Steve Herschbach

Supposedly the only part of the AQ that was 100% vetted and complete was the circuit. It’s was said no changes were forthcoming. Yet we already know they changed the pulse delay, so the longest setting is longer than that marked on the controls. These circuit board failures do not point to a completely tested and vetted circuit board, but one undergoing continuing revisions. FT is famous for putting machines into production, and then applying numerous “revisions” for up to years afterward. This machine can’t be updated over the internet, and as an analog machine, any updates and revisions would need to be done at the factory. There is a tendency to downplay or even conceal revisions as they occur, as they hate to get flooded with requests from people seeking updates. See T2 and F75 update and revision history for reference; in some cases, there was a charge to return and update. This all reeks of the same thing and then some. There has also been a real reluctance for people to rain on Ricks and FTs parade, and I sense people have not been as forthcoming about issues as I might have expected. FT has certainly not been nearly as transparent as Rick was promising. No coordinated collection and reporting of issues, no polling of all owners for suggestions, and lots of stuff is obviously going on with nothing being said. This was supposed to be a managed, interactive effort, but rapidly devolved into secrecy amongst a chosen few. And now sounds like Rick is washing his hands of the situation, and is fully out of the loop. It’s enough now to make me back gingerly away from all this, but I do wish FT, and the faithful, luck in getting this machine finished and to market some day.

I’m sorry to hear that Mike. No, nothing special, you know the drill. May as well take the opportunity to clean everything. Remove batteries. Any rechargeable devices, review recommended long term storage and charging recommendations in the manual. This can vary with type of battery, but basically do not store when dead, or they may stay that way. Ear muffs, not really an issue, but car cleaning products appropriate for leather or vinyl depending are good, and for the same reasons. Finally, store in a cool, dry location. Best wishes in dealing with what sounds like a difficult situation. Steve H

Absolutely agree. No more bitching from me about business type stuff that ultimately does not matter. I’ve been waiting for this detector for a couple years now, as there was a definite hole left in my capabilities when I ditched the GPZ 7000. When it went away, I told myself I’d hold out for whatever comes next, from whoever, with an emphasis on ergonomics. The QED and Fisher Impulse were in the running, but I’ve given up on both. The GPX 6000 is basically the implementation of my own wish list, and is for me, just about the perfect nugget detector. All it lacks is ferrous id, and near as I can tell, an adjustable threshold. Some people are going to complain about the general lack of zillions of settings, and already are, but I’m all for simplicity. I’m certain the power is there, so I’m finally good to go again after a couple year hiatus. Lots for me to look forward to and be happy about, so thanks Minelab for the GPX 6000!

I’m not worried about detectors getting worse through the elimination of useful features. Tech advances make some features obsolete. Yes, you can hip mount the Deus control box, but do you need to? That was for heavy control boxes mainly. Wireless will only get faster, lag is just a growing pain that will be a memory soon in all devices. Why do we need 1/4” jacks, when universal high speed wireless is where we are headed? No, S rods are not going away. There is not a conspiracy going on to eliminate competition, and therefore for everyone to agree to not make things people want. That’s not how the system generally works. Any lack by one manufacturer is an opening for another to be exploited. Hint - the surest way to look old is to start talking about how rotary phones were better. They never got lost, since they were attached to the wall, and calls were better quality, and more reliable. Way easier for fat fingers to get dialed numbers right. We have all been “forced” to abandon wall attached rotary dial phones, because people in general would rather have mobile phones, even if that means a dropped call now and then. And some cell types are no doubt lamenting the demise of the 1/8” jack, at the same time detectorists are still trying to hold on the the 1/4” jack. So we are in different boats I guess. In my case, full speed ahead, damn the torpedoes, and please ditch obsolete stuff faster. If you guys want old stuff, let me direct you to the Fisher website, where you can buy yesterday’s technology, new today. Plenty of heavy hip mount boxes and 1/4” jacks for those who want those things!

Great posts and amazing results - thank you for posting!!

Each update contains all previous updates - all you need do is update to the latest 3.0 But yes, there have only been two. You can think of the original shipping software as version 1.0. It's all included in the 3.0 update, which can roll back to earlier versions if you decide to do so.

Funny, my exact feeling about all the Gold Rush shows. I know too much to be able to enjoy them, as the fakery is too obvious. Oh well, I just sound like an old-timer grumping about the new ways of reality tv and social media, so I'll leave it be going forward, and finish on a positive note. It appears all there is to know about the GPX 6000 has pretty much dropped now, so for me it's just waiting for a box in the mail someday, then time to go detecting. Best of luck to the rest of you with whatever decisions you make, and detectors you decide to go with. Looking forward to a great gold getting 2021 for everyone!!!! Minelab GPX 6000 Data & Reviews Minelab GPX 6000 User Manual Minelab GPX 6000 Video Training Minelab GPX 6000 Accessories and Spare Parts

So you prefer this..... to this?

I could only give that post one like Jason, but you get all of them in spirit. The meme nailed it perfectly!!! I think marketing felt like the old crew was driving the bus more than they liked, with personality types not prone to staying under thumb. The models just stand where they are told and look pretty, much less trouble than grumpy old prospectors.

https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/5267-iron-bias-what-it-is/page/4/

I’d agree except Minelab actually ditched all the “influencers" in favor of people nobody has heard of, and hired models. So they were doing influencer marketing, but now are just a mess. More like traditional print ads translated to the internet. If you look at all the people in all the 6000 videos so far, there are no people that match the definition given above. The old Minelab team, of which I was a member, were basically the people writing the Treasure Talk articles. Gordon Heritage, Johnathan Porter, myself, Nevada Lonic, Chris Ralph, Randy Horton, Gary Dayton, Mark Williams, Kevin Hoagland, and more. As far as I know, we were all retired as non-essential people. I hung on to the bitter end, writing most of the last articles, so I’m slower than the rest to have seen which way the wind was blowing. They never asked me to stop, but it was getting silly me being the only person left, so I threw in the towel. I was on tap to go to the shows and be a dealer trainer also, but they never thought it worthwhile to pursue any of that unfortunately. It’s too bad, as I would have traveled the country and met you all, and would have basically done it just for expenses. I love chatting up people about metal detectors. Oh well, the could have beens. 😎

Chert, flint, and jasper

Before there were ground balancing pulse detectors there were non-ground balancing pulse detectors. They relied on the pulse delay as being the ground balance, and a long pulse delay never sees the ground. So these old pulse machines often advertise "automatic ground compensation" or some other terminology that sounds like ground balance, but is not. It gets people in trouble, as I have heard often from people who try and use these old beach machines for gold prospecting. Hot rocks almost always defeat these machines, and so they can only be used where the ground is relatively homogenous. The older machines all employ long pulse delays to ignore saltwater, and so all will ignore gold that reads in the salt range or lower. The XL models are the predecessors to the Sea Hunter models, analogous to the White's Surf PI and Tesoro Sand Shark. Garrett has used the almost identical 15 kHz circuit in dozens of models, with few changes to the circuit all the way up to the Gold Stinger. The 15 kHz AT is a newer design by far.

Gold is heavy, so put any obstruction in its way, and some will get caught. Then the designer points at the gold that was caught, and declares the design 100% efficient. Except that all sluice boxes lose gold, so the real question is what is the gold loss.... and that figure is of course never available. As a placer recovery guy, just color me as very skeptical of 100% plastic designs with cute gimmicky catch systems. The odds of riffle blowout are incredibly high with these designs. What these really are is gold pan alternatives, more for light prospecting and quick checks, not actual production work. Personally, I’d stick with the gold pan until I need a real sluice, and that one is aluminum, steel, and carpet.

In theory FE2 at zero may be a lower setting than FE at zero. Based on one unverified statement from one person, Tom D. https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/13796-iron-bias-fe-versus-fe2

Companies do not survive selling dozens of detectors, and people willing to pay extreme premiums for marginal performance gains are a tiny market. The price does matter, and can’t be explained away by pointing at the rarest of oddball detectors. But if you guys are happy to line up for a $3000 Impulse, I’m sure FT will be happy to accommodate you.

I’m a little surprised anyone still wants an Limited, when a vastly improved version is said to be right around the corner. Everyone must be taking the threat of a big price jump seriously. Frankly, I’m not. They can try and charge a ton of money for the final version, but that does not mean people will pay it. Right now the average price paid for a beach detector must be awful close to $900. The Ltd is $1500. Would I pay $1999 for one that is done up properly? Sure. $2500? Not so sure, it’s still just a PI, maybe a powerful one, but a PI, and it’s not twice as deep as a $1200 Beachhunter TDI. And that non-transferable warranty does not help. $2999? Good luck, no way. So might a new final Impulse AQ Unlimited cost $500 bucks more? Sure, and I’d gladly pay that to get it right. But if Fisher goes for more than that then it seems to me it will be going against creating an affordable option, which was one of the early promises, with plenty of snark aimed at certain companies that charge through the nose for their detectors. That being the case, I just do not see it being worth it to get a Ltd at this late stage of the game. But that’s just me obviously, and there will always be a few who want to save that buck.

Are controls for controls sake the desire? I thought we wanted performance? If performance can be had with fewer controls, why would you want more controls? In my opinion the premise is flawed i.e. more controls equals better performance. If that were true that machines were being dumbed down and less effective, it would be a scary thought, but I do not accept that it is true. A machine can have fewer controls, be more powerful, and get better results, than a machine with tons of controls. The 5000 is an excellent example of people getting poor performance due to complexity, because half the people running the detector are using various timings, with little or no understanding of what they are doing. They are using Fine Gold because they think it’s the best mode for fine gold (it’s not), or because somebody on the internet gave them canned settings. Using a machine that is not set properly is not a good thing, and few people could swear the settings they have with the 5000 are correct. In fact, they cannot be correct, as no one setting in the 5000 captures the gold in one pass, that takes multiple passes with multiple settings. I do not find that desirable, but a time waster. The GPZ was a big step in both reducing the number of controls, while vastly improving the number of targets found on the first pass. Count me in for more power and performance, but I do not vote for more controls, but fewer. In other words, this photo below is not what I think I want, but if more controls are better, this is a real winner. Or how about a Whites V3i? It has way more controls than a GPX 5000, so it must be more powerful, right? Long story short, as a guy involved in the development end.... no, we are not trying to figure out ways to add more controls, and make the detectors more complex. That would be going backwards, not forwards. But do not worry. You will be able to buy detectors with as many controls as you want for as long as you want them. No matter which way the wind blows, machines will get better at finding stuff, not worse. Not the goal as far as I am concerned....

From https://www.xpmetaldetectors.com/metal-detector/gold-prospecting/ THE GOLD SLUICE VS1: DYNAMIC SELF-CLEANING VORTEXES! 40 vortexes work together to capture gold via an innovative dynamic process that avoids aggregate saturation. Large Riffles Top zone designed for initial gold grain capture Allows a quick visual check of the potential of your gold field. Flow Control System & Collaborating Vortex 3 vertical blades coupled with lateral constrictions Stabilise and accelerate water flow, improving dynamic vortex performances. Ultra Light: 560 g. only Compact design: Molded with precision in France No mats, no screws : Saves time and efficiency in the field XP BACKPACK 280 hook Blue color : optimal contrast with the gold color Take your gold hunting to the next level!

I'm looking for a Compass metal detector catalog that includes the Compass Gold Scanner, and Compass Gold Scanner Pro models. The full line catalog, and this would be about 1990-1992 or thereabouts. I'm adding a few key older metal detector catalogs to the Downloads Area to provide basic info on older models. I do not need a ton of catalogs, just key years where major model changes occur, as things moved slower back then. If the catalog was in pdf format that even better, but Googling only turns up a couple older catalogs, nothing I can find covering the Gold Scanner era. I am more than happy to pay for a print version if need be, so I can scan into pdf and put up for people to download. Thanks in advance for any help. Me and my Compass Gold Scanner, back around 1990:

Thanks to a generous donation from GB_Amateur (thanks Chuck ) we now have a full color copy of the 1986 Garrett catalog available for download I'm not shooting for every year, but I am putting a few key older catalogs into the Downloads Area. These cover ranges of older machines, and have at least basic specification information for those who are looking. An older catalog every 5 years or decade will do the trick, just to catch major lineup changes, which were slow to come back then. Anyway, its a lot of work to scan a catalog into a pdf, and Chuck did a great job for everyone's benefit, so thanks again Chuck!! Garrett 1986 metal detector models: Master Hunter 7 Master Hunter 5 Freedom 3 Freedom 2 Freedom 1 Freedom Ace Beach Hunter AT3 Gold Hunter American AM-2 Master Hunter DS Sea Hunter XL500 Sea Hunter XL200 Accessories

IMPORTANT UPDATE - Coiltek NOX COILSSince we launched the new NOX coils just 4 weeks ago on the 3rd of March 2021, we have received 1000’s of orders for the product, and these orders are continuing to grow each day. We have never before experience such demand for a Coiltek product. We are naturally delighted to have such a positive response to the NOX product and we are grateful for your support. However, due to this unprecedented worldwide demand and the various impacts of COVID-19, deliveries are taking longer than usual. Be assured, our worldwide distributors and dealers are doing the best they can and we are keeping in close contact with them. They are being updated regularly on availability and stock quantities. We at Coiltek have a great production team and we are working around the clock to supply. Our commitment to quality and providing you with the best product possible is and will continue to be at the forefront. Current delays can be up to 6-8 weeks. The best way to purchase a NOX coil is to contact your local Coiltek dealer and place an order. Again, thank you for your support and patience, we sincerely apologise for these delays. New Coil For Minelab Equinox from Coiltek