Metal Detectors Super Store

Whites
DFX Metal Detector
Reprinted with permission from Lost Treasures
From page 36 of the September 2001 issue of Lost Treasure magazine.
By Joe Patrick

It is said,  good things come to those who wait, and for many White' s metal detector users and customers, who have been eagerly awaiting White' s new multi-frequency metal detector, the wait is over! The new, dual-frequency, model DFX"! is now available and it provides unparalleled versatility and performance. Over the past few years, I have successfully used White' s XLT Spectrum on many detecting outings and have become comfortably-familiar with its operation and performance. Without doubt, the XLT Spectrum is one of the most innovative, versatile, high-performance and popular metal detectors ever produced. Many say it provides the best visual and audio tone identification ever designed into a metal detector.

Now, imagine taking all of the XLT's best features and thrusting its electronic design a quantum leap forward . . . this takes us precisely to the new dual-frequency DFX! Although the XLT Spectrum and DFX appear very similar in their outside appearance, they are uniquely different inside, in their electronic design, features and performance. The most significant aspect of the new DFX is that it can be operated as either a dual or single frequency metal detector. The dual frequency mode provides two distinct, separate channels of signal information and analysis, which increases its in-the-ground performance and I.D. and discrimination accuracy. Two operating frequencies of 3 kHz and 15 kHz have been optimally selected to provide the best sensitivity to coins, artifacts and jewelry, while simultaneously providing the best detection depth, discrimination and ground and saltwater cancellation. By using 3 kHz or15 kHz search modes separately, in single-frequency operation, or by selecting both, the DFX can be precisely user-adjusted to match the type of detecting desired and the ground conditions of the site being searched. As a quick rule-of-thumb, the 3 kHz mode is best used for difficult ground conditions and the 15 kHz is best used for searching for jewelry and other low-conductivity items.

Of course, the dual-frequency mode provides the best of both. While using the DFX in its dual-frequency mode, a user may choose either  Best Data or Correlate as the method of target analysis. Best Data, looks at the information from both frequency channels and uses the one with the most reliable and accurate information. Correlate, also looks at both channels and if the data is not similar in both channels, rejects the target. Iron objects tend to give different readings at different frequencies. Therefore, Correlate, is more adept at rejecting iron targets than is the Best Data setting. Controls & Features. There are many new, significant features designed into the DFX and as a quick reference, I would like to itemize and give a brief description of each. Multiple Frequency Operation Search in 3 kHz, 15 kHz, or both frequencies simultaneously. Selecting Best Data displays the most reliable target information, or use Correlate to better reject iron and other questionable targets. 4 EEPROM (user) hunting programs Use these pro-designed programs or erase them and create, name and store your own custom programs. High-definition, extended temperature display Easier to see, with double clock speed for very fast target response. DSF Digital Signal Filtration Change the ground filtering at will, from 2 filters to 6. Use 2 for quick response in high-trash areas or 3,4, 5, up to 6 for superior depth in mineralized soil. Sweep Speed Adjust Use higher settings to move quickly through an area with few targets, and lower settings when you want to move more slowly through areas where you need to get in between trash. Hot Rock Rejection.  A complete range from total acceptance to total rejection.

9 Turn-on-and-Go! Programs  Ready to hunt right out of the box. Completely automatic.10 Basic Adjustments and 34 Pro Options Adjust virtually every aspect of your hunting. Popular adjustments include Tone I.D., Sweep Speed, Silent Search, Fade Rate, Recovery Speed, Block Edit, AutoTrac? Speed ... . and more. White's DFX, like the XLT Spectrum, is a full-featured metal detector having many features and user-options available . . . too many to adequately detail in the limited space of a magazine field test. To truly appreciate the performance and versatility of White' s DFX requires that you own and use one. Only then, can you fully realize its maximum capability, as I have, reflected by the actual finds you have made! Field Use & Findings One of the most interesting and productive features of the DFX is its Digital Signal Filtration (DSF) option. This single item enables the DFX to handle just about any type of ground or search condition at will. Its net effect is like owning two or three different types of metal detectors. If you need a slow sweep-speed, fast-recovery, two or three-filter mode for trashy sites . . . the DFX can be adjusted to do that. If you need a faster sweep-speed and the ability to handle mineralized ground better . . . the DFX can be set to 4, 5 or 6 filter mode and the sweep speed setting increased. Talk about versatility this is a feature worth its weight in gold or silver!

I used the DSF and variable sweep-speed options a lot during my field test . . . when I searched parks and areas within them that varied from the pull tab and bottle cap infested picnic pavilions to the wide-open fields and wooded locations. Having the ability to adapt the DFX this easily and quickly absolutely increased my overall finds. I found these features to be very helpful and valuable and used them at every site that I detected. DSF is one of those features that once you have it and use it  you never want to be without it! I usually searched in either the 3 or 4 filter mode, then quickly selected either 2, 5 or 6 filter mode (as needed) by pressing the down arrow (Quick) key of the keypad and then selecting the desired filtration. While searching a wooded hillside near an old homesite using the3-filter, dual-frequency mode I found a worn, very thin, 1906 Barber dime at the base of a very large Oak tree. Because I had found no other coins in this area, I believe that it had been previously detected. Due to the tree's massive size and dominance over the area, this old Oak would have been one of the first places anyone with a detector would have searched. During retrieval, I noticed that the coin was tilted almost on edge. Even for the DFX, it was a somewhat questionable hit that registered mostly like a quarter; but it was good enough to make me want to dig. I believe it was the dual-frequencies of the DFX that made this discovery possible. At another hard-hit site, searching the woods behind an old picnic shelter in the 2-filter mode, I found a silver 1957 Roosevelt and 1942 Mercury dime, and a handful of Wheat cents and clad coins mixed-in with years of accumulated trash, ALL at only a few inches depth. I totally attribute these easy finds to the 2-filter mode and its ability to selectively pick out  the good items from the trash items. Shallow coins that have been missed previously (especially at  hard-hit sites) usually indicate that other detectors masked out going over them, due to a nearby piece of trash. This is where using the 2 or 3 filter mode and sweep speed adjust option of the DFX will pay off. Like the XLT Spectrum, the DFX makes use of White' s excellent display technology. The Signa Graph bar graph, VDI numbers and Target Icons all contribute to providing the user with very informative and useful target information. The bottom line more good finds and less trash! I quickly discovered that the DFX' s power and sensitivity needed to be handled with care. Those who have used or are currently using White' s XLT, keep in mind, the DFX IS NOT an XLT. Some of the programs, settings and levels that brought you success with the XLT may not produce the same results with the DFX. The DFX is a different detector and you will need to use it a little differently. In some detecting situations, I incorrectly  pushed the A. C., D.C.,Pre-amp and/or V.D.I. gain too much, making the DFX' s operation unstable, inaccurate and frustrating. By experimenting with, and then backing down these settings, I was finally able to increase accuracy and smooth-out its operation.

The DFX provides more than enough gain to match any detecting situation. I believe that this is precisely the way a metal detector should be designed. Provide more than what' s needed, rather than not enough. A user can always scale back a little when required, but can never increase what' s not there to begin with! Conclusion In the September 2000 edition of Lost Treasure magazine, I field-tested White' s Spectrum XLT.  I began my report with the word IMPRESSIVE! This time, I am concluding my report with the words  MOST IMPRESSIVE! Yes, this is exactly how I feel about White' s new DFX metal detector! The features and improvements designed into the new DFX are not cosmetic, nor are they gimmicks. They are real  nuts and bolts improvements that directly equate to better performance and significantly increased versatility. White' s new DFX includes a standard slide-in alkaline battery pack; slide-in NiCad battery pack, with slow or fast charge option; waterproof 9.5-inch search coil and an excellent owner's manual. With its faster visual display, adjustable two to six Digital Signal Filtration, additional search modes, variable sweep speed and single or dual-frequency operation; all coupled with White' s impressive display and abundant user-selectable menu options, the new DFX is definitely most impressive.

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