Question about Minelab detectors

[Luckysweeper]

I tend to prefer White's and Minelab detectors. But it's been a few years since I've done any detecting and just recently came across a used X-Terra 305 at a decent price. I have a question concerning this current line of Minelab detectors however.
I've always held Minelab detectors up as the cream of the crop because of the FBS technology. They seemed to build their entire reputation on this advanced technology. So why is it that now they are selling a single frequency machine such as the X-Terra line and these detectors are performing very well. They seem pretty deep detecting and can detect what most of the FBS models detect. Are the single freq X-Terra's, especially the X-Terra 705? as good as the FBS detectors like the Explorer II ?!

 

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[Dano Sverige]

Probably the same reason car manufacturers build several models of the same car...sort of. "you get what you pay for" kinda outlook?
I'm not tech savvy and i'm sure a clever person will post soon, lol, but...my 305 found lots of stuff on the beach. My Excal II finds lots of stuff on the beach, as does my Etrac. Without using all 3 to check each find it's hard to tell what would find what, and what wouldn't!
Guitars have 6 strings and make the same basic noise when played by a guitarist, but you'll never see a great guitarist using a cheap guitar....right?

 

[Terry Soloman]

I tend to prefer White's and Minelab detectors. But it's been a few years since I've done any detecting and just recently came across a used X-Terra 305 at a decent price. I have a question concerning this current line of Minelab detectors however.
I've always held Minelab detectors up as the cream of the crop because of the FBS technology. They seemed to build their entire reputation on this advanced technology. So why is it that now they are selling a single frequency machine such as the X-Terra line and these detectors are performing very well. They seem pretty deep detecting and can detect what most of the FBS models detect. Are the single freq X-Terra's, especially the X-Terra 705? as good as the FBS detectors like the Explorer II ?!

Hi! I'm going to let my buddy Kevin Hoagland, explain it to you. Enjoy!

 

[Luckysweeper]

That's a well done video on the X-Terra 705. Thanks for directing me there Terry. Dano I can appreciate a new model detector just to keep things interesting like a new model car. I guess I was just wondering if there is some new kind of "magic" going on with the VFLEX technology that has been invented that is making FBS technology less important than it was a few years ago. FSB is probably still hard to beat but I'm surprised that Minelab seemed to "back up" to a single freq unit after so many years of promoting multi-freq units as being the only way to go.

 

[Terry Soloman]

That's a well done video on the X-Terra 705. Thanks for directing me there Terry. Dano I can appreciate a new model detector just to keep things interesting like a new model car. I guess I was just wondering if there is some new kind of "magic" going on with the VFLEX technology that has been invented that is making FBS technology less important than it was a few years ago. FSB is probably still hard to beat but I'm surprised that Minelab seemed to "back up" to a single freq unit after so many years of promoting multi-freq units as being the only way to go.

You are very welcome LS! Minelab tries to match their customer's needs, just like every other technology company. Minelab customers, sometimes have different needs than the average hobby detectorist. A full 65-percent of Minelab users also tend to be "first adopters," with serious aspirations.

 

[dirtscratcher]

A freind of mine Goldseeker 4000 has the 705, we compare singnals when we hunt together. My Explorer wil id coins better over 6 inches deep. The 705 sees the deeper coins as trash. I've watched as he has called minelab and been told coins would not id as negative numbers, but they do. Goldseeker started digging deep trashy signals and finding way more old coins. He also finds gold nuggets that my explorer cant see.

 

[Luckysweeper]

Thanks for the answers. I noticed they describe X-Terras like this:

"The X-Terra Series uses state of the art digital and mixed signal components to enhance standard single frequency technology."

I was curious about the Mixed Signal Component part.

The free e-book you can download from the Minelab site talks about a circular TID concept that seems to explain how coins could possibly display as negative numbers. That's somewhere around page 80.