Explorer II

I am using a DFX which is my favorite machine. I am thinking of getting the Explorer II when I get home from vacation around the end of July.
Kellyco seems to have a good price with lots of extras.

But I do have a question or two. How long is the guarantee on their machines. I read where it goes from 1.5 KHz to 100 kHz. Does this mean that you have to enter the high end in and also the low end or does it transmit on them all at once and then get displayed on the screen? Does anyone have any suggestions on which coil or coils I should get? How much heavier is it than the DFX? Is it a turn and go machine or how hard is it to get used to. I hear it is a hard machine to learn.
thank you for any suggestions.

[DougsGraphics]

Hi!
I got my ExII back at the start of April and have loved it. I'm still getting to know it, but it has been very reliable and consistent. I also got mine from KellyCo. It came with lots of extras, including an extended service plan. The regular waranty is for 2 years on the electronics, one year on the coil. The extended plan picks up after the waranty runs out, but it is not clear for how long it covers now that I look at it (anyone know?).

The ExII simultaneously transmits on 28 frequencies and appears to procees the data well. If you move the coil too fast, you'll get some extra "hits" on items your descriminating out -- slow down, and they descriminate indicated by the background hum going quiet as the coil passes over. It has a couple display options, I usually opt for a graphic representation of iron content vs conductivity over the digital display.

It performs great right out of the box for most hunting. I've only begun to check out all the custom features (it has built in discrim maps for lots of items or you can program your own and store them). I've played a bit with using the learn feature to descriminate out all signals except the target I'm looking for and that worked well. The only bug I have with the machine is it is not the best pinpointer in the world, though I'm finding that with practice I'm getting better, indicating some user error. It may be related to the standard issue D-coil? I have no idea what other coils to look into -- I'm holding off on that for the future.

Anyway, best of luck. You can find the full manual available on-line at minelab's web page. If you request, they'll even send you their DVD training presentation on the machine -- I have yet to look at all the contents on that...

Doug

[TonyinCT]

First of all , the price on any detector is the lowest allowed by the manufacturer and ALL authorized dealers sell for the same max low price. Most of the extras that are thrown in from Kellyco are junk and also some of them come from the manufacturer but they tend to make you think that THEY are giving them away to you.
With all that being said, the EXII is one of the best detectors out if not the best in most conditions. It is heavier than the DFX and will take some extra time to understand what its telling you but like anything else thats worhth the effort it will always take some time . The pinpointing is tougher since you're using a DD coil and not a concentric but the advantage is better depth in higher mineralized soil. The warranty is 2 years. All of the frequencies are "transmitted" at the same time. Actually it is one frequency that is transmitted and then there are several harmonic frequencies that are attached to the one for a total of 28. All in all it is a great detector if you're willing to take some time with it.
If you need anything else please let me know.

[John's Detectors]

I agree with Tony and this is a serious piece of equipment and yes any and all Minelab dealers have the same price. So this instrument will take sometime to learn. So Boobie I don't think you will be able to find an instrument that has been designed and engineered as well as the Explorer II. Minelab put some serious R&D into this one. Give us a call if you have any questions and I think Greg would be a wealth of information too. God Bless Boobie.

John Tomlinson, CET
John's Detectors
Best in the West !