Finders is no longer an Authorised Minelab Dealer
Due to a difference of opinion between Minelab and Finders of which further details may be viewed at this page Minelab terminated Finders Authorised Dealership as of 1st. December 2000. Finders has now fast tracked their Titan Project.

    Welcome to a new world of Treasure Hunting

Over the years, Minelab has become synonymous with exciting and innovative technology. The giant leaps they have introduced into metal detecting are undisputed. Innovations like true automatic ground balance, multiple frequency detecting with BBS technology and of course the hugely successful multi-period sensing (MPS) of the SD series detectors have led the world. These technologies have made Minelab machines go deeper, be more sensitive and handle diverse ground conditions better than any others.

Bruce Candy and the scientists and designers in Minelab’s research and development department have now turned their attention to creating a totally new concept in coin and treasure hunting. The Minelab Explorer has overnight, changed the benchmark to which others will be compared.

The Minelab Explorer has a number of new features but probably the two most exciting are F.B.S. [Full Band Spectrum] being multiple frequency signalling  and the  totally innovative way of testing and identifying targets called ‘Smartfind’ ^TM.

Full Band Spectrum FBS

In the past, most detectors scanned the ground for targets using just one frequency. This had its limitations as to how well the detectors were able to work and how accurate their discrimination was, given the limited information it received.

In the late 80’s, Minelab introduced Broad-Band Spectrum [BBS] technology to the world with the release of the first Sovereign detectors. This technology had the ability to simultaneously use 17 frequencies for better depth and sensitivity.

While designing the Explorer, the R&D department of Minelab found an improved method of transmitting signals. This has enabled the Explorer to expand from the 17 frequencies of BBS up to 28 frequencies in the new Full Band Spectrum (F.B.S.) system.

“What does this mean to me?”, you may ask. Put simply, by increasing the number and the range of frequencies being transmitted (the Explorer operates between the frequencies 1.5kHz to 100kHz), there has been a marked improvement in both the depth and accuracy of discrimination. This means that the Explorer can now detect those very deep targets which have been overlooked until now. All those productive areas you have detected previously, done well and found all that was there in shallow depths, can now be re-detected to find the deeper coins which were missed previously.

An added advantage of increasing the number of frequencies being transmitted is the increased accuracy of target identification. The more frequencies sampling the target, the more information returned for processing and the more precisely the detector is able to accurately identify the target. For the technically minded, Full Band Spectrum ( F.B.S.) has meant  that the resolution or the divisions of measurement, the Explorer  is able to make of a target signal has gone from approximately 8000 out to a massive 65000, a huge increase of information.

Smartfind ^TM – Two dimensions of detecting

How does a detector tell what type of target you have found when it’s still buried in the ground? In the past, the only characteristic of a metal target, which a detector utilised to determine the type of metal found, was how conductive it was. For many years this has been a quite satisfactory method of discriminating; however, the limitation came when different targets of similar conductivity gave the same result.  A new method had to be found which would separate targets of similar conductivity.

Wouldn’t it be great if the target could be tested for a new set of characteristics to be cross-referenced with the conductivity results? This way we would be able to pinpoint the metal target between the two factors. A very clever idea!

All metals, even non-ferrous metals, have a ferrous-like magnetic property, affecting eddy currents, which can be quantified. This characteristic is often referred to as inductance. The degree of inductance can be determined by the effect it has on the eddy currents within the detected metal target. Due to the huge computing power available in the Explorer, both of these characteristics can be displayed on the screen of the detector using a very easy to understand two-dimensional graph. The conductivity of the metal is shown along the vertical axis and the inductance or ferrous-like properties along the horizontal axis.

 
What’s all this mean to you? When you detect a target with the Explorer, a cross appears on the display screen which is now using two different characteristics to display exactly what the target’s profile is likely to be. Now, if there are two different metals with similar conductivity, they can probably be separated due to their different inductance.

   
With the much improved capabilities of Smartfind ^TM you’ll really be able to tell which coin you’ve found or what the carat of the ring is before you dig it up. You’ll even tell if the pull tab is an old one or a new style – if you want to!

How can I remember which metals have what characteristics? That’s the simplicity of the Smartfind ^TM discriminator. You don’t have to; the information is there on the screen in an easy to understand pattern. All you need then do is select the parts of the screen in which trash appears and eliminate them.

 
Through the combination of factory target patterns, along with the ability for the operator to manipulate the pattern in numerous ways, personal discrimination patterns can be built up and saved for each of the areas you detect.

 
But there’s more – Smartfind ^TM can then accept or reject any of the targets which you choose. Scan across a common bottle top, press a button and that little area of the screen goes black and those bottle tops are rejected. Scan across a certain coin, press a button and you can hunt for just those coins. Smartfind ^TM even lets you further manipulate these discrimination areas as you wish. Ever want to detect a playground and reject everything but $1 & $2 coins? Now you can.

Once you have created the discrimination pattern, you can save it so that anytime you return to that search area, you can use the same settings.

Other features of the Explorer

Operating the Explorer is very simple with an easy and logical menu system that accesses all the variable controls. The Explorer can be as automatic or manually controlled as you wish. For the beginner, the detector will operate with factory preset functions that allows for turn-on-and-go simplicity. From this pre-set position, you can change any of the options you wish, like volume, threshold, sensitivity, tone and, of course, discrimination settings. For maximum simplicity, the operating menu is divided between basic and advanced functions and all alterations are effected by simple shift pad controls.

Comfort & Batteries

 
The Explorer  has been ergonomically designed for comfort and balance and can be used for hours without undue fatigue. All controls are positioned within easy reach on the control panel. One of the great design features of the Explorer is the inclusion of the coil cable within the stem. Gone are the days of a loose cable flailing around the stem or getting damaged due to it being caught on objects. The telescopic stems secured by heavy-duty camlocks gives the detector hard-wearing durability without the weight of metal shafts.

The Explorer  has a very easily installed, drop-in battery case which operates on either 8 x AA alkaline batteries or the supplied NiMh [nickel metal hydride] rechargable battery. These batteries give a full 12 to 14 hrs life and can be charged at any point in their power cycle, not being susceptible to failing capacity due to “battery memory”.

Note:  There are two Explorer models available, the Explorer S and the Explorer XS . Some features available on the Explorer XS  do not appear on the Explorer S