Vallon VMH3CS Mine Detector

[Alexismex]

I just built the rat phone , very nice audio and now i understand the name "rat" it sound like a rat , just a small error in the schematic : connect pin 3 and 4 and it work

[stefan-s]

Does this detector have discrimination?

[Ferric Toes]

Don't give up

If your coil shaft and connector is difficult to align in the keyway in the upper shaft, don't give up. A little force may be necessary, but it will go in eventually. A push from a passing tank may help, but in this case it broke off the outer collar.

Eric.

[Altair]

Here is another solution to prevent the armrest shifting position. I used a 6.5mm P cable clip, with a nylon 4mm bolt and stainless steel lock washer and nut. I would have used a nylon nut, but it is not something I have in stock.
The 6.5mm clip is a bit small for the 7.7mm tube, but the next size clip available from my supplier is 8mm and as they come in bags of 50, I decided to play safe. It locks the armrest nice and tight and position is easily shifted if necessary.

Eric.

[ATTACH]39948[/ATTACH]

Nice an simply solution, I like it!

[Ferric Toes]

Armrest restraint

Here is another solution to prevent the armrest shifting position. I used a 6.5mm P cable clip, with a nylon 4mm bolt and stainless steel lock washer and nut. I would have used a nylon nut, but it is not something I have in stock.
The 6.5mm clip is a bit small for the 7.7mm tube, but the next size clip available from my supplier is 8mm and as they come in bags of 50, I decided to play safe. It locks the armrest nice and tight and position is easily shifted if necessary.

Eric.

[kingswood]

Hmm, should read

The Vallon standard coil is about right for where I hunt locally because of vegetation and I believe that in my remote hunting grounds, this beast will be brilliant in the creek beds and banking.
It's light, compact and simple to use.

Brian

And 1/10th the price of an ATX

[kingswood]

Thanks for the encouragement guys
The lack of threshold on the Vallon concerned me for a while...But on reading more about threshold, I think the Vallon should be fine It lets me know if the GB is out as it makes little squeaks and noises!
I think that IF the Vallon is actually able to detect something within its range, it will make a signal noise, even if its just a small one!
I have been stopping and re-sweeping all these noises and digging them if they repeat themselves......A few times a very slight "squeak" has actually been smallish lead buried quite deep that didnt produce a better signal until I had dug a few inches off....
I am so looking forward to soon been able to post a pic of a gold find with it
I think that the Vallon becomes better as I use it more....I am slowly learning its quirks and what different squawks and squeaks may mean

[Mdtoday]

Hmm, should read

The Vallon standard coil is about right for where I hunt locally because of vegetation and I believe that in my remote hunting grounds, this beast will be brilliant in the creek beds and banking.
It's light, compact and simple to use.

Brian

[Mdtoday]

In regards to the coil size that is less sensitive to ground noise then from what I have read over the years there appears to be two different thoughts.

Some say a small coil is less sensitive however from my experience a larger coil has less ground noise although it more sensitive to atmospherics.

Another difference in thoughts from what I have read is do larger nuggets travel and found further from a source then their smaller cousins.

Surely it is only a matter of time before your Vallon snags its first nugget for you.

When the area is remote, I run my old GP3000 right on the edge of highest sensitivity, up loud and with an 18 inch mono coil even in hot ground and put up with the ground noise which can be kept to a reasonable level by swinging low and slow.
I get hot rocks every now and then but put up with it so as not to miss the good targets. Interference in these areas is minimal so you can do it.
When i'm searching local gold areas, I switch back to a 9 inch and knock the sensitivity back a bit as there is so much trash. The larger coil just gets too noisy with trucks passing even half a km away.
Personally, I prefer to hear the ground a little as I believe introducing too much ground balance reduces sensitivity to the good but faint targets.
The human hearing is amazing at picking up even slight changes in background noise and I trust my hearing.
The Vallon standard coil is about right for where I hunt locally because of vegetation and I have no reason to believe in my remote hunting grounds, this beast will be brilliant in the creek beds and banking.

Keep up the search Kingswood, it will come your way soon enough!

Brian

[garyq]

larger coils tend to have less ground noise, due to their reduced sensitivity close to the coil"

In regards to the coil size that is less sensitive to ground noise then from what I have read over the years there appears to be two different thoughts.

Some say a small coil is less sensitive however from my experience a larger coil has less ground noise although it more sensitive to atmospherics.

Another difference in thoughts from what I have read is do larger nuggets travel and found further from a source then their smaller cousins.

Surely it is only a matter of time before your Vallon snags its first nugget for you.

[kingswood]

Haha nothing wrong with being mad specially when you get onto a good patch ����
hope you find some yellow stuff soon Kingswood..

Brian

Thanks Brian!
Now I have been doing more reading....Found this: "the ground noise that each coil picks up depends on the detailed geometry and construction of the coil, but also on the composition of the soil (e.g. how inhomogeneous it is, on what spatial scale, etc.). For example, larger coils tend to have less ground noise, due to their reduced sensitivity close to the coil" (http://www.minelab.com/anz/go-minela...tect-30-deeper)
Is that really true???....If it is, I might just start using the 30cm coil more ha ha
I was trying to research how coil inductance effects detection depth....

[Mdtoday]

Haha nothing wrong with being mad specially when you get onto a good patch ����
hope you find some yellow stuff soon Kingswood..

Brian

[kingswood]

Few hours out again this morning...just down from the old mine we detected around yesterday.
More lead slugs and brass bullet casings
Interesting email chat with a fellow prospector after lunch who thinks I am mad for using the vallon and not a minelab ha ha
Tried to explain that if the thing can detect non-ferrous metals such as lead, brass and aluminium, then it will detect gold too!....The Vallon has hardly been tuned to reject gold ha ha

[kingswood]

Few hours out this morning near an old open pit gold mine.
Used the 30cm coil with good success. Easily to GB and no false signals like it did previously. I think it works much better with a faster swing.
Found numerous bits of trash. Most promisingly, detected 3 smashed up bullet leads....one 2.8g, one 2.6g and a really smashed bit of 1.6g. Gave awesome signals and all were at about 2-3 inches.
Gold cant be far away

[kingswood]

What you need to do is build a nuclear reactor using all the lead you have found to make the shield; relax, wait awhile, have a few beers, then Voila!.
From a UCLA report - There is an earlier report (1972) in which Soviet physicists at a nuclear research facility near Lake Baikal in Siberia accidentally discovered a reaction for turning lead into gold when they found the lead shielding of an experimental reactor had changed to gold.

Eric.

Oh no!....I dont drink ha ha