My Question ! Does the ML Musky Do Anything that

the detectors out TODAY !! can not do ? Or Do as Well ???
I have been comparing the Impact, Anfibio 14, Rutus Alter 71 and newly acquired XP Orx to my Musketeer Advantage and trying to see for myself IF the Musky has a hidden talent than can't be beat or completely reproduced.
I have tried to sell this Musky several times and each time at the last minute, I put it back where it was.
On Copper, Brass and Silver it bangs hard. But ! So does the Orx set right and the Rutus set right will knock your socks off.
BUT !! The Musky has one tone and NO METER. YET, it does what it does REALLY well. NO, I haven't answered my own question.
I just am very interested from those of you who have much more experience than myself

hard to let go of that wonderful tone

sold my first, purchased another and not letting this one go

[www.earthscan.co.nz]

I still own a old Musky but its not been used for many years and the main reason that i use more modern machines is the weight advantage and that is a major factor on what machines and coils i buy these days,right wrist took full impact on 2 motor cycle accidents in the 70s and 80s and is causing me great grief these days.So one would in theory suggest using my decent left wrist but it makes no odds how hard i try with the left arm/wrist the coordination just ain't happening.

So this is the main reason is use very lightweight detectors and coil combinations so that at least i can still detect,for a full days session i still need to use a full harness even on a Equinox with a 6''; coil on and the T2 with the 5'' coil on,but although i am not all that keen on using a full harness at least in can still keep detecting for many more years and that is vitally important too me.

Loved the Musketeers had my share. Since moving to Canada bought and sold a few more. Why sell? Horrible at finding Canadian clad coins in the ground, wouldn't even see the newer ones 1-3" deep, saw the older ones at around 4-6".
Compared to many other detectors up here, it was pretty bad when it came to masking out good targets. I imagine it had a lot to do with the ground mineralization up here.

DeepTech Vista X with 3 search coils.
Works for me

I can't stand a one tone detector.
useless

Junk and Disorderly Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I still own a old Musky but its not been used for
> many years and the main reason that i use more mod
> ern machines is the weight advantage and that is a
> major factor on what machines and coils i buy thes
> e days,right wrist took full impact on 2 motor cyc
> le accidents in the 70s and 80s and is causing me
> great grief these days.So one would in theory sugg
> est using my decent left wrist but it makes no odd
> s how hard i try with the left arm/wrist the coord
> ination just ain't happening.
>
> So this is the main reason is use very lightweight
> detectors and coil combinations so that at least i
> can still detect,for a full days session i still n
> eed to use a full harness even on a Equinox with a
> 6''; coil on and the T2 with the 5'' coil on,but a
> lthough i am not all that keen on using a full har
> ness at least in can still keep detecting for many
> more years and that is vitally important too me.



Ride hard Die OLD


RR

u2robert Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I can't stand a one tone detector.
> useless

Have you used a Musketeer?

That ONE tone rocks once you have learnt its language -

[www.earthscan.co.nz]

I am still learning THAT tone. Rusty flat crown caps are my enemy. The Orx that I started playing with seems to love them also. The Musky fools me on those crown caps. The old flat rusty ones. Each time, I go ahead and dig them, always dreaming of lost pirate treasure. Ha,Ha.!!
This unit will disk out small brass even. Not that I want to, just a statement of its character.
It takes a lot of diligent patience to run it for long periods and LEARN.

The Minelab
MUSKETEER ADVANTAGE Tips & Tricks

Introduction

The Musketeer Advantage is a single fixed frequency detector, which operates at 5Khz.
This single frequency is very well suited to providing a signal response from a wide range of valuable metals including bronze, silver and gold.
This detector utilises 5 main controls – three knobs and two switches.

Sensitivity.
This control turns the detector on and off and allows the operator to choose the depth (sensitivity) to which the detector will search.
So, if you search for recently lost items one would not need to have the sensitivity control set at maximum.
But, if detecting for coins and other targets that have been buried for many years then full sensitivity is recommended.

All Metal/Discriminate switch.
This is just as it states, if searching in all metal mode then all types of metals will produce a signal response. If you choose the Discrimination setting, then you control the ability to [accept or ignore] any given range of targets.

Level Adjust is the Discrimination Control.
If you operate in discrimination mode, by turning the rotary control in a clockwise fashion you can cleverly set the detector to not produce a response on the items you have chosen not to dig. The higher you stage through the discrimination settings the detector will ignore or won’t produce signal responses on targets. At maximum discrimination an operator may receive responses from only large brass copper and silver items, and other highly conductive items. Small and some gold items may not produce a response. So try to maintain a low discrimination setting, enough to only reject small iron nails and light foil: any higher than this and you may reject some intended desirable targets, especially if mineralization is present and the targets are several inches down.

Ground Adjust Control.
When the coil is first lowered to the ground the detector can sometimes emit a false signal. This can be caused by ground mineralization, or what’s normally referred to as [Ground Effect]
The Ground Adjust Control helps to tune out the effects of false signals by adjustment of the control knob while the flick-switch located in the middle of the facia is pointing downwards to Ground Enable Adjust.
The other flick-switch, All Metals/Discrimination should also be pointing downwards when making adjustments to the ground adjust control. Sometimes, while searching these false signals can become annoying.
First check if too high a sensitivity setting is the cause – reducing it can help. If the false signals continue then it is possible to banish them by the following method.
With the left hand click the Ground Adjust Control out of Fix.
At the same time, gently raise and lower the coil from between two to four inches off the ground until you reach a point when raising or lowering the coil does not cause any further signals or noises.
At this point you are “ground balanced” .i.e. the detector does not see the ground but sees the actual targets instead. It may be necessary to repeat the GB procedure throughout the day if conditions change.
However, for 90% of the time the detector will be able to take care of all this for you automatically whilst in the “Fix” position.
It is in the rare event that mineral levels become heavier then by manually ground balancing performance can be enhanced helping to find targets that otherwise might have been missed.
The GB switch is just another aid to help to counter negative factors – a welcome and useful function in this economy model detector.
In very severe soils it might not be possible to fully eliminate the ground effect. In this very rare instance, reduce sensitivity and increase discrimination and keep the coil low and very level with the ground.

Threshold Reset/Pinpoint/Ground Adjust Enable
This is a multi purpose switch and helps in the final recovery of a target by narrowing the signal.
One note though, referring to the “Threshold”. This detector does not have a threshold, but refers instead to extraneous electrical noise that occasionally may be heard, or while carrying out a manual ground balance procedure.
The trick is to reach a final point where the detector will remain quiet while ground balancing so there will not be any change in audio while the coil is being lowered or raised which, normally would be referred to as “threshold tone”.
However, this detector does not have an actual Threshold tone sound (a variable continuous hum sound)

INLAND USE

In grass, pasture, plough and woodland, very good results can be obtained with the Advantage. Here are a few recommendations for better results.

On your chosen site use as much sensitivity as possible without “chatter”. Chatter sounds like tiny electrical sounds “escaping” from the control box. This can result from some form of electrical interference nearby or from ground minerals. If you continue to search with chatter a depth loss and overall instability might occur.
Use a low Discrimination setting. Ideally this should be set to knock out small nails and other ferrous items.
Listen out for good, constant and what are called, “two-way”, signals. Good targets tend to repeat when passing over them with the coil from all directions.
Iron items (even at zero discrimination) can cause the detector to emit a “spitting” sound. This can also sound like a screeching noise on larger items. Sounds may be broken and different to the constant [two-way] sound that a good target makes. With practise it is possible to identify and dig the good targets and ignore junk items. You will of course be fooled on occasion!
Use a good quality headphone with a volume control. This can help to hear the small faint signals, which are usually the good finds and the ones worth recovering. Always set the volume at a comfortable level to prevent overloads from large targets.
To help recover the coins and especially to avoid making a hole that is bigger then necessary, simply use the Pinpoint facility via the metal flick-switch. To further narrow the signal select All Metals also and this acts as a normal non-motion mode and it is possible to stop right over the target without it cancelling out. This makes it so much easier to retrieve targets quickly and cleanly.
Every few weeks remove the coil cover and clean it – clean and dry the coil as well – this helps reduce false signals – begin at the “heel” of the coil to make removal and re-fitting easier.

BEACH USE

The Advantage is a very fast machine to use to look for coins, rings and other recently lost items on dry sand. In fact, it’s a great beach detector!
With some minor adjustments the wet sand can also be searched without the false signals normally associated with fixed frequency motion machines over wet salt sand. Dry sand presents no problems and full sensitivity is encouraged here. However, moving towards the wetter parts of the beach the sensitivity control might have to be reduced from the higher settings. In addition, moving the search coil towards the damper areas and water’s edge may result in more false signals than desired but can be compensated for by reducing the sensitivity to a lower level until the machine quietens. If you experience very excessive salt effect there are a few more tricks you can try. Adjust your Ground Adjust control into manual to about the “twelve O clock” position, or continue clockwise until it stops. If this does not stop it, then use your discriminator as a secondary ground balance control. In other words, the more discrimination selected the less sensitive the unit will become to the conductive properties of the salt. It should still remain fairly sensitive to a reasonable depth of several inches, to coins and some rings, but a far slower sweep speed is then recommended. Finally, don’t touch or bang the coil off the wet surface – that will bring in noise and you could miss a target.

Finally, get out there experiment with and enjoy your Minelab Musketeer, a great detector for all seasons!

Good Hunting.
© Des Dunne (from a long time ago?)



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 08/30/2019 04:52PM by Des D.