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  2. When I run the 11" coil, headphones in AT General, Gold or ATLC which are the modes I use the most. I'm getting about 8 hours out of the Manticore. I've run my battery down to the low battery warning quite a few times as I generally hunt 9-10 hrs when I'm out. I almost always have to switch over to another detector on these long hunts.
  3. It sure is nice to see older coins like those in good condition. They are such classically beautiful designs.
  4. Hi mcjtom, I lower the Recovery speed to the minimum (1) to get maximum depth. In saltwater the targets are rarely so close to each other, don't need more. I usually start working with a sensitivity of 12-13 and if conditions allow I go up. Rarely above 17-18. A couple of friends have arrived at the XTPro...
  5. Good video Jeff, of a common, but often unnoticed situation. What I call 2D orientation. Same for Ziggy's video. This is, on the surface, Monte Berry's nail board type set up. It is, in fact the easiest of scenarios to have success with using most any decent detector & coil. But what about what cannot be seen under the surface? The 3D or so called 2.5D target orientations. This is where detectors have to perform to be considered top unmaskers for me because that is what I hunt in the majority of the time. I have both, hybrid analog(Vista X) and full digital detectors. I really like both. They each have strengths that are just enough different to keep them in use. The game changer for me is not analog vs digital, it is Simultaneous Multi Frequency. SMF just handles my ground soooo much better. It also handles iron trash better in terms of false responses. Does it unmask better? Maybe. But it unmasks easier. I don't have to listen thru a barrage of noise. I can do it with the Vista X and my Single Frequency digitals that have open gated audio like the Anfibio, but it is demanding. SMF is much less chaotic and allows me to listen better and deeper for much longer. As far as pure depth on isolated targets, it again boils down to how well the unit handles the Ground. I think the debate is on the wrong subject. Audio quality, as subjective as that is, is the focus for me. Any TID or screen display is always secondary. In the end, it is all between your ears, in more ways than one. ps; what I would really like to try is a SMF Vista X. That might be the best of both worlds.
  6. Today
  7. What is being described here is a different 'counting system' on behalf of Minelab USA. It's clear when talking to the different dealers that Minelab is focused on the NUMBER of sales and not HOW the sales are being made. It is hard to measure loyalty on the bottom line. They have seemingly abandoned relationship selling. Minelab USA has lost a relationship with many of its dealers and the Dealers prefer to work with distributors rather than being stocking dealers any longer. Minelab has created other direct purchase routes and big box stores which has broken the relationship between some customers and their dealers. Detectors are more of a product sale and less of a device sale that requires training and additional support. It should also be stated there are a few customers out here that have broken their relationship with their dealer and give Minelab an earful about that too. All part of sales. I've been to several customer sales events put on by Minelab in the past. They can put on a pretty good dog and pony show for a weekend. I've won some Minelab products. I've purchased my detectors through dealers. Margins for Minelab USA going through the old dealer network must be lower than other channels now. The year-end bonus for Minelab USA employees is probably calculated in a different way. Unit sales? Sales volume? When a potential customer would call Minelab in the past they would be referred to a local dealer. Where do they get referred now?
  8. Online sales and how-to videos are the present and future of most industries, so, better get used to it. The younger generation is glued to their smart phones and they are what will drive the market. I went to get some new hiking boots of the type I like before I was to leave on a trip. Went to Dick's Sporting Goods, REI, etc.....nope, nothing in stock.....you have to order them......7-10 days they will come in. WTF?
  9. Love that gold in the scoop!!!
  10. I'm running the stock 11 inch with a BT transmitter plugged into the head phone jack volume at 20, not using ATHC and after 6 hr I have about 25% left. I'm guessing, the headphones might have some extra draw going on.
  11. A very good video. Looks like fun. I bet there are several manufacturers looking very closely at this unit & adjusting their plans to meet some very good competition from Algo Force. I would love a unit like this for Relic hunting in bad dirt. I noticed he was using Legend BT headphones.
  12. Not being a butt hole here, but you did create the challenge...... I came across this undisturbed arrangement of surface nails, hot rocks and magnetite laced hot ground and decided to do a little test using a USA Zinc penny to see if the Manticore with M8 coil could hit it using All Terrain General, 2 tones, All Metal, preset ferrous limits, recovery speed 6. Lots of talk about how "Analog" detectors can out perform "Digital" detectors in situations like this. That could be, but the Manticore handled this well with no tweaking beforehand. This is a raw, one take, no practice beforehand, 1 minute video. All I did was put the zinc penny in the middle of the rusty nails and other rusted iron debris. I have no idea about nails just below the surface. Virtually every visible rock is a hot rock at this location. Nothing else disturbed or planted. I had my Legend with me too, no problem hitting the zinc penny using Field M1, 2 tones, A disc pattern, iron filter 0, recovery speed 6. I just want to add that I have nothing against fully analog or partially analog detectors or single/2 tone detectors made by Tesoro and Deep Tech. I used to hunt near the area in this video with a Tesoro Lobo Super Traq.
  13. I just received a note that Big Boys Hobbies in OK just shipped my M9! I ordered it last nite on their website. Bart mentioned on Findmall he got a few in. Only $272. What the heck, the minelab engineers have to eat too!
  14. THIS is what offends me the most. How dealers like you feel about this. All the effort, time, and money dealers like yourself put into this and now just discarded basically. Being used and thrown away is never a good feeling. I know it well and this is what angers me the most with Minelab. It's one thing to be an arrogant greedy company. It's totally different when they bite the hands that feed them. In this case they are biting the first hands that helped send them food. There are a lot of things in this world we can't control or have an effect on, but this we can by taking Minelab off our payroll and give them a dry spell. Perhaps that would change their mind.
  15. Minelab- Their ungratefulness is only exceeded by their greed. While their products may be good, their practices are not. I'm more of an underdog supporter so I've bought my last Minelab with the XTerra Pro. By the way I'm not even remotely happy with that detector. I realize it's just an entry level unit but you'd expect a little more from this company that considers themselves the pinnacle of the metal detecting world (they're not). Build quality is good but the unit is very dodgy in operation. A new to detecting person would quickly get discouraged and dig a thousand holes if they listened to the X Terra Pro and paid any attention to that tachometer they call Target ID. To see how they've treated dealers seems to send the clear message "Your usefulness has came to and end, be gone" is just another sign of how despicable they are. The dealers helped put them at a peak! But you know what? That is a two way street. Dealers can promote other brands and sell more of those. While most people in this hobby enjoy Minelab stuff and use it to great effect, have they ever thought about just what they are encouraging I wonder. To encourage bad behavior by an unscrupulous company is asking for worse behavior. The only reason I haven't sold off my Equinox 800 is because it would be sold at a loss and I've taken too many of those. But I just don't feel good about using Minelab anymore after seeing their behavior. Just bugs me.
  16. Thank you for posting Ed's video about the Algo Force E1500. I always enjoy Ed's no nonsense, self-deprecating, completely honest videos. They are high quality too thanks to his often off camera partner that knows what she's about. I was particularly interested in the matter of fact comments about the Nokta Gold Kruzer not being a good choice for that location due to high iron mineralization. I could see where people like me preferring a lightweight VLF for prospecting over a heavier and more erratic PI might just go with the VLF for ownership especially for smaller gold but gold prospecting VLFs can be a nightmare too in really hot ground. The fact that he took the time to make and release the video and that he is now selling the E1500 speaks volumes. Looking forward to its release here in the USA someday.
  17. Well it's not like they are paying your way to Australia for the dealer meeting. The meeting is probably there just because it's the cheapest way for them to have a meeting. In the past they sent people here at great expense. Now the expense is on you. So no, that message is not telling me dealers here got more important - just the opposite.
  18. Has anyone mentioned headphones vs. speaker? That tends to make a noticeable difference on all detectors. I've been running All Terrain High Conductors (ATHC) almost exclusively, but with either the ML105 headphones or the WM09 wireless module. The battery life indicator gets pretty low after ~6 hours but I've not run it out or gotten any warnings. (I seem to recall a 6 1/2 hour run time for ATHC predicted in some ML videos, but my memory could be off on that.) BTW, I don't know why the battery indicator gets a bad rap, maybe because the early (pre-release) videos weren't very descriptive? IMO the decreasing size of the green part is fairly continuous (to the best of my eyes) over time in use.
  19. There is nobody at Minelab USA who knows the amount of effort/time/money some of us early dealers have put into Minelab. Here's a prime example. They have distanced themselves from the same people who have been here forever, the same dealers who were the backbone of this company (in the USA) 20+ yrs ago. I won't go into detail as it's not the time or place. But I can easily name 10+ of the top dealers back then who have noticed. My hope, as you have mentioned, is that Minelab Adelaide still knows and has something planned. My gut tells me otherwise. Time will tell.
  20. I run in ATHC with the back light pretty high. ATHC and the backlight really draw the battery down fast. Battery run time is not good at all. I rigged a backup battery on mine from the get go. Most of the time I start recharging from the backup well before the day is over. Basically days I'm out 6 hours or more I have to go to backup to finish out the day. I don't think I could deal with it without the backup battery. My opinion everyone needs a backup with this detector.
  21. I'm happy to watch and wait, but I'm developing a real itch..
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