| The MXT FAQ - Part 1 |
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The MXT FAQ and Operation pointers PART 1 (FAQ
Questions Nos. 1-7): The responses presented in this document are comments and pointers I have written up for people based on my experiences with White's MXT metal detector. I originally wrote a lot of these as responses to various posts on different detecting forums, but I saved my texts and put them all together as a single document. That’s how they became the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) for the MXT. The advantage of this material is that, coming from a variety of internet forums, they are all answers to questions folks had after purchasing their MXT. The original questions ranged from the most basic "I’m new to detecting, how do I learn to use this MXT?" To more advanced questions like "Why is my MXT so much more noisy than my XLT (or other detector)?" The questions in the document are shortened and summarized from the original posts to get to the point. I certainly don’t have all the answers, but here are a couple things I have noticed from my time practicing with the MXT that I think would be helpful to the new operator and these points do answer the majority of common questions people often have:
1) I just got my new MXT. I am wondering what should I do first?
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2) I am ready to take my MXT out into the field. Any suggestions on how I should
practice with it? Plant a couple of coins in the sand at a park and practice finding, pinpointing and digging them. If you are new and having trouble with pinpointing and finding targets, try digging in the sand or wood chip areas of the playgrounds. If you have to dig a 10 inch diameter crater to find the coin, you will find it easy to fill in and no grass will be killed if you dig in the sand. Usually there is a lot less trash there as well. Later when you are more experienced and can dig small holes to recover your targets, try out the grass. Always fill in your holes - I have been accosted by a local park ranger simply for possessing a small hand trowel (and a detector) at a local park. Someone else had been digging big holes and killing grass a week or two before, and as soon as he saw me, I was automatically guilty of the same crime. They go to lots of effort to keep a nice lawn at the park. We all need to be mindful of the disturbances we make and take due care not to make a mess. Its important to do what we can to stay in the good graces of the local park staff. When you are new with the MXT and find a good target take your time with it to learn how the machine reacts to it. Listen to the sounds. See what the ID says about it. Once you have learned the machine and are comfortable with it, you don’t need to analyze the target to death, but when you are a newbie, there is a lot to learn from testing things out. Learn all you can from each find! Try flipping the unit into another mode (try going into Relic or prospecting if you are normally hunting in Coin/jewelry) to see how that mode works. Here is an valuable secret on how to become a productive detector operator (even if it seems obvious): The big key to getting the most out of your MXT is practice. Studying the manuals and other information like this website will help shorten your learning curve, but it just takes time. There is no substitute for practice time - experience allows you to know exactly how your machine responds to certain kinds of targets. You will be much better after digging your 2,000th coin that you were when digging your second coin. So read all the information you can get your hands on, and then get out there put in the time to learn your MXT. Practice, practice, practice - the more time you spend, the more confident and comfortable you will feel with your detector, and the more good stuff you will find.. |
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3) Does the meter really help much in deciding whether to dig a target or not? The MXT has an excellent target ID system. Learning to use it is one of the first priorities of the new MXT user (See the VDI score ID chart in this document a few questions down). The most important thing to remember is that the ID systems only are accurate when you are passing the middle of the coil right over target (or very close to it). So use the pinpoint to find the target before making a final ID (and decision to dig or not). Sometimes in trashy areas the effects of nearby targets can be misleading. Many iron targets have a halo, and if you pass the coil a few inches away from the target, not over the center, you can get a false "good" response - even to the point, at times, of getting a full probability bar. Finding the true center of the target and then passing the coil over it for an ID will give far more reliable results. Also, when pulling the pinpoint trigger to locate a target, be sure the coil is not over another target at the time. Being over a target then pulling the pinpoint trigger can give weird and unexpected results, so pinpoint over clean soil. Unfortunately, in spite of all these efforts, a few types of iron targets just seem to be especially good at fooling VLF id systems - this goes for all brands of VLF units, not just Whites. Iron washers and steel bottle caps are the chief culprits among these bad boys. Its also important to note that the target ID is not accurate to the full depth of detection. The engineering manual says the ID is only accurate to about 3 inches. I have found it to go far deeper even in my mineralized soil, and my experience is that it is accurate to at least 5 inches, but it is not reliably accurate to the full depth the MXT can reach. In some areas, the iron content of the soil can cause a shift of the target VDI numbers on deeply buried targets, usually dropping them lower than would be expected. Nickels can shift to the foil range, cents to the pulltab/screwcap range, etc. It is also important to note that the target ID will not work as deep as the detector will detect. In areas where there are likely deep, older targets present, it is probably necessary to dig all deep non-iron targets - or miss good finds. This especially includes deep targets that are repeatable, but give no VDI reading at all. Because the very best finds are often the deepest ones, deep non-iron or even no VDI targets should be investigated and there is a good chance that these targets might produce old coins, or other valuable finds. Deep targets that do produce a VDI score can bounce around significantly, and they often do not "lock in" as well as targets nearer the surface. |
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4) How does adjusting the discrimination setting affect the meter readings on
the MXT?
An interesting feature to note about the MXT's ID system is that the discrimination setting does not affect the display output. This is not mentioned in the book or the video. No matter the discrimination setting, the VDI and probability bar output are exactly the same. The discrimination setting only affects the sound out put. The engineering guide for the MXT states that the visual ID is a bit more accurate than the audio discrimination in most cases. I have found that the best results occur when I use all the information available - gauging in my head both the sound output as well as the meter display. It takes a bit of practice, but is worth it. It is possible to find targets that are within the audio discrimination setting. I have found nickels using the display only when I had the discrimination cranked up nearly to the max. by observing the output on the meter, specifically the VDI meter. All three of these ID systems (target response sound, the VDI/potential ID, and the probability bar) are independent and all 3 should be considered in deciding weather or not to dig a target. Its good experience to learn to use that probability bar - it helps a lot in trashy areas. Whenever you get a high probability bar indication, it is pretty reliable. The high reading will usually be correct, or something very similar (I have gotten a full bar quarter reading over a penny that was probably buried at least 20 years - though nearly all other consistent full bar quarters I have dug while coin shooting were just that - quarters). Another thing to note about the discrimination is that when the setting is zero, you do have true zero discrimination - no disc at all. This is important to know when prospecting for nuggets or beach hunting for earrings. |
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5) The target ID on my MXT seems so much more jumpy than other detectors I've
used. Why? Many detectors (including many by Whites) average the readings when you make multiple passes over a target. The MXT does not - with the MXT if you make 10 passes, you get 10 different independent readings. This is why the MXT seems to be more jumpy on target ID than most, if you are not used to it. Good targets usually give pretty consistent non-iron indications. Iron and irregularly shaped junk targets like pull tabs usually jump around and are inconsistent on the MXT ID system. Foil usually jumps around a lot too as it is usually oddly shaped. If you make 4 passes over the target and get 1. quarter (with low probability); 2. Iron, with high probability; 3. $1 with low probability; and then 4. Iron; then the target is almost certainly rusty iron junk. If you get some consistent good readings in trashy areas, it might be a good target close to junk. Try to isolate the good target by moving the coil back and forth in different directions. Four passes over a good target amidst junk might read 1. quarter (with high probability); 2. Iron, with high probability; 3. quarter (with high probability); and then 4. quarter (with high probability). |
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6) I'm having problems with my MXT in trashy areas. What can I do? Mixed junk and good targets in the same spot can cause all kinds of problems with the MXT ID system because the coil can have 2 or more targets underneath it at the same time - so it combines readings from both. This is true for all VLF detectors. This is why in some areas trashy parts of parks, etc. can be the most productive - no one else wants to hunt there. If there is at least a little space between the targets, most of the time iron junk and good targets within a few inches of each other just makes the readings inconsistent. Sometimes a target will read one thing sweeping from one direction, and read different on the return sweep coming from the other direction. This all makes it real tough to decide dig / no dig in trashy areas. Making use of the smaller MXT coils is probably the first recommended adjustment to working in trashy areas. The small coils are very useful in separating junk from good targets in trashy places - and the difference is significant. The smaller coils can sometimes find targets that are completely masked by iron junk close to the target. The 5.3 concentric would be best for coin shooting in trashy areas with low to moderate soil mineralization, the 4 x 6 DD is probably better in higher mineralization soils. One technique that I have learned to try is turning 90 degrees and making a second set of passes in an X pattern over the target if I am uncertain. This technique is mentioned on the Whites MXT video, but not in the manual. Sometimes a junk target will indicate consistent penny or $1 with but always with lowest probability. Do the 90 turn make another set of passes from a different direction. If the target indicates better, dig it. If it jumps around and shows iron or hot rock, move on. The 90 turn makes a big difference sometimes. In trashy areas, one can use the VCO pinpoint to find the location of the nearby targets, then choose lines of direction to pass over the targets without passing over multiple ones. Except for a few real deep targets, it is rare that a target will read "iffy" in multiple directions. As far as the deep targets, when working areas where older targets may be present, probably any target at 6 inches or deeper giving consistent non-iron readings ought to be dug. This will lead to digging a little extra trash, but also will lead to some fantastic finds. |
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7) How do various kinds of targets sound in the VCO pinpointing mode? Coins and other non-ferrous (not magnetic) targets tend have sharp pinpoints and go from nothing to max to nothing very quickly, over a short distance. Iron junk tends to have large broad pinpoints as if they were much larger than they are - they go slowly up to max and then down - a rusty bolt will act as if it were as big as a coffee can to the pin pointer. The pinpoint trigger can be used to help ID targets. This same difference in the MXT's response can be noted in regular operating modes as iron is said to sound broader or mushier, and the sound of coins or gold is said to be sharper or more peaked. However, the effect is more easily noted in the VCO pinpoint modes. |
MXT FAQ -
Part 1 |
MXT FAQ -
Part 2 |
MXT FAQ -
Part 3 |
MXT FAQ -
Part 4 |
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