Equinox Ground Balance Observations

[longbow62]

I've been using the Equinox 800 for about two years now. It's by far my favorite detector. I have found that GB is pretty important in my ground for best results. In my ground in Park2 the GB number ranges from mid 40's to mid 60's. I would say mid 40's to mid 50's average. In Park2 in the test garden if you keep the machine on default GB 0 it will not hit deeply buried coins nearly as well as when properly GB'ed. Many times I have started detecting at a spot and forgotten to GB only to then remember after awhile, and once I do the Nox comes alive. I'm sure it matters how much your ground is mineralized, and how far from 0 your Nox GB's in your ground. I have seen arguments where people say don't GB and just leave it on 0 it's not needed, but I would argue otherwise. Also would those in the know consider ground that the average GB number is in 40's-50's to be medium or highly mineralized ground?

[Jeff McClendon]

I am one of the Nox users that has discussed this great topic on another forum with you so I will not comment further except to say Welcome to this very Equinox informed forum.

Hopefully you will get plenty of responses that will help you. There is also lots of information in the Equinox Essential Information section of the Equinox forum. 

There are many prospectors on this forum who prospect in really nasty ground and use the Equinox and there are others here that hunt for deep relics in bad ground in the Southeastern USA so you should get some good answers.

 

Jeff

[Nig the Dig]

I think you said it all when you said "with my ground". Much depends on mineralisation of the ground. Here in the UK I find leaving ground balance at 0 works fine. If I want extra depth I turn the iron bias down

[FloridaSon]

Most of the beaches I hunt are GB=0. My highest GB on one salt beach is only in the '30s so I can't help but I did remember this discussion from 2018 that may help. Posted by goldbrick. Link below.

Further down in the link post, Steve H reports this info:

"Some typical ground mineralization types are:

0 – 10 Wet salt and alkali
5 – 25 Metallic iron. Very few soils in this range. You are probably over metal.
26–39 Very few soils in this range -- occasionally some saltwater beaches
40–75 Red, yellow and brown iron-bearing clay minerals
75–95 Magnetite and other black iron minerals"

Link:  https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/1599-gb-numbers-mineralization/

Regards

 

[Badger-NH]

I wasn't aware that ground balance was capable of having any affect on depth. I will have to research this further.

.

[Jeff McClendon]

1 hour ago, FloridaSon said:

0 – 10 Wet salt and alkali
5 – 25 Metallic iron. Very few soils in this range. You are probably over metal.
26–39 Very few soils in this range -- occasionally some saltwater beaches
40–75 Red, yellow and brown iron-bearing clay minerals
75–95 Magnetite and other black iron minerals"

Link:  https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/1599-gb-numbers-mineralization/

Those numbers and indications are for the Fisher Gold Bug Pro/F19/G2+/Time Ranger Pro. They do not necessarily correlate with the Equinox which has a ground balance number range from -9 to +99 and Minelab has not published any information for the Equinox that I know of that equates ground balance numbers to degree or type of mineralization except for salt water beaches.

For a fun read:  Ground Balancing The Minelab Equinox 

[GB_Amateur]

17 hours ago, longbow62 said:

Also would those in the know consider ground that the average GB number is in 40's-50's to be medium or highly mineralized ground?

This topic comes up often (for metal detectors in general, not just the Minelab Eqx).  From what I've learned here and in other readings, 'mineralization' as used in metal detecting refers to ferromagnetic minerals which are far and away dominated by certain (not all) iron oxides, particularly Fe3O4.  Two naturally occurring minerals which are the most responsible are magnetite and maghemite (but not hematite, which is the most common ore used in iron processing, AFAIK).

Ground balancing is matching adjusting for the phase shift of ground minerals in general, and although Fe3O4 will contribute, there's more to ground phase than the ferromagnetic component.  Thus knowing the ground phase or ground balance setting doesn't tell you the mineralization.  (Some detectors such as the Fisher Gold Bug, the Fisher F75, the XP Deus, and some White's models have actual ferromagnetic mineralization strength readouts.)  The Equinox unfortunately does not.

I think the recommendation for ground balancing of the Eqx goes like this:  "When first learning the detector, leave it at 0.  As you get more comfortable with the detector, adjust it."  I always adjust mine at turn-on if I don't foget, but it often tells me when it's set improperly by grunting when my coil isn't swung perfectly parallel to the ground.  Even in my moderate ground it can change over scales of 10's of meters, so I often adjust in the middle of a hunt.  Also note that each mode and even single frequency within a search category (Park 1, Park 2, Field 1, etc.) has its own ground balance setting.  (Ground balance is a 'local' setting, not a 'global' setting, using terms from the Eqx manual.)

BTW, welcome to the detectorprospector.com forum, longbow62!

 

[nordic]

Apologies for off topic a little, but, perhaps, related a little. Did anyone notice Nox performing different - "better" when left motionless on the ground for some time, coil face flat. It would be not first time I meet walkers while detecting and after having a few minute chat I find Nox starts picking up things a lot clearer suddenly. Is it just my mind having some rest or Nox performs some on the fly adaptations? 

[Jeff McClendon]

nordic, you might want to read the article I referenced above by Steve H. I try to read it and watch the videos every two or three months. It might explain your "discovery".

[Jeff McClendon]

A question I ask myself a lot for no good reason, just curious.......since the Equinox has ground balance numbers from -9 to +99, is the default 0 (zero) setting really the numerical value of zero on that -9 to +99 scale or is it just a default setting that lets the Equinox do its thing in the background, kind of like an on/off switch?