Editorial Metal Detector Test C.Scope CS6MXi

C.Scope CS6MXi - four years of development and now it's here

What most searchers already know is the length of development of the new detector. It took almost 4.5 years to bring the new "I" series to the world. This is the base that C.Scope will now be building on for a couple of years for sure, and I think there is a lot to build on. Even if all the fans of the brand could not wait for the new detector, it is very good from today's point of view that the factory did not rush the development. After all, the last prototype of the six, still tested at Brandlin with an older type of processor, was significantly worse than the final version. The wait was worth it and the detector is really worth it.

Detector design

C.Scope The CS6MXi uses a proven, very rigid detector guide rod design. Theguide rod lock is very durable and should last a long time. The electronics box is made of highly durable plastic and can withstand bumps or rain. The electronics box is detachable and you will find a clip in the package so you can place it on your belt, making the detector weigh about 900g. However, by default the electronics box is placed under the handle of the guide bar so that you can easily operate all the controls in the control box. The armrest has a foam padding.

So overall the design is excellent, but I found two faults with it. The electronics box could easily be placed on the armrest, unfortunately the factory does not offer this option. With English smarminess they tell us that this is not necessary, with two threaded rivets. Since we have our own workshop, we have tried making some prototypes of the CS6MXi with the electronics box placed on the armrest. If you don't want to use a pinpoint and just set up the detector at the beginning of the array and then just do the search, the detector is better balanced with the electronics box on the elbow. Personally, I place the electronics box on my belt or just under my elbow. Since, at least for now, the factory does not offer this mount, we will be adding this mount to the CS6MXi, CS4MXi and CS3MXi detectors upon request. It is only two rivets and for us it is a matter of about 5 minutes. The second complaint is the two-piece construction. This is the same problem with the factory philosophy. For those afternoon tea lovers, the two-piece construction is the best solution. But in a country that is literally famous for its conservative approach to everything, it's no wonder. Changing something that has worked well from their point of view for 35 years is a very big deal indeed.

But in general the construction is very rigid, the electronics box can withstand anything, the grip for this box is excellent despite its simplicity. There is strength in simplicity and you quickly get used to holding the detector.

The new probes from C.Scope for the "I" series are waterproof and shockproof. I have to say that I was also impressed by their beautiful, novel design. It's great to see manufacturers coming up with something new too. The detector has also been allowed to use the Made in Britain label since the beginning of the year, which is not exactly easy to obtain. The probes from my point of view use the same manufacturing technology as Minelab, Garrett's new AT probes or S.E.F. probes.

Detector controls

The operation of the detector is simple and very efficient. There is no control on the box that you will not use permanently. The elements are logically placed on the detector box and the detector is very easy to work with.

Ground Balance settingsThe : detector has an automatic and manual GB detuning mode. In automatic mode the detector constantly tunes itself to the soil conditions you are in. This makes it very quiet in this mode. You can easily see how the automatic tuning works when you stop the probe movement. After a few seconds, you can see the detector trying in vain to tune itself. The manual adjustment of the ground balance is very easy, you only need to keep two basic settings. Iron audio to "5" and discrimination to minimum. You then wiggle the probe up and down over a range of 2 to 10 cm. If there is a grumbling sound, turn the GB control clockwise, if whistling turn counterclockwise. A properly adjusted detector makes neither a growl nor a whistle. Note: Be sure to switch the GB controller from auto to manual mode when you begin debugging.

In the manual ground balance setting, you can effectively push the detector's range much further. It depends on the mineralization of the soil, and the more mineralized the soil, the smaller the range gain you can obtain by manual adjustment. So in highly mineralized soils I can always recommend using an automatic detector, the detector is still beautifully quiet. In mildly or moderately mineralised soils, you can really do wonders with the manual setting, even if it sometimes comes at the cost of some minor ringing.

Iron Volume: The CS6MXi uses a unique iron and debris suppression system with no effect on the depth achieved by the detector. To simplify, the detector does not use the classic discrimination where you suppress individual conductivity groups, but mutes or mutes the "sound" of iron" or "waste". As a result, there is no problem with range reduction in the discrimination setting. The Iron volume function can be used from muting the sound of the iron after it has been placed in the background to completely turning it off, when you don't hear the iron at all.

Disk Volume: The function works just like Iron Volume, only you suppress the midrange for waste. The setting works in conjunction with the discrimination control.

Disk: Forget classic discrimination or notch windows. With the CS6MXi, you set in the disk where you want to hear the wastes and where you no longer want the targets. The recommended setting is "5" to "6". I'll discuss how extremely accurate the CS6MXi can be in determining waste later in the text.

Sensitivity: This is used to adjust the sensitivity of the detector and also serves to turn the unit on. When switched on, a pair of beeps will sound to let you know that the instrument is ok and ready to use. I always recommend setting it to maximum. In case of interference you may need to lower it a bit, but on most sites this is not necessary.

Pinpoint: The detector features a hilarious motionless mode. It marks targets accurately, and you can also hear the signal surge well as you approach the target while digging. Since I carry the electronics box mostly on my belt and/or in the back under my armrest, I don't use the feature much. But I think a lot of searchers find it useful, especially if they don't use a tracker, for example.

Practice with settings

The detector is easy to use, but it's a bit of a joy to play with the settings on a detector like this. I'll probably start with the setting that seems to be the most interesting and can be used for normal surveys of your sites.

1.Setting up the CS6MXi for the first time

Leave the Ground Balance set to auto. If the detector "sees" the ground it will be completely quiet and without any pronouncements. Leave the Iron volume at maximum, as well as the Disk volume. Set the discrimination control to "6". The detector now has an equally strong response to all types of targets and you will fully enjoy the detector's 3-tone response. You can use this setting on most sites and you will always be successful.

2. There's a lot of iron, I'd like to know about it, but I don't want my head to rattle after an hour.

Leave the ground balance in the machine. Iron volume down to "2" or "3". All the irons will now echo in the background, clearly but quietly. You will thus be able to track, for example, a road or places where human activity has taken place and iron is thus omnipresent. With this setup you will still have an idea of what is below you, but you will not be disturbed in any way, on the contrary it is very pleasant. If I could compare, there are some detectors on the market that have this feature set in a threshold tone. I can say that the C.Scope solution is noticeably more pleasant and does not require constant attention. Leave the volume dial set to full and the discrimination potentiometer set to 6. You now have a beautiful two-tone with a third iron tone hidden in the background.

3. I go to the beach or parks, there's a lot of modern garbage

For a lot of prospectors, this is a proper relaxation and also a chance to find maybe a gold ring or earring. Leave the ground balloons on the machine. Iron volume can be turned all the way down to 0. You won't hear the irons at all now. Set the disk volume to 5 or 6, the middle "waste" tone will be quieter. Set the discriminator to 5. At this setting, you will only hear the middle waste tone. In two months of testing, we basically only dug up a few targets that managed to fool the discriminator. So you can have the luxury of not kicking up waste at the beach! Modern iron-core coins are detected by the detector as colored targets, and you will dig most of them. Occasionally with the 1Kc and 2Kc we observed the iron ringing through at the end of the tone. A completely eaten 10K went as a colored target though. What is true for Kc's is also true for Euros. You can dig most modern coins that way.

4. I need to get as deep as possible

As hinted at in the introduction, using the manual ground balance on the detector can shift the depth range, depending on the location, even very significantly. I can recommend manual ground balancing in lightly to moderately mineralised soils. There it makes sense and will give you the results you expect. The tuning procedure is simple; you set the iron volume to 5, the ground balance also to 5. Discriminator to 0 and sensitivity to maximum. Then, by moving the probe up and down between 2 and 10 cm, you begin to tune. The detector will grumble or beep as it tunes downward. If it grumbles turn clockwise, if it whistles turn counterclockwise. The purpose is to find a place where the detector does not grunt or whistle. The controller is only about 240°C so setup is very quick. Use the Iron volume and disk volume settings as you feel most comfortable.

5. Sensitivity settings and certain tweaks

Setting the sensitivity is easy. Turn the dial to maximum. As long as there is no source of electromagnetic interference nearby, the CS6MXi will work perfectly fine. It's a shame to rob yourself of depth with an unnecessarily low setting. If you want to test the detector in the air, then the automatic GB setting is inappropriate. The detector will be constantly trying to tune to ground, which will result in interference and confusing signals. So if you want to test the detector on air set the GB control to 5, even if you actually get a nonsensical setting, the detector will be quieter and you will be able to check the detector's response to different types of objects. This is especially true for home tests on a table somewhere, where the probe is still disturbed by many interferences.

Working in the field

So you probably have an idea of how to set up the detector and we can look at field practice. I'll start from the very beginning and that is the speed of the probe movement. With the CS6MXi you don't need to flap furiously to get maximum depth. I think that the detector can move normally, like an old man mowing the grass. The optimum height is 2 cm above the ground. Some grinding of the ground won't bring any extra depth, but it doesn't hurt anything either.

If you are going to use the detector with an electronics box on your belt (I really recommend you test it!) use tape to attach the wire. The cable is long enough, durable and large diameter. Leave a 30 to 40 cm loop free. This is quite sufficient and the cable will not restrict you in any way. In colder temperatures, the conductor stiffens a little, which is quite normal and the cable can withstand much lower temperatures than you can. The detector is now 900g and this is obviously nice, especially for people who have some sort of back problem or otherwise get tired quickly. But if you want to use the motionless tracking mode, the attachment at the bottom of the guide rod is best. But the detector's response is fast enough that I only used the motionless one in testing.
The last option is under the armrest. The detector is better balanced this way, even with a larger probe. As mentioned in the introduction. When you order the detector you can have the grip finished and we hope that over time the islanders will loosen up.

Reaches

What every searcher wants to know about a new detector is the depth of range, discrimination and separation. This time we measured the depth at several locations. The detector has always been set to automatically detune for ground effect, of course in manual it is possible to get even more significant results, but this can come at the cost of ringing and everyone will be able to check these figures. It should also be written here that it does not make much sense to do tests in the air with the automatic GB detuning setting. The detector then tries to detune the air, which causes the ringing. Basically, two subjects were tested. Small silver, about 18mm, 1ccs. Given the different locations, there were some interesting results. Of course, it all depends on the current soil moisture, temperature, etc. As indicative results from 4 prospectors this is telling enough.

Detector settings: GB automatic, Sensitivity 10, Disk 5, Iron volume 10, Disk volume 10. 28cm 2D probe C.Scope

1kcs coin ranged from 26cm to 32cm. The test was conducted in two types of forest soil and two types of soil.
Ag 18mm from 23 to 25cm (same soil conditions)

The only exception is a basalt hill, somewhere behind Ústí nad Labem. There the range was within 10 cm for both subjects. Which may seem low, but considering several tests of VLF detectors in this location, where many instruments had problems detecting targets lying on the surface, this is a decent result. Unfortunately I have not seen this test so I cannot take it completely 100%. However, last year we tested the detectors at Marianska in the same way. There the average range of all detectors was around 5 cm! It was a club meeting and there were about 20 different instruments on site, in the vast majority only the higher price class. Of course the PI detector is not and will not be the CS6MXi, so I would not look for any specialty in it for basalt sites.

On the contrary, it is fair to say that even in the heavily mineralized soils we tested, the CS6MXi behaved literally exemplary and I got some interesting comparisons. Here the automatic machine is working at its best and does not lose any range. At first I felt there was a bit of a problem with the manual setting.

Discrimination

The detector brings a new perspective on discrimination and also working with the audio output. You don't set the discrimination in the classic way anymore, from iron over foils etc. The discrimination control itself only determines where you want the waste to be heard. Both iron and waste have their own "volume" control. With it you can turn down the volume of the iron targets in the background or turn them off completely, or you can work with the waste signal in the same way. In our tests, we used a Disk control setting between 5 and 6. I personally only once had a good thing announce itself with a medium tone. It was a fiddle decal. We got four more similar targets from other testers. Only in one case was it a small silver coin and it was still folded. So, with a degree of caution, we can say that even the tiniest silver coins, if whole, do not report to the scrap and that is a really great result.

Separation

The exceptional separation properties of the new "I" series could be verified by a number of prospectors already in the autumn in Brandlin during the National Championship in metal detecting. Now, after two months of testing, it seems that to surpass the CS6MXi in this respect is literally an extremely difficult task. Even though the detector uses a 28 cm 2D oval as its basic probe, the separation results are extraordinary. The detector can distinguish the colour targets for iron even with a relatively large weight imbalance. In no case does it then "put" these targets in the waste by reporting them in a medium tone.

We tested iron spikes with forged heads. We always tried to dig them up on site. Sometimes it happened that the spike head "echoed" into the paint at the end of the signal. But what is sympathetic is that you can clearly tell that it is the same object and even if the smaller paint is literally lying right next to it, the detector is fast enough to cope.

Susceptibility to interference

We crawled through several problematic sites and basically everywhere was searchable, although sometimes the search was literally unpleasant. But I can't write any definitive results here. For example, we searched with the detector at three cell towers. In two cases we searched directly at the tower without any problem. In the third case, it was still about 50 meters from the transmitter by a lot of ears. The same applies to the long-distance power lines. But in a few places in a perfectly fine location, just outside of Pribram, where two different networks converge, the search was rather an ordeal, and at least 20 meters from the line. You are bound to come across places where the detector will be disturbed in this way, and then you have no choice but to slightly lower the sensitivity or walk a little further away.

Final evaluation

Now I guess it would be appropriate to write what all the CS6MXi is unrivalled for or some other such nonsense. But if you've read this far, I think you've figured out that we're trying to rate the new detector from C.Scope as accurately as possible. Of course, it is not the best detector on the market, there is no such thing, and basically all the successful onesmachines only excel in something, or they are excellent all-purpose devices with good features in all types of searches. Good, but not the best.

I would however recommend the CS6MXi to searchers like myself. Just people who enjoy looking for the finest silver coins and gold objects. I move mainly in areas where there has been some human activity and these are in most cases highly contaminated with iron (see separation). Most detectors end up in such places or simply have problems. The Cscope CS6MXi has such advanced separation and discrimination that it can cope even in the worst conditions. The overall range of the detector is well above average and we have not had a chance to test the larger 35x28cm 2D probe or to play with manual ground tuning. For me, however, the effective range for small coins is more important. There, the CS6MXi compares to the best on the market and yet its discrimination is almost foolproof.

I think C.Scope have produced an exceptional detector and at a great price. While there are some things that can be faulted, overall it is a beautiful search with excellent depth, fast target response and accurate audio discrimination. The detector is also very easy to use and we basically haven't figured out how to get it not to search. I will definitely be using the device for many months now.

Acknowledgement

Currently, searchers in Europe are already convinced of the qualities of the new C.Scope CS6MXi. Unfortunately, to our great regret, the delivery time of the detectors has been extended to 6 to 8 weeks since the New Year, under the pressure of additional orders from distributors in individual countries. All the detectors we bring to the Czech Republic are literally immediately dismantled and we have to make waiting lists for the devices. This situation should improve by the summer by increasing the production capacity in the parent factory, but this will not happen before a few months. C.Scope It manufactures everything in its own plant in Kent and the premises are not inflatable, particularlyespecially as, as is the case with hobby detectors, production of utility locators has increased since the autumn.

Instructional video for C.Scope CS6MXi

The footage in the video was intended to be part of an instructional DVD. Unfortunately, due to the freezing weather, our camera stopped focusing at times, so you will have to wait a while for the final version of the instructional DVD.