Minelab SDC 2300 Product Details

[Steve Herschbach]

From http://www.minelab.com/usa/consumer/knowledge-base/news?article=215928 1/31/14

Minelab SDC 2300 - Click on image for larger picture

Minelab is pleased to provide further information about our exciting new SDC 2300 GOLD detector scheduled for release in mid-2014.

Compact Size - Folds to small portable size, 8 ½ ” (216mm) by 16” (406mm). Fits into carry-on luggage and most backpacks.

Rugged & Assembly Free - Military grade construction, one piece detector designed to perform in the toughest conditions.

Waterproof Capability - Fully submersible to 10’ (3m) for detecting riverbeds and shorelines allowing you to transition with ease from land to water. Now you can use your Minelab GOLD detector in all wet weather conditions allowing you to stay on the goldfields for longer, even in the rainy season.

Easy Patch Hunting - Search quickly and efficiently in hard to reach and remote places to find those elusive gold bearing clustered deposits.

Easy-to-use Controls

LED Indicators - Shows target signal strength, threshold level and battery status.

Audio Control - Adjusts threshold level and low/high audio tone to suit user preference.

Noise Cancel - Easy button press to automatically reduce external interference.

Sensitivity - Eight position adjustments for optimum target identification in varying ground conditions.

MPF Technology - MPF (Multi Period Fast) technology incorporates extremely fast Pulse Induction switching between Transmit (Tx) and Receive (Rx) detector signals. Therefore minimal residual transmit signal is present during the receive cycle, enabling clear sharp detection of very small gold.

Standard Accessories (included with detector) - Headphones (non waterproof)

Optional Accessories (not included with detector) - Headphones (Waterproof), Carry Bag

Detector Technical Specifications

Coil - 8" Round Monoloop

Audio Output - Built-in speaker, Koss 100 Ohm headphones (standard accessory - supplied), Koss waterproof headphones (optional accessory - not supplied)

Display - 9 LEDs indicate detection, battery status and Threshold level, 1 Low battery warning LED

Length - Extended: 1500mm (59.1"), Collapsed: 400mm (15.7")

Weight (Excluding Batteries and Headphones) - 2.4kg (5.3lbs)

Operating Temperature Range - 0°C to 50°C (32°F to 122°F)

Storage Temperature Range –33°C to 70°C (–27°F to 1°F)

Batteries - C Cell 4 x 1.5V Alkaline (supplied), 1.2V NiMH (optional), 1.2V Ni-Cad (optional)

Sensitivity - 8 step position adjustment

Noise Cancel - Automatic scanning

Ground Balance - Automatic Ground Tracking (AGT), Fast Ground Balance

Threshold - 9 audio levels

Audio Pitch (Tone) - Low: 550Hz ±15, High: 720Hz ±15

Transmission - Pulse Induction

Technology - Multi Period Fast (MPF)

Optional Accessories - Waterproof Headphones, Carry Bag

[Rick K - First Member]

MPF apparently means shorter pulse delay. This plus perhaps other timing variations are what they would do to improve the sensitivity to small gold. This will probably limit coil choice and may make it difficult to adapt existing SD/GPX coils even if a way to hook them up is found.

It's an attractive package and has been described as very rugged. If the performance rivals or exceeds the ATX it should sell well at the right price.

But then there's the question of price. A dealer told me recently that ML had indicated $3800 as the price that they were considering. An Australian site shows them at $3999 Australian $ - that's $3500 US. If that's the price here it is a heck of a premium over the ATX.

http://www.detectaden.com.au/products/Minelab-SDC-2300-Metal-Detector.html

[Condor]

Curious to see JP weigh in on this.  Will he be doing some field trials?

[Rick K - First Member]

The SDC is very likely based on the F3 Compact mine detector in much the same fashion that the Garrett ATX is based on the Garrett Recon mine detector. Folks that have owned the Recon and now have an ATX make it clear that there have been significant improvements in the ATX to make it more suitable for detecting gold.

It's reasonable to expect that Minelab have done something similar with the transition from the F3 Compact to the SDC. if you look at Minelabs information online for the F3 compact - and the F3 which it was derived from - you will see that they talk about multiperiod sensing or MPS. This is the technology that was introduced with the original SD series detectors right through the ST 2200. The STC announces Multi Period Fast sensing or MPF. This probably means that the pulse delay is shorter than in the F3.

Here's a nice ML power point slide showing the evolution. Per this, the SDC is pretty clearly refined SD technology, not GP technology.

[Reno Chris]

Interesting the non-verbal switches. Pictures only means no translation to another language for those who do not speak English.

 

Also, 5.3 pounds without batteries means it will be roughly 6 pounds in operable field-ready condition.

[Steve Herschbach]

The basic pulse induction detector sends a pulse of current through a coil in the search head. At the end of the pulse the current is shut off. Once a current is running it does not like to stop suddenly and there is a "boomerang effect" that briefly induces a very large voltage spike across the coil. Once this transient spike dissipates, the detector can go into receive mode.

The intentional portion is referred to as the "transmit pulse" and the follow up spike the "flyback pulse". There are different ways of looking at the situation but in most cases the flyback pulse is viewed as a problem to be dealt with. The sooner the detector can receive or "sample" the better it is at detecting quickly disappearing signals from small gold.

The whole MPF thing is just another acronym for our collection referring to Minelabs method of dealing with the flyback pulse and achieving greater sensitivity to small gold. Whether it is SD based or GP based is all rather beside the point. All that matters is how it works in the field.

I expected you to come out swinging harder on the price Rick. On other forums you have stated the SDC 2300 is "DOA" at certain price levels. How do you account for the GPX being the most expensive consumer detector sold and yet sold in huge numbers world-wide?

I am not arguing with you though and indeed please voice your opinion on the subject. Until the unit is actually on the market Minelab has time to gauge responses and set the price wherever they want. You have a very valid point on the SDC versus ATX for the price and what they offer. I think you are missing something though. The SDC is not bring priced against the Garrett ATX. It is being priced against a GPX 5000 and will be marketed world wide to people who will not consider anything that does not say Minelab on it. The SDC is compact, waterproof, simple to operate, and most importantly, runs on regular batteries. At two thirds the price of a GPX if they can get just a few Africans to use it and find gold with it then they may have the next hot machine. The way things work over there defy normal marketing beliefs and ideas.

[Steve Herschbach]

Also, 5.3 pounds without batteries means it will be roughly 6 pounds in operable field-ready condition.

When I do up my detector guide I have to weigh detectors myself to get real world weights including batteries. The only weight that matters is what is on your arm, and excluding battery weight gives a false idea the detector is lighter than it is in actuality. The detector ships with four alkaline C cells and weight should be quoted with them in the detector. Four each Energizer alkaline C cells weigh 9.46 ounces or 0.6 lbs giving a total weight of 5.9 lbs.

Steve's very personal detector weight conversion chart:

Under 3.0 pounds equals Very Light Weight Detector

3.0 - 3.99 equals Light Weight Detector

4.0 - 4.99 equals Medium Weight Detector

5.0 - 5.99 equals Heavy Metal Detector

6.0 - 6.99 equals Very Heavy Metal Detector

For reference a GPX 5000 on arm is 5.3 pounds (battery on back and so not counted) and Garrett ATX is 6.9 lbs.

[Rick K - First Member]

Steve is absolutely right that the developing world market is where ML needs to make this detector a best seller. If it works and says "Minelab" on it it will sell as well as the local market demand for gold detectors dictates. The market for ML's current products has cooled dramatically as reflected by their revenue and especially inventory figures from late 2013. How much of this is due to a slow down in overall demand and how much it represents sales of other units in lieu of ML detectors is impossible to judge. In other words, did ML's sales fall off a cliff because

The gold rushes are over - due to unrest or other factors?

The gold detector rush is over - i.e. All effective detector demand met?

The Minelab rush is over - i.e. other detectors are being substituted?

If Minelab knows, they are not saying - their public statements chalk it up to political unrest.

As to my statements on the other forum, I committed several errors -

I posted on a forum where I normally only lurk and have no earned credibility - nobody likes a seagull - they fly in, make a lot of noise, crap on everything and fly away. My bad.

I referred to the new detector as having the "guts" of the SD2200 - guess the term guts is too much for some folks sensibilities.

I based my statement on a tear-down of the F1 mine detector by John Kah, one of the founders of Coiltek. That was quite a while ago and this machine may not be as similar to the SD2200 as the earlier one. In any event I did not properly acknowledge the stated new stuff, namely the MPF.

I said it would be DOA in the US market - I have no way of knowing whether that is true since I don't actually know the US price, although the Australian price is apparently$3500.

For all of this I was quite justifiably taken to task in polite but no uncertain terms by JP. Fair enough, lesson learned.

As far as the US, it needs to work as well as the ATX. If it is clearly better in some clear way - in that case, even a premium price like $3500 won't stop it selling vs the ATX. The problem for ML is how many GPX sales will it cannabalize. For US dealers, a cheaper Minelab with few if any accessories ready to sell with it might not be so welcome.

For me, I am not in the market for a GPX5000, not because I think the price can't be justified, but because I can't justify it with a legitimate use case where I can extract value commensurate with the price. On the other hand, a detector which would replace my current TDI or my recent SD2100, plus my surf PI DF, plus a couple of VLF's I have - and which could be funded by the couple of thousand I could get for the replaced machines is very interesting.

Minelab's marketing strategy - early teasers to cover the SDC being late to market is working, at least in my case. I will wait for the dust to settle and see if either The ATX or the SDC are what I want - namely a PI detector I can take into the field with confidence and a minimum of control twiddling.

[Steve Herschbach]

Hi Rick,

Thank you for the very thoughtful response!

I know I am not a big fan of high prices and I am a big fan of competition. The more the merrier.

I do think Minelab benefitted from a "perfect storm" if you will of high gold prices and gold rushes in countries where buying practices verge on irrational. There is an almost superstitious belief in certain detector models overseas and the buyers cannot be swayed to try anything else. The GPX 4500 became the object of intense desire and sold far faster than they could be built at one point. An extremely expensive detector in extremely high demand led to the kind of sales one does not duplicate easily if at all. It was a "detector bubble" and like all financial bubbles at some point you reap the hangover.

[Keith Southern]

Looks like my wish came true ....they just put it on the wrong machine LOL!!

 

The carbon fiber Pole's...

 

lets see 2300 P.I. weighs 5.3 Lbs without battery's..

 

4 C-Cells weigh about 9.5 ounces so about half a  pound...that would put the 2300 at 5.8 unless theres a holder of some sort the bat's go in...

 

the ATX is doing 6.9lbs with batterys..

 

So it looks like the 2300 is a pound lighter with the smaller coil...

 

so I wonder if the carbon fiber is that much lighter over the fiberglass rod's...or is the 2300 control box heavier than the ATX box...

 

the carbon fiber might only shave a half pound or so off the ATX if it had it..and for the cost I might see why Garrett avoided it...fiberglas in ceheap carbon fiber is worthmore than gold per ounce it seem's...

 

Heck we might Know why the price point for the 2300 is high...LOL!!!

 

no but seriously it probably would of tacked on 200.00 or more bucks for Garrett to supply carbon...

 

I know its irrelevant to the discussion about the machine just thinking out loud..

 

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No one Knows anything at this point about the machine and its abilities..But I do like seeing another P.I. coming out...

 

I see where its aimed with dissposable bat's and fold up design...Guys hopping on planes...

 

I wonder how long 6 volts will run the P.I.

 

Im sure they went C-Cell for a longer cycle...

 

small coil, low voltage, MPF hopefully shuts off flyback fast enough to hear the smaller tiny gold...

 

Maybe they are aiming it to the guys to get over where the gold rush is at on the other continent and pick behind the big machines looking for the smaller stuff...Just taking a stab at that..

 

 

 

I remember reading that voltage is not everything on a P.I.doubling it does not double the depth just like on a VLF..

 

but it does help sensitivity somewhat  but maybe the MPF counteracts the low voltage..

 

to much speculation LOL!!

 

Keith