Interfacion QED

This is just a preliminary review of my QED PL3 which has the August 2019 update, a Sadie NuggetFinder 8X6" coil, Detech 12.5" mono coil, Commander 11" DD coil, the small control box and the battery and guts of the detector under the arm cuff. It looks similar to the one in the second photo above except that mine has a Whites S curve TDI SL type shaft. Unlike the stats listed by Steve H, mine weighs 3 lbs 8 oz with the Sadie and with an 11" Commander or Detech coil it weighs 4 lbs.

My QED is not optimized for USA 60 Hz power sources so I cannot use it very close to power lines or near my house. At any rate, when I am able to use it away from power lines and urban areas it works very well. I like that it is easily adjustable for target size by optimizing settings for small, medium and large size coils by changing the pulse delay. The pulse delay range is 7.5uS to 12.5uS which makes it very sensitive to both very small gold and larger gold/targets. It does have high/low and low/high audio changes according to target size and will double tone on elongated targets like nails, etc. Waterproof coils are available for the QED and the latest update will work with DD coils too so I can see using a QED on wet sand or very shallow calm surf as a real possibility as long as I use a waterproof DD coil and am careful with the electronics which are not waterproofed. Two 4.7 volt 18650 Lithium batteries provide plenty of power for this compact PI. However, its 3D printer made plastic parts are a definite drawback in my opinion from a durability standpoint. I have not broken anything yet but...........?

After doing some head to head testing, I found the QED PL3 to be almost as sensitive on very small gold as my SDC2300. It outperformed the SDC2300 on larger gold simply because I can put any sized coil on the QED I choose and change the settings for larger coil/gold accordingly. Plus, it is far more comfortable to swing, has easy coil changes, has a threshold tone that can be adjusted from silent to as loud as one wants while not being unstable and very annoying like the SDC2300 threshold audio and it has plenty of user adjustable features.

Where the SDC might be preferred over the QED for small gold detection is the SDC's rugged construction, waterproofing and simplicity of operation.  

Can the QED compete with a GPX 4000 to 5000 for depth and sensitivity on gold over 1 gram in size...........not from my experience so far. Is it an alternative for the SDC 2300.....definitely. Will it out perform a Whites TDI SL.......absolutely.

Extreme magnetite iron mineralization testing will be coming as soon as the snow melts.

I would like to begin this review with a bit of background.

A couple of years ago I received a phone call from an old prospector that I had not seen since since the late 1980s when I was involved in testing a prototype pulse induction detector developed by Bruce Candy, one of the original Minelab team. I had tested one of Bruce's earlier VLF prototypes of the GT16000, in the process of which I turned up a 98 oz nugget in a patch of over 300 ozs. It was while I was in London that I picked up a newspaper and read of a new type of metal detector developed by Eric Foster of Pulse Induction Technologies. This detector was finding Celtic gold treasures at depths not achievable with VLF machines. Naturally I was quite excited and on returning to Australia, then to Adelaide, passed on the information to Bruce. Some months later I had a PI prototype from Bruce in my hands.....and the rest is history.

My old prospector acquaintance explained to me that he had met a most interesting electronics 'wiz', who had developed over many years a very compact pulse induction detector, and that he needed someone with experience and credibility to test it for him. Naturally I was curious and the introduction was made. I visited Mr. Howard Rockey who lived not far from me, just out of Ballarat, one of the worlds most famous gold towns. He was a very friendly man who impressed me with his enthusiasm for his project. After showing me his detector (which I must admit looked a little simplistic and perhaps unfinished) we proceeded to his back yard for a demonstration. He had a tiny piece of gold in a clear plastic pill bottle which he tossed onto his lawn. I noticed all the electric wires in the area and thought, "this will be interesting". He turned on the detector, did a quick ground balance whilst explaining to me that his detector was manual GB, then swung it over the target. The response was crisp and very positive, and I have to admit I was a bit taken aback. I then had a play with the machine myself, moving the target to different positions and distances from the coil. I noticed that it ran smoothly despite all the obvious electronics in the area. He explained that it even ran smoothly inside the house.

I left Howard's home with a prototype and over the next few weeks the machine received extensive testing as I familiarised myself with the different settings and mannerisms of the QED. It was quite different to the detectors that I had been used to - it achieved the required performance through procedures new to me. The more I used it, the more I liked it. As its functions became more familiar, my confidence grew. Out in the field, the first small bit of gold turned up after a few days, and I then knew that this was a viable gold hunting machine.

The current PL2 QED is quite an improvement on that first prototype (which I still have and prize greatly) as it has better balance and has some additional features. The mode has been extended, and auto ground balance added (not auto ground tracking). The battery system is now lighter and charging much easier than the earlier version. The controls can be accessed  with the thumb with one hand, making adjustments easy.

I won't go through the functions here as that information can be found within the operations manual, but I will give a few reasons why I enjoy using this detector. Firstly, it is very light and well balanced - I give the machine a very high rating for its ergonomics. Secondly, the target response is extremely positive even on tiny targets, and when fitted with a small mono coil it performs as good if not better than other specialist small gold detectors. Thirdly, although small in size it does not lack power when matched with even very large coils, and comes close to matching even the most expensive of the bigger heavier detectors, punching surprisingly deep.

In summing up...this is not the perfect detector...nor is any other detector I have ever used to this point. The QED suits my detecting style in that I can use any size coil I wish for different circumstances, covering more ground while prospecting new areas. I know that with its sharp signal response I will miss very little. I am confident that this machine will also do the 'low and slow' hunting out of deeper and more elusive targets in previously proven ground.

3/2021 Update - Quality Issues