New Update Has Arrived

[GB_Amateur]

44 minutes ago, phrunt said:

I hope the "much more" they say that is in this firmware update isn't just marketing talk.

If you're a gambling man, make sure to receive favorable odds (such as lay 20 to win 80, or better) before you bet the Minelab side.  If there are more positive enhancements they could have just told us what those were instead of stringing us along.

[TedinVT]

Finally had a chance to try out the new firmware today in my yard where there is an abundance of old roofing nails.  Tried FE and F2 both set at 6 and AM and Park 1 in nails and found no difference between the two.  Tried raising F2 to 9 and still no difference.  Rain is supposed to start very soon so more testing at some cellar hole sites will have to wait until tomorrow.

[Yellowstone]

Tried the new program out on a midnight foray at the beach at low tide.  Settings - Nox 800, Beach 2,  FE2 - 4, Recovery - 4, Sensitivity - 18.  Still dug a lot of small wire, lobster trap pieces and coins.  Wasn't sure if I liked new settings or not until walking out and hit scratchy -4 signal, 8 inches down signal turned to 6 and found this.  

Will give it another shot.

[Noah (FL)]

Currently traveling for work so I won’t be able to do the update for a few weeks.   Have to say I’m more excited about the “low” setting for the back light than the new “fe” setting. “Steel” bottle caps are so different over the years, constantly varying alloys have been used, that they seemingly will always present a problem to DD coils. The EQX is already an awesome machine so one would have to think that if ML thought an update would help it probably does help in the right situation,  just have to find out what that situation is!!   Never the less it will be something new to tinker with and test!!!

[TedinVT]

YouTube video showing F2 from Slow n Low:

I'm doubting F2 is going to do much of anything for iron that sounds off as iron in the first place (nails).  It appears the value of F2 is in helping to differentiate targets containing iron that sound like good targets (crown caps) from actual good targets.

[Cal_Cobra]

At old relic sites I've detected iron tools, like axe heads, hatchets, hoes, picks,giant spikes, and the like and they seem to come in around 13-14 on the EQ800, but the sound is dull not twinkley like a nickel or a nice sized 14K ring around that tid range would come in audibly. 

 

 

[GB_Amateur]

On 9/25/2019 at 3:30 AM, Chase Goldman said:

Frankly, if the emphasis of this update is an additional ferrous filter, that is frankly one of the last things I am needing or wanting.... (more comments removed)    I really am not all that interested in another filter that just sets me up for the possibility of more inadvertent masking of non-ferrous targets near ferrous targets.  I have found that all Fe bias does is negate the positive effects of having high recovery speed settings for target separation in thick iron situations and typically run it at 0.

That's pretty much what I was thinking until I read this:

F2 '0' (which is equiv to FE '-1') is where (ultimately) your new EQX life will begin. Unmasking in carpets of nails..... is now enhanced by approx. 2%.

2% doesn't sound like a lot, and maybe it isn't.  I recall when the Nokta Impact was released and Tom D. released his testing notes where he said the Impact was 0.1 inches deeper than the Fisher F75.

OTOH, this is not something I was expecting and it further it doesn't seem to be something Minelab is advertising, if you discount the much more annoying marketing blurbage.  I'll tell you one thing -- Tom's claim has taken me from ambivalent in installing the latest upgrade to intrigued and planning on doing it.

 

[Chase Goldman]

On 9/27/2019 at 2:52 PM, GB_Amateur said:

That's pretty much what I was thinking until I read this:

Agree - Based on these and other posts and videos, I have changed my tune and am looking forward to testing F2 out this weekend to see what it has to offer.

Also, reading the revised manual, I was intrigued by the statement ML makes that the benefits of F2 are not fully realized unless you are running AM.  Interesting.

[flakmagnet]

7 minutes ago, Tnsharpshooter said:

 Small, but any advantage is GOOD.

The Equinox is a very "live" detector and anything that helps discern an actionable signal from trash is greatly appreciated. 

[Cal_Cobra]

22 hours ago, Tnsharpshooter said:

I have experienced the same.  Some sound very borderline.  A person will stop and render decision.  Just stopping period wastes valuable time.  So if one gets better tonal Intel on the so-called junk right off the bat, they can move on and hopefully find something more worthy.  Every second counts in the field.  Less time sweeping/digging junk should mean more coil time odds wise for the worthier items buried.

Less junk dug = more keepers in my finds pouch, I like that!!