Wednesday morning I received 3" of fresh snow at my place so that eliminated heading out to where I had planned to detect. I used the stuck-inside time to play with all the detectors I have hanging around (on my den wall display) and an assortment of Test Samples I have. I need to get another silver Half-Dime to have in my Test Sample Kit for the tough test using my Nail Board, but what I have will do for now.

Most of the time when people test a detector it's mainly because they want to see what it can do in the way of performance. I'm a bit different because I have some detectors in my Outfit because I already KNOW what they can do. So when I am checking out a brand new detector, or what that is newer to me that I am learning to master, I am not interested in a comparison of what it CAN do, I want to learn what it CAN'T do when going up some other models.

I'll use a Test Sample that duplicates an actual in-the-field encounter I've had, or just come up with some test challenges that I think could likely occur and see how different detectors and coils can handle things. When I come to a comparison and a detector CAN'T handle, I set that set-up aside and keep checking everything out and slowly eliminate the CAN'T models until I end up with one, or more that CAN handle the challenge.

Just using my 1"x4" board with the two square Nails and one Buffalo Nickel along with a different test using a high-conductive US coin, I noted some models I have that do well and others that struggled, but all of them are single-Frequency detectors without a 'select' option. The XP ORX, as we know, is a Selectable Frequency device, and since I have one with a 5X9½ DD HF coil and the other with the round 9" X35 coil, I used my 'snow day' to get a better handle on how the two coils handled the Iron Nail challenges.

I also got more comfortable with the Operating Frequency choice I wanted to 'save' in that set-up, and I also gained an appreciation for having Iron Volume 'Off' for a change, and the way the ORX performs. I think my tinkering around with testing and tweaking a few things will have me better prepared for the upcoming WTHO the first of June.

By sunset Thursday the warm SW winds that came in had just about totally cleared off all the grassy areas and we only had about 1½" of snow still in my garden and on dirt and gravel parking areas, and I hope to get out today. It stayed between 38° and 46° all night and at 5:00 AM it was a nice 44° outside .... but ...

Since midnight the winds have been noisy at 15 to 22 mph with several gusts to 26-28 mph. I just took three detectors out to my vehicle to get prepared and it sure doesn't feel comfortable. I hope by sunrise in about three hours the winds might calm down and maybe it will warm up. I plan to hunt a grassy park, but if it isn't too muddy I'm going to go work a place with a lot of annoying rusty Nails in a couple of confined areas. I'd like to see how some saved changes on these two units are going to tackle that environment.

I'm still working on more detector adjustments in my Outfit, and eliminating some of the duplicate models I have .... but that's not going to include either of my ORX devices. I especially appreciate having them for their light-weight and very handy controllability, but the more I learn them the more I really appreciate how well they can work. It's nice to get more comfortable with the detector choices we've made.

I hope readers are doing that with whatever they have in their own chosen Detector Outfit.

Monte

"Your EYES ... the only 100% accurate form of Discrimination!"
Stinkwater Wells Trading Post
Metal Detector Evaluations and Product ReviewsI'm now located in Clyde, Texas monte@ahrps.org ... or ... monte@stinkwaterwells.com 325-481-8147Detector Outfit: A selection of my favorite makes and models, with the best coils mounted, for the tasks I'll take on.Pinpointers: Pulse-Dive & ProPointer AT .. Headphones: 'Hornet' & 'Wasp' .. MS-3 Z-Lynk .. N/M Green edition*** All working well today to make memories for tomorrow. ***