is this normal for an explorer xs

is this normal for an explorer xs i recently bought a like new explorer xs about a week ago and ever since i seem to be either having a problem with it or not getting it set right...been out hunting with it about four times now and i keep ending up with the same thing...constant nulling of the threshold and beeping and chattering...went out twice today earlier was short because of heat and about an hour later this evening, but when i first got there it seemed to be working good, steady threshold with occasional null and i did make some finds but shortly after i started back to the same unstable like operation.... say i make one sweep and the threshold will be in null the whole time, go back through on the same swing in pinpoint or all metal either one nothing there...the next swing may contain multiple beeps in one pass...this is on almost all swings.. i can pass some of the nulling to discriminated objects but i have yet to make a full swing with a steady threshold...or a full swing without some kind of beep.. i have read the manual at least a dozen times now to see if i have missed anything and have also read andy sabisch's book as well, i'm new to minelab but now detecting...i have to keep the sensitivity in the single digits to no higher than 15 or i can not stand to use it,also seems to be worse with semi auto sense but that just may be me... i have checked all connections and wires, all seems to be fine...i have turned the machine on and bench tested with normal results, i also can run the sensitivity up to nearly thirty before it starts to false, i have tried holding the machine up in the air bumping it and shaking to see if there was some kind of loose connection and it acts normal... so i guess my question would be do all explorers act like this, are they supposed to make this much noise when searching?http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1540171#msg-1540171Mon, 20 May 2013 04:29:29 -0500 Phorum 5.2.18 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1580162#msg-1580162 Re: is this normal for an explorer xshttp://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1580162#msg-1580162
If you have no friends or acquaintances that are nearby and hunt with an Explorer, who might let you hook up their coil just to see if your machine performs better, you might post an ad on Findmall, asking if anyone has an old FBS coil that they are willing to part with for about 2 weeks; tell them you'll pay shipping both ways -- that you are just trying to test your new (used) Explorer to see if you may have a machine issue OR if it's a coil issue. I would think odds are pretty good that you'd get someone willing to help you out...

Steve]]> sgoss66 Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumWed, 09 Nov 2011 10:26:27 -0600 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1579638#msg-1579638 Re: is this normal for an explorer xshttp://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1579638#msg-1579638 ToddWisconsin Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumTue, 08 Nov 2011 15:19:54 -0600 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1578916#msg-1578916 Re: is this normal for an explorer xshttp://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1578916#msg-1578916

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I'll give you a tip Governor gave me many years ago when I was first learning the Explorer, go out and pick a depth at which older stuff is hitting, 5, 6 inches whatever depth older stuff is at on your site, and dig every damn target that's not a nail, it will be an eye opener. Best tip I ever got.

I am going to try this...

Steve]]> sgoss66 Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumMon, 07 Nov 2011 13:41:39 -0600 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1577516#msg-1577516 Re: is this normal for an explorer xshttp://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1577516#msg-1577516

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sgoss66
Hey Charles, your statement...

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Also, the Explorer will sometimes merge two different metals say iron and silver and give you a whacko tone and target ID in no mans land yet another reason not to disc iron

Recommend you start digging whacko tones, not trash I'm talking about targets that ID in no mans land where rarely anything ID's. You usually get something really cool, buttons, disimilar coins stuck together, barber half dollars sitting directly under a rusty bottle cap, half reale worn thin, 3 cent silver, I could go on. Not to give you guys a brain cramp but bottom right of the screen, buried where rusty bottle caps hit, yep certain types of old buttons. Top left corner, just to the right of nails, target will be consistent NEVER hitting in the far upper left corner where nails hit, again buttons.

I'll give you a tip Governor gave me many years ago when I was first learning the Explorer, go out and pick a depth at which older stuff is hitting, 5, 6 inches whatever depth older stuff is at on your site, and dig every damn target that's not a nail, it will be an eye opener. Best tip I ever got.]]> Charles (Upstate NY) Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumFri, 04 Nov 2011 23:18:19 -0500 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1551375#msg-1551375 Re: is this normal for an explorer xshttp://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1551375#msg-1551375

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Also, the Explorer will sometimes merge two different metals say iron and silver and give you a whacko tone and target ID in no mans land yet another reason not to disc iron

...certainly makes logical sense, though I haven't seen this happen on my Explorer. PROBABLY that's because I don't dig those "whacko" tones...makes me wonder what I have been missing. Do you "dig it all" when you hunt, Charles?

Steve]]> sgoss66 Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumWed, 21 Sep 2011 01:18:56 -0500 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1549746#msg-1549746 Re: is this normal for an explorer xshttp://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1549746#msg-1549746

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tndirtslinger
too much work, not got to go out and play any which is gettin under my skin...wish i could get to try out some of my reading.....anyway just got a 11" pro coil for my xs and now i really want to get out and play...

i gotta say that the design of this coil is nice,can't speak for performance yet, but this coil makes my machine feel like a new machine...balance and weight has dramastically changed, better balance now and not near as heavy....

question is what can i expect from this critter? any advice?

thanks

Best Explorer coil made, kills on silver, kills on gold, kills on small targets, not nearly as false happy as the original SE coil.]]> Charles (Upstate NY) Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumSun, 18 Sep 2011 09:12:36 -0500 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1549745#msg-1549745 Re: is this normal for an explorer xshttp://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1549745#msg-1549745

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sgoss66
wayne, I know what you are saying. I agree with you that it is incorrect to state unequivocally that a good target cannot break through a null.

I think in order to understand nulling, and to answer the question of whether a "good" signal will "break" a null, there is a corresponding need to understand "iron masking" -- because the two issues are related. If a target is "masked" by the iron creating the null, then the target WILL NOT "break" the null, by definition. If the target is NOT masked, or only partially masked, it WILL "break" the null. It is, as far as I can tell, wrong to say definitively that a good target unequivocally WILL NOT break a null; likewise, it is wrong to say definitively that a good target unequivocally WILL break a null. It depends...on whether the target is "masked" (which, of course, depends upon many things -- the orientation of the "good" target relative to the iron, coil size, sweep speed, direction of coil sweep, machine recovery speed, etc. etc. etc.)

Steve

Also, the Explorer will sometimes merge two different metals say iron and silver and give you a whacko tone and target ID in no mans land yet another reason not to disc iron]]> Charles (Upstate NY) Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumSun, 18 Sep 2011 09:11:33 -0500 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1546284#msg-1546284 Re: is this normal for an explorer xshttp://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1546284#msg-1546284
i gotta say that the design of this coil is nice,can't speak for performance yet, but this coil makes my machine feel like a new machine...balance and weight has dramastically changed, better balance now and not near as heavy....

question is what can i expect from this critter? any advice?

thanks]]> tndirtslinger Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumMon, 12 Sep 2011 19:19:27 -0500 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1544879#msg-1544879 Couldn't agree more.N/Thttp://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1544879#msg-1544879(This message does not contain any text.)
]]> wayne_etc Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumSat, 10 Sep 2011 14:53:19 -0500 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1543961#msg-1543961 Re: is this normal for an explorer xshttp://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1543961#msg-1543961
I think in order to understand nulling, and to answer the question of whether a "good" signal will "break" a null, there is a corresponding need to understand "iron masking" -- because the two issues are related. If a target is "masked" by the iron creating the null, then the target WILL NOT "break" the null, by definition. If the target is NOT masked, or only partially masked, it WILL "break" the null. It is, as far as I can tell, wrong to say definitively that a good target unequivocally WILL NOT break a null; likewise, it is wrong to say definitively that a good target unequivocally WILL break a null. It depends...on whether the target is "masked" (which, of course, depends upon many things -- the orientation of the "good" target relative to the iron, coil size, sweep speed, direction of coil sweep, machine recovery speed, etc. etc. etc.)

Steve]]> sgoss66 Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumFri, 09 Sep 2011 16:32:18 -0500 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1543562#msg-1543562 Re: is this normal for an explorer xshttp://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1543562#msg-1543562

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tndirtslinger
i have seen many posts of people running their sens in the twenties, from low to high, but for me and this particular unit thats not going to happen around here...i have been experimenting with various ways of setting the sens, including semi auto and have come up with manual 15 being my highest sens i can run, in my yard anyway...i have also been checking to see what semi auto sets to and from my testing it sets somewhere around 12-13...

thanks so far and hopefully this weekend it will dry up a bit and i can do some more in field testing or i mean learning...

Again that does not sound normal at all, I have hunted in some hot soil, volcanic black sand, red Virginia dirt, etc. and never had to lower my sens to 15, you will lose a LOT of depth with your sens that low. The only time I ever had to lower my sens that low was when hunting under powerlines.]]> Charles (Upstate NY) Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumFri, 09 Sep 2011 01:01:53 -0500 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1543526#msg-1543526 Truehttp://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1543526#msg-1543526

w]]> wayne_etc Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumThu, 08 Sep 2011 23:12:47 -0500 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1543333#msg-1543333 Re: is this normal for an explorer xshttp://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1543333#msg-1543333
While you acknowledged that your test you mentioned above is not "real world," I'd argue that doing what you suggested would give someone a false sense of how well the machine will see a coin while nulling (it discounts the "iron masking" issue).

If one were to bury four nails 2 inches deep, roughly 6 inches apart, arranged in a "square," and then lay that dime on the ground, right above the very "center" of the square of nails, yes, you'd hear it "through the null."

Now, do the very same thing -- again bury the four nails 2 inches deep, roughly 6 inches apart, arranged in a square, but first bury the dime at 6 inches, right below the very "center" of the square of nails. I bet you hear nothing but nulling.

And that's not to fault the Explorers. All machines have the same issue to varying degrees, depending upon coil size and recovery speed...

Steve]]> sgoss66 Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumThu, 08 Sep 2011 18:26:26 -0500 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1542981#msg-1542981 Re: is this normal for an explorer xshttp://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1542981#msg-1542981
If hunting at a site with mineralization, you can increase depth dramatically by using manual sensitivity and lowering the sensitivity until the tiny nulls of the minerals disappear.

Some places can be very high in mineralization and may require single digit settings.]]> Badger in NH Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumThu, 08 Sep 2011 08:02:24 -0500 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1542616#msg-1542616 Re: is this normal for an explorer xshttp://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1542616#msg-1542616
i changed the batteries in it as well just for the heck of it and it seemed to work a little better, anyhow i have been out in the yard testing to see what i can get it to do and i have been able to get the detector to do the same thing that i have been experiencing, nulls beeps, i have come to the conclusion that it's not a defective behavior but a to hot behavior...

i have seen many posts of people running their sens in the twenties, from low to high, but for me and this particular unit thats not going to happen around here...i have been experimenting with various ways of setting the sens, including semi auto and have come up with manual 15 being my highest sens i can run, in my yard anyway...i have also been checking to see what semi auto sets to and from my testing it sets somewhere around 12-13...

thanks so far and hopefully this weekend it will dry up a bit and i can do some more in field testing or i mean learning...]]> tndirtslinger Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumWed, 07 Sep 2011 18:05:41 -0500 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1542509#msg-1542509 Re: Sounds completely normal to me bud.http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1542509#msg-1542509

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deeponedge
Mine and anyone elsewhere I know of pretty much does the same thing. Ground or overhead lines can factor in as well but I agree with chris, bryce and most others...its very normal. If the nulling scares you then open the screen but your machine will hit coins while nulling.

The Explorer XS can be a chatter box at higher sens settings yes, but this quote has me thinking there may be something else going on with this machine,

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when i first got there it seemed to be working good, steady threshold with occasional null and i did make some finds but shortly after i started back to the same unstable like operation

]]> Charles (Upstate NY) Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumWed, 07 Sep 2011 15:10:50 -0500 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1542402#msg-1542402 Sounds completely normal to me bud.http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1542402#msg-1542402 deeponedge Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumWed, 07 Sep 2011 11:27:53 -0500 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1542390#msg-1542390 Re: is this normal for an explorer xshttp://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1542390#msg-1542390
Edit: Also edit a screen for all metal so it doesn't null, is the machine going crazy beaping? Does it beep only when swinging or also when not moving the coil? Stick the coil up in the air, is it still beeping? Finally what are your settings.]]> Charles (Upstate NY) Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumWed, 07 Sep 2011 11:05:26 -0500 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1541062#msg-1541062 Stay in quickstart for a week or so..http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1541062#msg-1541062
Many feel its as good or better than the newer editions including myself and many guys its their go to unit..
May be a tad heavier but honestly feel all things considered may be the deepest of the lot.....you won't learn it in a day or week but after a while a good target will stop you in your tracks even with a cover over the meter as you will just know from the get go...]]> Dan-Pa. Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumMon, 05 Sep 2011 12:18:35 -0500 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1540746#msg-1540746 Re: is this normal for an explorer xshttp://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1540746#msg-1540746
http://usetheminelabexplorerlikeapro.blogspot.com/]]> tndirtslinger Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumSun, 04 Sep 2011 19:45:23 -0500 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1540744#msg-1540744 Re: is this normal for an explorer xshttp://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1540744#msg-1540744
I know this isn't "real world" performance but it will show you that you will get a coin in a null.

w]]> wayne_etc Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumSun, 04 Sep 2011 19:43:56 -0500 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1540502#msg-1540502 Re: is this normal for an explorer xshttp://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1540502#msg-1540502
dont worry about the trees i have been hunting in our county fairgrounds and trees are a good walk away,so if i did want to do that i would walk it off before i got there....
power lines are not an issue either, they go around the perimeter....

i have read many posts on here where the explorer speaks a different language but i didn't realize it was that different..i had my suspicions that it was working as it should since i have recovered targets with it, albeit most were trash but most were at 6 plus inches so i guess i need to forget what i know about whites machines til i learn this one...

i not one to let a bunch of software to get the best of me, but since i bought this detector used i really want to make myself realize that i didn't spend my money on a machine with a problem..looks like it is working as designed so i'm happy that it doesn't need nursing back to health...

thanks guy it makes me feel better that it is working as it should, just operator not used to being spoke to this much....

any way one last question

the stock coil on the xs, is it the same as the one on the ex 2? i have heard some coment that it was a better coil, just looks like it's only a different color to me but i'm not sure..

thanks
kevin]]> tndirtslinger Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumSun, 04 Sep 2011 12:47:16 -0500 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1540396#msg-1540396 I would say in golfer's terms.....http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1540396#msg-1540396
I can honestly say that I don't hear much threshold hum on any swing...or if I do...it's intermittent at best.

I don't even "swing" the coil...it's more of a "creeping scan"...yet I still get the exact same results as you.

Don't give up on it...and better yet make sure you stay away from trees the first few hunts otherwise you will probably want to wrap the machine around one:bouncy:. It will all come together in time though and you will learn to tune that background chatter out. You are seeing exacxtly what I always explain to people first starting out with any explorer....that it takes a few hunts to familiarize yourself with the unique language the explorer speaks.

Give it some time,,,and expect some frustration in the first few hunts before it starts to come together.

If you take it slow and learn the language before you start tinkering with settings...you will be rewarded with some nice finds.in the future.]]> Bryce-IL Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumSun, 04 Sep 2011 08:49:13 -0500 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1540384#msg-1540384 Completely normal....http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1540384#msg-1540384
You will probably want to turn the sensitivity back up. If the machine is sounding off when the coil is not moving then you have it set too high. You will find how high you can set sensitivity varies from site to site, depending on the proximity of power lines and other electrical noise.

So keep at and pretty soon it will become second nature.

Chris]]> Chris(SoCenWI) Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumSun, 04 Sep 2011 08:36:15 -0500 http://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1540171#msg-1540171 is this normal for an explorer xshttp://www.findmall.com/read.php?10,1540171,1540171#msg-1540171
say i make one sweep and the threshold will be in null the whole time, go back through on the same swing in pinpoint or all metal either one nothing there...the next swing may contain multiple beeps in one pass...this is on almost all swings..

i can pass some of the nulling to discriminated objects but i have yet to make a full swing with a steady threshold...or a full swing without some kind of beep..
i have read the manual at least a dozen times now to see if i have missed anything and have also read andy sabisch's book as well, i'm new to minelab but now detecting...i have to keep the sensitivity in the single digits to no higher than 15 or i can not stand to use it,also seems to be worse with semi auto sense but that just may be me...

i have checked all connections and wires, all seems to be fine...i have turned the machine on and bench tested with normal results, i also can run the sensitivity up to nearly thirty before it starts to false, i have tried holding the machine up in the air bumping it and shaking to see if there was some kind of loose connection and it acts normal...

so i guess my question would be do all explorers act like this, are they supposed to make this much noise when searching?]]> tndirtslinger Minelab Explorer Classroom ForumSat, 03 Sep 2011 19:21:46 -0500