my 705, nothing but a backup detector

[jhettel]

This should raise a lot of controversy.

Being a relic hunter there are certain things I look at in the purchase of a detector. Been hunting for almost 40 years now, and have only had moderate success because I live in Missouri, which is great on Federal relics, but very lacking on Confederate. Believe me I have owned the Relco; Fisher; White's; Tesoro; Garrett; King Cobra; Nautilus, Teknetics, Minelab and a few other machines over the years. As basic as the old Relco detectors were, and believe me two knobs was the limit in the early seventies, that machine found a lot of neat stuff because I just was forced to dig everything. Some not so good machines were the King Cobra. Garrett GTA1000 and a few others. So I have experience with all the major brands.

I did not purchase my new 705 for relic hunting. I use a Tesoro Tejon for relic hunting and think it has really great depth, especially in really wet soil. The Tejon also is a great detector for finding those relics that many machines discriminate out. Last year (yesterday) I had a good year with my Tejon. My sites are getting worked out so I am digging more and more iffy targets that I know are iron. However, this greatly paid off. My finds included a Enfield rear gun sight; pistol hammer and many more small iron objects, my finds also included a sutlers token, which really thrilled me. I know many swear by the 705 and rightly so. However, for the really great relic hunting nothing can beat the lightness and lightning fast circuitry of the Tejon.

Now for the 705. The Tejon is great for getting in there and finding the deep relics, especially minnie balls that are very deep, and a lot of ground can be covered quickly without missing any targets.. However, on those occasions when I occasionally decide that I would like to do some coin hunting my Tejon just drives me nuts. It is highly sensitive to iron, which can be discriminated out, but not notched out. I have owned a Minelab Sovereign; Explorer; and Explorer II and find big differences in these machines and the X-terra 705. Pinpointing was a real challenge with the three previous machines, and in fact, just finding anything at all was hard unless the pace was very slow. The circuitry in the earlier Minelab machines was slow and you had to hunt very slowly, which I might add is good. The 705 seems to be a much better overall machine in that the pinpointing feature seems right on and the circuitry seems much faster. I think overall, over time, this machine will come to be known as really the best mid range coin machine out there, and when I say mid range I mean price, but I do not exclude any machines out there, it may very well become one of the best of any machines out there no matter what the price.

The Tejon will be great in getting out there and quickly finding and isolating the relic sites, and it will be a great machine to get in there and get the good relics out. When that phase is over and done with the 705 will be a great machine to bring back in and look for some of those elusive targets that only a target ID machine, and an experienced user can find.

I think these two machines are a great combination for the relic hunter. For the coin hunter the 705 is for sure going to make it's mark in many persons arsenal of truly great machines.

 

[morelic55]

Well, like it has been said before, you have to be comfortable with the machine you master. I had a Tejon and it did work great for those out of the way campsites, but those sites, at least here in Missouri are becoming more rare as the Internet has provided us with the tools to find them, or we have hunted them to death. We are not blessed with the sites the Virginia to South Carolina boys have. Now, back to the subject. A lot of the Federal camps are overgrown with older homes now, say, 1900's to 1940's. You have to be creative and seek permission to hunt their yards, some have good sized lots. The Tejon drove me nuts hunting those type places and to be honest a DD coil on the Tejon just sucked for separation in hot ground. That's where the Xterra 70 & 705 shine. Even with the 10.5 inch coil you get superior separation and depth. I have found eagle buttons in yards at 10-12" deep and dug square nails out of the same holes. So I would say that if you need TID and separation at a site, the Xterra series would shine. The little HF 6" coil is no slouch either as a choice for those sites that the trash factor is really serious. I just sold my Tejon................

 

[Pyledriver]

I'm not a relic hunter, in fact, in the detecting game I'm somewhat new with only about 2yrs under my belt. However, what I have learned is that each aspect of detecting is best served by specialized equipment. I bought my 705 because it's a 'multi-tool' in it's capabilities to prospect, hunt the beach, hit coins, and because it has the adaptability to accomodate various conditions. So having said all that, I could see my 705 being a backup detector for whenever I get my Excal and hit the beach, the backup to my gold machine out west, etc. What I do so LOVE about my Xterra is that right now, when it's only feasible to have ONE detector, the detector I chose will do a little of all the things I'm interested in! I really don't think your post is controversial because it makes sense for the specialized aspect you refer to. Before I bought my Xterra, I researched till I was crosseyed and the Tejon and Vaquero were extremely high on my list! Having made my decision as well the others on this forum walking the same path, I firmly believe there may be better choices for certain conditions, but I knew up front that I was buying a 'general purpose' detector.

 

[morelic55]

Well said.........There are certain tools, I tell my wife I'm like a golfer, or mechanic. I'm down to 3 machines now!!!!!!

I'm not a relic hunter, in fact, in the detecting game I'm somewhat new with only about 2yrs under my belt. However, what I have learned is that each aspect of detecting is best served by specialized equipment. I bought my 705 because it's a 'multi-tool' in it's capabilities to prospect, hunt the beach, hit coins, and because it has the adaptability to accomodate various conditions. So having said all that, I could see my 705 being a backup detector for whenever I get my Excal and hit the beach, the backup to my gold machine out west, etc. What I do so LOVE about my Xterra is that right now, when it's only feasible to have ONE detector, the detector I chose will do a little of all the things I'm interested in! I really don't think your post is controversial because it makes sense for the specialized aspect you refer to. Before I bought my Xterra, I researched till I was crosseyed and the Tejon and Vaquero were extremely high on my list! Having made my decision as well the others on this forum walking the same path, I firmly believe there may be better choices for certain conditions, but I knew up front that I was buying a 'general purpose' detector.

 

[Digger]

Many of us have hunted for decades, and tried a lot of different detectors. Depending on where we hunt, what it is we are looking for and the different detectors we've tried, opinions will vary! Personally, I much prefer the Minelab Advantage over the Tejon. At 5 kHz, it operates with more stability, is less succeptible to EMF and RFI and hunts (in my soil) with more depth than the "super tuned" Tejon. Like I said, opinions of detectors vary as much as our hunting styles. As such, I don't find your post controversial. However, I found it curious why, after 62 posts on FindMall, that you chose to sing the praises of you Tejon as your first post to the X-Terra forum? HH Randy

 

[Canewrap]

The point is that you like the 705 for something and I don't think anyone sees your opinion as an less valid than the rest of us. As it gets harder to find relics it becomes necessary to expand our toolset and get more proficient with each of them. I just obtained an Advantage for the reasons Randy mentions, but my 705 is a primary machine in that some of the sites I have that are heavily loaded with trash and a beep dig machine is just not the answer. The Advantage has the capability to use a very large coil and be hipmounted, two big pluses when looking over a large, open civil war site that has been pounded and any targets left are going to be deep. So, if you were trying to get everybody worked up, well didn't work, seems we agree with most of what you've said.

 

[Steve(MS)]

If you still have your 705 up for sale, I might be interested in buying the 10.5 coil off you, let me know.

 

[xwyokid]

We all have our opinions and you as well have a right to yours. However, in order to rid yourself of anymore grief...Just sell your X terra.

 

[David]

The point is that you like the 705 for something and I don't think anyone sees your opinion as an less valid than the rest of us. As it gets harder to find relics it becomes necessary to expand our toolset and get more proficient with each of them. I just obtained an Advantage for the reasons Randy mentions, but my 705 is a primary machine in that some of the sites I have that are heavily loaded with trash and a beep dig machine is just not the answer. The Advantage has the capability to use a very large coil and be hipmounted, two big pluses when looking over a large, open civil war site that has been pounded and any targets left are going to be deep. So, if you were trying to get everybody worked up, well didn't work, seems we agree with most of what you've said.

I have an Advantage also because of Randy's advice, I bought it and never regretted it and DO like it. It is a slight bit bulky and heavier, but a hipmount bag takes care of that. A CoilTek 15" WOT is the way to go. Detech also makes a 12.5", and I see the 14" and 18" have been discontinued.

Canewrap (or anyone else), for the the Musky Advantage what I want to know and ask you is how do you approach Iron Relic Hunting (wanting to find iron on purpose, like on a Civil War Site) ?---1) Use the Discriminate mode with the Level Adjust set to the very lowest counter-clockwise setting OR 2) in All Metals mode OR 3) this might sound silly but=>hunt in Pinpoint ?? (Of course with Ground Adjust Enable is usually better than Fix. I have heard but did not experiment that Discriminate is deeper than All Metals.)


On another subject, this may be of interest, I found this on an Australian web-site:
A good basic metal detector for basic gold prospecting and treasure hunting is the Minelab Musketeer Advantage (5 kHz) detector priced at $580 which incorporates an

 

[jhettel]

I really was not trying to make any controversial statements, but I thought that some may take it that way, that was the only reason why I made the initial statement. It was not to stir up any controversy, it was just a realization that it may occur.

I bought the X-terra 705 because I wanted a detector that was really much better than most other detectors out there. My Tejon is a great detector, but it just will not stand up to the X-terra 705 for finding jewelry, coins, and other neat things, not to mention what the Tejon misses at civil war sites. The Tejon can and will drive you nuts coin hunting in trash.

Most of us who have been detecting for many years know what it means to constantly search for a better and deeper machine. I didn't think I would use anything but the Tejon, now I plan on using the 705 for much of my searching. Many people have backup detectors and I really should not have said that it is my "backup detector" maybe I should have said that I plan to use the 705 to basically clean up after the Tejon. The Tejon is light and fast and great for finding those elusive sites deep in the woods, etc. The 705 appears to be the ideally engineered machine that will perform over and above similar and more high priced detectors.

To Steve In Ms. I know you were interested in the DD search coil, I had planned to sell my 705 only because my wife was fired from Wal Mart after 18 years, you know how that story goes. That left us with no health insurance until I re-establish my prior plan which I have 30 days to do, plus it was Christmas and I would not have bought the detector had I known my wife was going to get fired on the 15th. of Dec. I in fact got the call while relic hunting and found nothing for about an hour after that call, I was mad. Even if I had sold the detector I had every intention on purchasing another 705 before Spring. If I lost $100 in the first sale, oh well. What I wanted was a good detector.

I know Digger and MoMule55 have both spoken with my hunting buddy down in Memphis. He does his homework real well and after much digging came up with the X-terra 705, and he in fact did sell his Tejon. We have been hunting together for over fifteen years.

If I didn't make it clear in my first post then I want to kind of clear it all up now. I think the X-terra 705 is probably one of the best, if not the best machine that Minelab has produced. I have only used the machine one time due to frozen ground, but it really impressed me. This machine is my fourth Minelab. I also think that the X-terra 705 will quickly become one of the best metal detectors ever sold. It is a superbly engineered metal detector, not too complicated, but with every feature anyone would ever need to make excellent finds, besides, where else can you buy three detectors in one by simply changing the search coils

 

[David]

jhettel, the reason you ruffled a few feathers is because you said, "my 705, nothing but a backup detector". The "nothing but" part is what people did not like, we think our 70(5)'s are better than that. Otherwise you made a good post, and we might disagree on what detector is better for what task, is an acceptable thing.

"As basic as the old Relco detectors were, and believe me two knobs was the limit in the early seventies, that machine found a lot of neat stuff because I just was forced to dig everything. Some not so good machines were the King Cobra. Garrett GTA1000 and a few others. So I have experience with all the major brands."

I ordered a Relco catalog in the 1970's and it came with a plastic floppy 45 rpm record. I almost bought the Pacesetter(I think?). On that record they sure were convincing on the treasures we could find without mentioning very little or nothing at all about finding trash. Sending my mind dreaming about all the treasures I could find without stating the reality of detecting. I did not buy that model and got another detector instead. So at least the Relco's worked, as you found neat stuff which is good BUT forced to dig trash along with the good stuff. Like I said before in the early-mid 1970's there was some but less modern non-ferrous trash than today to contend with and we had first on site-virgin areas were 2 advantages AND also we had "long hair" to keep the sun off of our necks when detecting, heheha.

I agree about the Garrett GTA1000 as I did not like it also. You should get a round 10.5" MF or HF DD for your 705 and try it for Relic hunting. LOTS of depth as Relic hunters on this forum rave about the MF coil as being deep but if you want to find smaller Relics the HF will be more sensitive to smaller iron Relics. If you want more ground coverage, get the Advantage (5 kHz) with the CoilTek 15" WOT DD (or a Detech Excellerator 18" if you can find one) coil or F75 LTD (13 kHz) with a 15x12" SEF(available in England) or get an MXT (14 kHz) with a 15x12" or 18x15" SEF coil. Or use a slower swing Minelab BBS or FBS machine with a 18x15" SEF. As you already know, you can get a 12x10" or CleenSweep 18x3.6" HOT coil for your Tejon (about 17 kHz?) also.

Some people DO want a lower frequency VLF (about 3 to 7.5 kHz) for Relic hunting on purpose-purposely because they do NOT want their machine to be sensitive to smaller-tiny iron pieces, just more depth on larger iron Relic pieces. BUT if you want to search for small, about 1/8" Relic pieces then a higher frequency is better.

Yes the Minelab BBS and FBS machines are slower swing hunters as you said. Good luck and do not give up!

P.S. When I edited this I then read your post. Sounds good, other than your wife losing her job. Maybe get her to re-apply at another Wal-Mart store in another location across town, IF at all possible. Also maybe try the other big box stores. Wal-Mart does not like Unions and might fire people. Hey, maybe that gives both of you the opportunity to live a full-time RV lifestyle, very inexpensive living, head south and stay for free in the desert(nice warm winter daytime temperatures in southern AZ-CA in the winter time) or get about a $50 permit to do so. Or stay with cheaper monthly rates rates at RV Parks and do full-time detecting-treasure hunting and work on the side. Maybe set up a booth-table at Quartzite--Arizona, etc. and sell something from your RV to get an income, along with the others there.

 

[usmc0351]

im the guy who just sold my tejon and a long time hunting partner of joe's,,,,,let me try to clarify joes' original statement,,,,the 705 is probably gonna be his backup detector,,,,joe just happens to be that type of hunter who has just mastered that tejon,,,but we got into a situation one day,,,the relics were everywhere,,,,and so was the trash,,and ive hit this same place with the 5.75 coil on my tejon,,,but again,,,lots of trash,,,,i figured i needed something to give me a little bit of an edge,,,,so i jumped on here read a bunch of post's and then zeroed in a few folks that relic hunt with this machine,,,i sat back,,,read their posts and then finally contacted morelic mark and digger randy,,,,,i talked to both of them and few others from some other forums,,,,they didnt jump on the band wagon,,,,they were honest,,,we talked a lot of pros and cons,,,,neither went out of their way to sell me the idea of buying the 705,,,but as an experienced relic hunter,,,i make it a point to to listen to other experienced folks,,,,i made the decision on the 705,,relayed my info to joe and he buys one,,,,,now mark makes a great point,,,the tejon has its place and i think this 705 is gonna turn out to be a pretty good relic hunter but when it comes to this hobby ours,,,its the man behind the machine,,,,,except for bounty hunters,,,im sorry

 

[BarnacleBill]

I believe the only issue is with what could be characterized as a sensational topic line. Having used a Tejon for a year myself I am familiar with it's strengths & weaknesses. What is different about this forum from almost any other forum on Findmall is the variety of hunting concentrations the participants engage in. Since the X70 & X705 can be used for Beach Hunting, Coin Hunting, Jewelry Hunting, Relic Hunting, & Prospecting...... and do a respectable job at each task, then the nature of the responses can come from many perspectives. We all tend to think from our Belly Buttons as to what it is, each of us is trying to accomplish with a particular detector.

If someone makes a post with a credible and at least semi-respectful tone, then no one for the most part will have a problem with it including the moderators. And I think you will get some pretty balanced opinions about other detectors here rather than be run-off for a differing opinion like other forums. Both moderators here use other Brands & Models and mention such when they do, if it fits within the context of a post.

Without doubt the Tejon has a following in the Relic community, especially at the price point compared to what other Relic detector prices were & are currently. Supposedly there is a new Troy machine in the works, which depending on feature set & price may be need to be considered by the Relic crowd. But in the TID/VDI multi-purpose mid-price range, Minelab has presented a real problem for the U.S manufacturers. The only response I've seen so far is whining and a lot of re-packaging. Pretty much the same as the U.S auto manufacturers did for years while Toyota ate their lunch. What's stopping any U.S. manufacturer including Tesoro from making an X305, a dual frequency TID/VDI at that price point. Minelab has proven that they can import it at that price point with all of the extra shipping & duty costs. Meanwhile Tesoro can't even source parts for their Tiger Shark after many months. And right now the worldwide Gold Rush is filling Minelab's coffers. I wouldn't be surprised to see them absorb some of the weaker U.S. players, and right now Tesoro looks like the low hanging fruit. Maybe a new model coming this year from Tesoro will be an X-Tejonerra!

HH
BarnacleBill

 

[jhettel]

I really love this forum and other similar forums on other websites.

You are right about my saying that it would only be a backup detector was taken in the wrong way by some. How can I send the X-terra705 to be used as a back up detector. As I said earlier the Minelab is going to be used to clean up many of the sites that I had previously hunted, and I know it will do a good job. If people took me wrong in my first post then that was my fault in the way I worded the post. I do always try to provide good information in my posts. Sometimes people post and say very little and reading those posts can be a waste of time.

I bought the machine because my hunting buddy, USMC, who previously posted did his homework, as he always does, and came up with this detector. He also spoke with the moderator and a fellow Missourian who helped him decide to get rid of his Tesoro and purchase the Minelab. I then did some reading and quickly became convinced that it is probably one of the better detectors on the market today, and the price was right. Some companies are pricing theirselves out of the market.

I am luterally biting at the bit for the ground to thaw out so I can take the 705 out and do some coin hunting, I know it will find the coins and eliminate the trash, I also know it will find the jewelry. It would also be great to do some nugget hunting. If you are a coin hunter then you may not understand what I am about to say because most coin hunters stay in certain areas. However, as a relic hunter, no distance is to far to travel. I live in Missouri and there is a fair amount of Federal sites throughout the State, but Confederate, our Confederate soldiers were not really uniformed and many did not even carry muskets. They picked up muskets from the dead. When Price invaded Missouri over half his troops had no firearms.

You were smart in not buying the relco. It was a terribly basic machine. I paid $129 for my Relco and it was advertised in the backs of all sorts of magazines. However, at the time there were few manufacturers, but White's Electronics was there. Never-the-less it did get me started in this hobby and when I hunted Pilot Knob, Missouri, where there was a pretty major battle fought during the civil war, I found large grapeshot; grapeshot plates; cannonball fragments; and minnie balls were everywhere, that was about 1971.

As for the wife losing her job it is a shame. They pick out the high paying employees and zero in on them and then fire them. After four back surgeries she is applying for disability. She has absolutely no interest in metal detecting, she thinks it is stupid. However, she is always glad when I leave and knows full well that all that junk I have accumulated over the years is really a goldmine in disguise.

I had an offer to buy my 705 this morning, but no way, I sold my magnetometer, which I purchased to find large civil war ordnance, but I am going to keep the 705. Heck I can always buy the low freq. coil and find that stuff. I did purchase the mid freq. double D coil.

 

[jhettel]

Hey Doug, thanks for the backup.

Doug,You are probably the most intense and best relic hunter that I have hunted with. If it is there you will find it.

I did master the Tejon and I can say that I found some great iron relics with that machine. An Enfield rear gunsight; pistol hammer; four gun tools; a boot pistol, those aren't bad finds and I know that other machines would have discriminated these finds out.

I am like you, I am looking for that little edge on the depth and certainly looking for a machine that can be used and trusted in very trashy areas. The Tejon was impossible in some instances, I had no idea of what to dig and what not to dig.

So I took your advice, did some research on my own, and took your advice and bought the Minelab.

I do expect great results in coin hunting and jewelry hunting, something that I gave up on a long time ago with the Tejon. Yes, the Tejon does have it's place, and it is a well respected relic machine. I will still use the Tejon because it is a light machine and the circuitry is very fast, and it is super easy to set up, plus being in the sixties, but still in great shape, it is easy on the arm. But, on the other hand, I have no plans on letting the 705 sit on the back shelf waiting to be used. I know it will be a good relic machine, I know it will pick up much of what the Tejon has missed, like half dimes, it may not be as good on some of the iron relics, but that is fine, believe me, I have dug my fair share of horseshoes and shotgun casings that I know will be discriminated out by the Minelab.

At least you are fortunate down where you live that the weather is not so miserable. Up here in St. Louis single digits in the evenings and teens in the days for the next week. I may need to take a trip down your way just to relieve the pressure of not being able to get out.

 

[morelic55]

If ya hunt in all metal, 2 tone, autotrack, you'll get EVERYTHING the Tejon will get and MORE!!!! I'm serious about my offer on training on site somewhere that we all can meet at. If I can pick out buttons in the middle of a nail carpet, I can give you some tips

 

[David]

Thanks (Joe) jhettel good explaination, and also everyone else!

I want to repeat my question as it is important for me:

I have an Advantage also because of Randy's advice, I bought it and never regretted it and DO like it. It is a slight bit bulky and heavier, but a hipmount bag takes care of that. A CoilTek 15" WOT is the way to go. Detech also makes a 12.5", and I see the 14" and 18" have been discontinued.

Canewrap, Randy, or anyone else, for the the Musketeer(Musky) Advantage what I want to know is how do you approach Iron Relic Hunting (wanting to find IRON on purpose-purposely, like on a Civil War Site) ?---1) Use the Discriminate mode with the Level Adjust set to the very lowest counter-clockwise setting OR 2) in All Metals mode OR 3) this might sound silly but=>hunt in Pinpoint ??

(Of course with Ground Adjust Enable is usually better than Fix. I have heard but did not experiment that Discriminate is deeper than All Metals.)

 

[David]

If ya hunt in all metal, 2 tone, autotrack, you'll get EVERYTHING the Tejon will get and MORE!!!! I'm serious about my offer on training on site somewhere that we all can meet at. If I can pick out buttons in the middle of a nail carpet, I can give you some tips

morelic55 (or anyone else), did you ever try hunting Relics with the X-70(5) in Prospecting Mode ??

AND also play with the Iron Mask setting to knock-out small iron surface trash(the Iron Mask will NOT knock-out both larger and/or deeper valuable IRON-Brass RELICS when set properly). Yes I know in Prospecting Mode there is a slower sweep speed than All Metal(C &T Mode) thus a person will cover less ground in a day, BUT it is deeper in Prospecting Mode.

 

[morelic55]

Yes, tried it, did'nt care for it, WAY to busy and IMO not as deep as all metal mode. I would of stuck with the F75 LTD if I wanted that much action.....

If ya hunt in all metal, 2 tone, autotrack, you'll get EVERYTHING the Tejon will get and MORE!!!! I'm serious about my offer on training on site somewhere that we all can meet at. If I can pick out buttons in the middle of a nail carpet, I can give you some tips

morelic55 (or anyone else), did you ever try hunting Relics with the X-70(5) in Prospecting Mode ??

AND also play with the Iron Mask setting to knock-out small iron surface trash(the Iron Mask will NOT knock-out both larger and/or deeper valuable IRON-Brass RELICS when set properly). Yes I know in Prospecting Mode there is a slower sweep speed than All Metal(C &T Mode) thus a person will cover less ground in a day, BUT it is deeper in Prospecting Mode.

 

[Digger]

I wouldn't say that the Disc. mode is deeper than All Metal. But I think it is just as deep. However, if you are wanting to dig everything, I'd hunt in the All Metal mode. I've never found a target that would be rejected with minimal discrimination. But I'm sure there are targets out there that I haven't found! Why take the chance? HH Randy