600 Vs. 800 Differences - More Than Just A Gold Prospecting Mode

[Chase Goldman]

Both have beach mode per the various basic feature lists and the quick start guides posted on the forum.

[Steve Herschbach]

Chase is correct - both models have identical Beach Modes. Beach Mode only works in multifrequency (MF) mode because multifrequency is superior for salt water use. What specific frequencies are employed by Minelab to create Beach Mode only they know. However, all saltwater detectors face the same issue. The detector must ignore saltwater, which is detectable, and so employing hot high frequencies is a non-starter in that respect.

Any modes will work in fresh water since fresh water is invisible to a detector.

[Cal_Cobra]

8 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

It is easy to get into this Minelab versus that Minelab, but all Minelab cares about is Minelab versus the competition. Compare the Equinox 600 at $649 to the Garrett AT Max at $722 and the real picture becomes clearer.

Clearly a no-brainer 

[Chase Goldman]

7 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

I don’t know how Equinox works under the hood. I think we may have passed the point where all that stuff matters with Multi-IQ. What matters to me is what the detector can detect or not detect in various modes and determining which modes to use for which applications.

Park, Field, and Beach mode are discrimination modes, and “all metal” in those modes simply means everything is set to accept. Whether in multifrequency or single frequency this does not change. Your example of the X-Terra coin mode and the horseshoe “all metal” button is spot on.

Gold Mode does act differently than the other modes (patience please) but is not bereft of discrimination capability. The X-Terra 705 Prospect Mode is about the closest similar mode to Gold Mode but they are not the same. Gold Mode is better.

I am sorry to be so circumspect on the modes and differences between modes, but this is one area where Minelab is very specific that they do not want people (testers) who do not know exactly what Multi-IQ does and how it does it to be speculating about things they really don’t know about.

So what are the technicalities of Gold Mode under the hood? I could speculate but then I would have to be shot. I will leave it for a Minelab engineer to explain. I can tell you this. I can find gold nuggets weighing under a grain (480 grains per Troy Ounce) in Gold Mode running the stock 11” round DD coil in real world conditions. I know this because I have done it. That should tell most people what they need to know about Gold Mode.

The point also is other mode options are no slouch on small gold either...

https://www.minelab.com/go-minelabbing/treasure-talk/found-in-the-fields-equinox-gold

Field Mode will be the go to alternative for Equinox 600 owners going after small targets and frankly for a lot of nugget hunters who use the Equinox 800 also. Sometimes when hunting gold in trashy areas you want a good tones based disc mode and Equinox is as good as it gets in that regard.

Other than that - patience please 

Steve,

I know you really can't go into further details on the search mode Secret MultiIQ Sauce so I understand if you don't comment further on this, but Minelab's site does describe Gold Mode as follows: 

Good for gold nugget prospecting.  This mode operates high single frequencies of 20 or 40 kHz, optimum for gold nuggets.

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So single frequency operation vice Multi IQ is the default for this mode.  Seems obvious but I was genuinely confused because the term Multi IQ was thrown around a lot during the various discussions of Gold Mode.  This cleared up some misconceptions on my part and perhaps it will help others.

[FollowTheBeep]

I'm guessing that the headphones and the WM08 will almost make up the difference in cost between the two models.  

[Chase Goldman]

I was thinking the same thing.  Though I would personally have preferred inclusion of the waterproof headset as the 600/800 are compatible with any standard bluetooth stereo headset even without the WM08 module.  I find the up to 4 simultaneously connected wireless headsets to be intriguing to say the least.

[Cal_Cobra]

4 hours ago, Chase Goldman said:

Good for gold nugget prospecting.  This mode operates high single frequencies of 20 or 40 kHz, optimum for gold nuggets.

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This is the one feature on the 800 that seems a bit counter intuitive, because if it obsoletes VLF machines, why is it utilizing VLF single freq technology for the prospecting mode vs multi? 

I wonder if ML tried testing simultaneous multi-frequency for the prospecting mode, perhaps leveraging 20kHz & 40kHz and couldn't get it to work as expected?  

[Guest TreasureGuy]

I have sat back and read so much about both machines... I have no need for the top end frequencies, and have operated machines in the 600 frequencie range before and they have been great machines. To use all those great machine frequencies at once is what sold me the Multi IQ.. I have no need for Wireless headphones and I would never consider using the 800 full recovery speed settings as noted on certain Russian videos as you lose a lot of depth.. So it's the 600 for me..

 

[Jackpine]

47 minutes ago, TreasureGuy said:

I have sat back and read so much about both machines... I have no need for the top end frequencies, and have operated machines in the 600 frequencie range before and they have been great machines. To use all those great machine frequencies at once is what sold me the Multi IQ.. I have no need for Wireless headphones and I would never consider using the 800 full recovery speed settings as noted on certain Russian videos as you lose a lot of depth.. So it's the 600 for me..

 

If Field mode proves effective for detecting small gold jewelry in fresh water then the 600 would suffice for me for that purpose.  I might just go for the 600 and Waterproof headphones at first then upgrading to the 800 after field testing against my hunting buddy who will be getting the 800.

I used the CZ5 for many years fresh water hunting and made some deep ring finds digging the iron foil bouncers.  All it lacked was sensitivity to chains.

[Sinclair]

Keep in mind, that the 800 comes with BT Headphones AND WM08.

To do a better comparison / decision one would need to know the retail prices for those.. !

.. and of course if you need them..