Steve Herschbach

Bottle caps and wire are problematic at best.

First Texas is aware of all this. It was one of the reasons for doing a limited release of the AQ - to collect feedback. That said, I do not hold my breath waiting on anything from detector companies, especially accessories. I’m still waiting for a 6x10 coil for my Equinox almost three years later. More to the point, I’m still trying to get a part number and price for the existing 28” lower rod so I can get another one.

I’m sure somebody could. Or I could have cut the lower rod and added an external sleeve to make it longer. At some point that also will introduce wobble but at this time it’s the easiest way to get a longer lower rod. In my case I would need a 30” total length and so would have to add a 2.5” sleeve.

So basically nobody read my post on the other thread? Let me know when you guys find a replacement rod assembly or longer version of the unique yoke style lower rod that works. The AQ wiring routes through the handle and to the power and headphone outlet at the end of the rod. It is not a matter of just swapping the handle to a different rod, and nobody makes a compatible lower rod that is longer. No other reasonably easy longer rod options exist at this time other than what I have described.

Yup, Joe deserves an A+ for extra effort put in setting up tests and shooting videos!! Definitely earning all that gold also 👍🏼

You are forgiven. Forums and manufacturers both, so many shutting down you can’t keep them straight!

Congratulations on the AQ Mark, and welcome to the forum! And good luck!!

First Texas Forum............. Impulse Thread......... go here for Cygnus

I would be interested in what the ones you get look like and what they end up costing delivered.

Well there is a way to do that while being sensitive to others. I grabbed Badgers post as convenient and in doing so did not think how he would take it being directly linked to. Rest assured, I'm pretty hard to shut up - just ask my wife!

Fisher Impulse AQ stock, fully extended, 48.5" to elbow bolt, 38.5" from grip to coil Standard Fisher middle rod added, 52" to elbow from coil, 42" from grip to coil As mentioned in this thread detailing the Impulse AQ rod measurements, I find the two piece rod assembly too short for my liking. I added a standard Fisher middle rod section. However, adding the middle section made the AQ longer than I prefer. Actually it is fine, but there is zero ability to make it shorter as I am set comfortable at the shortest extension. There are times I might want it shorter. It also cannot adjust out full length anyway due to the cable not being that long. So I ran it out as far as the cable would go, and determined that cutting 2.5" off the lower rod would give me maximum extension, while also allowing me to shorten the rod up to a perfect position for me. I left the detector assembled and used the middle section rod holes as a guide/template to drill a new hole for the rod detent pin. Then I cut the rod off by 2.5" so the lower rod is now 26" in length, and re-positioned the pin. This allowed me to set the lower rod three holes from the shortest middle rod setting, in theory leaving six more longer adjustments if the cable would go that long. You can see the pin positioning in the middle rod in the photo below. Long story short, at that setting the AQ is exactly the same length as my Equinox at maximum length, with 42" from coil to hand grip, which is where I normally run the Equinox. I can adjust the AQ a couple settings both longer and shorter with no problem. Somebody shorter than I am would want to cut the lower rod down even more. If you wanted it to stow better, cutting it down to more like 20" would allow it to go to the full length adjustment and then also to the shortest setting. I figure I can always cut more off later if need be but I can't put any back so will leave it here for now. Even so, I am committed as without the middle section it really is too short for me now. If any of that is confusing, let me know your specific question, and I will try and make it clearer. That middle rod is not easy to find for something used on so many First Texas (Fisher, Bounty Hunter, Teknetics) detectors. Black, gold, and gray versions are made. I got my spare at Kellyco for $9.99 and I had a $5 off coupon so half off, but with shipping ended up being $12 delivered. https://www.kellycodetectors.com/catalog/middle-rod-only-current-models

And let’s have that be an end to the personal commentary between forum members about forum members. We discuss detectors and detecting here, not each other. Thanks.

The original TDI had a larger board, bigger battery, not a lot of excess really like the ATX. Whites did a good job of making it about as light as it could be so a lot of effort would not gain many ounces. Best bet was to just hip or chest mount it, as it was made to do out of the box. What I really wanted was a TDI in MX Sport housing. That would have taken the wind out of the Impulse AQ sails to some degree

Good find Goldhound. Looks similar to Golden Mask, and most importantly, has the needed rod adapter pieces. Would be interested in hearing a report back on this one for sure as it looks pretty good. 👍🏼

My GM1000 cranked up was one of the loudest detectors I’ve ever used, and I never used headphones with it as a result. And I am really big on headphones. Something is wrong with yours.

I apologize. I would say something similar in return. Not everything I say is about you, but more generalized in nature aimed at a wider audience. I’m actually referring to your reference of the video as much as anything, because it reflects what I was thinking when I saw the video, i.e. “oh, oh, people are going to misinterpret this as meaning more than it means.” Again, my apologies if I made it feel as if I were targeting you specifically in some way. That was not my intent. I’m probably just too close to the subject at the moment and need to lighten up and back off a little.

It was Treasure Depot and MyTreasureSpot that shut down, not Findmall. Though Findmall did get a serious pot stirring with the recent software change. A huge number of my old posts vaporized in the process. Welcome to the forum Machineman! Good to have you here.

And if you are referring to my statement about videos, I was neither referring to or implying anything about any specific video. Ok, I really am done. Refer to my prior explanations and statements regarding AQ discrimination if you have questions for me about it. In all I’ve written a small book on ground balancing pulse induction discrimination and it’s all out there for those that have an interest. At this point anything I say I’ll just be repeating myself for the third or fourth time.

No, it does not. It distinguishes short time constant targets from long time constant targets. Iron and steel targets can fall into either category. It is this idea that there is a clean separation of iron and non-iron targets that will lead to continuing misunderstandings and grief concerning Impulse AQ discrimination capability. Whenever you say that you make people think the Impulse will act just like a VLF Detector with low tones on ferrous targets and high tones on non-ferrous targets. That is not an accurate depiction of what is going on. Stick with short time constants and long time constants and stay out of trouble. Insist on ferrous versus non-Ferrous being the way things are... you are asking for trouble.

The problem is also people wanting to hear what they want to believe, and not taking the time to listen to people who are offering realistic explanations and assessments of what a PI detector can and cannot due. I have spent a huge amount of my time in the last year here trying to offer information specifically to address the concerns that people may have. I honestly feel like I am wasting my time for all the good it does. How useful are the AQ discrimination modes? Very useful for an experienced PI operator like myself. For people who only know and expect VLF discrimination, not so much. PI discrimination is based on time constants, not conductivity, and understanding what that means reveals everything. Anyway, I’ve done my best but I swear it’s just spitting in the wind trying to explain this stuff to people. I’ve said it long and complicated, and said it short and sweet, to no avail. Hopefully somebody with better communication skills than I will get it all across. Or maybe it’s that I prefer words and people only trust videos, the most misleading and easily manipulated form of communication in use today. Good luck with the videos. And with that, I give up on explaining PI discrimination and am going detecting! Fisher Impulse AQ Discrimination Explained Impulse AQ and Hair Pins ”Yes but beware, the IMPULSE AQ is not made for the amateur, it is designed for an experienced prospector*, and people who want to find more gold with a more advanced and more complex search mode. It has never been said otherwise, if you want ease and display of conductivity you will need an equinox or a BBS or a DEUS or others. But with 60% less sensitivity in the best of cases, on wet sand. L'impulse AQ is not a coinshooter.” - Alexandre Tartar, Impulse AQ designer * French translated i.e. detectorist

Absolutely understood and agree Alexandre! You made this detector for me, and I thank you very much. However, the dealers and marketers that are the ones that will actually be selling the final version of this detector in the long run will not be so up front as you about all this. They want to sell detectors, and will take money from anyone that has it. There will be those that will say most anything to sell a detector, and some will sum the AQ up by saying it will go deeper then anything else while offering new, state of the art discrimination. Which is not entirely untrue, but is misleading. So while it is true the AQ is made for knowledgeable, serious detectorists, it is inevitably going to be sold to and fall into the hands of those who do not understand it. My goal is to make sure people do know this is a serious, powerful metal detector that can do great things for those who understand how it works and apply themselves to using it properly. Anyone coming from a PI background I think will be extremely pleased with the AQ. It is the VLF people moving to PI for the first time I am in guard for. Trust me, things have already been said on forums the last couple years that have set the AQ up for unrealistic expectations. See example here. This forum will the place where people get the full story if they wish, and statements like the one you just made are very important in making sure the AQ gets into the hands of people who will understand it and appreciate it. So again, I thank you! 👍🏼

You are singing to the choir Alexandre and misunderstand if you think I am not aware of and appreciate these things. I’m in full agreement that the AQ is wonderfully descriptive in its all metal response. I am always however keeping in mind two audiences. Those who know PI detectors, and those who do not. Using all metal modes and reading targets for size and shape is not totally unknown even to people who operate VLF detectors in all metal mode. It’s an old PI trick and the AQ may be better at it than most, possibly even the best. But discriminating items by size and shape is not the same thing as standard VLF discrimination. Orientation is key, and for demonstration purposes ideal orientations are always chosen. The method in full time use requires skill and judgement, and at best is always a bit of a gamble. There are valuable items that will deliver similar responses and those items will be missed when relying on these sorts of audio tricks as a discrimination methodology. That is just a fact, an important one, that I refuse to leave out. You and I are 100% on the same page as regards AQ. The difference is you are presenting the best light only... I will be also be mentioning the caveats. I am a firm believer that the best way to introduce a new detector is with realistic cautions included, because not everyone reading these forums is a knowledgeable and experienced detectorist. They deserve to know both sides of the story, not the best case only, everything is just right narrative. The reality is many people will never be able to develop these kinds of target reading skills. Perhaps they have poor hearing, or simply no patience. They need or want detectors with a clear tone difference or that ignore trash entirely. PI detecting is a specific skill set, and huge numbers of VLF detectorists try PI detectors and go back to VLF for these very reasons.

Yup, the same audio tricks that work for all other PI detectors work for the Impulse, and with the same limitations. If I had the inclination to do videos I would put one together showing the good items that can be passed by ignoring double blips, but for properly oriented rings versus hair pins, it does work quite well. When I finally get out again with the AQ I will be ignoring such signals to focus on clean deeper signals. I’m also aware I might be passing on some gold chains, ear rings, pendants, and certain rings on edge, all of which if properly shaped and oriented can cause a double blip signal. But the odds are very much in favor of the hair pin, and as long as rings are truly the main goal, they can be treated as a trash signal. But that is not a 100% thing but instead a calculated risk. Long story short if you ignore the tones and mute modes the AQ is a very powerful PI detectors, and all the same audio tricks and tells we have used for decades on other PI detectors also apply to the AQ.

I am sure Carl that you know I am not knocking the TDI SL directly. I’ve actually been a fan of the machine for what it is, a wonderfully affordable and ergonomic PI that set a benchmark to exceed in my long commentary at the link. I’m just disappointed that it marked the end instead of a new beginning, and that nothing better ever came from Whites. That walk through huh? In 2006 when I visited White’s Alan Holcombe gave me the tour. And with some pride showed me the highly secret project they were working on even then... the walk though detector. No doubt hoping to emulate Garrett’s success in that arena. Sorry to hear that it derailed things those of us here would much rather have seen. Half sine was my hope for the Hail Mary pass that would save White’s.

I already hunted with it in tone mode and did a review. I added additional commentary in this thread. The answers are already there for those that want them, and I don’t expect any tests will change anything I wrote. Maybe it’s just not what people want to hear so the hope is more “tests” will change things. No, the AQ does not cleanly split all ferrous from all non-ferrous. It is a PI, it is not a VLF, and does not offer VLF type ferrous/non-ferrous discrimination. I can’t say it any more clearly than that.