Sens Setting For Deep Coin Squeakers…

[Jeff McClendon]

Hi Chase,

Page 24, Field 2 smaller targets (specifically mentions hammered coins i.e.. silver) at depth.  Realistically I think you are correct in your assessment of the normal uses for the 1 and 2 Park and Field modes in relation to lower frequencies go deeper and detect higher conductive targets better and higher frequencies cannot go as deep and detect smaller and lower conductive targets better. Where I live that just isn't the case. Lower frequencies just can't penetrate the mineralization like higher frequencies can. I think Happa54 is in SoCal where mineralization can be an issue at some places where he lives. I was just offering a possible solution at some locations.

Also, all of the deep silver and deep wheats that I have found where I live (past 6") have been found in either Park2 or Field 2. 

Jeff

 

[Happa54]

This conversation is getting interesting and technically above my understanding of what the Nox is all about. 

I'll have to accept the fact that the Nox is not a FBS machine and those deep little silver or copper squeaks that I'm use to will not be heard with the Nox. I look forward to hearing a deep silver or wheat (with the Nox) exceeding 7" so I can place the tone in my memory.

The upside to owning this machine are the numerous angles/combinations/modes in which to hunt in. I mode hop quite a bit but then I don't notice a difference in whether one mode finds more of something over another mode. 

I'll keep running it as usual and I'll learn more about these modes, settings and tones with time.

Thank the Lord we have this forum.

 

[Chase Goldman]

1 hour ago, Jeff McClendon said:

Hi Chase,

Page 24, Field 2 smaller targets (specifically mentions hammered coins i.e.. silver) at depth.  Realistically I think you are correct in your assessment of the normal uses for the 1 and 2 Park and Field modes in relation to lower frequencies go deeper and detect higher conductive targets better and higher frequencies cannot go as deep and detect smaller and lower conductive targets better. Where I live that just isn't the case. Lower frequencies just can't penetrate the mineralization like higher frequencies can. I think Happa54 is in SoCal where mineralization can be an issue at some places where he lives. I was just offering a possible solution at some locations.

Also, all of the deep silver and deep wheats that I have found where I live (past 6") have been found in either Park2 or Field 2. 

Jeff

 

Jeff - 100% agree and in my epic length post also mentioned, that in mineralized soils the "2" modes will likely have an advantage for all target types at depth vs. the "general" case (mild soil) where the "1" modes and lower frequencies will dominate at depth (especially for high conductors).  Note that hammered silver or small silver (e.g., trimes) due to its size, thickness, and also, in the case of hammered silver, variable silver purity, will often ring up as a mid-conductor which also favors the higher weighted frequencies ("2" modes).  Thanks for clarifying that.  Like I said, the thing about detecting is there are truism's but not many absolutes.

[Chase Goldman]

25 minutes ago, Happa54 said:

This conversation is getting interesting and technically above my understanding of what the Nox is all about. 

I'll have to accept the fact that the Nox is not a FBS machine and those deep little silver or copper squeaks that I'm use to will not be heard with the Nox. I look forward to hearing a deep silver or wheat (with the Nox) exceeding 7" so I can place the tone in my memory.

The upside to owning this machine are the numerous angles/combinations/modes in which to hunt in. I mode hop quite a bit but then I don't notice a difference in whether one mode finds more of something over another mode. 

I'll keep running it as usual and I'll learn more about these modes, settings and tones with time.

Thank the Lord we have this forum.

 

Hap - as an experienced FBS detectorist, you should just go with your detecting instincts.  Don't try to overthink or over tweak the Equinox - focus mainly on selecting your best case detecting mode for your site conditions and target objectives, getting the machine to run quiet (noise cancel, GB as necessary, adjust sensitivity accordingly AND perhaps dial back recovery speed for depth), focus on the audio and dig all repeatable targets. What it all boils down to for you, I think, is that the lack of depth related modulation with Equinox is throwing you off and you may also just be in a "slump" where your coil is not getting over any really deep silver.  Also, I will say that I think a good FBS machine (eTrac, CTX) is a good compliment to the Equinox, so I would hang to an FBS.  Under "ideal" conditions (low ferrous trash, low mineralization), the FBS machines will go deeper than Equinox and will give a more accurate ID at depth on high conductors.  The Equinox, though, is no slouch and is much more versatile and effective for many more conditions, situations, and targets than FBS.  HH

[flakmagnet]

Hi Chase, interesting posts...I would certainly say one of the biggest if not the biggest difficulty in learning the Equinox was the lack of depth-related modulation. It really took some getting used to and still throws me every once in a while even now after hundreds of hours with it. That being said, I am happy to deal with it considering all the upsides this machine has...what fun to run.

[Cabin Fever]

There is a lot of talk about modes and which is deeper.. you have to factor in that these modes are all set up different from the factory.  My Park 1 setup looks nothing like how it’s setup from the factory.  To test these you need to have them setup the same,  as in same Recovery speeds, tones, Iron Bias etc.  

Someone might be getting deeper in one mode because of different Recovery speeds thinking it’s the frequency weighting of the mode.

For example factory Park 1 runs a high Iron Bias which will affect depth, where as Park 2 runs on 0. 

I have not done any detailed depth testing between the Two modes but they both punch deep on coins. I have mineralized ground here in the Pacific NW and Use Park 1 for most of my hunting. It’s not setup like the factory Park 1. All of my modes are setup the same and I just tweak as needed on the fly.

Full 50 Tones, Recovery 5 to start. Always 0 Iron Bias.  Same discrimination pattern across the board, only used when things get ugly or my brain gets tired.  I like to keep things simple yet optimized for top performance.

Bryan

[Chase Goldman]

8 hours ago, Cabin Fever said:

For example factory Park 1 runs a high Iron Bias which will affect depth, where as Park 2 runs on 0. 

I purposely did not get into Iron Bias in my previous posts because I don't know what to do with it.  I think it affects detectability more than depth, actually (it certainly doesn't help depth).  What I mean by that is with it on, you will tend to get worse masking or one way hits on non-ferrous targets in the vicinity of iron.  It is kind of like turning down recovery speed for iron targets only without any of the benefits (i.e., increased depth or less clipping of target signal at depth).  Like most filters, it just seems to mask the things you want to hear in addition to the things you don't want to hear.  Discrimination filters have their place (including helping to prevent down/up averaging of non-ferrous signals in the presence of iron), but iron bias seems to be there because ML figured out they could do it with Multi IQ (note that iron bias is not even present when operating in single frequency) but did not at least articulate the down side.  It seems to be a setting that has no benefit other than to prevent SOME falsing but with a lot of down side IMO.  I am not even sure having it set at low values is beneficial, so I agree with you it is IRON BIAS = 0 for me too.  It is definitely something to be aware of in Park 1 AND the Beach and Gold modes.

[Tiftaaft]

Great thread!.  Thanks everyone for taking the time to detail your personal experience and results with the Equinox.  Hap, I bet you didn't know the Hornets nest you were poking when you posted your first question... haha (and I mean that in a good way).  

My experience has been very similar to Bryan's here in the Pacific NW, though my finds have not been as impressive.  I have been running my 800 with the 15" (I agree with Bryan, it is a beast!!) In field 2, 50 tone, all tones (with a custom disc similar to Bryan's for really noisy areas), recovery 4 and IB-2 (though I have used IB-0 a fair amount).  I have a 30's-40's park near my work that I am currently meticulously gridding and I am pulling some nice finds at the 8-10" range.  I am starting to hear the nuance between a shallow target tone and a deeper target tone and probably more importantly understanding the "shape" of the target based on the tone.  I start getting excited when I hear that mellow round high tone and my depth meter is at 4 bars plus.  The WLH/SLQ combo was 9.5" at least, and was solid tone from one direction, but I had to work for it (note the "ring" on the back of the WLH where the SLQ was resting until I recovered it).  The hunt with the Ike was 2 days ago during a lunch break, 45 minute hunt.  All the coins pictured were 7"+, except the Ike that was about 6" (and singing solidly at 37-38).

I gravitated to field 2, but will probably cover the area again in park 1 or field 1 as reference to the discussion about the differences in the machine programming between 1 and 2 settings.  And I will also kick it down to IB0 to see what I have missed by masking some iron co-located targets.  

Thanks again everyone for the masters class of information above.  

Tim

[Happa54]

13 hours ago, Chase Goldman said:

Hap - as an experienced FBS detectorist, you should just go with your detecting instincts.  Don't try to overthink or over tweak the Equinox - focus mainly on selecting your best case detecting mode for your site conditions and target objectives, getting the machine to run quiet (noise cancel, GB as necessary, adjust sensitivity accordingly AND perhaps dial back recovery speed for depth), focus on the audio and dig all repeatable targets. What it all boils down to for you, I think, is that the lack of depth related modulation with Equinox is throwing you off and you may also just be in a "slump" where your coil is not getting over any really deep silver.  Also, I will say that I think a good FBS machine (eTrac, CTX) is a good compliment to the Equinox, so I would hang to an FBS.  Under "ideal" conditions (low ferrous trash, low mineralization), the FBS machines will go deeper than Equinox and will give a more accurate ID at depth on high conductors.  The Equinox, though, is no slouch and is much more versatile and effective for many more conditions, situations, and targets than FBS.  HH

I think your statement that I highlighted in red text about sums it up. My Safari compliments my Nox quite well and that's why these two machines will stay with me. In time when my off & on tendonitis allows, I will be swinging the Safari as well...it is a heavy machine. 

 

[Jeff McClendon]

Hi All,

thanks Happa54 for starting this topic. It really is a good one! Chase, I have only turned up Iron Bias when I have had to deal with difficult hot rocks in the -5 to -3 range when I'm using Park 2 or Field 2 for gold prospecting. I try to leave it alone at 0 in the Gold modes. I haven't noticed a difference in depth so far but turning it up does seem to slightly attenuate the signal of targets near by making them a bit harder to hear. I haven't found anything in the manual (YET) that says Iron Bias adversely impacts depth but it is some kind of filter so........

 

Jeff