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Vlf's Detectors Best Concepts Of The Past, Hopefully Not Forgotten


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I know we have had some great advancements in VLF metal detector's over the recent past, but I am hoping that we can keep some of the older design features that seemed to work well. 

My favorite new technological features being offered in VLF's are Multi-IQ and single frequencies options, fully programmable settings, waterproof, noise cancel, USB chargers, li-ion batteries, Bluetooth headphones, prospecting & coin/relic options, and lightweight. Really a great job by the inventors of these detectors.

IMHO I hope we do not lose some of the past designs that worked well, such as the ergonomics of the balanced s rod that would separate in three places for backpacking, the hip mountable brain box, the detectors that would not fall over when put on a little bit of an uneven surface, the 6.5 inch elliptical concentric or double DD coils for great access in rocky areas, the 1/4 inch headphone jack, the spare interchangeable battery pack that takes regular batteries to serve as a back-up for the li-ion battery pack, and higher frequencies options.

I would like to see what else had worked well with other detector user, seems like we are always buying aftermarket parts to retain some of these older features where possible. 

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10 hours ago, NV-OR-ID-CAL-AU said:

IMHO I hope we do not lose some of the past designs that worked well, such as the ergonomics of the balanced s rod that would separate in three places for backpacking, the hip mountable brain box, the detectors that would not fall over when put on a little bit of an uneven surface, the 6.5 inch elliptical concentric or double DD coils for great access in rocky areas, the 1/4 inch headphone jack, the spare interchangeable battery pack that takes regular batteries to serve as a back-up for the li-ion battery pack, and higher frequencies options.

1) hip mountable brain box -- what detectors available (new) today still allow this?

2) 1/4 inch headphone jack -- Minelab has made it clear they won't be using these in the future.  And as they continue to monopolize the market our options continue to disappear.

I hope we aren't forced into using either proprietary headphones or Blueooth T/R.  Some may contend that LL latency isn't noticeable, but I disagree.

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I’m not worried about detectors getting worse through the elimination of useful features. Tech advances make some features obsolete. Yes, you can hip mount the Deus control box, but do you need to? That was for heavy control boxes mainly. Wireless will only get faster, lag is just a growing pain that will be a memory soon in all devices. Why do we need 1/4” jacks, when universal high speed wireless is where we are headed?

No, S rods are not going away. There is not a conspiracy going on to eliminate competition, and therefore for everyone to agree to not make things people want. That’s not how the system generally works. Any lack by one manufacturer is an opening for another to be exploited.

Hint - the surest way to look old is to start talking about how rotary phones were better. They never got lost, since they were attached to the wall, and calls were better quality, and more reliable. Way easier for fat fingers to get dialed numbers right. We have all been “forced” to abandon wall attached rotary dial phones, because people in general would rather have mobile phones, even if that means a dropped call now and then. And some cell types are no doubt lamenting the demise of the 1/8” jack, at the same time detectorists are still trying to hold on the the 1/4” jack.

So we are in different boats I guess. In my case, full speed ahead, damn the torpedoes, and please ditch obsolete stuff faster. If you guys want old stuff, let me direct you to the Fisher website, where you can buy yesterday’s technology, new today. Plenty of heavy hip mount boxes and 1/4” jacks for those who want those things! :smile:

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Thank for your comment Steve. I agree there are some things that probily are needing left behind as we push forward. By this post I was hoping to get more feedback to companies of what the consumer wants in a detector, and hopefully say it’s been done before, not hard to do, why not bring it back, can it hurt. Kinda of like the 6000 being made lighter with a built in speaker or having a Toyota diesel in the U.S. let’s do what works best.

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1 hour ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Wireless will only get faster, lag is just a growing pain that will be a memory soon in all devices. Why do we need 1/4” jacks, when universal high speed wireless is where we are headed?

We've already gone backwards.  Proprietary audio (wireless) T/R was introduced in detectors (and is fortunately still an option) before standard Bluetooth and Low Latency, wasn't it?  It seems right now LL headphones are falling by the wayside in favor of standard ('high latency') Bluetooth versions.  Apparently that's what the cellphone generation is satiisfied with.

The trend (at ML, anyway) has been towards inexpensive (and 'cheap' quality) consumer devices as accessories.  The high quality aftermarket headphones are fading away.  Part of that fault also belongs on the aftermarket manufacturers not making 3.5 mm plug versions.  (Gray Ghost does, but it took them a while.)  IMO the (niche) aftermarket companies are being driven out of business by less demanding consumers.

The "good old days vs. the cutting edge" discussion has existed for over a century (maybe longer) and although it's true that in general the new ways are an improvement, it's not universally true.  Sometimes it's 2 steps forward and 1 step back (and occasionally worse).

The McDonald's business model (make what we want and convince the consumer it's what they want) has (obviously) been successful in fast food and many other areas.   Maybe that's where the detector world is headed.  Lack of competition is fueling that.

Oh, and if I cared how old I look I wouldn't dare be seen swinging a metal detector!  Got any Grecian Formula I can borrow?  You've convinced me to don my bell bottoms and head to the discotheque.  Maybe I can muscle John Travolta aside and dance with Olivia Newton John.  :biggrin:

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GB_Amateur, I agree technological advancement can be a double edged sword. I definitely like the new technology, even though it does feel like it sometimes moves to fast and forgets the older and more reliable features that did not change for the better. One example is that I’m basically dirt farming and camping in the most remote places in the U.S. so having a ruggedized detector with a long lasting battery would work best for these situations. We used to have detectors that could run on 40 plus hours on one set of batteries and now the detector I use most frequently has an internal battery that can only last 12 hours. 

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In the case of the Equinox system, you can carry as many extra USB battery packs as you like to supplement the internal one. With car chargers and solar chargers, there's no excuse for dead batteries......and no need to buy throw-away ones either.

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Cudamark, I agree the backup battery system sounds like a pretty good option for my circumstance. Have you heard how long the factory Equinox batteries last for?  I’ve heard it’s also not recommended to try and replace the factory battery DIY?

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2 hours ago, NV-OR-ID-CAL-AU said:

Have you heard how long the factory Equinox batteries last for?  I’ve heard it’s also not recommended to try and replace the factory battery DIY?

They will outlast most owners. I have three equinox, probably older than anyone else owns, and all three batteries are going strong. I have a spare battery I scavenged from a prototype, but I don't think I'll ever need it. They are not hard to replace yourself.... but I do not think that's an issue for about the first five years at least. They get 12 hours when brand new, and over three years later, they have degraded so little I've not noticed any drop off, though there must be some.

It was a big worry for people when Equinox came out, lots of long threads.... and it all turned out to be worry over nothing.

 

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