Cody!..."Hello" at this late hour over here in the UK.
Outside, through my rain spattered window, I can see the Christmas lights are twinkling in the mellow darkness. My grandchildren should be asleep by now, and Father Xmas must be readying his reign-deers for the big push....Don't you wish you were a child again?
Alas, we adults can only try to recall the thrill of it all, and recollect the few presents we received.........I remember getting a 'cowboy' cap-gun ! A six shooter with three packets of caps.
After only a few hours out playing and popping-off every thing and body that walked past our gate, I dropped it and broke the 'hammer' off....Tragedy. Shouting "BANG-BANG" just doesn't have the same calibre......
Talking about Xmas presents...are you going to get a new 'Terra in your stocking? I must admit, Minelab are turning out new models at an impressive rate. Lightweight, viewable, attractive. All that a good detector should be, BUT.....What is 'under-the-bonnet'?
The majority of punter don't know and don't care, as long as it performs better than the one they have. Or, it fills a niche that the other wonder machines are too heavy for.
Minelab engineers are progressive in applying established electronics techniques to the hobby, but they are overshadowed by the hyper active imagination of their advertising sales team. It must be all the sunshine, and four XXXX's they drink in Australia!!!!
Whatever.."Good on ye, digger".
So Cody, what is this V-Flex stuff? I don't know specifically, and nobody is inquisitive enough so far to enquire. So let's get the ball rolling.
Minelab advertisers love pictorial propaganda. Words are reasonably specific, whilst 'pictures' are open to interpretation. So what is the 'picture' telling us this time?
We have a 'crinkly' sine wave symbolising ALL the other single frequency detectors, making them inferior to their 'smooth' V-Flex technology.
OK. Time to cut the 'Bullshit'.
REDUCED NOISE:- I respectfully suggest that is the thrust of this technological claim.
There are several ways of achieving this. Filters are one the most advertised solutions. i.e. Three, four, etc filter detectors.
There is a limit to the degree you can filter your basic composite signal, without incurring degradation to the actual data you are trying to extract.
One of the oldest methods is achieved right there in the search-head by 'tuning' the receiving coil to a single specific frequency.
This way you achieve a 'High Q' coil which reduces extraneous frequencies (noise, and out-of-band signals). Hence, fit your detector with a 'tuned' head.
So for any change of frequency of operation, you must plug in an appropriately tuned coil.
That simplistic analysis is sufficient so far to explain the need for a different head for a different frequency, but there is a more subtle factor involved. But I won't volunteer that now, otherwise there will be little left for others to contribute.
Once you have an initially 'cleaner' signal of sufficient amplitude, then the sooner you digitise it, the better.
So this brief offering is just a skeletal view of the Minelab V-Flex process.
Well..how successful a method it proves to be, will require honest, subjective reporting, by experienced detectorists.
The implied lightness, functionality and view-ability of display, augers well for its place in the plethora of excellent single frequency detectors available today. Minelab have a established a reputation for many good reasons...Bull' is NOT one of them, so keep your reporting balanced and objective, then we can only benefit..MattR
