Steve Herschbach

Well written review by Terry Soloman at http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/nokta-makro/522962-review-makro-racer-2-pro-package.html#post5207919

Randy was not the first to envision the VDI scale as circular instead of linear. Regardless, I think the posts I made while you were working on yours cover it pretty well.

Finally, some detectors have a gated audio or binary audio design which is intended to make the machine sound clean and sure of itself. All targets resolve into a single VDI number and a single audio tone. This is problematic in dense trash and on these troublesome ferrous targets. Newer fast response designs have more of a real time audio that paints a fuller picture of what is under the coil but can also be hard for novices to deal with. Still, this is the basis for the XP DEUS and the Nokta/Makro designs. Garrett refers to it as "tone roll audio" and provide this explanation in the AT Pro manual:

To further illustrate. Most detectors are set up to deliver a single Visual Display Indicator (VDI) number or Target ID number by averaging everything under the coil. Single clean targets like a coin tend to deliver a tight VDI range, whereas ferrous targets can deliver mixed VDI numbers. Unfortunately most machines average the mix into a single predominate response. Minelab and Whites full spectrum displays can shows multiple VDI responses simultaneously. The diagram below shows the Whites SignaGraph display of a coin and a ferrous item. The visual response difference is obvious. If the operator discriminates out the low ferrous range, all that the machine delivers is that high end audio response. If everything is set to accept with ferrous low tone and non-ferrous high tone, now you get a high tone response on the coin but mixed low and high tones on the ferrous. The CTX 3030 Target Trace function serves a similar purpose.

I have not found a detector yet that will not "wrap high" on certain ferrous targets. Large hard steel nuts and bolts, axe heads, large washers, flat "tin" steel, broken square nails, etc. DD coils in particular can be problematic. It is mainly a problem for coin hunters, as the signals fall into the high coin range. The problem is made worse when people disc out the low ferrous range. The targets that produce these signals usually deliver mixed VDI numbers, both very low and very high. Discriminating out the low signals leaves only the high signal, which sounds like a coin. This is the main reason I usually do not block out target ranges but hunt via tones only. That way I hear the mixed responses that reveal these items for what they really are. Lower frequencies, lower sensitivity, and concentric coils can all help, as can full spectrum visual displays like on the White's XLT/DFX/V3i and Minelab Explorer/CTX models.

There are not really many Makro Gold Racer and Racer 2 detectors actually in use, and the number of those owners that got the wireless setup is much smaller yet. That being the case there are not many people to do a review. I took a pass personally as I did not see investing in a dongle and headphones only good for one detector when the same money can get a Deteknix or Garrett system that can be used with any detector.

F75 is 13 kHz, not 15 kHz. I made an edit to your post reflecting that. Both are good units. I find it difficult to say that getting an F75 would result in any better finds than what you could get with the XT705 and AT Pro you currently own. Faced with the same choice I went F75 due to ability to display target id in all metal mode plus it is a better balanced machine. Don't forget the X-Terra however does have an effective iron mask setting while in Prospect mode that can replace any need to mode switch. I think it is more about whether you just want something new to play with. Personally although I do like buying and trying new detectors I find that more hours hunting and/or better locations make the difference, not getting another machine. I like the F19 based on specs but I think it is overpriced for what is actually there.

First Texas (Bounty Hunter, Fisher, Teknetics) - The Fisher CZX was targeted for 2016 but is running late, maybe late 2017 or 2018? Garrett - New coils/versions of ATX are running late, and new machine (AT Pro 2?) announced for 2017. Edit May 2017 - this has now happened as expected - Garrett AT Max Minelab - From Codan 2016 Annual Report, page 9: "In response to customer demand, two new products are planned for release in FY17. A larger coil for the GPZ 7000® will give a significant depth increase over the standard coil. In addition to this, an entry-level gold detector will be released to the African market at the end of 2016. This product has been specifically designed for the African market to fill a gap in our product range, and is expected to quickly take market share from competitors." Edit April 2017 - this has now happened as expected - Minelab Gold Monster 1000 Nokta/Makro - New selectable frequency Nokta Impact announcement due by year end and available in 2017. Edit February 2017 - this has now happened as expected - Nokta Impact XP - DEUS V4 and new high frequency coils announced and to be available in 2017 Edit February 2017 - this has now happened as expected - Deus V4 White's - Lots of talk this year about exciting product in pipeline but that is about it. Obvious to me anyway is that any old black metal box designs are on the chopping block with replacement models in the works leveraging the MX Sport housing.

I should have linked to the earlier forum threads. The coils were announced in January by Garrett and are now overdue. Yes, a mono is also expected. The one in the video and shown below are prototypes, not finished product

Shows unique sliding center mount design....

The original black box Goldmaster II was the first hot machine running at 50 kHz, a very high frequency at the time. The Goldmaster II preceded the Gold Bug 2 and for a time the Goldmasters were unmatched in sensitivity to small gold until the Gold Bug 2 came out in 1995. The Goldmaster V/SAT, Goldmaster 3, Goldmaster 4/B, and finally GMT at 48 kHz are all just variations on the theme and none of the newer models are appreciably more sensitive than the original 50 kHz Goldmaster II model. Companies that do not answer emails within 24 hours are quite deficient in the 21st century.

If you have both coils and just the one coil falses a lot that proves the problem, as coil swapping is the best way to diagnose the issue. Getting the detector to a Whites dealer and trying another coil is the normal solution if you only have one coil. If you do not get out and detect much just using the good coil is a decent option - there is only minimal sensitivity difference but the stock coil will cover more ground and reach deeper on some gold. I have to say I have always favored the smaller coils myself for super hot machines like the Goldmasters, GMT, Gold Bug 2, and Gold Racer. Whites old style thick coils are foam filled. It is lot unusual on the larger coils to have the foam break down and deteriorate from long term knocking against rocks. This in turn would cause movement internally, generating false signals. The 14" x 8" coils seemed especially prone to this problem. That is unlikely to be the problem with your small coil but rest assured coil failure is far more common than control box failures, many times over.

Thanks JP. Minelab sure likes making new part numbers through incompatibility. Why have three similar but incompatible wireless audio systems? I do like the idea of a volume control directly on the module and wish my GPZ in particular had that feature. Maybe they will retrofit the system into the CTX and GPZ at some point so everything works together.

I like this system because it has a built in speaker which other competitors lack. What I wonder is whether the receiver module is compatible with either the WM10 or WM12 modules? I would think it might be and that by getting this a person might be getting a second receiver module that could be used as backup or in tandem with the WM10 or WM12?

New Product - PRO-SONIC Universal Wireless Audio System - Coming Soon! Minelab is pleased to announce that our newest accessory, the PRO-SONIC Universal Wireless Audio System will be available soon. PRO‑SONIC generates clear and fast audio responses using advanced wireless technology. It's easy to set up and go detecting, with no messy cables to get tangled in! The PRO‑SONIC Receive Module features an internal loudspeaker and a 6.35mm (¼") headphone socket for use with your choice of headphones. It can be attached to your harness or clothing using the metal belt clip. Features: Use headphones or built-in speaker Adjustable volume setting 10 m / 32-feet operating range SDC 2300 adapter cable included Charge from your car, AC power or USB charger Compatible with most Minelab and other brand detectors! Download the color brochure

Hi Jim, Sounds like a bad coil to me. That is exactly the symptoms one expects from a coil losing its integrity.

Welcome to the forum! Only coils made specifically for the Gold Strike will work on it. It does not cross over with any other models.

They work fine, as does the Nokta.

Here are some manufacturer specials running now. These are from the manufacturers and so I assume they are on top of any deals already offered by a dealer, but do check and make sure if considering a purchase. If anyone finds other deals go ahead and add them to the thread. I have not found anything for Garrett, Tesoro, Makro/Nokta or XP yet.

The DPR 600 is a related stripped down product, not the same...

Part Number 1627100 MSRP $149.95 Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) $127.45

The G2 is the Teknetics version of the Fisher Gold Bug Pro (Fisher and Teknetics owned by First Texas, so a GM/Chevy type thing). The G2+ is the Teknetics version of the Fisher F19. The main thing you get is a backlight, notch disc, and iron volume control.

Big photos and some Internet connections sometimes do not mix for uploading. Reducing image size is usually the fix. I found a great easy and free photo resizer - Simple Resize Apple http://simple-resize.appstor.io Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.tekunodo.simpleresize&hl=en

I am not frustrated Jason. I am sorry if I had anything to do with making you feel guilty by responding to your post. Like I said, it is best if I just stay silent.