Steve Herschbach

So sometime in 2020! Am I the only one who remembers the Equinox release?

Personally I would no longer consider the Gold Bug Pro. The F19 is an upgraded version of the GBP with more features, and you can get the 5" x 10" DD coil as stock which has never been possible with the Gold Bug Pro without getting a dual coil package. And with some dealers selling the F19 for less than a Gold Bug Pro I just don't see why anyone would want the Gold Bug Pro unless they like the name. Extra features the F19 includes that the Gold Bug Pro lacks: Adjustable volume, both master volume and ferrous volume. The Gold Bug Pro runs at max volume at all times. No volume control built in. The F19 adds a normal 1 - 10 volume control. It also adds a secondary 1 -10 control that only affects the ferrous 0 - 39 region of the id scale. So you can have gold nugget make a loud beep but a nail make a very soft ground. This is great when working in lots of ferrous trash as it lowers the barrages of ferrous signals. The Gold Bug Pro has a very loud external speaker, and the ability to lower the volume when working without headphones is welcome. Red meter backlight. The meter can be lit for low light conditions, with the red tone chosen to not affect your eyes low light capturing ability (same as in aircraft cockpits). The backlight is adjustable and can be turned off. Notch discriminate. A discriminate "window" can be created of variable size, and set to either "notch out" or "notch in" any certain segment of the target id scale. For instance a certain pesky pulltab reading can be individually blocked out. The Gold Bug Pro lacks this ability. But here is the big one - the F19 can be had standard with the 10" x 5" elliptical DD coil that many people prefer, but the 7" x 11" DD is also an option for those that prefer it at no additional charge.

They are the same detector. The Beachhunter TDI is simply the waterproof version of the TDI SL. The coil is hardwired on the Beachhunter TDI to help insure waterproof integrity. If you want to use accessory coils you want the TDI SL. The only reason to get the Beachhunter TDI is if you really intend on submerging it. Operationally they are that same except the Beachhunter TDI lacks the Target Conductivity switch. From the White's TDI SL User Guide: Target Conductivity The Target Conductivity switch allows you to select between high-only, low-only, or all target responses (see the Principles of Pulse Induction section for details). There are two caveats with this switch. First, the two-tone response, and therefore the functionality of this switch, are disabled when ground balance knob is turned to the OFF position. Second, in order to ground balance the TDI this switch must be set to the ALL position. Be aware that target conductivities can vary considerably, even targets of the same metal. Small gold nuggets are usually low and large gold nuggets are usually high, but where the transition occurs depends on the composition of the gold alloy. Be mindful that searching in low-conductivity mode could eliminate very large nuggets, if any happen to be in the area.* . The same is true for relics and jewelry. Many bullets, buttons, and most buckles register as high conductors, but cuff buttons often respond as low conductors. Most small jewelry responds as low conductors, but larger men’s rings can easily fall in the high-conductive range. Most coins fall in the high range, except for e.g. US nickels and small or thin coins like hammered silvers or very small bronze coins. *The potential for Very Large Nuggets depends on where you are detecting. In most gold-bearing regions of the US, detectable gold is found as small placer nuggets up to multiple grams in size which register as low conductive targets. Alaskan and Australian gold is still being found in multiple ounce-sized nuggets, which may respond as a high conductive target.

A couple previous 8500 threads.... Omega 8500 Chatting Optimal Frequency For Coin Hunting Teknetics Omega 8500 Specifications & Data Teknetics Omega 8500 metal detector

More like 5 years ago I'd say! Simplex especially. But just imagine if Vanquish had come first instead of Equinox. And Vanquish does have near Equinox capability, just in a simpler package. They are not watered down Multi-IQ as some people online keep trying to imply, they are Multi-IQ in all it's glory, just with less adjustments. The recovery speed still outshines E-Trac and CTX and they would have made a big splash five years ago. Now they tend to get compared unfavorably to Equinox, but on their own they would have really turned heads. If Minelab could do it over Vanquish first would have hooked a lot of people, who would then upgrade to a Equinox produced later. But I can understand them wanting to go after the AT series first instead of Ace as that is the sweet spot. What does it say about Garrett that Minelab tends to focus solely on them while ignoring everyone else? Equinox is aimed right at the AT series and Vanquish right at the Ace series. Anything else is just side effect. Nokta/Makro was at first primarily targeting First Texas and with their waterproof models now also going after Garrett. I guess Garrett should be flattered with all the attention!

I wish them well also... competition is the name of the game. I really appreciate you joining the forum and posting about Tarsacci for that very reason. Tarsacci Specifications & Data

The Tarsacci is what people commonly call a VLF. VLF just means Very Low Frequency and was once meant to apply to a certain class of induction balance detectors. There are only two basic types of detectors. Pulse Induction, and Induction Balance. Or another way of looking at it, Pulse Induction or “Not Pulse Induction”. People through common usage now call Induction Balance detectors VLF detectors. Pulse Induction is easily identified by the current to the coil completely shutting off and back on in an alternating pattern. If that is not happening, it is not Pulse Induction. Induction Balance has a continuous current flow to the coil. Minelab recognizes that Induction Balance as a term has fallen by the wayside and now refers to “Not Pulse Induction” detectors as Continuous Wave detectors, a nod to the continuous current. These two methods got confused when people started calling Pulse Induction “Time Domain” and Induction Balance “Frequency Domain” in a reference to how they normally process found targets. The problem is the terms are not mutually exclusive. You can apply Time Domain processing to Induction Balance detecting. So called Hybrid detectors use Time Domain processing techniques in an Induction Balance or Continuous Wave detector. Minelab has done this for a long time in all their multifrequency detectors starting with BBS and on up to Multi-IQ. It’s not new nor is it magic. Various marketers and tech heads want us all to think so and so keep it all hidden behind confusing terminology and vague explanations. Do not be mislead. There is only Pulse Induction or Induction Balance/Continuous Wave as the basic technologies. The magic then is in signal processing, and that can be frequency domain, time domain, or a combination of the two. Standard VLF is frequency domain, standard pulse is time domain, hybrids use both. Tarsacci is a Continuous Wave detector employing Time Domain processing. Multi-IQ is a Continuous Wave detector employing Time Domain processing, as are all FBS and BBS models. Minelab purposefully obscured this for a long time as it is their “secret sauce”. To sum up, detectors are either Pulse Induction or Not Pulse Induction. Not Pulse Induction detectors are referred to as Induction Balance or Continuous Wave detectors. Continuous Wave detectors that use Frequency Domain processing are commonly called VLF detectors. Continuous Wave detectors can also additionally employ Time Domain processing and historically this has been obscured by the manufacturers. These detectors are now trending towards being called Hybrids. I get the sense that Tarsacci have purposefully kept sales slow and quiet initially because the early buyers were actually late beta testers. Tom said as much on his forum. Keep it slow while the bugs are worked out rather than have a bunch to recall. They may also have limited production capability. Now that the design is being locked down they will probably ramp up the marketing. I will be surprised if they break out however. Five years ago while prices for everything were all still high they had a better shot, but we are entering a period of intense price and performance competition that will make it hard for Tarsacci to be anything but a niche detector with a small audience at the higher price it is being sold for given the rather basic user interface and complicated operation.

I tend to think consistency is the key. I don’t have a problem finding gold. What is hard is finding it consistently. Even a small amount every day adds up to a nice amount, and the daily finds keep the spirits up. That keeps a person going until the bigger nugget or larger amount comes along. It’s a real struggle to keep going for days on end when no gold at all is appearing. Anyway, that is what strikes me most by your results, the gold day in and day out. 👍🏼

Depends on the size and shape more than the karat. 24K gold can read from one end of the scale to the other. For a 24K large mens ring though you are probably right.

I love my V3i for park jewelry detecting but it has never seen the goldfields and never will. I've got machines that are better suited for the task and frankly I don't want to beat the V3i up. I had a friend with one that did well however, in mild ground, and he simply used the stock prospecting program and knocked the sensitivity up. The V3i does not have the best ground balance system for bad ground but is fine in mild to moderate ground. Carl Moreland was lead engineer pushing the V3i out the door at White's and here is what he had to say: “The problem with the V3 GB has to do with the fundamentals of the MF design approach. It's a flawed system, and adding a third frequency really shined a light on the flaws. There was nothing more that could be done, short of scrapping the hardware and starting over. That was to be the V4.” So in bad ground track then lock, and use the GB offset as a manual ground balance. From some notes on the DFX and V3i and gold: "The V3i actually has no true Manual ground balance mode. The best you can do is track and lock, as on the MXT. However, the V3i "Live Controls" can be set up to give the operator direct access to a ground balance offset that can tweak the "locked" setting up or down." An Aussie Comments on V3i in Australia Personally I find the Alluvial Trace mode to be more a gimmick than anything, but that's just me. Steve's Review White's V3i

I assume that is a photo of each day - great job, you are killing it!

From todays' Fisher website owner's manuals: Basic Gold Bug 2/9/15 "The Gold Bug® is equipped with a 1/4” headphone jack." Gold Bug Pro 2015 Rev 8 "The Gold Bug® Pro is equipped with a 1/4” headphone jack." Gold Bug DP 8/21/13 "The Gold Bug™ DP is equipped with both a 1/4” and 1/8” headphone jack." Fisher F19 2/10/15 "The F19™ is equipped with a 1/4” headphone jack." Teknetics manuals: G2 2019 Rev 10 "The G2 is equipped with 1/4” headphone jack." G2+ Rev 2 "The G2+ is equipped with a 1/4” headphone jack." So going by the manuals, which truthfully do not keep up too well, the 2013 Gold Bug DP (7" x 11" coil) had dual jacks. The Fisher 2014 catalog page below shows all versions having dual jacks. I would not doubt other early models did. Then all the 2105 manuals showed 1/4" only. The 2016 catalog shows dual jacks with rubber plugs. The earlier models were just bare plugs. And now they are being advertised as having dual jacks but no doubt many in the system with 1/4" only. Long story short, if this is important to you, inquire from the dealer before purchase to be sure what you are getting. Lots of sites copy and paste and something like this can easily slip through the cracks. I have to believe now the Gold Bug Pros I owned had dual jacks and I simply paid no attention to the 1/8" jack. None of mine had the rubber plug. But there does appear to be a time frame around 2015 where they were all 1/4" if you can trust the manuals... which is not a great bet. Great question, I learned a little on that one.

I’m glad you gave the Gold Kruzer a go Mike. I’ve still got mine and kind of thought you might like it. Thanks for checking in with the report.

Update: Apparently both designs have existed over the years, see my next posts for details. It’s key to keep in mind that numerous models use the this basic design, some with both jacks and some not, and FT may have done some mixing due to part shortages along the way. I would also not use it as an item in determining if the model is fake or not. Buy from reputable dealers and avoid the headache. Many of them sell through Amazon. They key determination is that if the price is advertised too low, it’s probably a fake. Manufacturers have restrictions on advertised prices and that’s what you see at the reputable dealers. There are a couple fake dealers selling fake product right now that for some reason are not getting shut down very quickly.

There is no need for other coils on this detector for normal park or beach detecting. The concentric it comes with is the best bet for those uses. Just spend $99 and be happy. An entire very good detector with coil for less than the cost of a coil!

I like your answer better... fits all kinds of scenarios.

Not for me and all I hunt is gold. How is it a problem for you Clive? Just to clarify... I’m not in opposition to an expanded target id range. I’m fully on board thinking more is better. I simply don’t find the range on the Equinox impeding my detecting in any genuine way for my own uses. I’m curious therefore, from a real world perspective, actual examples, not theory, of how it’s screwing up detecting for other people. I’m guessing it’s about notching. I never notch gold range targets, so maybe that’s why it’s not an issue for me. There are quite a few alternative machines you could use if notching is an issue. The CTX 3030 would be an obvious solution, and the V3i can do some amazing tricks with its customizable display and three frequency responses. The Multi Kruzer is a close alternative to the Equinox but with an expanded target id range. Equinox is not the be all end all detector and there may be better machines for what people are doing.

The target id range on the Equinox does absolutely nothing to inhibit my ability to Identify anything so personally I’m not being handicapped in any way. Equinox is an expansion of target id range over the X-Terra series - see the link below. I don’t think Minelab is going to expand the range on the Equinox, though I would not be surprised if a future model does. Bottle caps have been fully addressed in the latest update. Presumably since you are posing the question you are feeling like you are handicapped. You own an Equinox, so what do you think? Is the target id range holding you back? Time for a different detector?

Wow Joe gave a lot more deluxe answer than I was going to offer. Which is even with the choke point enlarging the hose size etc. will reduce friction, but in this case I doubt there would be any gain you would actually notice. But I like it, can’t hurt.

Just asking questions that might interest others. No, as mentioned in an earlier post in this thread, I will not be getting any more VLF detectors until one comes out that is clearly superior to my Equinox across the board.

I've never heard of one for the Excalibur but here are a few ideas... https://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=83663

Wow, fantastic job and best gold dredge modification post I have seen in ages!

Nokta/Makro displays finds people make but I could find no submission page for them.

How to make your great find even better. Submit in the monthly finds contests below and get free stuff or at least a moment of fame! Fisher http://www.fisherlab.com/hobby/finds.htm Garrett https://www.garrett.com/hobbysite/hb...e_find_en.aspx Minelab https://www.minelab.com/usa/community/success-stories White's https://www.whiteselectronics.com/fi...-find/ XP https://www.xpmetaldetectorsamericas.com/real-finds

So did you play with one? What did you think? Anything said about whether they will be available by Christmas?