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Tips For Underwater Use Of The White's Pi Dual Field Detector


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Picked up this detector several years ago & have yet to use it. In one of my treasure clubs the members detect lakes by wading in the water. My idea after reading a little about this detector is to modify it for u/water use with SCUBA, has anyone done this? I see I can remove the "middle" rod section and then put the bottom piece into the top piece, drill a hole for the bottom piece to "lock" into the top and you have a pretty short unit. A question I have is that I seem to recall(many years ago) reading the "large" yellow coil is very buoyant and this would cause me problems...is this correct or am I wrong? If it is excessively buoyant can the coil be modified to be "negative" in the water? See the Whites is supposed to be able to go to a 100 feet or so depth...correct..any feedback from anyone? I am triple SCUBA certified and I would like to take this to some warm water destinations. I took my EQ800 to Kauai last year and waded up to my neck on beaches recovering change and 1 diamond ring. I think I'd do a lot better using the Whites with WAY LESS effort! Trying to stand on one leg and scoop a target while battling waves (even behind breakwaters) is most challenging... SCUBA seems like the way to go! Thoughts and advice please?

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I have posted quite a few stories on serious “in water” detecting at Kauai with various detectors over the years. Too busy to post separate links at the moment, but you can find them all here. Just look for the ones with Hawaii in the title. I’m sure it would be worth your time.

 

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Steve just directed me to search for articles on "underwater" & "Hawaii"...WOW..what a wealth of info! It occurs to me I may have been making the job WAY harder than necessary with the EQ800. I would walk (up to my neck), find a target then lift one foot and push the scoop with the other while trying to keep my balance (even behind breakwaters). Many times getting pushed off balance and having to start over. I had visions of flooding the detector if I were to dive to the sea bottom so I kept the control unit only submerged a little near the top of the water.

                           Steve and others...how deep can I safely take the EQ800 with waterproof headphones? Anyone have any depth limits/experience? I will spend some hours going over the articles!

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I have tried using a PI in fresh water diving, The problem I had is there is to much iron and steel on the bottom.

It does not rust away or get washed away like it does in salt water. If you had a lot of time and plenty of air you will do good. 

As far as the coil floating I wrapped a ankle weight around the shaft, it did the thick. 

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Good info...was worried about diving down thinking my EQ800 might flood...hopefully somebody will reply that they have taken the EQ to 10 or 15 feet without problems. 

                  Was in Kauai last summer and at the beach where I was staying they rented and also gave SCUBA lessons. The guy renting tanks said he had taken several ladies out and one had lost her diamond ring and you could see it on the bottom! First I didn't think the EQ800 would withstand a 15,20 or 25 foot dive without flooding(I can easily free dive any of those depths). Second..so soon after a "loss" I would feel it incumbent upon me to locate the owner. If it were my wife we would appreciate the return of the ring. Had the ring been there for quite awhile, then that's a different deal. Since I knew of the loss I would have returned it.

                 Anyone taken the EQ deeper than advertised?

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On 4/29/2022 at 1:55 AM, aerospace guy said:

how deep can I safely take the EQ800 with waterproof headphones?

I wouldn't take it much deeper than 3 metres.. If you're after a vlf scuba detector that can go deeper, it's worth checking out the Deus II which stays waterproof to 20 metres.. although I've only taken mine to 16 metres, it does have a lot of submerged hours on it already (in seawater).. having said that, both my Equinoxes (600 and 800) also work hard and have never leaked even at 4-5 metres when I stray a bit deeper than intended.. 

As a scuba detector (as opposed to a wading detector), I'd go for the Deus II as I'm pretty sure the thing won't leak even when working it hard.. For a wading detector the Equinox is your best bet, it's bullet proof.. The Deus II is a flimsy thing and you're likely to loose your control box in heavy surf (it's easy to knock it off its perch underwater too).. The Deus II bone-phones are also rated to -20 metres..  

 

 

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On 4/27/2022 at 2:44 PM, aerospace guy said:

A question I have is that I seem to recall(many years ago) reading the "large" yellow coil is very buoyant and this would cause me problems...is this correct or am I wrong? If it is excessively buoyant can the coil be modified to be "negative" in the water? See the Whites is supposed to be able to go to a 100 feet or so depth...correct..any feedback from anyone?

If you have the 12" coil it floats like a cork. And because it's air-filled you only need to take it a few feet down for it to flex, crack the seam, and flood with salt water. Then it's a goner. The main case is pretty stout and as long as you take care of the Hexseals on the controls it will probably survive 100 ft.

For a while White's made a diver version of the SMPI with a weighted loop. I had one but sold it.

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11 hours ago, aerospace guy said:

Good info...was worried about diving down thinking my EQ800 might flood...hopefully somebody will reply that they have taken the EQ to 10 or 15 feet without problems. 

On the NOX forum you will find many times where they have failed even in a bath tub, with that said try not to go over 10-12 feet deep and always check for moisture after each outing.

Good luck!

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On 4/29/2022 at 10:57 AM, aerospace guy said:

Anyone taken the EQ deeper than advertised?

You are doing good if it does not leak while under max depth. Going over definitely not advised. I just do mask and snorkel work, so generally at 6 foot or less, well within margin of safety.

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