Detector Stuff » White’s Spectra V3

The White’s Spectra V3i upgrade…Get it!

Mark — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:42:37 +0000

The White’s Spectra V3i upgrade…Get it!

White's Spectra V3i

I was privileged to receive one of the early White’s Electronics “Vision” uber-detectors last year. Without a doubt, the most user configurable metal detector on the planet! Initially, all the settings and options can seem a little overwhelming. However…if you take the time to really learn this machine, you will be rewarded. The Vision/Spectra V3i CANNOT be mastered in a week or even a month. This is a detector that GROWS with you as a hobbyist. If you purchase one, be prepared to dedicate some serious time studying various forum posts and experimenting…but, boy, is it worth it!

I recently sent my Vision back to White’s headquarters for the V3i upgrade. I was more than a little curious about the new features and options… and reports of increased depth and stability. I can honestly report that I have indeed observed improved depth (and it was already world-class) at both beach hunting and the varying soils of North Carolina. Perceived stability was also an issue with the original Vision (mine) while using the stock D2 coil. After the V3i upgrade, the machine seems much smoother and less susceptible to electrical interference from power lines.

New features implemented by the V3i upgrade include:

- Support for Foreign languages (i -> international)
- On-board Quick Reference system
- Stereo mix-mode audio
- Polar analysis plot
- Prospecting analysis scan
- Single frequency salt tracking
- Several other minor improvements

…Plus you get a cool sticker on your returned machine saying it’s now a V3i!

Upgrades to the new software are FREE (excluding a $25 return shipping fee) if you purchased your V3 on or after November 1st , 2009. If you purchased a Vision or V3 PRIOR to November 1st, the upgrade cost is $100 (plus $25 return shipping fee). In my honest opinion, this is an awesome deal for an upgrade that essentially transforms a great detector into an awesome detector! White’s could have easily said “no upgrades” and just launched the V3i as another model. Instead they give early adopters the option to not be left behind…and for a reasonable fee. No one HAS to send their machine in to be upgraded…it works just fine as a Vision or V3. However, it’s pretty nice to know you can if you want to, especially with all the added features and improvements.

Overall, I highly recommend the V3i upgrade! I have found no negatives…only positives, as a result of sending it in to White’s. The whole process only took a week and arrived back home just in time for a trip to the beach for vacation! By the way…if you’re salt water beach hunting, I also recommend picking up one of the new “V rated” 950 loops! It performed flawlessly transitioning from dry to wet sand…more on this in an upcoming review!

A few critical links related to the White’s Electronics Vision/ Spectra V3i

White’s Electronics Official V3i Forum: http://forums.whiteselectronics.com/forumdisplay.php?54-Spectra-V3i-V3

DetectorStuff White’s forum: http://detectorstuff.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=22

Findmalls Vision/Spectra V3i forum: http://www.findmall.com/list.php?66

Field test part 1: http://detectorstuff.com/2009/05/27/whites-spectra-v3-vision-field-test-part-1/

Field test part 2: http://detectorstuff.com/2009/08/29/white’s-spectra-v3-vision-field-test-part-2/

Taking apart the Spectra V3! http://detectorstuff.com/2009/05/12/another-look-inside-the-whites-spectra-v3/

-Mark

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White’s Spectra V3 (Vision) Field Test part 2

admin — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 03:19:53 +0000

In part 2 of my ongoing review of the technologically advanced White’s Spectra V3, I was originally going to cover the cool wireless headphones…however, after a trip to the beach for vacation I switched gears and decided to talk a bit about the Spectra V3 as a beach hunter. So here we go…White’s Spectra V3 review #2… Beach Hunting!

Beach hunting is one of my favorite things to do! The problem is that I only get down to the coast once or twice a year. Since my time is limited, I tend to take several pieces of metal detecting artillery with me! This year one of those hunks of metal detecting weaponry was the new White’s Spectra V3. The one I have is still called a “Vision” (complicated legal issue involving names!)…but it’s the same machine. Now, the Spectra is one of those detectors that you look at and KNOW it will do some amazing things…be it inland on old coins or down in the wet sand. The Spectra can utilize 3 separate frequencies simultaneously and comes stock with a 10 inch DD coil. It also has a TON of stock pre-built “programs” or modes that you can select on the fly (Much, much easier than on the DFX I used to have) thanks to a quick “hot bar” arrangement along the bottom of the screen. There’s also nearly UNLIMITED user adustable things under the hood…so many so that most new owners will “play it safe” with the stock programs for a while…and luckily, they work great!…not quite as conservative as I remember on the DFX. For the “turn on and go” type hunters…no problem! You only “play” with the advanced stuff if you want to…and luckily all the pre-made programs hard in uneraseble ROM…so a quick reset and you can “undo” whatever you did if something ends up out of whack. In other words…don’t be afraid to “play”!

Unfortunately, low tide during vacation week was mid -afternoon (or EARLY in the morning!). However, I love to hunt the “wet stuff” during waning tide, so off in the mid-day heat I went! I was already familiar with the Spectra’s sand performance during a brief surf hunt earlier in the Summer…that short trip netted me a pocket full of clad and a ring! My hopes were HIGH for this week!

When I started my hunt, I quickly picked the preconfigured “Salt Beach” mode. It’s an exellent starting point for salt drenched sand…and sets the cool color display to a mode that is highly visible in the bright daylight. The 10 inch DD coil covers ground quickly and the presets of the “Salt Beach” mode seem to allow for fast hunting. The only tweaks I made initially was bumping the gain…I found the area I was in allowed for a bit more “heat” while staying stable. The balance of the “tried and true” White’s pole, display pod and electronics housing makes it easy to find a perfect balance. I’m around 5′ 11″ (used to be taller before years of gravity got me!) and had no problem finding a notch on the pole that allowed for that perfect compromise of maximum swing coverage, yet little “fatigue”. I tend to opt for more swing coverage, using the momentum of my swing to help suspend the coil “just” off the surface of the sand. One minor issue I had with the stock DD coil was a slight “falsing” when bumping the wet sand…I’ve heard this issue does not occur with other compatible coils though…and I adapted quickly to compensate.

Jay Hersey, Mark Ellington w/ V3, Carl Cladoff

CRABS looking over the Spectra V3 (left to right) Jay Hersey, Me, Carl Cladoff

One thing is for sure…other hobbyists are “intrigued” by the new Spectra! I had quite a few folks (including some of the Carolina Beach area CRABS (Carolina Relic And Beach hunting Society…the “h” in hunting is silent! ) They are an awesome group of hunters who I thoroughly enjoy digging with every chance I get! And…giving credit where credit is due, the big ol’ orange handled scoop you see me with in the photos was a loaner from the generous Carl Cladoff! (I forgot mine at home!)

One thing that INSTANTLY grabs attention is the wireless headphones! It was almost bizaare hunting without a cord dangling by my noggin! Especially when I stopped to dig the many targets…I usually have to do a little arm scoop motion to move the headphone cable so I don’t tangle it in my scoop as I dig. In short…the wireless headphones ROCK! Comfortable, wireless and plenty of volume. There were a few unusual episodes of the audio having a left/right shift (kinda like when you adjust the balance on your car stereo) but nothing that was a problem at all. I think I’ve seen on the forums that there’s a software update that prevents this. However, I kind of like it!

My intial finds with the Spectra V3 were plentiful! Plenty of targets were heard…at all sorts of depths. The deepest I dug was over a foot on a quarter…and it was loud and clear. The Spectra achieved PLENTY of depth on the Carolina Coast! Sensitivity to gold was tested with my wedding band. The Spectra hits HARD on gold rings…I just wasn’t luck enough to walk over one during the week. However, the Spectra has scored two rings for me in the sand. Neither was particularly valueable, but still fun to find!

Dolphin ring with Turquoise stone found with the V3 at the beach

Dolphin “mood” ring found with the Spectra V3

Another thing the beach taught me about the V3…it’s pretty darned water resistant! I was caught in SEVERAL downpours…with nowhere to go! There was never a problem with moisture getting into the “innards”…see my earlier Spectra V3 Review (part 1) for a photo of the rubber seals around the display pod and the electronics housing. I also noticed the V3 seems to handle a variety of temperature swings without an issue. My Wife likes to keep the Condo COLD! When coming from the frigid inside to the hot and humid outside, no problem…something else…See those buttons on the display? They glow in the dark! Nice touch! I have to admit…when I first heard the V3 would have a color display, I was worried about visibility in bright daylight. However, my concern was unfounded. The display is excellent in both bright light and NO light. The backlight (which is adjustable) works great when you want to get in some night hunting.

Another cool feature I learned to appreciate on this trip is the rechargeable battery pack. It charges fast! Great when you want to “top it off” after a hunt. The reason I say “top it off” and not “recharge” is because the battery life was splendid! It lasted much longer than I did! Just in case though, there’s an extra battery pack that you can carry with standard AA batteries.

Digging one of the many coins heard by the Spectra V3!

When all is said and done, the White’s Spectra V3 is a great beach machine! The default, out-of-the-box Beach Hunting program works well and there are more adjustments than the average hunter will ever explore! However, it’s pretty cool knowing that flexibility and adjustability are available at your fingertips. I think White’s has another hit on their hands with the Spectra V3!

Author digs another of MANY coins found with the Spectra V3!

Part 3 coming soon!

*Special thanks to Dave and Carl Cladoff for the use of their photos!*

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White's Spectra V3 (Vision) Field Test part 1

admin — Thu, 28 May 2009 01:19:00 +0000

White’s new flagship has proudly left port!…the Spectra V3!

Part 1 of however many it takes!

To say there are a LOT of features and options on White’s newest flagship, the Spectra V3, is an enormous understatement! I’ve spent weeks deliberating on the best way to present a review of the Spectra…and I finally decided to break it into phases. If I tried to put everything into one story, I think it would almost be overwhelming! (to me too…trying to write it!) There will no doubt be some outstanding books and tutorials written on this machine. I would strongly suggest buying one of those when they become available (Jeff Foster or Andy Sabisch?).

This first “phase” report is about the packaging, contents and overall new user impressions. As the chapters continue, I will branch out into other aspects such as assembly, air-testing, interface and “real-world” usage.

So here we go!…

White’s Spectra V3 Review, part 1

Arrival and unpacking:

Shipping box

Is there any better feeling than to arrive home and find a new metal detector on your porch? Nope! The distinctive White’s logo meant one thing and one thing only…the new Vision had arrived (name later changed to Spectra V3…more on that later). Now, there are those who carefully open the packaging…and there are those who tear into ‘em with kid-at-Christmas enthusiasm. I started out “careful”, but due to the hefty staples holding the outer box, I said “The heck with it!” and starting yanking and pulling!

Spectra inner box

My enthusiastic box pulling yielded another pleasant surprise…double boxing! I like it when dual boxes are used. The inner box is the one with all the cool artwork and product information.

packed as shipped

Call me weird, but I love to see stuff securely packed from the factory…as the Spectra V3 was! Each item has its place..and is protected by a separate clear plastic bag (I had already pulled it off the display section). Nice and snug…as it should be!

All the goodies

I decided to empty all the contents on the floor for a photo…and a nice pile of goodies it is indeed! My eye is immediately drawn to those cool wireless headphones! Outstanding idea…and extremely useful. I have “almost” cut my way through my headphones cable many, many times while bent over digging a hole with my trusty ol’ Lesche!

Overall, the Spectra ships with an impressive amount of accessories. For power, there’s a standard battery pack, rechargeable pack and charger. There’s also a “goodie” bag with rubber feet for the base of the under-arm housing and adhesive foam padding. They also include velcro cable straps and rubber bushings for the coil mount. Assembly is a snap and all the parts fit securely and precisely. I used to have a DFX for a while and thoroughly enjoyed it…tons of options and flexibility. The Spectra V3 takes this up to an entirely new level! However, you would expect flexibility to also mean complexity…but not this time. The software and interface for the Spectra V3 is light years ahead of where they were with the DFX! You can tell a TON of work went into making common tasks accessible (more on this in a later installment).

Well, my goal with this first report was to relate the feeling you get when first recieving and opening the the Spectra V3. My feeling is “Wow!” very, very impressive. Physical construction is solid and the color LCD display is awesome (and very visible under all lighting conditions so far). Initial out-of-the-box air testing was outstanding. There’s no doubt the Spectra V3 was a labor of love for the folks at White’s!

More coming soon in part 2!

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Another look inside the White's Spectra V3….

admin — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:16:08 +0000

I Love this hobby and this website! How often do you get to tear into a perfectly good, brand spankin’ new metal detector? If you’re like me you’re curious about the “innards” of metal detectors but not too sure about doing some damage…don’t fret…I have permission! My biggest worry is that I break something so bad I can’t have fun with this awesome machine!… So here we go…part 2!

This time I take apart the Display/control pod! In the first part of this series, I “deconstructed” the under-arm housing. LINK HERE. Upon removing the screws on the control pod, I am very impressed by the use of a nice heavy rubber bushing/seal. So far, all parts appear to be very high quality on the Spectra V3. Each half of the display seat into a recessed groove…nice and water tight! There’s also a beefy rubber grommet/seal where the pod back connects to the back of the handle…once again helping keep the elements at bay….