How to use a Spectra V3 in prospecting mode the wrong way.
Well  this post is only to tell you of my first experience with Spectra V3.It is reflecting only my own view and any remarks here are made only to point out  a some of the future of Spectra which is more or less a long learning curve. Since then I completely changed view and I regard Spectra V3 as one of the  best VLF and never look back, so read with reserve.
First I did read and read  and watching videos which detector to buy, and finally decision was made. I want to have the latest gizmo in detecting.  Money at the time to consider buying the MinelabGPX, was a huge sum and I really like the look of Spectra. Not heavy ,balanced well and with Spectra in my hands I’m  not  like a Christmas tree either when I’m detecting. Needless to say a information on new Minelab was  there but I didn’t like  attitude to brash of anything which is only slightly different ,beside to buy and politely ask for forgiveness  that one have the guts to even consider something different. So I did order a Spectra V3 the guys at Gold search Australia, there all have huge knowledge and included to my surprise,  a stuff which I did not expect to come with order .My first trip to see potential of the machine and also to show my detecting friends I can shine on beach was in fact a trip to old goldfield near Braidwood. Well main reason for this was a rain and  wind on beaches, so went to  old goldfield instead. By the time we get there rain was gone and so here we go  I show you with my new toy how is done .In a minute or so I realised How wrong can Spectra be in inexperienced hands. I try to do set up but ups I forgot everything which I have the impression I know. Spectra has the very easy menu navigation on board ,but also have the live set up as well and that was holding  zoom, pressing arrow ,up x1,x2 sh..t done it again .Finally  go to prospecting mode sweet, but piece of cake I’m thinking. Wrong again you select a preference setting  with in a expert menu which will automatically stuff all things again, especially if you do not know where you are in menu.   The prospecting mode is also very funny if wrongly set up, the signal from detector is like if target was out there everywhere .I’m looking the others and off course my detector must be complete superior to any ,or completely stuff up as others quietly detecting when a  casual beep was heard but no target. Lucky for me I have the wireless headphones and no one hear all beep from the gold I was having in my ears. You will guess right I was digging and digging only to have lot’s of discovery of things ,that I didn’t know you can find with metal detector. I start blaming everything  from stupid worthless machine to whites manual  because I spend so much time on research, I could not be wrong it must be the timing, balance which this detector could not do and any other would be better .Blind with disappointments I was still try to dig ,but with more heat building up in my mine against  this funny little display up front of me .They must  trick me up to buy this and I’m stuck with this lemon, instead finding gold. How the thing will perform on beach I was screw, I will be hiding somewhere where no one see I try to detect. In the end I was the one with most  holes in ground, but no object  in my collection ,and no gold. No one find  gold that day ,but one things was for sure  and I learned since that day ,in prospecting mode use the visual reject off, bottle cup reject on, select sensitivity highest you can, use preferably all metal, sweep the coil fastest you can, tx boost on, auto track off and  three frequency on, you will dig and dig but you want have much success at all. All you will have is erratic and misbehaving detector with constant overload.. If you will be in basalt area you will have to listen to sound  you don’t want to hear. Complete stuff up. So there is how  not to use a spectra v3 in prospecting mode.. Lucky for me the Spectra V3  function in menu “restore save my day and manual which I read and read again to in the end listen to sweet song of beep –BEEP when I play with setting .If you consider to go with Spectra v3 don’t be afraid, just read and read and possibly take the manual with you on that day, you will have more success than I did with my first outing with  Spectra V3 long time ago.
Fenix