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Minelab X-Terra Test Report
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A Test Report on the Minelab
X-Terra
First Impressions
by
George Mayer
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Introduction
On
the 1st of November 05 Minelab
Electronics released two new detectors.
The X-Terra 30 and the X-Terra
50. Both models are aimed at the lower/middle
end of the coin relic/treasure hunting market.
It is a segment of the market that Minelab
had not entered seriously before and is
now hotly contested by the major manufacturers.
First impressions
on the X-Terra 50
What a surprise, the
X-Terra comes packaged in a small
cardboard box that looks too small to contain
a metal detector. This is achieved by having
the control box separate and removable from
the hand grip. Assembly was easy even without
reading the instruction manual. The 3 part
shaft, coil and control box fitted together
smoothly. The X-Terra’s balance and
weight is excellent. The instruction
manual is of good quality and easy to follow.
After popping in 4 AA alkaline batteries
and a quick bench test I was ready for the
real life test.
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Front Panel
Rear showing large speaker
Park Test
Checking
out the various numeric points on the visual
display for Australian coinage I found the
following: One Dollar and Two dollars coins
come in at 30, Fifty cents are
24, 20 cents are 21, Ten cents
are 12 and Five cents come in at
9. Ferrous objects are low in tone
and also give often a negative or low number,
from the Five cent coin to the Fifty cent
coin you hear a mid tone. One Dollar and
Two dollar coins give off a high tone.
Australian
predecimal coins: 3d 33, 6d 36,
Florin 42 (gave the highest tone),
1/2d 33, 1d 36 all give a
high tone. Australian sovereign 27
I decided to chase 30 (our $1 & $2
coins) on the display to see how repeatable
and accurate it is at putting some spending
money in my pocket. The first target I found
at 30 was loud and repeatable. Pinpointing
was a breeze even without using the pinpoint
feature. The concentric coil was spot on
and with my screwdriver I retrieved my first
dollar coin. My first thought was 'how easy
is this', the X-Terra is uncomplicated
and quick. Just listen for the right sound
and dig the number. My next two targets
were McWilliams (Wine flagon or spirit screw
caps) they too came in clearly at 30. There
is not much you can do about them except
you can 'feel' them with your probe. On
occasions the ID numbers would not lock
on and change about, they turned out to
be thrash targets. I was able to use the
tone ID in all metal mode with the same
results.
Beach Test
After adjusting the
X-Terra 50 I selected the all
metal mode and started detecting along the
top of the beach where the sand is dry to
see what it could do. Very much the same
as in the park, clear target response on
desired objects.
Next I walked to
the waters edge to observe how the wet sand
and the onrushing waves affected the performance.
I found that by adjusting Pattern 1 and
increasing the ferrous discrimination up
several segments I was able to use the
X-Terra with very little or no falsing.
Depth performance was still very good. I
was using the 9" concentric 18.7kHz coil.
Reward for an early start
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After switching coils
to the new 10 x 5 H DD coil I found improved
performance with the coil being much better
behaved and quiet. I was able to reduce
discrimination on Pattern 1 to a lower level.
X-Terra 50 and 70 handled the wet sand
conditions much better with the DD coil
(false signals were almost all gone) By
fine tuning and adjusting sensitivity, discrimination
level and ground balance it is possible
to squeeze more performance from both units.
X-Terra 70 in
beach mode
behaved beautifully with the only false
signals coming from touching the wet sand.
I was able to run the unit in all metal
mode without any problems.
Pinpointing with the 10x5 DD coil is done
with two takes along the centre line of
the coil. Get a fix of this line then turn
90 deg for the second fix. Visually fix
this line and dig the intersect.
Gold Fields
Test
Why would I want to
test the X-Terra on the gold fields?
While the PI gold prospecting detectors
are the bees knees for nugget hunting, there
is still a small application where this
type of detector could be useful and complement
the SD/GP detectors.
- Old timers
camp sites
These areas will try the patience of
a saint, heavily infested ground thick
with ferrous objects.
- Boney ground
(bare bedrock)
- Specimen gold
- Variety
The question is
how good the X-Terra 50 is
at discriminating and how will it handle
typical gold field mineralisation and how
sensitive is it to small gold.
Using the 9"
18.7kHz coil I had to pick the
wettest weekend in a long while to go detecting
with the X-Terra 50 and the new coil.
We just had a cyclone go past which dumped
much needed rain in North Queensland, and
had to wait a day and a night for the river
to go down so we could cross it to come
home. The fitted rain cover kept the X-terra
dry, it never missed a beat.
Hodgkinson River
What a surprise
this coil is. I found this coil much more
sensitive to small metallic objects and
to low conductivity targets. Comparing it
to the standard coil it detects smaller
items better and deeper. It clearly indicated
several gold specimens at a 6 on the display
and several smaller quartz specimens came
in at -3 that gave no indication with the
standard coil. I also found it was able
to give better separation between ferrous
and non ferrous objects. Like for example
a coin laying in proximity to a large nail.
The soil conditions in this area are not
extreme and I had no trouble in ground balancing
the X-Terra 50.
With the arrival of the X-Terra 70
and the 10x5 DD HF coil there is the excuse
of another trip for some more testing. Provided
there are no more cyclones!
My preferred
settings for gold nugget hunting:
Coil to use:
5x10 DD 18.7kHz elliptical
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X-TERRA
70
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Prospecting mode
Ferrous blanking (5 segments)
Auto GB tracking on
Sensitivity as high as ground
conditions allow
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For very trashy sites
Coil to use:
5x10 DD 18.7kHz elliptical
X-TERRA 70
X-TERRA
50 |
Pattern 1
Auto GB tracking on (X-Terra 70)
Sensitivity as high as ground
conditions allow
2 or 3 tones on X-Terra 70
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For manual grading
of potential mineral specimens
Coil to use:
9" concentric 18.7kHz
round
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X-TERRA 70
X-TERRA
50
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All metal mode
Sensitivity high
2 or 3 tones
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Conclusions
I had a few observations.
In fact I found it hard to find faults with
this detector other than that the battery
cover lid came undone too easily. While
I found the skidplate a little thin, I liked
how it clipped on the coil securely. In
this price bracket these are minor quibbles
for the X-Terra is the way of the
future.
The X-Terra
is a fast detector, it does not leave you
guessing too much, the number ID is immediate
and unequivocal on single targets. It locks
in without jumping about too much and tells
you quickly what it thinks. This gives you
a quick target retrieval rate. The huge
numbers of the display just about makes
up for the lack of a back light. Sound wise
the signal response from the large speaker
is clean and clear without the squeaky like
sound of some other units. The 9 inch (22.5cm)
concentric coil is submersible and gives
precise pin pointing. The coil cable connector
is molded and the lower shaft has generous
extension to suit tall people.
The 18.7kHz coil
is definitely a must have coil if you like
some gold hunting capability in a versatile
discriminating metal detector. It would
be nice if Minelab released a smaller coil
for even more sensitivity and for working
those thrash junk laden sites so common
on our goldfields.
The good news is that Minelab have now
released two very sensitive 6" coils.
The Minelab
X-Terra is a long overdue addition to the
Minelab stable
This detector would
suit beginners or experienced users that
want a general purpose detector with advanced
features. For travelers it is small enough
to fit in a back pack or as a second detector
for gold prospectors that wish to have a
break. With its light weight and modest
cost The X-Terra is not going to
hurt your arm nor your pocket. Add the 18.7kHz
coil and you have a great all rounder.
Apology
Since writing the
above observations I have to confess that
I have been a little harsh with some of
my earlier comments. Sorry Minelab. My
X-Terra skidplate is deeply grooved
and scratched from use and is holding up
well and my batteries have not fallen out.
By necessity and
circumstances this is turning out to be
a never ending saga. First of all we were
hit by two cyclones and months of rain,
not being able to get out and do some testing.
Second with Minelab's steady release of
more coils there is always more testing
to be done! With so many combinations and
so many parameters to check out, there is
never enough time to do it all. I take my
hat off to the many experienced detector
operators and testers on the forums that
have provided great insight and valuable
reports on the Minelab X-Terra. This
is a greatly analyzed and tested product
that has created much interest and many
sales worldwide. I would not leave town
without an X-Terra.
More
Minelab X-Terra tips
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