Experienced User Buys White V3I...Not finding more targets

[Diggitdaddy]

Hello fellow White users, this is a post concerning White's Spectra V3I. I've hunted with the DFX for a few years, and was very happy with my finds. Last month I purchased a new White V3I, and spent the big bucks expecting a big return in my finds, increased depth, better accuracy and less chatter. Have only used it a few weeks but it seems like I'm finding less than I did with the DFX. Am reaching out to you all with some positive feedback on your thoughts on this situation. Any comments welcome, thanks.

 

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[wingmaster]

White's has their own site as well, the V3i is a very comlpex detector and getting the most out of it will mean running a custom program instead of a preset one. I've detected with a guy who knows the V3i very well and has a program called magic's program I believe at the White's website, you will have to tailor it to your ground though but he will get dimes at 10"+ all day long. That said it will take time to learn what it's capable of, the changes you can make are great but know it first as one change might require you to make changes to other settings as well. HH

 

[jeff of pa]

I'm not up on the V3I so maybe I should avoid responding but, Seriously

#1. you said I've hunted with the DFX for a few years, and was very happy with my finds.

#2 eventually finds decreased so you

#3 purchased a new White V3I, and spent the big bucks expecting a big return in my finds

My Personal opinion, You knew the DFX like having second sight. You probably found a lot a Newbie to the DFX would have Missed.
You'll never find it all, But you probably cleaned out 90% or better of all you swung over.

Now your the Newbie with the V3I. If your hunting the same spots, there are far less finds there.

my First good detector , That I leaned so well was a Whits 6000-D series 2

I've gone over them spots with a sovereign XS-2 & an Explorer SE PRO & in spite of my years of Experience had very Little increase
in finds in the particular areas I Excelled with the older 1970's Whites.

Experience really does Trump All, & secondly There Has to be Targets Left Under the Coil

Learn your New Detector, Keep finding new spots to use it, Everything will Eventually Click I'm Sure

 

[Terry Soloman]

Put another 100-hours on the headphones and get back to us.

 

[smokeythecat]

I also heard it's a hard machine to learn. I'd try a new spot, maybe a new permission and give it a go there. With my Deus, which I consider a zero learning curve machine, I went to a Rev War spot yesterday. They had deep plowed - something hardly done anymore - and pulled out of a few nice Rev War items. I went over the exact spot last summer. The conditions changed.

Sometimes its the machine, sometimes the conditions, sometimes the user. Or all of the above.

 

[Diggitdaddy]

I had a cat about ten years ago and his name was Smokey for real . Loved that dang cat. Yes the conditions change, the White V3i is a great machine. Dug a ring today and a 1918 penny. Lots of clad. Its very similar to the DFX. I threw this post out there to stir up some responses about the White V3i, noone really talks about it too much on the forums. Its all Equinox and the others. Thanks for the replay Smokey !

 

[JethrowClampett]

Try staring as if your new to detecting. read the manual a couple of times and play with the controls to get a good feel. Seed your MD garden and play with the presets. Dig up everything and review the readings. There is a club near you, find someone that has the 3Vi. Did you ever read a manual to go fishing ? I learned fishing by fishing with others and IMHO am a good fisherman. Same applies, you will learn faster by people with the same machine.

There is no question its an advanced machine. You can increase the power by going to one frequency for specific finds.

 

[MackDog]

the secret with the V3i is not to set the Gain to high. you have to adjust each setting one at a time to maximize the depth. Hopefully you have a test garden already set up. Once you get the V3i dialled in you will be surprised at it. It is pretty good at depth but not a dephmonster perse. Its main quality is the way it can help identify targets always use multi frequency and try the feature that lets you use dtereo sounf with all metal in one ear and discriminated in the other (sorry can't remember the name). Look at Whites forum on their sight theres some really good info on it. Used to be a whole lot more until their site crashed. Good luck
MackDog

 

[jmc24]

Hello fellow White users, this is a post concerning White's Spectra V3I. I've hunted with the DFX for a few years, and was very happy with my finds. Last month I purchased a new White V3I, and spent the big bucks expecting a big return in my finds, increased depth, better accuracy and less chatter. Have only used it a few weeks but it seems like I'm finding less than I did with the DFX. Am reaching out to you all with some positive feedback on your thoughts on this situation. Any comments welcome, thanks.

I hope you are having some luck with you V3i. I recently switched from the DFX to the V3i too. I have not used a DFX as long as you but I had it dialed in pretty well for my high mineralization/EMI conditions. When I got my V3i I took both of them to an area where I knew there was some EMI and relatively sparse targets. I wanted to see if the V3i really was deeper in my soil conditions than the DFX and if it could handle EMI at least as well as the DFX. The V3i has a better ground balance system and salt compensation is not always ON like it is on the DFX. I set them up pretty close to the same way with a reset Coin and Jewelry, multi frequency, best data and the same Detech SEF 8X6" coil. I soon got several 2 way 4 to 6" hits including what I believed to be a nickel at 6" with the V3i. I switched coils and detectors after marking the targets. The DFX got one way spotty hits on some of the targets and was completely silent over what I believed to be the 6" nickel. I dug all of the targets which were pull tabs, a junk ring and yes, a 6" nickel which was correctly ID by the V3i. That trend continued throughout the hunt.

I'm glad I moved on from the DFX. It is just too tame in my dirt. In mild to moderate soil conditions it would probably do a bit better on raw depth. So, like someone else said, maybe you should try a different site. If you still have your DFX you could do some comparisons too on wild targets.

Are you doing a ground grab ground balance before you start hunting so the Auto Trac system on your V3i has a good reference ground balance to start with? Are you sure that you are using unchanged basic programs? Is there a lot of EMI in your search area. If so turn down the sensitivity a bit and maybe do a transmit frequency shift.

 

[Diggitdaddy]

Thanks for the reply jmc24. Lots of good stuff you said. Yes I have done comparison tests with depth and sensitivity beteween the DX and V3i. The V3i has more accurate target ID and better overall balance. The depth is about the same. i stick with the presets at first, but overhauled the coin program to only kear the signals above 65 VDI, and discriminating out rest. Boosted the gain from preset 7 to about 10 and the sensitivity to around 80. i use this when coin hunting. Its a monster when in Relic mode, just hunted an Army / Indian battlesite from the 1860s and it not disappoint. I feel its gonna take year sto fully grasp all it can do and learn the machine on different ground conditions. Was sad to hear about Whites going out of business. I assume they will still service the detector. How long have you had yours?
Yes I rebalance it every time I hunt and on new types of ground.
What kind of things have you dug with yours out in Colorado? Keep on digging !

 

[gallileo60]

I know this is an old post, but would like to know your thoughts on your v3i after all this time...Thanks

 

[Diggitdaddy]

After a year and a half, the machine is easier to handle and have used it hundreds of hours. Coin and jewelry modes it runs extremely accurate, though my Anfibio multi may get an inch or two more depth than the V3i. In Relic mode, the V3i is a monster. Have dug pencil eraser size iron and bits at 10-12 inches. It gets everything. I dont recommend using the ground balance filters more than 7.5, or turning the RX gain over 10. It just jacks up the machine, it doesnt handle EMI as well as it should. But as far as form and function, light weight, its a super detector. What do you mainly use Gallileo 60 ?