If you've owned and MX SPort

[MackDog]

I have and love the AT Pro but sometimes it's erratic and doesn't do that great in the ocean. So I was thinking of getting a MX Sport to do ocean hunting. WHat's your experience tell you about both machines? Any help is greatly appreciated. MackDog

 

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[Nomadnailer]

I have the mxsport and it tears up every atp that try's to keep up. The mxsport goes deeper for sure, but I haven't had a chance to try it at the beach yet heading to Myrtle at the end of summer. I know it's a long time but if you get a chance buy the sport

 

[langsy]

Mx sport in salt water

I have and love the AT Pro but sometimes it's erratic and doesn't do that great in the ocean. So I was thinking of getting a MX Sport to do ocean hunting. WHat's your experience tell you about both machines? Any help is greatly appreciated. MackDog

I’ve used it in the ocean waist deep , you have to turn the sensitivity down to 3 or it will overload constant buzz but at 3 it will work fine for you

 

[wingmaster]

Does it overload when you have the coil off the ground? If so you have a bad coil, if you do have a bad coil White's will take care of it. HH

 

[langsy]

Does it overload when you have the coil off the ground? If so you have a bad coil, if you do have a bad coil White's will take care of it. HH

If it’s in wet sand above the water it works fine ,I can have the sensitivity up to 6 -8 with no problems , it’s only when I submerged the coil I have to have it at 3 , that’s normal for this machine my opinion

 

[vferrari]

FWIW - You don't have to reduce the sensitivity of a ML Equinox 600 in salt surf or wet sand. I owned an MX Sport and went to the Equinox 600 for that reason and it costs less and weighs less. The MX Sport was more stable for me than the AT Pro in wet sand. If you have your heart set on an MX Sport, I have mine up for sale on the classifieds. It is in great shape, sent it to Whites for an end-of-warranty tune up and comes with two extra search coils and the WP headphones.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Remember, the AT Pro and MX Sport, are both Single Frequency VLF machines. That means neither are optimal for Saltwater hunting. Multi-Frequency and Pulse induction machines are the deepest and most sensitive in a saltwater setting. Go with the Minelab Equinox 600, and you won't need any other machine - Land or Water!

 

[MackDog]

I've seen the Minicab Equinox in action, not impressed at all. I bought a used MX Sport and can't wait for it to arrive. Whites is the best so far

 

[vferrari]

Congrats. Hats off to you for not just following the throngs of detectorists flocking to the new bright shiny object. That is great news for those detecting at the beaches you frequent. The last thing they need to see is another Equinox out there, way too many already. I am pretty sure you are going to find some great stuff with the Sport on occasion when you get it dialed in to sense 3 on the wet sand. Single frequency detectors are tricky to run in wet salt sand, but an experienced AT Pro user should find it to be a piece of cake Great dry sand machine, run it hot. HH.

 

[MackDog]

Got a MX Sport. Totally awesome detector. The depth is unreal. This has got to be one of the best kept secrets in detecting.

 

[vferrari]

Um, yeah. It is definitely a secret worth keeping. Give us some more specifics next time, unless you are keeping that secret all to yourself.

In any event, though I liked the Sport features, I didn't find the Sport to be on par with the MXT in terms of performance. Since I wanted MXT like performance in a waterproof package, I went with the Equinox, but still hung onto my MXT. Whites has made some classic detectors that have withstood the test of time, like the MXT, but I never could get there with the Sport for some reason and found its salt beach performance to be lacking (but not unusable like most single frequency vlf detectors). Glad it is meeting your expectations. It's always good to have choices because the different MD detector manufacturers each have unique things to offer us detectorists in terms of features and technology. I am not a brand loyalist. HH.

 

[MackDog]

We don’t have salt around Spokane but do have high mineralization. The Sport is going to be a good water and bad weather back up to my V3i which I love

 

[vferrari]

You said you wanted a detector for "ocean hunting" and since most oceans have salt I mistakenly assumed you wanted better wet salt beach performance than your AT Pro. My bad.

If I knew you wanted an all weather detector that was affordable and performed well in mineralized ground, then I would have recommended...the Equinox. But sounds like you are happy with the Sport in any event and that's what really matters. HH.

 

[MackDog]

Did for a trip to Oregon. Ended up using my V3i

 

[tikirob1]

I know Oregon has been on the dry side lately...hope you found good things. I have a MXSport. I love the machine. As I am new to the hobby, It has been easy to learn right out of the box. I have started to customize the settings now and I get a lot more out of it. I got the 6" Six shooter coil and it has been awesome in a couple of the junky parks here.

 

[JOe L]

I know older thread, but I never had any problems in saltwater with my Sport. Listening to you guys here and having it work great in wet sand and shallow SW, I am thinking there’s something wrong with it.

 

[vferrari]

Do you have to reduce sensitivity to get it to run stable in tge sslt sand?

Whether or not you do, there's probably nothing wrong with it at all. It obviously can find stuff in salt water, problem is without a multi freq detector along side to compare it to, you simply have no idea what you may be leaving in the sand.

 

[Peter67]

I have and love the AT Pro but sometimes it's erratic and doesn't do that great in the ocean. So I was thinking of getting a MX Sport to do ocean hunting. WHat's your experience tell you about both machines? Any help is greatly appreciated. MackDog

I don't get it. Why even consider a single frequency machine for ocean hunting? I know that the building quality of White's detectors is great but i never would buy a single frequency machine for ocean of wet beach hunting.

 

[JOe L]

Do you have to reduce sensitivity to get it to run stable in tge sslt sand?

Whether or not you do, there's probably nothing wrong with it at all. It obviously can find stuff in salt water, problem is without a multi freq detector along side to compare it to, you simply have no idea what you may be leaving in the sand.

Yes, drop it down to 4 but, saltwater is not my primary hunting. I am more of a relic hunter so the Sport works out well. If I was going to go salt a lot more, sure, a multi frequency would be on my shopping list.

 

[vferrari]

I know older thread, but I never had any problems in saltwater with my Sport. Listening to you guys here and having it work great in wet sand and shallow SW, I am thinking there’s something wrong with it.

Yes, drop it down to 4 but, saltwater is not my primary hunting. I am more of a relic hunter so the Sport works out well. If I was going to go salt a lot more, sure, a multi frequency would be on my shopping list.

OK but you mentioned nothing about relic hunting in your quote, "I never had any problems in saltwater with my Sport." Which was kind of the point of the discussion and why I responded.

The Sport is an ok relic machine. Not quite the waterproof MXT replacement implied by White's model name (MXT is a great relic machine) but I have found the Equinox running in both multi and single to eclipse them both in relic hunting (I have owned both a Sport and MXT), especially in highly mineralized soil down here in VA. MXT still a classic IMO (can't bring myself to sell it) but the Sport left the building last year once the Equinox showed up. Sport was decent but did not offer anything unique over and above the MXT (like the option to use concentric coils), the initial Sport firmware and build quality issues left a bad taste in my mouth (though Whites did stand behind their product so kudos for that), and the Equinox became my all weather/all terrain machine of choice.

HH in upstate NY. Would like to try my hand at digging some Colonial relics up there. Spent 4 years in the Capital District in the early 80's and loved that area, but the Navy had other plans for me...