Steve Herschbach

The Mpow was recently upgraded from aptX to aptX-LL and it would be very easy for an older version to get sold as the newer version, especially since they apparently look exactly the same. I don't think it's any more complicated than that. I bet the version from Amazon is the low latency version because their ad specifically mentions the Qualcomm CSR8670 chipset, which is the key spec for those looking for a headphone to replace those supplied by Minelab.

Ground balance numbers have nothing to do with the amount of mineralization. My ground is intensely magnetite laden and ground balances in the single digits. Ground balance reflects the type of mineralization, not the amount. In the end I think the CTX and Equinox are just two different options, and for most people it will make a difference that we are talking a 5.2 lb $2500 detector versus a 3 lb $900 detector. The fact there is a $1600 price difference and that the performance difference is even debatable at all is pretty remarkable in my opinion.

It appears most people are holding out for the Minelab phones - hopefully any time now.

Well, up until now I have been running a pre-production Equinox 800 but Minelab did tell me all along that an actual production model would land on my doorstep someday. And so one just did. It was fun to see one nicely packaged in the box - good job with the packaging Minelab! Funny true story is the one I got is one that has a looser upper twist lock that others have experienced. Even with the twist lock firmly engaged the junction is looser than my prototype unit. Looks to be something that snuck into the early production line models. In my case I will do something about it on my own rather than look this gift horse in the mouth. Anyway, I have been wanting to get the Equinox into the water, but frankly I did not trust my prototype as regards how waterproof it might be. I had visions of mine failing after being submerged and so have resisted the urge until I had a backup - which the pre-production model now is. The fact they sent me this means that production must be catching up. Or that they had one of these loose rod units to get rid of so sent it to me. (just kidding guys at Minelab - thanks)! Up until now I was kind of focused on how well I could hunt coins with Equinox and plenty happy on that count. Now it's off to the races for a little jewelry detecting this week.

One thing to always try when having issues like this is go to multiple locations, or at least more than one. It is impossible to know how much EMI there is at any location. Just because other detectors did not react does not mean there is no EMI. There are plenty of machines that run quiet as a mouse in bad EMI but which at the same time lose significant performance due to it - "silent EMI masking". Other machines avoid it by running at a frequency that misses whatever EMI there is. I went to a location yesterday where I could not get the Equinox to shut up until I got down to sensitivity 10 in multifrequency and around 12 if I ran in 20 kHz. Terrible EMI location for some reason. I am not saying what anyone is experiencing is EMI - just passing this along for people with a new detector using it for the first time at their house or backyard.

First report I have seen from somebody getting Equinox actually underwater - this guy on Findmall down to 8 feet with no issues - and some gold!

As has already been noted, that all happened before detectors shipped to anyone.

I have not seen a thing about rod parts. I am sure lots of people will be interested in the lower rod especially for accessory coils once they are also available.

Why not just ditch the Equinox and go back to using the Fisher then?

Great winter results Lunk! All my winter got me was ten pounds extra around my waist!

Normally the SDC 2300 will hit small gold as well as a hot VLF. However, it is a pulse induction(PI) machine and is in fact a variant of the GPX 5000 Fine Gold timing. This means it handles the worst ground as well as possible, and most hot rocks also. This is where a hot VLF will struggle or fail. The downside is there are some weak spots or “holes” in any PI timing scheme, which causes some nuggets to read poorly or not at all. Worse, it’s almost impossible to say what nuggets those might be due to the infinite variety of nugget size, shapes, and composition. This may be why the nugget you have is not reading as well as it might otherwise. The SDC is made primarily to find gold in ground where VLF detectors struggle or fail. Comparing it to a VLF in an air test has no real bearing on how the machines will perform against each other in the type of location where the SDC is going to excel. The real test of any nugget detector is only partially about how it detects gold. How the detector handles bad ground and hot rocks is every bit as important, and air tests completely ignore this aspect of detector performance.

If you can find lead and aluminum you can find gold. The smaller the lead or aluminum you find, the better your gold prospecting skills are. Welcome to the forum - great first post!

That's not good. I just paired and unpaired several headphones - the Minelab ML80, my Apple Airpods, and some Sony headphones. The ML80 and Airpods go straight to the Low Latency + symbol when paired. The Sony headphones are regular aptX and the + does not appear, and lag is evident. The Mpow comes in both regular aptX and aptx-LL versions and it may be you were shipped the regular version? From Equinox Owner's Manual page 56: Pairing Wireless Headphones Pairing the ML 80 headphones is only required at first time use. EQUINOX will then automatically connect to the headphones for all future uses. Re-pairing will be required if a different wireless device has been connected to the detector (e.g. WM 08), or following detector factory reset. Ensure your wireless headphones are turned off and are no more than 1 metre (3-feet) away from the detector. Press and hold the Multi-Function button on the ML 80 headphones until two ascending tones are heard and the LED alternates blue and red. Press the wireless button on the side of the EQUINOX control panel for 5 seconds until the Wireless icon starts to flash rapidly. For first-time use of the EQUINOX, or following a factory reset, a short press of the Wireless button will immediately start the pairing sequence. The EQUINOX first attempts to pair with a WM 08 module for 15 seconds, indicated by the Wireless icon flashing on the LCD. If a WM 08 is not found within this time, EQUINOX will then attempt to pair with Bluetooth® headphones for 5 minutes, or until pairing is complete. This is indicated by the Bluetooth® icon flashing on the LCD. The Pairing process can be interrupted at any time by pressing the Wireless button. If pairing is successful, the Bluetooth® and Wireless icons on the LCD will remain steady on. The headphones will beep and the Status LED will flash blue once every 3 seconds. If the pairing is not successful within 5 minutes of being initiated, the headphones will go into standby mode.

That is weird for sure. You tried a factory reset?

Garrett does not approve the use of Infinium mono coils on the ATX - use at your own risk. Infinium DD coils are safe to use in ATX. From this thread on same subject... The answer I got specifically direct from Garrett: "The ATX can be operated with Infinium DD coils. Performance with Infinium DD coils should be normal but is not guaranteed. The ATX cannot be operated with Infinium mono coils or any other Garrett coil other than ATX coils and Infinium DD coils. Recon Pro coils will not work on the ATX. The Recon Pro is not the same machine electronically, even though it looks similar. Use of any coil other than ATX coils and Infinium DD coils, including the use of 3rd party coils, will void the warranty."

For me it just comes down to time and whether or not there are better options. Detecting anything is always going to be a gamble so all you can do is take your best shots with whatever time you have. Nobody can say with certainty that any given pile of dirt contains no gold. The nice thing about detecting is that it’s fairly easy and so when in doubt, detect anything that looks interesting and see what happens. Remember that many a nugget has been found by novices who were successful because they put their coil where an expert would not because “there can’t be any gold there”!

Interesting you missed that. And not your fault - it's mine. I am getting ready to do some massive behind the scenes work on the forum. The pinned topics are "MUST READ" from my perspective, but people commonly do not. I surmise they just go unseen? So I need to do a better job of highlighting them somehow. Easy enough. I do also plan on adding a similar thread at the top of the other forums. The Minelab Equinox Essential Information thread is great but even it is getting too long. I need to break it into subsections - audio, ground balance, target id, etc. for quicker access.

It requires modification - prior thread on the subject....

XChange 2 is currently Windows only. I run it on my Mac using Bootcamp and Windows. I believe Minelab is updating XChange 2 to work with both the Equinox and Mac OS. My evidence - this note from page 67 of the Equinox Instruction Manual.... “Software Updates - EQUINOX Series detector have the ability to accept software updates via USB and XChange 2 (Windows or Mac OS compatible).”

He goes by Chase Goldman on this forum. Another excellent post at http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/6389-help-needed-after-first-trip-out/?do=findComment&comment=66793

Some people may think having two Equinox is nuts, but for what I had wrapped up in a CTX with three accessory coils I can own a couple Equinox and all the coils and still put over $1000 back in my pocket. Love the big silver!

It seems like a consensus is developing that if you had to have a Deus with only one coil, that the 9” round HF coil is the one to have. Yet it appears that is the only coil besides the 13” not available as a stock coil in a new Deus purchase. The only ones I see for sale like that are on eBay from Russian sources and this U.K. website

The Gold Monster does not use the same shaft at all - it is a screw together thing. The end where the coils attach is the only part that is the same. I never used my Gold Monster rod and immediately replaced it with a three piece one similar to what the Equinox uses. However, the Gold Monster shaft being very stout I may now put into use as a water rod for the Equinox. Here is the rod assembly that ships with the Gold Monster. The lower rod is the same as the Equinox except for the very upper part, where a screw in flange has been added. This makes the Gold Monster lower rod unusable on Equinox unless that flange is sawed off. Which ruins it for use with the rest of the Gold Monster rod. I considered it since I have not used the rod but decided using the entire assembly for water hunting might be a better idea.

This is a little premature perhaps since we are still waiting to see any accessory coils at all for the Equinox detectors. First up will be the 6" round DD followed by the 12" x 15" DD coil. What next? I think the Equinox has genuine potential as a gold nugget detector, but that the open spoke coil designs slated so far are not optimal for that purpose. Plus, some relic hunters etc. want something narrower than the stock 11" coil but do not want to give up the ground coverage as much as the 6" round coil does. Minelab has a couple molds for elliptical coils. There is the 5" x 10" DD coil for the X-Terra but that coil is not fully waterproof and too buoyant for water use even if it was. The better option in my opinion is the newer 6" x 10" coil made for the Gold Monster. The Minelab Gold Monster uses the exact same lower rod/yoke size as the Equinox, meaning the coil, coil bolt, and even the coil connector are already the proper size to fit perfectly to the Equinox. Here is my Gold Monster 6" x 10" DD coil mounted to my Equinox 800. As I said, a perfect fit. The Equinox version might weigh more due to more windings required for Multi-IQ but the coil as is weighs less than the 11" coil. My Equinox with this coil mounted weighs 2 lbs 13 oz or 2.81 lbs, slightly less than the 2.96 lbs with 11" coil. It does make for a little better balance. For nugget detecting in particular a solid bottom coil helps prevent snagging on rocks and stubble. I imagine the farm field hunters would love the coil for similar reasons. Anyway, I have no hints that this will happen but I am going to be referring to this thread over and over until it does. With a mold in hand half the work is done, and with the extreme popularity of Equinox no good excuse for this not happening. I personally think it is a requirement for Equinox to be all it can be as a prospecting detector and for many other uses also. Nope, not going to turn it on to see what happens!! Anyone who thinks this is a good idea and wants to aid in the lobbying effort has my express permission to use these photos in posts on other forums, etc. The direct link to the first photo is http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/uploads/monthly_2018_04/minelab-equinox-with-6-x-10-dd-coil.thumb.jpg.07f2d166da68ca4c6e39bf21759c7c4f.jpg Click photos for larger versions....

Both active and patented.