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Can't find that new video yet of the Etrac/CTX field comparison, but did dig up this one on them both being tested on a nail and dime in a hole which is pretty interesting. At least in this staged test he thinks it's a wash for the most part. Might have even said the Etrac seemed to do a little better from one angle if I remember right? You can see my somewhat similar testing of the GT/
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
Shoot, can't find the stinking video. If I said "SE" I meant Etrac against CTX and it was a new video just done in the last few days or so I think if not just stuck on the net today. Don't have the time to look for it at the moment so if anybody finds it please post, but I'll try to dig it up later tonight. I just remember the video title being something about the Etrac d
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
earthmansurfer Wrote:
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> Hey Critter. This has sure been interesting. Been
> wanting to ask you - What are the BBS machines
> with a meter AND how is the weight/balance? Only
> thing I could find (forget the machine) was with
> an aftermarket meter. I forget where I read it but
> perhaps the BBS machines do better (mo
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
I'm glad nobody is getting personal or their nose out of joint here! Thanks everybody for us all being civil with each other. I think most of us would agree that the same machine that works great in one state's soil that is "bad", can have a different kind of "bad" soil in another state and not do nearly as well. For that reason, when people give an honest opinion of
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
Unless that machine is unique among all modern detectors and doesn't use a voltage regulator to stabilize and put out a static voltage to the circuit board, batteries with a higher charge aren't going to improve performance. A typical detector let's say has an input voltage range to it's regulator of around 9 to 13V, depending on the state of charge of the battery. As the batt
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
It's not just inductance, but also resistance readings that must be within very tight specs for a coil to work on a machine, and off hand I think at least one other reading that I can't remember, as a while back I was reading heavily into coil construction to make my own coils (before the SEFs came out). Some coils also have a few extra parts inside them besides the windings to get them
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
There was also just recently a post by one of the 3 CTX guys he compared with in the field and that guy said Bryce was going easy on the CTX in his article in order to not step on any toes. He said Bryce even used the SE with the stock Pro Coil on many comparisons where it also held it's own or better, yet did not include that information in his post.
I know soils can make one machine tak
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
I even read about a guy who swears by standing in one place with his Minelab and working the coil in not just side to side motion, but all around like he's using a vacuum cleaner. And says he's got a lot of coins that way that he plain out missed before in the same spots. Probably a good way to overcome masking too.
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
The way I've been reading it that AT Pro ain't "average" in performance. The best? No, but not average. But then I guess that depends on what you consider average, as that means different things to different people. Beyond all that, for an all around water/land performer, it's price surely ain't average, that's for sure. And in some certain respects it'll o
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
As for the CTX in all this respect, enough of the "CON" stuff and here's some of the PRO for people to consider...
1) Good balance to negatate the weight (Works for most, but not all in that respect.)
2) One single machine to own for water and land hunting that has Minelab performance. No other machine can say that, even the Excalibur unless you don't mind hunting by tones
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
Dewcon, when I'm considering adding another machine to my line up, I try REALLY hard to not just justify what I need it, but also to try to justify why I don't need it. Most people seem to try to justify why they need to buy something and ignore even entertaining the reasons why they might not (need it). Sure, I used to be the same way earlier on in my detecting life...But I bought way
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
What I've been waiting for! An indepth head to head on undug targets against another Minelab using some good aftermarket coils, as that's the only way (a head to head on undug stuff) to really judge performance differences between any machines IMO. I also wanted to see just this (various coils compared), because it's much cheaper to buy a few good aftermarket coils if it will get t
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
No, I don't either. On my machines I always would hunt in disc but turn discrimination all the way down as I like to hear the iron to map out a site in my mind. It was hard to get used to iron nulling out on the Sovereign but now I kind of "unhear" the iron to map the site out. I note the nulls and where they are and can "hear" the iron that way in a sense. I'd still
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
That's pretty cool. I think you're right about the garage thing, as many of the best break throughs in inventions/technology come from people who think out of the box and come at the problem from a new angle.
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
You know, it's just mind blowing that Garrett has priced that AT Pro land/water machine at such a low price. Sure, many say the Excal is deeper and handles salt/minerals better but way I hear it that AT Pro is no slouch on land or in water. Some Minelab guys use it for a land machine when working heavy iron/trash on days they aren't in the mood to move as slow as they have to with a Min
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
Yep, most people will parallel roads or sidewalks or tree lines and such when gridding. Just human nature. Some (less) will also hunt at a 90 degree angle to this stuff. Thinking maybe 30% do that. I'm starting to make it a habit to hunt hard hit spots by others at odd diagnal angles to objects. We've unmasked some really badly hidden coins this way at hard hit sites that would only sou
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
I'm using a "cheap" pair for $20 I bought from Walmart that are Studio Style Sony headphones. About half the size of the typical big detector headphones so very light, comfortable, and don't make my ears sweat. They have the best audio I've ever heard in heaphones on any detector, but am using them on my Sovereign GT. Really seem to bring out the audio traits of targets w
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
I think largely the idea of going deeper in all metal is a thing of the past. Up until about the late 80's/early 90's or so machines often were indeed deeper in all metal due to their primative discrimination circuits. Every machine I've owned since then though *appears* to be no deeper in all metal than it is in discriminate. Some Sovereign guys say it's deeper in all metal o
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
Don't know what that Garrett needs but just a thought for anybody else out there for other machines. Head up to your local home improvement store in the facuet fixing section and you'll find all kinds of rubber/silicone washers of various sizes that work well and are a heck of a lot cheaper than buying them from a detector company. Sometimes you just have to drill out the hole in the ce
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
Earthmansurfer, just got around to watching that Jupiter video. Good video there! I like the text displays you put on there and am wondering if that type of text can be done via Youtubes online editing or did you do it on your own software? Anyway, yea...That Jupiter was nailing it good. I think the GT was doing just as good but hard to tell with the outrageous EMI from the power lines about 10 o
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
A machine can't see what the coil can't see separately, meaning one target at a time with no other in the field with it. The first shallow object the field sees is pretty much all it can see, as the field warps or bends around whatever the first metal object it hits is like a moth to a flame, even if that object is a good bit off to the side of the coil, yet is shallower than whatever i
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
Just about any machine taken to a spot beat to death will yield more targets. Part of the reason is that different coils put out different eddy current patrens unique to them like a finger print. I'm not even talking about the shape of the field here, but the eddy currents that run through it. One coil's eddy currents may "hit" a masked or on edge coin better for some reason t
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
No time to watch much of that video right at the moment until later, but before I forget is that Jupiter using a DD coil? By the looks of the coil construction I'm guessing it's a DD but it still looks to be a bit of a hybrid coil design perhaps? Never seen one with exactly that kind of layout.
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
Oh come on now, I've posted thread titles much longer than this one. :') What can I say? I always felt the devil was in the details and enjoy reading more than just the simple 'look what this did" kind of stuff. Since I didn't narate the video, I just now a few minutes ago finished re-working it some more with more content. After I had first posted it I later went back an
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
I believe there are also lithium based rechargeable 9Vs on the market that retain the proper voltage for devices that use 9V. Only caught wind of that while skimming for other things so not sure if I have the details right. I'd look into it, because if true that might be your perfect solution.
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
Here's your video...
And here's mine...But first, a little lead up to it...Keep in mind I was right under some power lines and right next to a house so the Sovereign was a good bit unstable/noisy due to EMI, and also keep in mind that the built in speaker of the Sovereign doesn't do it's rich long detailed audio with fine details and sweet numerous tone alerts justice.
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
What's that word again (thinking...)? Oh yea, that's it. Enjoy...
Hypocrisy- a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not really possess. The act of accusing others of what you have done yourself many times before.
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
You're depth using the tip on a dime is exactly what mine is and also others, so it appears that's the norm for the Pro Pointer and if anybody is getting less depth on a dime they might have issues needing service. Of course if you let it sit after turning it on it will get more depth as it drifts, that's why the tests should always be done right after power up as that's norma
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum
If you've got 4 9V batteries with two pairs wired in parallel and then wired in series to the other, then the capacity is double that of one cell (the sum of two in parallel) and the voltage is double that of the two pairs wired in series= 18V. Two cells wired in series only increase the voltage and not the capacity, but two cells wired in parallel increase the capacity and not the voltage.
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critterhunter
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Thomas Dankowski Metal Detecting Forum