Whites Electronics Spectra V-3 .  First Impressions…Awesome Power…. Bernard Kravitz.

In August of 2009 I started using the Spectra V-3.  So far I have been impressed and equally glad that I have added this machine to my stable of detectors.  It is important to point out that I have been a lifelong user of metal detectors produced by Whites Electronics.  My DFX now resides next to the V-3.

In the past month my finds include two pre 1800 copper coins (most likely King George), several mercury dimes, a gold cross, a pocket watch, a gilded button, and a variety of farm items.  Most of the detecting occurred in a New Hampshire hay field.  The owner was excited when I found a metal plate with the name of the original owner of the farm.

The Spectra V-3 is a breeze to set up and get running.  The opening menu allows for easy navigation.  This is a nice improvement over the DFX navigation system. I was able to select a hunting mode and go.  The machine runs well and is extremely stable over a variant of soil conditions.

I have a variety of coils that I purchased to use with the V-3 (the coils from my DFX were too old to use with the V-3)  I have the 9.5 concentric coil that is optimized for salty environments, but I have yet to try the beaches. I will head to the beaches in the near future.  I plan on hunting stone walls with the Eclipse DD 4x6.  The Eclipse 5.3 performed well in a high trash park (with my DFX I found the 5.3 coil to find silver in parks filled with tabs, foil and other trash items… the same was true with this coil on a V3)

The one V-3 attribute that has impressed me the most was the Active Analyze Screen.  The first thing it is accurate and dependable.  It allowed me to analyze a potential target with confidence.     I was able to clearly avoid targets that I would have dug with the DFX.  I found the Active Analyze Screen to be a dependable option when I hunted a in a hay field.  In conjunction with dependable VID numbers the active analyze screen is one of the best features of this machine.

Hunting on the farm presented a variety of challenges… one being the electrical interference from the fence used to keep us separated from the bulls.  The frequency offset allowed me to hunt closer to the source of the interference.  This allowed me close enough to the area where I found my first King George.
  
As my time with the V-3 increased so did my position on the V-3 –Learning Curve.  I found the Live Control probe options be interesting and useful.  I was able to probe the ground and optimally set the RX Gain.  This helped improve depth and minimize false sensing from a setting that might have been too high.

I must state that I have not yet used the wireless headphones..  I must say that the weather has been too darn hot to use headphones that cover my ears.  I will try these them out this fall and winter.  I look forward to the freedom that a wireless system affords the user.  It would be nice to have some head phone options for ear size and season.  Maybe next year.

I found the Spectra to be a giant leap from the DFX.  I must say I have the DFX and will keep it in the active line up.  But the V-3 is worth the investment.  Its performance is superb, the color screen is bright and efficient even in bright sunlight, the menu based navigation system is outstanding and intuitive, the live controls allow the user to make changes on the fly, and the NiMH battery provides power for long hours of hunting.

If you are considering an upgrading your detector … consider the Whites Spectra V-3.     It is an investment that you will not regret.