DFX vs XLT

[waseeker]

Very strange day. I went to a park that I hunted about 2 months ago, but this time I had my new DFX instead of my older XLT (I've had the XLT many years but just recently got serious about MD).


I found 3 quarters, 5 dimes, 2 nickels and 15 cents. Initially I was pretty excited because I was thinking this was going to be a great park that no one else is hunting. I also found a gold ring and a gold plated bracelet today, both of which were near the surface.

My previous experience at this park resulted in some 2.50 in clad all at .5 to 3" deep. All of the coins I found today were between 4.5 & 6" deep. Once I got home and really looked at them, I realized the coins had probably been in the chips for a while to have worked that deep and have that much toning on them (see pics.).

I guess what this is leading up to is did I miss them the first time with my XLT even though I worked that area pretty thoroughly, Or is the DFX just that much better??

BTW, this is in the wood chip area that this happened.

 

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[desecrator]

Well, from my experience, I can't imagine an XLT missing coins at 4.5-6"... especially quarters. I'm not saying that the DFX doesn't have advantages over the XLT, but I don't necessarily think that's what is going on here. First, were you using similar size coils and programs? Also, was the fact that you're learning a new machine mean that you might be hunting a little more carefully? And woodchips are always being agitated. All I can say is that if you weren't finding coins deeper than 3" with your XLT, something might have been wrong with the machine.

 

[kd8hf]

Here is a story for you.

I hunted at this property a few years back and the parcel of land was about 20ft by 20 ft. I hit it from a couple of different angles and
did not find much of anything except perhaps some gas lines running between a couple of cabins and lot's of junk.

I hit this area a total of about 6 hours over a period of two months. One day while on the way to work I had a few minutes to hunt so I
stopped and hit it again, from a different direction again this time.

I pulled a 1922 Liberty Silver dollar out from about 4 inches deep and then a Merc abut 1 foot away at about 2 inches. How the heck could I have possibly missed these things when I had been over the same ground several times before.

I was using the same DFX machine but like it is always said, "it's never really hunted out" and I now truly believe that statement.

HH

Gary

 

[spotz]

I love my DFX but it is a lot more intensive to use than my QXT PRO. You have to get used to the higher sensivitity & all of the signals it gives you. The QXT is nice & quite & it performs well also. I have learned to be more aware of the signagraph on the DFX & the many other features. I think that I find more better finds with the DFX but high ground mineralization here sure makes it a lot more noisy. I reciently got a DD1400 Big Foot Coil for the DFX. It really eleminates a lot of the mineralization trouble & it goes DEEP. It will probably be my main use coil from now on. IF you have not gotten Jeff Fosters book, Digging Deeper With The DFX, do so. It helps a lot.

I am like everyone else on the forum, just waiting for the ground to thaw so I can really get to give the Big Foot a work out. The ground here in my area of NE Oregon is frozen solid for six inches. Good luck!
Spotz

 

[Sandman]

It is not that the DFX is so much better than the XLT, but the coin has to show up in the coil's field during a sweep. If you don't over lap a whole bunch, you are missing a chance at a target. Remember the field is maybe only 2 inches across at depth.

I have a couple wood chip spots in older parks that continue to provide Wheats when I have searched them many time. It's like they are being salted again.

 

[waseeker]

After thinking about it I suspect that it is more that I just missed them the first time round and they probably moved a bit deeper with the recent freeze/thaw cycle. My XLT seems to work fine and I'm getting good depth in other ground searches.

Also, I think during the first search I was using the Coin Option. Now that I've learned a bit more about both machines and discrimination, I use the Coin/Jewelry option most of the time for land hunting.

We also have lots of ground mineralization here is SW Washington and my old XLT seems to be more stable in that environment, but I am learning to like the DFX and it's capabilities.

I do have Jeff Fisher's book. Unfortunately the first two parks I tried his suggestion for upping the PAG and the AC Sensitivity didn't work for me. Almost punctured and ear drum when the durn thing started sounding off