Steve Herschbach

Great video....

Very well done - this should help people a lot...

Park 2 and Field 2 are “hotter” on small items and low conductors. This can be good or bad depending on what you are doing. A person hunting silver coins may not want extreme sensitivity to can slaw or coke. Put another way many people used to other detectors will think Park 1 and Field 1 are already hotter than what they are used to. Park 2 and Field 2 are so hot they can double as gold prospecting modes. I can hit a gold nugget weighing a half grain (that’s grain, not gram 480 grains per Troy ounce) in Park 2 or Field 2. Note that because the Equinox is a “hot” detector that many modes default to blocking target id 1 and 2 by default, as this helps a lot with can slaw, foil, and coke. However, this is also where tiny gold items and thin cut coins, thin chains, etc may appear. Personally I think Minelab did a terrific job with the Instruction Manual and the pages starting at 22 are worth reading several times until it really sinks in. Click the images below for larger versions.

Got no idea on that one! It may be more complicated than that. But yes, being specially tuned to one coil may make the machine slightly off with another coil. We are talking finest edge performance stuff here. You may want to contact Fisher directly for the latest scoops. Of maybe Carl will notice this and chime in.

My experience exactly in my western magnetite laden soil. I never can speak for conditions I am not experiencing personally except to guess however and I have been as curious as anyone to hear results in the red eastern soils. Sounding pretty good so far Mark - thanks!

Looks like a Camel Desert Fox to me. More videos

Just random variance in components all adding up favorably. You are probably aware Harry that a GB2 is individually tuned to the coil that comes with it, and accessory coils may not have that extra edge. I have gotten a new coil for a GB2 in the past and shipped the whole thing to Fisher just to get them matched as best as is possible.

I am glad you did Dan. I considered doing it but since I have a prototype I was not sure what was shipping. Minelab could have sealed the access area with wax or a special label to reveal tampering and so I did not want to get into all that. Plus I might get asked by the powers that be why I was appearing to advocate people pulling the battery out to look at it, as occurred with you. That’s why I specifically took this photo the way I did a month ago. Minelab appears to be so focused on getting the machine out some things are being deferred. Like accessory pricing. And they have left battery replacement vague I think as they may still be considering what sort of final program they want to put in place regarding that, cost, etc. no matter what, people are determined to try and anticipate problems and are creating problems to anticipate.

It may be that whether the power is coming from the headphone itself or the detector that you still have to turn the headphone on. I have not used mine wired up yet so am not sure.

Thanks for the report - it’s sounding great. I am on the road and mine got delivered while I am gone so I will have to wait a bit to play with one.

Sounds like something dying in the audio circuit but never had it happen to me. Probably overdue for some tender loving care at the factory anyway so I am sure it will be back better than ever soon.

When using any headphone connected to a detector by the cord or cable the power is supplied by the detector. If the wiresless headphones go dead, be sure to have the included cable along, plug them in, and get on with business. The headphones carry a charge far longer than the detector itself however so if you charge them together this is unlikely. Still, the cable goes with me in my kit.

I tend to rotate detectors as the warranty nears the end, especially if they have a transferable warranty. I like to sell them used with a month or two of remaining warranty as it gets me top price. I then get either the same machine new again, or a newer version has appeared and I get it. I have no doubt my battery will be just fine until I sell the machine in about three years.

A ruling on what? Nobody at any point in time has ever said or implied that audio only comes through the speaker and not the headphones. Of course the headphones work. You have to turn them on however!

Yup, Equinox loves nickels! Great early hunt Dan and pretty much what happened with me and silver. Anyone that gets one and knows what they are doing is going to have these WOW moments and then the deal is sealed. I have known this and Minelab knows it. The main frustration at Minelab right now is just like everyone else’s - they want to get as many machines into customer hands as quickly as possible because that is what will sell more Equinox detectors. I am amazed that some people still seem to be waiting for news from official testers. What ever happened to just waiting for reports from real users? That has always been the ace in the hole for Equinox.

The reality since day one is that if you charge every day or two none of it matters. I have been telling everyone that for months. Mistakes happen however and you can bet I will always have an accessory external pack with me for any critical detecting trips - just in case. From that perspective I don’t consider any information to be wasteful but the negativity - yeah, that’s been over the top. Thanks Dan.

I sure second that Mitchel. The external speaker is quite loud and does initially make me think the headphones have already paired sometimes so it is actually pretty understandable. One thing about Minelabs historically has been weak audio and this was another area where Minelab paid attention and did a great job in my opionion. Glad to hear you hung in there. This is why it is so important people give things a bit of time before making a snap judgement. I see ongoing commentary about Minelab not saying much or testers not saying much. I flat out told people over on another forum that it is because the machine will sell itself. All Minelab has to do is get them out and in users hands. The rest is just going to happen.

It would be sensible for most people to leave this alone until the need arises. Just posting how the battery comes out is not saying everyone should run out and do it. Why would you? I sure will not unless I think the battery is getting weak. Some people however just do not care about warranty - I have completely disassembled and rebuilt several new detectors just for the heck of it. The bottom line here is people have been spreading crazy rumors about unservicability and the Equinox being a throwaway detector. Maybe this will put some of that to rest. Thanks.

These things are not going unnoticed. Imagine the Equinox is like a new iPhone release. There is a lot of code there, and there may be bugs. The update facility is everyone’s insurance policy against such things. I am noting anything I see and passing it on not just here but on other forums as are others.

No worries. I get it and I have teased Minelab people right to their faces about attitudes regarding the company. They can improve in many ways when it comes to communications and transparency. I mainly just try to keep things positive even in the face of obvious frustration. Thank you!

There is only one moderator on these forums. The real issue is that this is an Equinox Fan Club. Let me quote from the Forum Rules pinned up top: “This is a fan club. It is a place for people who see the Equinox in a positive fashion. If you hold a generally negative view of the detector or Minelab, this is not the place for you.”

This is about the CTX 3030 but it may shed a little light on the matter...

This is one of the few real uses I have found for the single frequency modes.

I am not sure I entirely understand the question but here goes. The meter registers ferrous or non-ferrous. It actually has nothing to do with gold per se but in theory in the middle of nowhere that’s what you are looking for. Gold, silver, lead, aluminum, copper, etc all will read non-ferrous.