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Equinox 600 For My Very First Detector?


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I always said that when i turned 50 i would treat myself to a metal detector. i am fortunate enough that i can afford an equinox 600 and everything i'm reading says it's really packing a lot of punch for the cost. 

i'm looking for something to work across a lot of environments, including beaches. i couldn't have less of a specific need in mind- i want something that works pretty well anywhere i might pull up. if i dabble with a cheaper Bounty Hunter Land Ranger Pro will i notice where it comes up short? will i quickly wish i had just bought the nox?

and i'm also worried about the learning curve. i don't want to spend all my time fine tuning if i don't really know how to fine tune. i realize i kind of want it all so that's why i am here for a reality check.

being honest with myself, it's not something i am expecting to do too frequently right now- i sadly don't have the time. but i would love to take it on road trips and vacations as an extra something to do. maybe 10-15 days a year.

minelab-equinox-600-metal-detector.jpg.1
Minelab Equinox 600 metal detector

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The Equinox is setup for easy use right out of the box. If your hunting for coins in the park, press Park 1 or 2. If your at the saltwater beach, press beach 1 or 2. Relic hunting a field? Press Field 1 or 2.  I maybe over simplified the process a little, but any of those factory settings used where they were intended will get you great performance.. When you get more experienced you can start tweaking for even better performance and set it up the way that fits your hunting style. If you don’t catch on to detecting like you thought you would, the Equinox should be easy to sell. The hardest part of learning to detect for someone new is probably target Recovery. 

Bryan

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Welcome to the forum.

The advice so far has been good. The Equinox 600 is a great metal detector. Three things you might want to do besides turn on and go in Park 1 (that is the best place to start according to most of us here) is change the default 50 tones to 5 tones,  learn how to do the automatic noise cancel of the detector for finding the best frequency to operate at in order to minimize EMI or electromagnetic interference, and to lower the sensitivity of the receive signal if the detector is still too noisy so that the noise, whether caused by EMI or ground noise feedback can be minimized. In most places sensitivity between 15 and the default 20 works great and there should be very little noise except for targets in default Park 1. I would worry about your batteries too with 10 to 15 days per year of use, so charge them at least every three months. Even in the cold of winter I use my Nox 5 to 10 hours per week!  I use it at least twice that much per week the rest of the year and I am just getting a good handle on it. Your only learning curve hurdle may be from not using it enough to remember how to operate it....... I suffer from that with some of my other detectors. Also, get a decent handheld pinpointer like a Garret, Whites or Quest.

 

good luck,

Jeff

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Very good choice.

?

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Great detector, I have been using mine since early last summer.  Starting out, do use the factory settings and then go from there to tweak it for your personal preference and locations. Don't be afraid to so some digging, reference the tones and depth and you will be rewarded! Don't be afraid to make adjustments as you go, just try to remember (or write it down) the settings and locations as well as what you recovered.

Equinox 600

Great machine - Good Luck.

 

 

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May I suggest the Equinox 800 for the extra features. It is worth the investment, IMHO.

I believe the 800 would also sell faster should you decide to do so.

Best of Luck!

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Thanks to everyone's input. I pulled the trigger on the 600 and am looking forward to getting outside once the snow melts. I loved how simple it was getting it out of the box and put together. Before I opened the box I was fairly intimidated. Getting it all together was intuitive and easy. 

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