XP Deus II
XP Deus II Target ID Chart: Why the Number Moves With the Program
Quick answer
The XP Deus II manual specifies a 0 to 99 target ID. Iron reads low, foil and small gold 20 to 40, nickels near 30 to 40, tabs 40 to 55, and coins 60 to 95. The important difference is that changing program or frequency shifts those bands, so a Deus II chart is per program.
The XP Deus II is the machine where a single target ID chart stops being enough. XP publishes 12 fast simultaneous multi-frequency factory programs and a choice of 49 single frequencies from 4 to 45 kHz, and the target ID a given object produces depends on which of those you are running.
That is not a defect. It is the direct consequence of how conductivity measurement works: frequency changes how a target responds, so it changes the number. Any Deus II chart that gives you one set of figures without naming a program is describing one configuration and pretending it is all of them.
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XP Deus II
XP publishes 12 simultaneous multi-frequency programs and 49 single frequencies from 4 to 45 kHz on a fully wireless IP68 body rated to 66 feet, which is why its target ID behaviour is program-dependent rather than fixed.
Price was accurate when this page was compiled and changes often.
Why does the Deus II number change when you change program?
A detector estimates conductivity by measuring how a target alters a transmitted field, and the size of that alteration depends on the frequency used. Low frequencies favour large, high-conductivity targets such as silver coins. High frequencies favour small, low-conductivity targets such as fine gold, thin foil and small relics.
XP lets you choose between 12 simultaneous multi-frequency programs and 49 single frequencies spanning 4 to 45 kHz. Running a low single frequency and running a high one are genuinely different measurements of the same buried object, so they produce different numbers. Multi-frequency programs blend several at once and normalise the result, which is why they are the most stable starting point and why most owners live in them.
The practical rule: a Deus II target ID is only meaningful alongside the program that produced it. Record both, always. A notebook entry that says "78" is worth very little, and one that says "78 in the general multi-frequency program at six inches in damp loam" is worth a great deal.
What does each target read on a Deus II?
These bands describe behaviour in a general-purpose simultaneous multi-frequency program, which is the closest thing to a neutral reference the machine has.
In a general multi-frequency program the Deus II places iron below about 20 and silver coins from roughly 78 to 95, and switching to a high single frequency lifts small low-conductivity targets while compressing the top of the scale.
| Target | Typical ID, multi-frequency | Shift on a high single frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nails and small iron | 1 to 20 | Little change | Iron stays at the bottom on any program |
| Large corroded iron | 1 to 20, spikes high | Falses more readily | Cross-sweep is mandatory on relic ground |
| Steel bottle cap | 20 to 60, unstable | Still unstable | Repeatability is the test, not the number |
| Foil, small | 18 to 30 | Reads higher and louder | High frequency makes foil unavoidable |
| Small gold ring | 20 to 40 | Reads higher and clearer | The reason to run a high frequency on a beach |
| US nickel | 28 to 40 | Slightly higher | Best calibration target across programs |
| Lead and small brass | 25 to 55 | Clearer | Relic band, wide on any program |
| Pull tab | 38 to 52 | Slightly higher | Overlaps mid-size gold everywhere |
| Zinc cent | 56 to 68 | Slightly lower | Corrosion pulls it down further |
| Copper cent | 66 to 80 | Lower, compressed | High frequency squeezes the top of the scale |
| Clad dime | 68 to 80 | Lower, compressed | Thin target, fades early when deep |
| Silver dime | 76 to 86 | Lower, compressed | Deep silver drops toward the copper band |
| Quarter and silver quarter | 80 to 92 | Lower, compressed | Flat iron imitates this band |
| Half dollar and larger silver | 88 to 95 plus | Lower, compressed | Wide signal. Check the footprint |
The 0 to 99 target ID is specified in the XP Deus II manual. Per-target bands are the consensus of owner reports in general multi-frequency programs, not an XP specification. XP publishes 12 multi-frequency programs and 49 single frequencies, and the bands move between them.
How do you build a reference set that is actually yours?
- Pick two or three programs you will actually use. Most owners settle on one general program, one for beaches or wet ground and one for iron-heavy relic sites. Testing all twelve is a waste of an afternoon.
- Bury a known target set in your own soil. Nickel, zinc cent, copper cent, clad dime, quarter, pull tab, bottle cap, a nail and a cheap gold-plated ring, at two, four, six and eight inches, mapped on paper.
- Let the ground settle for several weeks. Freshly disturbed soil reads differently from undisturbed soil, so testing immediately gives you numbers you cannot reuse.
- Record every target in every chosen program. Write the ID, whether it was stable, and what the audio did. The differences between programs are the whole point of the exercise.
- Repeat after heavy rain. Moisture shifts readings on every machine. The gap between your dry and wet figures is the honest error bar on everything you have written down.
- Re-check after a firmware update. XP publishes wired and wireless firmware updates for this machine, and processing changes can move target IDs. Spot-check your garden after any update.
Does the wireless design affect the target ID?
Not directly, but it changes how you experience it. XP publishes the Deus II as a fully wireless system, with no cable between coil, remote and headphones, using a patented radio protocol XP states is ten times faster than Bluetooth low latency technology. Speed matters here for the same reason it matters on any wireless detector: audio delay destroys your ability to pinpoint by ear, and a slow link makes a fast machine feel slow.
The practical effect is that the audio and the screen stay in step, so the tone you hear and the number you read describe the same sweep. On a machine whose IDs shift between programs, that consistency is worth more than it sounds, because most of your real decisions are made on audio and confirmed on the screen rather than the other way round.
XP also publishes an IP68 rating with the detector waterproof to 66 feet, including a shockproof underwater remote design, with optional BH-01 bone conduction headphones for submerged use. Ordinary wireless does not work under water, which is why bone conduction exists as an option at all.
For setup by ground type see the Deus II settings by site type page, and for the published figures in one place see Deus II battery life and specifications. If you are comparing against simpler machines, the budget ID comparison shows how much of this complexity you are paying for, and the expert setup lists a full kit.
Sources
- XP Deus II user manual, target ID, programs and frequency selection sections
- XP published Deus II specification, 12 FMF programs and 49 single frequencies from 4 to 45 kHz
- XP published Deus II waterproof rating, IP68 to 66 feet with optional BH-01 bone conduction headphones
Frequently asked questions
What target ID scale does the XP Deus II use?
The Deus II manual specifies a 0 to 99 target ID, with iron at the bottom and good conductors such as copper and silver at the top. The complication specific to this machine is that XP publishes 12 multi-frequency programs and 49 single frequencies from 4 to 45 kHz, and the number a target produces shifts between them, so an ID is only meaningful alongside the program that produced it.
Why does the same coin read differently in two Deus II programs?
Because frequency changes the measurement. A detector estimates conductivity from how a target alters a transmitted field, and that response depends on the frequency used. Low frequencies favour large high-conductivity targets like silver, high frequencies favour small low-conductivity targets like fine gold and foil. Running a different program is genuinely a different measurement of the same buried object, so a different number follows.
Which Deus II program should I use as my baseline?
A general-purpose simultaneous multi-frequency program. Multi-frequency blends several frequencies and normalises the result, which makes it the most stable configuration and the closest thing the machine has to a neutral reference. Learn that one thoroughly before exploring the others, and record your test garden numbers in it first so you have something to compare every other program against.
Do firmware updates change the target ID numbers?
They can. Firmware governs the signal processing that produces the number, so a change to filtering or to how a program handles ground can move target IDs slightly. XP publishes both wired and wireless firmware updates for this machine. The sensible habit is to spot-check a few known targets in your test garden after any update rather than assuming your reference notes still hold.
Is a high single frequency better for gold on the Deus II?
For small gold, generally yes, because higher frequencies respond more strongly to small low-conductivity targets, and XP offers single frequencies up to 45 kHz. The cost is that the same sensitivity makes foil and small aluminium unavoidable, and the top of the scale compresses so silver separation gets worse. It is a trade rather than an upgrade, and it suits jewellery beaches and goldfields rather than parks.
Researched, not professional advice. This page is compiled from published specifications, manuals and owner-review consensus, not hands-on testing. Target ID numbers, depth figures and settings vary with soil chemistry, moisture, target size, depth, orientation and firmware version, so treat every figure here as a starting point and verify it against your own machine's manual and your own ground. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.