That may have been my post you referred to? I have been using the X-Terras since they first came out. Actually, before they came out as I was one of the Field Testers for the X-Terras. I'd owned WAY too many detectors over the past 37 years to even want to think about. But the X-Terra is one of the best detectors I've ever owned. If I had to pick three detectors today that I wouldn't part with, the 705 would be one of them. The other two would be my White's XLPro and my Etrac. Here is what I like about each one....... I think the XLPro has the finest discrimination circuit ever produced. Call me "old school", but that analog meter is hard to beat. Something about watching a subtle deflection of the needle that gives a lot more information than watching a bunch of numbers fly past on a digital display. At 6.59 kHz, it is "tuned" for the type of hunting I do. Old coins at old sites. Although there are quite a few coils still available for this series of detectors, time is passing us by! Just a few years ago White's offered 4 different series at this frequency. Now, all that is being manufactured is the XLT. And frankly, my XLPro will work circles around any of the XLT's I've owned. But on to the Minelabs........ As I said, I like to hunt for old coins at old sites. In my part of the Country, most of those sites are now vacated farmsteads and fields. As such, the only time I can get in to hunt them is early in the spring, after winter and before the new crops are planted. Or in the late fall, before winter and after harvest. Right now is one of those times. And I've been doing pretty well with the X-Terra, in the fields that have been harvested. I won't go into all the reasons I like the X-705. But among those most important to me are the Auto NC, Tracking GB with offset, Multiple tones, All metal capabillity and Pinpoint sizing that continues to provide TID. It is truly a remarkable detector, once you understand what it is trying to tell you. I like the 3 kHz concentric coil for less congested sites. And I opt for the 6-inch DD for sites with an abundance of trash. Each have their purpose and both perform very well. The reason I got the Etrac is because during the summer months, I can't get into the fields to hunt. And I don't like to hunt yards in the heat of the summer for fear of leaving brown spots in someone's lawn. So, my summer hunting is done at local parks and athletic fields. I happen to believe that there are more old coins still hiding out there due to target masking, opposed to being too deep to detect. As such, I wanted a detector that had excellent separation capabilities and superior TID. I'd had a couple Explorers over the years and, although they were great detectors, they were just too awkward for this crippled up body to tolerate for any length of time. The Etrac was built with a bit different ergonomics in that the grip has a 15 degree greater angle than the Explorer. A buddy of mine suggested I give it a try, and I have. I spent a great deal of time this summer, learning the Etrac and making comparisons with it and the various coils, to my 705. For coils, I have the stock 11-inch, a CoilTek Joey, the 6-inch Excelerator EQ2 and the Butterfly 6 X8. I worked the dickens out of the local park and dug more than my share of clad. I suppose you could say I was spoiled by the old sites I've enjoyed. But I hate digging clad. Never the less, I kept at it and accumulated quite a few coins this summer. In fact, I ran them through the tumbler this weekend and took them to the bank yesterday. I picked up my "clad cash" today and learned I had turned in $229.80. And that is not to mention the older coins and jewelry that I put away. Not bad for a few hours a day, a few days per week, in a couple well hunted parks.
When I "test" detectors, I actually put one up against another. I'll grid off an area and hunt it with one detector, marking the targets with golf tees. Then I'll hunt it with the other detector, making sure I can hit all the previous targets and to see if I find any additional targets. If I do find additional targets, I grab the first detector again to see if I missed it with my sweep or if the detector was incapable of finding it. If it is two detectors of the same model, I even use the same coil on each one to avoid any coil discrepancies. When I put two different detector models up against one another, it is a bit more difficult due to coil size differences. With the X-705 and Etrac, I was able to use the 6-inch DD at 18.75 on the 705, and a 6-inch EQ2 on the Etrac. But again, two different manufacturers doesn't always indicate one detector is "better" than the other. In the case of the coin I found with the Etrac, that I wasn't able to find with the 705, it was a Standing Liberty Quarter, 6 - 7 inches deep, surrounded by nails. I had passed over the area first with the 705 and the 6-inch DD coil. (note: I don't necessarily like the higher frequency coils. but I do prefer a small DD coil when hunting this nasty-trashy area) When I went over the area with the Etrac, I could not isolate the target with the 6-inch EQ2 coil. It seems to be more sensitive than any other coils I have for the Etrac. Even with AutoSens, it chattered when sweeping over the area. I caught an occasional high tone, but it would not lock on consistently. So I put on the 6 X 8 Butterfly and rescanned the area. Hunting in a modified Coin program, multiple tone, Fast On, Variability 27, Dense Trash and Difficult Ground, I could occassionaly get a 12 / 44 on the TID. Switching to a modified QuickMask, with ferrous 33 - 35 rejected, I managed to separate 4 targets within an area approximately 9 inches in circumference. Switching to Pinpoint Sizing, I isolated each of them. I cut a 8-inch diameter plug (hinged on one side), centered on where I thought the good target should be. After removing 6 inches of dirt, I scanned the hole with my ProPointer and found multiple targets. Carefully scooping more dirt from the hole, I found the Standing Quarter in the center, with 3 separate nails laying around the perimeter of the hole, at varying depths. As I mentioned in my orignial post, I did not find the quarter with my 705. But, I probably should have worked at it harder, sweeping more slowly and lowering my sensitivity. Keep in mind that the Etrac has AutoSensitivity. And at this site, it was running at 14 - 16. Considering the Etrac has manual adjustments from 1-30, the Auto Sensitivity was set at about half the potential of the Etrac. I know that I was running my 705 at 24. And proportionally, this is about 75% max on the 705. So again, I will say that the 705 was unable to find that quarter. Had I worked at it a bit harder, and lowered the Sensitivity, it might have. But when hunting in the field, I don't think many will put more effort into working one target than I did this one.
In a nutshell, I've been using the X-Terras since the beginning. And although I've used the FBS series for about as long, I have logged many more hours on the X-Terra. Part of the reason is the weight and balance. I'm getting pretty crippled up. And part of the reason is the versatility. Versatility to me means the ability to use it in fields, parks and yards. It offers a very forgiving sweep speed, compared to the Etrac. And also offers a Prospecting mode, which the Etrac does not have. If I could only have one or the other, I'd have to say I'd prefer the 705 for the type of hunting I like to do. Old coins at old sites. And, primarily field hunting. In my moderately mineralized soil, the 705 with the 9-inch concentric at 3 kHz will hunt just as deep as my Etrac and the stock DD coil. I have to say I like the TID information provided by the Etrac. But again, once you understand what the 705 is telling you, it provides a wealth of information. JMHO HH Randy
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