Minelab Vanquish (340 440 540) tips and questions

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Just curious, what exactly are the operating frequencies it runs at? Even the website just lists it as multi iq. If you look at say the Nox it lists them even though I do get that they are individually selectable.
 
Embers said:
Just curious, what exactly are the operating frequencies it runs at? Even the website just lists it as multi iq. If you look at say the Nox it lists them even though I do get that they are individually selectable.
I was told 3 ....7... .and 11khz. :Y:
 
Smoky bandit said:
Embers said:
Just curious, what exactly are the operating frequencies it runs at? Even the website just lists it as multi iq. If you look at say the Nox it lists them even though I do get that they are individually selectable.
I was told 3 ....7... .and 11khz. :Y:
11kz is like an Aldi detector !!!!
 
mudgee hunter said:
Smoky bandit said:
Embers said:
Just curious, what exactly are the operating frequencies it runs at? Even the website just lists it as multi iq. If you look at say the Nox it lists them even though I do get that they are individually selectable.
I was told 3 ....7... .and 11khz. :Y:
11kz is like an Aldi detector !!!!
Aldi is about 7.5...
 
Smoky bandit said:
mudgee hunter said:
Smoky bandit said:
Embers said:
Just curious, what exactly are the operating frequencies it runs at? Even the website just lists it as multi iq. If you look at say the Nox it lists them even though I do get that they are individually selectable.
I was told 3 ....7... .and 11khz. :Y:
11kz is like an Aldi detector !!!!
Aldi is about 7.5...
Much the same......
 
That's a decent impressive price for what you get.
Heard and seen good reviews on YouTube etc.
Well with waiting a bit longer and buying the monster.
Sending my bug2 away for repair.
If it's a write off, my irresponsible mate will be shouting me a monster I think.
* tip.
Don't leave a detector out in 25mm of rain over night!
I wouldn't even do it with an SDC!
 
Hi all! Ok I've just bought the 540 from anaconda for $479 club price. I'm yet to unbox it also yet to understand exactly why I bought it?!?!

Anyhow , I'll give it a crack , see how it goes compared to my xterra , and will either post my thoughts on this new red machine here or perhaps start a new thread.

Stay tuned....... :)

Edit to add that Anaconda has some decent sale prices on their range of detectors at the moment. Check their site out.
 
No problem Ded, $11 is not much of a saving for being a club member,members prices are usually much better than that at Anaconda.
 
Using my FIFO mate's Vanquish 540 atm - at first look I like what it does but this is my first play with a dedicated relic machine from Minelab.
Did some testing yesterday to get my head around the 540's Discrimination Patterns (I am using Coin search mode only with the V12 coil) so I could use them to zero in on an "allegedly" buried (& lost) bunch of 10 Krugerrands in steel, copper & aluminium trashy dirt ground.

Mr Google says:
The Krugerrand is 32.77 millimetres (1.290 in) in diameter and 2.84 millimetres (0.112 in) thick. The Krugerrand's actual weight is 1 111 troy ounces (34 g). It is minted from gold alloy that is 91.67% pure (22 karats), so the coin contains one troy ounce (31.1035 g) of gold.
Value: 1 troy oz. fine gold
Mass: 33.93 g (1.09 troy oz)
Composition: Gold (91.67% Au, 8.33% Cu)

Therefore the 10 Krugerrands (allegedly in a glass jar with ferrous lid) should be a concentrated/large target of 339.3g of fine gold.

Can any V540 experienced forum member give me any tips about what Discrimination Pattern I should be using for such a large gold target?
My inexperienced mind says to set the pattern to ignore any target ID that is not in the 30 to 40 range.
Is this a good strategy or are there other factors I am not aware of?

My testing consisted of 3 test targets - a 4gm gold nugget + ferrous brick tie + plastic bottle containing 5x$1+5$2 coins.
The pattern (in coin search mode with V12 coil) was set to ignore any target ID was not in the 30 to 40 range.
Result - the V540 did not pick up any of the 3 test targets when I was expecting a strong response from the coins & a weak response from the small nugget.

Grateful for any knowledgeable advice or suggestions.
PM me if like.
 
2020Jed said:
Therefore the 10 Krugerrands (allegedly in a glass jar with ferrous lid) should be a concentrated/large target of 339.3g of fine gold.

My testing consisted of 3 test targets - a 4gm gold nugget + ferrous brick tie + plastic bottle containing 5x$1+5$2 coins.
The pattern (in coin search mode with V12 coil) was set to ignore any target ID was not in the 30 to 40 range.
Result - the V540 did not pick up any of the 3 test targets when I was expecting a strong response from the coins & a weak response from the small nugget.

Unfortunately, your basic assumption is incorrect, regardless of the detector used, as multiple smaller targets DO NOT equal a single, larger target. Detectors respond to target surface area, so a buried vertical stack of coins doesn't register as much larger than the upper surface of the topmost coin in the stack. If the coins are in a random pile rather than stacked, that's somewhat of an improvement as more surface area is exposed and if they're lying flat and adjacent, that's better still.

Life wasn't meant to be easy! ;)
 
2020Jed said:
Using my FIFO mate's Vanquish 540 atm - at first look I like what it does but this is my first play with a dedicated relic machine from Minelab.
Did some testing yesterday to get my head around the 540's Discrimination Patterns (I am using Coin search mode only with the V12 coil) so I could use them to zero in on an "allegedly" buried (& lost) bunch of 10 Krugerrands in steel, copper & aluminium trashy dirt ground.

Mr Google says:
The Krugerrand is 32.77 millimetres (1.290 in) in diameter and 2.84 millimetres (0.112 in) thick. The Krugerrand's actual weight is 1 111 troy ounces (34 g). It is minted from gold alloy that is 91.67% pure (22 karats), so the coin contains one troy ounce (31.1035 g) of gold.
Value: 1 troy oz. fine gold
Mass: 33.93 g (1.09 troy oz)
Composition: Gold (91.67% Au, 8.33% Cu)

Therefore the 10 Krugerrands (allegedly in a glass jar with ferrous lid) should be a concentrated/large target of 339.3g of fine gold.

Can any V540 experienced forum member give me any tips about what Discrimination Pattern I should be using for such a large gold target?
My inexperienced mind says to set the pattern to ignore any target ID that is not in the 30 to 40 range.
Is this a good strategy or are there other factors I am not aware of?

My testing consisted of 3 test targets - a 4gm gold nugget + ferrous brick tie + plastic bottle containing 5x$1+5$2 coins.
The pattern (in coin search mode with V12 coil) was set to ignore any target ID was not in the 30 to 40 range.
Result - the V540 did not pick up any of the 3 test targets when I was expecting a strong response from the coins & a weak response from the small nugget.

Grateful for any knowledgeable advice or suggestions.
PM me if like.

I'm not familiar with the details of the V540's notch discrimination system, but the upper limit of your discrimination setting is almost certainly causing a problem. I'm assuming you set this at 40 to avoid the copper and aluminium trash? Small ferrous trash (iron/steel) is relatively easy to discriminate out and small aluminium foil shreds can usually be blocked too, but discrimination settings higher than this risk blocking desirable targets. You probably cannot search for a medium/high conductivity target such as 22 karat gold AND eliminate high conductivity copper and aluminium at the same time, as the target ID numbers will likely overlap.

Incidentally, neither a natural gold nugget nor a $1/$2 coin will give you clear guidance as to the likely target ID for a 22 karat Krugerrand. I'd guess that a Krugerrand would produce a higher ID number than a $1.
 
Thx grubstake for pointing out this basic mistake in my assumptions - due to caring duties with the wife for my mother-in-law (recently departed) I have not been detecting for a number of years. My plan was to be in the Pilbara at this time (as a grey nomad) but alas along came the CV19 pandemic & WA restrictions. Thought my mates problem was a good alternative to get back into the swing of things (excuse the pun! :lol: )
 

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