The Nexus Standard MP V3 'New Ways Of Thinking'

Before I write about the Nexus Standard MP V3 I'd like to touch on a few subjects so we can gain some perspective. This is going to be a long blog post but I want to communicate my thoughts correctly.

Amid the barrage of the latest 'new digital tech' machines that now appear to be coming out faster than ever before, I like to observe from a distance which way the wind starts to blow. Way back in my teens when I first swung my beloved Fisher 'beep & dig" detector, metal detecting was a fringe movement, I dare say that I was probably the only one in my town even doing it. Because there was no internet or social media you didn't really think about anything other than getting out there and digging. I only started to browse the detecting forums in the past year or so and to be honest it was something I decided to withdraw from pretty dam quick. As expected, 'like everything nowadays' you had silly childish bickering about 'the best machine', 'the deepest' blah blah ........ boring. Taking into account that it was fully grown adults literally sounding like school children I somewhat found myself worrying for the future of the gene pool. Many seem more bothered about having the "best" detector and looking the part more than actually getting out and detecting. There is no best machine, let's remember something here, you've got to walk over it to find it and most machines out there will detector a vast number of the items in the ground. You can't find what's not there.

Many will know who read my blogs, I was happy with my Equinox 800 but to me it just felt like 'detecting by numbers'. I felt a strange disconnect with the machine and I felt really limited, I don't buy into the latest tech, technology in all areas of our lives has a tendency to make things more convenient not necessarily better. I'll use 'spell check' as an example, it's very convenient to just tap a button and have all your spelling corrected but I actually prefer a dictionary, not only do you learn how to spell a word you also learn its meaning. When I was looking at different metal detectors I didn't want something that I just switched on and swung, I wanted to learn how to set a machine up myself and understand each function. I didn't want to use something that was limited due to the digital hardware that 'engineers' had cooked up in a factory somewhere.  

When I was thinking about wanting to make detecting a more intuitive experience, there was a very short period of time where I was looking forward to the Deus 2 and the new Nokta machine. But after some quiet analysis, were these machines really going to be much deeper and out perform my Equinox, I came to the conclusion that they wouldn't, they'd be 'much of a muchness'. The gadgets that these detectors have won't find me anymore metal in the ground than most already out there on the market. I found myself being pulled into the marketing hypnosis that the mainstream companies are so good at, it's this marketing that keeps people spending their hard earned money on machines that pretty much offer the same features just presented in a different format. Clearly with detectors turning digital there's be a huge leap forward in performance but there's part of me that just thinks 'metal detecting' has been pressed, printed and packaged for the masses. It's within the mainstream companies interest to produce products that make the hobby accesable to everyone, whatever their level of understanding. Don't get me wrong, for your average 'hobbyist' the machines available at all price points give people the opportunity to get out there and find some very cool history. For me though, I wanted something different. 

When I looked at what many wanted out of a machine it struck me that a lot of it actually had nothing to do with finding stuff in the ground. 

"Does a wireless coil find me more targets in the ground? no it doesn't, if anything, on certain occasions it might find me less because I have to abort a hunt early due to it running out of battery or not charging properly. Will a built in torch find me more targets in the ground? no it won't, in winter I use a head torch when it gets dark, I don't need a light on my machine draining the battery. Will a clock find me more targets in the ground? no it won't, if I want to know the time I'll look at my phone or watch. Does the coil wire being in the detectors shaft find me more in the ground? no it doesn't, it might look cool but when I'm in the fields I'm not at a fashion show, I want to find history"

And then we have the subject of target I.D, there's so much emphasis on this, it appears VDI numbers are the be all and end all, especially on targets at depth. No modern machine out there has reliable VDI at depth and if you have more than one target in the hole or under the coil then the numbers are all over the place. For me if it's non-ferrous I'll dig it up and depending on the site if it's ferrous I'll dig it up. Metal detecting has and will always be a tones game, it never has and never will be a numbers game, "at least for me". But as long as the mainstream companies keep making you think that it's all in the numbers then they will continue to surgically remove the hard-earned money from your pocket. To me VDI displays are the biggest 'red herring' in the metal detecting world. I understand that a lot of the park hunters over in America can find the VDI numbers helpful but at the end of the day, to be in with the best chance of finding the treasure you've got to dig. I've said it before "the more trash I dig the luckier I get".

So let us move on, whilst the masses waited with bated breath for the latest and greatest offerings from Minelab, Nokta and XP, Nexus were quietly completing the new Standard MP V3, it has been 10 years in the making, probably more. This was a milestone in more ways than one, firstly the V3 is going to take the flagship position away from the now classic Standard MP V2 and not only that, if Nexus release a new machine you know it's going to be something serious, new Nexus machines don't come along often. Firstly, does the V3 make the other machines in the Nexus back catalog obsolete? .. hell no way, I will use my Credo DDM and Standard MP V2 as much as I ever have, Nexus don't produce bad machines. It's not in the Nexus DNA to release a substandard product. Further evidence of this came with the redesign of the V3, when it was first announced a considerable amount of changes were made to make it a better all round detector. 

I initially chose Nexus because I wanted something different, I wanted to be able to have a machine I had complete control over, I didn't want any automation whatsoever. Not only that but they are really deep seeking machines with a vast amount of coil choices that cater for every situation. Not only do you get the depth but with the 24KHZ silver scout coils I can confidently say that the unmasking capabilities of both the V2 and V3 with these specific coils is unrivalled. I've had enough time in the field to confidently say that you've got to go a very long way to beat the Nexus performance, I don't believe you'll ever beat it on a digital platform. Now taking into account the stupidity of some out there, it might be at this point in the blog that I'm coming across as a shill for the company. The answer is simple, I'm not, I've spent a considerable amount of money with Nexus and I will continue to do so because I personally think they're worth every penny. I'd rather give my money to a guy that puts his heart and soul into his machines than a faceless entity from a huge organisation.

Nexus machines are not for the casual hobby detectorist they're a precision tool built with one thing in mind and that's to get the job done. There's no bells, whistles or gimmicks, everything on the machine is there for a purpose and you are responsible for setting it up correctly. One word of advice, it doesn't matter how long you've been detecting and how experienced you think you are, you have to throw every preconceived idea you have about metal detecting out the window when you pick up a Nexus. They're within a world of their own, they have their own language and to get the most out of the detector you have to learn to master the operation. I've read so many claims online about Nexus machines not running stable, that they're a pain to use, if setup correctly they are one of the most stable machines you'll ever experience. If people have had problems with instability it's because of one very simple fact, they didn't set it up properly. It's a very simple machine, stability is achieved through ground balance and threshold level. The threshold on the V3 is 'true' and super sensitive so it only needs to be at a barely audible level and it will latch smoothly on to targets both shallow and at extreme depths.

So let us start from the ground up, the V3 compared to the V2 is a super refined machine, from a distance it might look similar but that's where the comparison ends. The main differences are, the iron reject switch has been removed, it just wasn't relevant, if anything when you used iron reject mode you inhibited both depth, discrimination and overall performance. Secondly it doesn't have a sensitivity knob, the 'baseline' sensitivity on the V3 is set at a level that provides maximum performance without any loss of depth. Thirdly instead of a single ground balance control you have a dual control setting, GB coarse and GB fine, this allows you to eliminate the ground on a level that's never been achieved on previous Nexus models. Fourthly and the biggest addition of all is the VCO tones control, the VCO combined with the built in adaptable recovery speed means you can swing at any speed and the machine will lock on to targets with pinpoint accuracy. The VCO tones can be used in a number of ways that I'll explain later on, and lastly you have a low conductor and mid conductor control, this enables the LED bar to assign colours that let you know the conductivity of the target.

In regards to build quality the V3 like all Nexus machines is beautifully handcrafted using top quality materials, when you pick it up it feels like a real detector, it's solid and feels good in the hands. With the small coils it's balanced and a joy to swing, with the larger coils, 13' inch upwards it can feel a little heavy but I personally elevate this by using a swing harness. The battery housing lives underneath a very solid arm cuff, it takes 10 AA batteries, this helps to balance the machine. At the front of the battery housing you have your headphone socket and a small connection to be able to charge the batteries without having to remove them. Battery life may vary depending on what coil you're running but I get about 12 hours maybe a touch more from one full charge. Once again I see complaints about having to use so many batteries, but look at it this way, I carry 50 batteries in my back pack and it's no bother changing them whilst out in the field. I'd rather have the option to change them than have to go home because my machine has died during a hunt. 

The shaft section that holds the coil has a metal stopper that slots in place via a hole in the secondary shaft, the secondary shaft uses cam locks that are slightly longer than the standard size ones to secure the lower shaft in place. It feels solid when you swing and there's no wobble. The coil connects to the lower shaft via a tough plastic screw, all the coil ears on all the coils are super solid and strong, you will not break them. In over 20 years of Nexus trading there's been zero reports of coil ears breaking. Moving on, the unit that houses the electronics is strong, sturdy and hardwearing, it has a smooth matte finish, all the knobs and switches are solid and strangely satisfying to turn, especially the 10 turn potentiometer which is used to ground balance the machine. The 10 turn potentiometer has a small locking device that stops it from being accidentally moved once set.

Let's move on to the operation, it's really very simple but this appears to be the subject of confusion for some people out there. I get tired of reading comments about the apparent instability of Nexus machines, I've already mentioned this, when setup correctly the performance is faultless. On the new V3 you have a series of elements, that apply for all Nexus machines, that need to be correct in order to get the most out of it. These elements are listed below:

1. Correct Ground Balance

2. Correct Threshold Level

3. Correct Coil Height

4. Correct Swing Technique 

A Note About Ground Balance

When ground balancing the machine you have to find ground clear of any metal objects, this can be tricky on some sites. If you're having a hard time finding clear ground, slowly walk around raising and lifting the coil as you go. When you're over metal you'll get a loud response either raising or lowering the coil, or both, when you hit a clear patch the detector will suddenly 'phase in'. What I mean by this is, there won't be a loud ground response when lifting and lowering the coil, from this spot start the ground balance procedure.

Everything stems from the ground balance so it's important that you understand how to do it correctly, the simple way to explain this is, you're wanting a consistent threshold tone when you raise and lower the coil to and from the ground. When I set the ground balance I have the threshold a touch below the 12 o'clock position, once ground balance is complete I'll turn it down a touch. The GB COARSE knob is the one you start with first, position this in a 12 o'clock position, you simply raise and the lower the coil, if there's noise when you raise it, turn the coarse knob to the right, if there's noise when you lower it, turn the coarse knob to the left. You'll find with the coarse knob that you'll hit a sweet spot where you get 'minor noise' raising and lowering the coil at the same time. It's at this point you move to the GB FINE which is the 10 turn potentiometer, continue to lower and raise the coil using the same principle - noise raising the coil - turn knob right - noise lowering the coil - turn knob left. Use the GB FINE to eliminate any further ground noise, once I've done this, depending on the stability of the machine I might' very slightly tweak the GB COURSE again. I recommend that you practice this procedure until you feel really comfortable with it, it sounds more complicated written down, it's not hard to grasp. 

Because the V3 is such a precision tool it will change depending on ground conditions, for instance if there's a part of a field that goes from dry to damp or wet, you will need to adjust the ground balance. Many people state you can't tell if it's ground balanced correctly - Yes you can, the machine will tell you, you'll find that you start to get excess ground noise. If this occurs simply tweak the machine to dial it back in, it pays to check the balance every so often when in the field so you can make sure it's always running as stable as possible. So in coordination with the ground balance you then move onto the threshold, the Nexus threshold is 'true', it's wired into the ground balance circuit so its response is acute. It's this that will notify you of the potential targets at extreme depth, I always set it at a "audible" level, this way it rises and latches on to targets beautifully, you don't need to use it loudly with a continuous hum. Because the V3 is so sensitive, you're always going to get a little response from the ground, you use the threshold to phase out any remaining noise after the ground balance procedure is complete. One point I'd like to make, when ground balancing Nexus machines I've seen people shaking the detector up and down wildly turning the knobs recklessly. This isn't how it's done, take it slow and steady, adjust in small increments as you go, when you lower the coil make sure each time you do it, it's at the same distance from the ground.  

Let's move on to coil height, this appears to be another area that causes confusion, you don't scrub Nexus coils on the ground. They need to be swung, 'depending on coil size' at least 3' inches off the ground, with the dual 20' inch coil, up to 15 cm off the ground. Let me try to explain this, you want to swing the coil the same height you ground balanced it at, this means that ground noise will be minimum to non- existent and with a tweak of the threshold, ridiculously silent and stable. All these elements combined mean that the detector will only sound off on metal objects in the ground, the ground itself will be near invisible thus enabling the machine to hit on targets at extreme depths. The final element that's really important is swing speed consistency, you want a slow smooth swing speed to get the most out of the machine, you're wanting to keep the coil at the same flat angle to the ground. Swinging the machine in this way allows all the elements I've explained above to work together which in turn enables the machine to operate at optimum levels. One last note on the Threshold, the level you have it set at varies depending on the size and frequency of the coil you're using, you'll have to experiment to find out what works best for you.

If all the above sounds like too much hard work then Nexus really isn't for you.

Moving on to the discrimination, the other element that makes Nexus unique to anything else out there is the ability to discriminate out large iron objects and still maintain the ability to pick up tiny non-ferrous targets. One point that's important to understand is .. all the low frequency DD coils are not designed to unmask non ferrous targets next to or under iron. These are general search coils optimised for depth, they isolate targets very well on trashy sites but for unrivalled separation and unmasking abilities then it's the silver scout coils that you want. You'll find, when using the low frequency coils, you don't have to set the discrimination as high as you do when using the silver scout. For the silver scouts you need to find the sweet spot on the discrimination dial that allows the machine to see the non ferrous target close to iron without discriminating it out completely. When you find the sweet spot, iron will be rejected, the non-ferrous will be detected. When using all coils, depending on the site I'm hunting, I will carry a large selection of iron nails with me and will discriminate until it phases out the iron nail/nails I've selected. The iron nails below have come from old fields and the River Thames foreshore.

There are two videos below, the first one is an unmasking demonstration using the 11.5' SS coil on the V3 using VCO tone. The second is demonstrating how the machine can phase out large iron and still hit on tiny non ferrous targets. 

Let's move onto the LC-MC control, this rotary control is used to turn on/off the RGB meter and/or to set the cut off point between low conductors and medium conductors. For example in some cases when hammered gold coins may be preferable, you can set them on the meter as a low conductor (even though they can normally read as medium-low conductor), this will enable all other targets to be ignored without the potential loss of hammered silver and hammered gold coins. This type of setting could be useful on sites littered with useless non-ferrous targets with conductivity higher than the desired small gold and hammered silver coins. Now to be honest I don't pay any attention to the actual colour of the LED, if I can get a two way hit then I will dig the target, also depending on the RGB response I will dig if I can get a hit one way. So to put the above into the simplest form possible.

Green Indicates only the lowest conductors, such as Gold coins and small Aluminium fragments.

Orange Indicates everything between Lead, Copper and Bronze.

Purple / White Indicates mostly Silver targets, in these colours very large metal targets will also be displayed as high conductors.

No Colour Only Audio - Will always indicate iron 

Below is a basic demonstration of the RGB meter, NOTE "This is with the dial set at zero, colours aren't to be taken as gospel", results will vary depending where you have the dial set.  Obviously conductors that fall in the same range as gold and silver will produce the same colours. Most old coins will come in orange as well.

Continuing to talk about the LED/RGB meter, this is super sensitive and far more responsive than all previous Nexus machines. Once the V3 has been setup and you start swinging, the RGB meter will be rather lively but you're going for the targets that hit with both the audio and the meter working in unison. What I mean by this is, you get a solid hit with audio and meter combined as you swing left to right and right to left. Shallow targets will have a 'thump' to them, deeper or smaller signals will have a 'smoothness' combined with a slightly muted audio and a rise in the threshold. One thing to always keep in mind, initially some non ferrous targets might only give a one way hit on the RGB meter, this can be caused by targets sitting at weird angles or items that are weird shapes or eroded, for example, a worn away button. It's important to analyse these targets because you should be able to get a 'two way hit' from at least one angle when you rotate on it 360. 

NOTE - Some really deep targets might not trigger the RGB meter but can clearly be identified with the VCO audio.

However, 'and this is really important to note' some targets might only give an RGB indication one way, these types of signals tend to initially hit strong, the RGB will move up progressively. As you rotate you will continue to get a hit from one direction. Over time you will start to understand the difference between a non-ferrous target hitting from one direction and a false signal. To master this you need to spend time with the machine, if in doubt dig. Something else to point out, targets that only give a response one way can change when you open the ground, meaning that a target that initially gave a one way will now hit both ways. Because the RGB meter is a visual tool, you have a visual representation of 'falsing', this can confuse people, you'll find that when the machine goes over large iron it might false off on one specific edge, this can be confirmed by switching to VCO audio, you'll get the low tone of iron with a high tone on the specific area of the iron that's making it false. 

How Do I Identify False Signals?

This is very simple, you rotate on the target or area you suspect your getting the false hit from and turn 360 on it, you'll find the RGB meter will shoot up to the top and go straight back down again, "just like a rev counter in a car when you press your foot on the pedal quickly and then take it off". You'll find that however much you rotate on the target you won't get a two way hit. But another thing to consider here, "when using the low frequency coils", is a potential non-ferrous target on the edge of iron. The two scenarios can have a very similar audio response so if in doubt - dig it out. You can turn your discrimination up to remove the falsing issue but I personally like to have it as low as I can get away with. When using the low frequency coils I find the 12 o'clock position the perfect place to have the discrimination set to.

For More Information On Target response click here Nexus Standard MP V3 Target Response Explained

Moving on to the VCO tones, this control enables the VCO multi tones to engage, the V3 is a single tone machine when VCO audio isn't engaged. It is recommended that this control is set to a medium position on the scale so that both high tones and low tones can arise from the medium VCO tone. If the VCO knob is set fully anticlockwise this will give preference to high tones, which can help in soil conditions where deep small non-ferrous targets are difficult to identify. This setting will also tend to bring in some iron targets to sound non-ferrous. If the VCO knob is set fully clockwise, then low tones will be dominant and small non-ferrous targets will sound in high frequency closer to the search coil. In other words the depth of discrimination will be reduced and some non-ferrous targets will be recovered at shallower depths. I don't recommend using VCO tones exclusively on busy ground where there's loads of mixed signals, however on quiet ground it makes for a pleasurable hunting experience and because of the adaptable recovery speed you can swing fast or slow. If you choose to use VCO tones exclusively I suggest you lower the threshold. Personally I use VCO more to help identify targets and help pin point signals when using larger coils. When the target is directly in the centre of the coil the audio will be at its loudest and most pronounced. Also once you feel you've pinpointed the signal you can actually hold the coil static over the target and the tone will continue for about 3 seconds. You have to remember that there is no pinpoint feature on the V3 so you have to use the "X"ing technique. After a little practice you'll get the hang of it. 

Other features of the V3 are battery check, this is self explanatory, you switch the switch upwards and the RGB meter will indicate the remaining battery life, and finally you have the mineral power switch that enables the mineral power 10 turn potentiometer to engage. This is only to be used on severely mineralised ground, here in the UK this control won't be needed, if it is it will be on very rare occasions. This control enables the machine to be dialled into extreme ground with chronic mineralisation, magnetic, black sand etc. It's this control that basically makes the V3, just like the V2, a master on all terrains. You will lose a bit of depth when this control is active, but losing depth on a Nexus machine still allows it to operate deeper than most other machines out there. I think I've pretty much covered everything, there really isn't a huge amount of features, it's a very straightforward machine to use, it's just a case of having the patience to apply your mind.  If you get the four main elements that I listed earlier correct then you're flying.

Some Might Be Wondering What the MP Stands for?

It stands for mineral power the other aspect that makes the MP series of machines completely unique is their ability to detect in the ground deeper than in air. Nexus have put plenty of videos out demonstrating this. The machine uses the ground conductivity to enhance the detection of metal objects. The measured improvement of signal detection in the ground compared to air is 12/14%, this has been proved many times with targets that I've dug myself. Not only this, the MP series can detect targets under highly mineralised rocks and bricks, you simply balance the "said rock and brick" out during the ground balance procedure. So when you add all of this together you're getting a very sophisticated machine that will deal with any situation you choose to use it in - other than water hunting and deep sea diving, the control box isn't waterproof. 

So to wrap things up, firstly this isn't an analogue/versus digital discussion, there's loads of fantastic machines on the market geared for all levels of experience. Is the MP V3 the 'best' machine out there, the 'best' means many things to different people, let me put it this way, it's the 'best' for me, it might not be the 'best' for you. We all detect for different reasons, some just want a cheap machine to have fun on the beaches, others want something a little more refined, others want to use the high-end tech products ..... each to their own, it's not a competition. Metal detecting is an amazing hobby in more ways than one, it's about using a machine you can afford and one you feel comfortable with. For me I love the Nexus platform, I love all my machines and they suit my way of hunting perfectly. Both the detectors and the vast array of 'hand-built' coils, dual and single are completely unique, there's nothing out there like them and that's a huge part of what interests me so much. Those involved in Nexus are good, honest hardworking people that have a unique perspective when it comes to metal detectors, as long as they keep producing quality products I will continue to buy them.

Side Note

There will actually be a whole new range of dual coils built for the V3 that will also be compatible with the V2. 

CLICK HERE FOR NEXUS WEBSITE

Demonstration of the Nexus Standard MP V2 detecting gold through heavy mineralised/magnetic rocks. Take note the V3 outperforms the V2 in every area.

If you have any questions about Nexus you can message me through the sidebar on the left of the blog