Back in the xterra family....

[Silverbackbob]

I had an xterra 70 back when they first came out, but sold it chasing the perfect detector. I never really gave it the time needed to LEARN it and always regretted my decision. I recently bought a used 70 after following this forum for awhile. Randy's description of why he uses an xterra and what he is hoping to find(old coins at old places) fits me to a T. Anyway, I'll ask a newbie question. What settings should I use right out of the box and is there a ballpark figure for how long I should leave them there until starting to find the perfect setup for my sites and conditions??

There are a lot of great forums here at Findmall, but for detector model sepecific ones, this one is the BEST, IMHO. No flames and a lot of knowledge and support is handed out. Keep up the good work guys. Good luck and HH. Bob.

 

[Old Longhair]

Welcome back in the family Bob!

Your questions aren't easy ones, as so much of it is personal preference.
Initially I would probably start with 3 or 4 tones, one of the stock preset Disc patterns, and GB Tracking ON. As you become more familiar and comfortable with it, make the transition to Multi-tones, and then reduce the Disc until you don't feel overwhelmed by All Metal.
I feel that the sooner that you can get to the AM Multi-tone stage the better. All Metal is the best "teacher" of appropriate swing speed and Sensitivity setting. If you get too much falsing, slow down (a lot) before turning the Sens down.

You may however decide that Multi-tone isn't your preference, and that's OK. Getting to where you can run in AM is much more important.
You will find times that AM isn't appropriate, like where there is a ton of tiny iron bits that pummel your ears with a barrage of low tones and "wrap-around" false high chirps. Places like that are often much more enjoyable if you notch out -8 and 48.
The key is swing speed. And it's not that the machine is slow. It's more that it sees so much that where detectable object density is high, it needs to be given sufficient time so that the machine can sort through it all w/o mixing signals and giving you inaccurate info.

GL&HH!

 

[Pennypacker]

Cheers

 

[mapper65]

I think of of the biggest thing with the Xterra is that you have to put the time in with it. I know so many people that want to be good at something without putting the time in to be good. The more time you can spend with the Xterra the more of an understanding you will have of it and eventually, one day, everything just kind of clicks and you will become really good with it. Being good with it doesn't take the place of researching good locations to hunt at and in some cases finding good locations may pay off more than being 100% proficient with the detector.

Have fun!

 

[Digger]

Welcome back Bob. Many of us wander off at one time or another, just to see if the grass really is greener on the other side. I've come to the conclusion that there are plenty of targets on both sides of the fence! Just a matter of choosing a detector that satisfies your needs. I encourage everyone to read all they can find about whatever detector they chose. Learn the functionality and adjust the detector to suit your ears, your eyes and maximize its potential for the targets you seek. Sooner or later, it will become second nature to set it up for the sites you hunt. Start out with the stock coin program..... lay out a bunch of targets (good and bad) to learn how your detector responds to each of them, set the number of tones you are willing to decipher, run with as much discrimination as you need to keep you from digging too much trash, maintain the proper GB and don't overdrive the Sensitivity. Most important......don't be afraid to experiment. The X-TERRA is one of the most flexible detectors on the market. In the right hands, it will keep up with about all of them, and surpass most. HH Randy

 

[BH_Landstar_]

Out of all the detectors that I have used, there are only 3 that I find that are 'the ones' that I click with.

The X-Terra 70/705 is one of the best detectors that I have used, easy to learn and has just the right balance with it's weight. It's a coin magnet as well as a silver magnet, and it's not to shabby with finding the gold items either, but you got to dig it all to find these items (as with any detector).

I switch between all 3 detectors, the X-Terra 705, E-Trac and the AT Pro, it all depends on the location that I am at, so I pick and choose as all three live in the trunk 24/7, I've always got them with me so that I can get a hunt in before or after work.

 

[7centsworth]

Welcome back.