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Wish List For Next Garrett Apex Update


DIG5050

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What would all of the Garrett Apex owners like to see included in the next Garrett Apex Update?

I do not work for Garrett, and I cannot say that there will be another update anytime soon, but if there is one in the works, and many of the Garrett Apex users collectively comment, perhaps the powers to be at Garrett will consider the most popular requests and incorporate some of those into the next update.

Here are a few items that would make the detector a whole lot more useful in the field.

1. Adjustable Recovery Speed - Maybe a three or five step adjustable Recovery Speed with the current Recovery Speed being in the middle of the range.  It would allow the machine to be more selective in trashy spots without necessarily resorting to a smaller coil. The current VDI digits could be used to allow the Recovery Speed setting to be adjusted up or down and represented as r1, r2, r3, etc.. Assuming there are no hardware limitations preventing this, a simple addition to the menu loop could implement this feature.

2.  A Mute Function -  When trying to use a pin pointer (standard or Z-Lynk) on the target, getting rid of EMI induced beeping in the headphones would be a real blessing. Tap the PP button or another button to mute the detector, tap the same button again to restore sound from the detector.

3. Progressive length "Iron On" Sound -  As the "Iron On" sound is presently designed, makes it nearly useless to hunt in a coins mode with the "Iron On" sound enabled.  As the "Iron On" volume is turned down, make the length of the "Iron On" sound shorter in duration. Turned Up, it would lengthen. No menu item would be needed for this.

4. Enable the LED Backlight Briefly During Detection Mode Changes -  Garrett added the LED Backlight "on" during menu changes in 1.28 and slightly earlier versions, but skipped over the detection mode changes. Knowing what mode you have selected while hunting at dusk or dawn would be helpful.

5....

If Apex users all suggest items and we can get the attention of Garrett,  maybe Garrett will pick and choose the most popular from the list, and show their customers that they listen to suggestions from their users. Ultimately it will make the Apex an even better detector, and give them thought for future versions of the Apex in any form.

 

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Very good thread topic.

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I like your suggestions.

I'd add:

5. User adjustable tone breaks. I'd also like to have the ability to assign a preferred tone to each tone bin - example being a high tone to the bin where nickels would typically be.

Ideally, my hope is that Garrett releases a new, lightweight, waterproof (or water/dust resistant) version of the V3i. A fast (better separation and unmasking) V3i with a good ground balance system would be very close to the ideal metal detector in my mind. 

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6.  A better iron filtering . Suppressing the false signals ,these annoying strong "beeps" between targets in the irons . The Apex should definitely be quieter in the irons , as it has been designed for the irons ...

7.  Improve the Apex overall reliability . First I had to send my Apex to the after service for a a faulty Viper coil .  Second my Apex bugs from time to time, it suddenly becomes very noisy and unusable. The only bypass I found is to stop the Apex, remove/reconnect the coil connector,  and restart it.

Plus an "hardware" update :

8.  Better coil to cb male/female connectors . Mine are too tightened . It is very difficult to insert / remove the connector in / from the CB . Very annoying too ..

 

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9. Manually adjustable ground balance...long press of the ground balance button and adjust with + - buttons.  The beaches I hunt are littered with iron/aluminum trash and a clean spot to ground balance is near impossible to come by.  I'd like to be able to dial in the value I know works.

10. Improve/upgrade the coil cable to box fittings (for different reasons than palzynski's #8 above)      In less than a year the fitting is corroded, the screws and the washer under the nut against the box are rusted.  The detector has never been dunked...just salt air exposure and rain.  Upgrade to stainless...or at the very least, sleeve/shrink tube the fitting to protect it...and change out that washer at the box.

11. Lastly, better penetration/depth in volcanic black sand.  My Apex struggles for depth compared to my other detectors...and I'm not trying to go deep.  In some areas, especially in the dry, I may only get surface to a couple of inches.  In the same areas, I can get at least 6 inches with the others.  Maybe this could be addressed with a firmware update after some volcanic black sand testing by Garrett?

corrosion_rust1.JPEG

corrosion_rust2.JPEG

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Personally I think that the various features suggested, while for the most part good ideas, are more appropriate in terms of Multi-Flex showing up in higher end models.  Remember that the Apex is part of the Ace series and I don't know how much Garrett is willing to put into this detector given its price point.  For me, I like the Apex a lot at saltwater beaches, where it performs extremely well.  Inland it can, on occasion, be a tough go and I think the suggestions\ of an adjustable recovery speed would serve an update well.

The post from Tahtsa-a-dats-ago about a reintroduction of the V3i is a great suggestion.  I've thought the same thing.  It would be very cool to see if Garrett could take that platform and tweak it a bit. 

Bill

 

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  • 1 month later...
On 12/24/2021 at 2:19 AM, Mike305 said:

9. Manually adjustable ground balance...long press of the ground balance button and adjust with + - buttons.  The beaches I hunt are littered with iron/aluminum trash and a clean spot to ground balance is near impossible to come by.  I'd like to be able to dial in the value I know works.

10. Improve/upgrade the coil cable to box fittings (for different reasons than palzynski's #8 above)      In less than a year the fitting is corroded, the screws and the washer under the nut against the box are rusted.  The detector has never been dunked...just salt air exposure and rain.  Upgrade to stainless...or at the very least, sleeve/shrink tube the fitting to protect it...and change out that washer at the box.

11. Lastly, better penetration/depth in volcanic black sand.  My Apex struggles for depth compared to my other detectors...and I'm not trying to go deep.  In some areas, especially in the dry, I may only get surface to a couple of inches.  In the same areas, I can get at least 6 inches with the others.  Maybe this could be addressed with a firmware update after some volcanic black sand testing by Garrett?

corrosion_rust1.JPEG

corrosion_rust2.JPEG

Wow, the connector looks like something your find on a secondhand detector of years past. I though garrett took pride in their product.

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I'm really surprised they didn't heat shrink the connector, that just looks so wrong.  Not only for the protection but if they used the adhesive lined heat shrink it adds a lot of strength.  I would just do it myself when I got the coil, if they void your warranty for doing that it's just crazy seeing you're doing it to try prevent issues.

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The heat shrink with a melt liner is a great idea.

I keep a Sly Lynx cover on the Apex control box that I purchased on Amazon. It keeps the screen and buttons mud free, but it doesn't protect the connector at all.  If I ever get to beach hunt with the Apex, I would wrap the housing with a Ziploc Freezer bag and elec. tape it around the shaft and handle to protect it from the salt spray and an accidental dunk in the water at the surf line. It's kind of a cheap fix, old school kludge, but it might prevent corrosion issues and a possible trip back to Garrett for a repair.

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I am not surprised by this coil connector corrosion issue , as these connectors seem to be of very poor quality . Mine is too tight . Last time I could hardly remove it , never seen something like this during 22 years detecting . 

Even a cheap machine like the Quest X5 ( 170e ) has far much better connectors than the Apex ( 500e ) ... 🥵

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