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Deeptech Vista Rg1000 V2 Review
The Vista RG1000 utelises the same basic platform as all the other vista machines, control box, stem coil configuration and so on. Naturally each machine has it's different attributes and is designed for specific tasks and confidence levels. The RG1000 is very adaptable and will appeal to most people including novices who want a simple to operate machine.
My field test machine is running at 12Khz, however I have asked for the machine to be adapted to 14Khz for all models sold in the UK as I feel this is a good all round frequency and something a little unique and special for us, this frequency shift will also enhance the sensitivity to tiny targets such as our small hammered coins.
Let's take a look at the controls
 
As you can see the controls are very simple and self explanatory, it may be worth noting the 2 tone audio identification...high tone for non ferrous, low tone for ferrous works in the "Full All" position with the under box switch forward, to access true all metal with no tone id simply pull the under box switch back.
This switch has no effect in the discrimination mode when it is a single tone id and the machine rejects iron in the conventional way with a broken or clipped sound depending on what position the discrimination control is set.
Features and observations
Those Deeptech fans will notice the on / off switch on the RG1000 is on the sensitivity control rather than an under arm battery box switch found on other Vista models. Personally I like the sensitivity on/off it would be nice to use this control on future models.
Ground balancing is very simple and can be achieved in discrimination mode or in all metal, as a rough guide my machine balanced in the 12 o'clock position, although I found the machine to be a little over sensitive when the coil was knocked on rocks or lumps of mud.... a position between 1 and 2 o'clock is ideal see picture this is where the machine rejects ferrite and is my preferred ground balance setting with no loss of performance. I would suggest all new users to leave the ground setting in this position unless searching in area's with very low mineralised soil or if using the machine in all metal.Tone Identification
This worked very well with a clear difference between low and high tones, as with all tone id machines there is a point where the ground signal becomes more prominent than the actual target due to size or depth, advanced users can gain extra performance by investigating signals that are faint and have a slight iron tone accompanying the positive tone.
Weight
As with all Deeptech models the weight is very manageable even with the standard 11" search coil, there is an arm strap supplied with every machine which helps a great deal when searching for long periods.
Headphones
Although they are quite delicate I found using cheap backphones to be an ideal combination while testing the Vista RG1000 if you are on a budget there is no need to invest in expensive headphones unless you prefer more rugged longer lasting units.
Deeptech have 5 VLF models what will suit me ?
Good question : I personally like the Vista Gold it suits my style of searching, also I don't own a 25Khz machine, I like being different from the crowd...however this is not saying it is better than the other models as they all have their place and for very good reasons.
Deeptech Vista Mini : A good entry level relic hunter with impressive depth running at 10Khz it will excel on most targets providing the soil is not over contaminated with iron.
Deeptech Vista RG750 : More of a dedicated relic machine, 7 Khz makes it ideal for locating larger targets at good depths. This unit is very popular overseas personally I feel this machine has it's place in the uncontaminated mountains of Europe or hoard hunting, it will not suit iron contaminated soil.
Deeptech Vista Relic : I have not tested this machine but can only assume it is simlar to the RG 750 with more features.
Deeptech Vista RG1000 V2 : A good all round performer, Ideal for those who search varied sites such as pasture, plough, stubble etc, depth is very good while still maintaining sensitivity to smaller targets.
Deeptech Vista Gold : High frequency and very sensitive to small targets, this machine has a very fast recover speed so will work well on iron contaminated sites such as area's of ancient habitation.
A good day's detecting
An organised dig, once again vastly over subscribed due to people announcing details over the internet, I believe over 500 detectorists turned up, at the whistle there was literally no room to search so I waited for the crowds to disperse and then started to detect.
The iron contamination in some places was the worst I have encountered for a long time, at one point I was running the RG at zero sensitivity and still managed to whittle out some nice targets, one or two large pieces of iron plate caught me out as it did with several other machines on the day.
On this occasion switching to silent search... moving the toggle from "fixed All" to "Disc" made the machine much more easier to tolerate as it eliminated the tone id feature, operating in single tone discrimination is not something I would choose over tone ID but on this particular field it made things more tolerable due to the vast amount of iron.
Even at zero discrimination I would say the Vista RG 1000 was still to powerful for this site, especially at the bottom of the slope where the Medieval village was located, I moved up the slope where the machine became more settled and made some impressive Medieval finds.
Metal detecting rally pictures, these were my settings on the less contaminated area's
RG 1000 summary
I really like the Vista RG1000-v2 it is without doubt a very powerful machine and will suit those who are not fooled by fancy gimmicks, the construction is rugged and built for the job. I have asked for very slight changes to be made for the UK, as time passes and these machine filter on to the market I am sure we will be hearing some very positive feedback from new Vista owners, as for me I will continue using this machine as the season develops and will update this page with any relevant information.
New Vista owners are welcome to send in their reviews to me at garysdetecting@hotmail.com
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