Whites Spectra V3i

Spectra V3i...Anyone using one for coins. ??

I spent the day yesty researching anything i could find on them, mostly American forums...bugger all said on them from this side of the pond.
Could be interested, tho not committed to anything at this stage. The urge to do some more coin shooting is back.
Not interested in FBS/BBS detectors...been there done that, but dont mind the steep learning curve from the more suffocated coin machines. Hence the interest in the V3i.??

Hi Narrawa
I've been researching about the V3i too and have came up with the same results as you.

I'm really itching to try one........ I'm almost itchy enough to risk it and just buy one.
I believe whites is pretty trust worthy, and if it dose what they say it dose It would be pretty good in some circumstances.
I like the amount of information the detector feeds back to you and how you can fine tune the frequency's individually I think it might have a good chance at out performing the CTX.
Email whites and get them to email you the instruction manual (like I did).
And you'll want one even more.

Mate, i started reading the owners manual late last night and all today, along with just about every article written on it.
http://www.kellycodetectors.com/pdf/manuals/spectra_v3i_instruction_manual.pdf

Some sound advice by Steve Herschback over on the other side of the pond.

Scroll to the bottom of this link, and find the heading.....
A note on multi-frequency detectors:
http://www.detectorprospector.com/gold-prospecting-guides/steve-guide-gold-nugget-detectors.htm

The more i read up on this thing, i think its just what i need to scratch the itch i have for taking on the learning curve that i did when i used the Explores Sovereign, and that other pile of sh!t Quattro ...which for some strange reason i ended up having two of.  

Reading the first bit of the Spectra's manual was something i noted, and came across on one of the yank forums regarding the muti frequency detectors back then....interesting stuff.

Yes, im also considering buying one as well. The GMT in WA proved useless, this thing has a gold hunting program, as well as being fully customizable, could prove a little more interesting than the GMT in such environments.
Im taken in by the 22.5Khz frequency, it might work a tad better on that sort of ground where as the higher freq tend to be to sensitive to hot rocks and mineralization.??
Whatever the case, iv an itch that needs scratching and ts time to go coining again.  

My partner has also indicated she wants in on the coin side of things while we await the return to WA.....the MXT Pro is also on the shopping list. 

Fark it!
After reading a bit more including the link you provided (thanks Narrawa)
I've decided I gota get one........... I'm just too bloody itchy for a new detector now especially after the ATX disappointment.
And this V3i seems like it might just scratch tha itch and it only costs an oz and a bit with tha wireless headphones.

I'm also with you on using the single 22.5Khz frequency, I recon that it would be pretty good on gold in the trashy diggers piles, particularly for the missus.
But then you still have all of its strong points for coin hunting too.
And its seems a bit complex........ and I like complex!   

I agree that it looks like a great detector.

As for you comment:

Aurumpro wrote:and it only costs an oz and a bit

Coming from someone who hasn't found anywhere near an ounce, I'll never be able to afford one by detecting alone!  

Coming from someone who hasn't found anywhere near an ounce, I'll never be able to afford one by detecting alone!  

Say hello to the bankcard and get out there, you have 55 days interest free.... and if you research pays off....you'll pay it off much faster.<--- hows that for inspiration.   

One thing iv learned using the GMT is, the analyzer function works pretty darn good.  Not a new feature, my Cortes had the same thing. Whites has already proven this feature on a few of their other models which is something thats got my interest up on the V3i given it is majorly customizable.
I was just going to grab a few more coils for my GMT to use as a coiner, but theres no fun in that....im overdue for a new toy.  

Another interesting thing that caught my interest...
If the V3 can be software updated to the V3i, the V3i must be able to have updates to its firmware/software.?

There are a lot of things that catch ones eye about this detector, the amount of coils already out there for one. Meaning ones should keep his/her eye on ebay USA/UK if thinking along the lines as i am..?? Its backward compatible with a few of the other models.

Hmmm?...i know of a GMT that could be up for sale soon. 

Narrawa ....   I said Mate.. I said Pet.... I said Mate       



You cannot expect to go down the Park and get your gold jollies Off    and you know it Bruz    

Thanks for that narrawa,I just got a mxt pro taught I was all alone.nuffin said about them on here.sure as hell not putting it up against the 5000 like dan the thinkin man said but good fun anyway.10x5dd handles hot ground remarkably well if you don't set it to hunt bear.

Pete, i said pet, i said love... im going down the park to get gold jollies.....there's nothing you can do to stop it.

Here's one of my all time secret coin hunting tips.......find a pub that is across the road from a playground.  This stems back to the day when i was a hoon and it payed off big time when i grew older and got into metal detectors. I went to one of the small towns here in the west of NSW and there before me was a pub.....and across the road was a park.....you  rippa!!! After my counter lunch, i hit the park with the Explorer II. The rest is history. I had trouble keeping my pants up due to the coinage my pockets contained.

And here's why......
Most parks once you clean them out, take time to be replenished, so you drive around to other likely spots yada yada yada woteve!.
But a park across from a pub....is replenished every Friday and Saturday night.
I know this because of my habits from when i was a young boozer, me and my crowd once leaving the pub being in a jolly mood as you were, would hit the playground on our way home. Young men will always want to test their manhood against that of another, especially if there was young ladies with us. What better way to do that when your rolling drunk but in a park on all the gear. Any lose change you had was deposited among the various rides that park had to offer.  

Parks also have a refreshment room for when you wake in the morning to that god awful squeaking from a fat kid on the swing asking could you push him higher.  
Yeah, give me a minute punk, i just woke up.

cougarcans,
Have a good read of the yank forums on your MXT, these guys live and breath VLFs and you certainly pick up a few good tips from them. You just have to remember that our ground in 90% of locations is going to have "?"  riding on its abilities compared to theirs if using it in the gold fields. If you hunt a park in one of the goldfields towns, the ground wont be any different...just more grass.

The first thing i'll be doing when i get a new detector with disc abilities is to toss a few pickers among rusty flat tin, and see what its able to do.  Im not sure whether the Except reject feature on the V3i works on a number system or conductivity, but i'll be putting it to the test. Aluminum foil for park hunting will get the same treatment with coin among it. The GMT hits on the tiniest bits of aluminum, so small that not even the 4500 and 5k can pick them up....real pain in the ass, but when it comes to finding ear ring studs and similar, i doubt you'll find a better detector. In my opinion, its iron ID is the best iv seen in all the coiners iv used and had. Anything that can ID in all metal mode has got to be a worthy contender if looking for gold items.
Have a good read if you haven't already on the MXT /GMT...here's a few links.

http://nevada-outback-gems.com/MXT_files/MXT_advant_n_disadvan.htm

http://www.detectorprospector.com/gold-prospecting-guides/steves-guide-whites-gmt-versus-mxt.htm

http://www.whiteselectronics.com/the-hobby/knowledge-base/field-reports/mxt

Interesting youtube on the V3i and 3030.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlETjlnEUao

The GMT hits on the tiniest bits of aluminum

Aint that the truth   

Another  youtube by the same fella. Gives a pretty good comparison on both machines.
Whats also impressive is how well he knows how to operate both machines. Maybe just me, but trying to detect which detector he favored was difficult.?
Im almost ready to place an order......i had the phone in my hand while looking up the number.....but i piked it for a little more convincing.  
 
I noticed the difference between the two screens on each detector.....perhaps one was set better than the other.??  Its a question thats  been answered without the question being asked.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwCnTo6T0so

Go on, you know you want to, just do it, pick up that damn phone and ring the damn number, do it now.     

cheers dave

I couldn't even if i wanted to......there closed.    

But your right, i do want to.   

Thanks for the new link Narrawa
That's the tipping point for me now I'm definitely getting one.
I can see that it will be a versatile detector all videos I've watched by competent users excite   me about the potential of the detector in competent hands once it is configured to suit the task.

Yep, iv seen enough now, i'll place and order myself this week more than likely.
Cant wait to get among it again.

I'll be very interested to see how it go's in WA soil...good or bad matters not...its the coin side i want from this detector, and from what iv seen thus far it'll do the job with plenty of complex settings to play with.   

After watching those vids I want one, too...

Narrawa wrote:

Coming from someone who hasn't found anywhere near an ounce, I'll never be able to afford one by detecting alone!  

Say hello to the bankcard and get out there, you have 55 days interest free.... and if you research pays off....you'll pay it off much faster.<--- hows that for inspiration.   

Ahhh, wouldn't go down to well with the other half, know what I mean?   

  

 

Hang on, I have no other half to answer to!

 

I do have a credit card though!

Arrrggghhh... what have you done????

Dealer's page now open, cursor hovering over "Add to Cart" button...

 

Go on lenoil, push the button, you only get one life mate.   
If it turns out to be a sh!thouse detector, we can all get drunk together and laugh at our stupidity at buying the V3i because its got a pretty screen..........when infact, we should have bought the Fisher F75 LTD instead.  

Thanks for that narrawa,I didn't get the mx to use on the gold,got mates in my old home town on big farms that had old pubs etc on them and a heap of ironstone and quartz but not a known gold area ,but not that far from it.i found what I thought was a 8 gram nugget last year but it was silver when i cleaned it with the 5000,but didnt look or feel like lead?? ,and if I go fishing to buggerise round with,cheers will give it a try if I'm not bowling.

cougarcans, im glad you've taking a liking to bowling now...i was a little concerned for you.  
The group on the other thread were going to shoot you over the incident, but i told them not to waste their bullets.....a simple hanging would suffice.   

Even tho you didn't buy it for finding gold.....you know it has the capability, and is up there with the best of the VLFs. I have the opportunity to test one before i buy for my other half to use as a coiner. All going well, i may have the V3i to play with as well.  

Don't look a bad toy by the vids narrawa (v3) and maybe mr bearcat could watch how to do a comparison.you did see more of the v3 but he certainly didnt bag the 3030.the foot test wasn't a bad effort either.

 Its done!!! i pushed the button.  
Anyone interested better get in quick...theres only one left on the shelf.   

cougarcans, i was impressed by his handling of the machines, and  looked at a few of his other vids. He runs through the menus on each of them like there was no tomorrow. I also followed up on his posts on ---> http://www.findmall.com/read.php?66,1960603 His name is Bill S. on the forum.

I normally dont pay much attention to any youtube vids because we are all different, and would in most cases do things differently. I can by looking at this gents vids see the need for a girly pin-pointer tho.  Something i thought id never say , however to redeem myself, id never use one in conjunction with my 4500 out on the gold. The day that happens i'll trade my dacks for a dress.  Some dignity is better than none.  If you cant pin-point...take up lawn bowls. 
 
The speed of recovery and the neatness of his digs tells you something. I dont know the man and have never communicated with him, and don't need to in order to give him credit when its due.

PS. My new Spectra comes with a digging tool...  ......     

I carry a pro pointer but only really use it to see if I've dug past a target,and I've said enough about bowls..the pro pointers are a valuable tool with coin machines specially when digging gopher holes in the back yard, and wife is giving that not impresed frown.make it a lot quicker and neater .still glad I got the Mx ,the v3 seems more up your and arumpos alleywith multiple settings.,mx just turn on and go.ive never got past the thank you for purchasing our product then its goodness me its can time and lose instructions $1000 plus fish finders gpx5000 no matter can't read em.nor make sense of em.

...theres only one left on the shelf.

Gonski!!!...sold to a Melbounite....lenoil, was it you who bought the last one.?? 

Narrawa wrote: Its done!!! i pushed the button.  
Anyone interested better get in quick...theres only one left on the shelf.   

cougarcans, i was impressed by his handling of the machines, and  looked at a few of his other vids. He runs through the menus on each of them like there was no tomorrow. I also followed up on his posts on ---> http://www.findmall.com/read.php?66,1960603 His name is Bill S. on the forum.

I normally dont pay much attention to any youtube vids because we are all different, and would in most cases do things differently. I can by looking at this gents vids see the need for a girly pin-pointer tho.  Something i thought id never say , however to redeem myself, id never use one in conjunction with my 4500 out on the gold. The day that happens i'll trade my dacks for a dress.  Some dignity is better than none.  If you cant pin-point...take up lawn bowls. 
 
The speed of recovery and the neatness of his digs tells you something. I dont know the man and have never communicated with him, and don't need to in order to give him credit when its due.

PS. My new Spectra comes with a digging tool...  ......     

Onya Narrawa
Let us know how it goes.
I'm going to order one in 2 weeks as I'll be out swinging for the next 12 days and wont be able to receive it if I order it now but I'm defiantly getting one.

As for the pin-pointer I use the pro find for coin/treasure hunting and it is an invaluable tool for both saving time and not damaging the target whilst keeping the hole as small as possible.
But Its not sensitive enough for small gold nuggets and doesn't have the depth range for larger ones untill your very close to the nugget.
So I don't bother carrying it for nugget hunting, instead I have a coiltek pin-pointer attached to my control box cover so I always have it ready to use in circumstances when it is required, like when I'm using the 25in coil or the target is in a deep rock crack.
Both pin-pointers are valuable/essential tools in the arsenal, and save precious time.

I don't think I'm a dress wearing sissy for using them though as I never use a bungee and the extra weight of the wireless battery and the pin-pointer on my detector really "gets da muskles pumbping, and only a girly man uses a bungee" "aaaagggghhh"

Narrawa wrote:

...theres only one left on the shelf.

Gonski!!!...sold to a Melbounite....lenoil, was it you who bought the last one.?? 

Not sure!   

I rang him today and had a chat and at the end told him I would be there on the weekend to buy one... if I was busy enough between today and the weekend, work-wise, to be able to afford it without using the card!

So... not sure if he put it aside for me, or if another Melbournite happened to buy one today  

Aurumpro
I don't think I'm a dress wearing sissy for using them though as I never use a bungee and the extra weight of the wireless battery and the pin-pointer on my detector really "gets da muskles pumbping, and only a girly man uses a bungee" "aaaagggghhh"

Ok you pass as not being a dress wearer cuz you dont sport a bungy......i carry a liter of water in my control box cover...it does nothing for my muscles except make them ache. Im 6'1 and only weigh 12 stone.....i NEED the bungy.  Never thought id say this......i'll be getting a pin-pointer<--- there, i said it....only because i dont want to damage the sovereign/half sovereign when i find one/them.  

That admittance is going to cost me im sure.  

lenoil,
All good mate ..if you do get one at least there will be three of us who can share info back and forth.  

Narrawa wrote: 
If it turns out to be a sh!thouse detector, we can all get drunk together.... 

I reckon thats a great Idea mate.....make the venue a Pub thats across the road from a park if possible   
Im in the market for a coin/jewelry VLF but it sunken treasure Im after,so its gotta be waterproof to 3 mtrs.......and not a CTX.... 

GoldenGus wrote:

Narrawa wrote: 
If it turns out to be a sh!thouse detector, we can all get drunk together.... 

I reckon thats a great Idea mate.....make the venue a Pub thats across the road from a park if possible   
Im in the market for a coin/jewelry VLF but it sunken treasure Im after,so its gotta be waterproof to 3 mtrs.......and not a CTX.... 

I think the Garrett Sea Hunter Mark 2 is one of the best underwater machines you can buy Gus. Actually works great on the beach as well. Very powerful and can be picked up on ebay for less than $800 + $200 to buy a dirty big stainless scoop and for less than a $1000, your laughing.

Good thinking Gus re the pub vs playground combo.  
Find the forum that covers the use of such detectors and read all about them by those who use them if not already done so.? Keep us posted on your choice and why you chose it.
Shiraz has given a head start on one.  

Salt water and wet beaches when looking for detector models has a common denominator, which is..---> salt water and wet beaches. :lol:This should make choosing a model a lot easier than when you take into consideration the mineralization and other variable you do when choosing a land model.   

One thing thats got me a little concerned with the spectra is...the coil. The detector boasts 3 frequencies.....the detector can use either one or all together. Its not a new feature. BUT! up till now its never caused me any issues for obvious reasons...i never thought of it before. ..even when i owned various FBS/BBS detectors. I was always skeptical about the claims made, and it doesn't take long to realize certain truths in regards to multiple freq use. I may not have been able to put my finger on it back then, but its fresh now as i head down that road again. The gold bug II and the GMT boast very high frequencies for picking up very small items, and usually have a matched coil.....a detector running 100hkz should theoretically pick up metal dust. Could it be the coil standing in the way of a good story, or myth.?

Its a wide jump from 22.5khz .. 7.5khz..2.5khz...the detectors ability to tune to these freqs effectively is a test i'll be undertaking with the various metals that these freqs signal better on. The coil is fixed and cannot be altered, meaning its electrical properties are better suited to which of the three freqs.?? The detector my have the ability to de-tune its self in order to work with the coil, but theres going to be a trade off. Which will lead to the purchase of other size/shape coils to better hit on certain conductive targets when better understood.
One of the pluses i look forward to fiddling with on the spectra is its ability to see the freq in use signalling over the target. I can at will, swap frequencies or rely on one of the many graphs for more info vs switching back to the combined effort of all three noting any changes in strength. A trade off thats destined to take place.?

When iv had it for a while, i'll start a new thread here there and every where covering all aspects on its functionally on our soil.( insert time laps camera emoticon here)  
I dont mind standing there as i do now with the GPX fiddling with settings looking for anything noticeable that may give me some sort of an advantage. If only the GPX was customizable for those who like to fiddle.(insert dreaming emoticon here)

If its a dud or i think iv done my dosh, i'll say so, im not one for trying to justify a bad investment by making out its better than it really is. Its just money spent on another item that could have been better spent else where. We all do it....and i give better respect to those who dont try to cover it up with BS. Id rather sit round the fire and have my mates take the p!ss out of me over it, than look like a d!ck trying to justify a bad buy. ozy ozy ozy.