Vallon VMH3CS Mine Detector

[Ferric Toes]

Hi All,

I have a couple of questions.

Today I took my Vallon out on land for the first time. All I can say is YIKES!! What a different experience to beach use.

I can't seem to GB at all. I took in a shallow river and it kept picking up rocks/bricks (which assume have some metallic content).

In the field, my luck was even worse. Normal, crazy bouncing signals, Mineral, crazy bouncing signals. I tried auto and manual GB.

When I'm on the beach there tends to be a false signal only when I swing to the left but other than that it works perfectly.

Is my detector done for on land?

Many thanks,
James

It looks as though you are not adjusting the GB properly or the Mineral position has a fault. I have not encountered a land site in the UK where the GB has given problems; not that I have done very much land searching, other than locally and in Oxfordshire where the soil was quite strong. The fact that you are picking up bricks indicates that the GB setting is not right. Fired brick contain magnetic minerals as do some rocks and soils. The Vallon should tune them out so that they, and iron mineralised soils, are undetectable. This is not metallic iron we are dealing with, so nails and other metallic iron objects will still be readily detectable.

Do you have the official manual? Check and practice the section on soil compensation. Try on a housebrick, which should tune out completely.

If you swing toward the sea, the signal will increase due to the higher salt water content in the sand. This will give a temporary increase in threshold until it compensates.

Eric.

[James_LR]

Hi All,

I have a couple of questions.

Today I took my Vallon out on land for the first time. All I can say is YIKES!! What a different experience to beach use.

I can't seem to GB at all. I took in a shallow river and it kept picking up rocks/bricks (which assume have some metallic content).

In the field, my luck was even worse. Normal, crazy bouncing signals, Mineral, crazy bouncing signals. I tried auto and manual GB.

When I'm on the beach there tends to be a false signal only when I swing to the left but other than that it works perfectly.

Is my detector done for on land?

Many thanks,
James

[Dutchie]

More Vallons

Good afternoon to all!.

Any one living close to Billinghurst UK? There is a Vallon (parts only) for pickup cheap. Ebay auction closes in a few hours. Nice for somebody to take it apart completely or try and repair.... First item below.
The others are more Vallons for sale right now.

My own Vallon is returned to the UK for exchange december 27th. Seems to be lost at this moment - so I may have to get a replacement later on.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ex-Army-V...item1a3ffac045 GBP 95 parts only collection only Billinghurst UK 110118 18:46

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vallon-Me...MAAOSwEzxYQEOk Stoke-on-Trent 200GBP bod tm 120118 13:50 UK only

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ex-Army-V...m212394ad49GBP 200 9 available UK only

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Army-metal-...0AAOSwv~1aN8Io TDM Poland USD230 or bid 6 available

[Sampler_one]

Thanks so much for the info. Really Nice Job ! I am expecting to receive one VMH3CS and Two broken VMC1's in a couple of weeks. I hope to be to contribute to this thread. Im sure I will have many questions for the Forum. haha.
Regards,
Garry

[6666]

Thanks for the information on the coil socket modification.

[tifred]

hello
for my modification ,
I opened an old coil of minelab explorer that was not working anymore.
I put inside a mono winding, I used the parameters of Eric Foster, shielding and SCOTH24. I used the original cable of the vallON for the coil.

The connector used is:1Pcs SP16 Series 2Pin IP68 Waterproof Circular Cable Plug & Socket Connector BS2 buy on ebay china.


for the battery it's a one 26650 ,I shortened the tube of the battery, I will make photos of the modification.I am very satisfied with the result and a big thank you to our Friend Eric foster !

[Carolina]

Hi Eric, long time no talk. Figured your family and holiday's had you wrapped up. I'm not sure what part the acclimation plays but for me it smooths the machine out. Although Clay can tear one apart and rebuild in no time at all, he relies on VALLONS tech. support on such issues. I will pose the question to him and see his reply. Being the owner of such a large distributorship, he is VALLON and VALLON is him. All the mail I send him automatically goes to Germany and any mail I send to Germany automatically goes to him. They are an open book.

Carolina

[Starter]

Thank You very much Eric for your kind and considered reply - very much appreciated!

[Ferric Toes]

Hi Carolina, The above post was really ment as a reply for 'Starter'. Apologies there, but your point about the acclimatisation of the coil is interesting and maybe Clay could give you an answer.

Eric.

[Ferric Toes]

Starter: If The machine becomes chatty or erratic or sometimes a large metal object such as a fence will cause issues I use the fast compensation. When first submerging the search head in salt water I let the search head acclimate to the water temp and then with the search head just above the ground I fast compensate to balance the coil. When out of the water around black sand and wet salt sand and the wash I use fast compensation.

The C button quickly tunes out any latent signal when pressed, but you don't need to press it after switch on in 'normal' mode as the detector zeros quick enough by default. In 'mineral mode' you do need to press it to get a quick tune down to threshold level. This is because a slower filter is used in this mode for some reason which is not immediately obvious.

On most UK beaches there is little or no iron mineralisation of the sand that will affect a PI detector. Only is areas where there are volcanic basalts and the sand is derived by the erosion of such rocks, are you likely to get iron minerals in the sand. Maybe Scotland, North Wales, and possibly Cornwall. Tenerife is one place where you will need to use 'mineralised' mode on many beaches. On the Dorset coast I just switch on and go in 'normal' mode but sometimes reducing the detection range by pressing the - button to get the near surface objects first. Searching on wet sand, or even in a foot or two of water does not often require pressing the C button in my experience. Deeper water probably would.

One thing that puzzles me is that Vallon recommend letting the search head adjust to the water temperature before using. This is something that is not normally required for a pulse induction detector in which the mono coil is untuned and there is no coil balancing as in a two coil induction balance arrangement, where TX and RX are separate.

Eric.

[Dutchie]

VMC-1.
Has anyone info about the VMC-1 - especially if the electronics are expected to be by and large the same as the VMH-CS3.

I found this general link about mine-detectors

https://www.gichd.org/resources/equipment-catalogue/page/4/?tx_displaycontroller%5Bq%5D=&tx_displaycontroller%5Bequipmenttype%5D=1&tx_displaycontroller%5Borderby%5D=&cHash=8c8b881cf661cc76ad645d470b44b679#.WlNHzrjwmUR

[6666]

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Could you please tell us what you used for a battery holder?

And the coil connector please ? is it the original socket ?

[Sampler_one]

Hello everyone
here is my modified vhm3cs.
housing coil of minelab explorer modified.
one baterie 26650

I have stick minelab xs label on my vmh3cs to annoy my friends!
thank you for the many council Eric

[ATTACH]41260[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]41261[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]41262[/ATTACH]

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Could you please tell us what you used for a battery holder? I am thinking of using two 26650's 8800 mAh in Parallel. Any comments Eric or Tifred ?

[below2doe]

Hi Guys,
I only live a couple of streets from the beach. The coast line is littered with basalt rock which is positive in normal. So using mineral and ground balancing the basalt out is not a problem. By searching in normal you do get tweeks now and then when swinging but by switching to mineral mode you can tell it is a target. very impressed with the Vallon.

Regards Ray Below2doe.

[Starter]

Thank You again Carolina - that's a great help