Which detector was the hardest to learn for you?

[maxxkatt]

I have talked about how difficult the 800 was for me to learn in other posts. I am curious to hear of the experiences of others maybe having trouble learning a more sophisticated detector.

As for me I got into metal detecting by using the Fisher gold bug to locate corroded bird and buck shot in the small branches in the North Georgia gold district SW of Dalonegha, GA. That always told me that was a good area do dig for nuggets. The fisher gold bug was built for gold nugget hunting and was easy to use. Many years went by until I got my AT Pro. That was one good machine that was easy to learn and it did produce on relics and coins.

Then I got really caught up in the Nox 800 frenzy on the MD forums. Remember those days? I thought it was going to be the answer to my MD dreams. I had no idea about the difference in complexity and number of features between the AT Pro and 800.

I also did not realize that I had no real understanding of any of the metal detecting theories that you needed to understand if you were going to use and adjust those 800 advanced settings. So for about a year and a half I was using a detuned detector due to my ignorance. Yes this is hard to admit out on a public forum but it was true.

The other factor was they 800 can really lock on the smallest piece of metal, I mean like a very small piece of copper doorbell wire 1/8" long 4-5" deep. So hunting trashy parks sounded like a machine gun of audible signals.

In hindsight, I now know that the 800 was/is a great detector and was pretty much the leader of the back of SMF detectors when introduced. The whole problem was me. Thinking I could understand a sophisticated modern SMF detector with out the basic MD knowledge. With a lot of kind help from other Friendly forum members, I have filled a lot of the gaps in my detecting theory education.

I now have an XP2 with a 9" coils and love it. Have I mastered it? No I don't think I will every use the term Master, but I have learn a whole lot from my struggles with my 800. I have learned to tailor some of the settings to match my hunting environment.

So, I am wondering am I the only one who hit the learning wall with a particular detector? If so which detector.

 

[itsaring!]

Everyone should have to learn to detect with a Whites DFX. It would thin out a lot of detectorists. If you learn it, you can work these new detectors with not much problems. If you can't you probably ain't gonna make it!

 

[Rattlehead]

Everyone should have to learn to detect with a Whites DFX. It would thin out a lot of detectorists. If you learn it, you can work these new detectors with not much problems. If you can't you probably ain't gonna make it!

I agree. The menu systems on some of the old White’s detectors were something else! It was the V3i for me. If you can run that thing, everything else will be a piece of cake.

 

[metaladdict]

My F70 had a difficult menu, especially trying to notch in discrimination. Nowhere near as simple as my At pro!
I bet the hardest to deal with us Xp deus!
My Equinox wasn't too hard. I'm glad for all the explanations on the forum and you tube to help us out.

 

[Cherry Picker]

Minelab Explorer SE.

After years with a Whites detectors going to FBS was mind boggling. All those beeps, pings, and pops drove me nuts. I gave up once, but went back and stuck it out. I'm glad I did. It opened up my route to the Minelab E-Trac and things went to town.

 

[KOB]

Been using a White's PI forever. But when the 800 came out I got 1 right away. Had 10 days to try and keep it , or return it and pay a 15% penalty. Unfortunately for me when I got it we were smack dab in the middle of a beach gold storm. I thought I knew enough to go right to the advanced settings and scoop up gold. Not even close. It was a nightmare for me as I only made 2 attempts on the beach because lack of time on losing out on a gold rush. Returned it and took my beating. But also made up for it with my PI. When things calmed down here , I bought another and paid my dues. About 4 months in I felt I had it mastered making some incredible finds with my new Nox. Around this time I discovered that some deep negative targets were actually gold rings and did quite well going behind others who thought those signals weren't worth digging up. Many , including some on this forum , thought I was full of it. Now you see all these Youtubers digging negative signals. I am now very reluctant to divulge any machine tips. Though I no longer have a Nox , it has turned out to be a great machine but not the best....

 

[OBN]

Everyone should have to learn to detect with a Whites DFX. It would thin out a lot of detectorists. If you learn it, you can work these new detectors with not much problems. If you can't you probably ain't gonna make it!

First started detecting (2007) a I got a DFX and Explorer... I would hunt a yard with each, the explorer killed the silver, than I would go back thru with the DFX and still find a few I missed. The DFX had so many setting it would drive me crazy trying to find the best.. So I Gave it to a friend after a year, gave him my Eric Foster PPD1 also. Don't miss either one.

 

[Cherry Picker]

First started detecting (2007) a I got a DFX and Explorer... I would hunt a yard with each, the explorer killed the silver, than I would go back thru with the DFX and still find a few I missed. The DFX had so many setting it would drive me crazy trying to find the best.. So I Gave it to a friend after a year, gave him my Eric Foster PPD1 also. Don't miss either one.

The DFX, like most Whites detectors, came factory with very conservative programs. They were no doubt designed for hunting American soil. Once the foreign detectors started making it to the US, the conservative detector fell by the way. The DFX was no slacker if you took the time to learn and understand how it operated, it could compete with the best. It was no E-Trac when it came to raw depth, but it was a much better low-conductor hitter. Best target ID system on the market in my opinion. Still is.

 

[itsaring!]

I agree. The menu systems on some of the old White’s detectors were something else! It was the V3i for me. If you can run that thing, everything else will be a piece of cake.

If everyone had to start out with a V3i it would eliminate most of the detectorists

 

[itsaring!]

The DFX, like most Whites detectors, came factory with very conservative programs. They were no doubt designed for hunting American soil. Once the foreign detectors started making it to the US, the conservative detector fell by the way. The DFX was no slacker if you took the time to learn and understand how it operated, it could compete with the best. It was no E-Trac when it came to raw depth, but it was a much better low-conductor hitter. Best target ID system on the market in my opinion. Still is.

Even with the new offerings the DFX probably still has the most accurate ID system.

 

[robby4570]

I'd say the DFX gave me the most fits but I didn't have it long enough to dedicate the time I should have to it. I bought it used to help someone out with medical expenses and on a lark. I had just purchased a new 'Nox 800 and MX Sport a couple weeks before and was more invested in learning the 'Nox plus it took me a while to get my hands on the book "Digging Deeper With The DFX" but it really helped me figure out the DFX and then a friend wanted a detector and I sold the DFX to her.

 

[maxxkatt]

Even with the new offerings the DFX probably still has the most accurate ID system.

I remember an antique store owner whose father was an Whites metal detector dealer. He had a large punch bowl about 12 Inches deep and 15 inches across filled with silver coins his dad had found over the years in Atlanta. The punch bowl was of course in a locked sturdy glass display cabinet. At the time I didn't know how remarkable the Whites detectors were. I basically thought one metal detectors was just like any other metal detector.

 

[jmaclen]

Whites V3i was by far the hardest VLF for me to attempt to master......I failed and it failed too.

Minelab GPX 5000 has been the most convoluted pulse induction detector for me to master. I got tired of trying to memorize all of the soil timings, what they were best used for and what parts of the hidden menu system and default settings went with each one. I recently regressed to the GPX 4000 and only have about one third of the 5000's timings and settings to deal with.

 

[maxxkatt]

Whites V3i was by far the hardest VLF for me to attempt to master......I failed and it failed too.

Minelab GPX 5000 has been the most convoluted pulse induction detector for me to master. I got tired of trying to memorize all of the soil timings, what they were best used for and what parts of the hidden menu system and default settings went with each one. I recently regressed to the GPX 4000 and only have about one third of the 5000's timings and settings to deal with.

I think going backwards to a less sophisticated detector is ok and often even desired. Remember these so called less sophisticated detectors say the AT Pro still are pretty good and fun to use when finding relics and old coins. You have to use the detector that fits your comfort zone. For me, I am sure that more efforts by me putting time in finding better permissions will yield better results than the next hot detector purchase.

 

[MasonDixonMding]

I started with a f44 after reading a lot about the the f75 I moved up to it. Everyone said it was a noisy but good machine, so I was determined to learn this machine. I got it out of the box and started using it. It was unbelievable noisy. I kept at it for several days. I did find some things. After some phone calls I found out the coil was bad. After using it for several days it made any other machine easy to use.

 

[jmaclen]

I think going backwards to a less sophisticated detector is ok and often even desired. Remember these so called less sophisticated detectors say the AT Pro still are pretty good and fun to use when finding relics and old coins. You have to use the detector that fits your comfort zone. For me, I am sure that more efforts by me putting time in finding better permissions will yield better results than the next hot detector purchase.

For me, the V3i was the pinnacle of SMF at my time of ownership. It just isn't anymore, not even close.

The GPX 5000 is an awesome PI that works great just about anywhere on a wide range of target sizes and depths. So does the GPX 4000 with less features and less stuff for me to remember.

Less sophisticated or more sophisticated doesn't really matter to me. I just use what works where I hunt and I don't use what doesn't work where I hunt. The V3i actually falls into the "don't use what doesn't work where I hunt" category no matter what settings I used or how hard I tried to learn it.

 

[Jose159]

I have and use a Nox600 ,Nox900 , and a Legend.They were all fairly easy to learn(I'm still learning the Legend) but the 3 different VDI scales can really be confusing when trying to ID stuff before digging. The Legend was probably the hardest for me but still not too hard.

 

[itsaring!]

I think going backwards to a less sophisticated detector is ok and often even desired. Remember these so called less sophisticated detectors say the AT Pro still are pretty good and fun to use when finding relics and old coins. You have to use the detector that fits your comfort zone. For me, I am sure that more efforts by me putting time in finding better permissions will yield better results than the next hot detector purchase.

We were hunting the salt wet sand the other day with a Deus ll and a Manticore. We see two young kids with a fisher price looking detector. Had a yellow outer screen. So I'm like " I feel for those poor kids hunting the salt wet sand." We weren't finding nothing. So this kid says he has a target and we were thinking he's got a false hit. His brother was digging with a plastic shovel. So the person I was with goes over the hole with the Deus ll and gets a quarter hit. Kid found a quarter and it was actually pretty deep. Wish I'd have asked his mom what that cheap detector was.

 

[oldkoot]

For me personally it was the Xterra 705, when I first started detecting my wife and I purchased two detectors the AT Pro had just come out so we purchased a brand new ATP and the dealer we purchased the ATP from also had a nice used Xterra 705 so we also purchased the 705, it took me about a year and a half for the Light bulb to turn on and once the light did finally turn on the 705 quickly became my favorite detector of all I have used, the 705 for me made the Legend seem like a cake walk to learn

for me personally there is something to be said about simpler detectors, i have started using some beep and dig detectors the past few months and honestly I am having more fun detecting than I have in several years, turn them on ground balance and start swinging, no worrying about a screen or jumpy target IDs, or whether I have it set up correctly or not for the ground I am on, there is just something about the simplicity of a good Beep and dig that just makes the detecting game fun again for me personally, also what I am finding is in a lot of cases the beep and digs are just as deep and in a lot of cases deeper than these new digital detectors, i can discriminate nails and other ferrous targets that fool some of these higher tech detectors or most of these higher tech detectors, they see coins and jewelry amongst heavy nails and screws with the nails and screws piled on top of those non ferrous targets, when the beep and digs are screaming non ferrous target it has been 100% a non ferrous target yes some bottle caps give a non ferrous tone but with the beep and digs I am swinging you can tell its a bottle cap very easily, pull tabs no you cannot but I am a tone hunter and always have been so the beep and digs suit my detecting more so than these high tech digital detectors

Yes I still have my high tech digital detectors but rite now they are sitting collecting dust and I do not feel I am missing any good targets at all by swinging a beep and dig detector

 

[Saker]

The "FIRST" one was the hardest to learn...I used those lessons to learn the others quicker!