Andy Sabisch
Active member
Hopefully this post will provide some information that quells some of the rumors that were flying around before the XP Gold Rally in the UK on September 17 & 18 as well as more that started once the Rally was underway and since then.
First, as those that know me can attest to, I use what works and while many claim that there is a perfect detector out there, I have yet to find it. If you only do one type of hunting in one area you might come close but if you travel the way I do and do as varied hunting as I do, you wind up with a collection of detectors that meet specific needs. I am not brand loyal to a fault and in fact have models from many manufacturers that I use quite successfully.
With that said, XP is unique in terms of detector manufacturers and on a broader sense, electronic manufacturers. How many companies will sell you a cellular phone and then provide free updates to the latest version of the operating system or other proprietary features. XP does just that with the Deus and we actually met several people at the rally that had started with V1.0 and are going to upgrade to V4.0 without any cost in the various upgrades they have made.over the years.
People have been asking for specific upgrades to the detector since it was introduced and while XP listens to customers, every feature can’t be added to subsequent models. The market is worldwide and while US hunters may want a specific feature, the market is what drives changes. Unfortunately that is simply a fact of life and while we may think that the US is the world’s largest market, there are individual distributors in Europe that sell more Deus units that are sold in the entire US. In some countries, XP has more than 70% of the detector sales which is an impressive statistic to say the least!
So what happened at the 2016 XP Gold Rally where all the secrets were to be released . . . . well, a few things that show that XP took the right road in addressing.
First, while the plans were to release V4.0 at the Rally, extensive testing that has been ongoing for more than 1 year revealed an unexpected “bug” literally the week before the rally and rather than puting out a product that would need to be patched; i.e., Microsoft Windows, XP opted to hold back the release until they could fully debug the problem and ensure it would be released without issues. Remember the Paul Masson Winery slogan “We will serve no wine before its time?” . . . . well, XP will not release a product that is not fully vetted and ready for worldwide distribution. Remember, the Deus has an interface that can use several languages and the interface on all of the components need to function flawlessly to meet the standards the factory has set.
So at this point, XP is evaluating the issue to determine what is needed so that when V4.0 is released along with the accessories it will support, that customers can complete the update in a few minutes and get out finding treasures rather than troubleshooting their detector.
And what will V4.0 bring to the table? Well first it is not bringing out twice the detection depth nor a myriad of new options nor a larger display nor English / metric units nor a digital depth indicator nor many of the countless “wish list” items that have been tossed about. On the other hand, there are some functions that it will provide which will net more finds to Deus users and do so at no additional cost for the update. So what are they . . .
• Refined control of Reactivity through the addition of a “2.5” setting offering enhanced target separation with less impact on detection depth
• Enhanced iron identification so one digs less big rusted iron that had sounded good
• Expanded tone range – now ranging from 100HZ to 1,000HZ
• Enhanced ground tracking capabilities which makes Tracking an option for even experienced hunters
• Improved functionality in the Gold Field program (extremely noticeable with the new HF coils)
• Improved ground compensation when searching highly mineralized ground
• Integration with the Go Detect application so that finds and hunt details can be logged automatically on your Smartphone or shared with fellow hunters real-time
• Integration with the new pinpointer (this is the piece that produced the last minute bug in which the communication link would drop up momentarily)
• Ability to run the new High Frequency (HF) coils in addition to the stock ones
There are other accessories that will be coming when the V4.0 software is available including:
• MI6 Pinpointer: The best way to describe this accessory is a wireless Sun Ray X-1 probe. You can use it like any conventional pinpointer with either a vibrate or tone response mode (plus the tone mode can be selected to be either a pitch mode or a beep mode) or link up to the headphones on your Deus and go wireless. Press the On/Off button and your coil goes into standby and the pinpointer is active. It is more sensitive than other probes we tested it against at the rally and with a rechargeable LION battery, you can get up to 90 hours on a charge. Ever lose your pinpointer in e the field? Well if you get back to the car and find you lost the MI6, simply press the LOCATE option on the control unit and your pinpointer will wake up and start beeping to help you find it . . . even after laying there for weeks. Add a 20’ submersible rating and you have one heck of an accessory that will cost under $200.
[attachment 335963 MI6Group.jpg]
[attachment 335966 MI6A.jpg]
• High Frequency (HF) Coils: There will be two new coils that interface with V4.0 which will operate at approximately 15 KHZ, 30 KHZ and 55 KHZ (trying to find my notes). The primary focus of the new coils is gold prospecting but they will handle highly mineralized ground like a champ and for beach / water hunters, it will be great for finding those small pieces of gold jewelry – at least in fresh water or dry sand areas on salt water beaches. Before you write XP off for not producing a sniper coil that runs at 4 kHz to find silver or some other optional coil or comment on the white color as people have already started to do, remember that their market is not limited to US coin hunters and the demand for gold prospecting equipment elsewhere including many areas in Africa is huge. More items are in the drawing boards and XP is listening to input. A notable d difference in these coils is that the battery is actually inside the shaft and is connected to the coil with a wire and sealed with an O-ring system. Extra batteries can be purchased if you are not able to recharge the battery based on being in a remote area. The battery is charged through the same clip one uses for the current coils so noting else is needed. V4.0 offers three positive and three negative offsets for each frequency unlike the one on the current coils so you can eliminate any external interference that might bother you. Weight is on-par with the current 9” coil and the elliptical coil actually weights a little less (if that is possible). It will come with the shaft and pricing is expected to be along what the current coils sell for.
[attachment 335964 HF1.jpg]
[attachment 335965 HF2.jpg]
At this time, the expected release of V4.0 and the accessories listed above is in the December 2016 time frame – with the caveat that if there are any bugs identified, the release will be moved. XP said that they are extremely close and had planned to roll out the V4.0 at the rally but when you deal with digital coding, you never know. Delaying rather than releasing and then patching was the right thing to do.
So as the song goes “You can’t please everyone” . . . . the same holds true with XP although they have provided options and accessories that build on an already proven platform and will continue to move the bar as further development takes place with the walls of the XP factory and worldwide with the testing that the XP team performs. This is not the end of innovation for XP and there will be more updates and accessories to come.
First, as those that know me can attest to, I use what works and while many claim that there is a perfect detector out there, I have yet to find it. If you only do one type of hunting in one area you might come close but if you travel the way I do and do as varied hunting as I do, you wind up with a collection of detectors that meet specific needs. I am not brand loyal to a fault and in fact have models from many manufacturers that I use quite successfully.
With that said, XP is unique in terms of detector manufacturers and on a broader sense, electronic manufacturers. How many companies will sell you a cellular phone and then provide free updates to the latest version of the operating system or other proprietary features. XP does just that with the Deus and we actually met several people at the rally that had started with V1.0 and are going to upgrade to V4.0 without any cost in the various upgrades they have made.over the years.
People have been asking for specific upgrades to the detector since it was introduced and while XP listens to customers, every feature can’t be added to subsequent models. The market is worldwide and while US hunters may want a specific feature, the market is what drives changes. Unfortunately that is simply a fact of life and while we may think that the US is the world’s largest market, there are individual distributors in Europe that sell more Deus units that are sold in the entire US. In some countries, XP has more than 70% of the detector sales which is an impressive statistic to say the least!
So what happened at the 2016 XP Gold Rally where all the secrets were to be released . . . . well, a few things that show that XP took the right road in addressing.
First, while the plans were to release V4.0 at the Rally, extensive testing that has been ongoing for more than 1 year revealed an unexpected “bug” literally the week before the rally and rather than puting out a product that would need to be patched; i.e., Microsoft Windows, XP opted to hold back the release until they could fully debug the problem and ensure it would be released without issues. Remember the Paul Masson Winery slogan “We will serve no wine before its time?” . . . . well, XP will not release a product that is not fully vetted and ready for worldwide distribution. Remember, the Deus has an interface that can use several languages and the interface on all of the components need to function flawlessly to meet the standards the factory has set.
So at this point, XP is evaluating the issue to determine what is needed so that when V4.0 is released along with the accessories it will support, that customers can complete the update in a few minutes and get out finding treasures rather than troubleshooting their detector.
And what will V4.0 bring to the table? Well first it is not bringing out twice the detection depth nor a myriad of new options nor a larger display nor English / metric units nor a digital depth indicator nor many of the countless “wish list” items that have been tossed about. On the other hand, there are some functions that it will provide which will net more finds to Deus users and do so at no additional cost for the update. So what are they . . .
• Refined control of Reactivity through the addition of a “2.5” setting offering enhanced target separation with less impact on detection depth
• Enhanced iron identification so one digs less big rusted iron that had sounded good
• Expanded tone range – now ranging from 100HZ to 1,000HZ
• Enhanced ground tracking capabilities which makes Tracking an option for even experienced hunters
• Improved functionality in the Gold Field program (extremely noticeable with the new HF coils)
• Improved ground compensation when searching highly mineralized ground
• Integration with the Go Detect application so that finds and hunt details can be logged automatically on your Smartphone or shared with fellow hunters real-time
• Integration with the new pinpointer (this is the piece that produced the last minute bug in which the communication link would drop up momentarily)
• Ability to run the new High Frequency (HF) coils in addition to the stock ones
There are other accessories that will be coming when the V4.0 software is available including:
• MI6 Pinpointer: The best way to describe this accessory is a wireless Sun Ray X-1 probe. You can use it like any conventional pinpointer with either a vibrate or tone response mode (plus the tone mode can be selected to be either a pitch mode or a beep mode) or link up to the headphones on your Deus and go wireless. Press the On/Off button and your coil goes into standby and the pinpointer is active. It is more sensitive than other probes we tested it against at the rally and with a rechargeable LION battery, you can get up to 90 hours on a charge. Ever lose your pinpointer in e the field? Well if you get back to the car and find you lost the MI6, simply press the LOCATE option on the control unit and your pinpointer will wake up and start beeping to help you find it . . . even after laying there for weeks. Add a 20’ submersible rating and you have one heck of an accessory that will cost under $200.
[attachment 335963 MI6Group.jpg]
[attachment 335966 MI6A.jpg]
• High Frequency (HF) Coils: There will be two new coils that interface with V4.0 which will operate at approximately 15 KHZ, 30 KHZ and 55 KHZ (trying to find my notes). The primary focus of the new coils is gold prospecting but they will handle highly mineralized ground like a champ and for beach / water hunters, it will be great for finding those small pieces of gold jewelry – at least in fresh water or dry sand areas on salt water beaches. Before you write XP off for not producing a sniper coil that runs at 4 kHz to find silver or some other optional coil or comment on the white color as people have already started to do, remember that their market is not limited to US coin hunters and the demand for gold prospecting equipment elsewhere including many areas in Africa is huge. More items are in the drawing boards and XP is listening to input. A notable d difference in these coils is that the battery is actually inside the shaft and is connected to the coil with a wire and sealed with an O-ring system. Extra batteries can be purchased if you are not able to recharge the battery based on being in a remote area. The battery is charged through the same clip one uses for the current coils so noting else is needed. V4.0 offers three positive and three negative offsets for each frequency unlike the one on the current coils so you can eliminate any external interference that might bother you. Weight is on-par with the current 9” coil and the elliptical coil actually weights a little less (if that is possible). It will come with the shaft and pricing is expected to be along what the current coils sell for.
[attachment 335964 HF1.jpg]
[attachment 335965 HF2.jpg]
At this time, the expected release of V4.0 and the accessories listed above is in the December 2016 time frame – with the caveat that if there are any bugs identified, the release will be moved. XP said that they are extremely close and had planned to roll out the V4.0 at the rally but when you deal with digital coding, you never know. Delaying rather than releasing and then patching was the right thing to do.
So as the song goes “You can’t please everyone” . . . . the same holds true with XP although they have provided options and accessories that build on an already proven platform and will continue to move the bar as further development takes place with the walls of the XP factory and worldwide with the testing that the XP team performs. This is not the end of innovation for XP and there will be more updates and accessories to come.
