Fisher Impulse AQ (formerly Aqua Manta) Pulse Induction Metal Detector

[Rick K - First Member]

The batteries are under the arm cup - rechargeable LiOn - The Russian site said 10 hours with an option for another pack (external?) for 20 hours.

I had my hands on a prototype a while back for a couple of days. It worked fine in our AZ dirt. Hot rocks were detected but depth did not suffer in what is sort of 2-3 bar (on an F75) dirt.  I didn’t play with the controls to try and balance out the hot rocks. It was quieter and significantly deeper than either of the TDI’s I have owned.  Black sand at a San Diego beach caused no depth loss - solid return on a nickel at 17” in the gravel of a wash in Gold Canyon was the same at this beach - solid signal at 17”.  My Nox gave up the nickel at 7 - 8” in the same sand with a very low VDI number  - the Nox got 12” with the nickel on the surface with correct VDI reading.

 

[Rick K - First Member]

Here’s a better pic of the control box and the coil - my pictures.

 

[Steve Herschbach]

Thanks for posting Rick.

I am pretty much boycotting heavy detectors. In my opinion with proper engineering there is no reason today why a waterproof VLF should weigh over 3 lbs and my desired target for a waterproof PI in under 4 lbs. If the Manta were to come in at the higher range of 1.8 kg then we are looking at 3.97 lbs. El Paso, we have a winner!

[Rick K - First Member]

Sometimes a good thing comes along from “outside”.  Smart companies see the possibility and acquire the foreign development.  That’s exactly what happened here. Alexandre Tartar, the prime developer, posted on Carl Moreland’s Geotech forum and they got in touch. The project was promising enough for Tom Walsh the CEO to open his purse and do an “aquihire” of the “EuroTeam” who developed the Manta.

They have huge ambitions and hopefully this will be the first of a series of ground-breaking (literally - lol) developments.

[Cal_Cobra]

1 hour ago, phrunt said:

Looks like the Americans are fighting back, this can only mean good things for everybody.  Some healthy competition is always welcome.  I've always pinned my hopes on Fisher.

I will be watching with a keen eye at their new gold detector.

The Americans are fighting back with a French designed detector ? 

[Rick K - First Member]

At Yorktown we fought back with a French army - our oldest ally. There is a memorial at yOrktown to the 600 French soldiers and sailors who lost their lives in the cause of American freedom at Yorktown and the naval battle of the Virginia Capes which made the siege of Yorktown a success.

[Cal_Cobra]

2 hours ago, Rick Kempf said:

At Yorktown we fought back with a French army - our oldest ally. There is a memorial at yOrktown to the 600 French soldiers and sailors who lost their lives in the cause of American freedom at Yorktown and the naval battle of the Virginia Capes which made the siege of Yorktown a success.

Yes without the aid of the French, we'd still be a British colony. 

I have nothing against the French, I've been to France many times, it's one of my favorite places to holiday (and arguably the best food on the planet)....my point is let's give credit where credit is due.  Fisher didn't design the electronics, they may have designed the physical package, may have tidied up the electronics a bit, but they bought the electronic design.   Nothing wrong with that, we live in a global economy, our history, past and present is chalked full of foreign technology being realized in the U.S., acquisitions are common place. 

I'm sure it'll be a fine detector, but I'm a bit disappointed that with all the engineering horsepower at FTP, of all the American companies they couldn't design something on their own.  

[Rick K - First Member]

It wasn’t on their radar.  A PI detector is not something they had their sights on - then this opportunity presented itself and they went for it.  Pretty bold move for what is, after all, like all the detector builders, a small business. They bought more than the design, they hired the team.

Their own development goals proceed - I have no info on what that amounts to, my only insights were about the PI.

[TerryinHawaii]

You have to remember that Eric Foster was the person that invented the PI technology.   Ones something is invented, other people will find ways to make it better.  Having use the Aquastar for a number of years. I can not wait to have a Manta to use.  

[PhaseTech]

Looks cool. That shaft attachment is very GPZ like. Knobs, no screens in a slick modern design, exactly what you want for a serious beach hunter. 

My only immediate thought/concern is it looks like no Freq Shift/Noise Cancel function?? That would severely limit where on the beaches I could use it, unless it is very immune to EMI.