Minelab X-Terra Test Report

Minelab X-Terra Test Report

Since writing this report, Minelab have had an upgrade to the X-Terra line-up.

Go to the new Minelab X-Terra II details

A Test Report on the Minelab X-Terra
First Impressions

Introduction

On the 1^st 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

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.

X-terra front panel X-Terra rear view

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.

x-terra on the beach
Reward for a early start

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

X-TERRA 705

Prospecting mode
Ferrous blanking (5 segments)
Auto GB tracking on
Sensitivity as high as ground
conditions allow

For very trashy sites Coil to use: 5x10 DD 18.7kHz elliptical or 6" 18kHz coil

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

For manual grading of potential mineral specimens Coil to use: 9" concentric 18.7kHz round

X-TERRA 70
X-TERRA 50

All metal mode
Sensitivity high
2 or 3 tones

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.

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.

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