Jump to content

Equinox Fe Settings Poll


Equinox Fe Poll  

84 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you use the Fe setting, F2 setting, both, or none? Follow up posts explaining your poll vote will provide important information. I'd ask people make a little extra effort on this one. Thanks.

    • I use the Fe settings exclusively
      9
    • I use the F2 settings exclusively
      53
    • I use both settings depending on the situation (please explain below)
      5
    • I use whatever the default settings are for each mode
      17


Recommended Posts

I use stock settings. I have changed them but don’t fully understand them so I tend to leave them alone. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites


I run FE 0. I read about the bottle cap improvements using FE2 but I don't mind digging extra junk if it means possibly not missing possible gold.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When Minelab first added the F2 iron bias I didn't like it. I think because of what I was reading on how it compared to the FE iron bias and I tried to adjust my settings for F2 based on what I was reading. But once I set out on my own to see what was really happening I really started to like F2 more. Now I run F2 at 0 most of the time. The exception is when I'm hunting ghost towns that are littered with bottle caps and flat tin and then I'll run it up to 6. I run 0 most of the time mainly because of the targets I'm after and the sites I hunt. In mineralized ground IMO you really need to ne careful about how high you run your iron bias. Small and deep targets will report as iron if you run it too high.

Now back to why I didn't like FE vs F2 when it first came out. First place I went was a military camp relic hunting (ground is mineralized). I set the Equinox up with iron bias F2 running at 4 based on what I had read and how it compared to the FE settings. Come to find out F2 at 4 is really starting to knock some stuff out and lose depth. Found a few deep targets which turned out to be things like p-caps and small pewter buttons. When comparing these signals I found using FE 0 they sounded great and then going over them in F2 4 they sounded like iron. It was in a later hunt I realized that turning the F2 settings down allowed these deep targets in mineralized ground to come through and report as non-ferrous.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Being rather new only swinging the Equinox 800 for 1 year, i listen carefully to the veterans here, and therefore i run FE2-0. I don't want to miss any good targets, and would rather dig some trash. ht 👍

Link to comment
Share on other sites

F2 always at 0. 

I haven't found any reason to raise the setting.

I think Iron Bias is mostly for people who have trouble with flat iron and bottle caps which I rarely encounter. It seems to have no effect on nails or normal everyday iron.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use both, but primarily FE 0 and F2 6. I usually leave my settings button on iron bias so I can easily check between the two settings by hitting settings then the +/- button.  If there’s lots of nails I will go with F2 6, if not then FE 0.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ve not dived into the FE vs F2 differences yet with my 600. 
 

I tried first the different Park and Field factory settings between modes and noticed I was digging a ton of rusty junk with anything other than Park 1.
 

By looking at defaults, I realized the FE setting was 2 at Park 1 where Park 2 and both field modes are FE = 0. This is why I was digging more rusty junk in other modes. No iron bias!  It works, but yeah, you might miss or mask some stuff they say. I get that but I don’t want to spend an hour moving 5 feet in some of these old lots...
 

Then I started to dive into differences. I decided that for me to understand the modes and see what changing the settings would do for me, I would have to set all the mode setting between Park and Field modes as equally as I could.  FE = 2 all Park and Field modes. I’m yet not comfortable with 50 tones so 5 tones all Park and Field modes.  Recovery speed left at 3 all modes.  I’m limited on the 600 as far as tone breaks and pitch so Park modes first break at 0, field first break at 2. Close as they can. I can’t change the frequency bias between 1 and 2 modes so focusing on that. I think Park 2 and Field 2 modes will find most of what 1 modes will and more. Still need to keep trying this. I now have something between a Vanquish and an Equinox in simplicity. I’ll eventually work my way back to something between this and the factory settings that works for me. 
 

Back to Iron Bias, they are all FE = 2 for now. Next step, I would like to regrid area I’ve already swept but with FE = 2 at 0 and see if digging all the the good sounding signals out, yields anything other than the rusty junk from before and a couple nickels and crusty zinc pennies...  I’ll also need to understand if F2 = whatever brings me some happier medium or compromise which is still unclear to me or untested by me. 
 

I’m not sure what this feedback is going towards. Future machine? Future software update? I could even see Vanquish update since settings are predetermined. But, one thing that would be really helpful is if the setting numbers for 600 aligned with the 800 scale. It is mentally tougher reading these things and then trying to remember the scale differences between the two or confirming if someone has a 600 or 800, etc  Not sure if ML did this for perception reasons but it kind of sucks to be honest. I get and accept I bought a cheaper machine with less setting resolution and okay with that.  It is a better value for me.  But if there is any way possible, please change the scales to match with an update and update the manual!  Andy and Clive can sell us a sticker to update their books 😂 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use the F2 settings because I frankly didn't see much difference in the FE settings. From 0 to 9 didn't seem to have much effect and bottle caps were still a problem. Once I got the F2 upgrade, that made all the difference. I can now run F2 @ 6 and dig virtually no bottle caps. If I'm in an area where the caps and iron aren't much of a problem, I'll lower the F2 setting proportionally. Around a fire ring and sometimes picnic tables, I'll at times peg it at 9. The F2 setting just seem to have a much longer and more effective range than FE. I personally haven't seen much difference in depth at any setting, but, I can see how masking changes are possible. That's the nice thing about it......it's adjustable.

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...