an updated new V3i is out :huh:

[BHNugget]

Del,whatever issues,if any, you encounter with whichever V model you went with,you can be assured Whites will make it right.The upgrade the V3i has,isnt a resolvement of issues,its just some different features from the original V.I have had one issue and can honestly say that Whites has dealt with it and had it resolved faster than any consumer product company Ive ever dealt with.I have had the V3 humming right along.

V3 in the Park 4-13-10
V3 in the Park Part II 4-13-10
First Barber with the V3 4-18-10

[coinnut]

Maybe we should give this one a rest lol I think everyone has given their side of the story and all sides can learn something from it. I personally would love to only hear new things mentioned and not a re-hash of previous comments, but hey, that's just me rofl I know people are upset, and venting helps, but I don't believe we will get anymore out of the complaints unless they are new ones. My honest opinion is that White's is a good company, meaning well. They learn, just as we learn. I must agree that their service is better than most companies, of any products. The only new thing I would suggest is that they get a good PR person and have all information and comments come from one source. It's hard to keep up with all the different White's people commenting, all over the Internet lol The V3i is here to stay, so let's get back to working it and getting the most from it. I will eventually get one, but not now Who knows Carl, I may even make an effort to call White's and return that dead coil, or I just may scrap it. :-\

[randy]

I've read elsewhere that they've taken out recommended RX gain and ground probe to make room for the new stuff. Does anyone else know if this is true?

[coinnut]

I've read elsewhere that they've taken out recommended RX gain and ground probe to make room for the new stuff. Does anyone else know if this is true?

I believe you are correct. Also I believe the wireless transfer is gone too.

[Advent]

I've been onto Whites UK last week about this V3i upgrade .
IMHO I think its foolish not to go with it.
My V3 is a year old come June this year still running V1.1 with out any problems.
it will be updated once Whites UK have the equipment up and running.
Question....
This V3i upgrade will the LCD need replacing to accomodate the Polar Plot?

[hang7575]

They removed The recommended RX gain and wireless transfer but the ground probe is still there, just does not give recommended RX gain

[CyberSage]

Here is a quote from a Whites engineer from another forum...

Ground phase is still there, just the recommended gain. It wasn't accurate and so we removed it but you can still see the signal information that the detector is getting. Also the program transfer. That's all I remember we removed. Some things got rearranged.

Added:
polar plot
prospect scan
Stereo mixed mode
soil selection
loop selection (only helps on the depth reporting, but not on seeing deeper)
You can set up the various screens independently - if you want one screen to have VDI, icons, etc off to make the graph larger, but the search screen to show VDI, icons etc, you can do that.
languages
quick reference

Removed:
Program transfer
Recommended gain
That's all that's in my tracking list that was removed, and I don't remember doing any more. Can't get to the calibration screen anymore, but you wouldn't want to do that anyway.

And tracking is a little slower.
Audio volume ranges expanded.

[Lowjiber]

Good information, Jack. Thanks.

I doubt that I'll be sending my V (still with original firmware) to Sweet Home in the near future. Perhaps sometime next winter.

I do like the prospecting scan feature.

[CyberSage]

I guess I will digress on this issue and send my Vision for the update next Winter.

Jack

[M-Taliesin]

Howdy Folks!
Sorry I haven't posted over here in awhile, but I've been busier than a worker at the Alka Seltzer factory when a flood hits the plant!

When the V3 came out, I got the very first one that was sold in the state of Colorado.
Then, when I had a problem with it, I sent it back to Sweet Home just as word was
beginning to leak out about the V3i upgrade. Since mine was already there, I spoke
with a tech and he said they were not yet doing the upgrade, but rather than have
my machine come back to me only to turn it around a week later and send it back, he'd
go ahead and give me the upgrade while my machine was already there.

Ergo, I got the very first V3i released to a customer anywhere in the world. Yes, there
were V3i units out there in the hands of testers, program developers and so forth, but
I was the first civilian on this planet to get the upgrade.

My experience is that it is like having an entirely new machine. They could easily have
released a new V3i machine, and you would have to buy an entire machine, but White's
decided they could upgrade the V3 for a low cost that shouldn't be too troublesome to
most V3 owners. And in doing so, much more cheaply than buying the next machine in
the White's line.

Now for the observations I'll share on the V3i.

It is quieter and much more stable than the v3 was. Since the upgrade wipes out any
custom programs you may have installed, you'll need to restore them, assuming you
kept a record of what custom programs you had and what settings were for them.

Not only is it quieter, it is rock solid stable. I have yet to experience any interference
from any other machine of any other make. At a competition hunt in Sapulpa Oklahoma,
it was stone quiet until finding a target. Plenty of other machines around, including other
models of White's, but nothing bothered my V3i. It should be noted, however, there were
no other V3 machines there.

I have Polar Plot Analyze screen instead of the three hump mode that we have become
familiar with. I prefer it, but others will prefer the original analyze screen. It will be a matter
of taste for individual users what they decide to use.

I've also hunted in Stereo Mixed mode and like it. You get your regular discrimination channel
in one ear, with the all metal channel in the other. I believe this is unique in the industry. When
those two channels both sound off together, you have a target that merits visual examination.
If you get a target in the discrimination channel, you really can expect a good target to come up!

The one thing that stuck me for awhile is that the machine comes back upgraded with the VCO
turned off. This made pinpointing difficult until I figured out what was happening. Once you turn
VCO back on, pinpointing is far more pleasant and accurate.

I'm toying with the notion of going up to Fort Collins on Monday to try the parks up that way, and see how it works out up there. I'm also thinking to try Jack's programs because others out there aren't very well suited for our mineralized soil here on the front range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains!

Anyhow, if anybody has any particular questions about the upgrade, I'd be happy to answer to the best of my ability.

Blessings,
M-Taliesin