XP Deus Equinox 600 Comparison Help!

[Jeff McClendon]

I have had my XP Deus for almost 2 weeks so assume I know next to nothing in 10 hours of detecting. I have had my Equinox 600 long enough to have hundreds of hours so I know a little. Today I thought I would set up both detectors with small gold jewelry programs. I wasn't expecting anything special. It was 28 F here and I did not want to dig any targets deeper than 4 inches and I went to a public park soccer field that I have never detected before.

The Deus was set up like this: software V4.1, 9" HF coil, slightly altered by notching GM Power program saved in slot 12, frequency 14,414, disc at 6.1, sensitivity 80, iron vol. 3, reactivity 2, audio response 4, 3 tones, volume 7 on WS5 headphones, GB 87. I had two notches set up. The first was from the 0 to 35. The second was from 62 to 99. So most of the small gold range, small aluminum, beaver tails and nickels were detectable.

The Equinox 600 was set up like this: firmware updated, 11" coil, Field 1, multi frequency, disc at 0, sensitivity 13, iron bias 0, recovery speed 3, 5 tones, volume 20 on Avantree low latency bluetooth headphones, threshold 9, GB 3, I also had two notches set. The first was from -9 to 0. The second was from 14 to 40. So most of the small gold range, small aluminum, beaver tails and nickels were detectable.

I detected roughly 1/4 of the soccer field in 1 hour with the Deus and had a really nice, quiet walk. I found two 4" nickels, plenty of small aluminum, and a young person's good quality stainless steel and tungsten ring. Dug 23 targets none over 4" deep. I did not skip any detected targets meaning those that had at least one audible beep. The Deus was a pleasure to use. I was careful to not walk too fast, kept my swings low and smooth, and overlapped swings at a medium speed roughly one complete left and back to the right swing in around 2 seconds

I detected the exact same area with the Equinox 600. Immediately I began to detect numerous targets. I counted 47 in all at the end of the hunt. It was getting really cold so I dug 15 of the 47. Most were small aluminum can slaw in the less than 1/2" size at 1" to 3" depth. I Also recovered 4 complete beaver tail pull tabs at  3" to 4". I also recovered 1/3 of a crushed aluminum soda can at 2" depth. I used the same swing speed and walking speed as best I could.

This really surprised me to say the least. I need someone who owns both of these detectors to help me understand why these similar settings (or maybe I am a complete idiot!) resulted in one detector completely missing over 40 targets (I heard absolutely nothing). Obviously I am an XP Deus newbie so this topic is about my ignorance more than anything else I'm sure. I am not trying to engage in an XP Deus vs Equinox 600 discussion. I just need some settings advice. The only person I know with both of these detectors where I live, recently had a heart attack (he's okay) and I don't want to bother him with this. 

Thanks in advance for anyone that responds to this topic.

Jeff

[Jeff McClendon]

The Deus ground mineral bar (that's the little one running up the right side edge of the horseshoe graph right?) stays around 1/3 to 1/2 full during normal sweeps. On my Fisher F19 I get four to five bars ( I think six is the max) Fe3O4. Besides the notches I set I was running stock preset GM Power. You put your finger on it I believe. I should have been running the HF coil in the 28kHz range, not to compete against the Equinox 600 but to maximize the coil's inherent characteristics. I don't even know where the silencer settings are yet but I will get to them soon, now. I did air tests on the targets I wanted notched out and set the notches up accordingly. I will readjust the notches for 28kHz. I still have 3/4 of the field to detect so I will try your settings and program suggestions.

I was starting to think I didn't really need my Equinox 600 since I have the 800 too and the Deus. This made me seriously reconsider that thought!

Jeff

[Jeff McClendon]

I got a chance to do more testing with the XP Deus using the 9"HF coil  and the Equinox 600 with the 11" coil in Field 1 today. I was deliberately going for targets at 4" or less due to frozen ground. I detected a different 1/4th of the same soccer field as last time.

I was running the same program on the 600 and the GM Power program on the Deus but with these changes: 28 kHz, reactivity at 2.5, silencer at -1, and the second notch from 75 to 99. The XP Deus only missed two 4" deep or less targets that the Equinox 600 was able to detect. Both were really small can slaw in the 1/2" size range that were basically on edge. That is a huge improvement!

 In other testing that I have done it is pretty apparent that the Hot and Deep programs will do better for targets at depths of over 4" here where I live. There is no point trying to detect anything that deep for the next couple of months with any detector since the top 1" is pretty frozen and the permafrost layer starts at about 4 " deep. 

thanks,

Jeff

 

 

[Dubious]

If you are running one machine behind the other, then concluding that anything the second machine finds the first one was unable to see, that is a bit unfair to the first machine.  Owing to various factors impossible to control for absolutely, you can hunt the same piece of ground twice with the same machine, and the second time around find lots of targets missed the first time. 

It would be better to carry both machines, trying the second one on all targets found by the first. That is, use the Nox as the primary machine, since you are confident in its settings; when it finds a target, before digging try that target also with the Deus, adjusting as needed; then dig and draw your conclusions.  You'll soon have the Deus adjusted to your satisfaction.  You can perhaps do this more easily in a test garden, if you have access to one.

[Steve Herschbach]

I have run the Deus and Equinox head to head as Dubious describes and there is very little an Equinox will see that a Deus will not. The main difference for me was the Equinox has more accurate target id. For instance, the Deus is far more prone to upscaling aluminum in bad ground and calling an aluminum beavertail a silver dime. But it would still detect the target.

Upscaling aluminum was a bad problem for me with all my single frequency units in my ground that Equinox all but eliminated.

[Jeff McClendon]

Hi Steve and Dubious,

This testing was not intended to be in anyway a comparison of one detector against another. It was done to help me become more fluent with the Deus. Also, I live in a fairly urban area where just carrying one expensive detector makes me nervous with all of the people who could use some pawn shop money in close proximity.

I have noticed the upscaling being more pronounced on most targets in the HF coil's higher frequenies, too Steve. That is fine with me since I will get used to it.

My whole point for this testing was to get some experience with the Deus and to get it dialed in for general metal detecting in my super bad soil conditions in the foothills of Eastern Colorado and to be ready to use the Deus as a second high frequency VLF prospecting detector. I have youngsters and smaller grownups than me that like to detect with me. Also, after 7 or 8 hours of prospecting, an excellent, extremely lightweight, clean-up detector for small gold seems like a good idea when my arms are about to fall off. 

Seriously, I was just trying to get the Deus dialed in. I used the Equinox 600 as a baseline. I know that is setting the bar pretty high. I believed that if I could get the Deus to hit most of the very small surface to 4" targets effectively (especially if they were small aluminum) that I was on the right track. My first time out was just a bit of a shock and really, I knew next to nothing about the detector. So when I detected over 70 targets and the Deus only detected 23 of them I knew that there was a big problem and it was probably me! Instead of freaking out I asked for help from the best source I know, this forum.

So, today there was only a 2 target difference instead of 47. Now I think I'm close to setting up the Deus effectively for my area, thanks to all of your help.

 

Jeff

[Steve Herschbach]

I get it Jeff and I just wanted to offer reassurance the Deus can do the job. Upscaling is fine if you dig all non-ferrous and when it comes to extracting non-ferrous from ferrous the Deus is second to none. It gets annoying in parks chasing silver coins though so it just depends on the situation.

I really like the Deus in many ways and get tempted to get another, in large part due to the ease with which it can be collapsed and stuffed in a rucksack. But I have to just keep telling myself no whenever this "have to get a new detector" urge strikes anymore. 

[Jeff McClendon]

thanks Steve, I have the same problem,

I keep looking at my F19 and wondering if I will ever use it again..........and then I think (of course) if I sell it I could buy a new detector!!!! Oh man!