First hunt withe new X-TERRA 305

[joe dirt_1]

My new 305 came this morning and after some experimenting with it took it out for a hunt. Setting up the detector was simple and all settings are pretty well explained in the owners manual.
I took the 305 to a site where I have hunted with several other detectors in the past so it has been well hunted. Iron is everywhere in the ground and coins are scarce here. After setting ground balance
and setting the detector in zero disc and multi tones I proceded to pattern off areas of the yard. The detector seemed unstable at a sensitivity setting of 8 so I backed it down to 6 to calm it down.
My first good signal was a 44 at 6 inches according to the detector. It was chunk of aluminum at around 6 inches or so. All the signals I got turned out to be trash items in the 4 to 6 inch range.
My initial impressions of the 305 was the audio seemed weak on a signal even at max volume on the detector. Of course I'm used to hearing the strong hard hits from signals on my CZ5, so this may be
just me not being used to the detector. Fit and finish on the detector seemed very nice and it is very comfortable to swing. I would prefer a smaller coil as stock on the 305, but in a cleaner area the stock coil should work well.
One thing I didn't figure out was if the headphone volume had a seperate setting in the menu someplace. The manual states the headphone volume is preset at 5 but doesn't explain if that setting can be changed or not, but does sound like the detectors volume
carries over to when headphones are plugged in. If anyone can tell me how to raise the headphone volume in the menu I would appreciate it. I need to take the 305 to a site that doesn't have as much trash to really see how well it operates. Trash and the stock coil don't mix well.
So, the jury is still out on the X-TERRA 305 so far, but I will be trying some other sites before passing judgement on it. It could very well been operator error today on my part but I wasn't impressed so far with the 305..... but I'm going to give it a chance to show me what it is capable of.

Roger

 

[Digger]

The speaker Volume and headphone Volume can each be set to different levels. The range for either is 0 - 10. The speaker is preset to 8 and the headphone is preset to 5, meaning the headphone setting is preset to a lower volume than the speaker. To change the setting for use without headphones, go into the menu and make the adjustment with the headphones unplugged. To adjust the volume for use with headphones, plug them in and use the same procedure as you did when you seet it for use without the headphones. The X-TERRA will save each of these settings and switch automatically when you plug in (or unplug) the headphones. HH Randy

 

[joe dirt_1]

Sorry to say that me and the 305 didn't get along too well and it is being sent back to the distributor and replaced with a new Tesoro detector, a beep and dig with none of the hassles of a metered detector. The X-terra 305 was a pleasure to swing but performance was seriously lacking.
I really liked the detector, nice quality and light weight,but I can get a better performing detector for less money in the Tesoro plus a lifetime no hassle warranty. Happy Hunting.............

Roger

 

[ryanchappell]

One day? Did you even ground balance it? I assume you have more patience when digging targets.

The 305 is made to be less chatty. It takes a slower swing. Even my wife is finding relics and wheats with it. The volume is a little on the low side. I don't think I have ever used it with less volume than 10 on the headphones, and I wish it would go higher. I just assume it was because I was using Sony music headphones, and that there were some were better for it.

You probably did the right thing returning it some people just like the knobs and sounds only models. HH!

 

[Chris Mac]

I don't know how a Tesoro compairs to an XT; But I do know (with my XT) I have more then once dug 10 - 12 in only to find the smallest piece of metal.This never fails to astonish me.

 

[joe dirt_1]

ryanchappell, yep it was ground balanced and all other settings were correct on the detector. This isn't my first rodeo, I've been detecting for over 30 years and I do know how to set a detector up. I'm not trashing the 305 because I could have had a defective machine right out of the box possibly.
We all have detectors we like and some we don't like....the 305 just happened to fall in the latter catagory for me. Some people like all the menus and fooling around with settings on their detector, but I prefer the beep and dig machines for the fact I find more and better targets by not relying on a meter.
happy hunting.

chris mac, sounds like you got a good x-terra. I was hoping mine would work out but I didn't care for it and couldn't afford to keep a 400.00 detector I didn't like. I surprises me how many people have never tried a Tesoro detector. I can tell you once you try one you will be hooked. They are that good.
and whats not to like about a lifetime warranty. happy hunting.

Roger

 

[Chris Mac]

chris mac, sounds like you got a good x-terra. I was hoping mine would work out but I didn't care for it and couldn't afford to keep a 400.00 detector I didn't like. I surprises me how many people have never tried a Tesoro detector. I can tell you once you try one you will be hooked. They are that good.
and whats not to like about a lifetime warranty. happy hunting.

Roger

I have never tried a Tesoro and would very much like too, I know they are popular with experienced detectorists here in Europe. My reason for buying an XT was to have a machine that reliably identified/rejected a target and thus avoid digging trash. My experience is the TID system is its not clever en ought to distinguish trash and treasure alone and any masking of target ID.s is too risky. A a result I dig most targets so I didn't need a detector with a TID system.

 

[joe dirt_1]

chris mac, unfortunatly digging trash is part of detecting. No meter is 100% accurate and that is my reason for sending my 305 back and getting another Tesoro without a meter. If you don't dig any trash you are missing many good targets in the process. I have used many detectors over the last 30 years
and have found personally that the quantity and quality of my finds increase with a simple beep and dig detector. The reason is I set my machine to reject objects right below the foil range and dig all targets that give a good signal....relying on my ears to be the discriminator. With a good detector that has good discrimination circuitry this isn't as hard as it sounds, and Tesoro is one of the best out there. happy hunting !

Roger

 

[Mtnmn]

I have to admire how brand loyal so many of us are who metal detect. I've only been on one hunt with a guy who used a Tesoro and he was a dealer and had many years of experience using them and to be honest with you, I wasn't all that impressed with his machine. It definitely didn't have anything over the XT-70 I was using that day, so apparently it all comes down to being a matter of personal choice and whatever we are used to.

 

[Chris Mac]

I have to admire how brand loyal so many of us are who metal detect. I've only been on one hunt with a guy who used a Tesoro and he was a dealer and had many years of experience using them and to be honest with you, I wasn't all that impressed with his machine. It definitely didn't have anything over the XT-70 I was using that day, so apparently it all comes down to being a matter of personal choice and whatever we are used to.

Good point, Although I did an air test today with a hammered coin. The TID at 2ins deep was between 6 in one direction and 8 in the return swing. At 8ins (about the limit) the TID was 18 first swing and 20 on the return swing, the depth indicator showed full depth regardless of how far the coin was from the coil. I repeated this several times and the results were consistent. This is also consist ant with with other experiments I have done. Its difficult for me to rationalize having functionality on a piece of equipment that is not necessarily reliable.

 

[calibil]

I had just got the x-terra 705 and man that machine rocks, set it in prospect mode and switch to disc for a high tone then maybe dig. I have plenty of Tesoro,s and they are also very good. I have some times relied to many times on the TID detectors and have went back over the same ground with a beep and dig or accept all with the 705 and have found plenty of coins and jewelry. Surprisingly I have found multiple coins in the same hole or very close to iron with this hunting method.