Steve Herschbach

Mine seems to run forever.

The same -95 to +95 scale Whites has been using forever would be just fine by me. White’s is not going to tell you anything about upcoming product no matter how much you try Chuck. Of course they have new product in the works - everyone does. Hopefully they are working on it instead of cruising the Internet forums! ?

Once again Tim, congratulations on an amazing find! It was a pleasure hunting with you, and glad I could help. I have added a link from the end of my story to yours. Great story telling and photos also!

I am still using the first set of the included wireless headphones that come with the Equinox 800. Like before they put the Minelab logo on them. They are light, they always work, and lag time is acceptable to me. Once you get the pairing sequence down they pair every time without fail, or at least mine do. Yes, they are physically a little bit on the cheap side, but I really could not be happier with mine. I used them every day for 17 days straight in the U.K. I charged them every night, and never had a worry about running short at end of day. I have the backup emergency hardwire cable on hand just in case but have never needed to use it. The second set I got with my production level Equinox was one of those that had the cushion retaining bracket cracked, new in the box. Looks like the tiny screws were over tightened. Just not a big enough deal to me to try and replace - a wrap of electrical tape, done. They are my backups anyway. The new Apple Watch is going to have a walkie talkie mode. I wonder if the watch can be paired with the headphones, and then people with the watches could talk to each other in the field? That would be amazing if on a group hunt.

It’s the “round stuff” factor. Round stuff with a hole in the middle - best target made. Next up Gary - gold ring!

Great finds especially the condition. Most similar finds in the Colchester area suffer due to decades exposure to fertilizers and insecticides. The detail on your finds is stunning - congratulations! The 15” coil I think takes Equinox to the next level for U.K. style field hunting. A must have really.

Equinox being what it is I don’t see why any serious detectorist would not want both the 6” coil and 15” coil. They extend the versatility of the most versatile detector made. The 15” swings like a dream - I used it every day in the U.K. from sun up to sun down. I did a half day in the water at Tahoe with it, not a definitive water test since there was no surf, but again an easy swing in the water. I am used to swinging a CTX with 17” coil however and so my view on this may be skewed. In the U.K. when mud built up on the coil it got heavier and the washers had a harder time holding the coil at a given angle, exhibiting when I would put the detector down and it would want to lay flat. No problem clean and dry. I do think for serious water use a properly designed aftermarket rod would be a good idea, but in general I thought that anyway. Serious water hunters tend to heve issues with most stock rod assemblies so there should be no surprise there. The depth thing my expectation is air tests as always will prove indeterminate as Multi-IQ needs ground to show its stuff. In general in extreme mineral ground the coil should hold its own or perhaps lose a small amount of depth compared to the 11” coil because the larger coil “sees” a much larger volume of soil. In extreme ground this means the machine has to work harder to see targets. In moderate to milder ground the coil will generally match the 11” coil for depth with any increase in depth seen more on larger targets than small. Larger in particular means round targets like coins and especially rings. Equinox loves round targets. I am pleased with how well this coil hits on small targets but it is inevitable an edge will be lost on the tiniest stuff. In my opinion the reason to get this coil is extra ground coverage, with a depth bonus obtainable in many situations. Depth may be adversely impacted in extreme mineral ground and the smallest targets in any ground. It should be obvious that a larger coil will suffer from more masking in dense trash. I have no problem pinpointing with the coil - I prefer to walk around and analyze the target. The targets will shift into place if you do a walk around. Going after the target too quickly with this coil will result in off center targets - take that extra few moments to get it right. For shallow targets or targets out of the hole, either tip of the coil works very well as a pinpointer. So well I stopped using a separate pinpointer on the last week of my U.K. hunt. For me the coil being so light is the big thing. I don’t see how anyone except those very sensitive to the extra weight would not want this coil for beach and field hunting - anywhere targets tend to be sparse and ground needs to be covered to find them. The coil was absolutely brilliant on my U.K. hunt. When I loaned it out at one point the 11” coil made me feel like I was having to do baby steps. This coil unlike most large VLF coils I have owned is going to get a lot of use. I predict that for many it will become the most used coil on their Equinox.

Mine pushes around underwater just fine but I honestly don’t care if anyone gets one or not. Since I prototype this stuff it’s rather a waste of time to share my opinion anyway.

Don’t go? I remember heading into Wrangell St. Elias National Park at one point. I stopped at the highway junction... a couple was parked there. I chatted with them a bit. They were tourists on a trip to see Alaska. I told them how beautiful the park is, then they explained they were afraid to leave the main highway for fear of bears. The Alaska Highway is a two lane road no different than the road into the park. I explained there were no more bears down that road than the one they were standing on. The discussed a bit though and decided it was too dangerous. I thought that was kind of sad. For me bears are a photo op to be looked for....

Seems to me like a few people just got them in the last few days. Patience perhaps? Minelab Equinox 800 with 12" x 15" DD coil Minelab Equinox 800 with 12" x 15" DD coil at the beach

I am pretty busy until Monday but will get back to you on this - promise! I will have to dig through my old photos and setup diagrams but I am sure I can help.

I agree about the MD Hunter site not being a source of reliable information. That is why here we go straight to the source. Just read the lawsuit documents... Like I said, probably not worth getting all hot and bothered over. Clearly Dave is a forgiving guy and if he is not holding a grudge why should anyone else? In my case it is a moot point anyway.

Use the all metal mode, run the sensitivity as high as you can without the machine becoming unstable, get a proper ground balance, and dig everything that signals. If you want to risk missing nuggets but are digging too much trash and don't care, you can pass on targets that id 6 or lower. An alternative would be to use single tone disc mode, and dial in a disc setting of 6. https://fisherlab.com/hobby/finds-Steve-Herschbach.htm https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/357-fisher-f75-strikes-gold-twice-in-a-row/ https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/7607-fisher-f75-ferrous-tone-quirk/

I don't know - I have never been to England in the spring. I was simply told by others that fall has the better chance for good weather and so that's been my choice, and after this last trip still would be. My first trip it rained a solid week so there are no guarantees anyway. The bottom line is fall just fits better for me for that sort of trip - spring has my eyes gazing towards Alaska . I am sure the spring hunts in England are just fine. Hopefully some of our UK forum members can enlighten us more on the weather patterns. These things never last forever, as those who now regret never making that Ganes Creek realize. If it is within your ability to afford one of these trips, I highly recommend people consider it. No matter what you will find items far older than can be had in the U.S., and pretty much every day you hunt. Gold is obviously a low odds thing, but 12th - 16th century silver coins come out of the ground on a near daily basis for somebody in a group. A hunt like this would be hard by yourself because there are dead periods where one person can't find anything to save their lives. Been there, done that. Working in a group, especially with radios, does for me at least cheer me on. I am happy as long as anybody in my group is scoring because it keeps my spirits up. They do not "steal" a find I may have made. Some people get bent out of shape when they are not doing well and they see others making a good find. These trips are not for those people. If you feed off the success of others as I do, these group hunts are great. The worst thing ever is when nobody in the group is finding anything - that sucks. Luckily that almost never occurs on these trips. Honestly I have found enough gold in my life. Seeing people find it for the very first time is a real thrill simply because they have such an over the top reaction that I enjoy. I like finding gold but being there nearby when others do is the next best thing.

Hi Dilek, Sadly even Nov 6-10 is only three days away. Do let me know next time you are in the U.S. a month ahead or more the next go round and I will do what I can. Orlando would have been a no-brainer since my father winters not far north of there so I have a double reason to visit Florida. I am quite proud I was able to early on recognize and point out to others that Nokta / Makro is a company going places fast, in no small part due to your efforts Dilek. Frankly in my opinion your company has met or surpassed all the competition except Minelab. You need true multifrequency and PI to get to the next level. But Garrett, First Texas, White's - all asleep at the wheel by comparison to the speed and aggressiveness of Nokta / Makro. I will be honest that I do hope they rise to the challenge also. All I want is for everyone to aggressively compete to get genuinely new product to the consumer much faster than has been the case in the past with the once every ten years thing that was going on. I am not getting any younger and can't wait around for that nonsense anymore! Just my view / opinion but it is almost like it is now just Minelab and Nokta / Makro who are aggressively driving the marketplace while everyone else scurries to adjust to the new situation. I should also make mention of XP but they have been sort of a one trick pony so far - they also need to go multifrequency etc to get to the next level. There is a lot left the technology can do for detectorists but I do believe that single frequency is pretty well tapped out at this point. It is the only reason I swing a Equinox instead of a Multi Kruzer right now, that's just a fact. Rambling now but just keep up the good work Dilek. Lots of us see how hard you are working and appreciate it. It still is a wonder that companies like Minelab can't communicate as well as you and your company do directly with their customers now that you have set an example, but in the end that is your strength and their loss.

Hi George, The finds have thinned since eight years ago but obviously great discoveries remain to be made. A really great trip. Wish you had been there but I am sure you are in a better place right now so there you go. Best wishes, say hi to Bee for me! Steve H

Welcome to the forum William, glad to have you here. 78 that is inspiring, especially after those operations... or maybe because of them. I hope I am still mobile at your age, aches and pains do grow by the year now that I have passed 60.

Hi Jeff, I am not sure why you think your post would start any trouble. We don’t do trouble on this forum! From all I hear the Quest delivers very good performance for the price. I admit that personally I find the idea that they got their start getting caught ripping off First Texas to be a turn off, but that’s just me and I suppose I should get over it. Thanks for the report, it confirms what I have heard elsewhere. Quest Q40 Metal Detector

7 x 11 maybe, 17 x 11 does not make sense. We now have a 15 x 12 coil so hard to imagine Minelab going longer and skinnier though I personally would love such a coil. They already have an existing mold of 17 x 13 via the CTX and so that is far more likely. 17 x 11 would get the ground coverage and keep weight at minimum but would not satisfy those looking for more depth. I don’t know. It’s not like Minelab tells me everything by a long shot and I don’t pester them with questions. I would love a 17 x 11 coil but I will believe it when I see it. Right now I need a smaller elliptical for nugget hunting far more than a balance killing extra large coil. The 15 x 12 in brilliant and I can swing it all day, but a 17” is getting into counterbalance and harness territory.

Ron does have a beautiful set of teeth. I told him so and only then found out he had the work done and was in an ad. I think he was in the first season of Dig Wars also, but I don’t watch the detecting shows so I am not sure about that. Whatever, he is an amazing detectorist with really great teeth! My trip was extremely smooth. A big mistake people make is taking too much stuff. Washers are available, so I had a pair of pants for travel/going out, and a pair to hunt in. Long sleeve shirt and a couple T-shirt’s. Lots of underwear and socks. Light jacket. Rain gear. Good pair of Keene light weight waterproof boots, travel shoes, slippers for barn. General toiletry stuff like toothbrush, etc. Two complete Equinox, one with stock coil, one with 15” coil. You need a UK to US power adapter, and I got one plug in powered splitter that has 6 full power USB outlets. Enough for detector, headphones, iPad, iPhones, etc. You need a second power adapter and another USB source in case detectors are charged in a mud room. The first ten days I charged everything in my room at one location. The last week the detector was in the mud room - just going with whatever the group is doing or as hunt manager directs. A radio is good. Mindys group everyone had their own. Ron provided radios, a better way to go I think as it insures they all play well. My old Garmin Rhino did not seem to work as well with other brands at long distance. Mindy mentioned she might do the provide radio thing in the future. Do ask to be sure. Bring spare alkaline batteries for anything that needs then but rechargeable are the way to go as long as you have the adapters needed. As I noted, spades are provided. I took my standard trash pouch and a pinpointer. My pouch always has a $1 disposable rain poncho and emergency toilet paper in the side compartments. You never know when a rain squall might appear and the poncho takes the edge off wondering if it’s worth putting rain gear on. When traveling new foods can lead to urgent trips to the nearest ditch or hedge row so do be prepared. I had no issues with either this trip however. I got a new super light suitcase at Costco, and all the above in the bag tipped the scales at 40 lbs. Critical stuff went in a satchel carry on that fits under the seat with room to spare. Valid passport of course. Plan ahead to get one if you do not have one. I got pounds sterling at Wells Fargo before I left. A couple hundred pounds left me with extra. You can just use a credit card but when traveling, you never know. The cash was easier for at stores and for misc purchases, and easier when everyone pitching in for a meal or drinks at a pub. My AT&T account was non-functional in the U.K. With the time zone flip it was easier for me to just rely on WiFi for the whole trip and text my wife, keep up on forum, etc. The barns all had WiFi as did pubs, etc. I did not miss the phone, except for that brief time when I lost it! There are disposable SIM cards you can buy for use while in the U.K. and everyone was selling them at the airport. I don’t know much about that but it is an opinion for those who need a phone and who do not have an international plan. I think that’s about it. If anyone has questions do please ask. I am writing up a Treasure Talk blog right now that will go over the Equinox itself, settings, general thoughts and hunt strategy, etc. that will hopefully be posted soon.

I got a chance to handle a set of these but not actually use them. However, the quality is apparent just holding them. Top of my list as a potential purchase as an alternate to the Minelab brand phones.

Start by contacting this guy in Scotland. I am sure he can offer some pointers. And you never know, maybe Derek and his wife would like to hunt gold in New Zealand! https://www.minelab.com/usa/go-minelabbing/treasure-talk?author=290104 My mom was a Cameron so I really should visit Scotland someday myself.

There are all sorts of ornate watch winders that are worth keeping if you are into that sort of thing. I am so I keep them. https://colchestertreasurehunting.com/watch-winders/

Simon, just do it. Seriously, just do it. Family with a B&B trying to get you to go and a wife who is on board? If you do not do this I am going to cut you from my will!

Too bad about the last second notice as I would like to meet Dilek some day. I would have lobbied my old company in Alaska to become a dealer and have a person attend also but too late now.