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XTREM HUNTER metal detector review by Paul Bancroft
What Lies Beneath Now You Can Find Out
A question we hear all the time in our hobby is “How can I achieve more depth”? The truth is conventional machines are limited in their capabilities due to ground effects, and by small targets near the surface, as well as iron contamination in the form of nails, these are capable of masking the deeper or larger targets we desperately seek.
Welcome to the world’s 1st FMF twin box Hoard Hunter by XP.
The Xtrem Hunter will ignore those nails and some small ferrous and non-ferrous objects near to the surface in order to concentrate on those deeper targets. Due to the advance simultaneous multiple frequency platform (FMF) giving you the unrivalled performance and stability to counteract and limit ground effects.
So for those that might be wondering how deep it will pick up a hammered or a gold coin, stick to your Deus 2 to find these. The Xtrem Hunter is designed to go past the maximum depth of the Deus 2 and concentrate on those larger deeper targets that potentially lay out of the reach of the Deus 2.
On the subject of depth, the Xtrem Hunter is capable of locating a large target up to 5m (16ft), so for the construction business, aviation investigators or archaeologists and the like, it’s a potential game changer.
Welcome to the world’s 1st FMF twin box Hoard Hunter by XP.
The Xtrem Hunter will ignore those nails and some small ferrous and non-ferrous objects near to the surface in order to concentrate on those deeper targets. Due to the advance simultaneous multiple frequency platform (FMF) giving you the unrivalled performance and stability to counteract and limit ground effects.
So for those that might be wondering how deep it will pick up a hammered or a gold coin, stick to your Deus 2 to find these. The Xtrem Hunter is designed to go past the maximum depth of the Deus 2 and concentrate on those larger deeper targets that potentially lay out of the reach of the Deus 2.
On the subject of depth, the Xtrem Hunter is capable of locating a large target up to 5m (16ft), so for the construction business, aviation investigators or archaeologists and the like, it’s a potential game changer.
Construction
It is designed to work with your existing Deus 2 (version 2.0) or higher, you just need to pair the Xtrem Hunter as a new coil just as you would with any other XP coil. Go to “Option-Pairing-Coil” then enter its serial number, the remote will then show the new interface.
Assembly is easy and has several different size knurled screws in both length and diameter which securely fixes the back coil and front coils to the main telescopic stem.
Assembly is easy and has several different size knurled screws in both length and diameter which securely fixes the back coil and front coils to the main telescopic stem.
Weighing in at only 2.9kg (6.4lb) which allows for prolonged searches with ease, this is important given it is designed around single person usage, unlike conventional detectors the Xtrem is designed to be walked with and not swung in a side to side movement as we are all familiar with.
As you would expect from XP it is a well-engineered and constructed machine with the usual 5 year guarantee.
It is waterproof and able to withstand any wet weather conditions that Mother Nature decides to throw at you.
Due to the Xtrems’ sensitivity it is important to make sure you do not carry any metal objects including smartphones, belt buckles, keys and the like, even boots and wellies have wire metallic frames capable of interference in its operation. If in doubt run your pin pointer over to check for any signal.
As you would expect from XP it is a well-engineered and constructed machine with the usual 5 year guarantee.
It is waterproof and able to withstand any wet weather conditions that Mother Nature decides to throw at you.
Due to the Xtrems’ sensitivity it is important to make sure you do not carry any metal objects including smartphones, belt buckles, keys and the like, even boots and wellies have wire metallic frames capable of interference in its operation. If in doubt run your pin pointer over to check for any signal.
Our Hobby
Purely from a personal point of view and 40 years in the hobby, I see the Xtrem Hunter as another tool in my arsenal for investigating those signals out of reach of the Deus 2’s maximum depth.
Am I interested in digging down 15 foot, or potentially bringing in a mini digger? No I am not! But plenty of users will be as I mentioned earlier. If there’s nothing in your fields around the maximum depth of the Xtrem 15 foot then you are not going to get a signal anyway or indeed have to dig that deep, this is probably true of the majority of the fields that we search. So maybe we should concentrate on potential signals 3 or 4 foot in depth, searching for hoards after a scattering of coins in close proximity, or Bronze Age finds.
Isn’t it ironic? Here I am talking about reducing a machines potential depth to achieve finds, when all we want is greater depth on conventional detectors, this is my point the Xtrem Hunter is not a conventional detector and this is what makes it such an exciting addition to have within our hobby.
Am I interested in digging down 15 foot, or potentially bringing in a mini digger? No I am not! But plenty of users will be as I mentioned earlier. If there’s nothing in your fields around the maximum depth of the Xtrem 15 foot then you are not going to get a signal anyway or indeed have to dig that deep, this is probably true of the majority of the fields that we search. So maybe we should concentrate on potential signals 3 or 4 foot in depth, searching for hoards after a scattering of coins in close proximity, or Bronze Age finds.
Isn’t it ironic? Here I am talking about reducing a machines potential depth to achieve finds, when all we want is greater depth on conventional detectors, this is my point the Xtrem Hunter is not a conventional detector and this is what makes it such an exciting addition to have within our hobby.
Responsible Detecting
Please be aware we must promote our hobby in a good light, we must have permissions with the relevant landowners and local laws, ensuring you can dig deep, also staying clear of electrical cables and water pipes as well as the now revised Treasure Act.
The Menus
For those of you who already have the Deus II experience or indeed an existing XP owner you will find this machine easy to navigate. The Xtrem Hunter's main operating platform has many similarities to the Relic/Goldfield modes found on the Deus 2, Deus 1, and the ORX but operates a non-motion mode.
Sensitivity
The large coil set up works just as well with lower sensitivities although 86 is an ideal starting point, the aim being able to maintain and balance the Sensitivity with the Audio Response and of course the Reactivity.
Disc IAR
This allows the level of the Iron rejection 0 is off and 5 is maximum, it’s worth noting that 5 will not reject all Iron, and the IAR channel is motion and the detect channel is non- motion. In order for IAR to work at its best the coil needs to have both forward and backward movement. Once activated the IAR will produce a low sound when Iron is detected and the rolling graphic screen will show a hatched out area depending on the size of the target.
Rolling Graphic Screen
Now this is truly an exciting feature as it gives you real time display as you search and shows the target duration and the intensity which aids in identifying those deep targets. You can also freeze the screen to take a good look, pressing play will resume searching.
Threshold
You can chose to have the threshold ON or OFF, having it ON will give you a background hum whilst searching, and will also indicate if the machine starts to drift and help to smooth out tiny unwanted spikes from the ground. But beware of setting the threshold to high this can potentially mask out some smaller signals.
Reactivity
The Xtrem Hunter is designed for locating those larger deeper targets so it prioritises lower levels of reactivity, this also helps with supressing EMI. Selecting a higher reactivity can help with contaminated areas when searching, it can also helps when pinpointing a target.
Audio Response
Lowering the audio will give you a better perception of depth, raising the audio can give shallow and deep targets the same audio sound; it can also amplify unwanted ground noises.
Autotune ON or OFF
Due to the large Ariel configuration there will inevitably be some drift, possibly from the ground, Iron on your person, search technique, EMI, or ambient temperature. To manually retune the machine a simple press of the pinpoint button is required, it can be done automatically simply by using the Auto tune feature, which has a range of 0 to 3 depending on how aggressive you want the machine to retune. Worth noting here should you keep passing over a target with the Auto tune on, it will eventually tune out, so it is always best practice to turn the auto tune off when pinpointing and retune manually.
Frequency Scan
This allows you to find a clear channel free from EMI as soon as the machine is switched on it will make an automatic frequency scan. There is also a manual frequency shift.
Ground Grabbing
It is advised when possible to make an accurate ground balance. This is a simple process as follows.
- Hold the machine on a level plane.
- Press and hold the pinpoint button.
- Lower the front coil to the ground and wait for the ground sound and ground number
- Release the pinpoint button and start searching.
- If you are unable to achieve a sufficient ground balance, the machine will default to 87, you can also manually ground balance the Xtrem Hunter if you are confident with the operation.
In conclusion
Well the Xtrem Hunter will be available to all of us very soon and judging by the interest shown on social media and various groups, I feel it might not be long before some lucky detectorist walks over an area previously searched but has missed that special find or hoard that’s been just out of reach of conventional detectors.
Enjoy your Xtrem Hunter journey, and good luck!
Paul Bancroft
Enjoy your Xtrem Hunter journey, and good luck!
Paul Bancroft
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