Steve Herschbach

Nothing except the possibility of a dry land gold prospecting version someday. Not a peep on a new flagship coin detector to replace F75.

Yeah, this one is a big deal for First Texas. I am sending mental waves of support to Carl Moreland as he is probably stressing out big time right now.

There is on-going field testing of the Fisher Impulse AQ in progress trying to improve the discrimination. This despite the machine getting ready to go to production at any moment. 2020 Edit: The Impulse AQ has been revealed - see details here For those that do not know metal detector development never stops. It just gets to a point where it is good enough and you launch. Engineers can improve for eternity if you let them. This does raise a concern however. This machine is as far as I can tell using a new premise for what it does, and is obviously up against deadlines to get out the door. There is nothing here about internet update capability, and in fact it seems I recall somebody at FT saying there never would be such a feature on their machines. But given that nearly every serious platform released by FT sees software bugs and updates in the first year, including the recently released F-Pulse, the odds are this machine would benefit from an update once it gets into user hands and the inevitable bug is found. It really is a set up for having to mail machines back to be updated. I would like to be one of the first to jump on one of these but given the First Texas poor track record in this regard a lack of update facility does give me pause, especially in a detector that will likely be over $2000. I get a cheap detector having no update facility, but First Texas may end up regretting not putting the capability in this detector. Forget the unhappy customers - it costs the company money if it ends up having to physically reprocess every machine sold to perform some kind of software fix. In this day and age internet update capability is an expectation - every Nokta/Makro machine no matter the price has it, even the upcoming under $300 Simplex. I am a bit amazed that there is no mention of this capability on what appears to be the most expensive First Texas metal detector ever made. Source thread at Dankowski Forum Fisher Impulse AQ Data & User Reviews Fisher Impulse AQ metal detector

In a weird way I see this as good news. Apparently Fisher was ready to start producing the Impulse AQ. The reason I know that is there has been a publicly announced "production delay" over some sort of mechanical aspect of the detector. So I read that as meaning that as soon as this hardware bug gets addressed units will be rolling out the door. The only problem is we don't know how long it will take to fix the bug, but they must be on it 24/7 at this point. Management has to be cracking the whip hard by now to get it out the door. I have to assume we will see this before end of summer. Fingers crossed! Source for the info at Dankowski Forum Fisher Impulse AQ Data & User Reviews Fisher Impulse AQ metal detector

Happy Birthday Minelab from one of your earlier U.S. dealers back in the day. It has been a fun ride, and I am very thankful to the company and more so to the people at Minelab who have put the world's most powerful metal detectors in my hands. Thanks for listening to this kid from Alaska and also putting up with my nonsense. Best wishes to all of you!

MINELAB IS TURNING 30 Minelab Metal Detectors are celebrating our 30th birthday on April 4, 2019. From the original 1989 Goldseeker 15000 & Eureka Dual Ace to the GPZ 7000 and EQUINOX Series. We would like to say thank you to everyone who continues to be involved in the metal detecting community. Your passion and love for the world of metal detecting inspires us to continue producing the worlds best detecting products. 1989 - Minelab Goldseeker 15000

You remember correctly Rob. It just never happened. It was even in the first edition of the owners manual. The U.S. guys wanted a small coil. The aussies wanted a large coil so it got done first... and then nothing. That’s why I’m kind of bent out of shape over it. I had visions of a smaller coil that weighed less and the CTX battery on the GPZ both together knocking a pound off the GPZ. That’s the detector I wanted since day one and never got. Would have been perfect for poking around desert sagebrush plus bouldery canyons and such.

Thanks Jason, I appreciate that. Nice to have you back by the way. Believe it or not the number one sales area for the GPZ 7000 is..... Africa! People there were paying as much for a GPX 4500 as a GPZ 7000 at the height of the rush. There is more money in Africa than people think. They of course offer a full range however for those that cant afford the more expensive units - Gold Monster was made specifically for Africa. Selling to the "first world" countries was more an afterthought egged on by people like me.

Codan, Minelabs parent, does around $230 million a year in sales, and about 70% or $164 million of that last year was metal detectors. The vast majority of that was gold detectors, mostly in Africa. You can rest assured Minelab has not and will not abandon gold prospectors - it is the business. Coin type detectors are not the driver for Minelab by a long shot, even with Equinox out there. Here are the sales distribution numbers for the total sales.... Codan FY18 Global Sales Source

Huge long thread with tons of photos that anyone should be able to follow. Plus I added a link a couple posts back. Garrett ATX Strip Down & Rebuild

No worries JP. I am fully on board with built in GPS and XChange being a waste of money and resources if that is how you see it and will no longer advocate for the system. Silly really if even Minelab does not care about it, as is rather apparent. They broke it for a year so it's obviously not something to get invested in as it could be abandoned at any time. Back to Garmin for me. It's unfortunate though as it is a system unique to Minelab and could have been leveraged for competitive advantage. The fix I propose has nothing to do with hardware and would take a 14 year old coder a day to implement. Too much to expect I guess so I give up. The good news there is I don't have to bother writing part 3 of the series I started and then put on hold when Minelab broke it. I'll possibly do a different thread instead on how to export out of XChange to move on to something else. Which is why there is no need for me to participate in the thread. I wanted a small coil for the GPZ and I won't get a SDC to have one. I also am not interested in the aftermarket stuff. Like Jason I kind of thought the GPZ would have more legs as a developing ecosystem but it sounds like Minelab is already abandoning it to work on whatever comes next. As I have stated elsewhere I am not in the market for a replacement until next year anyway so it really just does not matter to me all that much at the moment. I was kind of assuming that I would be getting another GPZ but the reality is I don't have to even think about it until next winter. By then GPZ will be getting pretty long in the tooth and I may just wait on whatever comes next. Honestly, I could not be happier with what we already have for options. It's just my nature to always push for more. That and I am a spoiled brat. All I ever wanted was a small coil for the GPZ and the import/export for XChange. Since not even one of the two things I wanted are forthcoming after 4 years I am throwing a temper tantrum and holding my breath until I turn blue and pass out. That'll show Minelab!!

The Garrett ATX is multi-channel PI as is the new upcoming Fisher. The number one reason I prefer the ATX circuit over the TDI is the TDI as a single channel machine does have that massive hole that travels with the ground balance setting. You can lose 50% or more of your depth on 1/4 ounce gold nuggets with the TDI when ground balanced to normal goldfield mineralization. The ATX being multi channel is more on par with the Minelabs in that regard. I would not begin to expect an under $2K machine to outperform the top dogs. Personally I am just looking for "good enough". Anything else is a bonus.

"XP are always working on ways to improve our products, we are pleased to announce the new revised coil charging clip offering an advanced durable Polymer and upgraded charging pins." New XP polymer charging clip

Update DEUS 5.21: This update 5.21 corrects sleep power issues with the DEUS headphones on version 5.2. The DEUS 5.2 can sometimes place the headphones into an unwanted standby mode as they can be turned on during charging, resulting in a slow battery discharge. Download Updates XP Deus metal detector

My comment had nothing to do with you JW. You seem very concerned that people think you are not happy with Minelab. I am not sure what that’s all about, but again, my comment was not aimed at you. I’m honestly am no longer involved in any of this anyway and so will leave it all for the rest of you to sort out. The discussion here has convinced me my desires are for naught, and so I will export my data out of XChange and delete the program from my computer as I won't need it going forward. I am satisfied now with what the VLF world has to offer and will focus my efforts on getting better performance in the under 4 lb, under $2K GBPI category from anyone willing to build them. I will let you guys work on "max performance" while I advocate for detectors "for the rest of us". It's the only area left in detecting where I see easy low hanging fruit left to pick for the company smart enough to exploit it.

I really regret selling that custom ATX now. It would be my non-VLF alternative to the Equinox at this point in time. If this is the way things are going to be I may have to build another. I really don’t want to get involved in another detector modification project. Having done it once however I could do it again with less effort and get an even better final product. That was truly a project meant to poke a stick in Garrett’s eye in hopes of motivating them to do it right. That being the case I cut some corners. It really needed a built in rechargeable battery system with a charging port for instance. At 4.73 lbs it still needs some weight shaved to make the challenge. Revamping the battery system would probably get me those extra few ounces. With my luck though I would make another one and Garrett would finally introduce a factory built LTX the next day. That’s what I really want. I think I will probably just get the Fisher Impulse AQ and switch from nugget detecting to jewelry detecting while I keep waiting and waiting. It took me 20 years of bitching to get the Equinox so I really am satisfied with my VLF options these days. I guess I can keep complaining and waiting for awhile longer on this. Somebody will crack the code sooner or later... ...or I will get so frustrated I make another LTX! Garrett ATX Strip Down & Rebuild Garrett LTX (custom ATX)

I have to admit I am getting extremely frustrated that no detector company is up to this challenge. I posted this nearly two years ago now and still no ground balancing PI detectors under 4 lbs, under $2K with the exception of the White's TDI models. White's TDI SL Special Edition There is the new Fisher Impulse AQ on the way soon, but the first version is a beach detector. It may or may not develop into a good dry land unit. It's all particularly maddening because I am perfectly satisfied with the performance of the Garrett ATX circuit. I simply want the electronics in a dry land design with simple dry land coils. It's an easy project, but Garrett is steadfastly not doing it. I honestly just don't get it. The machine I want would blow away ATX unit sales and with a lower production costs no reason margins would take a hit. Garrett is generally smarter than this so it is a puzzle. And where is Nokta/Makro? Like I said.... frustrated. If I ignore my under 4 lb under $2K criteria, what machine in my opinion gets the closest? That would be the Minelab GPX 4500. The battery is put on a harness and so the actual detector "weight on arm" is 5.3 lbs and you can get them brand new for $2699 or less. I just can't bring myself to go with the TDI SL because it lacks the horsepower and so if I personally had to get a GBPI detector tomorrow and wanted to get as close as possible to my under 4 lb under $2K detector I would have to settle for the GPX 4500 as being as close as I could get without shooting myself in the foot. Minelab GPX 4500

Thanks for trying!

Yeah but now that you bought it it’s gone. The links no good.

Nice to have you back Rob... your posts are always welcome! If Minelab ever produces a small coil for the GPZ 7000 and a import/export function for XChange I will consider getting another GPZ. I expected both those items by now and Minelab failed to produce. We should not have to be relying on the aftermarket for coils and software hacks to get support on the most expensive consumer metal detector ever sold. The idea I have to cut the end off a $1500 coil cable to make another coil work is ludicrous to me. Instead now all I have to do is hope for a 6 x 10 coil for my Equinox

This has nothing to do with ads or pop ups. I am talking about objectionable posts by forum members. There are no advertising pop ups on this forum and never will be. We are talking links in posts. The banner ads here are served by Google or Amazon and not likely to be an issue. They pay for the forum in fact.

I picked up a second 6” coil for myself on a recent visit to my old shop in Alaska. You might give them a try as there were several on hand at the time. AMDS Contact Info

Now moved there...

Due to an increase in spammers hiding little porn links in their posts I am bumping this up. If you see anything like that please flag it. The forum is busy enough these days I don’t read every single post and can miss them. Thanks!

There are no aftermarket 7000 coils... yet. Therefore no statement. People running a prototype coil are definitely on their own. I posted Minelabs published statement on SDC aftermarket coils a month ago. I would bet a GPZ statement would be similar. The 7000 at least is designed for using more than one coil. It’s the cutting off and reuse of the Minelab end connector with chip that could be problematic - instantly voids coil warranties at the minimum. And could impact resale value. SDC 2300 PRODUCT NOTICE & WARRANTY STATEMENT Recently, Coiltek has introduced aftermarket coils that can be retrofitted to the SDC 2300. These have been developed independently of Minelab and Minelab has not had any involvement with these coils. Minelab cannot and does not provide any information or support regarding the use of these coils. Minelab does not guarantee the SDC 2300’s performance when used in conjunction with these coils. The SDC is manufactured by Minelab in a standard configuration designed to be robust and offering easy to use high performance; any changes to the product may alter its performance. Further, such modifications may materially impact the ability of Minelab to support and warrant your SDC 2300. The SDC 2300 is not designed for changing coils nor for use with other coil sizes and specifically any damage which is assessed by Minelab or its Authorised Service Centres (ASCs) as having resulted from such modification will not be covered by the Minelab warranty. All Minelab detectors are engineered in Australia, manufactured to exacting standards in ISO 9001/2000 quality accredited facilities, and backed by up to defined transferable warranties. Review the full Minelab warranty period, terms and conditions on our website.