Minelab Excalibur II - tips and tricks

[maipenrai]

The first charge I did was over night, and the second was overnight, and on the next hunt, started having these problems after an hour or so. The 6 hour charge was the next day, after my test at home didnt work out. Again, after the charge, it worked.

There isnt any water in the connection. I havent had the controls in the sea, and only a fresh water rinse at home, and I checked the connections. I am just hoping that maybe after a few more charges, it will start working, just hate to send it back to Australia to get it serviced.

Thanks again, for everyones help

 

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[billb]

Sandman,,,,hi can you please let me know where you got the silicone grease for the xcal2....thanks again billb

 

[cudamark]

I got mine at Home Depot....in the plumbing section.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Home Depot, Lowes, Ace hardware plumbing department or any dive shop..........

 

[Bevis28]

I also just bought a new excal II and my observations are as follows. I have only owned this machine for 3 days.

1. The best investment you can make is an aftermarket battery and charger. I bought one with the charger, which has a light on it, when I bought the machine. The stock factory battery is only 1000ma and the aftermarket battery is 1600ma. You will need a alkaline pod to put it in if you don't want to remove the battery from the factory pod. The charger has a light on it indicating state of charge. To me, this battery and charger is an absolute must !

2. The headphones are AWEFUL and need a chin strap to seal them to your ears. I can't imagine how many targets I have missed because I didn't hear the change in threshold . On the flip side I guess you could get a set of HY80 gel pads and it might be an " in warranty " fix / bandaid. All I can say is SHAME ON YOU MINELAB for these headphones on a high end unit.

3. The knobs, to me, have no issue if you don't man handle them. I hunt in reverse disc and I have had no trouble with the knobs , "yet". I do have a set of Anderson's when and if that becomes an issue.

4. This machine is a depth monster. I am digging things that I'm sure my V3i would not even responded to. I plan on doing tests to see if it really is finding targets the the V3i just can't see. I run the V3i wide open with little to no disc. I am also running the excal wide open. I run it low threshold (real headphones needed for best results ) , disc on 1 ( absolutely not on auto if you want the best depth ), volume wide open, sensitivity on 10 and hunt in reverse discrimination. This is the first NON DISPLAY unit I have ever owned and I LOVE IT. There is something to be said for not being distracted by a display and concentrating on just the tones. I certainly DO NOT know the tones yet but I'm listening to a cd that someone made for excal tone training . Sorry I can't remember his name right now. It might be a good investment for you. I'm digging "whisper" breaks in the threshold that return a good disc tone that turn out to be a coin at almost 2 feet !!!!!

At the end of the day, I'm probably going to kill my warranty and put a set of GGA headphones on it and do the pinpoint mod. This machine REALLY REALLY needs this 2 things to be the most effective and for ease of use. I also immediately ditched the stock shaft and bought an Anderson straight shaft for it. I think there are better shafts out there like the plugger. The arm cuff strap on the Anderson is not user friendly for changes in size on the fly. They need to rethink the strap and go with a long time proven Velcro strap. If anyone knows where to get a replacement velcro strap for the anderson, PLEASE let me know. the anderson strap has stitching on it that digs into your skin after a few hours use.

I'm certainly no pro at this and my observations may be way off base but its just my .02 cents worth.

The first charge I did was over night, and the second was overnight, and on the next hunt, started having these problems after an hour or so. The 6 hour charge was the next day, after my test at home didnt work out. Again, after the charge, it worked.

There isnt any water in the connection. I havent had the controls in the sea, and only a fresh water rinse at home, and I checked the connections. I am just hoping that maybe after a few more charges, it will start working, just hate to send it back to Australia to get it serviced.

Thanks again, for everyones help

 

[Fletch88]

I also just bought a new excal II and my observations are as follows. I have only owned this machine for 3 days. 1. The best investment you can make is an aftermarket battery and charger. I bought one with the charger, which has a light on it, when I bought the machine. The stock factory battery is only 1000ma and the aftermarket battery is 1600ma. You will need a alkaline pod to put it in if you don't want to remove the battery from the factory pod. The charger has a light on it indicating state of charge. To me, this battery and charger is an absolute must ! 2. The headphones are AWEFUL and need a chin strap to seal them to your ears. I can't imagine how many targets I have missed because I didn't hear the change in threshold . On the flip side I guess you could get a set of HY80 gel pads and it might be an " in warranty " fix / bandaid. All I can say is SHAME ON YOU MINELAB for these headphones on a high end unit. 3. The knobs, to me, have no issue if you don't man handle them. I hunt in reverse disc and I have had no trouble with the knobs , "yet". I do have a set of Anderson's when and if that becomes an issue. 4. This machine is a depth monster. I am digging things that I'm sure my V3i would not even responded to. I plan on doing tests to see if it really is finding targets the the V3i just can't see. I run the V3i wide open with little to no disc. I am also running the excal wide open. I run it low threshold (real headphones needed for best results ) , disc on 1 ( absolutely not on auto if you want the best depth ), volume wide open, sensitivity on 10 and hunt in reverse discrimination. This is the first NON DISPLAY unit I have ever owned and I LOVE IT. There is something to be said for not being distracted by a display and concentrating on just the tones. I certainly DO NOT know the tones yet but I'm listening to a cd that someone made for excal tone training . Sorry I can't remember his name right now. It might be a good investment for you. I'm digging "whisper" breaks in the threshold that return a good disc tone that turn out to be a coin at almost 2 feet !!!!! At the end of the day, I'm probably going to kill my warranty and put a set of GGA headphones on it and do the pinpoint mod. This machine REALLY REALLY needs this 2 things to be the most effective and for ease of use. I also immediately ditched the stock shaft and bought an Anderson straight shaft for it. I think there are better shafts out there like the plugger. The arm cuff strap on the Anderson is not user friendly for changes in size on the fly. They need to rethink the strap and go with a long time proven Velcro strap. If anyone knows where to get a replacement velcro strap for the anderson, PLEASE let me know. the anderson strap has stitching on it that digs into your skin after a few hours use. I'm certainly no pro at this and my observations may be way off base but its just my .02 cents worth.

My pinpoint knob failed after 6 hunts which is common from what I've read. I was not manhandling it or anything( new orings are by default tight when new). The stock battery will last me all weekend and sometimes more. Not sure a faster charging, longer lasting one is necessary for me. Yes the headphones are uncomfortable after wearing any land headphones. I guess the main objective is 200' depth capability which limits the sound quality.

 

[cudamark]

I haven't had any issues with the stock battery and charger either. I still get 3 hunts out of it between charges and mine is the previous version of Excalibur 1000. I don't mind the head phones either. Could they be improved? Sure....just about any headphone I've tried could be improved in some way. I agree, the knobs are junk. Just go to a local electronics store and get a batch with set screws. I'd also be interested in the following improvements.... (1) Waterproof coil and headphone connectors that actually work so those items can be swapped as desired. (2) Straight, balanced carbon fiber shaft like the E-trac has. (3) A longer tone range to make identifying a target easier. Of course, they could just make a CTX3030 more waterproof and take care of it that way!

 

[NCGREG]

Yep, the Excal II is a hoss! But the yellow Koss headphones are a joke, I helped them out by plugging the drain holes and also with a pair of aviation gel type ear seals. The gels made a big difference in being able to hear the audio tones more clearly...Hope I didn't void my warranty, ... (whatever).... I hate them uncomfortable mickey mouse mutha's. I'll replace them with OBN's Peltor 105 mod next year this time. The stock S shaft went to the closet after my first time out, made my own straight shaft...much, much better handling machine now. I like to hunt in All Metal Mode so, a remote pin point switch is on the after warranty is gone list. No problems with the knobs so far.

 

[Sandman]

Contact OBN first as he does excellent mods of the Excal II

 

[NCGREG]

Contact OBN first as he does excellent mods of the Excal II

Oh yeah, I have already made an appointment with OBN for a couple of future mods. By the way Sandman, I hope you are feeling better, and improving.

Greg

 

[Sandman]

Oh yeah, I have already made an appointment with OBN for a couple of future mods. By the way Sandman, I hope you are feeling better, and improving. Greg

Thanks Greg...Things are rough learning to walk again..

 

[NCGREG]

Thanks Greg...Things are rough learning to walk again..

Bless your heart Sandman,.. I know from my own personal experience about the physical rehab journey. I went through a pulmonary embolism and a deep vein thrombosis back in 1994. I haven't been worth a crap to society since then, and I had to give up some of my favorite outdoor activities because of the damage they caused to my lungs and left leg. But I was very blessed to live through it, and to be able to hobble around on the beach with my detector is a miracle for sure.

Keep the faith my friend, I'm pulling for you .... You are in my prayers every day

 

[Bart@Big Boys Hobbies]

Keep the faith my friend, I'm pulling for you .... You are in my prayers every day

Same here!

 

[TheSleeper]

First off Sand sorry to hear bout what happened to ya, but glad your recovering.

OK now onto the excal, going to start at the coil end first, these are things I have learned over the years from using an excal.

1. Remove the coil cover, I have never used one, they get water, sand and debris in there causes falsing.
2. Secure that coil wire as close to the stem joint as you can, leave just enough slack in the wire to move the coil in its full travel arc, loose wire = falsing.
3. Secure the coil wire to the shaft all the way up and don't tight spiral wind it around the shaft, loose spirals, hard to explain, not packed up against itself, like a small space between each wrap.
4. Get a straight shaft.
5. Never had a problem with my knobs, but I only hunt in pinpoint mode.
6. Get the aftermarket battery, it last twice as long, recharge atleast 12 hours before each hunt and always carry a spare.
7. Silicone the battery connector threads and rubber gasket, I have always just used vasiline haven't destroyed a rubber seal yet.
8. Headphones, stock is great for underwater but shallow you have no idea how much you are missing til you change them, I did the Peltor 105 mod years ago and love them.
9. Chest mount, you would not believe how much easier it is to swing in the surf and puts weight on your core not your arm.
10. Use pinpoint, disc is only used to check a target and sometimes target will be too deep for disc to see it. But slow DOWNNNNNNNN in pinpoint you are searching for those deep really quiet targets, you speed up you miss them. Not only listen for the blips from targets but as Bigscoop pointed out also the lil breaks in threshold, when threshold goes silent or drops in volume, dig.

There are many more just hard to remember them all at one time.

 

[I C THE LITE]

Sandman, glad to see your reply. Several times I noticed people asking about you with no replies. Glad to see that you are getting better. I enjoy your input.

 

[xpt.rik]

Any tips for hunting at depth?

 

[cudamark]

Run it as hot as you can stand, hunt in pin point, and go REAL slow.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Ditto.....And use no descrimination if your not hunting in all metal/pinpoint mode..... . ..





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[Dave P]

See you in the water then. LOL

 

[Dave P]

Just received my new Excal and here is a quote from the instruction manual.

"Taking care of your battery. As part of the manufacturing process, Minelab applies a silicone grease to the battery cable connector pins. This prevents a build-up of residual water and reduces the level of electrolysis between the two pins, which in turn prolongs the serviceability of your unit. This grease should be reapplied as part of your routine care and maintenance."

If you just purchased your Excal, didnt you read the instruction manual? Much easier to read the manual, then you will know, every time you read it, you will see something you missed. Also it mentions about doing your own "improvements", which means..... dont play around with it!

How about using a dry silicone spray instead of the grease you mentioned ?