Top Minelab Equinox Mistakes

[cjc]

TOP MINELAB EQUINOX MISTAKES

(I know ‘em, cause I’ve made ‘em...)

1/ Not using cross sweep to determine how consistent a signal is. This results in a lot of elongated targets that sound good in one direction getting dug up.

2/ Not using pinpoint to determine how solid, what size and shape a target is also iron wide / narrow.

Pinpoint can also tell you when the machine is responding to part of a larger object—like wire. The machine’s high Gain causes you to dig too many “flyspecks.”

3/ Not using the depth meter to get an idea of target size and location in the strata. The depth meter can help to correlate the other information you are getting to give a better idea of where and what size a target is.

4/ Sensitivity too high (targets don’t stand out), or small surface targets dominate the signal. Target tones become clipped sounding, machine loses depth.

5/ Bias too low (targets don’t stand out), dig alloys.

6/ Recovery speed too fast, targets don’t stand out.

7/ Using a large coil with too much sensitivity—targets don’t stand out from the larger detection field.

8/ Using a large coil with the recovery speed too fast—machine does not have time to process the information from the larger detection field.

9/ Large coil, black sand or high saline, (or fast salt) sensitivity too high --less depth than  stock coil.

cjc

[CPT_GhostLight]

Thank you Clive! Love your books, BTW!

[Jeff McClendon]

Clive, those are definitely all very valid "mistakes" that the Equinox will bite one back for making.

I would only add the old maxim of raising the coil while swinging over a potential dig or not dig target it if there is confusion about a target being coin sized or much bigger. 

I am sure there may be more that people with tons of experience can add.

 

Great topic!!!!!!

[cjc]

56 minutes ago, Jeff McClendon said:

Clive, those are definitely all very valid "mistakes" that the Equinox will bite one back for making.

I would only add the old maxim of raising the coil while swinging over a potential dig or not dig target it if there is confusion about a target being coin sized or much bigger. 

I am sure there may be more that people with tons of experience can add.

 

Great topic!!!!!!

Ya, thats an old pulse hunter's trick--to feel around for the "point" of the field shape of a non ferrous targets--whereas  the wider flat top of an iron field drops out abruptly as you lift  the coil higher. 

cjc

[Jeff McClendon]

16 minutes ago, cjc said:

Ya, thats an old pulse hunter's trick--to feel around for the "point" of the field shape of a non ferrous targets--whereas  the wider flat top of an iron field drops out abruptly as you lift  the coil higher. 

cjc

I use it for determining if a target is a medium depth or less coin sized non-ferrous or deep aluminum can sized non-ferrous. 

Sometimes the depth meter will read shallow for a deep aluminum can sized non-ferrous target but also shallow for a non-ferrous US coin in the surface to 4" or so range. Often the audio response is very similar. Raising the coil is a quick way to determine if it is a smaller coin sized non-ferrous target......signal response ceases fairly quickly as the coil is raised while swinging over it or the signal response continues even with the coil 6" to a foot of the ground if it is really big aluminum.

[GnshpCSO]

7 hours ago, cjc said:

TOP MINELAB EQUINOX MISTAKES

(I know ‘em, cause I’ve made ‘em...)

1/ Not using cross sweep to determine how consistent a signal is. This results in a lot of elongated targets that sound good in one direction getting dug up.

2/ Not using pinpoint to determine how solid, what size and shape a target is also iron wide / narrow.

Pinpoint can also tell you when the machine is responding to part of a larger object—like wire. The machine’s high Gain causes you to dig too many “flyspecks.”

3/ Not using the depth meter to get an idea of target size and location in the strata. The depth meter can help to correlate the other information you are getting to give a better idea of where and what size a target is.

4/ Sensitivity too high (targets don’t stand out), or small surface targets dominate the signal. Target tones become clipped sounding, machine loses depth.

5/ Bias too low (targets don’t stand out), dig alloys.

6/ Recovery speed too fast, targets don’t stand out.

7/ Using a large coil with too much sensitivity—targets don’t stand out from the larger detection field.

8/ Using a large coil with the recovery speed too fast—machine does not have time to process the information from the larger detection field.

9/ Large coil, black sand or high saline, (or fast salt) sensitivity too high --less depth than  stock coil.

cjc

I agree, I have learned to not get crazy with cranking up sens, slow down, and check the target from multiple angles. I agree with it all. In regards to sens, I think a lot of people coming from other detectors to the EQX don’t realize just how sensitive this machine is. I know I didn’t, and it was one of the features of the EQX that really impressed me. Thanks for the post, and I appreciate your books as well.  

[cjc]

Thanks GnshpCSO  These all relate to basic skills and without them a super sensitive machine like the NOX is a lot harder to get the hang of. 

cjc

[Phillips_R]

I've found those deep aluminum can sized non-ferrous yer talking about. 

Thanks for the tips Clive.  And the 3 books.  

 

//R

 

 

[cjc]

4 hours ago, Jeff McClendon said:

I use it for determining if a target is a medium depth or less coin sized non-ferrous or deep aluminum can sized non-ferrous. 

Sometimes the depth meter will read shallow for a deep aluminum can sized non-ferrous target but also shallow for a non-ferrous US coin in the surface to 4" or so range. Often the audio response is very similar. Raising the coil is a quick way to determine if it is a smaller coin sized non-ferrous target......signal response ceases fairly quickly as the coil is raised while swinging over it or the signal response continues even with the coil 6" to a foot of the ground if it is really big aluminum.

Thanks--I'm going to use that.  Hunt one place where there are just the can ends--they sound great on the NOX. 

cjc

[F350Platinum]

21 hours ago, Jeff McClendon said:

I use it for determining if a target is a medium depth or less coin sized non-ferrous or deep aluminum can sized non-ferrous. 

Sometimes the depth meter will read shallow for a deep aluminum can sized non-ferrous target but also shallow for a non-ferrous US coin in the surface to 4" or so range. Often the audio response is very similar. Raising the coil is a quick way to determine if it is a smaller coin sized non-ferrous target......signal response ceases fairly quickly as the coil is raised while swinging over it or the signal response continues even with the coil 6" to a foot of the ground if it is really big aluminum.

I hunt mostly farms with my 600, and raising the coil is a huge help to avoid large iron and aluminum beer cans which proliferate. I don't think I have ever missed a coin sized target unless it was under large iron/steel or a beer can 😀 if the signal still is strong a foot or even two feet above the ground, I'll move on. 👍I also read all your books before and after I bought my Equinox. Thanks.

Have you ever tried the Coiltek 10x5? I haven't found a situation yet where it didn't perform better/find more than the 11". I realize this is a bold statement (ducks) 😁