Nexus Depth Revisited

Depth is a subject that I feel the need to revisit, my initial blog about "depth" can be read here How Deep Is Deep? Lets Get Some Perspective The subject of depth nearly always comes up when we discuss the ability of metal detectors, it can be quite a subjective topic but it's also one that can easily be misunderstood and over exaggerated. When people are brand loyal the depth of the detector their using can be wildly over blown, I've seen it many times. People will dig a coin at 9' inches and call it super deep, 9' inches isn't super deep and most units, including some Tesoro machines can achieve this with little bother. In regards to the top tech machines currently on the market I genuinely don't class any of them as deep seeking units, add highly mineralised ground into the equation and you'll be rather surprised at how much they struggle. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the tech units on the market are a "jack of all trades, master of none" set of devices.

I hear the statement "Depth Isn't Everything", which I agree with to a certain degree but if you enjoy hunting for the deeper targets then depth is everything. Nexus are deep seeking units, all the machines that have been produced over the 25 or so years of them being in business have been deep. Depth was the main focus and continues to be today, but the machines being produced have clearly evolved in other areas as well, but this blog isn't about that. Even going back all the way to the 300 euro machine called the Bonanza, that detector could easily hit a coin at 16' inches in the wet sand and the machine was pretty much as cheap and as simple as you could get. Also lets not forget the Nexus Standard SE and Coronado, both these machines were very deep especially when you take in to account when they manufactured.

Nexus Credo DDM

Nowadays in the oversaturated and painfully commercialised scene of metal detecting everyone is so quick to judge, it appears both logic and patience have flown completely out of the window. Many seem to come to concrete assumptions almost instantly when it comes to detectors and their performance. When I receive comments like "I've used the MP V3 for three days and I don't think it's a deep machine", or a new Nexus users posts a couple of videos from which people make the assumption that "it's not a deep machine". I genuinely have to wonder what mechanism is broken in their thought process, you can't judge fuck all by watching a couple of videos or by using a machine for a few days, a few years, yes, a few days, no.

Why Digging A Huge Hole & Burying A Coin Is Pointless

Many out there seem to think that digging a hole putting the coin in the bottom, filling the hole back up and then swinging over it gives you an idea of the depth of the machine being used. I've never seen so much bollocks in my life, I believe a coin needs to be in the ground for centuries for you to get a true example of the depth on any machine. When you dig the hole the soil becomes active and effects the results turning it into a form of air test. Also setting the machine to the lowest recovery speed is a joke as well, from experience with my Equinox 800, the lowest recovery is unusable on most terrain and pulls in so many false signals. All these types of videos are for clicks and likes, nothing more,  also air testing with modern tech machines doesn't represent the potential depth capabilities of anything.

Nexus Standard SE

I've pointed out before that I think most targets here in the UK are between 4 - 8 inches down and most signals I hit on in my videos, most machines could hit ... BUT! there's a small percentage of my finds that I know that none of the tech machines would get close to. After using my Equinox 800 heavily for two years I became very familiar with it's limitations especially when it came to how deep it could go and it's ability to discriminate at depth, I'd say it's performance is poor in both these areas. Obviously when you point something like this out, all the Detexperts and people clearly trying to get a sponsor from Minelab quickly come to the defence with comments like "you just don't have it set up correctly", when in reality this is crap. The Equinox is an easy machine to set up and the advanced settings really aren't advanced at all.

Below Is A Comprehensive Depth Test Between The Nexus MP V1 With A 10' Inch Coil And The Minelab Equinox 800 With The Stock 11' Inch Coil

I've said it time and time again, you can only find what's in the ground, if it's not there then you aren't going to find it - sounds like common sense right? wrong, it appears there's some people that just can't grasp this concept. If there aren't any deep items it doesn't matter if you have deep machine, but one thing is for sure, if there are deep items then I know I'm going to be alerted to their existence when using any of my Nexus machines. As we know there's a lot of elements when it comes to depth capabilities, one of them being the size of an object, if I'm digging coins, buckles and small to medium items from 12' inches and beyond then that starts to approach what I would call deep. "Really" deep to me is 14' inches and above, do I believe coin sized targets can sink this deep, yes I do especially if the ground has been worked through the centuries. BUT as mentioned before, most items settle at depths that are achievable by most of the mainstream units.

Taking into account that the Nexus Credo DDM was the mid level unit with a transmitter nowhere near the power of those housed in the MP series. The video below shows the machine with the dual 9' inch coil hitting on a thin piece of nonferrous material at a measured depth of 14' inches with an iron nail a good 5 inches above the target. Is the find historic? no it isn't but it's an impressive pull none the less, this easily could've been a treasure. Take note that the initial signal is strong so I have no doubt it would have hit on the same target a good few inches deeper. As stated above the signal was strong but it wasn't "banging", you have to tune your ears into how the threshold responds on the deeper targets.

Why Aren't I Digging Deep With Nexus?

The above question is multifaceted but I'll focus on a few main points, firstly you haven't walked over anything deep and second to that, you don't know what to listen for. Targets that are deep aren't going to bang your ears out, you need to know what a deep signal sounds like. This is where the correct setup of the machine is really important, you want to dial it in really tight to the land you're on so it's super smooth and you have to have a raised threshold, audible or just on the edge. You have to train your ears to hear the slight rise with the threshold tone, sometimes it can be a very weak lift with only a touch of colour on the RGB meter, other times it can be a rise in threshold with no RGB meter response at all. You can mistake these types of signals as false or just a tiny piece of trash, if you apply your mind you'll come to learn exactly what the deeper targets sound like, but you have to be patient and really need to have a hunger to master what the unit is telling you. Simply put, if you're only going for the painfully obvious signals then you will be missing the deep targets. 

Making Digging Deeper Easier

One of the most pointless exercises here is go to the trouble of saving your money for a deep seeking machine and then giving up on potentially deep signals. The first thing I recommend is a long bladed shovel, I use the root slayer that has a 13' inch blade. You want something that makes digging deeper easier, second to that you have to have a handheld pin-pointer. Thirdly and not really thought about is a second detector with a small coil on it, I use my Fisher F19 with the 5' inch search coil. When I've hit on what I believe to be a deep target, 9 times out of 10 I'll dig down to the full length of my shovel, once done, if I don't get a reading on my handheld pin-pointer then I'll use my F19 to check the hole. I think it's really important to adopt this approach because there's just no point in mastering deep seeking detectors if you're not going to follow through to the conclusion of each target you're digging. 

To sum up, if you're the type of person who gives up when you dig too deep then don't waste your money on Nexus. It needs to be understood that deep searching with a metal detector is a discipline all of its own and it requires a unique approach compared to general detecting. In the same way you master the audio when pulling targets from iron, you have to master the audio when you're over a deep signal. Remember that not all targets are going to register the same, some will be defined and others might be a gentle rise in the threshold. Anyone that turns around and says Nexus aren't deep detectors either haven't used one or don't know what to listen for.