Jump to content

Fisher Impulse AQ Limited Launch!


Recommended Posts

Very interesting.  A 3.5 hour battery life on a nimh battery might be troublesome for me, especially after some time builds up on it. It will shorten with use and it doesn’t look easily swappable.  I would likely dive right into replacing that whole black enclosure thing, making another with 18650’s inside. Unless....there is additional detector circuitry inside.... Rick, do you know?  Maybe battery charge management and an audio amp for the phones?  Anyway it would be a fun project to work on, for me more fun than detecting with it as there just aren’t many targets at my beaches and not a lot of areas where the sand has sat for years with hidden deep targets.

How is the present design’s battery recharged? Do we have to mess with the big “U” cable each time?

I have two Minelab GP Extremes I have been planning to do this exact same mod to.  Bluetooth audio so no phones wires. I already tested the GP at my beaches and it beat out my CTX, EQ800, DF, and pi pro on depth on a gold ring. I don’t get much iron and usually use a CTX that ID’s that well. But both the CTX and GP Ex are getting heavy when I go on 6+ hour hunts. A modified AQ would be nice having.

So I might flip for one or line up for a used one - no reason for me to rush.  A lot of you guys hunt or did hunt almost everyday. Not me, I’m a every other weekend guy if this virus stuff subsides. Just be warned that the nimh battery will eventually piss you off bigtime due to the number of recharge cycles and the nature of the battery technology. Anyone that has played with older RC planes or cars (or weed wacker) knows.

We had a discussion on a group buy for southern Calif/Orange County on another forum. Not sure who was serious, but I’d still be interested. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites


On 6/5/2020 at 7:56 AM, bklein said:

A 3.5 hour battery life on a nimh battery might be troublesome for me, especially after some time builds up on it. It will shorten with use and it doesn’t look easily swappable.

Just the opposite. The battery is located under the armrest attached by a cable for the express purpose of being easily swappable. And optional replacement batteries will be available - price to be announced. It is unfortunately this attempt at an external battery that has lead to other issues, that will probably be addressed by the battery being more integrated in future versions to eliminate the cable and connectors. Some people may actually consider this version to have advantages an integrated version may not, like easy add on batteries. AQ Homemade Battery Thread

The battery will be charged by disconnecting the cable and attaching the battery to the charger.

Anyone potentially pissed off by the battery did not read the disclosure and would not be the sort of person who should consider purchasing this detector. This is a detector for people who make things work, not pissers and whiners. The terms of the release are specifically set up to try and weed those people out.

There will be no “group buys”. These are available in limited quantities to select individuals.

fisher-impulse-aq-ltd-batterty-cables.jpg

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

36 minutes ago, GB_Amateur said:

Given the trusted source of the upcoming information, I personally prefer this over any kind of one-on-one or one-on-multiple comparison video.

Thanks for the vote of confidence Chuck. I was very specific in wanting to be a regular buyer of this detector for a couple reasons. First, I want to use it or not as I please for my enjoyment. Obligatory testing is work and that sort of thing was sucking the fun out of my detecting. Proving the old line... don’t make your fun into work. That being the case though I’ll report or not as I please on my own timeframe and nobody else’s.

Second, I wanted to remove any and all ideas that I have heard in the past that perhaps I’m doing some pay to play thing where people are buying my opinions. My opinions have never been for sale in that way, in fact it’s that I speak my mind that has made me valuable to the manufacturers, though they often do not like what I have to say. Whatever, I got tired of the accusatory B.S. and decided that if I am involved in detector prototyping I will recuse myself from discussing it, or I will buy the detector and be free to discuss it as I see fit.

For example, I was on the Vanquish prototype team, but when it came out, I stayed on the sidelines. In this case I expressly avoided inquiring about prototype testing because Vanquish really burned me out on that, and in this case I just wanted to go detecting and have fun. I’m overdue at this point.

Anyway, whatever I say about the Impulse people can rest assured is just commentary from a test weary detectorist who has just about seen it all at this point. I’m pretty sure this thing will go beep and find stuff and I’ll have fun. That’s really all I ask for anymore. :smile:

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, bklein said:

Maybe battery charge management and an audio amp for the phones?

No mystery in the battery pod. Just the battery pack with their integrated charge management, no audio amplifier.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Few hours and I'm already angry!

Due to restrictions on foreign  distribution out from USA from a side and local idiocy from another, I can't buy out from Italy the machine from where I want and for now, even if we all know the "base price" the few pieces that will be distributed in Europe in the next months will be totally burned from "friends of friends"....At a different sounding price....

So for now I'm done.

I do this thing for work and believe it or not is a disaster!

I can't believe that after over 7 years, my most reliable gun to hunt is a repainted Ctx which is all but waterproof and a useless noisy Tdi Bh with a coil that I can't change due to the lack of a fu....ng connector!

Only thing I feel to advise to FT is to open a direct channel for buyers as there are some persons (including me) that are really short in patience when things like this happens.

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Thanks Simon. I look forward to getting my hands on this detector and sharing what I can about it with you all. I think it is a good idea for Fisher, in that if they do this right they can use the feedback to get the final version dialed in properly. Lots of people have already pointed out the obvious limitations in this version, and Fisher listened to that and decided they are not done. They also don't want the work so far and money invested in the current version to go totally to waste. In my case I am honestly just fine with a wading version, which I am more inclined to do now with the locations easily available to me. A battery attached by a cable might even be better for me than a model with an integrated or attached battery of some sort. I will probably make a belt mounted 12 hour battery for my own use and having it connected via a cable actually makes that easy.

Most people are probably looking for videos and depth comparisons. I'm sure somebody will get on that, but I'm going detecting. My main plan is to use the discrimination features and go dig everything the machine says is good, and keep it all. We will find out just how good this much touted PI discrimination is in the real world and what junk it calls as good. There will be plenty; it is a PI after all and anyone expecting VLF type discrimination is going to be disappointed. For me though it is any possible technology advance in that regard that I am intrigued by. A PI that goes deep... I've used those. PI discrimination on the other hand is a long promised holy grail of the metal detecting world. What I'll be doing is going detecting and testing that by showing you what I find, the good and the bad.

And I'm going to go find a gold nugget with it just to say I did it.

Finally, thanks Rick and thanks First Texas for once again allowing me to play with cutting edge technology! Kind of icing on the cake of 45 years of good times metal detecting. :smile:

The way to go Steve, we know you will do an excellent job !! As you always do.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

SGD -  with respect, If your complaint is with your Italian agent for Fisher not having any AQ's to sell, it is because none of the AQ Limited machines will be sold outside the US and Canada. 

In my experience distribution of manufactured goods internationally goes via Agency agreements with exclusive rights - in such a case Fisher would have agreed to not sell directly into the Agent's territory and such an agreement would prohibits agent from selling into each others territories.

All of this is a relic of the pre Internet age, but it is not likely to just disappear.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, PPP said:

Unfortunatley  this limited edition  not going to sell outside the US, it doesn't matter now if DHL or other companies can deliver or not. It kind'a sucks for oss in Europe not being able to buy one. We have to wait God knows how long again for Fisher this time. And when it comes out the price may is more than doubled for sure. Sucks.....

Easy to solve this problem come and spend a holiday in our beautiful country, and do some detecting with your newly acquired AQ detector and be a a Happy camper.

  • Like 1
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

It does make a person wish there was some kind of internet search engine a person could use to educate themselves. :smile: Not much you can do to help people who can’t bother with proper due diligence buying used products. Of course a buyer of a used unit need not agree to anything, but they should be aware of the service limitations of the unit. I’d certainly provide that information to anyone if I was selling the detector used.

If anyone buys one and wants to sell it used contact me for an easy sale. I would not mind having two, one for fresh water and one for salt water. And in any case I never travel to remote locations to water hunt without a backup. Lost a whole two weeks of hunting in Hawaii once to a new detector that leaked brand new out of the box... I won’t repeat that experience ever again.

Just like buying new shoes, if they are very comfortable you better buy two pairs!!

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kudos to Rick for being Fisher's torchbearer on the AQ.  I can't imagine the grief and torment he has been through these past few years of product development.  I beach hunt five days a week and can not tell you how many times I have dreamed of this machine when I run across the black sands - a little more depth, better discrimination and a bit more gold.  Rick has kept my passion alive waiting for the Impulse.  Thanks, Rick.

Steve, I am so glad you are getting one of the first units available for sale.  I look forward to your commentary on the unit and hope it brings joy to your summer hunting experience.

Hopefully one will be available soon for this old sand fisherman!

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...