how does your sdc2300 behave ?

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Hi guys really interested in prospecting and am just about to take the plunge with my first detector was just wondering if this model would be good for the beach as well bush as live on the coast so was wanting to be able to fossick there in between bush adventures.
Steve :D
 
Hi aussiefarmer I have a sdc2300 when I bought mine the dealer told me that the battery's will become lose and cause it to go nuts and have a mined of it's own he said wrap some tape around the batterys to stop them moving around. I looked at him really for $3600 tape but being a newbie I was happy with that, so far no tape yet happy as with my sdc2300
 
Kiwi digging said:
Hi aussiefarmer I have a sdc2300 when I bought mine the dealer told me that the battery's will become lose and cause it to go nuts and have a mined of it's own he said wrap some tape around the batterys to stop them moving around. I looked at him really for $3600 tape but being a newbie I was happy with that, so far no tape yet happy as with my sdc2300

No tape, your either very lucky or very very gentle with it. Mine never went nuts as the dealer said. The undersized batteries caused mine to intermittently shut down, pretty sure that's the issue with the batteries. Not the machine going nuts, when it shuts down on you you'll go nuts. Best way to avoid it Kiwi, 1 wrap of tape around each.
 
Kiwi digging said:
Hi aussiefarmer I have a sdc2300 when I bought mine the dealer told me that the battery's will become lose and cause it to go nuts and have a mined of it's own he said wrap some tape around the batterys to stop them moving around. I looked at him really for $3600 tape but being a newbie I was happy with that, so far no tape yet happy as with my sdc2300

You were lucky indeed. Mine never shut down but it rattled heaps. Put tape around the batteries and then great. Only thing I am concerned about is if the glue from batteries are going to give me issues when the weather gets warmer as in making it difficult to remove them from the machine.
 
A little bit of tape around the originals works fine, no more cutting out and if you purchase a set from"phase tech" they also don't slip and go quite a bit longer than the originals. Aldi's non rechargeables don't slip, around $4 and will go at least a couple of days.
 
yep batteries are taped up snug as a bug in a rug so we can rule that out .lol. machine has been babied and still looks new, it has never been wet apart from a damp cloth around coil, where I use it lately would be 10 klm to the nearest power line so if they aren't all temperamental buggers I seem to have internal issues.

But keep the suggestions coming , I have fired an email to Minelab to enquire about a service and possible repair.

if " Isolations" sdc was built on a Friday arvo, mine musta been the first one built Tuesday morning after a long weekend bender pmsl :lol:

Might take it to church and see if I they can do a exorcism :lol: :lol: :D
 
I used to get shutdowns due to the batteries but don't anymore and I still don'tuse tape either to sort it out, I just make sure I carefully close the battery cap nice and squarely when I push it down, I haven't had one shutdown since being more careful about closing the cap.
 
Heatho said:
I used to get shutdowns due to the batteries but don't anymore and I still don'tuse tape either to sort it out, I just make sure I carefully close the battery cap nice and squarely when I push it down, I haven't had one shutdown since being more careful about closing the cap.

This is exactly what I found also. Turn the knob around until it is fully clicked into place.

Rob P.
 
PabloP said:
Heatho said:
I used to get shutdowns due to the batteries but don't anymore and I still don'tuse tape either to sort it out, I just make sure I carefully close the battery cap nice and squarely when I push it down, I haven't had one shutdown since being more careful about closing the cap.

This is exactly what I found also. Turn the knob around until it is fully clicked into place.

Rob P.

I did all that & still had the shut-down. At the end of the day ML have it on their website to use tape so I've been told. Had it been the Automotive industry Minelab would've been forced to recall the batteries, still should be forced to imo.

If I and I'm sure every SDC owner can find a battery that doesn't require wrapping tape around it then I'm sure ML could.
 
Might take it to church and see if I they can do a exorcism lol
Think I hear you af, mine sometimes sounds like a swat team was ready to descend with an ambulance running through my head.
Thought it was an emi but there were no power lines in sight. Possibly an animal running around with a tracking collar, electric fence or even maybe a purpose built transmitter as it was on a pay and detect site. Really did think I broke the sdc at first but I think I might carry a wooden crucifix next time just in case until I find out the real reason. :/
 
RM Outback said:
PabloP said:
Heatho said:
I used to get shutdowns due to the batteries but don't anymore and I still don'tuse tape either to sort it out, I just make sure I carefully close the battery cap nice and squarely when I push it down, I haven't had one shutdown since being more careful about closing the cap.

This is exactly what I found also. Turn the knob around until it is fully clicked into place.

Rob P.

I did all that & still had the shut-down. At the end of the day ML have it on their website to use tape so I've been told. Had it been the Automotive industry Minelab would've been forced to recall the batteries, still should be forced to imo.

If I and I'm sure every SDC owner can find a battery that doesn't require wrapping tape around it then I'm sure ML could.

Cheap chinese batteries mate...... Probably invented that way to infuriate us Westerners. Just like the chinese socks that come with holes already in them when new, they think of everything those crafty chinese. :)

I'm with you and get what you're saying and you are right but I worked it out pretty early after buying my SDC that the cap has to go on very evenly or it will keep shutting down, anyway the tape does work, maybe minelab could add a roll of tape to the contents of the SDC box, lol.
 
mbasko said:
isolation said:
Here's my encounter with an electric fence 8)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ns6CzhG9gMY
Good luck tuning an electric fence out with any machine :rolleyes:

Very true... Although that wasn't really the goal. I just wanted to go through the whole process for the video, even wave over the shovel :D ... but I forgot the ground balance.

I'm also presuming it was a fence
 
Sounded like the pulses from a fence unless it was sonar from a submarine in the creek ;) , shovel could have been lost forever only for the sdc pmsl.
Good video it can be amazing how far from a fence can interfere sometimes
 
To avoid tape glue coming unstuck in heat, or going gooey, I wrapped a pice of paper around my batteries, then tape around that - no more problems.

In terms of tuning my SDC, I followed a lot of the instructions from this thread over the weekend, and it really does depend on where you are swinging.

I turned the threshold right down, I was concerned I wouldn't hear it - but that wasn't a problem - knocked it up to 3 on the sens, held my detector just above the ground, as opposed to waving it around like a moron, hit the ground balance, did a little pump to the ground, and ended up with 4 bits...the most I have ever found in one session...

I had to ditch the standard headphones as the just stopped working, and found all the pieces without headphones (I actually prefer the headphones).

This will be the second set I have now gone through, they replaced the first set, will be interesting to see what happens this time - no stress on the lead when they stopped - they just simply stopped. Very annoying.

Thanks to those with all the tips.
 
No threshold is great when you can't settle the sdc down but I allways swap between no threshold and threshold great way to check an iffy signal cheers Muk.
 
just an update on my possessed sdc , I got a return email from minelab after I explained the issue and it read

"We have had a few incidences where the PCB plug connections have not been fully pushed home, this has caused poor contact & several different faults.



Please return to the address below & we will inspect & return to you a quickly as possible. Turnaround time is with in 5days.



Regards,

Customer Service"

so its of to the doctors for my sdc and I will update you all when I get it swinging again , and thanks to Minelab for their rapid and courteous response.
 
aussiefarmer said:
just an update on my possessed sdc , I got a return email from minelab after I explained the issue and it read

"We have had a few incidences where the PCB plug connections have not been fully pushed home, this has caused poor contact & several different faults.



Please return to the address below & we will inspect & return to you a quickly as possible. Turnaround time is with in 5days.



Regards,

Customer Service"

so its of to the doctors for my sdc and I will update you all when I get it swinging again , and thanks to Minelab for their rapid and courteous response.

The PCB problem is what I experienced, great response time by ML. Once I gave my report to the man on the ground the turn around time was 3 days at my GPO :D
 
I have been out of range for a while so my previous attempt at a reply was lost into the "somewheres".
So here is my experience with the SDC for any who wish to read.
At present I am using this machine to make my living, usually in a scrape and detect situation but also free ranging, so to speak. I have thousands of hours using it and it still is teaching me new things .
I run the beast as hot as I can, usually on 5 and with the threshold at max. I use headphones that are suited to me although I am presently modifying some ear protection muffs to try. The targets are easily heard through the chatter.

Nenad's idea of tuning it on 5 and then dropping it to 3 or 4 when the ground is difficult, is a winner. We stumbled on that a few months ago and it is good to see that I am not the only one who is imagining its benefits. If the first tuning doesn't sound right keep doing it until you are happy with it. A few minutes spent first thing in the day will pay dividends later. If the chatter gets too much, tune it again until it feels good again.

The green button does do things if you listen carefully. When an area gets unstable try ground balancing with it (I use short and slow up and downs) for ten seconds or more and then while keeping the button pressed slowly sweep over the ground. It appears to make a difference and even if it is totally useless it makes me feel better about detecting that area, which is the most important thing.
One hellaciously windy day the little machine was screaming at the wind so we shut down for a while. I have not experienced that since but it was difficult to say the least.
If you have a cellphone out with you, strange noises may appear from time to time as the phone accesses the towers. Fridges on the back of the ute can also give funny sounds.

My detecting style is with the coil scraping the ground (a skid plate is only 0.4 of a gram!) and it pays dividends. It takes time to identify the actual hotspot on your detector but it will hasten getting the target out of the ground and in your pocket, so it will be worth learning it.
I have heard many people explain that the SDC is only good for small shit near the surface. I disagree but if that is what they believe then that is what they will get. A lovely inverted "whoomp" was a 3 figure nugget at 400 mm (yes I measured it with a tape). It was quiet but easily recognised and as the hole deepened the target screamed like rubbish. Another similar sound was a large nut from the old stamping battery nearby, this time it was over 500 mm down. Again it was quiet to start with but that soon changed as we dug down.

The detector will tell you a lot of things if you listen to it. I listen to the "tail" of the sound to help in identifying the type of target. The tone or pitch of the "tail" helps me decide how to approach the target. If I believe it is rubbish the pick magnets get scraped through it and when the target disappears I move on. If it doesn't disappear I then rip out the top 50mm or so and section it into two piles. Target pile is then halved, halved again and again until I have a small spoonful to wave over the coil. target is then located and either in the kitty or the trash pile. Time is money as the saying goes and I don't make wages without that coil moving over the dirt. Of course the target may be deeper than 50mm so I keep using the same system until it is out, albeit the digging is often a lot deeper and less dignified. I have been described as a demented Rottweiler when digging deep noises.

My machines (I have a spare just in case) have the stupid armtrap thing modified with a piece of PVC pipe cut open and stuck to them with a 4500 armrest cover on it. The detector will not fold up quite as small but a folded detector is not working and it is a small price to pay. The handle can be padded with a soft padded tape to ease hand cramping. I also do not grip the handle, I let it hang down on my fingers. Swing speed is slow for me and hectic for my detecting partner. He hears what I can't at his speed and vice versa. Swing width is narrow for me and wide for him withe the same outcomes. I don't like the "yips" that I get as the coil angles away from the ground at the edge of the swing, he doesn't worry about it. It really does come down to personal preference, as is all that I have written above. If you are comfortable and confident with the machine the gold will find itself. If you are not comfortable and confident you will stuggle to find gold.

Batteries with large positive nipples are a must to prevent the shutdowns. Tape them if you wish as well. Some people claim that as the batteries discharge, the machine loses its depth. If that is what you believe then perhaps it is true but then you will also be constantly charging your cellphone and laptop to keep them working to their designed speed, won't you?

We definitely find more gold with them first thing in the morning. It could be a lot of things that cause this but I think this beaten up old body just doesn't perform like it used to thirty plus years ago. Cramping in the back, neck, arms and legs from a ten hour day behind a machine shouldn't affect my ability to hear faint sounds should it?
We now leave what we have done in the late afternoon/evening open and redo it in the morning, usually to our benefit with several scraps to start the new day.

Minelab have designed a superb machine electronically which is let down by the myriad of ergonomic issues that it has. I can spit dummy and focus on these problems or do my best to alleviate them and get on with learning more from what my headphones are telling me.

As always with free advice, you get what you pay for. This is what I do and think, your results may vary.

Happy hunting
 

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