Minelab X-Terra 705 Review

Minelab X-Terra 705 Overview

Minelab X-Terra is a versatile, all-purpose and close-to-all-terrain metal detector proper for highly mineralized grounds, and can even facilitate some shallow water search. It is lightweight, powered with 4 AA batteries, and is given 3 years warranty by the manufacturer, underlining its durability and reliability.

Minelab-X-Terra-705 is one of those detectors that are full of different features, and by tweaking those features the user can achieve different effects for different purposes. One of the best things about X-Terra 705 is that it is fit for beginner detectorists, but the machine has so much potential in it that the user will be able to learn and grow together with this machine, without the need to substitute it with a more complicated device in no time.

Control Box

The Control box for X-Terra 705 is equipped with a backlit LCD display showing additional indicators and target information. The Control panel has the following controls: On\Off button, Discrimination patterns, Modes button, Iron Mask, Menu\Select button, Backlight button, Accept\Reject, Tracking, Pinpoint\Detect button, and Ground Balance button.

The LCD display indicators layout includes: Target ID stability, Backlight, Headphones, Battery Charge, All Metal pattern, Patterns, Iron Mask, Target ID, Discrimination Scale, Modes, Tracking, Depth indicator, Pinpoint, and Menu scale. To be honest, this control panel will need some mastering, because it has so many controls and indicators, and to use it promptly and effectively, the detectorist has to get used to it, and know exactly what feature is tuned by what control. However, these settings make X-Terra 705 so versatile, so they are worth learning.

Minelab X-Terra 705 Features

Minelab X-Terra 705 is a versatile all-purpose, all-terrain metal detector, and due to being so versatile – or rather, in order to be so versatile! – it contains a bunch of different features that enable the user to operate successfully under different conditions. If you check out the list of features explained below, you will see what opportunities (often unique) are provided by this X-Terra 705 metal detector.

• VFLEX technology – this unique technology allows the user to change the operating frequency of the metal detector by changing compatible coils. This way, you get a VLF detector and you can choose what frequency to use
• waterproof search coil – while not having the Control box protected from water is definitely a disadvantage, the coil is waterproof, allowing metal detecting in wet grass, on wet sand, or even in shallow water.
• LCD display – indicators on the LCD display provide additional information about settings and targets, and help the operator to interpret the signals better.
• VDI Target ID – this feature assigns numerical segments to different types of targets spotted, suggesting the type depending on the chemical composition guessed from the item’s response to the electromagnetic field of the search coil.
• Auto\Manual Ground Balance – Automatic Ground Balance is perfect for effective tracking of the soil mineralization levels, while Manual Ground Balance is handy for unusual environments or targets
• Two Types of Pinpoint – most metal detectors that have Pinpoint mode included offer only one type of it. However, with X-Terra 705 you’ve got two! More on this feature below.
• Adjustable Iron Mask – this feature enhances signals from targets located close to ferrous metals, and removes response from ferrous items to the possible degree.
• Noise Balance – when the metal detector starts giving false signals, or becomes noisy due to the electromagnetic interference from power lines or other metal detectors around, this feature changes the channel slightly to fall out of resonance with the sources of noise.

VFLEX Technology

Most metal detectors offer one, or multiple, operating frequencies, but overall, there is no option of changing the frequencies if you have only one single frequency. However, Minelab decided to overcome this issue in a very unique way. They made X-Terra 705 a single frequency machine, which makes it simple for beginner users to master. At the same time, the user can change the operating frequency of the machine by changing the search coil. This is a cool feature that makes the machine more versatile but not over complicated in terms of settings. Moreover, the VFLEX allows frequency shift to avoid electromagnetic interference and noise.

Two Pinpoint Modes

There are two Pinpoint modes – one is Auto Mode, the other is Sizing mode. Auto mode allows you to spot targets more accurately to start digging. Sizing mode is pretty much self-explanatory – it allows to find out and evaluate the expected size of the target. Auto Pinpoint mode slowly reduces the response of the target until it only gets the strongest signals from the center of the target, thus revealing its specific location. However, if you want to know the approximate size of the target, you can research the perimeter of the patch above the target using Sizing mode.

Iron Masking

One of the problems when metal detecting is ferrous targets, and not because users have to dig them, because most metal detectors indeed show ferrous items or trash well. The biggest problem is that ferrous items give a powerful response to the electromagnetic field, which masks response from any other items located nearby, giving a weaker response due to the different chemical composition. If the metal detector has low Recovery Speed, medium quality Discrimination, or no Iron Mask feature, the treasure hunter will spot less valuable objects on trashe locations, because response from valuable objects will be masked by the iron. This can be avoided, however, with the Iron Mask feature in X-Terra 705 by Minelab. This feature allows you to see ferrous items and not dig them, but it also allows you to get signals from other items nearby.

Minelab X-Terra 705 Search Coils

The default search coil you get in the kit with the X-Terra 705 is a 9 inches concentric waterproof coil with the operating frequency of 7.5kHz. The size, shape, and configuration of this coil make it really versatile and multi-purpose, working well on all types of locations.

However, there are several other compatible Minelab X Terra 705 coils available for this metal detector. Every compatible coil has another operating frequency made available, or a Double D configuration, to facilitate this or that type of search, or help the metal detector adapt to different environmental conditions.

Coil Frequencies

The frequencies available are as follows:

• concentric low (3 kHz) – the best frequency-configuration combination to search for larger and deeper targets. Features smooth spotting of conductive targets, and has a better iron rejection
• concentric high (18.75 kHz) – this combo is suitable for smaller and shallower targets, for less conductive targets, and for gold nuggets
• DD medium (7.5 kHz) – suggests better ground balance and nice detecting depth
• DD high (18.75 kHz) – offers enhanced ground balance, and is perfect for gold prospecting, and for search on highly mineralized or ferrous grounds like black sands

Minelab X-Terra 705 Settings

Since the Minelab X-Terra 705 metal detector is so versatile and full of features, some settings can be a bit complicated to master. Here, we will provide a couple of recommendations to pay attention to in the first place. Even if you do not have your X-Terra 705 yet, this section will give you a fuller picture of the tuning and settings provided.

When you deal with different locations or environments, you may want to tweak the Sensitivity a bit. If you are a beginner, the best approach is to start with low Sensitivity, and increase it slowly as you get used to the metal detector, its signals, the type of soil, and the types of items you usually hit.

When you reduce Sensitivity, the metal detector becomes more stable and filters off the noise and false signals. However, it can also silence faint signals from good targets. When you get used to the Minelab X Terra 705 best settings, try increasing the Sensitivity to the highest level possible before you start getting false signals. This way, you get close to the optimal performance.

However, sometimes decreasing Sensitivity is not an option, in case you get noise from electromagnetic interference. This way, you will decrease the Sensitivity down and bury it in the ground, but since the source of the electromagnetic interference like power lines is still there, you will not get any results. To deal with the problem, leave the sensitivity alone, and use Noise cancellation channels. This feature will shift the frequency a bit to make your metal detector fall out of resonance with the source of the noise, and you will be able to continue searching without losing the optimal sensitivity. When you choose the Noise cancellation channel, make sure you hold the coil horizontally above the ground.

Minelab X Terra 705 VDI Chart

To analyze the signals better, the metal detectorist can take advantage of the VDI Target ID chart, and do not rely only on the audio signal. The more information the metal detector gives you about the target, the more informed decision you can make on it. The chart below is only a reference, and in the field, the data may vary, but you can still check out the numbers.

Minelab X-Terra 705 Problems

As most metal detectors released before updatable software turned from optional into must have, Minelab X-Terra 705 cannot have its software updated online. While this is not really a big deal, because the metal detector is full of necessary features, it could have saved the day for those machines that develop bugs over time. However, this is not the case, no bugs can be fixed with online updates, and if you have any issues with the metal detector, you will have to contact Minelab and ask for repair. One of such minor issues is sound starting to behave weirdly in the metal detector, which often happens due to minor software bugs.

There is one more problem many users of Minelab X-Terra 705 often face, and unfortunately this problem cannot be solved with an online update. This is control box buttons getting broken. According to the global community feedback, this is one of the most frequent breakages in X-Terra 705.

Tips & Tricks for Minelab X-Terra 705 Users

There are a couple of Minelab X Terra 705 tips and tricks potential owners of this machine may take advantage of.

As you know, X-Terra 705 uses speaker for the audio signals, but it also has a plug for headphones, although the headphones are not included into the kit. Just to let you know – the metal detector allows separate settings saved for the Speaker Threshold and Headphones Threshold. When you connect the headset, the corresponding settings get switched on automatically (pretty much like in laptops). If you tune the Threshold with headphones in, the settings will be applied to headphones. If you tune the Threshold with headphones unplugged, the settings will be applied to the speaker.

If you possess more advanced metal detecting skills, you may want to experiment with the Ground balance tracking function to get better results on highly mineralized soils, or very mildly mineralized soils. If you metal detect in mild soils and want to see small and faint targets, you may want to get a bit negative Ground balance, for the targets to really pop up against the mild soil background. On highly mineralized soils, you may want a more positive Ground Balance, to make the background mineralization a norm, and as a result, to be able to see “hotter” and “colder” rocks against this background.

Minelab X-Terra 705 Accessories

There are few accessories you can get for the X-Terra 705. The most important accessory you may want to get is headphones. Unfortunately, there is only the wired headphones option, and no wireless technology is available. Check out the local retailer to see what compatible headphones by Minelab they have to fit for X-Terra 705.

Minelab X-Terra 705 Kit

Minelab gives a humble kit with the X-Terra 705 including the following items:

• metal detector
• default search coil
• user’s manual
• warranty card

If you would like to get a bit more accessories, for example headphones and a pinpointer, check out bundles and packages provided by your local retailers, or by bigger international platforms. They usually have some attractive offers.

Minelab X-Terra 705 Manual

Minelab X-Terra 705 is pretty much user-friendly and even beginner-level treasure hunters will be able to master the learning curve and manage the settings. However, to really do that and avoid widespread mistakes, it is necessary to learn theory before turning to practice. This is why we recommend reading the user’s manual before you even decide whether the machine is worth buying.

Download Minelab X-Terra 705 User’s Manual