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Equinox and Electrical Interference


Boandtia

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I use a Garrett AT Pro for dry sand detecting, and when hit by EMF, usually from bar internet systems,  the operating frequency of the AT Pro can be adjusted to try and eliminate it.  There are four slightly different frequencies to choose from.  Just wondering if Steve knows whether there are adjustments that can be made with the Equinox, apart from turning down the sensitivity of course,  to alleviate interference from EMF.

HH

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Good question. If hit by Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) that affects Multi IQ mode you can switch to single frequency mode and then you have a choice of at least 3 discrete operating frequencies (5, 10, 15khz) to choose from for the 600. For the 800, you can also use 2 additional (20 and 40 khz) to attempt to find a clear frequency.  Even though these frequencies are all are harmonic multiples of 5 khz, you should still be able to avoid the EMI as higher frequencies tend to be less susceptible to EMI.  This tends to be superior to simply frequency shifting slightly away from the base frequency such as in the AT series and other single frequency detectors that have the capabilty to slightly shift frequency.  The tradeoff for doing this is you lose the benefits of Multi IQ but if necessary to detect your site at all, at least it is an option.  The Deus which is a discrete multifrequency machine has the ability to shift each of the 3 or 4 available base frequencies (coil dependent), like the AT series.  I do not know whether Equinox has this capability in discrete frequency mode.

Side notes:  When in Mult IQ operation BOTH Equinox 600 and 800 operate all 5 of the above frequencies simultaneously even though only the 800 can operate the upper two discretely. And EMF,  besides being an annoying one-hit-wonder band from the 90's, is a physical property of electromagnetism that, among other things, enables torque to be applies to electric motors.  Electrical engineers like to make even their terminology and not just the concepts, confusing.

HTH

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It's called a noise cancel button and yes, the Nox has one, as does the CTX, Etrac and the Explorers.

 

The Noise Cancel function allows you to eliminate electromagnetic interference
(EMI) or noise from the detector.
The CTX 3030 may become noisy due to electrical interference from power lines,
electrical equipment or other detectors operating close by. The detector interprets
this interference as inconsistent, erratic detections. Noise Cancel can be performed
automatically
(default)
or manually.
Auto Noise Cancel instructs the detector to automatically scan and listen to every
channel, and select the one with least interference.

 

 

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37 minutes ago, Dan(NM) said:

It's called a noise cancel button and yes, the Nox has one, as does the CTX, Etrac and the Explorers.

 

The Noise Cancel function allows you to eliminate electromagnetic interference
(EMI) or noise from the detector.
The CTX 3030 may become noisy due to electrical interference from power lines,
electrical equipment or other detectors operating close by. The detector interprets
this interference as inconsistent, erratic detections. Noise Cancel can be performed
automatically
(default)
or manually.
Auto Noise Cancel instructs the detector to automatically scan and listen to every
channel, and select the one with least interference.

 

 

Bangs head.  Yep.  Missed that.  Again Deus paradigm, that noise reduction initialization is also done on the Deus but automatically on the Deus upon startup.  The advantage of having the button on the Minelab though, allows you to reengage the noise cancellation adjustment on the fly if site conditions change.  With Deus you would have to inconveniently power cycle the detector.  Regardless, though extremely effective, these noise cancelling features are not always 100% foolproof and the discrete frequency “trick” is there as an option.  Steve mentioned this in another post as one possible scenario where discrete frequency operation might be preferred to Multi IQ (that and Gold mode were the only scenarios thought up). With on demand noise cancel though, it should be rare you would ever have to use it.  Since the CTX only operates in Multifrequency modes, the term “channels” above must mean that slight variations in the multifrequency base frequencies are applied to find quiet modes.  Similar principle must be used for Multi IQ (think 5.1, 9.9, 15.1, 19.9 and  40.1 kHz vs. 5,10,15,20, 40 kHz. - in fact I bet Equinox almost never operates exactly at each of those base frequencies.  More speculation at MultiIQ secret sauce).

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Guest Tnsharpshooter

On demand noise cancel.

When would it be handy or necessary to use?

How about a rally where 20 Equinoxers are detecting.

Now remember noise cancel does have its limits, as far as how many different possible combos to mitigate emi. 

So in a rally depending on what another's Equinox is set channel wise, and the proximity of the other Equinox detectors, an Equinox user might be doing manual noise cancel depending, and it could need to be done quite often.  And this what I am saying here may indeed apply as far as an Equinox user to when other models are used in closer proximity made by Minelab and other manufacturers.

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2 hours ago, Chase Goldman said:

Bangs head.  Yep.  Missed that.  Again Deus paradigm, that noise reduction initialization is also done on the Deus but automatically on the Deus upon startup.  The advantage of having the button on the Minelab though, allows you to reengage the noise cancellation adjustment on the fly if site conditions change.  With Deus you would have to inconveniently power cycle the detector.  Regardless, though extremely effective, these noise cancelling features are not always 100% foolproof and the discrete frequency “trick” is there as an option.  Steve mentioned this in another post as one possible scenario where discrete frequency operation might be preferred to Multi IQ (that and Gold mode were the only scenarios thought up). With on demand noise cancel though, it should be rare you would ever have to use it.  Since the CTX only operates in Multifrequency modes, the term “channels” above must mean that slight variations in the multifrequency base frequencies are applied to find quiet modes.  Similar principle must be used for Multi IQ (think 5.1, 9.9, 15.1, 19.9 and  40.1 kHz vs. 5,10,15,20, 40 kHz. - in fact I bet Equinox almost never operates exactly at each of those base frequencies.  More speculation at MultiIQ secret sauce).

Yep, "variations in the multifrequency base frequencies" is exactly how it's done (in FBS, anyway), as I understand it.  Just as you posted -- tiny "offsets" to the base frequencies...

Steve

 

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Gee, I sure like it when a question is asked and I see answers already provided! Thanks!! Yes, Equinox has a Noise Cancel function that can be invoked at any time, that scans and chooses between 19 “channels” running from -9 to 0 to +9. You may also choose any of those offsets manually if you have an Equinox 800 - the 600 has automatic cancel only.

Easy fix number one - reduce sensitivity.

Also, choosing specific single frequencies, again with the available channel offsets, is a fallback for the worst situations.

In my opinion Equinox handles electrical interference quite well. I work in some areas that have issues, especially in the lower frequency range with some detectors, and have yet to find a place where I can’t get decent operation due to EMI.

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1 hour ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Gee, I sure like it when a question is asked and I see answers already provided! Thanks!! Yes, Equinox has a Noise Cancel function that can be invoked at any time, that scans and chooses between 19 “channels” running from -9 to 0 to +9. You may also choose any of those offsets manually. Finally, choosing specific single frequencies, again with the available channel offsets, is a fallback for the worst situations.

In my opinion Equinox handles electrical interference quite well. I work in some areas that have issues, especially in the lower frequency range with some detectors, and have yet to find a place where I can’t get decent operation due to EMI.

Thanks for all the informative replies,  Very helpful

HH

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13 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Gee, I sure like it when a question is asked and I see answers already provided! Thanks!! Yes, Equinox has a Noise Cancel function that can be invoked at any time, that scans and chooses between 19 “channels” running from -9 to 0 to +9. You may also choose any of those offsets manually. Finally, choosing specific single frequencies, again with the available channel offsets, is a fallback for the worst situations.

In my opinion Equinox handles electrical interference quite well. I work in some areas that have issues, especially in the lower frequency range with some detectors, and have yet to find a place where I can’t get decent operation due to EMI.

I would like to know more precisely how this function works.
Does it work as a linear filter or are different algorithms used depending on the parameter set?

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  • The title was changed to Equinox and Electrical Interference

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