MR BILL or anyome. Shodow X5

[Anonymous]

Bill, What can you tell me about X5, good and Bad. how is it for Beach, Prospecting-small nuggets, dept,etc.I have a Garrett Infinium, still in warranty.In a fue months Ill be 65,NEED to get a lighter detector,my shoulder and arm cant take what it use-to. Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

Eric's Goldquest SS is a fine choice. The coil is very light, and the control box is hipmounted. You might want to ask your question on the Beach forum and the Shadow forum, also.
A quick search of the Beach forum archives yielded the following, regarding the X-5, Goldquest and Minelabs, in one fellow's experience:
http://www.findmall.com/metal/beach/archive/config.pl?read=16887

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Frank
As the X-5 is a vlf not a PI you would need to go to the Shadow forum. Go to www.troycustomdetectors.com and visit their forum. The Shadow forum at this site is not as active as the above site. They also have field tests for the X-5.
However, as I own one I might as well give my two cents worth. The reviews on the X-5 have always been good. It is extremely light weight and can be used all day without effort. It is a top of the line detector used from coin to nugget hunting. With regards to depth you have to go to a PI for greater depth. The X-5 is more sensitive to very small gold pieces than the Infinium(or any PI). Like all vlf's it picks up hot rocks which PI's usually ignore.
What detector is best for nuggets depends on your usage and where you are. There are certain areas I can not use my X-5(too many "hot rocks"). There are areas which I can not use a PI(too much iron).
Important questions- Amount of "hot rocks" Amount of iron? ground conditions? Is depth more important for large nuggets than tiny pieces? How much Beach hunting or other types of hunting?
Most of the serious users have several types of detectors for different areas
George

 

[Anonymous]

George,
Thanks,you answered my question.For nuggets, North-east GA,Gold is small and pure,some hot rocks and clay.Beach,N-east FL,hard packed beach sand.lot of ground noise.The garrett is hev-y,
I need to go to a lighter detector. If I dont trade the Infinium, might sell it and wait until Eric upgrades Goldquest SS with a DD coil.

 

[Anonymous]

Kathy,
Thanks. I checked it out.Ill have to wait until Eric comes out with a DD coil for the SS.OUR beach has a lot of ground noise.To use it here it has to be tuned back, same thing with Infinium.

 

[Anonymous]

Frank have you tried bungee harness arrangement to take weight off arm???

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Frank
I think your drawing conclusions that all PI

 

[Anonymous]

What George say

 

[Anonymous]

Let me express first I am not a tect. person....I am a end user of equipment and I do not play favorites...but I want to own the best of the best because if I am going to spend that many hours on beaches and wherever I want the best in my hand. I own now 9 detectors.
I have owned Whites PI, CS7, Tesoro Sandshark, Fisher PI, HH PI and now the Goldquest SS. I am totally happy with the Goldquest SS. I would not consider owning or buying one of the others unless Paul P. convinces me to modify a HH PI...It is waterproof and I need a waterproof PI>>> My Goldquest SS operates in 80% of the beaches I hunt at 10uS (drysand/wetsand and wading in saltwater)(Freshwater it is all 100% at peak, Tennessee Red Clay does not slow it down). There are a number of beaches I can think of that I had to turn it back to 15uS. If the surf is calm enough that I will not dunk the unit I go in the water. Some area in the water I will have to tune it back to 15uS so that the rollers and breakers do not cause a small threshold rise. I have not played that much with turning the SAT control adjustments as normally running at 15uS. does the trick, I am now playing with a faster SAT. 15uS. is sensitive enough to get 98% of the gold rings and gold items at any beach in the US I have hunted. By the way my wife and I moved into our motorhome 5 years ago when we retired at 55 and we travel all over the US metal detecting everywhere we go. I would love a waterproof Goldquest SS and that is my next purchase or project to waterproof. Quite honestly I do not want a metal detector deeper than the Goldquest SS, I am not the runt of the litter but digging is digging and many time to much digging.
I have not used it in California but have in Washington State and Oregon on the beaches. I have not yet used it in any beaches above/North Virginia Beach, VA. I am confident I will be able to run the Goldquest SS anywhere in the US and it will run smooth and deep.
As a user this is about all I can say other than it is always in my car when I go detecting. Many times I will use the Excalibur 1000 first in an area and finish up with the Goldquest SS. But it is always with me.
"Improvements" ...."Hinting"
I would personally like to the Goldquest SS. Three tones one at 10 to 15, one for around 40 and one for around 75uS. Or a waterproof toggle switch or a button to push that would take the unit from 10uS to 50 to 70 uS. Sometimes I get tired of digging everything and would prefer to only dig the target responding to 10 to 20uS, "Selective killing myself rather than "General" killing myself" (Bill this is tongue in cheek (smile)).
Sorry this was long but Bill requested I run my dog in this race...probably will not request this again....Frank

 

[Anonymous]

dig only targets responding to 10 to 20uS. Are these gold and platinum targets as opposed to coins? I have just purchaced a used Goldquest and will have an opportunity to use it next weekend. Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Frank
Thanks for coming in with your info.
We are working on such a control as you would like. It

 

[Anonymous]

No guarantees on this as you know in the field many things are out there that fool you...but... If I retard the freq. knob and the target drops out then "Most" of the time it is a pulltab, nickel, can be a bottle cap of some type (Not all types) or a gold item. It does eliminate some digging. But sure as the world you do this and something you might wanted to have dug...you leave and wish you had not. Sometimes I just plain old get tired and take the easy way out...Frank

 

[Anonymous]

The old Tesoro's (before microprocessors) had the most descriptive audio of any detectors I have used. Microprocessors seem to have been cause of the audio response used in the "Aflas Duck" comericals. The Goldquest SS at first does not appear to have a discriptive audio language...After a number of hours use you will find it does have its own form of 'descriptive audio on target response." Silver coins do have a softer response than iron objects and lincoln pennies do really blair out at you. Rusty iron objects have a sound of their own that is near pennies. Of course surface objects do saturate the audio. If you are like I am I very rarely ever hit a "virgin" area to hunt, so most places are hunted heavy and the deeper targets left by the VLF's and such....after a bit you can become a good guess'er of the targets down there and be right a good bit of the time...So the Goldquest SS does have a target response lang...you will develope an ear for it.... I have been reluctant to start messing with the SAT control as it changes the length of the audio target response and therefore messes up my "tuned ear" I have developed...Hope this helps... Frank

 

[Anonymous]

Don, No I hav-ent tryed a bungee,they do work.some of the Old timers here are use-ing bungees.I pulled my shoulder a fue years ago helping a friend with 1500 yard beach net.for now the Garrett is parked in my closet.Been working on my CS,replaced 2 fets.it stoped 90% of pulseing.Still trying to get noise from clokeing threshold.I found that I can replace a 1K resistor with a diode( R17)on in-comeing side of DC gain.All noise stops,threshold can be adjusted to a fine low hum,But it also cut dept inhalf.
I am teaching myself electronics. The CS PI is agood detector to learn on. Thanks Frank.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your in put. Frank-S