Whites V3i Observations

I was at work thinking about something last night. Since some of the earlier days, people have took the liberty to write books and writeups on several Whites machines in the past...such as the Spectrum XLT, DFX, MXT, etc. Some of these books were declared to be "the Bible" of these machines. Several authors have also done similar books with the Minelab machines...particularly the Explorers, Sovereign/Excalibur, and now the CTX 3030. I own 3 book for the CTX that just specifically deal with gold jewelry hunting with it. Clive done a couple books on the Whites DFX with similar themes for finding gold jewelry with it.

My observation is this...the Whites V3i has more menus and adjustments than most any other machine out there. But nobody has wrote a book or guide for it; and it has been the Whites flagship model for at least 6 years. It would seem like that somebody would have tried to capitalize on this and corner the market for it. Any time there is a ton of adjustments on a machine, it intimidates people and the thought that runs through people's heads is always the question of whether they have it set up correctly. You would think somebody would have wrote a book similar to the others, for understanding the settings on the machine and how to get the most out of it.

I have been considering getting a V3i...thus why I have been looking around for info on them and have found jack squat except for forum posts. I tested a prototype for the machine when they changed it from the Vision to V3i...my job was just to test a mixed mode audio program and let them know what I thought of it. The only coil I had for it was the D2 coil and after seeing what some of the SEF coils did for the MXT Pro...I bet similar results could be seen with the V3i.

So...what do you guys think of this machine? Surely some of you have tried them along the way. Or maybe not. There has to be some reason why there isn't a lot of talk on the forums about them. My hunch tells me that it is probably the complicated menu driven settings. Sometimes too many settings will scare people away. I was actually trying to get the V3i that a friend of mine has. He never uses it. Instead, he offered me his new TDI with 3 coils for $400. I COULDN'T say "I'll take it" fast enough. LOL. He just got a GPX and says he doesn't need the TDI. He is going to let me borrow his V3i too, to mess around with against the CTX 3030.

Dan- the V3i is my go-to machine. It scared me at first, but when you start to understand the power behind being able to set literally ANY setting, and the ability use stereo mixed-mode you see that "too much" is just enough. Enable the "Advanced" user mode for easier access to all the settings.

Some people want a beep-dig detector. The V3i is geared towards people who understand some of the concepts behind advanced metal detecting and how to tweak a machine to fit any condition.

The V3 is a nice park machine but not a relic machine. I have not found any hunters across the pond using them for relics. Way too much in programing and the color is not a big deal. Not a deep machine and a lot of companies take years to come out with a new machine...Why

LowBoy

TAKE A LITTLE TIME KICKBACK AND WATCH SOME OF MY DETECTING VIDEO'S BELOW ON YouTube

[www.youtube.com]

If you don’t dig it, then how are you going to know what you’re missing!
How can you have your pudding if you don’t eat your meat!

I have always liked the V3i but there are a couple of things that I don't like about it and One is the over Tall Pod and the other thing is there are way too many adjustments that are not needed and whats worse is thay some of the adjustments have been give names that most folks have not even heard of, And then when you take it to a new site you have to start fine tuning again for at leased half an hour throughout the day trying to get it right So it never seems to be running at it's Ideal setting unless you get the chance to go back to that site again and have another go at it, The Dig and Beep machines are Tools but these multi-complex models are more of a play thing for those who like Tinkering with computers etc which is in no way related to detecting,

And Quite frankly Other Whites models do just as well and in some situations they out perform the V3i by a good margin.

John..



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/21/2016 04:57PM by auminesweeper.

At the end of the day the sweep speed is just too finnicky for me. Spent alot of time getting to know them and they have they're merits but the machines just aren't as sure of themselves as I'd prefer.

I'm curious to see your results comparing your friends V3i to your CTX.
My hunting partner uses the V3i and does very well with it.
We compare signals quite often. Most of his iffy signals are very clear to me on my CTX and most of my iffy or very deep
Coin signals are a no dig for his detector. He usually will call it a bottle cap or give me a weird look and say "let me know what you find".
Not every time but I would say most, I bring home more Silver. He finds more unique stuff like old Jewlery, tokens, keys and probably
finds more nickels. I probably bring home more nails.
A lot of this might just be different hunting styles or the way we set up our detector.
Bryan

One of the keys to getting good depth out of the V3i is to use the mixed mode Audio, that can really boost the depth.

Hi Daniel,

I write a little about it here and there as I feel like it. I have a ground filter post on Findmall that can be helpful.

I'm on my third go around and am using a V3 that I haven't sent in for upgrading to the V3i yet. I keep thinking about sending it in for the upgrade but I hesitate to do so as it seems to me that the V3 has a better response than the V3i, faster ground balance and less menu hangups. I dunno. I've been thinking about getting a used V3i and comparing the two but the used detector market has been in a slump so I'm hesitant to tie money up in one unless I come across an impossible to walk away from deal... like that TDI you just scored.

The more time you spend inside it the easier it becomes to move around in it and the easier the adjustments become. I think the key is to get that grab and go program in place right away so you can grab the V3 and go hunting just as fast and easily as you would grab a F75. Spending time up front on setting that up allows you to use it more often and saves the fiddling for night time.

To create your grab and go, run through the default programs and find one that responds the way you like. Then make a copy of it and tweak the things that need the tweaking. Set up your live controls (like adding pots and switches to a machine) up so that everything you need is at your fingertips and you are not having to delve down into the expert menu to change basic things you want.

I suggest the Mix Mode program (not Mix Mode Pro) as a starter, or the Prospecting program as base programs. They already have a proper setting combination in place that just need minor tweaks to use. Mix Mode also already has the discrmination base loaded so you can turn mixed mode off and have the basic disc setup in place. If you like to hunt with VCO audio, you can reverse the disc pattern and hunt in VCO. But like I stated, once you have your grab and go program in place you can hunt it like just like any other grap and go machine. A grab and go program in place means you are more likely to use it more, and like anything, the more you use it the easier and better you understand it.

I think its a great metal detector with tons of potential that just requires some willingness to put some time in on it. Create that grap and go program so can feel good about hunting with it and then bench test it during down time.

HH
Mike



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/21/2016 07:50PM by Mike Hillis.

V3i is probably one of the most capable machines out there. But with that comes with the price always keeping on top of settings so it's optimized. Keeping that swing speed, recovery, and ground balance in harmony is a task. True 3 frequency detection is great. 3 frequency pinpoint is one of my favorite features of all detectors made. If only you could pinpoint in 3 frequency and search in the deeper single frequency! Also although good ergonomics still a heavy boat anchor.

I'd love an ultra light V3i package...but if they came out with an ultra light E-trac it would be game over again for the V3i.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/21/2016 07:50PM by detectingMO.

I'm a network engineer, but when I detect, I like to enjoy the simplicity of detecting, not programming a machine (makes me feel like I'm at work - LOL!), so I've stayed away from machines like the V3i and XP Dues as I've read one too many times that a user was off on one setting or another and they weren't finding anything, until they made this or that adjustment and then the finds started coming. Unfortunately I don't get a lot of time to detect, and most sites I detect are pretty remote with a fair amount of travel time, so when I am detecting, I need to ensure that I'm getting the best possible experience with the least amount of margin for error on machine settings. On paper the V3i is probably one of the best units out there with it's ability to select a single frequency or multiple frequencies together, coil selection, and with it's target analysis cabilities.

That said, I know the V3i and XP Dues are both great machines IF setup correctly if you have the time to learn them. A friend of mine that's very proficient with the V3i said you're looking at, at least 100 hours before you're semi-proficient with the machine. All machines take time to learn, no doubt about that, but that's 100 hours of potentially missing good finds -

detectingMO Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> V3i is probably one of the most capable machines
> out there. But with that comes with the price
> always keeping on top of settings so it's
> optimized. Keeping that swing speed, recovery,
> and ground balance in harmony is a task. True 3
> frequency detection is great. 3 frequency pinpoint
> is one of my favorite features of all detectors
> made. If only you could pinpoint in 3 frequency
> and search in the deeper single frequency! Also
> although good ergonomics still a heavy boat
> anchor.
>
> I'd love an ultra light V3i package...but if they
> came out with an ultra light E-trac it would be
> game over again for the V3i.


Pinpointing in 3 frequencies is awesome. I would lock mine and hunt that way on occasion. Very cool to see the faint signals flutter on one band more so than the other.

That's sort of what I was leaning to with it...the multiple settings/options have intimidated people and swayed them away from it. Like I say, I have used them in the past but never for an extended period of time. Some of my earlier YouTube videos are of me actually using the V3 with the F75 and TDI. I personally didn't find it to be deep while in 3 frequency mode, but in single frequency, it was deeper in the ground with the 10" D2 coil than my F75 was in all metal mode. That impressed the heck out of me at the time. Like I say, this has me wanting to revisit the V3 and try some of the other coil options for it to see what it does.

It is actually one of the first more modern machines to allow the user to customize the tone breaks and assign tones to specific VDI numbers and ranges. It has all the features to be able to do what you want with it. The trouble is...it is time consuming to do it and must be done by the menu system on the detector itself. Where as machines like the CTX can do the same thing, except they make it much more simple to do...either via a PC program to do the editing/designing with, or very fast on the fly adjustments for tone breaks, such as the Turkish machines. Hopefully with the next flagship machine, Whites has recognized this and will have some of the highlite features but have them more user friendly.

On the TDI that I got. My buddy has a bunch of detectors; usually has 9 or so at any given time. He has a lot of money tied up in them, and when he gets the itch for something else, he usually parts ways with one of the detectors for whatever the cost is of the item he is wanting. In this case, he is wanting an outboard engine for his boat, and found a used one for $400. So he needed $400 quick cash and figured he wouldn't be using the TDI now that he has a GPX. I'm tickled to death for that score.

One thing I noticed,,,EMI handling using V3i,,,,no comparison vs etrac or CTX.

Even to mitigate EMI as much as possible took valuable time a fooling with.

I look at it like this,,,the V3i has been out long enough,,,,if it were the cat's meow,,,,,more folks even here on this forum would be talking more about it.

Good luck Daniel should you try one.

I won't be trying another.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/21/2016 11:29PM by tnsharpshooter.

TnSS - That is not a bad philosophy to have in some cases. The problem is though that people are birds of a feather...and forum birds tend to go with whatever direction the forum wind is blowing at the time and quickly change directions. I will watch the flocking birds to see what they are doing but seldom do I find myself staying with them. A few years ago, the Deeptech machines were the rage of this forum. Nearly every frequent member had one and was talking about them in every other thread. Now days...you seldom see one even mentioned. Last year or two it is the Turkish machines that have captured the attention of the forum. You and I are a great comparison to this one....the Fors Relic detector. I bought one and pretty much snurled my nose at it and still do (kind of the drift I get with you describing the V3i). You couldn't give me another one today. Yet you bought the same exact unit that I had, and seem to like it quite a bit. Same exact detector. Two different people...two different view points on the same thing. This forum has a couple/few big birds on it that the rest of us tend to let guide/lead us. Whether we realize it or not. Keith is one of the lead birds...if he posts about a machine or does a video or two, it shifts the other birds towards it lol. He has even revived interest in machines that have been out of production for 10+ years.

So in a nutshell, there are a quite a few enablers on the forum.... that if you try to keep up with the Jones's. You will end up broke...lol

Daniel Tn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> TnSS - That is not a bad philosophy to have in
> some cases. The problem is though that people are
> birds of a feather...and forum birds tend to go
> with whatever direction the forum wind is blowing
> at the time and quickly change directions. I will
> watch the flocking birds to see what they are
> doing but seldom do I find myself staying with
> them. A few years ago, the Deeptech machines were
> the rage of this forum. Nearly every frequent
> member had one and was talking about them in every
> other thread. Now days...you seldom see one even
> mentioned. Last year or two it is the Turkish
> machines that have captured the attention of the
> forum. You and I are a great comparison to this
> one....the Fors Relic detector. I bought one and
> pretty much snurled my nose at it and still do
> (kind of the drift I get with you describing the
> V3i). You couldn't give me another one today. Yet
> you bought the same exact unit that I had, and
> seem to like it quite a bit. Same exact detector.
> Two different people...two different view points
> on the same thing. This forum has a couple/few
> big birds on it that the rest of us tend to let
> guide/lead us. Whether we realize it or not. Keith
> is one of the lead birds...if he posts about a
> machine or does a video or two, it shifts the
> other birds towards it lol. He has even revived
> interest in machines that have been out of
> production for 10+ years.

One thing,,,

Before I will keep and use an ergonomically inferior unit,,,,it will have to do something good and special.
To me V3i just don't do either.

I have talked positively about some units,,,but to clarify,,,,most detectors IMO are actually niche depending on coil size.

What I mean is using detectors in pounded sites where other good detectors have been.

The Deus and CTX are the only Vlf detectors I actually like the performance with 11" coils.

I just try and be factual.

Certainly don't want or hope to be an enabler.

Need rain still,,,otherwise this GPX 4500 is still in holding pattern for use.

Have picked up a new relic buggy,,may post pics in a few days.

I bet you're glad you FLOCKED to the Sovereign Daniel!!

I remember your Happiness!!

Still happy for you by the way!!

Keith

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla

Keith -- The thought has crossed my mind to pick up an Excalibur if I run across one used at a good price. Like I say, I will see what the other birds are flocking to but tend to quickly go back to my normal thing. I didnt keep the Sovereign long. The whole broke CTX thing still has me not being too confident in keeping the replacement. It seems to be working like one should...but for how long? The Excals have been fairly stable/consistent in being reliable and would be the beach machine I want the CTX to be. The added bonus would be I could use it for plate hunting too on land in thep iron. Kind of two niches with one machine. But still would leave a void for coin hunting in sites with old and modern trash IMO. I'm trying to condense my niche items to just one VLF machine and one pulse machine. It is requiring some research and rearranging. Thus this thread about the V3i. I didn't mean to come across as condescending towards you. I am saying that people here respect you so much (me included) that you could take a turd of a machine that everybody is in agreement on about hating.... and do a video on it showing something it could do that you did like, and have people here tripping over themselves to buy one. I bet you could even do one on the V3i and say some positive things about it and people would be searching for used or new ones the next day. Haha

TnSs - The niche hunting is why I'm revisiting the V3i. The reason being for gold jewelry hunting and coin hunting. Both of which will always be associated with modern trash. What I am looking for is a machine with an expanded target ID range in the low-mid conductor range...where most gold jewelry will fall and where most foil and aluminum bits fall, to try and gain an edge for being able to tell trash from goodies in that range. This was one of the reasons the DFX was so popular (and still is) for turf jewelry hunting. My reasoning is that the V3 would allow you to set tones for those areas where gold is likely to ID and with practice/target ID interpretation, be able to tell to some degree, what might be can slaw or gum wrapper foil vs gold. The CTX has this capability but does lack sensitivity to gold jewelry unless it is large. You wont find a chain or bracelet with it unless it has a big clasp or some kind of charm on it. The V3i might not be what I'm looking for but I'm not going to base my opinion of it on whether it is popular on the forums or not. I will inquire as to why some people didnt like it and why others like it but will always have to see for myself. It's like the GPX detector. For years, even when it was just the GP Series, I wanted to try one and had a hunch about them handling bad ground. Everytime I would ask about them on the forums, people would say the same ole lines about pulse machines "you will dig all sort of junk...they are too expensive...a $600 detector will do the same thing". I finally broke down and got one anyway and was one of the first few people at DIV to have one. I couldn't tell you how many folks tried to say I was crazy for spending that much on a detector. Boom...people started seeing what the GPXs were finding in their boot tracks that they never heard. Fast forward 7 years to this past DIV and out of 400 participants, probably 300 or more have a GPX and the rest have a pulse machine of some type. Including every single one of the people that originally said I was crazy for getting one



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2016 03:53AM by Daniel Tn.

Got The V The First Day it came out....... Ran it countless hours for 3+ Years...... never cared for The Stock coil, to heavy and horrible at pinpointing .........The Dreadful Ghost Signals, I was spending 25-30 % of my hunt time Chasing Ghost Signals that were Not There?

Goggle....... V3I Ghost Signals .....and have a pot of Coffee near, because you will be there a while, reading page after page of Forum Rants about the Ghost Signals Issue's .

Rob,
What coils do you like on it?

950 concentric as I just Jewelry Hunt the sports fields........ The Concentric ID real good & hate Crown Caps and pinpoint Dead on........ If your in Hot dirt, trying to go Deep, the ultimate coil ...... whites was giving away free a while back..with the purchase of the V. ........ I found a lot of jewelry with The V over the years...... It's got a ton of useful features...... all detectors have quirks, some more than others .



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/2016 02:09AM by Rob in (ca).

The reason for the EMI is that Whites have always run very hot high sensitivity where as the Sovereign and the Etrac are blind to small / Tiny targets and fine Gold chains etc unless that have a larger clasp, But even then I was never able to turn the GT right up.

Hey Daniel, I will throw in my to zinc cents:
I suspect (total guess here) that sales numbers drive book writing.
I think most units can hunt very, very well if the user does their part and there are targets to be had. I've seen guys hunt right up there with a Bounty Hunter and I've seen a guy using an ATPro beach/surf hunt with some great guys using Excals! I swear this is true!
Now I am a detector connoisseur and have NEVER owned one of those. I used a Deus for years, an SE Pro, F75 SE, half a dozen CZs, etc. Currently using Excal, ctx, Racers (Red, Black & Gold), TDI sl on field and many others left home.
FYI, I have 4 Excals and had trouble with 3 (OBN tried like anything to fix one), my ctx is fine. I really think the rap on ctx's is a matter of every make has a small number of flaws and the more units produced the more flawed AND you never hear about the ones that work, just the ones that fail. That said, I will have an Excal as long as I can swing and I am loving my ctx and only pull a Makro or the TDI sl when I have a dead arm.
I love this forum for the wealth of great opinions and fun posters. I miss our fearless leaders input greatly as the best of the best!

Past(or)Tom
Using a Legend, a Deus 2, an Equinox 800, a Tarsacci MDT 8000, & a few others...
with my beloved, fading Corgi, Sadie

Hey Daniel Didn't Know you sold the sovereign...

They are very very good at their strongpoint...and that being what you now know.

I wont be without one again..went too long without one.Well I have two Now LOL..

Yes the Excalibur is a viable option although heavier and less ability to swap coils.....if I bought a Excalibur I believe I would find one with a 8 inch vs 10.. and if its an older one look for a slimline 8 vs thicker 800..

Didn't think nothing of it Daniel ..and surely not condescending ..

Good luck on your V3i Quest!!

Get a BBS back in the stable..

I've found that a good site machien for iron ((Relic//F19//DTVG)) and a Simple BBS unit covers alot of if not all bases..Dotn dismiss that BBS on the deep silver and modern trash.. its one of the best Disc circuits ever made..and its as deep on silver as any unit ever to come down the pike..

In that trash you just have to slow to a crawl...they dont call it the "sovereign wiggle "for nothing on those super deepies..


Keith

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla

On the Excal I definitely agree on the newer slimline over the older brick coils. However I say go with the 1000 (ten) over the 800 (8). The 800 is lighter, faster, easier to pinpoint and navigate in traffic, but the 1000 not bad (really 9.5) but deeeper and wider coverage is worth it in most cases. IMHO

Past(or)Tom
Using a Legend, a Deus 2, an Equinox 800, a Tarsacci MDT 8000, & a few others...
with my beloved, fading Corgi, Sadie

I picked up the V3i from my buddy last night. Gone through it some last night and today. I wanted to try some of the coils before they got gone in the MXT Package I'm selling; just to see what they do for the V3i.

The 10x12 SEF I have must not be "V" rated...it overloads unless I back the RX gain down to single digits. The 6x8 SEF that I have must be V rated, because I can run the gain wide open with it.

This is a very sophisticated metal detector. I know now why some didn't stick with it; looks like there is a very steep learning curve to it and no books or anything to go by to really help shorten it.

I did note that the gain on this unit is amped up quite a bit and a person really has to take note of this because you can drive the unit way past usability. I have never seen a machine with such hot factory programs. Most of the time, factory programs are conservative on power...to ensure stability. This machine comes preloaded with them so hot that you have to turn them down right out of the gate, or you will be dealing with lots of falsing and such.

This machine air tests like nobody's business. MUCH farther in air test than the MXT Pro with all the same coils. Especially on single freq modes.

I was able to do some general modifications to the stock Relic program and was able to get a signal on my 10 inch buried dime with the 6x8 coil. That is pretty impressive to me...the MXT wont make a peep on it with that same coil and running it wide open on +3 Gain. Nor will the CTX 3030 with the 6 inch coil.

Will do some more reading and playing around with settings. Right now my biggest gripe is a delay in the audio on the coil position. I know there is a setting in there for recovery speed but ran out of time before family obligations to try and tweak it. What I'm running into, is I'm getting a signal when I pass the coil over the buried targets but there is a timing delay on when it gives the signal for it. I'm using the factory speaker and not any wireless headphones...but that is what it reminds me of, is using a pair of wireless headphones with a delay in the signal. In an actual hunting scenario, it would be a pain in the butt.

Daniel Tn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I picked up the V3i from my buddy last night.
> Gone through it some last night and today. I
> wanted to try some of the coils before they got
> gone in the MXT Package I'm selling; just to see
> what they do for the V3i.
>
> The 10x12 SEF I have must not be "V" rated...it
> overloads unless I back the RX gain down to single
> digits. The 6x8 SEF that I have must be V rated,
> because I can run the gain wide open with it.
>
> This is a very sophisticated metal detector. I
> know now why some didn't stick with it; looks like
> there is a very steep learning curve to it and no
> books or anything to go by to really help shorten
> it.
>
> I did note that the gain on this unit is amped up
> quite a bit and a person really has to take note
> of this because you can drive the unit way past
> usability. I have never seen a machine with such
> hot factory programs. Most of the time, factory
> programs are conservative on power...to ensure
> stability. This machine comes preloaded with them
> so hot that you have to turn them down right out
> of the gate, or you will be dealing with lots of
> falsing and such.
>
> This machine air tests like nobody's business.
> MUCH farther in air test than the MXT Pro with all
> the same coils. Especially on single freq modes.
>
>
> I was able to do some general modifications to the
> stock Relic program and was able to get a signal
> on my 10 inch buried dime with the 6x8 coil. That
> is pretty impressive to me...the MXT wont make a
> peep on it with that same coil and running it wide
> open on +3 Gain. Nor will the CTX 3030 with the 6
> inch coil.
>
> Will do some more reading and playing around with
> settings. Right now my biggest gripe is a delay
> in the audio on the coil position. I know there
> is a setting in there for recovery speed but ran
> out of time before family obligations to try and
> tweak it. What I'm running into, is I'm getting a
> signal when I pass the coil over the buried
> targets but there is a timing delay on when it
> gives the signal for it. I'm using the factory
> speaker and not any wireless headphones...but that
> is what it reminds me of, is using a pair of
> wireless headphones with a delay in the signal.
> In an actual hunting scenario, it would be a pain
> in the butt.

I had 10x12 sef (non v rated),,, could run gain to 15,, tx boost on no overload.

This one wont. I can run it wide open on the MXT Pro though. On the V3, it overloads until the RX is backed down into single digits. This is with TX Boost off too. The best coil I've put on it for depth out of the 5 that I have, is the stock D2 coil. It too, pounces on everything in my test area, including the 10" dime and gives good ID on it too when centered with the coil. My CTX can barely do that with the stock 11" coil. The V3 has a lot of power under the hood for sure. But it does false signal a lot with how I have it right now. Will do some reading on how to control that and see what I can come up with. I think my buddy is wanting to see if I can figure out some little tricks with it so I can pass them along to him. He is the one that had the MX Sport with the broken off battery compartment. Right now he is hunting with his Deus and GPX but says he likes the MX Sport better. He traded a couple guns for the V3i and hasn't used it.

Daniel Tn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This one wont. I can run it wide open on the MXT
> Pro though. On the V3, it overloads until the RX
> is backed down into single digits. This is with
> TX Boost off too. The best coil I've put on it
> for depth out of the 5 that I have, is the stock
> D2 coil. It too, pounces on everything in my test
> area, including the 10" dime and gives good ID on
> it too when centered with the coil. My CTX can
> barely do that with the stock 11" coil. The V3
> has a lot of power under the hood for sure. But
> it does false signal a lot with how I have it
> right now. Will do some reading on how to control
> that and see what I can come up with. I think my
> buddy is wanting to see if I can figure out some
> little tricks with it so I can pass them along to
> him. He is the one that had the MX Sport with the
> broken off battery compartment. Right now he is
> hunting with his Deus and GPX but says he likes
> the MX Sport better. He traded a couple guns for
> the V3i and hasn't used it.

Does it overload using single freq like 7.5 kHz???

I think it is the 22.5 kHz freq that could be the culprit.

If you will check,,,noise level higher using your coil in 22.5 kHz vs 7.5 or 2.5 kHz.