UtahRich

Reasons to keep MY EQ800 - It finds stuff really well. I've had my 800 approaching 4 years now and have spent a lot of time with it in the field. I use it mostly for coin shooting. It is easy to use, goes deep compared to other detectors i have used, separates good from bad well, is waterproof / resistant allowing me to spend time shallow water hunting for jewelry, and is MUCH lighter than my etrac, explorer XS, and other detectors I've been using since way back when in the 70's. Oh, and i took it gold nugget hunting and it actually found a little nugget. It has been a good one. Arguably from my standpoint, the best I've had. Easily the best all round detector i've had. I purchased it because it did all the things my etrac did (except bottle cap ID), was much lighter AND allowed me to shallow water hunt as well and mess around with a little prospecting. It has done all that I've asked. I have a Deus, which is a pretty great detector in its' own right. Not quite as all round as my 800. (it doesn't go in the water) Will this new Deus 2 eclipse my equinox? Don't know. I'll be watching. It seems to match many aspects of my 800 (though it is pushing a price point 2x as much) and is as yet untested. After having used a Deus, I am not opposed to the thought of using a Deus 2. Lastly, i have a lot of positive experience using the 800 so i'm not real keen on tossing all that aside in HOPES that the latest greatest is up to the task. rich -

Surprises me a bit. Generally marketing surveys are VERY up to date. PERHAPS Minelab has been sooo busy with things and focused on their their own issues / products nobody there noticed White’s closed up shop.

I'm curious if XP will introduce an SMF coil to supplement what is already out there with the Deus (and the Deus controller gets a software update) or if it will be an entirely new coil / controller / headphones arrangement. If it is JUST an SMF coil, it could be more affordable than an entirely new unit. Rich-

I've had opportunity to use FBS since it was introduced with the Explorer series and the Multi-IQ in the form of an Equinox since it was introduced. For me, these are proven in the field entities. If the advertising is correct, Nokta / Makro will be stepping into the arena of SMF shortly, offering what we believe to be the Lightning. A big congrats for them for taking on the challenge. However, I don't plan on selling my 800 to jump to an unknown performance detector. For those unhappy with their Equinox's, Heck ya, go give it a shot. There's good reason to try something else or at least compare. Meanwhile, I'll be watching with interest, like I've done with other SMF's since the early 90's. Rich

Those rotten zincolns. I think they just need to stop making them. They have such little value now, they often get left on the counter at the local convenience stop for somebody to use if they're a few short. And they're left on the sidewalk if dropped, not worth the effort to pick up. Nothing wrong with recovering them and getting them out of the way of masking possible good targets. As for throwing out the corroded zincolns, take a deep breath and toss them in garbage. Believe me, it feels great. rich

This is year 2 of my zincoln project. It goes like this; I don't try to rescue these nuisance targets anymore. If I recover one and it is spendable it goes in my pocket (not my finds pouch). If it is corroded, it goes in the trash side of my finds pouch without a second thought and then into the garbage and is out of circulation. I feel like a I just did the detecting world a favor each time I dump my garbage. i no long waste my time and effort attempting to count, document, clean and store these and I feel better for it. I keep a spreadsheet of my coinshooting finds. They've been removed from there as well and I no longer consider them coins found. They are simply garbage. Rich

What if . . . . . . . What if . . . . . . . What if . . . . . think we need to have a new forum overseen by Tom; the Philospophy of Metal Detecting

Never thought of getting flowers for my therapist. 😉 Good idea.

Hey SchoolofhardNox, Im with you on this as that's where the finer women's rings come in. Everything 1 and up that I could get even a semi-consistent signal over was dug. The area doesn't lend itself to foil. I was expecting more sinkers and split shot from fishermen and I didn't get even 1. That was unusual. I usually come home with several. This area is quite rocky making it easy for anything dropped to quickly disappear in the nooks and crannies i need to get out the waders and move into deeper water and find the women's rings. They should be there somewhere. Thanks for the thoughts. rich

Lol, Must be related to my old boss. But I like what I learned from him. rich

Hi Valens Legacy, Thanks for the comments. The trash ratio was quite good compared to some places I've hunted. There were 6 square tabs, 10 pull tabs / tab rings / beaver tails, 1 squashed screw cap, 4 fishing lures, 1 and two halves sunglasses frames, 2 rusted bolts w/ washer / nuts, 1 - 9mm casing, 1 wad foil, 2 large rusted split rings like those used for car keys, and 3 corroded zincoln cents. I think that is 33 separate junk targets. Some of the tabs were right together and made for quick recovery. I used a waterproof pro pointer AT to speed locating. Keepers; No nickels, which surprised me. A clad dime. A copper memorial. 5 rings and the bracelet. Targets came pretty quick and the area is not so big. I made two passes. I'm hoping to get out again. It was 73* Monday, and snowed 3" Tuesday. I have some more areas Ive scouted but have work and some yard projects still to be done. rich

It's one of those days that I had to go to Plan B. Last minute plans for some detecting with a friend at an old ghost town fell thru. So, I decided to play catch up on some shallow water ring hunting I missed out on last year due to moving. The last several years, I've been scouting places to hunt for lost Jewelry, specifically, rings. Taking a page out of Mike Hillis' post on Inland Jewelry Hunting Tips here on detector prospector, I've been making changes. Some great info there. The last few years it has been paying off for me. Compared to previous years, my ring count is way up.Arriving onsite, the place still looked promising. Once geared up, i walked the shore and picked a place to start. Moments later, first target - a solid 16 on the EQ800 target ID. Some difficult digging in the rocks and the signal is out of the hole. And there is a men's black tungsten carbide ring with a center insert that looked like wood under epoxy. I was hoping it was going to be a good day. And it was. More hunting; some pull tabs, some square tabs, some fishing lures, a couple gold rings, a .925 silver bracelet. a couple more 'other' rings and two hours later, I was out of area I could hunt with the gear I brought. Looking in my finds pouch I see 5 rings, 2 of which are gold, a 3rd is a maybe and the last 2 are definitely NOT made of precious metal. After arriving at home, the magnet test shows the unmarked white gold looking ring responds very faintly to a super magnet. Rats. First water hunt of the year yields 2 gold rings (1 marked with a very worn 14k, the other unmarked) and 3 others, 1 Mex .925 silver bracelet, and a finds pouch with miscellaneous junk / garbage found where people meet water. While I missed out on having a go at an old ghost town, it was nice to turn up a couple of gold rings and a silver bracelet to get the shallow water year started. Rich -----------------------------------------------------

LOL

Sorry we missed you guys while we were there. Appreciate the tip on the meteorites. I'll remember that one. Rich

Stunner of a gold coin - Been detecting for more than a couple years and I don't recall seeing a private issue gold coin found with a metal detector. Huge congrats. And love the buckles - very cool Rich -

With the real expensive detectors, it would be nice for a la carte -

I've thought about this very thing before. I could see the customized order working IF the manufacturer is factory direct and there isn't a distributor that has to attempt to try and stock all possible variations in a preassembled box ready to ship at a moments notice. In my mind, if the stock parts are immediately removed upon opening the box and replaced with something else better suited, than I wish I didn't have to pay for the unwanted stock part. rich -

Jonathan, Just make a good note of where that comet / meteor hits so you can collect the pieces. Makes paying off the 6000 and whatever follows easy. Rich -

It's Great to read of everyone's successes. Hats off to those that have turned up 1 or more gold coins. A friend and I found an 1881 $10 a very long time ago working together sifting in an old silver mining town. I'm still looking for the elusive gold coin to show up under the coil. It will. Best that I know of for a day is 20, all in 1 spot. (cache) Wouldn't that brighten your day? It would mine. And I wouldn't dream of placing any sort of rules on how my gold coin(s) has to be found; singles or multiples. Just sit back and enjoy the amazing experience. Rich

Gerry, Any idea how far back in the models that Minelab is still supporting repairs ? If I were able to find a reasonably clean / operating older model, could repairs still be made? Or would I be out of luck should the electronics gremlin strike ? Is there an obvious point in models where age makes the purchase a foolish one? rich -

Since 1976 I've had 34 that I have written down. I currently have 2 primary use detectors - an Equinox 800 and XP Deus. I also have a vanquish 540 for a loaner, a White's Surf PI DF for ocean duties and a couple very old Tesoro's for show and tell. Rich

I appreciate the thoughts, and I like Chase's idea of putting that speedy WM08 to use with a short custom cable. Cudos. If the puck was round and clipped into a favorite pair of headphones sans custom adapter cables it would be even better. I've done the cable routing under clothing and . . . . I can do it. Still a nuisance. Takes time and then I have a wire coming out my collar area or up through an iPod opening in my jacket. But if we're looking for optimal here for this next gen of equinox, a WM08 in a coat or pants pocket with a headphone wire routed up the torso isn't optimal. What would be optimal? rich

I use the Fe2 setting if I am hunting around old houses or a park my typical settings will start with: Park 1 Fe2 = 2 Recovery = 4 Sensitivity = max or as close to max without instability noise cancel / cell phone off these settings provide the best separation, unmasking and depth. If the ground is wet / saturated, these settings will usually result in recovering a lot of deep rusty nails, bent nails and pieces of nails, rusty bits of iron. If this occurs, I will modify my settings to: Park 1 Fe2 = 4 Recovery = 6 Sensitivity = max or a close to max without instability. noise cancel / cell phone off. Rich

Factory wireless headphones. I tried the WM08 wireless module for a while, but it isn't really wireless is it since I have to plug wired headphones into it and then deal with THAT coiled cord bouncing around and snagging on brush, etc. is it possible to have a WM08 module / puck that connects into a headset similar to what XP does with their Deus? There are aftermarket headsets available that hold their puck. Or WM08 headphones instead of the current headphones provided. rich

My Wish was granted. Funny you should mention it, but for hunting parks, I have my 800 set up like my old CZ-6 and 6a. And the frequencies are right; 5, 10, 15, 20, 40. Five tone. -9 to -1 for iron, 0 to 11 for foil, 12-13 for nickels, 14-17 for tabs, and 18-above for IHC's and up. I have the audio in the coin regions bright and of higher freq, the tones for the foil range (women's gold rings) lower in tone and volume but still easily heard. The tab range more so and the iron audio is audible but mummed. If I'm hunting an area unlikely to have IHC's, I can adjust the upper break point to delete zincoln cents. Using the CZ for many years hunting old yards, park strips, parks and such it was a great coin shooter. But I much prefer the abilities of the 800 for both unmasking and iron rejection and it is every bit as deep. As a cudo to the CZ, it achieved that depth with an 8" concentric coil which was a joy to use and pinpoint with. Rich