Accessing Boost & Cash Mode

[poorman]

Having never tried the LTD models yet, I would like to know how you access the Boost and Cash modes.

 

[chuck ky]

go to the tone setting and turn it until bp or cl come up

 

[poorman]

Simple enough....Thank you.

 

[Cal_Cobra]

On the T2 LTD BP and CL mode only work in two tone mode (major disappointment), but on the F75 LTD you can use BP and CL mode in conjunction with any of the tone options available.

 

[Elton]

Thats a shame Tek did that......... What were they thinking ??

 

[ACQ]

When I asked about the F75 vs T2 in the forums few people told me that the best dissapoinment of T2 was exactly that but I decided to go ahead anyway as I was needing better resolution at low conductivity because of the soils I hunt is Spain. After having the T2 LTD for one month now, I can tell you I should have followed the advice

 

[Cal_Cobra]

Thats a shame Tek did that......... What were they thinking ??

I guess they wanted to market it as a relic machine Dissapointing to say the least, as I was ready to pop on one, but two tone BP mode at a trashy park would be a nightmare

Interestingly FT has really focused on the high relic hunter areas the most IMHO. The Omega seems to be the first unit to focus more on coin shooters, BUT at no where the depth of the LTD machines....although as erratic as dimes at depth are on my LTD, the Omega does give it a good run for it's money on silver dimes....deep silver quarters and larger silver are better picked up with the LTD, but I would say that 90% of the silver coins left in the turf (barring a virgin site perhaps), are dimes. I constantly see my friends getting silver dimes at depth that the F75 LTD might see, but it's doubtful you'd dig unless you're taking everything...but at a trashy park it's not realistic.

 

[Elton]

Partial quote..............but two tone BP mode at a trashy park would be a nightmare


It sure would be a nightmare.........and thats putting it lightly !! I guess when your releasing machines one after the other, and all on one basic platform your gonna either add or take away as you market them for sales.... Seems like it may be to many new versions being released to fast for real changes.. Myself had it been left alone except for the color, "I would have bought one when I was able to afford it". I didn't like the cameo colored machines at all, but all black would have worked for me.. Even the standard Green with added bp & cl modes would have been fine...............................Maybe I can pick up an old, ( 6 Months) old version LOL,,and have it spray painted by a painter..
Naaaaaaaaaaaaaa I'm trying to be funny now....... but really, I wish machine would of had standard modes with two added modes in Black. I can't second guess F/T though. Their doing a fine job of getting deep detectors on the market...who am I to second guess them.. if I knew anything they would hire me..

 

[Cal_Cobra]

I have a hard time with my LTD keeping up with my friends turf hunting with their Etracs on deep silver dimes.

Ahh now the camo unit isn't too bad...I wasn't crazy about a "bubba" unit either, but in reality it's not so much of a camo theme as much as it's a nature theme.....think Sierra Club screen savers or some other tree hugger kind of scene

I have to say I'm getting really interested in the new Gold Bug SE.....it's looking like an awesome iron hunter, but I'm curious how it will do on deep turf silver....or if it's another high end relic hunter. Also it's wet salt water beach hunting capabilities are really interesting me as well.

 

[Monte]

I did a cut-and-past here so I wouldn't forget to comment:

Thats a shame Tek did that......... What were they thinking ??

I guess they wanted to market it as a relic machine Dissapointing to say the least, as I was ready to pop on one, but two tone BP mode at a trashy park would be a nightmare

The Boost and Cache processes can certainly have their merit, but while they work I am not necessarily all that wrapped up in them, and here's why. In my 46 years of detecting, mainly early on, I did a fair amount of Cache Hunting and the best success I found was when searching in the All Metal mode. While stuck "out west" most of the time I can't get into any CW era 'relic hunting' but I've done a little. My usually approach is to hunt in a motion Discriminate mode with virtually no rejection, then listen for an iron/non-iron audio response. When I want to get serious and gain 'depth' on everything, I select the All Metal mode.

Your comment about a 2-tone BP mode at a trashy site sort of throws me. I say that because regardless of the brand or model used, and while there are times when a multi-Tone ID option can work, I've found trashier locations to mask so terribly that any added depth is useless and better results come from hunting with a single audio tone or, my preference, is the 2 Audio Tone ID to simply help classify Iron Vs non-Iron.

Interestingly FT has really focused on the high relic hunter areas the most IMHO. The Omega seems to be the first unit to focus more on coin shooters, BUT at no where the depth of the LTD machines.

While I own and use my Omega the most, I have t say the similar-performance Gamma is a 'can-do' multi-purpose unit as well. What I like about the Omega and Gamma over my T2 is that they will provide a more consistent TID on mid-depth to deeper coins. That, alone, makes them a better pick for most coin hunters. The T2 has some great features as it is, but I do wish the next step in their development might be a similar package as they have and all the adjustments, but a slight redesign of the display so that the Target ID will be easier to see and that the detector can lock-on coin targets better. The T2's VDI numbers are fine, the depth is fine, the adjustments are ample, but for typical coin hunters, the coins just don't lock and hold as well.

That comment, alone, brings me back to what you stated, the FT has focused on the high relic hunter areas and it is obvious why. The general T2 design does well, just as it is, for most relic hunting applications.

...although as erratic as dimes at depth are on my LTD, the Omega does give it a good run for it's money on silver dimes....deep silver quarters and larger silver are better picked up with the LTD, but I would say that 90% of the silver coins left in the turf (barring a virgin site perhaps), are dimes.

I'd say that regardless of when we've been involved in detecting, silver dime shave always been there in there in the greater percentage, but you're right that the easier pickings have been plucked. Silver dimes are there and they are a challenge. I think that they are often there simply because some people search too quickly and fail to overlap, and in some cases it's because they are more easily masked by nearby metal and too many hobbyists fail to listen for and check out an 'iffy' response. In addition, because they are smaller-size coins they won't ID as well as too many hobbyists look for that 'lock-on' TID before they recover a find.

I constantly see my friends getting silver dimes at depth that the F75 LTD might see, but it's doubtful you'd dig unless you're taking everything...but at a trashy park it's not realistic.

There's a big difference in the operating frequency, too, when it comes to the smaller, high-conductive silver dimes. When I work older parks that might have silver but I know they have ample trash, I mainly listen for the audio response and then classify most potential iron to ignore it. Then I go after the smaller-size potential coin targets. Even your friend's detectors will have a problem with a lot of trash at a park.

I have a hard time with my LTD keeping up with my friends turf hunting with their Etracs on deep silver dimes.

The Minelab Explorer series, to include the Safari and E-trac, can do okay on deeper silver coins, and they are known for providing reasonably good target ID on deeper targets. That's a strength they have due to their lower operating frequency and basic design. However, they are also heavy, require a slower sweep, don't have all the versatility of the t2 (or F75 LTD), and suffer in performance on smaller and/or lower-conductive metal targets.

I have to say I'm getting really interested in the new Gold Bug SE.....it's looking like an awesome iron hunter, but I'm curious how it will do on deep turf silver....or if it's another high end relic hunter. Also it's wet salt water beach hunting capabilities are really interesting me as well.

The new Gold Bug, like the soon-to-be-released Teknetics G2, were obviously named for their intended application ... seeking native Gold nuggets. With the Discriminate circuitry and VDI information it adds to their versatility, and I think they might appeal to many avid 'relic hunters' because they eliminate the Coin TID reference. yes, you can make a guess based on the VDI read-out, but many 'coin hunters' won't like them that much because they don't clearly register various coins.

Also, when you up the operating frequency from most coin and hobby-end detectors, there will be trade-offs. Traditional logic suggests the higher frequency might help the new models on certain relics as well as many low-conductive targets, but high-conductive silver coins will usually favor the performance of models operating at a lower frequency. Sure, there's no doubt that the new Gold Bug and G2 are going to appeal to some avid relic hunters, but part of that will be due to to the full-range of acceptance, the variable discrimination with functional VDI read-out, and perhaps because they will work in some iron debris but the operator won't be relying on either Tone ID or coin-based Target ID.

One thing for sure, there are enough decent units out there now and a couple coming that can keep us all entertained and bring us some success when afield.

Monte

 

[Elton]

I like 3 tones in trash..sometimes even 4 or multi on occasion.. It just works better for my hearing abilities. I made my quote based on #1. My preference #2. The inability of my being able to utilize the new T2 the way I like to detect. I'm sure it works fine, and will go deep..I just would not purchase one as it will not function the way I want to use a detector.. I hope no one got the impression I was putting the detector, or F/T down.. "NOT".. I just wondered what they were thinking not leaving in all modes able to use the CL & BP Modes.. ???..May have been marketing strategy as the F75 LTD will do all modes using CL & Bp...

 

[Cal_Cobra]

Monte the point I was trying to make was that it seems that aside from the Tek Greek series, First Texas is heavily tilted towards relic hunting vs coin shooting. Even with the flag ship F75 LTD, it's tough trying to keep up with the Etrac working trashy parks for deep and/or masked silver. It's not that the Etrac is deeper then the LTD, because it's not, but it's TID locks on better, and it has an uncanny ability to sniff out coins in trash. Can the F75 LTD do this? Yes it can, it depends on the trash. The F75 is great in iron, but it has problems with bottle caps (which the Etrac does really well with) which litter old many inner city parks. I know most machines with DD coils encounter problems with bottle caps, but Minelab was able to jump ahead of the pact on this nuisance (it's not perfect, but it's good). Definitely their multifrequency FBS technology plays a critical part in it's success finding silver, as well as vetting out bottle caps (one reason I'd love to see FT bring back multifrequency technology). I feel the Omega has an advantage on deeper silver dimes over the F75, probably due to the frequency differences, but there may be other reasons as well (the O8 TID seems to be less erratic in general IMHO). Don't get me wrong, I like my O8 & F75 LTD, and I really don't want a 5lb Etrac to lug around, but it has merit for certain hunting scenarios - mainly deep turf silver hunting.

Some of the trashy parks I work, I can't really imagine hunting in two tone, as your eyes would be glued to the screen the entire time. Perhaps I should give it a try with the Omega and see how it does trying to pick silver out of the slew of pull-tabs (the O8 does great picking silver out of pull-tabs) and bottle caps (definitely need the stock Omega coil for that or perhaps the 5" DD).

I always run my LTD in boost mode, I don't see much reason not to. In my opinion cache mode is more of a novelty, but it's a great concept for those that might be inclined to do cache hunting or are looking for big deep targets and don't want to buy a two box machine or such. It's a very different process, and thus far I don't believe it's proven, but boost mode is an entirely different story. Very sound technology and very beneficial. If we had boost mode on the Omega, I guarantee that it would be an amazing machine (and it's already a great machine).

Definitely the GB is geared towards it's intended prospecting purpose, BUT I've been reading a lot of great feedback concerning it's iron see thru, and wet salt sand beach hunting capabilities as well. It might well be the latest FT sleeper like the Omega. Will it be a depth demon on deep silver dimes, quarters and small copper.....probably not, BUT if it can pick them out of heavy iron better then everything else out there, it certainly has capabilities the other machines don't, regardless of their marketed purpose. Also it's reported ability to punch through bad dirt is a BIG plus. A lot of other high end machines fall down in this area, even the F75 LTD to a great extent (the FBS Etrac has the advantage in mineralized ground).

I think the GB is worth a try...especially considering that the DD coils between it and the Omega are interchangeable, which helps cushion your investment. I might just have to sell my ID Edge

HH,
Brian

 

[Elton]

I'm sure it's the multi frequency that contributes....... allowing good hits and deeper hits. My 75LTD hit plenty of depth too. It also hits a lot of steel bottle caps and some iron targets .......... and does not unmask ( LOL)... all the Silver the Minelab Exp units do...I have used both machines.. Now ,do I prefer the Fishers, and T2's..You bet I do..But that's due to the fact their light weight, easy swinging, respectable depth, and plenty of good finds..
Fact is though..You go head to head with a person who knows his Minelab..Your gonna loose on the finds.. They will consistently find deeper, and more Silver targets... They also have sore arms, sore shoulders, and a backache... LOL..It's a trade off....

Just read the forums..it's easy to tell who finds more targets of value (Silver).... If a count is all that your in the detecting hobby for...you need several different machines for different areas.. Different coils, and the ability to learn each machines do's and dont's.............. I used to think one machine known well was the best way to go..and it may be overall, I even argued it many times. But for better finds......." Ya gotta use what works best".. where your using the detectors. It just might not be the one your using now......... I also truly believe not all detectors are for all people.... It's a personal preference thing...One of the biggest factors to success is do not get locked into one thought, or idea that something else isn't capable of being better,deeper, and or at least as good.. You will miss a lot of things along the way in life, and Metal Detecting if you will not accept changes.What I am saying is just because one person believes his way is best..it might not be best for me, or you, and if that person isn't willing to try different things he will never really know if his way is truly best.. Change is hard..some can do it, others can't accept it..They never will...and some think it's their way or no way.

 

[Monte]

Since 2002 I have owned several Explorer XS, II, SE Pro's and used others. At present, I don't own any of them and haven't for some time now. As you and most others know, they have their benefits, which is mainly very good TID at depth, and the certainly serve avid "silver shooters" who put in the time and effort to work their heavy, poorly balanced detectors at a somewhat slower sweep speed.

Personally, I never found them great for much other than serious 'silver shooting.'

I have perhaps a half-dozen friends who own one or more models of the FBS series and, usually, if they put in the time and select the right older-use locations, they will pull silver. That doesn't mean, however, that I or others don't.

The FBS design is a bit confusing, but it is also even more misleading. Too many buyers think that they actually operate at and transmit/receive all 28 frequencies simultaneously. They don't.

Some believe they produce the best depth of detection. They don't.

They are not your 'traditional' type of VLF/VLF motion Discriminating design. They are not light and handy and all-around versatile. Not in my opinion or that of many others. Their strength, overall, is that they do work, and especially strong in their favor is that they will produce a more reasonably accurate TID on most higher-conductive coins/targets than most of the competition out there.

I know, ahead of time, when I head out in the past with an XL Pro or XLT or MXT or with my current favorites, my T2 and Omega, and I'm hunting with one of my FBS model friends, there is a good chance they will luck upon silver before me. Not always, but they might. They might also get more silver than me, if we are hunting an old-use site and the silver coins are positioned in the 4"-6" or 7" range.

I also know that if we visit one of my favorite ghost towns I have the advantage dealing with the typical trash, and I nab older coins quite well. Not always the higher-conductive coins, but more challenging finds, like an 1865 'nickel' 3

 

[Elton]

n/t

 

[Elton]

Partial quote from Monte...".So, all any user of an Omega or T2 or ??? has to do is determine an 'accurate' coin-depth read-out (over 4") and then decide if the audio and visual Target ID/Tone ID suggests it is deeper. If so, like the FBS users, we recover those targets"

I have owned several T2 and F75 versions and none so far have been really accurate on depth of coins 5" or less. I get a lot of 5" deep confimations when in fact they are only 2, or 3 inches deep. The F75 is worse than the T2..The 6.5 version T2 has proven to be accurate more often too.

 

[Cal_Cobra]

Elton that's interesting that you're seeing issues on the depth meter on the T2/F75. A friend of mine had the F75 LTD (sold it and got the Etrac) and he said he rarely got accurate depth readings, but my F75 LTD is almost always spot on. I wouldn't think there's any calibration on these digital machines, but perhaps there is some variance of adjustability that could account for the differences in pinpointing depth accuracy? I know that my Omega is way off, luckily by a fixed amount, just add three inches to the pinpointed depth readout and you're pretty much right on the money

Monte I think we're more or less on the same page regarding the FBS machines. I would love to see how the GB SE or G2 would do for ghost town hunting!! I live in Northern California, and last year for the first time I got to hunt a couple of ghost towns in Nevada...it was a blast At that time I used my F70 with the 11" DD coil and it did well for the short amount of time we stopped there (found a sterling silver pocket watch back, almost gave me a heart attack as for a nanosecond I thought I had a silver dollar ). I definitely want to do some more ghost town hunting....got a great 1960's book on Nevada railroads that has some awesome maps and fantastic panoramic photos of all the railroad towns (which were mostly mining towns then, but are ghost towns now).

HH,
Brian

 

[Monte]

I'm not the briefest writer, to be sure. However, I usually interject a comment or two that suggests something other than a factory-generated response. For example:

partial quote from Monte...".So, all any user of an Omega or T2 or ??? has to do is determine an 'accurate' coin-depth read-out (over 4") and then decide if the audio and visual Target ID/Tone ID suggests it is deeper. If so, like the FBS users, we recover those targets"

Note that I never said: "Rely on the detector's coin-depth reading."

That is for several reasons, and it really doesn't apply only to the Omega or T[sup][size=small]2[/size][/sup], but to virtually ALL makes and models on the market. Manufactures can only provide a rough estimate of possible coin -depth readings and it will vary due to the particular coin type, size and position, factoring in the ground make-up, and we can't forget the user's selection of search coil size, shape, and type of construction along with the detector control settings. Let's not forget that some might come in on a target and detune when pinpointing and that can produce an errant coin-depth reading. Equally at fault in the depth estimate is if the user hasn't properly centered the coin with the coil when pinpointing.

Also, keep in mind that I was referring to using a favorite Teknetics model for silver-shooting older parks for silver and other older-date coins against one of the competitor's FBS models. Their coin-depth read-out is more crude by comparison. Also, I was suggesting that my friends who almost strictly 'silver shoot' (meaning they concentrate on all coins that produce a Zinc or Indian Head audio and physical ID or higher-conductive) and reference their 'depth gauge" to go after the non-shallow targets that might be about 4" or deeper. Note here that I suggest they might be about.

So, with the Omega and T[sup][size=small]2[/size][/sup], and depending upon the coil I have mounted and the site environment and settings used, I suggest that the operator has to determine an accurate coin depth response that is possibly 4" or greater. That is a combination of referring to the detector's coin-depth read-out AND know how accurate it is with the coil used and settings in play, as well as sizing and shaping the target response such that your know it is a smaller/narrower coin-like hit and not a larger-size target. I really put the responsibility on the operator to learn and know their detector well so that they can interpret a 'proper' coin-depth guess compared the the detectors suggested depth gauge reading.

I have owned several T2 and F75 versions and none so far have been really accurate on depth of coins 5" or less. I get a lot of 5" deep confimations when in fact they are only 2, or 3 inches deep. The F75 is worse than the T2..The 6.5 version T2 has proven to be accurate more often too.

I've owned and used hundreds of different detectors, many of which were basically the same make/model but from a different run. As an example, from their release in early 1994 through just after last Christmas I owned 21 (yes, twenty-one) White's XLT's. I've owned at least 6 of the White's 6000 Pro XL or XL Pro units, and a recount has had me with 5 MXT's. Using just those three models (a total of 32 different units), I could tell some slight to gross differences in the coin-depth reading, and they were not always the same when comparing the same models. The XLT was possibly the more erratic or different-reading of the three. Also, I seldom used the factory stock coil with any of them so I had to be knowledgeable about the different responses I got, but keep in mind, they all came with a round concentric coil, and most of the time I had mounted a 6

 

[Monte]

In the subject heading with the , mine is a Root Beer Float, and probably a diet RB, too. 1.. I'm diabetic and 2.. I don't drink alcohol. Your mug can have your choice.

Now, in your reply to Elton you stated:

A friend of mine had the F75 LTD (sold it and got the Etrac) and he said he rarely got accurate depth readings, but my F75 LTD is almost always spot on. I wouldn't think there's any calibration on these digital machines, but perhaps there is some variance of adjustability that could account for the differences in pinpointing depth accuracy? I know that my Omega is way off, luckily by a fixed amount, just add three inches to the pinpointed depth readout and you're pretty much right on the money

There can be differences fro one model to the next, and some is related to the coil in use. The good thing is that we can once learn, as you noted, that there can be a 'fixed' or rough amount we can add or subtract to get the estimated coin depth we need.

Monte I think we're more or less on the same page regarding the FBS machines.

I've owned them, and in low-trash areas they could do okay for '$ilver $hooting' but I didn't like them in my favorite ghost towns or in many renovation sites I like to hunt. I don't care for their weight and balance. I also have had friends who had looonng waits for repairs in the past. With today's changes in their manufacture and service, I question such an investment. Besides, with the Omega, mainly, and T[sup][size=small]2[/size][/sup] for back-up and certain applications, I feel comfortable working most of my selected sites.

I would love to see how the GB SE or G2 would do for ghost town hunting!! I live in Northern California, and last year for the first time I got to hunt a couple of ghost towns in Nevada...it was a blast At that time I used my F70 with the 11" DD coil and it did well for the short amount of time we stopped there (found a sterling silver pocket watch back, almost gave me a heart attack as for a nanosecond I thought I had a silver dollar ). I definitely want to do some more ghost town hunting....got a great 1960's book on Nevada railroads that has some awesome maps and fantastic panoramic photos of all the railroad towns (which were mostly mining towns then, but are ghost towns now).

HH,
Brian

I've pulled a couple of the big silver dollars from old town settings, but most of mine have come from urban sites. Early on (late '60s to the mid-'80s) I got most of them from parks and older, but still in use, recreation areas. Unfortunately, most of those older parks and common sites have been well hunted now for another quarter of a century and have been thinned out. Especially far fewer larger coins like dollars and halves. Most of them I have pulled in the last 15 years have been from out-of-the-way areas in the big city. Hunting back in the now brushier areas large older parks that were used heavily from about 1875 to 1885 and, while the parks are still active, the areas I hunt take a bit of work. The exceptions would be fluke finds, like the 1922 Peace Dollar I got from about 1

 

[earthmansurfer]

Nice writeup Monte.

Question to (anyone) with an Omega 8000. I still get tricked by shallow and small stuff, often thinking it's something deep and coin sized. This happened with my T2 also, but I think less. Is this a typical problem and how do you get over it?