Greetings! I haven't seen many posts from you for a while. I think we last posted back-and-forth late last summer. Are you still living over in/near Hermiston?
Scottowl said:
Well, I've done it now.
The other day I shipped off my beloved MXT.
If all goes well, in about 2 weeks it will return, in the form of a Racer2.
In other words, I have traded it in on a Racer 2.
A good move. As you know, from my prior comments or forum posts, I preferred the MXT Pro and moved up to it from the original MXT 'Tracker' which I believe you have now shipped away. The MXT Pro prototype I worked with was very good but Carl Moreland improved several things with the final production efforts and it was my main-use all-purpose detector ..
until January of 2015.
I got the Nokta FORS CoRe in my hands and in a matter of hours to a day or two the MXT Pro dropped to a #2 back-up unit. The FORS CoRe instantly became my #1 use detector simply due to the excellent balance and in-the-field performance. It remains in a 3-way tie for me in the #1 spot with the Nokta Impact and FORS Relic's. Then, within a month after I got the FORS CoRe, I had an original Racer preproduction unit in-hand and that was the end of the MXT series for me. It was also the end of all White's models I owned at the time as I sold them all off, and my Teknetics units, too.
Then, to start 2016, I had the soon-to-be FORS Relic and Racer 2 that brought some new versatility to both product lines. For my types of hunting and site selections the Relic was the better 'fit' and joined my CoRe in the #1 spot. The Racer 2 was in the 2nd place position and has been a great performer as well. Oregon Gregg had an MXT All-Pro and M6 then got the CoRe and original Racer. Today he still keeps that Racer on-hand, but while I lean more towards the FORS series, and he still has a pair of FORS CoRe's himself, he is well stocked with the Makro Racer 2 as it was a better 'fit' for him. He's been enjoying splendid success afield with the Racer 2 and doesn't regret parting with his MXT Pro.
Just put in the time to learn what the Racer 2 has to offer and soon you'll know why so many have some to favor the Racer 2 as their main-use or even their only detector.
Scottowl said:
What I hope to gain is better separation around picnic tables and firepits, in and among the hundreds of pull tabs.
I believe there are some good targets hiding, and I doubt there would be many who spend a lot of time hunting there.
Separation is just part of the benefits you'll gain. There is also the mode selections and having the ability to adjust the Audio Tone, Tone Break and Iron Audio Volume. Being able to hunt in very trashy sites like they do is why the CoRe, Racer, Relic and Racer 2 have had such an appeal to both Relic Hunters as well as avid Coin Hunters who select very littered sites to hunt.
Scottowl said:
How would you expect the R2 to perform in this environment?
Excellent!
Scottowl said:
I will have the 5"(?) coil, similar to the 5.3(6") MXT coil.
I never like to use a lot of the manufacturer's coil descriptions, preferring to break out a ruler to get a closer coil measurement. Available for the Racer 2 are the small
'OOR' DD, which is a 4.[size=small]7[/size]X5.[size=small]2[/size] slightly Out-Of-Round coil. That's the size I like to keep on one of my FORS CoRe units. Then there is the round DD they call a 5" which measures closer to 5½" in diameter, which is what I call it. Tesoro has a smaller coil I use they call a 5.75 but I call it what it is, a 6" Concentric coil. And White's has had their 5.3 Bullseye and 5.3 Eclipse which use the same housing as the older Blue Max 600, but again, I call it what it is and that is a 6½" coil..
So the Racer 2's small 5½" coil is 'similar' to the MXT's 6½" coil in that they are both round shaped, but other than that they are a slightly different physical size on the outside, and the MXT's coil is a Concentric design internally while the Racer 2's 5½" coil is a Double-D design. I have found the smaller
'OOR' and 5½" DD coils for the Racer 2 to work very well, surpassing the all-around performance of the 6½" coil attached to an MXT.
Scottowl said:
I'm wondering if the results will be favorable.
I have a handful of spots where I have done well on rings, and even turned up the occasional silver dime, but the finds are dwindling.
The wait begins...
Sadly, the finds are 'dwindling' for everyone everywhere.
Not as many people getting outdoors to parks and other places like they used to so coin and jewelry loss is down. Big cities to small towns we just don't see nearly as much activity as there used to be, and definitely not like all the family picnics that used to take place in parks back in the '20s thru '60s and into the '70s.
However, we still have some of the left-over older coins as well as newer lost targets that are isolated from popular use areas or are mixed in with a lot of modern trash. Those smaller coils are what open the trashier sites for me and stay mounted on all my main-use detectors. My Impact's current smallest coil is a 4X7¾ DD, but it does quite well also. This wind storm we've had will continue today, but I will be using my 5½" DD for a few days to start April off heading out on Saturday by picking on some renovation work, a couple of old, out-of-the-way parks, and any other debris-filled places I can find.
Let us know when you get your Racer 2 and start using it. You had that MXT for a long time, so give the Racer 2 at least a little field work before you start to judge it. I am sure you'll be impressed.
Monte
