AKA Metal Detector,Anyone Using One

[jimz49]

Just bought a Sorex a few weeks back and trying to get familiar with it. It's a learning experience to understand the manual and then put it into practice. Who else has an AKA, what model do you have, and what do you think about it?

 

[azsh07]

Many people are...well relatively speaking. I actually translated the Berkut and the Signum manual into English for AKA and did a lot of the testing here on the Sorex..Berkut..and Signum so I am very familiar with them. I had to back out getting involved further with trying to be a dealer a year ago when I got seriously ill. However I still use one as does Sven..Woodchiphustler...and others.

They are a little unique in using them, more so from how they address the audio functions. They run in mixed mode which can bother some people although I like it....usually.

The VDI is standard ops but the hodograph gets people at first. Best way to understand the hodograph is it is traced line that displays the VDI (VDI angle) and signal strength from the time the target breaks the minumum deteced threshold until it falls off the other side and becomes weak again. So it is a funstion of time..signal strength and VDI angle.

Hence a shallow target that is strong will display what looks like a straight line with angle on the screen relative to the VDI. So a VDI of 80 will have an 80 degree angle to the right and a VDI of -40 will have an angle of 40 degrees to the left and VDI 0 will be straight up and down.

However when a target has multiple VDI components to it such as rusty iron the hodograph will display all of these at is traces it from beginning to end. So say a piece of rusty tin or metal that from the audio aspect gives us multiple tones...and multiple VDI's like they always do...will also draw that trace in time. How we know it's usually rusty iron due to the figure 8 or a classic Z trace...or a strong swoop that looks like the Nike logo on its side.

Now on weaker targets the ground will influence the VDI angle the most... when the target is at it's weakest ...leading in and leading out from the coil. SO lets say the target is a silver quarter with a VDI angle of 82 if we were to air test it. We would get a straight line at VDI angle 82. But in the ground the minerals skew this slightly as the target is weak on the coil edges and the initial VDI component may be like 78...then as the target reaches coil center and max strenght the soil signal effect is less and we get VDI 82...then back to 78 as it leaves the coil field.

Hence we get narrow loops on deep good targets but the angle usually stays positive.

Loops that are large o's that cover both sides of the screen...left in the ferrous and right in the non ferrous..these are usually junk or atleast usually are round cans etc.
Scott

 

[Sven]

Only a handful here have them, and brave enough to take the challenge learning a superb machine that surprises most.
Most won't believe, so guys that own them won't talk much about them. By now you have found the forum, where everyone opens up
and shares their knowledge.

 

[jimz49]

Were you trying to become an AKA dealer? Would be great to have a dealer located in the states. When you say testing the sorex here.....are you saying here in the USA or somewhere else? Which one of the AKA machines did you prefer?

 

[jimz49]

I've been to a couple forums and have been reading everything posted about the AKA detectors. But I think the detecting that is done in the UK, Russia, etc, is a lot different from what is done here. Certainly the finds are different. Many of the things they're looking for are low conductors. We tend to look more for higher conductors. Because of that, the coil frequency preferences will be different.

 

[azsh07]

Were you trying to become an AKA dealer? Would be great to have a dealer located in the states. When you say testing the sorex here.....are you saying here in the USA or somewhere else? Which one of the AKA machines did you prefer?

I was but we ran into some disagreements at first. Nothing huge just trying to hammer things out...then I had to have major surgery that almost took me. It was a long recovery.

I had emailed AKA recently but they won't respond. They may have been upset I dropped out for a year but I really was in a bad way for 6 months. But I understand....plus Russia is all over the place politically and it makes for tough dealings here. Which is why it is easier to have them deal in Bulgaria and other European countries.

I used them here in New Hampshire and Maine. I used to have a bunch of videos up....don't ask. Should have kept them but I took them down due to pissing matches on Youtube. Should have just disabled comments. Well live and learn.

As for which machine...thats tough. They each have different functions but. If I were mainly coin hunting or jewelry than easy pick..the Newest Berkut 5. They incorporated some changes that I and a few others suggested after testing the first version. Sven has a new version...lucky dog. He used to have my first version actually.

For relic and mixed than either the Sorex or Signum. Sorex is a great buy for the money and even though the Signum has the Turbo mode for depth it does not add much REAL in ground depth over the Sorex. It boost coil current yes but in ground depth here was marginal..maybe half an inch...although maybe in mild mild loam you would get an inch or so more.

The Sorex is just a neat machine to run.

Only place I would prefer another machine is dense iron trash. It works great in trash but very noisy as it is mixed mode and in that the Fors CoRe or an F19 or even a Racer would be easier. And when I say dense iron trash I mean like the nail trash around colonial celar holes. With anything less like moderate trash it is fine. It will pick the good stuff out of dense trash but your ears will hate you

 

[azsh07]

I've been to a couple forums and have been reading everything posted about the AKA detectors. But I think the detecting that is done in the UK, Russia, etc, is a lot different from what is done here. Certainly the finds are different. Many of the things they're looking for are low conductors. We tend to look more for higher conductors. Because of that, the coil frequency preferences will be different.

Run the 7khz and you will be happy. Best all around coil. If you want a smaller coil get the 6x10 I think it is in 10Khz...it is a great combo set of coils...those two.

 

[azsh07]

Ask all the questions you want...I don't think there is much I could not answer but then again someone will I suppose. Or if I forget.

Take your time. The best tool are the audio functions. if you do not understand what the manual is saying just ask here. It is easy to explain but the manual leaves a lot to be desired in translation. I did not translate the Sorex manual.

 

[jimz49]

I have the 9.5" x 12.5" in 7 khz, but I don't like the size of it for most of the hunting I do. I also have the 6" x 10" in 14 khz. I like the smaller elliptical coil. What do think of the 10.5" in 3 khz coil for silver? The reason I ask is a lot of people said the 3 khz coil on minelab's x-terra detector was a killer combination for silver.

 

[jimz49]

My first detector choice was the berkut, but I couldn't get one with the english faceplate. My understanding of the berkut is it could be audible setup to have tones that would be similar to an etrac. I like that, because I've had explorers and etracs in the past and I'm familiar with their tones. My main hunting is for older coins and the occasional ring/jewery find.

 

[azsh07]

The 10.5 comes in 7Khz and 3Khz..either one but I like 7khz as a good middle ground...but then again 3Khz used to be the norm for years back in the 80's for silver. I have the 10.5 in 7Khz..it is a little heavier than the stock big coil ...unless they remade it in the past year but it looks the same to me. I forgot the 6x10 is 14 Khz..thats right...too many frequencies these days.

 

[azsh07]

My first detector choice was the berkut, but I couldn't get one with the english faceplate. My understanding of the berkut is it could be audible setup to have tones that would be similar to an etrac. I like that, because I've had explorers and etracs in the past and I'm familiar with their tones. My main hunting is for older coins and the occasional ring/jewery find.

Well it has up to 91 tones with a variability adjustment also. If you like the flute style response I don't think the Berkut had the Polyphony mode like the Sorex and The SIgnum. The Polyphony mode gives you that Explorer flute like sound...now on the Sorex and Signum there are what..only four tones I think.

I tell people the Berkuts menu is more like a Whites V3i or XLT in this way. It has way more options on how to edit tones..tone options...VDI editing and so much more. It is really a coin or jewelry style machine. The ability to edit is huge...sometimes too many things to play with...like an XLT or V3i although not as deep as the V3i in menu levels..maybe half..which is a lot anyway.

I would not let the faceplate stop me from buying it...it is a minor thing that only is an issue for a day or three. The menu is all English and that is what matters. I still use an ALL RUSSIAN Condor which is the Berkut in an older version. Now a Russian menu on that is a royal bee-atch.

Somewhere I have a graphic I made of an English faceplate so you could overlay it on the detector until you got used to the buttons...The middle buttons are easy..navigation buttons. Bottom left is Function..top left Program and Menu... top right I think is GB only and bottom right swaps between AM and Disc

 

[jimz49]

The sorex does have the polyphony short tone (PST), which is one of the adjustments in the ST mode. What confuses me is there are both RT tones (RT, RTT & RTM) and ST tones (RT, PST & MST). The manual leaves a little bit to be desired on how to use them.

 

[azsh07]

The manual does not really give any suggestions on when to use them at all.

OK...so the RT adjustments affect the all metal threshold tone...OK. So RT setting means that the allmetal tone will be a steady threshold until a target is located at which point..since it is all metal based...the tone will rise and fall as the target is passed over relatively.

RTT will cause the all metal tone to cut off once the detector has identified it with a VDI and generates an ST ID tone...so in this case you wont have the all metal tone riding along or with the ST tone.

RTM ( modulated or all metal tone ID) is like an all metal tone ID mode. There should not be any ST tone generated ( I don't think there is an ST tone in this mode on the Sorex..I know for sure not on the Signum)....I actually learned to like this as it is real time... It is a very raw signal but very good to use especially in areas with iron trash. I had taught a method on how to slowly approach a target in this mode and listen to how much of an iron grunt you get as you come in from the side slowly.

So..the RT mode is up to you...if you want the all metal tone to cut out when the ST or short tone ID is generated then select RTT...if you don't mind having the all metal tone generated all the time through a detected target leave it in RT. If you want to try a true analog all metal tone ID run RTM.

The ST modes are obviously the Disc tone id side. The Polyphony mode you know..it is kind of like the Explorer sound..sort of fluty. The advantage is you can get multiple tones generated verses just one at a time to help ID targets with a mixed metal comp or rusty iron.

STM is a more modulated repsonse that varies depending on target size and strength. The thought is to help ID targets from false responses.

So which one to use and when. Well most is just a personal preference. Usually I ran it in RT STM..or I think there is RT ST but forgive me I don't have one in front of me and since I used the Signum also I am not sure if the Sorex has RT ST combo or not.

I did not use the RTT setting usually as I am used to mix mode anyway.

Usually was RT STM or RTM...thats just me.

Also remember that depending on the Algorithm set will block certain audio options...you can't use STP in MM algorithm for example.

You can check to see how many ST modes there are...thought there was ST..STP..and STM.

 

[jimz49]

Is the threshold tone the normal background hum similar to other detectors, or is something different for the sorex? Because I don't hear a threshold hum in either all metal or discrimination

 

[azsh07]

Hmmm........actually I don't think there is a threshold present until a target is detected. Once you detect a target you shold first get the all metal threshold response then the ST ID tone.

SO no constant background threshold and I looked up some info and there is an ST mode as well as STP and STM...ran usually RT ST or RT STM....the RTM mode more so on the Signum

 

[jimz49]

You're right about the threshold tone only being there as the coil approaches a target, then depending on ST choice, switches to a different audio response. I was just outside checking the different responses you mentioned and notices how the threshold worked.

 

[azsh07]

Yep....and try the other modes..like RTM...or RT STM...or RT STP. I mean I like RT STP when I get bored with the other sounds...it just has that pleasant flute like tone. But you will find what works...and usually it was RT ST most of the time.

 

[NIBBLER]

I have 2 sorex pro's ..Bought one and liked it so much, had to get another.Great machine!!!!!!

 

[jimz49]

I know what you mean...I have the sorex and would like to try the berkut.