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I hope this Vortex doesn't SUCK!

JCR, More than once, I've heard or read you say, "I'm not sure when I would use beast mode", and I've said the same thing numerous times as well. My testing of beast mode compared to field /park, left me a little confused. More specifically, on some fringe targets beast mode was much better than park / field, but much worse on other targets. I kind of think it only excels on targets that are almost indistinguishable from the ground signal and/or very fringe lower conductor targets. Which is great for certain scenarios. I guess about the only time I can see myself using BM, is if I've cleaned out an area of all targets in park or field, then wanted to get the last bit of the most fringe targets.

If it’s a series then it’s like Best Buy with good better and Best. Why don’t they come out with a great detector and like another company they made the same detector good better then with the last update the very Best. If they would come out with a reasonable price to start with everyone could afford the very best. That way they wouldn’t be classifying us as the have’s and the have not’s. Chuck

Yep… Get way out of suburbia (if you aren’t already). Try a different coil. Make sure everything is done up tight. Try it in Cancel and see what that does. Talk to Woody ✅

Steve, My provider had a bad fiber optic cable that provided me with the internet, and they found it yesterday. They still have to fix some other problems on their equipment, but now I can actually get to more of the sites that I usually go to. Since March I had to go to another location to use the internet to purchase equipment and conduct business. I could go to several sites at home with zero problems, and that is what was causing the head scratching to their techs. I guess they now believe me when I told them that they were placing the hook-up box in the middle of the ditch, because most of the problems ere caused by rain water.

And neither Stormy ... 🙂

Why not ask Woody for advice.

Hi Gerry in Idaho. I totally get your point & Steve's. I definitely don't have a fat wallet or money hanging out my arse. All my detecting is funded from gold I have found & sold to buy what I buy to keep my detector arsenal up to date with what I believe to be the best selection for my many different locations with the best chances of success. Minelab has proved itself to me time & time again As we know one detector does not do it all & I don't think one detector ever will. Your example of the Axiom is proof of that point but then you are a very experienced & savvy operator. Not all my detectors are minelabs either, so I know there are windows & holes that other detectors get a glimpse. That will always be a given. I know that as people get older & maybe suffering a bit from years of swinging detectors & having shoulder, elbow & wrist issues (RSI). Not to mention knee & hip problems & getting up & down from digging targets. Even just traversing the terrain in older age the want of lighter & more agronomical detectors becomes a factor over the heavier detectors, even if they take a performance drop. People starting out in this hobby do have more choices at the cheaper end of PI technology & that is all good. Be it that gold is getting harder to find by the day & that the bigger bits are a rarity these days. The glory days are behind us & the focus now seems to be on the rats & mice & people competing for the smallest gold. Sad really. But I have said that before. Still, it is fun getting out there. You never know your luck. D4G

Sounds good. If you can find one that you think will work, I'm happy to send you a couple of the clevises. Understood, and I appreciate your patience as well, with MY panic about the shafts, that came out of nowhere and was a shock to the system on this end, also! Yes, I'm happy to be moving towards a resolution for all that are having issues with the MC shaft, in their particular applications. As I mentioned, I now have a much better understanding of the challenges that face those who hunt gold, and some of the unique things prospectors have to do, to be successful. And given that, I can see clearly where having "shaft chatter" occur at times would certainly add another layer of unwelcome and unnecessary difficulty. Steve

New to metal detecting. In late April, I bought an X-Terra Pro from my local Sportsman's Warehouse and a Fisher F-Pulse from Amazon. So far, I've detected around baseball fields several times, and I go to a nearby beach daily. I'm finding plenty of pull tabs, other assorted junk metal and a bunch of clad coins. I'm learning as I go listening to the tones first and VDI second, but it's hard not to look at the screen when it sounds good. I will move up to an SMF detector eventually. Edit: Yesterday, I bought a Vanquish 440 and a pro-find 35 off marketplace for $240. The lady bought them in April and took them to the beach one time. The tones and VDI are different, it'll be interesting. I've surface tested coins and took note of the differences. The pro-find reacts different than the F-Pulse. Also, I've joined 4 MD forums, so you may see this post on the others. I am just gaining knowledge from a myriad of sources.

This is one of the really old mods that had the varying pulse widths tied into the switch and the letters SML stand for small, medium, and large gold. The blue turn nob is the front end gain that is before the digital gain.

Thanks Steve, I'll go through my ski poles and see what I can find, might have to cut a few up to see if they'll do the job. The CTX doesn't detect its carbon shaft at all, even in highest sensitively so it's a non-issue on that model but it suffers from small low conductor sensitivity compared to these modern VLFs, it's not something I'd pick to use looking for gold nuggets. , I quite like its carbon shaft and see no reason to change off carbon on it or any detector that has no reaction to the shaft. The carbon seems a great material for CTX type detectors, light, strong and pretty! The Manticore does sound off on its shaft, even in the park and field type modes, but the only negative I can see for people outside of prosecting is the reaction to the shaft picking up and putting down their detector, or as they flex the coil on the shaft to a new position, they wouldn't get this with the new Kevlar shaft option so if that noise bothers them, then that new kevlar shaft would be the way to go otherwise it appears it will make little to no difference to them from Carls testing and demonstration with the Equinox and certainly doesn't look like it's going to affect their detection depth or separation or any important factor to finding their targets so I over-reacted there in my panic. The Equinox reactions aren't quite as strong as the Manticores though, and of course beach hunters don't have a worry in the world on the Equinox as in that mode the shafts already balanced out by the salt balance so they won't even hear the shaft at all even touching the coil. Something Carl might be surprised by is the beach modes that pick up the shaft on the Manticore are beach deep and beach low conductors which shows they're very different to the general beach mode, and also the Equinox beach modes, but it's not a loud roar like in gold modes, more subtle but still obvious, so they will only notice it picking up and putting down their detector in that mode, and nothing major, but something of interest in the difference between the modes, in fact I see it as a good thing as it does demonstrate that beach low conductor on the Manticore is certainly far more sensitive to low conductor targets which is great. I appreciate your patience with my panic about shafts Steve, it all come out of nowhere and a bit of a shock to the system. I'm pleased we are on a path to getting it resolved largely thanks to your efforts. You jumped straight on it where Minelab are "testing" to see what they think if anything needs done, a lengthy process I'm told.

Looks like the older mods, hopefully the settings I mentioned will tame it.

Phrunt -- Thanks, and I hear your points. I can appreciate the passion for sure, and after this thread, I better understand why this topic is such a concern for gold hunters. It's always good to learn something new, and I have. But -- I do want to poke you for one minute...your beloved CTX (I love that machine also) has...of course...a carbon-fiber shaft! 😁 Ironically, my entire shaft business started NOT as a business, but from me going online on a detecting forum, expressing my frustration that Minelab was asking $175 for a CTX lower rod. I bought a CTX from cobill, and it included all three coils. But, only one lower rod. So I needed two more, and simply couldn't see coughing up another $350, after what I spent on the machine and three coils. Well, I was CERTAIN that I could "DIY" myself a couple of suitable alternatives, and after some assistance from a few folks online who knew a bit about procuring materials, I took on the challenge. And why did I choose carbon, as my material? I was at the time simply doing what Minelab did...and so opted for carbon. When finished, I posted the finished product online...and then someone else saw them, and asked if I could build them one...and then another person...and so it started. Anyway, I just thought it ironic that you mentioned the CTX... LOL! OH, and P.S. -- I over-reacted a bit, too, and so I likewise apologize for some of the things I said, that could have been said/handled better. I am sure that I came across as dismissive at first. Not my intent, but I accept that that is how it was received. I am much clearer on things, now, that I wasn't at first. Steve

Not sure when it was done. Here’s a pic of the mod.

Thanks for the link JP, Question, does the GPX-6000 Geosense have a built-in Salt/Gold conductive timing like the 5000 that is on when used with mono coils? I see the DD coil allows for this conductive timings option but is this conductive option not on within Geosense when the mono coils are being used.

According to Webster: A mass of fluid (such as a liquid) with a whirling or circular motion that tends to form a cavity or vacuum in the center of the circle and to draw toward this cavity or vacuum bodies subject to its action especially : WHIRLPOOL, EDDY, KOHLER😃 Guess that would exclude a tsunami which is more of a sweeper. Sure hope they have been following the carbon fiber posts.😗

That's right Steve---I think the Deus 2 is absolutely the "cats meow"! :)-----Might not be the best gold detector in the wild west----but......

Jeff, Thanks for posting, and for the kind words. I really appreciate the support, and the points you made in this post reflect exactly what seems to me is a balanced, accurate, nuanced, and entirely fair perspective on the whole CF issue. One good thing for me, is that I have learned alot of things through this thread, about gold prospectors, and their specific needs. And now that I understand those needs, I plan to meet them. I am reasonably confident that a 100% Kevlar, fullly non-conductive lower rod may become a reality in the near future. I need one of the tubes in my hand, and I'll be able to gather a good many of the answers I need very quickly...and then some testing -- and a few field testers -- will hopefully seal the deal. And again, if not, I have a plan B and C waiting in the wings... One way or another, I'll have a solution for you all. Steve

Phrunt, I am happy to get two of the clevises headed your way. My clevis is designed to fit inside a roughly 16mm I.D. tube, so the outer diameter of the portion of the clevis that slides into the tube to be glued, is roughly 15.5mm (it varies a bit, but a 15.8mm to 16mm I.D. tube is what it will fit properly inside of, leaving room for an "epoxy gap.") However, the issue I think you will have is that the outer diameter of the tube will end up too large to fit into the lower cam lock/middle shaft (outer diameter of the tube can't be larger than about 17.8mm, if you want it to slide into the middle shaft). You MAY be able to do it if you bypass the middle shaft, in other words make it a one-piece lower/middle combined. In that case, you need something around 19.75mm O.D., to fit into the UPPER cam lock/upper shaft tube. Let me know if you want them, and I'll send you two. Steve

There have been too many people dropping in and posting too many photos of common rocks, a bucket full sometime, and expecting them to get identified. The photos eat up server space and far too often the posters never return. Just post and gone, not really joining the forum and contributing to help anyone in the way they expected to be helped. In other words, all take, no give. That being the case effective immediately only Full Members may post on this forum. Just like the Classifieds it is a benefit for Full Members who may need help with rock and mineral identification. You’ve earned it by being a participating forum member. Anyone joining and posting a pile of rocks on some other forum here to circumvent this restriction will at the least have the post deleted and probably get banned. In other words, don’t join the forum just to post here unless you are planning on being a contributing member for some time. Reaching Full Member status requires at least 10 posts spaced over a span of a month or more to be considered legit.

That’s what I am waiting for also, more so on the pulse induction side. This competition sure has brought down the VLF markets prices lately. Even multi- frequency detectors our availability at a low price point now. Just hope the engineers don’t get laid off and we quit advancing on the technology.

Sounds good, Steve. Steve

Gerry, Done deal. I'll be in touch when I have the sample tubes, and confirm that they are reasonably similar to carbon, in terms of strength and rigidity... Thank you, Steve

Steve, LOL! We'll talk, when the time comes... 😉 Thank you though. I will certainly be in touch, and will get two of them set aside for you. Steve