White's Spectra Vision (V3)

[Lowjiber]

I thought I'd get a Vision thread started here. I'm not an expert, but know a few who are.

Hopefully, folks can use this place to share information and questions about the machine. Even in it's early stages, this forum appears to have a lot of talented folks who can help with questions.

I'll start it off...I'm an old MXT user hunting very mineralized soil conditions in the S.F. Bay area of California. I bought my Vision very early in production (Serial Number: 016) and immediately had a defective 10D2 coil. White's replaced the coil within 3 working days.

I've used the V mostly to find deep silver...Mercs are hard to come by around here. I found more Mercs in the first six months with the Vision than I had in the previous eighteen months with the MXT (and I think I'm pretty good with a MXT ).

For the past two months, I've been experimenting with a three freq correlate program designed by Cybersage. I'm currently experimenting with a 12x15 SEF Excel coil.

Enought about me. Let's hear from others...please.

[CyberSage]

Well amigo, what say we crank this thread up to a nice respectable level. I happen to think the V3 is the leading detector on the market today and deserves a thread like no other found on the Internet.

Keep Swing'in
Jack

[Lowjiber]

Well amigo, what say we crank this thread up to a nice respectable level.
Jack

I'll get us started. Here are some notes from The Book of Jack that are some of Jimmy Sierra's thoughts on ground probes, etc. I compiled this stuff from several posts that Jimmy made...mostly on dfxonly.com.

First off, there are 2 ground probes. The one that you enter by pressing ZOOM in Sensitivity on the live control dash board is usually used to give you an idea what the best setting to use on the RX Gain (preamp gain).
Press Menu/TAb to highlight Rx Gain and then hold the coil steady over the ground. You will see the Probe Reading of the Signal to Noise Ratio.

The Signal reading is the % of the signal that is destroyed by the ground minerals or sometimes by electrical interference. The lower this % number the stronger the signal will come through or be received. If this number is 50% or more, you will probably have to reduce the Gain and Sensitivity to operate as this would indicate high mineralization .

The Noise reading measures the External Interference. 0% or a low number indicates very little external noise and low ground interference, thus allowing for using a higher preamp RX Gain. Conversely, a high % reading of Noise of 50% or more would require you to reduce the RX Gain or possibly try to use a different frequency setup on your program or maybe use a smaller search coil.

The bottom line with detecting is always to try to achieve a ratio of High Signal to Low Noise. This is usually done by not cranking up the Gain or Sensitivity so high that you obliterate a good signal with the increase in noise. Too much gain might make the target signal louder, but it cant be heard through the ground Noise. Particularly small and deep targets get the worse treatment. The suggested RX Gain setting is only a suggestion. You may still be able to raise or lower it based on your own observation of whether the detector is operating quietly. It just gives you an idea where to start.

Highlight “Ground Tracking� and pressing Zoom access THE SECOND GROUND PROBE. The probe is on the right. Press Menu/Tab to highlight ZERO and then hold the coil in the air and press Enter. This sets the probe at zero. Now, lower the coil to the ground. This measures the VDI number of the ground, or if you do it over a target, the VDI number of the ground plus the target.

The phase # is just another way of indicating the VDI number. Another way to indicate the mineralization of the ground is the strength of the ground is measured in %....0 to 5% represents weak ground, 5 to 10% could be referred to as moderate ground and anything over 10% I would call bad or heavy ground minerals. If you get a piece of ferrite or some black sand you can test this for yourself. the phase angle in degrees. 0-5 would indicate low or weak ground minerals, 5-10 moderate ground and 10 or more heavy ground mineralization.

By the way, I think I mentioned that in bad ground the 10 High pass filter is probably the best.

Bottom line is that we always end up with the same advice. Whether you have to know all of this is problematic. If you love tweaking it gives you lots to think about. For me. I just run the RX up till I get interference then I back off a bit. Then I try to adjust my AC or Disc Sens up till I get interference and back off. The Disc Sens is where you get the depth. Remember, the RX Gain is really how loud the signal gets, not the sensitivity to the target. You need it high enough to hear a good signal, but not so high as to hear ground interference or outside electrical interference. Then I re-ground balance as often as I need to. Squeezing trigger to enter pinpoint (all metal) and lowering the coil to the ground will allow you to check the ground balance. If you hear no change or preferably a slight increase in threshold, you are OK. If not. Squeeze trigger and press enter and pump a few times and go on with detecting.

Preamp Gain, is actually an audio amplification of the Receive Signal. Yes, you could hear deeper with a higher preamp gain, if the signal was too faint to hear and of course if you have hearing loss, this can help. However, the main function of the Pre amp is to control environmental interference. It is the first line of defense to remove radio, 60 cycle, microwave, power lines etc. from interfering with detection. You see, a higher preamp not only magnifies the loudness of a target but also of noise from environment and from the ground itself.

Another thing, when you pinpoint and you hear a noise when you lift the coil off of the ground it is a sure sign that the detector is not properly ground balanced. This is referred to as lift off and is not good. When this is the case, the coil will go blank as it approaches the ground and in essence is NOT rejecting the ground and will reduce depth and performance.

[Lowjiber]

Yesterday, I decided to experiment with single frequency combinations in the highly mineralized California soils. While I’ve “read the book�, it’s always fun to learn the hard way.

I set up two programs based on the library Coin & Jewelry program…one using 2.5kHz and the other 22.5kHz. I wanted to be able to switch between them quickly without readjusting gain/disc sens/etc.

Filters: I started out using 10Hz Band on both programs. This quickly proved to be annoying and a switch to 10Hz High seemed to work better. One of my hopes was to get a filter that would handle the minerals and allow a bit faster swing speed than the 5Hz filter. I ended up using 7.5Hz with a “moderate� swing speed.

Filter Recovery Delay: I dropped this to 15 (drastic move) to see how target separation was affected in high trash areas. It didn’t seem to affect depth, but I’ll likely raise it to about 30 on the next trip out to give me a “wider� window for really deep stuff…the jury’s still out on this one.

Because the 10D2 loves bottle caps, I decided to slightly empower the Bottle Cap Reject (and Hot Rock Reject) with a very modest setting of 2. I had read this tip somewhere else and had to try it. Seemed to work well…so far anyway.

I left the Disc Sens set at 88 all day long.

Here are some observations: With the 2.5 program, the ground probe recommended a Rx Gain of 15 which worked great all day. Using Rx = 15, combined with a high Disc Sens, I expected occasional falsing, but didn’t really get much if I didn’t “bump� the coil.

The surprising thing was the probe recommendation for the 22.5 program…2!!! I tweaked it to 5, but the result was somewhat painful. I thought the higher freq would handle the minerals better…I was wrong. Lesson learned: If trying to run high gain in a bad area with three freqs, drop to one (2.5kHz) if you want more Rx Gain.

So (you ask), what kind of depth were you getting? I identified and dug two targets at 9�…both Wheaties. I had no problems identifying targets in the 7� range…not uncommon with even the library C/J program though. No silver today.

I’m going to continue to experiment and learn. I hope you will too.

[Eagle 1]

HI: Lowjiber & CyberSage

Great start to a great MD the V3. I have a Vision/V3 also # 43. My coil was also bad and now my screws are coming out at the head assm. So I just sent it in to White's to have it fixed. I am haveing them check it out 100 %. Check my coil, Check pinpoint, Check the depth, up Grade to 1.3 and fix 1 one of the locking tab on the battery door. I can't weight to get it back. I have not got muck time on it about 25 hr. Between all the rain we have had up here in Maine and fixing my house. I will put in more time when I get it back before it snows here. I will put in what I can to help. I started out with 6000DI in the 1970's for two years then I stopped for a bit. Then I got a DFX for three years and jump on the Vision about April of 2009. So far I love my V3 and at 52 I think it will be my last MD. It has everything I wan't. And now I just wan't too know the V like the back of my hand.

Eagle 1

[Neil in West Jersey]

Great post!

I recently got a V3. It is truely a learning experience, even compared to the DFX, which I love. I have not had a tremendous amount of time to detect lately due to many life events going on lately. I have yet to find any deep coins like I have with my DFX (see my site).

I have, however done extensive bench testing using different settings and configurations. I am in the process of putting together a technical report on VDI the effects on target ID in 8 (out of 12) different frequency configurations. I have completed the desirable target portion, and I am now in the process of bench testing junk targets. I hope to have the report completed within the next week. I will post it to the V3 & DFX Tips and tricks section of my site.

Take care!
Neil

[coinnut]

Great post!

I recently got a V3. It is truely a learning experience, even compared to the DFX, which I love. I have not had a tremendous amount of time to detect lately due to many life events going on lately. I have yet to find any deep coins like I have with my DFX (see my site).

I have, however done extensive bench testing using different settings and configurations. I am in the process of putting together a technical report on VDI the effects on target ID in 8 (out of 12) different frequency configurations. I have completed the desirable target portion, and I am now in the process of bench testing junk targets. I hope to have the report completed within the next week. I will post it to the V3 & DFX Tips and tricks section of my site.

Take care!
Neil

Sounds like that report would be very welcomed by anyone with a V3 or anyone considering getting one. I'm sure that V3 will be one of White's greatest detectors, but it may take a couple of years for people to understand all the great features the engineering team put into it. Can't wait to see your results!!! thumbsup01

[rcasio44]

Glad to be here to talk and learn. I recognize a lot of the people here. I can't wait to get started on the good stuff. I used an MXT for 4 years and think I got pretty good. All my coils are good now as she's running smooth. Rob

[Eagle 1]

Welcome to the forum Neil & Rob great to have you here.

Eagle 1
Jim

[Epi-hunter]

Glad to be here to talk and learn. I recognize a lot of the people here. I can't wait to get started on the good stuff. I used an MXT for 4 years and think I got pretty good. All my coils are good now as she's running smooth. Rob

Rob, it's great to see you here! I'm glad you found us

[SeabeeRon]

From a MXT user, glad to see teh V3 thread here!!

[Sandman]

Had to send the Vision in to Whites today crying01. Hopefully they will line it out so I can get back to schooling myself on the ways of the Spectra. Luckily Im able to apply some tricks from the 705 to the Vision. But there is still a lot of things to learn. Im happy I got it and looking forward to learning the machine thumbsup01. Anyway, glad to be part of this thread!!!

[SkateCreek]

We are all in this together......
Hope to learn and share about the V3, but first I need to eat some Turkey!

[RickO]

Wow... I knew I was just a beginner with the V3, but after reading this thread, not only have I learned a few things, but I realize how much more I have to learn. This is one awesome machine. Thanks Jack, Lowjiber et al.... RickO

[Lowjiber]

FYI for everyone...

I've had a Vision since they first became available and have learned much from many people. I've collected several pages of tips and tidbits from various forums and keep them in a file entitled The Book of Jack (Jack, being Cybersage who is a major contributor.)

If anyone would like a copy (Microsoft Word format), drop me a PM with your email address, and I'll forward it to you.

Later Note: For those who don't have Microsoft's Word program on their computer, let me know and I'll send you one in PDF format that can be read by Adobe readers.

[CyberSage]

Hey gang!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I actually got in some serious hunt time this weekend. Had some great results and will try to get a post up on the finds. I have refined the Correlate based program and am very happy with the current revision. I will get this posted as well. Talk to you soon.

Keep Swing'in
Jack

[xzlr8n]

Just orderd a V3 for myself. I'll be patrolling this thread for info on a regular basis. I really appreciate the time you guys put into writing up your experiences and successes. I'll try to reciprocate and post my experiences learning this new machine. I'll definately be reporting on my finds as I have numerous old houses I have permission to hunt, and have already hit them hard with my DFX and MXT, it will be interesting to see if there are any significant finds left. I have pulled 39 Silver coins this year and hope to up that number with the V3, the DFX hit IH's (22 this year) and wheats (219) real nice at these homes. There have been numerous times I have found silver with the DFX and wasn't confident on what it was before digging (broken or varying signal, sometimes just a chirp that I had to rescan to lock in on ( ie. SLQ @ 5 that I thought should have hit me like a sledge hammer thru the head phones). Anyway, I cannot wait to try it out. Dyed in the wool Whites guy I guess, + I have a DX-1 I can throw on it.

[CyberSage]

Here are a few handy links to V3 information on the Web...

Current Software Revisions

1.0 = original Version
1.1 = Volume control fix
1.2 = In house fix to use more than one brand of a IC
1.3 = Fixed a audio phase rotation creating a stereo to mono on some units

Owners Guide
http://media.whiteselectronics.com/m...ners-guide.pdf

Field Guide
http://media.whiteselectronics.com/m...ield-guide.pdf

V3 Assembly Guide
http://media.whiteselectronics.com/m...mbly-guide.pdf

V3 Spectrasound Instruction
http://media.whiteselectronics.com/m...nstruction.pdf

V3 Complete Video Library (Click on forward and back arrows to navigate through videos)

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_lis...080C4EA9B1D933

[yazoo]

Got a bit of a question for my weather has gone cold and it might be awhile b4 I get to play outside.I had started playing with a program excepting everything but about 3-4 numbers around my ground phase.Of all those excepted #'s I assigned the same very low tone Except for a few in the upper ranges know for coins and the were of a high pitch. Was figuring that nothing would be nulled and all the goodies might come though better.Started with a 2.5 non normalized deep silver program am thinking maybe best data though. Does anybody have any input good or bad?It appeared to have a good feel out detecting but time was short. H.H. Yazoo

[xzlr8n]

Yazoo,

Sounds like the MXT in Relic mode, which I like alot. In relic mode whenever I hear that higher pitch sound its all engines stop and re-scan the area and try and lock on to the beeper. I don't have my V3 yet, but I look forward to testing some of the options offered up here and I think the V3 feature of assigning tones to different signals might be very useful.