Whites MXT Tracker
Price: $800Based on 90 reviews
Avg. Durability: 5.00
Avg. Ease of use: 4.40
So far the MXT E-tracker is great!
I for one have had many many Different brands and models from digital to analog and from knobs and push button I for one say there all good for detecting metals and I traded a new top of the line digital/push button unit. I was worried if I had made a mistake but when I took the mxt out for the first time and I was mistaken and my fears were diminished!
it is a top contender and I believe it will be with me on many adventures in the future! If you haven't tried one then you should and I'm not really gonna comment on its use in the field until I get more experience with it. But I can say this, if you decide too purchase one learn it and you will reap the rewards!!
Overall Rating
Paul m Bellanceau sr from
Auburn,Maine
252
Know the MXT Facts
So heres the facts according to the man who designed it, In 1998 was when the MXT hit the drawing board as true multi purpose machine.
As a result of the massive amount of work that went into the design they had enough to build another machine, and so the GMT Goldmaster was born, and as work and fine tuning went on the final product was the MXT released in mid 2000.
Most of what is in the MXT is all new not borrowed from the GMT, remember the MXT was being built first. The Tracking system and the Iron grunt are the only things they share, the V-SAT system in the MXT is all new and so is all the rest of the software.
The reason the MXT is a little noisy is because you need the high gain to find tiny nuggets and hence the +1,+2,+3 area on the gain dial, and from the preset downwards is the normal gain area and seeing as coins are bigger than tiny nuggets there is no reason to use the +1 etc area of the gain but that is your choice, and the only other place that you would need that kind of high gain is in Europe when looking for thin hammered coins if the ground allows,
but in the US this is just a matter of choice of do you want to run your machine that hot and most of us do love that power.
I have used that machine in Iron infested sites with over 3500 years of junk polluting the ground, and I have used the minelabs that you talk of and they are great machines, but they don't work very well in these iron filled sites because of their recovery speeds and their lack of sensitivity to gold.
The MXT is a machine that you can take to the four corners of the world and know you have'nt left much behined, And back to the high sensitivity thing again as another wise person said here just because its there you don't have to use it but its nice to have it in reserve, with the gain set to 7.5 using the 300 coil I saw a person find and dig a English half penny at 11 and a half to 12" and I measured it with a ruler and that is about half way on the gain knob, so believe me it is deep, and it still has the best tracking system available.
So don't worry about machines that are no longer made. You can find the truth about who, how and why the MXT was built
if you go to Whites site and click on the MXT then click on documentation and read the engineers report by the man who built it.
MR Dave Johnson who is also responsible for building over 17 of the most popular machines from at leased the last two decades, and I'd like to thank all you people who wrote reviews here because you all helped me buy my MXTs many moons ago and I wish you all the best, and thank you to the owners of this site for being so helpful.
John
Overall Rating
John.W from
London
1581
Whites mxt pro
On my first outing I decided to take it to a small field not far from the Mississippi river. I turned it on, set the knobs to the presets and pumped coil to ground balance. Literally within minutes, I dug a Union Army Artillery button. That would be the first of many relics and coins pulled from this newly discovered civil war camp site.
Pros: Very good quality. I would guess that my MXT has several hundred hours on it without a problem. It is simple to set up and easy to use. A ton of accessory coils available. It has very good sensitivity and depth. Put on an Eclipse 5.3 or the Kellyco 8x6 SEF butterfly coils and you'll be pulling buckshot out of the ground.
Cons: The MXT with the Super 12" coil can get a little heavy after a while. Many have suggested getting the D2 coil in place of the Super 12 when you purchase it. At present, I have the Kellyco 8x6 SEF butterfly coil on it and I can swing it all day. You will dig a lot of big iron with it, as with many detectors. It may be a little expensive for the beginner, especially when you start buying different coils.
Overall Rating
Will from
SE Louisiana
574
Don't buy and mxt
I decided to go with the MXT because all the reviews and people I spoke with raved about the MXT being a world class machine. When I first got the detector I had already gone over the owners manual a half dozen times and viewed at least 30 different youtube videos about the MXT.
I felt confident in my ability to manipulate the MXT and how work the various settings for the type of hunting and conditions I would be exposed to.
I began by using the factory recommended presets and set out to a local park that dated back to the early 1900's. It did take about 30 minutes to get used to the MXT's tones and before I knew it was hitting shallow targets in no time.
I was amazed at how many pull-tabs the MXT came across. Even with the toggle set in the forward position (as this is the suggested setting to notch pull-tabs out).
After several hours hunting at the recommended presets I was worried that the MXT was not all it was cracked up to be.
I remembered reading a post a few weeks back that talked about setting the discrimination to max and (cherry picking) targets in high trash areas.
I decided this would be my best bet so I turned the discrimination to max and the gain to +1. I did have quite a bit of success at first. I must have pulled about $23 in quarters, dimes, and copper pennies. I was rather pleased with the results and because the areas I typically hunt were heavily populated parks with lots of trash, I was happy to just pick off the obvious targets.
About 2 weeks after my MXT arrived I began to notice the machine acting very odd. I was unable to lock in on a solid target. My VDI readings were all over the place and when I tried to pinpoint a target the machine would give a steady signal (as if the entire area surrounding me had metal all over no fluctuation in sound).
I was hesitant to blame it on the machine, but in my heart I knew something was not right. I called Whites in Oregon and Rodger said to send it in and he would go through it and fix anything that was even vaguely suspicious.
I later learned that a factory authorized service center was located in Illinois which is very close to me in Indiana. I did research to see if other customers had satisfactory experiences and they all seemed to be rather pleased with Tony's work.
I boxed the MXT up and sent it out on Friday afternoon.
The package was received on Monday and I called Tony on Wednesday to see what the status was. Tony said he had a tough time troubleshooting the problem but it turned out to be a faulty phase coil on the internal board.
He said he replaced it and the machine passed his inspection.
I received it back later that afternoon. I was pleased at the short turn around time. Tony also said he had to let the machine run for about an hour to get it to replicate my specific symptoms.
At any rate, I was happy that my suspicions were correct and he was able to track down the faulty phase coil. The next day I set out with my newly repaired "new" MXT. I went to a park around the corner from my house and did some searching.
The machine seemed to have difficulty in areas that obviously were filled with lots of trash. It was a reunion pavilion so it was likely filled with bottle caps and foil.
In the past (prior to the machine having issues) I had tones of success in similar areas. I had found lots of quarters and even a 2000 SJW dollar. This time I was still having trouble locking in on targets and my VDI readings were all over the place.
I decided that because the area was probably too trashy and I was using the standard 9.5 coil I should move to an area that was less contaminated. I moved a few hundred yards to a field and turned the discrimination down a bit.
The machine did do better. I found a knife about 2 inches down and about 5 quarters. I even dug a 6 inch hole and buried a quarter I had already found.
The MXT did recognize the quarter and my VDI was steady at 85 (a typical quarter). I concluded that my previous experience early that afternoon was that I needed a smaller coil to better separate targets in high trash areas.
I ended up ordering a 6 inch excel coil from Kellyco later that evening. The next day I dropped my daughters off at my mom's house and set out to another local park. I turned the machine on and right away found a quarter just under the surface. I was set to cherry pick mode with my discrimination almost at max and my gain was at +1.
A few minutes into my hunt I noticed my signal tones and VDI's locking in on solid 24's and even lower 0-4 (iron targets).
I was baffled at this because my discrimination was set to notch those VDI's out. I couldn't figure out why I was getting those readings.
I would find a good target but they would only be located just below the surface nothing greater than 2 inches. Time and time I would turn the discrimination down and back up and for a moment the machine seemed to be working as it should (notching out all the unwanted metals). The machine has always chirped and beeped intermittently when the discrimination was set high but I though that was just how the machine operated.
After another 15 minutes the machine simply wouldn't lock in on anything specific. I was still getting the discriminated signals that should have been notched out. Finally I found a target with a steady signal and VDI strong at 24 (again which should have been notched out).
I decided to give the machine a light tap, tap, tap and to my amazement the 24 VDI was gone.
It was notching it out like it should have been doing all along.
This peaked my suspicion that the MXT still had an intermittent short or other faulty component. I was able to replicate this several more times. I then decided to dig a 6 inch hole and burry a penny in the vertical position. I was shocked to see that the MXT was not recognizing any VDI signals or steady tones.
I even turned the discrimination down to the preset position and still nothing.
I dug the penny back up and turned it to a horizontal position again with the same results. WHAT IS GOING ON? Something is not right with this machine. I have lost all confidence and fear I will never be able to trust my MXT ever again. It's like when you start dating a really hot chick and everything is going great in the beginning.
After a while you catch her telling you a lie or cheating on you. Sure, you may forgive her but you always second guess everything she tells you from that point on.
That's how I feel now. I can't ever trust this machine again. We simply have too much baggage to ever develop a stable relationship. I will be sending this machine directly to the factory with a copy of this letter. I will also copy and post this to as many user forums as possible. I worked and saved for almost 1 year to get enough money together to buy this detector.
I am truly unsatisfied with this Whites product and will never purchase another Whites product ever again. This is my 2nd Whites detector so I do have a history with their products. Unbelievable!!!
Overall Rating
John Schinbeckler from
Camby, Indiana
9295
White's Mxt the best machine I have owned
It was along process and deciding what to purchase. I did my homework for 3 weeks. Having a budget involved I had to make a decision between Whites MXT and tesoro superquad. With a .08 gram nugget the tesoro pick it up only at 1.5 inches away!!! huh? with the MXT 8 TO 10 INCHES.
Not only that but the MXT COMES WITH 9.5 stock COIL USE THIS COIL!! NOT THE DD Coil I PURCHASED I AM SELLING IT. NOT GOOD AS FAR AS TARGET PICKUP ID AND DEPTH. THE STOCK 9.5 IS FAR BETTER.
I used both coils in comparison only to find out that the 9.5 stock coil was more sensitive to targets shallow as well as deep. They say larger coils miss smaller targets (not) this one is great.It's DEEP!! 8-12 INCHES Here's a tip..Use MXT in prospect mode.
In high mineralization soil crank it to 10 after the ground balance.
When you see a target push the toggle button to relic (centered) then use the squeeze trigger to identify. Pull for depth. I just learned this after going out. THE ID WORKS BETTER THIS WAY AND THE DEPTH INDICATOR WILL NOT MODE FOR THIS FEATURE. This feature works in relic not in prospect mode. MXT in my opinion gives you more information On targets and less time digging the desert here in Arizona.
I wish white's could develop and build a MXT 2 strictly for gold prospecting.They could in corporate all of the ID features and depth for targets on one gold machine(Prospecting).I love my MXT and I might even consider the MXT pro.
Overall Rating
Jeff Martino from
Tucson,Az
794
Good In Colorado!!!!!
Contols aren't too complicated, but you may want to read and re-read the owners manual a few times just to be sure. There's also a quick get started guide printed on the underside of the control box. This machine works as advertised. I only wish they had designed a pair of arms on the back to keep the MXT off the ground. White's does send little rubber feet to help with that, but we have large rocks around here and a lot of sand. I bought an after market set of arms that work great, though.
All in all, a machine worth the money and it can do more than one thing well.
Overall Rating
Jim Tenney from
Alamosa, CO
512
MXT Great Machine
When scaning coins use old and new because if you scan a new penny the VDI# is different then if you scan a wheatie. Same goes for all other coins. Also I would get a 6X10DD coil, this is a great all around coil. Once you get to learn the VDI's you can just about know what your on top of.
This is 1 of my 3 machines I will never let go...
Overall Rating
Steve Fitzpatrick from
Pittsburgh, Pa
583
Nice but not $800 dollars nice!
Using another detector and not a whites and dug all kinds of buttons and bullets. Flat buttons but buttons all the same. these items were around the 8 inch depth range so I know my old MXT wasn't getting small brass at that depth. 3 hours of hunting produced 4 flat buttons an 1859 indian head penny 3 bullets and a piece of thimble. and this new detector of mine was almost $300 dollars cheaper! Thank you Mr Garrett for a great detector at an honest price and honest representation!
Overall Rating
Ray from
Pa
3547
Learning curve
True you can set all the knobs to the presets and go, if your hunting parks and schools, and just want to find clad, then its just a matter of learning how to detect. When I bought the Mxt I wanted a machine that would do more than one task because of the type of places I go and because of convenience purposes, I couldn't run back to my car every time I wanted to do a different type of detecting and get a detector for that purpose, I live in an area where there is gold, ghost towns and old areas for coins, and relics, the Mxt fit the bill, I also detect in high mineral areas, in the high 70's and 80's with the ground balance the Mxt has, I couldn't ask for a better detector.
I have to use dd coils 90 percent of the time I have a 3x5 for around rocks and trashy areas and a butterfly 10x12 I like, when I first got the
mxt I dug about two buckets of trash before I got
pretty good on the sounds, for deep and shallow targets, maybe I was a slow learner, I still dig occasional trash but not as much.
If I was just going after coins and using it in what I call normal ground, I might have bought another detector, I use it almost every day, for me it turned out to be the best buy. I get alot of enjoyment out of it. Occasional detecting from the 80's to retired and detect almost everyday.
Overall Rating
Glenn Holmes from
Sandbernadino Ca.USA
512
MXT has been put through the test
Overall Rating
Kcsteve from
Kansas City
422