Whites-electronics Spectra VX3 User Manual

White’s Electronics, Inc.Sweet Home, Oregon USABuilding the World’s Finest metal detectors for over 60 years.

Page 1-4Spectra VX3 User’s Guidesignal strength versus VDI and gives a detailed look at the VDIresponse. The status bar shows a few operational pieces

Page 1-5Spectra VX3 User’s GuideAssembly1. Remove all parts from the shipping carton. Check theassembly page to ensure all parts are present.2. Insert

Page 1-6Spectra VX3 User’s Guideto secure. The second or third adjustment holes are suitablefor average height adults. Exceptionally tall users may wi

Page 1-7Spectra VX3 User’s GuideTo replace the batteries, slide open the battery holder lid by gen-tly lifting the tab.A fresh set of alkalines will o

Page 1-8Spectra VX3 User’s Guidereaction. A so-called “induction-balanced” coil arrangementprevents the receive coil from being overwhelmed by the tra

Page 1-9Spectra VX3 User’s Guideness. This means you need to apply your own discriminator —your brain — in deciding what the VDI responses are telling

Page 1-10Spectra VX3 User’s Guideresponse, so that a strong ground and weak quarter responsewould look like:The detector will see both signals at the

Page 1-11Spectra VX3 User’s GuideAny error in the ground balance point can result in an error inthe target VDI response so it’s important to maintain

Page 1-12Spectra VX3 User’s Guidecomposite VDI that can land anywhere between pure ferrite(VDI = -95) and pure salt. Other areas, like fertilized fiel

Page 2-1CHAPTERTurn On & GoVX3 is highly programmable and includes several factorypreset programs which provide good overall performance andallow

Congratulations! You have pur-chased a quality instrument thatwas designed and manufactured inthe USA.The Spectra series is the result of years of res

Page 2-2Spectra VX3 User’s GuideSelect a desired program, pull the Trigger, and VX3 is readyto start hunting.Programs and MemoryVX3 has 8 preset facto

Page 2-3Spectra VX3 User’s Guidesaved to memory and recalled each time VX3 is powered on.Restoring factory settings is covered in Chapter 7.Ground Bal

Page 2-4Spectra VX3 User’s GuideElectromagnetic Interference (EMI)EMI can be a problem with any wide-band metal detector,whether a multi-frequency VLF

Page 2-5Spectra VX3 User’s GuideLive Control BarYou may want to quickly change settings while searching.The Live Control Bar is displayed at the botto

Page 2-6Spectra VX3 User’s GuideControlsVX3 uses a variety of different interface controls such assliders and radio buttons. Most of them are very sim

Page 2-7Spectra VX3 User’s GuideAlong the top of the screen are the VDI number, icons, anddepth. The majority of the screen consists of the SpectraGra

Page 2-8Spectra VX3 User’s Guideresponse. See Chapter 5 for more information on how to readthis display.VX3 AudioVX3 supports a built-in speaker, plug

Page 2-9Spectra VX3 User’s GuidePermissionThis is CRITICALLY IMPORTANT! Over the years, a smallminority of inconsiderate detectorists have, in some pl

Page 2-10Spectra VX3 User’s GuideSweep the coil from side-to-side, with a ~3-4 foot swath, ata rate of 1-2 seconds per sweep. Keep the coil parallel w

Page 3-1CHAPTERThis chapter covers some of the basic settings of VX3including sensitivity, discrimination, audio, and ground balance.It does not cover

Page iSpectra VX3 User’s GuideVX3 SpecificationsOperating mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VLF/induction balanceFrequencies . . . . . . . . .

Page 3-2Spectra VX3 User’s GuideProgramsThis was briefly covered in Chapter 2. VX3 has 8 preset fac-tory programs:Tip: The Live Control Bar is the col

Page 3-3Spectra VX3 User’s Guide• Coin - Accepts most common US coins, including nickels.Most other VDI regions, including where most jewelry isfound

Page 3-4Spectra VX3 User’s Guidemore power, so for maximum battery life try to keep the back-light to a minimum.SensitivityOnce you select a basic pro

Page 3-5Spectra VX3 User’s Guideerratic operation and noisy audio. Secondly, in highly mineral-ized ground excessive gain can cause the input amplifie

Page 3-6Spectra VX3 User’s GuideDiscrimination SensitivityDiscrimination Sensitivity (sometimes called AC sensitiv-ity) determines the responsiveness

Page 3-7Spectra VX3 User’s Guide+95, each with a selection box. A box that has an ‘×’ enablesthat VDI response, an empty box disables that VDI.Frequen

Page 3-8Spectra VX3 User’s GuideWhile continuing to hold the trigger, select Transmit Frequencyand highlight the Offset box. Adjust the Offset to find

Page 3-9Spectra VX3 User’s GuideFiltersAs presented in Chapter 1, modern VLF detectors use filtersto separate the target responses from the ground res

Page 4-1CHAPTERChapter 3 covered some of the basic settings of VX3, suchas sensitivity and audio volume. These were adjustment con-trols which are use

Page 4-2Spectra VX3 User’s GuideOne reason for using multiple frequencies is that some tar-gets respond better to certain frequencies than others. Tar

Page iiSpectra VX3 User’s GuideTable of Contents1 IntroductionConventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2Layout . .

Page 4-3Spectra VX3 User’s Guidemode, except that salt responses are subtracted out. This elimi-nates salt signals while still allowing VX3 to track f

Page 4-4Spectra VX3 User’s GuideHowever, VX3 normalizes all VDI’s to a common frequency.That common frequency is, for historical reasons, 6.592kHz,me

Page 4-5Spectra VX3 User’s GuideAlong with the audio, the pinpoint bars will help you find thequietest offset. In some situations, you may not be able

Page 4-6Spectra VX3 User’s GuideLockTracThere are some uncommon situations where AutoTrac doesnot work well. In extreme ground that has a lot of varia

Page 4-7Spectra VX3 User’s Guidethe raw input signal from the coil. The signal is then split intotwo processing channels, one for all-metal and one fo

Page 4-8Spectra VX3 User’s GuideIn this channel, the All-Metal Sensitivity setting is basicallyan additional gain setting applied to the all-metal sig

Page 4-9Spectra VX3 User’s GuideIf VCO audio is disabled then the all-metal audio responsewill be a fixed tone, and an increasing signal level creates

Page 4-10Spectra VX3 User’s GuideDiscrimination AudioUnlike the all-metal channel, the discrimination channeldoes not treat all targets alike. Discrim

Page 4-11Spectra VX3 User’s GuideTarget Volume setting cannot be less than or equal to the AudioThreshold setting or targets will not be heard. VX3 at

Page 4-12Spectra VX3 User’s GuideTone IDAny modern discriminating detector has at least a rudimen-tary audio method of distinguishing accepted targets

Page iiiSpectra VX3 User’s Guide4 Operating ModesFrequency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1Three Frequency . . . .

Page 4-13Spectra VX3 User’s Guidethat are below the discrimination threshold. This can help in tar-get separation, especially in trashy areas, and can

Page 4-14Spectra VX3 User’s Guidepull and hold the pinpoint trigger switch or flip it to the forwardposition. Pinpoint audio is identical to all-metal

Page 4-15Spectra VX3 User’s Guideeasier to see what kinds of targets you are accepting and reject-ing. Keep in mind that these are only potential targ

Page 4-16Spectra VX3 User’s Guide Preset Icon TablesPark Relic Prospecting-97 to -57 -97 to -57 -97 to -57-56 to -27 -56 to -27 -56 to -27-26 to -1 -2

Page 5-1CHAPTERVX3 has two display screens which depend on the positionof the trigger switch:Search screen: Trigger neutralPinpoint screen: Trigger pu

Page 5-2Spectra VX3 User’s GuideVDIAs the loop sweeps over a target the received target signalrises, peaks, and then falls. Ideally the VDI1 of a “wel

Page 5-3Spectra VX3 User’s GuideIconsIcons are simply a pictorial representative possibility of theVDI number. Because many different targets can over

Page 5-4Spectra VX3 User’s Guidebecause we are mostly interested in what goes on in the positivehalf, where the majority of good targets respond. The

Page 5-5Spectra VX3 User’s GuideIdeally all targets would have tight responses that arerepeatable. The closest you can get to that is to air test targ

Page 5-6Spectra VX3 User’s GuideNow the signal response starts at zero and still reaches approxi-mately the same peak point (perhaps resulting in the

Page ivSpectra VX3 User’s Guide7 ProgramsVX3 Memory Structure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1Saving Programs . . . . . . . . . . . .

Page 5-7Spectra VX3 User’s GuideAs the loop is swept over the bottle cap, the phase response var-ies wildly. This will not only result in smearing of

Page 5-8Spectra VX3 User’s GuideMixed responseSometimes you will see response bars that include bothgreen and red:This simply means that the target is

Page 5-9Spectra VX3 User’s GuideThe status bar also displays the currently loaded program. IfAutotrac is enabled, the program name may occasionally ge

Page 5-10Spectra VX3 User’s GuideSalt Mode AnomalyNormally in Pinpoint mode all targets will produce an audioresponse as well as the screen response.

Page 6-1CHAPTERMain MenuSo far, we’ve mostly used the Live Control Bar and its asso-ciated menus (by pressing VIEW) for making changes to VX3.All cont

Page 6-2Spectra VX3 User’s GuideMost selections available in the menus consist of slider con-trols, radio buttons, or check boxes. Sliders are changed

Page 6-3Spectra VX3 User’s GuideGround FilterModern VLF metal detectors use electronic filters both toremove unwanted noise — such as electromagnetic

Page 6-4Spectra VX3 User’s GuideRecovery DelayA detected target creates an audio response in the all-metalchannel which exactly follows the target’s r

Page 6-5Spectra VX3 User’s GuideS.A.T.SAT stands for self-adjusting threshold and is a property ofthe all-metal channel. In normal all-metal mode, the

Page 6-6Spectra VX3 User’s Guide“residual” signal is being seen. Ideally, if you hold the loop inthe air away from metal targets, this number should b

Page 1-1CHAPTERWhite’s VX3 represents the latest technology in metaldetecting. The heart of VX3 is a high-performance ARM-9RISC microprocessor which

Page 6-7Spectra VX3 User’s GuideThe right side of the screen reports the phase and strength ofthe residual signal2, and does so for each individual fr

Page 6-8Spectra VX3 User’s GuideYou can also use the Ground Probe to analyze target signals,and can see exactly how signal phase and strength vary wit

Page 7-1CHAPTERAs covered in Chapters 2 and 3, VX3 comes with 8 presetfactory programs. Any of these programs can be modified, andthey can easily be r

Page 7-2Spectra VX3 User’s GuideWhen modifications are made to any program so that it nolonger matches the Library copy, the program name will be pre-

Page 7-3Spectra VX3 User’s GuideRearranging ProgramsPrograms can be selected from the Live Control Bar withoutsuspending detector operation. This can

Page 8-1CHAPTERWireless HeadphonesVX3 supports optional wireless headphones (WHPs) whichare designed to use a world-wide available 2.4GHz ISM band.To

Page 8-2Spectra VX3 User’s GuideWhen you follow this procedure, the WHPs will produce a “ta-DA” jingle1 which signifies proper connection. Upon connec

Page 8-3Spectra VX3 User’s GuideWhy is there a “connect” ritual? It’s because the WHPs mayneed to search for and find the right channel to operate on.

Page 8-4Spectra VX3 User’s Guideto be picking up audio from another VX3, try a different chan-nel. Pay attention to the reception bar when selecting a

Page 9-1CHAPTERMurphy’s Law applies every bit as well to metal detectingas anything else, so there is always something to go wrong. Thischapter will c

Page 1-2Spectra VX3 User’s Guidepace. There is no need to master all the features to get excellentperformance.If you need help, White's Electroni

Page 9-2Spectra VX3 User’s Guide3. Unusually variable ground can cause problems forAutotrac; try Locktrac.4. Slow down your sweep speed.5. Make sure y

Page 9-3Spectra VX3 User’s Guide• I get a target response in Disc mode but it is weak(or disappears) in Pinpoint mode.See Chapter 5, “Salt Mode Anomal

Page 9-4Spectra VX3 User’s Guide• My display cover has a dent in it.The cover over the display is replaceable, and new coversare available from White’

Page 10-1CHAPTERVX3 has a number of keypad shortcuts that make certain taskseasier. They have all been mentioned throughout the manual(often in Tip bo

Page 10-2Spectra VX3 User’s GuideHow to organize your Program listVX3 comes with 8 preset programs. You can change their orderin the listing:• Go to M

Page 10-3Spectra VX3 User’s GuideHow to quickly jump through rangesSome settings have a large range of values, such as volume.You can press ENTER+ or

Coin Coin&Jewelry SaltBe ach Relic Prospecting DeepSilver HiPro DemoSensitivityRxGain 5 6 7771092AMSensitivity55 55 556570706055DiscSensit

WarrantyIf within two years (24 months) from the original date of purchase, yourWhite’s detector fails due to defects in either material or workmanshi

Treasure Hunter’s Code of Ethics1. Always check federal, state, county, and local laws before searching.2. Always obtain the owner’s permission before

Page 1-3Spectra VX3 User’s GuideTwo keypad buttons have dual names. MENU/TAB is usedboth as an entry button into the menu system, and to “tab” fromone