Steve Herschbach

Was not trying to call you out Don, just hate to for my typing to only be seen by one person. And this way more opinions get added to the mix. I’m just one person, one opinion, and far from the best one at times!

If you really want to do this, Serious Detecting has one for 10% off... https://www.seriousdetecting.com/product/coiltek-12-x-8-platypus-mono-300x220mm-for-minelab-sd-gp-gpx-series-detectors/ Ewout Kozel, the owner, used to work for Minelab. Really nice guy, met him years ago at a convention. Contact him and ask if he will ship to you in Italy, tell him I sent you.

Computers. Stuff happens.

It is nice that so many White's detectors share coils, unlike some companies that go out of their way to assure that will not happen. I've had four V3i now and I think this is my fourth or fifth DFX. This really is a sickness! But compared to many things in this world, very inexpensive and harmless fun.

Look in my sidebar. It was an impulse acquisition, still sitting new. I got really busy recently. Pretty little thing, I like it, especially with that little NEL coil attached. https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/12276-my-first-bounty-hunter-ever-time-ranger-pro/

I should add this however. Metal detectors from my perspective do not cost me anything. I have a pool of money that sits in a half dozen detectors and rotates. I don't add money to the pool. I cheat in two ways. First, I still am connected to my old dealership. I can get any detector at dealer cost plus about 10% to cover handling. I can usually sell before the warranty expire for what I have into the detectors or even add a little to the pool. Sometimes not, but it evens out and is kind of a break-even thing. Anyway, special connections, go ahead and hate me! The other thing I do anyone can do. Be a smart buyer of used stuff. Most new detectors now have transferable warranties. And many people get into this game, hardly use a detector before deciding digging trash is not fun, and sell practically new with remaining warranty. Happens with every new detector if you can just muster a little patience. You buy it right, you can sell again just before the warranty expires for what you have into it or very close. On older gear just be smart. I use the eBay sold listings to see what things sell for used. I was shopping for a DFX recently. Lots of people are paying $400 -$500 for them, but lots go for as low as $250. Set your price and be patient! Do not get in bidding wars. Some machines get a lot of interest, some go practically unseen for some reason. Do not be in a hurry, and be willing to let machines go until you can get one for a price you can also sell for, or very close to it. I got a very clean DFX for $250 and I can sell it next year or the year after and no doubt get $250 or more. Some old models even appreciate. You can play this game and try many detectors and if you do it right just have a sum invested that changes very little. Some really savvy people can even make money on buying and selling used stuff. I'm not that patient, I just try and be in the ballpark.

People send me messages sometimes instead of posting on the forum. Not sure why. Guy thing... don’t ask questions in public? But most people here have fake names. 🤔 Anyway, guy asked if he should sell his CTX due to possibility of a newer model coming out someday. My answer.... The CTX is what it is. If you are satisfied with it keep it. If you don’t use it, sell it. There will always be new models. I can use a CTX and do very well. Or any top detector made in the last decade. A new model will have some new bell or whistle but will not change anything dramatically. I know people using twenty year old detectors that can run circles around people using the latest and greatest. I always have about six detectors more or less. I get new models from time to time, and not always the latest. I just got a used DFX. There are always a few that sit around unused for awhile. When that happens long enough I sell them. I call it Darwin’s Theory of Detector Ownership. Only the ones I keep using survive. The problem is my areas of focus keep shifting, and so I may stop using a nugget detector simply because I’m now more interested in coin detecting (just an example). So I sell a detector. Then a few years later my interest shifts again, and the mix changes with it. Plus I just like playing with new toys!

Seriously, who puts a million bucks worth of stuff in a box and does not take a picture before they hide it.

I just want to see what was really in the stupid box. All that I've ever seen is "contains gold nuggets, rare coins, jewelry, and gemstones." Like, he did not take a picture of the stuff before he put it in the box? So hopefully we will finally see what was really in there.

It does not matter, you can count it any way you want. 99.9% of the nuggets I find are "beep", then dig up a nugget. I might find a tiny bit or bits that did not signal when I dig up a larger nugget. Whatever. If you say you went metal detecting and found those nuggets while metal detecting that's not lying. But once you put the detector aside and start fanning or panning and such.... now you are not metal detecting. Frankly, I have found a lot of gold gold dredging also. I don't care how I found it as long as I find it. My preference is to walk along and pick them up, which has happened a couple times. Anyway, congratulations on the gold!

Favorite now or favorite ever? Favorite now for finding gold would be a GPZ 7000. Why? It produces the gold. If I had to pay the bills with gold, I’d have to be using the GPZ or a GPX 5000. It's not about liking, it is about what works. Favorite as in like it warm and fuzzy feelings? Probably have to be the Gold Bug 2. Amazing machine when it came out, and still debatably the best at what it does 25 years later. I found many thousands of nuggets large and small with the GB2, and got along real well with it in many ways. It’s still impossible to beat the feel of a GB2 rod with 6” coil on your arm while the control box is hip mounted - light as a feather, and will sniff out the tiniest bits. Not a slouch on large gold either though that's its weak area. So the nostalgia win goes to the Gold Bug 2. My hip mounted GB2 with 14” coil found this 5 ounce nugget below, one of many great memories and finds.

I have used Minelab coils on the TDI and I found using a Minelab lower rod to be the easiest solution. I do like that the whites bolt is larger, as the Minelab bolts are marginal and tend to deform with use. I never actually broke one though. Still, I would have extra bolts in hand in the field if you go that route. The Whites rod where it meets the coil is too narrow by quite a bit and the bolt itself is over twice as thick. I drilled and shimmed on Minelab coil to work once, and it did, but went to using Minelab lower rods after that. The lock pin on the Minelab rod is single pin on bottom of rod. You have to rely on the twist lock mechanism alone to position the rod. Or install your own pair of side pins.

I found quite a few with a simple Google search. Seven available here. If I was doing this project I think I would get one of these. Epoxy filled 8” x 12” center mount, what’s not to like? Being a Minelab coil the coil ears might need to be shimmed and drilled for the White’s bolt, or just switch to a Minelab lower rod.

The DFX is a classic Jeff, glad I did not talk you out of it. And since you are into jewelry detecting, do check out Clive’s books on the DFX. His DFX Gold Methods is a real gem. The SignaGraph simultaneous VDI display is the special sauce in my opinion. You know how Equinox rings make that special sound? On the DFX you not only get that sound, but a single, tall SignaGraph reading. Anything spikes outside of that single tall bar, probably not a ring. Though prickly targets like an oddball pendant you can’t count on that - round objects with a hole read pure and clean. The chart below is showing a ferrous response versus a coin response. A ring will be like the coin, just more to the middle or left side (lower VDI). Can slaw and foil tends to read like the ferrous that not as pronounced, just a low scatter with maybe a low peak. There are settings that affect the display sensitivity you can play with to enhance the differences. The V3i is an amazing machine, but once again I have come back to the DFX. I guess that means it has been one of my handful of favorite machines I can’t escape from even when I try.

I want the exact Garrett compatible type fittings so Garrett off the shelf audio accessories will work. But don’t waste your time on it Simon.... I’m not that worried about it. I can't even swear I'll do any of this. At the end of the day I am a practical detectorist and not looking to go out of my way to fiddle with my gear. I want to go detecting. So if I get the AQ Limited with a spare battery and it works for me... I'll probably just go detecting and be happy. If it really does perform to my expectations or better, I can always just wait for an improved version down the road that solves all these issues in a more elegant fashion.

Sorry Daniel, I'm buying this detector to use, not to test. It's for me. Hopefully if all you out of country people write letters to First Texas they will let some go out of country to select people. You forum guys have my vote!

Well, they are not easy to find and so unless you have a direct link..... I might just buy NEL cables and scavenge those, or ask NEL if they will sell the fittings. Which they probably get for Aliexpress. The fittings are proprietary, otherwise First Texas would use them. They really should just buy some from Garrett, but that would mean letting go of some Texas pride.... good luck with that. But it does raise the question of where NEL is sourcing them. I'll buy a set of Ali connectors and take a look at them. They really can't be worse than an M8. If they only work 1/10th as well as the real thing they would be good to 20 feet. But trust me, I will find the real deal if I can. Honestly though, the nature of the compression oring seal on these fittings means they basically can't leak and as a certified scuba repairman (really) familiar with high pressure oring seals, I am pretty sure I can eyeball one that would not work. At $21 a paired set bought in quantities of five sets its not like even Ali is giving them away.

https://www.geotech1.com/pages/metdet/projects/fastcoils/FastCoil.pdf

OK, here is my idea. I do not like the headphone battery pass through concept. First, it means disconnecting headphones I could otherwise leave connected. Every disconnect and re-mate is a problem. Second, it adds an extra fitting to every battery - same problem. So I want to split the power and audio at the detector, and go from there. I will adapt to the only remaining M8, since it is sealed into the end of the rod, with a semi-permanent splitter box. From there I go to 200 ft Garrett fittings. I can change the fitting on the provided phones, or use Garrett compatible phones. I can also use the Garrett to 1/4" dongle if I want to use dry land phones. The Garrett Z-Lynk adapter cable will work for wireless audio. But in general the phones stay connect to the detector. Once made the splitter box will be epoxy filled. For power I will make my own cable (the NEL below may work if it can carry the load) and my own batteries using Garrett fittings. Each battery would have only one connector. Two different batteries, one Li-Ion for underarm rod mounted use. One larger capacity belt mount. Two cables, short one for the underarm battery, long one for the belt mount battery. I am operating under the assumption the pod really is sealed for 10 foot or better depth and that fittings are the issue. The Garrett fittings completely and without question solve that issue. And add a lot of extra functionality. Anyway, that's what I'm going to do when I get around to it. I like the headphones coming out the rear under my elbow. My version allows for a high capacity belt mount. I will be happy as a clam set up like this and have no need of any future version. A wide range of headphones exist that can use the AT 2 pin fitting, and as mentioned before, the Z-Lynk wireless system. Steve Herschbach Impulse Splitter Box Garrett clones, good to 200 feet. https://www.aliexpress.com/i/4000585349244.html Garrett waterproof audio to 1/4" headphone adapter NEL version Garrett waterproof audio to 1/4" adapter Garrett waterproof audio to Z-Lynk adapter NEL Garrett 4 Pin AT Cable 23" and 47" available

Well, once we get down the road to full production models I don't think the issue will exist anymore. The problem is these guys want one of these now.

That is not the problem. Not just anyone can buy one, and then ship it off wherever. At least not until the units are available for general retail purchase. And if that is the case, they will no doubt be available at local dealers overseas. First Texas may simply want this initial run kept close to home. Again, I'm not defending them in anyway, just laying out the situation as it appears to exist. Unless Rick approves the sale, it does not happen. He may be prohibited from knowingly selling a detector that would end up outside the U.S. and if so he can let us know one way or the other.

Well, I just broke down and ordered both the pinpointer and the optional 8" coil today. Seemed like a good idea with me getting an Impulse AQ and lots of water hunting in my near future. Will have the yellow version (better visibility underwater) next week. This should be a slick little rig for detecting with a snorkel in extreme shallows where a full size detector gets pretty awkward. I'd really like to give it a spin in Hawaii someday.

Thanks Willy. Yes, inverter. https://www.amazon.com/Power-Inverters/b?ie=UTF8&node=583328 This will have to be addressed with a gold prospecting model, both battery life and remote charging capability, especially in third world countries. Minelab for the Gold Monster includes a set of alligator clips so you can charge the battery directly off a 12V vehicle battery. I’ve had to jump through hoops to charge batteries in remote locations. Here was my setup for the SDC 2300. One set of batteries charging by sunlight while I used the other. Having one battery and charging at night was not an option. Could have been, but then I’d have to use the panel to charge an intermediate battery, then use that battery to charge the detector battery at night. You can see how that’s not a good option compared to having a spare battery set.

Here is the battery and the charger spec. Anyone have suggestions for 12V field charging? The main problem is the connector. I could use an inverter to power this charger. Or cut the connector and install a splice/plug. And then use an appropriate 12V charger by switching the adapter cable over. Photo courtesy of Rick....

Let’s put the pinpointer off into another thread someplace and stick with TDI Beachhunter coil alternatives here. But for what it is worth I’d get the new Nokta/Makro with optional 8” coil before I’d go near a PI King. https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/12048-new-pulsedive-coil/ Edit: just broke down and ordered one - this post was the last straw!