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That is a great day for any of us west coasters at least those I know of and hunt with. I too rarely get silver beyond 6" or so. I found a 1917d last year about 4" down. My heart went a flutter for a moment. I have an equinox on order and paid for. I just hope we get to use it sooner rather than later.

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That sounds really promising!!  I recently did another couple of videos featuring some heavy hitting VLF machines in my soil and figure it will get a rise out of the fanboys of each machine.  I am hunting soil that does the same thing as your description of the 6 inch ferrous transition.  In fact, that's almost exactly the depth of the Civil War bullets I dig on video, and all 3 detectors give that iron hit on different bullets in the field.  A detector with a good all metal mode can get them but the ID still stays iron. You have to use your ears and gauge the signal by circling it to make a decision on digging or not. Pulse machines get them with no problem...but pulse machines are not practical everywhere you go.

 

So like you say...an added inch or 2 is HUGE for a VLF machine to accurately ID something in dirt like that.  People that have never experienced it just don't understand.  The worse machine out of my latest video was the CTX 3030.  But that same machine on a wet sand beach can accurately detect a dime down to the 11-12 inch mark.  My scoop is a 12" basket and in some cases, it took me 4 big scoops to get a coin out.  But in my dirt back home...5 inches was actually the transition point for it.

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I can't wait to see how the Equinox does for you Daniel. I think Minelab is well aware of where the CTX was weak and Equinox targets those weak areas. I sure was not having silver pop up with my CTX like I am with the Equinox which is why I no longer have the CTX. Even if performance were identical there is the 5.3 lbs versus 2.9 lb thing. At the end of the day it is working for me and the machine just clicks with me on multiple levels. I never did learn the fine details of the menu and options on the CTX. The Equinox is far more intuitive. I am not sure it ever has been mentioned but all the adjustments are "live" and changes in settings can be observed while swinging the coil.

I very much admit that I will be relieved at some point to not be the only person reporting. I have these nightmares where everyone gets an Equinox based at least partially on my posts and it bombs, and I end up looking like the biggest idiot in the world, or worse yet, some kind of mega-shill. Then I have to go into hiding on the internet and maybe move in case somebody wants to burn my house down! Kind of like performance anxiety except it is all about me really wanting the machine to perform as well for others as it does for me and worrying that for some crazy reason it won't. :ohmy:

But that would mean ignoring what I keep seeing with my own eyes :smile:

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Sounds like there is possibly some hope that the Equinox MIGHT reopen sites. I was hoping for more depth from the next Minelab but maybe it will be its ability to unmask that is its secret bullet.  I should be able to tell pretty quickly if this is the case.  I know most of the old parks I hunt very well and there are 3 in particular that I have completely stoped hunting... A 6 hour hunt might produce one old coin.. Sometimes none.  These were parks that me and my friend pulled lots of very nice old coins, tokens and other goodies from.   My soil is also very tough and almost all single frequency detectors turn coins to ferrous signals at roughly 6+ inches. The difference between my soil and Steve and Daniels is that the CTX and E-Trac ARE able to reach 9 and occasionally 10” with bigger coils where the others can’t. My Friends V3i with big coil can get down there too, but not with the ID accuracy of the Minelabs.  We both will dig ANY non ferrous signal that is in the deep old coin zones...  

At this point I will actually just be happy if the Equinox is as good as FBS but in a faster, lighter package.. My tendons are messed up and the weight of the E-Trac is not helping.. 

Thanks for the peek into one of your Equinox hunts Steve..

Bryan

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I don't envy you at all Steve! I've been in your position and know exactly how you feel. I had a small role with a couple of Whites detectors. You want to truly share something you think is exciting and as soon as you do, you have critics and hateful Richard Noggins ready to rip you apart like sharks.  I took it all to heart and still may or may not have some people at the top of my list for a butt kickin' if I ever meet them in person ;)   haha 

I am on the list for an Equinox. I notified my dealer the day they were announced. I'm ready for it for sure.  

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Thanks Daniel - that made me laugh! :laugh:

All I want a detector to do is two things. 1. Make more finds for me more easily. 2. Do it as ergonomically as possible. When I say ergonomics I mean visual and audio interface as much as physical design.

That is what the Equinox is doing for me. Just imagine swinging a FBS machine that is as fast as a DEUS in the trash if not faster. Yet when you are in the open, throttle it back to slow speeds for more depth. Best of both worlds.

There is more to it though. Multi-IQ is actually new and by that I mean different. There is something going on there with target id I have not figured out yet. I don't mean that in a bad way at all. This detector really talks to me. I guess I really don't care after all what everyone else ends up thinking about the Equinox. All I know it that is what I am swinging from now on! Well, that and a GPZ :smile:

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Steve,

Excellent posts, excellent information.  Impressive, what the Equinox is doing for you, in your soil.

My dirt must be VERY similar to Cabin Fever's.  In my dirt, most VLFs read a dime beyond 6" deep as iron, but in my case, like his, and UNLIKE yours and Daniel's, the Explorer/E-Trac/CTX can see a dime to 9" or 10" deep and ID it pretty accurately, with an 11" coil.  If the Equinox can do that, AND be the fast, very good unmasker I expect it to be, then I am going to be LOVING this machine...  :)  And the more I read of your posts, the more confident I am that it will do exactly this...

Steve

 

 

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