Excal question

[Hag730]

Quick question about the Excal. Ive only had mine for two years. Is there a performance decline if the battery pack begins to crap out? I seem to have lost some depth and sensitivity and im wondering why. I hunt a lot, and I always make sure its charged overnight before I hunt. Signals seem to be jumping around in the hole more than usual also. I came home and did some air tests with different size gold and silver objects......some of the smaller gold ive found with it is not even getting a response. Any advice ?

 

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[bigscoop]

I don't think you're seeing a performance drop, but rather I think you're seeing the accumulative effects of summer. This summer has been especially difficult because we've had a great deal of sand piling up onto the beach, causing just about everyone at some point to question the performance of their machine. If your machine is reading items such as nickels and some of the other average size gold items then I doubt you're experiencing a machine issue. It's just "really tough" out there right now with all of this sand on the beach, items are sinking out of reach extremely quick once this sand becomes wet.

As for your air test on some of the smaller gold items, these items would read much better once they've settled in the wet sand VS in open air.

 

[Acquisitor]

my excl battery is 3+ years old, comes from theonlybatterypack, I havent noticed any performance issues with it such as declining depth.

 

[SonnyFl]

After charging did you meter it to see what the voltage was? Should be around 14.5 or a fraction higher. How long does a full charge last you? I drain mine once in awhile down to 2/3 volts and then charge over night. Never have a problem doing this. Good Luck!

 

[Hag730]

I don't think you're seeing a performance drop, but rather I think you're seeing the accumulative effects of summer. This summer has been especially difficult because we've had a great deal of sand piling up onto the beach, causing just about everyone at some point to question the performance of their machine. If your machine is reading items such as nickels and some of the other average size gold items then I doubt you're experiencing a machine issue. It's just "really tough" out there right now with all of this sand on the beach, items are sinking out of reach extremely quick once this sand becomes wet.

As for your air test on some of the smaller gold items, these items would read much better once they've settled in the wet sand VS in open air.

Thanks for the reply bigscoop.... Ive been completely skunked the last 5 hunts which is pretty unusual.....wife is beginning to think im not actually going to the beach. I hope its just a sand issue.

 

[Hag730]

After charging did you meter it to see what the voltage was? Should be around 14.5 or a fraction higher. How long does a full charge last you? I drain mine once in awhile down to 2/3 volts and then charge over night. Never have a problem doing this. Good Luck!

Ive got a volt meter, but cant say I know how to use it much.......got some quick instruction?

 

[bigscoop]

Thanks for the reply bigscoop.... Ive been completely skunked the last 5 hunts which is pretty unusual.....wife is beginning to think im not actually going to the beach. I hope its just a sand issue.

You're not alone. "A lot" of hunters complaining about the lack of targets. It's just really difficult to find a section of active beach that can support much of anything once it's wet and saturated. Add to this that more fine sand is still coming onto the beach. When this sand is dry it may appear firm/hard but once it's saturated with water it becomes very soft and mushy. I'm swinging the Excal with the 15" coil and I'm routinely hitting items like clean pull-tabs at a foot deep. Now just imagine how fast those heavier targets are going to sink. So I doubt that you're having a machine issue, just really tough out there right now due to all of the summer sand.

 

[bigscoop]

Ive got a volt meter, but cant say I know how to use it much.......got some quick instruction?

Just set your volt meter to DC and stick a lead in each of the female battery pod connections. A fully charged battery should read anywhere from 14 to 15 volts and your machine should work just fine until that voltage is drained to around 11.3 volts, or there abouts.

 

[bigscoop]

One other thing.....I quite using rechargeable packs a long time ago. All I use now are AAA Alkaline batteries. I buy the 20 packs at Dollar General for $5 a pack and I can usually get about 80 hours of actual hunting time with two of these packs (40 batteries).

The reason I quit using the rechargeable packs was the "untimely failures" that so often take place with these packs. By using the AAA packs I can use a volt meter and keep constant track of the battery pod condition. With rechargeable packs this isn't the case as they can quit holding a charge at any moment. When the opportunity arrives I want to go hunting without the possibility of battery failure, using the AAA's allows me this. And, if one of those storms comes along and knocks out my power I'm still in business because I don't have to concern myself with charging those rechargeable packs that could easily fail on me once I'm finally on the beach. Just something you might want to consider.

 

[Sir Gala Clad]

A Volt meter on the DC scale will measure the DC voltage that the batteries have charged to, but not much more.
All it is telling you is that the batteries have charged. It does not tell you if they will hold their voltage under load.
By checking the voltage before going out and after returning, you will be able to get a feel for how long the batteries should last.
However, the more targets you detect, the faster the battery will discharge,

Ive got a volt meter, but cant say I know how to use it much.......got some quick instruction?

 

[Jim in MA]

Is it loosing sensitivity or are the sounds getting quieter?
My volume was getting low I pulled the 4 screws out of my headphones and found my speakers were corroding,they worked but mostly on large close targets.

 

[I C THE LITE]

Hag730. Thanks for the post. I feel your pain. I just posted the same message on the Minelab page this morning (no responses yet). I like you have had mine for 2 years but I do have 2 batteries. I have had a terrible 2 weeks. No depth, erratic signals and a lot of chatter. I have almost been totally skunked the last two weeks except for near surface finds. I hunt fresh water, dry and wet sand. Good luck.

 

[CSMPEREZ]

I tend to agree with Sonny. I can get 12 hours out of a charge. Let your battery drop a little and charge every other use instead of everyday! Ray

 

[SonnyFl]

I've posted this awhile back. This should solve your problem. First! Have a spare handy! Next! Get a 3/4 inch PVC end cap. Fill it with silicone, so's it's a snug fit when dried. I carry a spare in case it goes dead and I'm too far from my vehicle. It's easier to step out of the water and change pods.

 

[HARRASS]

I have 2 excels and a tiger shark. One of the first excels and a newer model. I clipped the edges of one set of batteries so they would fit both machines. I use all three machines and not knowing how much is left in the batteries at any given time I have switched over to regular AA batteries. I got a couple of 8 AA battery holders from Radio Shack and buy 48 AA batteries at Costco for a little over $10.00. I find I can get 10 to 12 hours out of a set of batteries which is good for a couple of hunts. I keep the rechargeable batteries as a backup. I find once the recharge batteries get low they die in a few minutes where the regular AA batteries will give you a lot more time. Hope this helps you.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I recharge night before every hunt, allows me to hunt 12 hours with no concerns...

 

[shawninNY]

Are you guys talking about the old rechargeables from the 800/1000 series ? Ive been using the same batt , since I got the excal 11 , the NiMh batteries go for at least 11 hours , I've never had it die while using, I usually do 3 or 4 hunts about 2-3 hours average before I recharge , get the new style and modify with a dremel to fit the old blue!

 

[OBN]

Snookieson turned me onto this, I get about 4o to 45 hours on this setup. Once winter comes I will post more about. Great for going on a long trip. And can be fully charged in less then 15 minutes from the car or at home.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Are you guys talking about the old rechargeables from the 800/1000 series ? Ive been using the same batt , since I got the excal 11 , the NiMh batteries go for at least 11 hours , I've never had it die while using, I usually do 3 or 4 hunts about 2-3 hours average before I recharge , get the new style and modify with a dremel to fit the old blue!

I replaced my excal batteries with NiMhs 2 years ago,,

 

[FLauthor]

I converted from Ni-Cads to strictly Alkalines. I get better performance from AA's. I carry two battery pods. New Ni-cads costs upward of $100 and I can buy a lot of AA's for that price and it never changes because the loose change I find goes into my AA box. I usually get 14 to 16 hours of use on each pod and that's a lot of change found.