appreciate it.
Now that is a good news. Right now with that luck on your side, have you tested the X5 outdoors and found the tresure?
Yes I have, it's the best detector I've had out of the 22 I've owned.By the way it's my 3rd one.Now that is a good news. Right now with that luck on your side, have you tested the X5 outdoors and found the tresure?
All The Best & Good Luck on your next hunt.
