Vallon VMH3CS Mine Detector

[James_LR]

Thanks for the response, very much appreciated! I believe my machine is in great condition all round. I've inspected the o ring on the 7 pin female connector and the guide pin, all seems well. I'm confident enough to at least go past that 7 pin connector. To be safe I won't take it past the housing!

Many thanks

[Ferric Toes]

Quick question on this machines water ability. I know the manual says the coil is waterproof up to 4m. Does this include the entire machine including the housing? Basically, can I submerse this detector?

Thanks,
James

Hi James,
I would add to Carolina's excellent description the following points -

All the shaft sections are designed to flood and drain via small holes in the end plate and shaft swivel which are often blocked by dust/mud in used machines. Clear these out with a blunted toothpick or similar item. If these tubes do not flood, particularly the one at the coil end, it will be too buoyant

The section in the shaft where the 7 pin connector is, is protected internally by O rings on both the male and female connector bodies so that the enclosed area where the pins and sockets are, remains dry. Any leaks into this space would cause big problems, so as Carolina says, check the visible O ring on the female connector inside the locking collar of the upper shaft. I have had a couple of machines where this was missing. The internal O rings first mentioned are certain to be sound as they are well protected, and anyway are not possible to check without a total dismantling of the shafts.

The black tube that takes the coil cable into the main box where it screws onto a compression seal, is often a bit loose on used units. This can be tightened as the tube has spanner flats at the far end, but to get at these the rear battery tube with bulkhead has to be released to get at it.

Finally, there are two small drain holes on the underside of the control/display housing that is on the handle. Check these are clear as even rain water can get in around the edge of the control panel. Internally the electronic parts are sealed with a conformal coating but these drain holes do seem to be rather on the small side. Often the inside of this housing and the circuit board is coated with Afghan dust.

Eric.

[Ferric Toes]

Thanks for the response, very much appreciated! I believe my machine is in great condition all round. I've inspected the o ring on the 7 pin female connector and the guide pin, all seems well. I'm confident enough to at least go past that 7 pin connector. To be safe I won't take it past the housing!

Many thanks

Can you post a picture of your machine? It is rare to get one in good condition. Perhaps your's never saw active service on the battlefield.

Eric.

[Dutchie]

plenty more Vallons on offer on ebay.co.uk
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_f...n+VMH&_sacat=0

this one is a nice target for someone who lives near Billinghurst West Sussex : the vendor does not want to sent - pick up only. For parts or collection.
No offers yet - so GBP 10 may be enough to get it.
The armrest, the display and probably the coil look OK:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ex-Army-V...sAAOSwi5RaRQHO

[James_LR]

Hi All,

I don't think my detector is free from service (dust in nooks and crannies etc. and wear to the housing and coil). It does have wear and tear but structurally and mechanically it's solid. The hard and soft case were immaculate when I received it. I'm unsure how long the previous owner had it but I certainly put it through some extensive beach use (hence the wear) and it holds up really nice. Just yesterday it picked up a 10mm musket ball at about ~13 inches! This machine never ceases to amaze me.

I've provided a link to a dropbox for the pictures here --> https://www.dropbox.com/sh/72ypao1ma...k945Zxcna?dl=0

Whilst I'm posting pictures please could you answer me this. The back of the housing is held together by three screws. The bottom one has a seal in the groove but the two above don't. Is this a problem for water tightness?

Thank,
James

[Carolina]

James, The drop box pictures did not load for me. Many of the cases come new as it is apparent they were not used. What you are calling a seal is what I would call a guide/lock for the upper shaft. You can see the groove in the bottom of the upper shaft. Eric & I have discussed all possible points of water entry above. I do not see where you live. If in the USA I can give you an address to have your machine checked and serviced. Otherwise I would not advise you to take your machine in the water past the lower shaft coupling. To answer your question, no, this has nothing to do with water tightness.

[James_LR]

Apologies, here are some below. I can see the guide pin grooves that allow the coil to be locked in front or backward facing for kneeling purposes. The O ring is visible on the images too. I've already taken this detector past the lower shaft but not past the housing and it's survived thus far. I picked this up for £150 and live in Liverpool, UK, so the cost to send for servicing is probably not something I'm keen on currently.

I'm uploading these at the request of Eric










Thanks for the response,
James

[Ferric Toes]

Apologies, here are some below. I can see the guide pin grooves that allow the coil to be locked in front or backward facing for kneeling purposes. The O ring is visible on the images too. I've already taken this detector past the lower shaft but not past the housing and it's survived thus far. I picked this up for £150 and live in Liverpool, UK, so the cost to send for servicing is probably not something I'm keen on currently.

I'm uploading these at the request of Eric

[ATTACH]41449[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]41450[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]41451[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]41452[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]41453[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]41454[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]41455[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]41456[/ATTACH]

Thanks for the response,
James

Hi James,

Here is a picture showing the locking tab that sits in the groove in the box end shaft to prevent any rotation and give the proper alignment between the box and shaft. As Carolina says, it has no sealing purpose. There seems to be quite a gap where the middle screw pulls the two halves together. Check the tightness of all three screws using a suitable size Allen key.

If you need any spares or service, send me a PM as we are both in the UK. I do not have vacuum testing equipment though, but can check, clean, and replace seals.

Eric.

[James_LR]

Thanks for both of your responses. Much appreciated whilst I'm learning more about this machine!

James

[Sampler_one]

I am so curious as your Vallon looks mint. Did you refinish the surface or was it new?

[James_LR]

No this is how it came. I do clean it thoroughly after each use, down to the toothpick and hoover level in some bits (in particularly fussy about the grooves in the connections bring clean ).

[Sampler_one]

Well she's a beauty ! My project is on it's way from Poland, should keep me busy this winter. Hope I can figure how to get mine back to a tooth pick look. LOL

[below2doe]

Hi Guys.
Heres is the detector stand i made out of 1 inch pvc and 4 inch. The short piece goes behind the armrest and stand locks on in front of the armrest so the arm rest is tight with no movement.







Regards Ray Below2doe.

[Sampler_one]

Hi, Tifred
I would love to know a more about your battery mod and especially that Minelab coil. Looks amazing. If you have a moment could you please post a small bit of info, explaination of what exactly you did.
Regards and Thanks in advance,
Garry

[Starter]

This is an amazing thread - although a lot of it is way above my head

I have just been lucky enough to receive a Vallon in very fine condition. The coil looks barely used, and the main unit looks very clean. Everything seems to work correctly.

I intend to use the Vallon for searching local beaches (I live in Louth Lincolnshire) and I am also new to beach detecting. All my previous detecting has been done on inland sites. I have two questions which I'm hoping those with some experience with the Vallon may be able to answer:-

1, I am confused as to the correct use of the 'C' button in Normal Mode. I have tried using it in 'Mineral' Mode to set the ground balance by pumping the coil - and this works perfectly. If I am searching in 'Normal' Mode is this button redundant?

2. This is a rather imprecise question, but I would be grateful if anyone has any views. As stated earlier I will be searching UK beaches (probably mostly Cleethorpes,Skegness, Mablethorpe etc) and I wonder if it is essential to use 'Mineral' Mode or whether the 'Normal' Mode generally suffices on sandy beaches in the UK.

Thanks in advance to anybody who is able to help!


ETA: Just in case there are firmware implications my unit dates to June 2009