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600 Vs. 800 Differences - More Than Just A Gold Prospecting Mode


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  • 2 weeks later...

On 1/29/2018 at 6:09 AM, FlyFish said:

I think if 600 Hardware processed  three channels. 800 five channels .  600 will work slightly faster

Possible but unlikely.  Doubt they are analyzing each frequency independently, but merged and compressed in a way that the processor only has to analyze one stream of data.   At least thats what I was lead to believe in the Multi IQ vs BBS comparison.

The machine is amazingly fast already, and with the 600 running all 5 freqs in Multi mode I agree it's the best deal... which is why I ordered one.  I wish it came with "real" headphones though.

 

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Hi,

I read in manual on page 29.

EQUINOX 600 offers 3 single frequencies of 5 kHz, 10 kHz, 15 kHz in addition to Multi, giving a 3 times (×3) range or ratio from 5 kHz to 15 kHz, hence the 3F×3 technology designation.

EQUINOX 800 offers 5 single frequencies of 5 kHz, 10 kHz, 15 kHz, 20 kHz, and 40 kHz in addition to Multi, giving an expanded 8 times (×8) range or ratio from 5 kHz to 40 kHz

Unfortunately, It means, that this statement:

" However, both the Equinox 600 and Equinox 800 offer identical Multi-IQ modes covering the full frequency range. The Equinox 600 simply disallows direct access to the 20 khz and 40 kHz single frequency modes."

is not true. :(

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Kesybz. I think I know what you are getting at but I think you might be getting mixed up. 

The 600 has 3 single frequencies that you can choose to use on their own. And then it has multi which accesses all 5 frequencies that the 800 can. 

The 800 has the 5 individually selectable frequencies plus multi. 

Is that what you were eluding to or am I not getting your point?  

Cheers, Northeast. 

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  • 2 years later...
On 1/6/2018 at 2:28 AM, Chase Goldman said:

Yep. Beach mode uses MultiIQ only and as been stated earlier in the thread, both the 600 and 800 use all 5 frequencies in MultiIQ including 20 and 40 khz, even though the 600 can't select them in individual frequency mode.

So both 600 and 800 can use 20 and 40 kHz in MultiIQ. But only the 800 can use 20 and 40 khz in individual frequency mode. But what does this mean in practice? What are the benefits of this in practice, can you give an example? When is it necessary to use them individually? And what is the difference or advantage in practice using 20 and 40 khz in individual frequency mode (800), instead of using them all in MultiIQ (600 and 800)?


Besides Gold mode and a wireless phone etc smaller features, what is the difference in practice? Is there anything that makes 800 find coins and other relics better and other things (beside gold), for example?

Is there any important and essential feature missing from 600 that makes one risk missing an object that would otherwise have been found with 800?

 

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2 hours ago, Hello said:

So both 600 and 800 can use 20 and 40 kHz in MultiIQ. But only the 800 can use 20 and 40 khz in individual frequency mode.

No and yes.

There have been a lot of posts here on detectorprospector.com (in the hundreds I'm sure) about how the Minelab Equinox works, and those include oscilloscope traces showing the transmitted frequencies of different Multi-frequency modes.  I suggest you do some searching and reading if you are interested into going deeper into this than what I say below.  Here's a good starting point.

Bottom line is that in the modes common to 600 and 800, multi-frequency operation is the same so should lead to the same performance when settings like recovery speed and iron bias are set equivalently.  That picture in the Minelab literature of the five frequencies, and all the talk about 3x and 5x only pertain to single frequency selections, not multifrequency.

The operator's manual for the Equinox (which is common to both and details the differences between the two in terms of accessories, features, and settings) does a nice job distinguishing between what you get / don't get for your $650 (600 model) and $900 (800 model) USA prices.

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12 minutes ago, GB_Amateur said:

No and yes.

There have been a lot of posts here on detectorprospector.com (in the hundreds I'm sure) about how the Minelab Equinox works, and those include oscilloscope traces showing the transmitted frequencies of different Multi-frequency modes.  I suggest you do some searching and reading if you are interested into going deeper into this than what I say below.  Here's a good starting point.

Bottom line is that in the modes common to 600 and 800, multi-frequency operation is the same so should lead to the same performance.  That picture in the Minelab literature of the five frequencies, and all the talk about 3x and 5x only pertain to single frequency selections, not multifrequency.

The operator's manual for the Equinox (which is common to both and details the differences between the two in terms of features and settings) does a nice job distinguishing between what you get / don't get for your $650 (600 model) and $900 (800 model) USA prices.

Thank you GB_Amateur.

"Bottom line is that in the modes common to 600 and 800, multi-frequency operation is the same so should lead to the same performance. "

Ok, so it should be the same performance in multi-frequency in both 600 and 800. But what about the 800 using 20 and 40 khz in individual frequency mode , (instead of using them all in MultiIQ ( 5kHz, 10kHz, 15kHz and 20khz, and 40khz) that the 600 can do, but cant do 20 and 40 khz in individual frequency mode) Is there any advantage in that, that I will be lacking if I buy the 600 instead of the 800?

 

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3 hours ago, Hello said:

Thank you GB_Amateur.

"Bottom line is that in the modes common to 600 and 800, multi-frequency operation is the same so should lead to the same performance. "

Ok, so it should be the same performance in multi-frequency in both 600 and 800. But what about the 800 using 20 and 40 khz in individual frequency mode , (instead of using them all in MultiIQ ( 5kHz, 10kHz, 15kHz and 20khz, and 40khz) that the 600 can do, but cant do 20 and 40 khz in individual frequency mode) Is there any advantage in that, that I will be lacking if I buy the 600 instead of the 800?

 

The answer to your "is there any advantage" question is yes, provided you understand what 20 and 40 khz individual frequencies bring to the table. 

Since you are asking the question, I take it that is not fully understood by you as a newcomer to the hobby and to the understanding of how metal detectors work, so let me explain how detector operating frequency affects your ability to detect targets. 

First let me say that what I am about to tell you is applicable in general terms.  It is more of a guideline rather than set in stone because metal detectors are actually relatively crude tools that can only infer what the target is underneath the coil using relatively crude induction balance techniques and signal processing.  The detected behavior of the high frequency magnetic field induced in the target by the "transmit" coil is picked up by the "receive" coil and now typically run through software based signal processing provide a best guess as to what the target is - frankly it is amazing to me how well detectors can actually ID targets based on what physical parameters they are actually detecting..  The detected behavior is influenced by the strength of the magnetic field transmitted into the ground, the frequency of the magnetic field, and the characteristics of the ground, and characteristics of the target itself.  All of these aspects have multiple variations that affect how the detector "see" the target.  Without going into all of that, there two main physical aspects of detector frequency that are important to the detectorist.  First, magnetic field strength depth penetration into the ground.  Higher frequency signals like 20 and 40 khz tend get attenuated more than the lower operating frequencies like 5 and 10Khz.  This means, in general, the ultimate depth of detectable targets is less when you are using higher frequencies than lower frequencies.  The affect can be subtle from a few centimeters to several centimeters depending on soil conditions and the targets of interest.  The second thing to know about frequency is that it tends to provide a stronger receive signal for targets that are small in physical size/mass and/or that have a lower overall specific conductivity.  This makes these higher frequencies more suited to finding small targets like jewelry and/or smaller targets comprised of lower conductivity metals like natural gold, gold jewelry, lead, brass, aluminum.  These targets will tend sound off better at higher frequencies than lower frequencies.  Larger and/or high conductive targets like silver coins are detected at depth better with lower frequency signals.  Again, these are relative effects, not absolute and subject to all the environmental variables and physical variables that make metal detecting a challenge.

Another advantage to have additional individual frequencies to choose from is that it gives you more flexibility to choose and operating frequency that may not be subject to local electromagnetic interference from nearby sources of noise such as power lines and cellular telephone towers, wifi transmitters, etc.  Anecdotally, higher operating frequencies also tend to be more immune from the more common sources of electromagnetic interference, at least in the USA.

That all being said, I usually detect in Multi IQ (multi frequency mode) most of the time because of the advantages multi has over single frequency operation, but it is nice to know I can go to single frequency on those occasions when needed, and in the case of the 800 nice to have the additional single frequency choices.

Bottom line, versatility and options are generally good things to have at your disposal when metal detecting because you seldom encounter perfect conditions, but it is also rare that you have to invoke these options on every outing. 

Will an Equinox 600 suit the needs of 95% of detectorists 95% of the time - I would say yes.  Can you find natural gold with the Equinox 600 even though it does not have a gold mode? Yes.

The question you need to ask yourself is whether the Equinox 800 is worth the price difference to you.  Your stated goal was to seek natural gold and coin shooting.  Those are two very different types of metal detecting with different sites, strategies, and approaches.  Which favors you getting a versatile detector.   The 600 is pretty versatile, but the 800, even more so with Gold mode, a user profile slot, a larger range and more precise control of detector recovery speed and the iron bias filtering, and more flexibility when it comes to setting up the target tones features.

You simply need to answer for yourself whether you will have regret because you don't have these additional features if you choose the 600 or be happy you saved some money.  As someone new to the hobby, that is hard to answer.  If you can afford the 800, then I suggest you get it.  If you are not even sure if the hobby is something you will really want to stick with,  I would suggest getting a capable entry level machine such as the Minelab Vanquish, 440 or 540 which has pretty good performance at a lower cost and investment risk.

HTH

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Specific examples. I was nugget detecting in an area where multi lit up the hot rocks. Some experimentation revealed that the hot rocks went away using 20 kHz only. Employing single frequencies is a well known way for dealing with EMI in certain locations. 5 kHz only has been noted as having benefits of silver under some circumstances. And in this latest test here, GB got some surprising results using 40 kHz only in Gold Mode.

More to your question directly however. Do you need the 800 over the 600? The 600 will do everything most people need, and will get exactly the same results on most targets as the 800. For beach detecting in particular the 600 is a great value, if that’s all a person wants to do. Others will insist the 800 has features they absolutely cannot live without, well worth the additional outlay. I fall into the camp of preferring to have capability that perhaps goes unused, than to find myself in a situation where I wished I had it but don’t.

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