Steve Herschbach

Minelab has an Official Facebook page. MontAmmie mentioned an Official Equinox Facebook page on this thread and the question arose of whether it really was "Official" or not. I got ahead of myself in my response so went straight to the source. This is the page in questions DUG THAT OFFICIAL MINELAB EQUINOX 800-600 GROUP Here is the response I got direct from Minelab: “Minelab generally supports and positively encourages Derek, Sharon and Neil in their endeavours to promote EQUINOX to the detecting market through their EQUINOX Facebook page, and other means. As ‘endorsed’ Minelab brand ambassadors, they do have demo EQUINOX detectors and therefore are now in a position to answer some level of questions before the product is released to the market. However their Facebook page is not officially run or owned by Minelab. There is only one ‘formal’ MINELAB Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MinelabMetalDetectors/. If questions asked on the EQUINOX Facebook page are not being answered, this may be because the relevant information has not yet been released to them by Minelab. While Minelab works closely with Derek, Sharon and Neil, they should not be considered as agents of Minelab. Where there is any doubt regarding information about Minelab products, people are more than welcome to contact Minelab directly.”

Quite a few people on this forum have found over 6 ounces in a single lump. That's kind of beside the point. When you buy gold you have the gold you bought. If you buy a detector and find the same gold, now you have the gold and you have the detector, which does have value also. You can keep the gold and sell the detector used - the real cost of the use of a detector is the difference between what you pay for it and sell it for used, not the full retail. Or you can keep it and just keep adding to the gold.

Mr. Beatty started this thread. All Reg said was if Minelab sent them a GPZ they could probably strip it to components and reassemble into a lighter package, not design a competing unit from the ground up. I could do the same and have done it before with other detectors. The GPZ it would be harder than I think people imagine but it could be done. You would probably end up with something that looks like a GPX.

Because that is the number the marketing folks stuck in there when they did the studio photo. Somebody was probably told a 50 target id number range meant a high end of 50, when you in actual fact only go to 40 due to 0 to negative 9 occupying the ferrous part of the range. This stuff happens all the time. Almost every screen shot of a White's MX7 on the internet now is wrong except for the couple I posted. A early production mockup photo got passed along and now every sales site out there has it, even though it is wildly different than what a person will get if they order one.

VLF is maxed out tech and so you can take your pick from dozens of detectors that all will do about as well on 2 gram and larger nuggets. "Best" is in the eyes of the beholder. http://www.detectorprospector.com/gold-prospecting-guides/steve-guide-gold-nugget-detectors.htm

Equinox 600 is $649 and Equinox 800 is $899

Pretty picture - more details coming this week....

That has always been allowed - check the forum rules up top “Politics is not strictly prohibited but limit it to items of concern such as public meeting notices, comment periods, etc” In other words, just the facts without the rant. The subject of an off topic forum is closed however - it’s just not happening. The feedback for “leave it be” is overwhelming Thanks again everyone!

Excellent! I always appreciate info that people find that makes their using the forum easier. Some phones take huge images these days, and uploading over a poor cell connection or other factors can cause timeout errors. Reduced image size is a real help that I use myself. The last iOS update broke my Simple Resize app on my phone but Image Size also works well, just not as intuitive.

Like I said, great question about battery replacement, deserving of more answers. From the DUG THAT OFFICIAL MINELAB EQUINOX 800-600 GROUP “Welcome to the Dug That Equinox Group, run by Minelab's official Brand Ambassadors and testers of the Equinox 800 & 600 prototypes. We hope to be able to keep you up to date with our testing progress and eventually be the first group to bring you all the latest information on the machines and the Multi-IQ technology which powers them. We are also confident we can provide you with support, hints and tips after the machine is released. This group was formed because Neil, Derek and I were blocked from another Equinox user group for no reason. We look forward to sharing our experiences with you and getting to know you all.” I will check with Minelab on how “official” the page is. It is run by some well known respected individuals. Minelab Response Here

Wow, what great responses. We were out walking the dogs and was happy to see the feedback on returning. I started this forum because of conflict on other forums that I wished to avoid. Starting an Off Topic forum for me is kind of like trying to have a fire in one room of the house, and hoping it does not spread. I wanted to make sure I was still on the right path as regards forum members, because this place runs so well that I get minimal feedback. That is how it should be but it leaves me wondering sometimes if I am not off track in my bubble world. You are all confirming how I feel so I can rest easy that the majority are happy with current management. Thank you all for that, and no Off Topic Subjects!

A member recently posted an off topic thread despite the rules saying up front "Please keep threads and posts on topic. Off topic posts may be moved or deleted without warning." Well, I did just that and the person got upset and requested their account be deleted, which I promptly did. So I got to wondering, am I being to draconian with the whole thing? I have no interest in changing the policy, but I could create an "Off Topic" forum where off topic things can be moved to or posted because they would no longer be violating the policy! Then people could have a go at whatever things they wish. The catch is it would be unmoderated unless I received specific serious complaints, as I have no desire to get involved in or even read lots of what people seem to love to argue about on the internet. That being the case it would be "Enter At Your Own Risk". Anyway, it might be a solution for those who think I am too strict. Thoughts, advice, and opinions are not only welcome but extremely important to me on this issue.

From the Fisher Facebook page: "We will be accepting pre-orders for the F-Pulse Monday, Nov. 13th. Pricing will be released then as well. We are anticipating a late November early December ship date on these new and exciting units."

From the Teknetics facebook page: "We will be accepting pre-orders for the Tek-Point Monday, Nov. 13th. Pricing will be released then as well. We are anticipating a late November early December ship date for this amazing pinpointer."

Only a concern with the high power prospecting units, and more so with ones running large coils. Almost all regular metal detectors you need not concern yourself. Minelab PI detectors and the GPZ 7000 are the big offenders. People get a bit carried away with the metal free thing in my opinion but it can't hurt and in some cases does really help.

It does get frustrating. The GPZ and the design of the DOD coil forces some hard choices. But many examples exist. The SDC 2300 could be placed in a Eureka style housing that can be hip or chest mounted and accept accessory coils. The reason it is not is because Minelab chooses it to be so. I have been beating on Garrett since day one with the ATX to make a light dry land version with light coils instead of using a heavy military housing. I went so far to customize one to specifically poke them in the eye with a stick to show how it can be done. All to no avail. They simply choose not to do it. In the case of the SDC and ATX I am convinced they want to use off the shelf military designs in order to be able to help recoup the cost of designing them. It also allows them to justify higher retail prices due to the special waterproof housing - which not a single prospector demanded was a requirement. Frankly, the Equinox has been a real eye-opener for me as I figured Minelab was just always going to stand for "heavy, slow, and expensive". The fact they have obviously been paying attention and listening AND RESPONDING gives me great hope that going forward we will see renewed emphasis on ergonomics.

I do not like to overpay for coils, and anything over about $250 I think is too much. However, if you look at a Garrett 20" mono coil with integrated fiberglass lower rod and think you can make one for $25 then you obviously have no idea what it costs to make things. Just like you have no idea of the amount of electronics in a GPZ case and the costs involved. Engineers work for years developing new products and presumably you think they should not get paid, or that those development costs should not be recouped. There is more to the cost of things than just the material involved. However, everyone is entitled to their opinion and I agree with the basic concept of objecting to overpriced coils, so good on you. Best bet for you is to boycott both Garrett and Minelab and support brands that do things the way you prefer.

If you have questions about the Equinox, please post them to new topics on the new forum instead of here. Thanks!

If you have questions about the Equinox, please post them to new topics on the new forum instead of here. Thanks!

There actually is an insurance policy. The Equinox can be operated while "charging". In other words, any aftermarket USB style portable power pack will run the detector. In theory if the battery is totally dead for any reason, just use the USB power cord to attach a power pack and strap it anywhere on the detector (under the armrest?) and you are good to go. So it's not like the battery goes dead and you are out of luck.

Minelab maintains a Facebook page. The is no “official” Equinox Facebook page unless it is run directly by Minelab. The reality Sherry is simple. Replaceable battery compartments have been and always will be a potential leak location. One grain of sand on a door ring can equal a leak. So eliminating a leak location by using sealed batteries is a good thing. Do you own a cell phone? Do you worry about how many times you can charge it? Do you know how long the battery will last and how to replace it? Do you check dates on other rechargeable items you might buy to make sure they have not been on the shelf too long? If none of these things are huge concerns, then there is no reason to make it so with a metal detector. More to the point - there are a zillion Deus units out there where the coil, controller, and headphones all have sealed batteries. Are they failing at an unforeseen rate? Minelab is not treading new ground here. Having said all that, great question. The battery will last for years but will eventually need to be replaced. A battery replacement program stated up front with a cost would go a long way to addressing concerns like you are having Sherry. These are still early days and people are quite impatient for more answers that I am sure will arrive soon. In the meantime, any concerns at all - just wait! Nobody has to be a first adopter.

To me a beach is a huge panning device, with heavies concentrating in some places and light material elsewhere. The best times to detect are often after storms and so only locals on the spot are poised to get the goods in the best of times. Visitors have to just deal with whatever conditions exist on arrival, and odds unfortunately are they will not be favorable.

They are probably still figuring that out. The CTX06 coil sells for $299. Now, will people want to pay $299 for a coil to put on a $649 detector? Doubtful. Should be more like $199 at most and for a 6” coil most of the competition is actually closer to $149. We have to just wait and see. As aggressive as Minelab is being I am hoping we are not disappointed.

Well of course Multi-IQ does not exist in other metal detectors, and so can't be had in competitive models. However, multifrequency exists in other models and Minelab says nothing about multifrequency being obsolete. Just the opposite. They are staking their future bet on multifrequency. Regarding that, Minelab states: "How does Multi-IQ compare to BBS/FBS? Multi-IQ uses a different group of fundamental frequencies than BBS/FBS to generate a wide-band multi-frequency transmission signal that is more sensitive to high frequency targets and slightly less sensitive to low frequency targets. Multi-IQ uses the latest high-speed processors and advanced digital filtering techniques for a much faster recovery speed than BBS/FBS technologies. Multi-IQ copes with saltwater and beach conditions almost as well as BBS/FBS, however BBS/FBS still have an advantage for finding high conductive silver coins in all conditions." Now, you can ignore that as Minelab trying to play the middle ground, but you also might just consider for a moment that the statement might be factual. And what it is saying is that Multi-IQ has some advantages "more sensitive to high frequency targets" and "much faster recovery speed" and that BBS/FBS retains some advantages "Multi-IQ copes with saltwater and beach conditions almost as well as BBS/FBS (emphasis added) and "BBS/FBS still have an advantage for finding high conductive silver coins". I will be frank. I word things the way I do for specific reasons. I have seen the damage done in the past by people making machines out to be something they are not. Making the Equinox out to be a magic wand will result in disappointment when it is discovered to be a metal detector. Better to underpromise and overdeliver I say. Therefore while I am involved in and will be commenting heavily on the Equinox one thing I am not going to do is make excessive claims about its absolute performance. It simply is good enough for me that it puts numerous existing technologies in an elegant package at an excellent price. Multi-IQ is of course unique and will bring something to the table other detectors lack, but that is more just icing on the cake as far as I am concerned. I have absolutely no doubt it will outperform BBS/FBS in dense trash, just like a Deus outdoes BBS/FBS in dense trash. That's obviously the main target here; Minelab even mentions the Deus by name in their latest video. Brandon Neice - “It's almost like the Deus and CTX got together and made a baby”! The focus here is mostly on speed and target id accuracy. So, the BBS and FBS machines will punch deeper on silver? Well, again, people are reading things into very carefully crafted statements that are not there. What Minelab states is "still have an advantage" not "goes deeper". That advantage in the case of the CTX could well be claimed to be Target Trace. Target Trace offers excellent visual clues to a target, and the Equinox lacks Target Trace. So a CTX with Target Trace could be said to have an advantage under all conditions over the Equinox due to this. I am not stating this as fact but as just an example of how people interpret things to mean what they want. At the end of the day only Minelab knows how Multi-IQ works. I am sure all this will fuel speculation and internet battles for some time to come. I wish people lots of luck with all that. I have already decided I am all in with the Equinox and my focus will be entirely on getting the best performance I can out of the detector and helping others to do so. I will let others have the fun of battling out this versus that because I have already left that battle behind. Five other detectors sold so far and a couple more to go! Final note - this forum is a Fan Club and people here can be expected to be biased in favor of the Equinox. Anyone getting their hands on one and wanting to do "this versus that" comparisons would be welcome to do so by posting on the Detector Advice & Comparisons Forum. It is the appropriate location for machine to machine comparisons.

Speculation is speculation. Detecting being what it is what works best varies depending on the situation. Until enough real people undertake real world use and compare notes we just don’t know we don’t know where and how what mode might work best. There are likely situations with gold nuggets where different modes may serve better depending on the situation. Same with speculation and coils. You can bet people will want to make aftermarket coils. What coils they might make and what benefits they may offer - who knows? Might a coil tuned for a specific frequency be beneficial? Maybe. Or maybe not. I tend to think it might, but I could be wrong. So where does that leave us? Speculating.