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MikePfeiffer

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  1. I just read on another forum that people were canceling their orders for the AT Max in order to purchase the Equinox . If all I read is true. Garrett may have a large surplus inventory. If Garrett, First Texas and White's have something to offer, It needs to be in the market before the Equinox. Yes, There are people that are brand loyal. However, I think the main clientele wants a quality new technology detector with bang for the buck. I beleive the mass market does not have a arsenal of detectors in the closet. Maybe 1 or 2. Catch up is a hard game to play.
  2. You are right Steve. You must change or you will be bought out or go under. Imagine metal detectors being TV's and you are the owner of a company that manufactures analog CRT TV's. How many people are going to buy your product. As a business owner, you must lay out a 5, 10 , and 20 year business plan that constantly evolves with technology. In today's market place, you can not afford to rely on 10 year old technology to keep you afloat much less 2-3 year old technology. So you say what does this have to do with metal detecting. Personally I think a lot. If the American metal detector manufacturers don't wake up and stop relying on the past and show that they are leaders in technology. They won't be there.
  3. I read this article in Harvard Business Review. It was published in 1999 and applies very much today. The article is by Donald Sull. No it is not about metal detecting. However, it pertains to the companies we love. Hopefully some of them will take time and read the entire article and learn from it. Some of you may find it interesting. By Donald Sull “One of the most common business phenomena is also one of the most perplexing: when successful companies face big changes in their environment, they often fail to respond effectively. Unable to defend themselves against competitors armed with new products, technologies, or strategies, they watch their sales and profits erode, their best people leave, and their stock valuations tumble. Some ultimately manage to recover—usually after painful rounds of downsizing and restructuring—but many don’t.” You can read more on the Harvard Business Review https://hbr.org/1999/07/why-good-companies-go-bad
  4. Steve, here is it They said it is a magnetic charger and USB port. Video Around the 5 min mark.
  5. Now that everyone is excited and wants this new marvel of engineering. What does COMING SOON mean? The reason I ask this is a company that has a now product I have been waiting for announced COMING SOON. Everyone speculated on the release of the new product. That was over a year ago and still on news. So what will Minelab do?
  6. I had to go back and listen to the videos again. Magnetic connector for charging and usb connectivity. Minelab hit every on my criteria for a new detector. Looks like this will be on my shopping list.
  7. Don't forget Randy! New tires means they come with a new 4x4 truck.
  8. I have used industrial ultrasonic cleaners in the past. Thought about getting on for home use. Any suggestions?
  9. Thanks for the info Steve. I don't clean my finds very much. However. I have been using electrolysis for years. Great for cleaning rusty surfaces. I also us washing soda to replace baking soda in some applications.
  10. Tom, I think it was Reddit metal detector. Just a bunch of people chatting. Remember Tom, we are on the outside looking in and you are on the inside and in the know. We are all excited to hear about new detectors. Some of us get disappointed when it's not to our expectations.
  11. Tom, Your right about the V3i. When 10 year old technology is your flagship line, it makes it difficult to make a come back as a technology leader. I read an article somewhere on the web just the other day and some guy said the only innovator of metal detectors is Minelab and the European companies are in the running with ergonomics. There is noting coming out of America. Maybe White's and First Texas will do something. Just not going to hold my breath.
  12. As Steve said " Where is the V3i stuffed in MX Sport case ". I have to agree. However, with some nice additions. 1 Wireless headphones 2 Lithium battery pack with house and auto battery charger also an optional AA battery pack. 3 Easy to read display. Possibly OLED 4 Keep the weight below 4 pounds. Better if 3 pounds. 5 Good coil selection. 6 x 9, 11, 15 inch DD and a Bigfoot coil for Steve. 6 Increase the search depth to 12 to 13 inches. 7 All of the above included for the price of $999.99 Remember not to rely on products of the past to keep a company alive. Innovate for the future. You have great resources just at this forum. Mike
  13. I never prospected before. I can just imagine, just finding your first glimmer of gold. The excitement, the rush of adrenaline and the hook that grabs you to keep you looking for more.
  14. I can always rely on you Steve. I really did not know what to ask, and you know me well enough to give the educated answer. Loved the history lesson on detectors. Thank you!
  15. As you know I have been metal detecting for 30 years. I still consider myself a newbie. However, it is with the same old machine. Back when I purchased my machine we were told it will detect everything, it's a do all machine. I new of prospecting machines, but never knew the difference or seen the demand until I came to this forum. So if you have time, please answer these question. I am going to throw these out as I don't really know how to ask the correct question. What if the difference in a gold machine vs a regular machine? What makes them stand out? I know there is a frequency difference, but what make them stand on when looking for gold? Are they just not tuned for gold?
  16. These are real words of wisdom! I have been searching for that one detector and never found it. Thought of building one and found so many variables that you could not answer all the needed questions. I am glad every one has put forth the energy to write all this information about frequencies, I was about to write something and really did not know where to begin. Thanks to all you that have contributed. This has helped me a lot.
  17. Tom, you are asking a very difficult question with no easy answer. Everyone on the forum has given you great information. I have thought about your question all weekend. The first thing I would tell you is to understand the hobby. Ask yourself the question who, when, where, how, and why. Demographic study of the past and present will tell you a lot. That is providing White's kept records. Understand the past history of the 1950's to present. When I grew up in the 50's we had a radio, 78 rpm records and two channels on TV. If we wanted to occupy our time, we had to find something. The women were good cooks and made cloths to ware. They were very crafty. Most of the men were dreamers trying to find a better way of doing things. My wife's uncle made the first riding lawn mower in the community. Information was shared to help each other. Since the 50's things have changed. Each generation is much different than the past generation. To me, today's generation is a generation of instant gratification. Google can not give them the answer fast enough. The new generation is smarted in the use of computers, but ignorant in everyday activities. They are smart enough to operate the metal detectors, but to lazy to dig the hole. They can't seem to solve problems on their own. You can't turn the clock back, it only moves forward. Times change! Now for the second part of your indirect question. How do we improve sales. White's needs good leadership at the helm. They need to be actively dreaming of new equipment (superior engineering staff) for the company and how to expand the company. For see the future needs of the world. So you ask why did you say this. I was active in the 80s with my metal detector. I put it up for other interest. I brought it back out and started playing with it. I went to White's web site and saw the same old detector of the past. Then I looked at Garrett and saw a similar situation. They were making some newer improved models and expanded into more than hobby detectors. Then I started searching for all metal detector manufacturers. My thoughts then changed to what happened to the American manufacturers. The answer was quite evident. They went to sleep! They waited to.......... long. They were bought up, combined or just riding on the past. I seen this first hand with the multi-billion dollar conglomerate I worked for. It is now gone. One final thought. I am 64 years young. Been metal detecting on and off for 30 plus years. I have never seen anyone hobby metal detecting. Not at the beach or parks. Follow the advice that everyone had told you and keep White's awake. P.S. Just came back from the court house. and what do we have. A Garrett body scanner and a Sheriff with a Garrett wand. I asked him how good are they. He responded the best!
  18. This is what I received from Garrett concerning a USB port for software updates: Hello Mike, All Garrett detectors are manufactured with up-to-date, fully tested software and we do not send out updates to the programming as everything is set before they go into production. As this is the case for all units, we do not build USB compatibility into our detectors at this time.
  19. Months ago I asked about using a SFO for TX. Now I understand that the coils not being antenna will not work.
  20. I used to work on radar and impedance was critical. I went to collage in the early 70s and got thrown into management. Been retired for many years. I have forgotten a lot. Thanks for being patient. I will read your book again. Just got to find where my wife hide it.
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