Minelab SD2100 tips, settings, questions

[Redfin]

As everyone has said above, get right away from civilization.

 

[Newprospector]

Can I search the beach with the sd2100 sand only no water as it ain't water proof I hope I can sort it out or I will have to send it away n be tested/fixed

 

[loamer]

Yes you can but be very careful - the PIs are robust but like anything electronic, hate salt, sand and water. My detectors never get anywhere near a beach or water - far too risky for me. The VLFs are the best bet (IMO) for beaches and parks (My grandkids run my XTerra at the beach with no problems). They are lighter, have a visual display etc and are far more forgiving of EMI.

Edit: If the detector has been modified by anyone but Minelab -they may refuse to service it.

 

[Newprospector]

Ok I'll buy an exterra I don't think it's been modified

 

[WalnLiz]

Edit: If the detector has been modified by anyone but Minelab -they may refuse to service it.

If It's been modded by "Woody"....he'll look after you with all servicing... seen his work and as good as any techo in Australia (Minelab included). Beware of who did the original mods as there's some shady guys out there who are nothing but pretend techos.

Cheers Wal.

 

[Newprospector]

How do u tell if it's been modded as I bought it second hand

 

[Newprospector]

Hi guys just got back from testing the detector and it performed awesome I found a lil gold nugget that I didn't think I would ever find where I found it thank you all for ur help cheers simon

 

[Nightjar]

Tuning your Minelab SD 2100:
Firstly you probably HAVE missed many nuggets with your SD "warbling" in your earphones. When I now get the slightest variation in the "hum" I scrape off the top layer of rocks, grass etc and if the signal has improved it is usually a small target, hopefully a nugget.
Getting back to tuning:
With the machine turned on and holding it at waist height with base of coil vertical, rotate 360deg, noting which direction the warbling is greatest.
Lay the detector and coil on the ground with the coil tilted up at about 45/60 deg and facing direction of strongest interference.
Place one hand on the box to keep it steady so there are not any false signals (as you can well imagine the 1 & 2 balance positions are not ultimately tuned at this stage) with your other hand using the small screwdriver, rotate the tuning screw clockwise. (At this point it may be easier to remove your back pack and lay it next to the detector) If you haven't achieved any improvement after say 20 rotations clockwise, rotate anticlockwise for 20 rotations (back to starting point) then keep rotating anticlockwise for another 20 rotations. (This pot does not have a "stop" so it may take time.)You may feel like a bit of a dork out in the middle of nowhere down on all fours with your butt in the air but believe me it is worth the effort.
If you persevere eventually the threshold will become a steady Hummmm! You will only need to readjust if you move to complete new mineralised ground or your machine again becomes unsteady. After you have your machine humming steadily stand up and go through the 1-2 positions of balancing your machine.
At this point it is advisable to select the Tone that most suits your hearing.
Using a small target (shotgun pellet is ideal) scrape a small hole and place target in the hole. Now swing your coil across the target, vary the tone until you get the clearest/ sharpest signal that suits your hearing.
LOW and SLOW and ALWAYS investigate any change in tone no matter how slight, those little grammers soon add up.
Pinpointing your signal:
When a signal is targeted, draw a line through where you think the target is, now step around 90deg and again swing and again draw a line through where you think the target is. Where the two lines cross will be approximately where your target is laying. (After you become confident you will find only imaginary lines are required.)
Coils:
Mono coils have a different target centre to your DD coils, practice with both using previous pinpointing method until you are confident. If the ground is highly mineralised and your machine continually chatters you may need to use your DD coil only.
Tip:
If your signal varies considerably while using the pinpointing method it is quite possible your target is ground noise. (Scrape of the top layer of dirt, the signal should increase if it is a target.)
Good luck on your next visit to the goldfields, and yes, I would be interested in hearing from you whether this advice helped in any way.
Nightjar

 

[G0lddigg@]

great contribution nighjar!

 

[Guest]

Well the one thing ill add is the sd2100 will not lie to you. iv sold some great detectors
But keep holding on to this brilliant simple machine and surprise myself everytime.
I use a 8"mono and 12x15 dd coil

 

[Newprospector]

Hi nightjar I'll defiantly try it as I'm new to this game and being a 28 yo that loves the bush just wish I had better places to go detecting that produces better gold n relics it came with four coils how do I tell witch is dd n witch is mono I'm pretty sure the (18") big green one is a mono as for the 3 white ones I'm not sure they r all different sizes

 

[Shane]

I had the same problem with my 2100 a while ago. I finally worked out that the brass clip on the bungy was clipped to the coil cable down near the coil. Flamin fruitcake!!
Then once I worked that out the power lines still interfered with it. I found it to be an excellent midrange detector once I got it away from power lines etc.

The Xterra is a completely different detector. I have one of them too and they are definitely a great addition to the dedicated swingers arsenal.

Any chance you got a pic of your little nug?

 

[Newprospector]

Na I haven't got a pic it's more a flake than a nugget

 

[Guest]

The big green one is a mono' don't get spooked buy the size it's a great coil, most of the time the others will have mono on them

 

[Redfin]

Easy way to tell
If the Cable is perfectly round then It is a Mono coil, If it has two flat sides & two round sides it is a DD coil.

 

[Newprospector]

I have 3 mono coils n one dd

 

[Newprospector]

When I find a target the sound is really muffled does that mean my earphones r fucked or not tuned in properly

 

[Shane]

My Sd 2100 blows my ears off on a good target. There's no volume control on it.
Try different headphones or a speaker.

 

[Guest]

Also try adjusting the tone

 

[Newprospector]

What headphones will fit it