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The XP ORX metal detector - Top of it's class 2019
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There has been a lot of talk about the new ORX from XP, there has also been a lot of questions about its ability and features.

Firstly as most of you are aware XP do not go big on hype and in true form I would like to point out while writing this review I am not trying to sell you the machine, I just want to give you the facts with which you can make an educated decision.



The ORX what’s new?
The first thing you will notice is the all new one piece S Lite Telescopic stem saving nearly 70g over the original Deus stem.


 

Why the ORX ?
XP wanted to produce a hybrid machine while still maintaining the much loved Deus DNA.
The ORX has a different menu and factory pre-set programs all accessed by the # Hashtag (program select) button on the top right.
Factory Programs
1-Goldand 2-Fine Gold

Menu Features
Sens 0 – 99
Frequency 13.7kHz to 81khz or 58kHz depending coil
4 Reactivity
Disc IAR 0 -5
Iron Vol with pitch audio– on / off
Threshold 0 -20

These are the first 2 options you will see as you scroll through the menu, they are very similar to the Goldfield program found on the Deus, with some small tweaks including an Iron tone.
It is essential to get a good ground balance when using the Gold programs.
Why Gold Programs ?
The Gold market is massive in some parts of the world, XP wanted to tap into this market and make a machine capable of competing with other single frequency Gold machines.
The ORX will suit this market well, especially with the cordless technology and the HF Elliptical coil.
Sometimes people hike for days to find gold-bearing areas, the ORX is small and portable, the more you think about it, the more it makes good sense.

Although the programs refer to Gold hunting, they can be easily adapted for inland use which adds a completely different dynamic to the ORX.



The ORX has a basic but very usable menu

Factory Programs 3 & 4 Coin Fast and Coin Deep

Menu Features
Discrimination 0 -99
Sensitivity 0 - 99
Frequency
Iron volume on / off
Reactivity 1 to 3

Coin Fast is very much in line with the existing Deus Fast program, it uses a 3 tone audio and I am guessing will be the most popular choice.
Coin Deep uses slightly different filtering and a slower reactivity, this allows better ground penetration for deeper targets, idea if the ground is cleaner.

User save programs 5 & 6
These are empty memory banks where the user can save their custom programs, from programs 1 to 4. It is not possible to assign a name to these custom programs.


 
XP ORX screen information
The ORX display is simple to understand, the menu is very similar to the XP Deus which has a proven track record within the metal detecting world.


 

Target ID and interface
This is another new concept, when a target is detected the screen turns to a bigger visual display with an added Iron probability scale.




Ground balance
Changing the Ground Balance value manually is done via the plus and minus buttons
Ground grab is accessed by quickly pressing the pin point button, while the coil is lowered to the ground, there is no need to hold the button, just one single press is fine.


Ground grab procedure
Find a clean piece of ground and pump the coil a few times to get a ground measure reading (Shown in the right hand box), then as the coil approaches the ground, press the pin point button once.
If the procedure was correct, you will have corresponding or very close numbers in both boxes.
Ground Balance – Is your actual setting.
Ground Measure – Is the ground reading.

As with the Deus, if there is not a strong enough ground echo received, the ground balance will default to 88 and the symbol -  - will replace the ground measure reading.
This is absolutely fine as a setting of 88 will be suited to most inland detecting requirements.
Salt mode
Press and hold the # Hashtag button for 3 seconds to access the Salt mode – This feature is best suited for mineralised black sand and some beaches, when active the word SALT will appear in the bottom right hand corner of the program display panel.
Pin point mode
When using the coin programs the pin point mode is accessed by pressing and holding the pin point button for 3 seconds.
MI-6
The MI-6 has wireless connectivity just like the Deus, when the MI-6 is paired the ORX will have a new on-screen menu allowing custom changes to the pin pointers audio and sensitivity.



 




 




Language
Once again another new ORX feature, offering a choice of 15 languages all accessible from the Configuration menu.
A word to the wise, don’t come crying to me if you set your machine on Chinese, I remember I did this once with my phone and it was a nightmare. If you speak Chinese please ignore the above.


Options menu
Available Features
Configuration – Speaker – Backlight – Contrast – Go Terrain – Update - Language
Programs -save – delete.
Coils – Choose your desired coil.
Headset – Pair with WSA
Pin pointer – Pair with MI-6 – Remove - Research



WSA Audio Headphones
The WSA module uses the trusted XP wireless technology and is simple to use with just a + and – buttons which adjusts the volume and pairing , utilising the standard WS4 Deus headband the module can be removed and the horseshoe adapter can be fitted to allow the use of any headphone of your choice, this is my personal choice as it can all fit into my pocket for extra weather protection.
Turn off the ORX and the headphones turn off.
*Note -The WSA are not compatible with the Deus, neither are the WS4/5 compatible with the ORX.


HF Coils + the X35 option
You have a Choice of HF coils when you buy an ORX the 9” round or Elliptical. The 9” round coil has a frequency range from 14Khz up to 50Khz and the 9.5 x 5 Elliptical coil offers 14Khz to 80Khz all include 3 base frequency choices with 7 large offsets.
The ORX is compatible with the X35 which has 5 base frequencies and starts at 3.7Khz up to 27.7Khz, unlike the Deus there is no low frequency boost function available with the ORX X35 configuration.

In the field
As soon as you pick up the ORX you can instantly feel it’s lighter than the Deus, 70g does not sound much but the machine feels so fast and nimble, the new S Lite stem deploys in exactly the same way as the original stem.

My first choice was the Coin Deep program, it felt very twitchy over my iron contaminated site, this was a good thing because if it was stable I would have had concerns about power and performance on cleaner ground.

Coin Fast program
Yes this was the one, I can honestly say the ORX has lost none of the Deus magic…why would it as the Coin Fast mode replicates the DEUS FAST Deus factory program. It uses a fixed 3 tone audio with 1 tone assigned to Iron targets a low Iron grunt, which can be turned on or off using the Iron volume feature.
Target location was very easy by simply crossing with the coil over the target, although the pin point button can always be used to determine depth and target size, just remember when using coin modes, the pin point button has 2 modes.
Fast single press - for Ground grab.
3 second press – Pin point mode.



New target ID screen
I really like the new ORX target ID screen, the interface is easy to understand.  When a target is detected an ID number is displayed, below that is an Iron Probability scale.

Iron Probability scale
I found it to be helpful when searching in the Gold Modes, but you may find offers no big advantages when searching in the coin modes as the low Iron audio tone does a very good job.



Spoils from the day and final thoughts.
While swinging the ORX through the stubble I began thinking about XP’s target customers, where will it fall in the marketplace, is it a gold machine or is it a coin machine, at that point just by chance the headphones rang out a solid mid tone with a strong target ID. After a quick dig a nice Medieval hammered coin looked up at me, I remember thinking neither it’s a Silver machine !


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