No matter that I don’t get out detecting much any more, I still get questions from tekkies about which detector I use, and why. Likewise they ask what detector I would recommend for their given situation, or which model should they buy for their child or spouse. I always respond but have the feeling they are disappointed because my answers aren’t technical enough or more specific. That’s because I am not a technical guy and right now, I am a pretty damn easy guy to please.
Anyway, I use the MXT Pro and have for some time. It’s just the right machine for ‘me’, and because my explanation why might not satisfy you, I’ve asked three very successful tekkies why they use the MXT Pro and they kindly responded as follows….
DAVE WISE
My MXT All-Pro is a great coin & relic machine and very user-friendly. I hunt in the Relic mode in 2 tone ID. Most iron grunts read as low and non ferrous targets give a nice high tone. The MXT All-Pro excels in the iron areas and is able to pick out the non ferrous targets with ease. Of course some iron will give off a high tone due to its size and shape, but at colonial sites it’s good to dig the iron, not only to get it out-of-the-way, but because sometimes it ends up being a nice hand forged colonial relic, like a horse shoe, axe head or strap hinge.
One of Dave’s most recent finds…
I have to admit after having used my XLT for many years and after have become accustomed to its tones and how well it treated me, I was very apprehensive about trying the MXT All-Pro. After a few outings that uneasiness quickly disappeared because of the coins & relics I was finding. Sad to say but my poor XLT now sits in the corner and has dust on it.
TODD HILTZ
Ok, so with cellar hole hunting…
I hunt in Relic Mode and in only two tones so I hear whether the target is Ferrous or Non-ferrous. In my opinion, this is the perfect setting for cellar holes because they are usually iron infested. These sites are also highly mineralized and we often times have to deal with “hot rocks”. That is where the double D coils come into play. I have found that the 10″ & 6″ DD coils really shine in these instances…..
Todd started off 2015 with Spanish silver….
With this set up and the extremely fast processing ability of the MXT Pro (one of it’s best attributes), I am able to dive into these difficult areas and isolate non-ferrous targets amongst the hundreds of square nails and iron scrap. The Relic Mode also allows the MXT Pro to run much smoother, without a lot of unstable chatter. When I do hear a non-ferrous signal I hold the “ground grab” button to isolate it.
So to sum it all up… two-tone, relic Mode, DD coils, ground tracking, along with the MXT Pro’s exceptional recovery time makes this machine a BEAST. I would guess that 95-99% of these sites have already been hammered, yet we always seem to pull out a pouch full of keepers. Don’t forget too that the most important thing is a level and slow swing speed, otherwise you are not going to find much.
There’s a lot more I could say about the MXT Pro but then I would be giving away all my secrets….
Todd Hiltz and Dave Wise, the cellar dwellers!
YOU CAN KEEP UP WITH DAVE AND TODD BY LIKING THEIR Facebook page and checking out Todd’s YouTube videos…
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D.J. YOST
My go to machine will always be my whites MXT! The MXT is a simple yet powerful detector, which is one of the reasons I love it so much. Simply choose between one of the three modes, turn the machine on, pump up and down a few times for a good ground balance and you’re off and running! You can choose between beach, relic, or coin and jewelry mode. I prefer and usually hunt in relic mode. I believe relic goes a little deeper and you will still hit on those small deep coins. When in relic mode, this thing is a metal magnet! I enjoy setting my discrimination right above iron and digging away. I also feel this will help you eventually get those deeper targets that might have been previously masked out.
With the new MXT All Pro you can hunt in one or two-tone ID. I prefer two-tone ID so that way I am digging mostly off sound. I have also come to the conclusion that the MXT loves the 10 inch D2 coil. I think that they were secretly made for each other… haha. The d2 will give you the best average depth with great separation on trash. One thing you might experience with this coil is sometimes it’s a little sensitive to EMI but can easily be tuned out.
In my general opinion the MXT is a great all around metal detector. Once you get to know it, it really is like having three machines in one! I always said that I consider myself a coin shooter but hunt with a relic machine, so I get to experience the best of both worlds….
D.J. Yost
BE SURE TO SIGN UP FOR D.J.’s BLOG, AND IF YOU NEED EVEN MORE INSPIRATION, CHECK OUT HIS VIDEOS HERE
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BUBBA (SOMEWHERE IN TEXAS)
I like the MXT Pro because it’s an excellent coin machine with great depth. I primarily hunt in the preset coin and jewelry mode, and use the Eclipse 6×6 inch coil most of the time (bring back the old standard 7 please). Adjustments or secret settings? None really. I will however always set the gain as high as possible. Likewise if I get a whisper response and no readout I will take the threshold down below audible and crank up the gain in hopes that I can get some sort of “positive” readout (numerical). This does not work in every instance but when it does its well worth the effort.
Bubba, somewhere in Texas….
Next I like the audio options on the MXT Pro. I know it’s the lazy man’s way out but that would be me today. Bending down is not what it used to be…. Oh, and did I tell you about the knobs and switches? Love em. Old school I know but you can have your push pads.
Let me also refer you to my earlier explanation from 2013
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FINALLY…If you are a newcomer to the pastime, buy a detector that is affordable. Don’t go into debt. It will not matter what detector you have in your hands if you are not hunting in the right places. Spend your time researching and not obsessing over which detector to buy. That goes as well for the seasoned detectorist. If you want to spend $2,500 on that top of the line model, have at it. Go into debt if that makes you happy. I will still put my money on the guy with the ‘cheapie’ detector who has spent his time at the library and is cock sure about where he’s heading….
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MORE ON THE LENBOROUGH HOARD…
Wanted to share more about this story and how the archaeological blogosphere is reacting to it.
Be sure to click on the “read comments” section for opinions. First to respond? Why Paul Barford of course, and while I hate to link to his blog, I will here so you can see just how obsessed and sick this man really is. The number of posts (rants is more appropriate) about this one find is amazing.
His wish, like so many other archaeologists, is that we disappear from the face of the earth. Well Wally, that ain’t going to happen so get over it, and please, seek some help…
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MY SALVATION?
Nigel Ingram shared the following photo on the Regton Facebook page, and it just might be the best thing for this ailing tekkie. The question however is how do I recover the target without getting off my ass?
Stout Standards 
well done Dick! great info on a great machine!
Thanks Dave. We won’t mention the thousand each we are getting from White’s.
Just kidding folks, just kidding. Please…we should be so lucky.
Hey Bubba!
Barford an arkie? You jest! Incessant yapper, more like. The term ‘archaeologist’ is perhaps over-egging the pudding in his case. I had to smile at his response to Andy Baines’ recent blog when Andy demonstrated considerable courage I thought, by admitting he’s been wrong on a number of issues by siding with Barford. He did it in two lines. Barford replied in his usual charming, ad hominen prose-style….with over 100 lines and approx 1,400 words.That’s a victory for Andy.
I think it would be equally courageous if Barford were to similarly apologize to the Polish people for taking employment with the Poland’s brutal Communist enslavers back in 1986 while the indigenous Poles were fighting hard for their freedom.
Take a good look at his behaviour….what a plonker.
Happy Hoiking
John H
PS. Now that you’ve had a Grand from the ‘Big W’ I expect a $20 note will be dropping on my doormat anytime soon?
Always nice to see what settings other successful MxtPro users like to swing with.
Nice write up Dick.
Thanks Todd and thanks for contributing…..
While a polarizing figure, I’m not sure how you can not recognize his points especially as they pertain to the recent poorly treated discovery sites in England. It seems they could have done better, especially with an FLO there whose job it was to properly preserve the site.
Brian, perhaps the recent Lenborough hoard could have been handled better (even with a FLO present), but 34 posts about an event that took place less than a month ago is a bit much wouldn’t you say? Ultimately the hoard was discovered, recovered, and will be available to the public despite Paul Barford not being there to tell everyone exactly how it should be done.
And Brian, in case you haven’t noticed, Paul Barford’s ‘full time’ job is demonizing the detectorist and collector, no matter the situation. One doesn’t get such an odious reputation without trying….
Disk440. I’m not sure the number of posts he put up about the topic has anything to do with the points themselves. Is he railing against it vehemently and repeatedly, yes. He’s passionate about the subject. And yes it could have been done better and I think the reason it is such a topic of discussion is the significance of the find and the potential for learning more about history because it was a hoard.
Brian, again I agree with you that things might have or should have been done differently. There was a FLO present and she did what she thought was best. I still think there has to be a helluva lot more history at that site IF the archaeologists want to tackle it. Methinks they prefer to piss and moan instead. And…would they prefer that it were not found at all? That’s a question they never really answer.
Lastly, you can call Barford passionate if you want. I, and many others, think he’s obsessed and in need of help. JMO.
Thank you for reading SS and contributing to the discussion. I really appreciate it and hope you will continue to comment, whether we disagree or not.
Thanks your reply. I guess what I would say is Mr. Barfords way of expressing his viewpoint seems to further polarize the discussion resulting in an inability of either side to move off their platform towards each other in any way. Which is a shame since I think many of his viewpoints are correct, it’s just that nothing will change because of the tone taken both by him and by his detractors.
And thanks for you words at the end there. I certainly agree it is possible to not agree but yet have a congenial discussion about the issues. Without being able to do that, the blogosphere becomes sort of pointless.
First off Todd love watching you and Dave’s video’s I have learned a lot from ya’s so Thank you guys.. I will be getting my new MXT all Pro in about a month (before spring thaw) maybe you guys can take a road trip to northeast Pa and show me how its done have ALOT of 1800’s cellar holes down my way…. shoot me a email when ya get a chance maybe ya can give me some pointers on the Mxt pro.. thx 4 the inspiration John P Yagalla
Thanks DaDigger, that means a lot to me. If just one person learns just one thing as a result of watching my videos then it’s all worth it to me. I just want people to realize how much history they are walking over every day.
Regarding the Lenborough Hoard, the Heritage Trust had this to say on the Culture24 blog:-
“The Heritage Trust , Great Britain12 January 2015 10:31
A big ‘well done’ to Ms Tyrrell, and all present on the day, not to mention the dedication of the British Museum conservators and curators whose task it now is to clean, conserve and research this extraordinary find.”
Believe Barford at your peril. After all, he is one of the architects of the now infamous and widely discredited Artefact Erosion Counter. His obnoxious remarks about the FLO are totally unwarranted and ill-founded and totally in-keeping with his ingrained hatred of the Portable Antiquities Scheme. He’s an incessant yapper, whose yaps don’t amount to a hill of beans.
He’s best Ignored; commenting only gives him the oxygen of publicity that his pisspoor blog cannot generate. I hate to have done precisely that with this comment.
I was going to use the term “you reap what you sow”, but “garbage in, garbage out” is more appropriate.
Well put Dick I just sold my GT to upgrade to the MXT all Pro and I have to tell ya I was stuck in between the mxt pro or a vx3 and I talked to a bunch of people and EVERY SINGLE one said go with the MXT PRO.. Now if I find a quarter of the stuff D.j. yost finds and just even one of the Famous G.W. buttons that Mr. Dave Wise found I will know I made the right decision.. lol just kidding got one thing to say to anybody with any detector I don’t care if you spend $5000 on a detector or $100 the person who does the most research is going to be the one who finds all the GOOOOOD stuff.. Thanks 4 the info Dick..
Thanks DaDigger…I agree with your research comment 100%. Good luck with the MXT and keep us posted.