We had another XP sponsored metal detecting dig today and raised £150 for Macmillan cancer research
15 attended our small metal detecting get together and some nice finds were made, mainly hammered coins.
It was good to see Nigel from Regton an a social basis rather than business.
Great company and a pleasure to raise money for such a worth while cause.
Land owners if you can offer some land we would love to raise some more money with your help.
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Congratulations to XP Metal Detectors who have won a large contract to supply all the French Gendarme Forensic departments with specialist searching equipment.
They will also be offering full training and technical support.
All of the forensic XP Deus metal detectors are supplied in this top quality Peli case which is water proof for up to 1 meter.
French
Félicitations àdétecteursXPmétalliquesqui ont remportéun important contratpour fournirtous les servicesjudiciairesgendarme françaisde l’équipementspécialiséde recherche. Ilsseront également offrirune formation complèteet un soutien technique. Toutes leslégistesdétecteurs de métauxXPDeussont fournisdans ce casde qualité supérieurePeliqui estétanche à l’eaujusqu’à1 mètre.
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I recently returned from the 2015 metal detecting show in Paris called the 1er Salon de la Detection, it was good to see so many dedicated XP followers supporting the project and I would like to say a massive thank you to all who said Hi and made me feel very welcome.
At half past nine the doors opened and the crowds came in.
The new prototype hoard hunter was shown for the first time and everyone commented on the fantastic build quality and innovative idea’s
The Hoard hunter is still in the final stages of development, next year will see it’s release along with some other new products from XP.
The XP stand was very busy both days, it was clear to see the XP team are very well respected amongst the French metal detecting community.
Sadly my knowledge of the language was very limited but I still managed to have a great time on the XP stand.
One of the most asked questions was about the Version 4 and when will it be released, I was reliably informed it won’t be until mid to late 2016…but it will be worth the wait as we have a new coil, a hoard hunter, a pin pint probe plus some other innovative ideas never seen before.
French Je suis récemment revenude l’émissionde détection2,015métalliqueà Parisappelé leSalon1erde ladétection, il était bon de voirautant de fansXPdédiéssoutenir le projetet je voudraisdire unimmensemerci àtous ceux quiditSaluteta fait de moitrès bien accueillis. Aneuf heures etdemielesportes se sont ouverteset les foulessont venus. Le nouveauchasseurdetrésorprototypea été montrépour la première foiset tout le mondea commentésur lafantastiquequalité de la constructionet de l’idéeinnovantede Le chasseur deHoardest encoredans lesdernières étapes de développement, l’année prochaine verrasa sortieavec quelques autresnouveaux produitsà partir deXP. Le standdeXPétait très occupédeuxjours, il était clairpour voirl’équipe deXPont ététrès bienrespectéparmi la communautéde détection demétalfrançais.Malheureusementma connaissancede la langueétait très limitémais jemême réussi àavoir un grand tempssur leXPreposer. Une desquestions les plus poséesportait surla version4 etquand il seralibéré, je suis informéde manière fiable, il ne sera pas avantla mi à fin2016…mais ce serala peine d’attendrequenous avons unenouvelle bobine, unchasseur detrésor, une sondebrochepinteplus quelques autresidées novatricesjamais vues.
Sorry if this translation is not accurate.
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Ok, let’s be realistic. Purchasing a full Deus setup is a big investment especially if you want the 9” and 11” coils. I had to think very hard before making the step, and one of the points that entered my head was “you don’t detect much due to work and family commitments, can you justify the expense”? After thinking long and hard about it I then had another train of thought “if your time is at a premium while you are detecting, then surely you want the best detector available for your needs so you aren’t missing anything in the time you have”?
I also looked at another top end machine
a very worthwhile detector and it was a close run thing. But looking at long term I noticed a few grumbles that other manufacturer was failing to update the machine. Also the weight was an issue, I’m a big bloke but suffer with my back after a day in the field and the weight would have been just too much for me. Lastly and perhaps the biggest thing was the price, I wanted a new machine, not second-hand, and the other manufacturer had just upped their prices pushing this machine well out of my price range.
So having justified it to myself (and convincing the wife) and selling my old detectors, coils etc. I had the funds to purchase a full setup with 11” coil and a second hand 9” coil.
Now I wish I could tell you first time out that I’d found a hoard of Gold Staters, but we know detecting isn’t like that. I did however manage to find 5 pre-decimals on a Club Dig on pasture. I think it was fair to say that after just one dig the love affair started! Having a truly wireless detector was a revelation to me and I swung for 7 hours straight in 20+ degrees with no major fatigue!
I think it’s fair to say that at first I was a little daunted by the amount of settings that were available to alter on the remote. But after reading the manual twice and then once again for good measure, a lot of the settings and what they do just fell into place. The majority of them I do not touch once I’ve set up, the programmes I use the most are Gary’s hot and cold depending where I’m detecting. Full tones can be a little scary at first, but once you get your ear in then it kind of falls into place.
So, how has it been doing? Well the first of my own permissions I hit was what I have nicknamed the “quiet” field. Due to the inclement weather this was the only field I had available as it had been cut for silage. Now I don’t have much confidence in this field as I have never found anything of any significance on it, not even a coin! I have always suspected there is stuff there due to a bit of research, but I have never found much of note on there.
Well I can tell you that after 4 sessions on this site my coin count was up to 12, including 2 Roman bronzes. I know that you have to walk over it to find it, but the XP Deus seemed to bring the field to life and instead of the quiet field being my “last resort site” it quickly became my go to venue. Along with the coinage I also had medieval buttons, bullet casings, tokens and lots more.
Would I have found them with another machine? Probably 75% of the finds yes, but some of the deeper finds I was getting I wouldn’t bet on it. I have hit this field maybe 20 times before, it’s not big and easy to cover 10% of it in 4 hours detecting so I have definitely covered the areas previously. I think the biggest thing the Deus gives me is confidence, so far I have found something decent every time I’ve been out with it, when it tells me there’s something there then I know it isn’t fooling me.
Of course you could also argue that I have got a bit more experience under my belt, after only 4 seasons detecting I think I’ve improved my skills quite a bit from when I first started. Obviously I’m still a “greenhorn” compared to most guys out there, but I’ve learnt that through research and site dedication then the rewards will follow.
As more of my permissions have become available I have noted that I am having my best start to a season since I took up the hobby. My finds have ranged from Saxon artefacts, a 17th Century ring and lots of copper coinage. And, best of all my silver coin count is already up to 8 including 2 hammies.
As I mentioned at the start, I don’t have much time to get out detecting, I work long hours and have a 5 year old daughter at home who takes up most of my time (quite rightly of course) and have a (sometimes) very patient wife! So the time I have when I can switch on the Deus and swing away is precious, if anything good turns up then it makes it all the better and if it doesn’t then there’s always next time, because if it’s there I know the Deus will find it!
Chris Oscar 6972 on the Gary’s Detecting Forum
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Fantastic Medieval Gold Ring found with an XP Deus
On Sunday the 30th August, I travelled to Bacton for their annual rally held by the friends of St. Mary.
It was a brisk morning but still and sunny, there was just a slight nip to the air. Anyway, my friends and I went and got a bacon roll and a tea and then registered.
Surely but slowly people started to gather near the field entrances with detector in hand, raring to go. There was a short talk about hole etiquette etc. and then at 9 o’clock we stated.
I was in a long line on the field with stubble and rough plough with my trusty XP Deus, signals were sparse at first but what re-assured me was the shout of big silver behind me. With now ever growing determination I continued but altered my walk angle slightly so that I was heading for a forest. Whilst half way to the forest I had my first signal, it was a scratchy 45 signal on the Deus, anyway I hummed a little and eventually dug it, with my first spade full it was out, in the spoil;
Fantastic Gold Medieval Ring found with an XP Deus
it was a dry day and the mud was clumped into hard chunks. Sitting there poking out of the side of a clod I could see a gold band with the word ‘AVE’ inscribed with decorative lettering. Quickly, as you can imagine I broke the clod to reveal what looked at first as a piece of costume jewellery as I had never seen gold that colour before. 5 minutes had past since the start so I was quite happy imagining that it could possibly be Medieval.
So on I wandered towards the forest and picked up a solid 60s signal which revealed it self to be a hammered half penny of an Edward. With gold Ring and a hammered under my belt within the first 10 minutes I ran over to a mate of mine; Matt who had walked to the other end to avoid people and showed (to his astonishment) the ring, he confirmed my later thoughts that it was in-fact a Medieval Gold ring!
Pleased with my self I quickly proceeded to the finds tent (who hadn’t yet setup) and showed the historian who read the inscription to be ‘AVE;MARIA;GRACIA’ which translates to mean ‘Hail Mary’. They were all astonished, the photographer took some photos.
They took my details and I decided to walk into the second field and within another 10 minutes I had my second hammered, a Bury St. Edmunds mint Edward II penny.
Hours passed with nothing to show but the odd button or two. The end of the rally came and I was presented with find of the day and we went home.
On later research I may have uncovered the true story behind the ring; the Earl bishop of Norwich ‘Richard Nykke’ owned a manor house in Bacton, there was a manor house on the field in which I found the ring and he lived from 1447-1535 which ties in with the date of the ring superbly. Also what leads me to this conclusion is that the inscription is religious and what have been an expensive item at the time, something only a person of wealth and stature would have owned. William Hurrell Thanks for a fantastic article William, an XP cap is on it’s way to you.
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This is a question that is regularly asked by Deus user.
Optimal operating frequency falls into several different brackets, most people think it is just to find bigger targets deep, this is only a part of the story.
Depth
The Deus will go deeper on bigger targets, mainly due to the enhanced ground balance range lower frequencies offer, you will still find small targets such as hammered coins when using 8Khz, but you won’t be hearing as much ground noise or feedback, this can give the impression that the machine is not working as good as higher frequencies.
Ground balance
As mentioned earlier, lower frequencies have a much more forgiving ground balance range, so they can be an advantage when searching on mineralized soil.
Some parts of the world have very difficult soil, not so many years ago all VLF metal detectors were around 7Khz and fantastic finds were regularly made, especially very important coin hoards.
Orientation
Target orientation plays a very important part with VLF metal detectors, would you believe that a machine running on high frequency can completely ignore large coins on or just below the surface depending on their orientation. Lower frequencies overcome this common VLF problem much easier.
Targets
This is a Grey area and everyone has their own theorys, a lot depends on target conductivity and orientation in the ground, large Silver coins are very highly conductive so they will be easy prey for the 8Khz, as will nice artefacts. One last thing worth mentioning is the ability to recognise Iron, lower frequencies will always give you an advantage when identifying large or mis shaped iron.
Summary
There is no real cut and dried answer because there are so many different metal detecting scenario’s, as a rule I like to use higher frequencies if the soil is contaminated with small iron, depth is not an issue here because the iron has ruined that.
On cleaner soil, especially in wet conditions I use a lower frequency.
Here is a short video showing the advantages of using lower frequencies for coin shooting on pasture.
Watch the XP Deus 8Khz video
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Lower frequencies are better for big targets right ?
As many of you know the XP Deus metal detector has a choice of four operating frequencies, most people use 11Khz or 17Khz, this suits most of their metal detecting requirements. Some have never ventured into the 4Khz domain, possibly because they have no need for it, but I would suspect they simply don’t understand what it’s for.
As the instruction manual states 4Khz is a good frequency for large deep objects, this is true but it’s possibly only one reason for using 4Khz.
Soil conditions
Soil conditions play a very important part to successful metal detecting, sometimes a lower frequency can penetrate the soil better than a high frequency, so you are not only making your XP Deus better at finding large targets, if soil conditions dictate 4Khz you will be making it more responsive to ALL targets.
Target size and orientation
Sometimes a lower frequency can find multiple targets such as scattered hoards much better, for some reason higher frequencies have problems dealing with multiple targets even on the surface, it is something to do with an inconsistent sine wave omitted from the multiple targets which confuses VLF metal detectors.
Here is a video of the XP Deus being used in 4Khz on a pasture site with some interesting results, so next time give the lower frequencies a chance, it may be worth it !
Can I use my favourite settings and just switch frequency ?
Yes…no problem, all XP Deus users….well all professional metal detectorists, should learn to interpret what the machine is telling them and then make adjustments accordingly.
Correct power settings and a discrimination level set for the site conditions are the key, when correctly combined = stability, which will allow you to hear those quiet signals. Reactivity is largely dependant on your sweep speed, so if you know you have these settings correct stand firm and have confidence using 4Khz.
XP Deus 4KHZ video review
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XP metal detectors….Video
Here is a short XP video from Gary, catching up with some XP users and their experiences in the field, showing some nice finds and giving their honest feedback about XP metal detectors. XP users video link
For all the latest XP metal detector information stay tuned to the XP Classroom….Don’t forget we would love to hear about your XP metal detecting stories
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Keen XP Deus users Phil Kirk and Harvey Cross were out metal detecting one day in January 2013 when Harvey found a handle to a Roman jug and a top of a pot.
Roman pot handle
They searched the same area over several outings but nothing else was found except for a few poor quality Roman coins.
Then one day in October 2014 Phil decided to go out detecting for a couple of hours while his wife was out shopping, he decided to go back to the original finds spot and try his luck again.
He suddenly got a signal reading 97 on the Deus meter, he thought this could be iron, but the numbers were not bouncing the constant 97 made him curious so he dug…..He went about 10” down to see the top of a round vessel, at first he thought it was a part of a tractor or farm machinery.
Roman vessel
He then noticed there was more to it and could see the body of a vessel.
Phil called his friend Harvey to ask for advice as he works for the local museum…The advice given was “be careful”.
The vessel was unearthed along with some other artefacts, the hole was carefully filled in and the local archaeologists were informed.
As a responsible detectorist Phil wanted to get professional help as he knew any further disturbance could possibly ruin the stratification of the site.
Silver Roman coin Roman patera
On the second dig with the archaeological team some fantastic finds were unearthed including a glass burial urn, metal artefacts, remains of Roman shoes, coins, glass mosaic dishes, hexagonal bottles, a Patera thought to be used for pouring wine or blood.
The glass mosaic dishes are a true work of art and believed to have been imported from Egypt.
Some of the craftsmanship used on the metal work was unbelievable, you can see a Roman soldier working, it looks very much like a world war 1 soldier.
The finds all appeared to be located in a large flint cairn very similar to the one in the left picture which confirmed this burial was very high status indeed. On the right you can see some of the flints that had been removed.
What the Cairn may have looked like
Stones from the actual Roman burial
The grave was dated to around 200 AD
All the artefacts are now with the museum and awaiting restoration and further tests.
You can watch Gary’s interview with Phil Kirk ….
Here is the LINK Phil and Harvey’s amazing discovery
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Kim travelled all the way from Shropshire to Buckinghamshire to test her new XP Deus.
The site conditions were hard going but she managed to find some interesting targets.
After a short time using the hot program she unearthed 3 Roman coins.
And this unknown artefact
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15 attended our small metal detecting get together and some nice finds were made, mainly hammered coins.
