need help with my MXT 300

southjerseymark

Tenderfoot
Nov 16, 2009
5
0
National Park, New Jersey
Detector(s) used
whites MXT 300
need help with my MXT 300
i can find coins without a problem.
As for gold I can find it on the surface, the VDI reads 12 or 14 with a gold ring.
BUT when I burried it 6 inches the VDI was all over the place.

I run the coil that the machine came with.. whites 300 ltd 12 inches

I set my machine as follows:
TARC: ground
MODE: relic
GAIN: either P or 10
DUAL CONTROL: 3
THRESHOLD: low hum

I ground the machine with trigger in center position by first finding aa area that is cleared when the pinpointer is pulled, then release the trigger and pump the coil up and down until the machine becomes quiet. Then I push the trigger into the forward position (ARM). Then I begin to sweep and pray for a little help from the man above!!!

I can find coins with it set like this all day... but gold is another issue. Like I said on the surface my VDI reads 12 or 14 with a gold ring, at 6 inches the VDI is all over the place, and at 10 inches the machine doesnt have a VDI and pinpoit doesnt pick up the ring either. So i tried to vet a VDI by raising the gain to +3, still no VDI but pinpoint did alarm.

Thats gold, I have the same problem with a silver ring just different VDI numbers that are all over the place.

Any suggestions as to what I'm doing wrong?
 

njnydigger

Hero Member
Jun 4, 2009
829
29
Detector(s) used
I've swung White's (MXT), Minelab (Safari) & currently run with an Omega 8000 by Teknetics & Fisher CZ-3D (1021 Model)
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I owned an MXT 300 for 2 years. You have in your power one of the most powerful coin & relic hunting machines out there. Here's the thing for you to keep in mind...

The PRIMARY range for gold on the MXT is in the 6 to 12 VDI range - which is the foil range. However, remember that gold also falls within the pull-tab range as well. And as you know, pull-tabs can come up under almost any VDI range. So, gold jewelry - especially larger gold rings, pendants, etc. - can VDI from anywhere say 6 to 70 or even 75.

The guys that find a lot of gold tend to dig every single. ESPECIALLY the lower VDI ranges. Most people get excited when they get the higher VDI's. And they should. However, all of that beautiful, sparkling gold normally comes in on the lower to the middle range of the VDI spectrum.

Also, dig iffy signals. Sometimes smaller jewelry - thin chains, tiny charms, etc. will be broken or scratchy.

P.S. - I'm in Northern NJ. If you're ever up for a hunt, shoot me a PM. I go out A LOT. I can even give you some tips to help you out with the old MXT.

Hope this helps :thumbsup:
 

Silver Surfer

Bronze Member
Oct 6, 2009
1,212
2
Florida- Somewhere in the middle
Detector(s) used
MXT 300/Excal II/Surf Dual Field
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Probably has to do with the soil you are putting the ring in.. Try a different spot (unless all your soil is highly mineralized), and also try turning down your gain and see what happens.. Also, have you tried it in Coin/jewelry mode?
You are basically running it in "all metal" mode, so I really suspect that you have highly mineralized or high iron soil... I have tested my MXT in my yard (basically no mineralization) and a big mans band showed a steady VDI and solid tone down to 10", but the tone was quiet (but solid)..
Tried 12", but I couldnt hear any tone and saw no VDI... In less dense soil, I may have been able to find it deeper. At about 6", our black (dried muck I believe) turns to red clay..
Let us know what you find out after you play with things a bit...
 

gsitexas

Jr. Member
Oct 12, 2006
30
0
Stephenville, TX
Detector(s) used
Minelab E-trac, Omega 8000, CZ-3D, Bandito II uMax and Troy X-2
Sometimes big coils like the 300 have a hard time with with small targets as they get deep, especially in highly mineralized soil. Do you have another coil like the 6x10 DD coil to test with?

Just a guess, but here is what I think may be happening. You have your discrimination set on "3" which will accept larger gold at depth, however, it may be to high for smaller gold, especially as it is buried deeper in the soil matrix. You may be discriminating out the gold when it is buried and you don't hear it because you are in Alt Relic Search Mode. Try lowering your discrimination to "2", maybe even "1" and also try the Primary Relic Search Mode.

If you don't already have it, Jeff Foster's book "MXT Edge" will really help you to better understand these situations.

Best regards,

Keith
 

John (Ma)

Silver Member
Jul 12, 2007
3,637
8
Western Massachusetts
Detector(s) used
Minelab Excal 1000, Tesoro Silver Umax, Tiger Shark and Whites MXT.
Try lowering your dual control and play with the gain. Sometimes you have to lessen discrimination to grab those lower VDI items. Yes you hear a little more of the junk, but with relic mode as you know, you can hear the tone difference. Let us know how things are going. I have a MXT with 9.5 coil and am thinking of getting the 300 myself.
 

bigtim1973

Hero Member
Oct 12, 2007
751
216
Middle Tennessee
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II & XP Deus
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
The gain is set way too high and the coil is way too large to id a gold target on top of or even 6 inches down in the ground. Try backing the gain to about 2 or 3 for a surface test. the 300 size coil is designed for relics deeper in the ground and covering a good area. I bet you can not pinpoint a dime on the surface either with the gain at the preset P or 10 much lest the boost mode. Try a smaller coil, it will really help.
 

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