Tony

Thanks for sharing your story Steve……and providing this awesome metal detecting forum BUT I’d hate to think that you feel you can’t escape from it if the need was there…..most of us play well in the sandpit and only occasionally throw out the toys. Atari 800……I only had enough money for the Atari 400 back in 1981. I can remember spending hours typing in the BASIC game programs from Compute! magazine. I discovered metal detecting the same year aged 14……the rich kid up the road had a Compass Relic Magnum 7 which I drooled over more then my Atari 400. Keep well….and keep doing the things that make you happy. Damn you’re not that old 🚑

This is my setup……lightweight and very weather proof. I’ll use a bungee if the detecting sessions are long. I’ve got a light 6v Lithium battery in the backpack. I added an external control to the On/Off/Threshold switch to keep it well sealed….it’s just an off the shelf plug from the gardening section at the local hardware store but fits over the control knob perfectly. All other controls are set and forget 👍 I have mentioned previously that with the Extreme, 3000 and 3500, battery power is regulated internally so don’t use an external regulator. My testing shows a stock 6v battery performs better on these detectors. The 2200 and earlier models certainly benefited from an external regulator.

Most of those coils will do you well. I finally settled on the Detech 18” open DD because it performs very well, has great coverage, is waterproof and the open style (unlike the flat closed coils) coils don’t suction stick to the wet sand nor gather too much excess sand on top of the coil. I also use the silicone moulded end covers on the control box which makes the detector very weather proof from sand and salt spray. Average sized gold wedding bands can be reached to around the 18” mark which is good enough for me.

I checked a few days ago and sure enough, Kellyco still had about 8 for sale. I guess there isn’t much demand for a half baked product but I and many others have said their bit so I’ll leave it at that.

My guess is you won’t see much depth gain with the GPX series. I have tried a 4500 on the beach some years ago but I now run a 3500 and much prefer it. It just feels more settled and depth is at least on par with the 4500. I run my 3500 in the Salt mode and Deep audio…..using the Detech 18” open DD. I don’t feel disadvantaged not using a mono…..even with a very slow coil swing and at right angles to the water mono coils still groaned at me quite a bit. The DD is deeper as I can hear faint breaks in the threshold, minimal EMI problems which makes for less fatiguing detecting. The surface to 3” iron discrimination takes care of the pure iron targets such as fish hooks and sometimes the hairpins. The 18” DD has about the same detecting depth as my 14” mono but without all the problems of a mono coil. Just as a side note……I discounted the Salt timing for a long time thinking it was a downgrade from the Normal timing……I was wrong about that.

Come on Joe……you need to start hiding the gold in your tub of ice cream like everyone else does 👍

Not too bad actually……shipping and fully insured for about $50 USD. I could have sold it several times over such is the demand for these cult machines. I think he sold two of the bigger coils and recouped $200….so it only really cost him $300 all up.

I’m guessing around the 3kg mark…..🚑

That must weigh a ton……I suppose you could detect and do some land clearing at the same time 😳

I still have the MX7…….used just a few times. I don’t really grass/dirt hunt but I can’t let her go. I did recently sell my mint XL Pro with four coils to a happy detectorist somewhere in the USA.

Sounds like a bad case of Whiteitis…….no known cure and can be highly infectious to those around you. Symptoms include wide staring eyes and a crazy laugh and often includes rash (but oh so satisfying) decision making (especially on eBay).

I always felt that the blue Garrett Sea Hunter phones were the loudest to me. They may not be the last word in regard to audio fidelity but they are loud.

I could easily drop $50,000 in a store like that 😳

Oh no…….how to offend a Kiwi. Simon will be okay…..just give him a few days to recover, a week at the most 😡

Once the 6” Shooter Coil goes on you’ll never take it off……got one on my MX7 and it really is a formidable coil…..the target ID is laser sharp.

Skip the lead acid batteries and grab a 6v Lithium battery. Capacity of around 7.5Ah is plenty of run time…..at least 8 hours. I run my GP3500 on these……super light and quick to recharge. Remember you don’t need a fancy regulated battery (from the GP3000 onwards….all regulated internally). Also, the old “dome” battery connect to the lithium batteries but are too big to physically mount to the lithium battery (unless you choose a higher Ah battery which then becomes physically bigger). The battery / headphone connector one in the photo is from an old SD2100 setup but they are easy to make yourself if you can basic solder. The 6v lithium batteries are cheap….depending on capacity. Mine was about $60 Aussie dollars. Grab an amplifier if you want to use an external speaker otherwise not needed for headphones. Have a great trip.

I guess 12 detectors in my cart is a little excessive……Metal detectors does strange things to some people…….they are things you can feel and touch whereas a credit card statement is just numbers on a screen 😜😜

Okay I’m in before Joe grabs the rest 🫵

That’ll be Joe (OBN) maxing out his credit card 🤣

At least the revised user manual states the delay extends to 15uS…….somewhat encouraging.

Me too……too.

Yep……and everyone else’s opinion too. Who knows, Fisher may surprise us all and release a properly revised version. The bugs on the Limited model are well documented on this forum…..the ball is well and truly in Fishers court. The way I see it is either Fisher do the job properly or don’t do it at all. Joe (OBN) makes a good point…..he and other Beta testers have invested a lot of time and money using the AQ Ltd and have provided Fisher with all of the necessary feedback needed to progress this model to the next stage.

Please ignore the $999 that I mentioned….it doesn’t relate to any detector. The release dates for the final version AQ Impulse may not even happen but I really hope it does. No one knows about the “Gold” version as far as I know. There is only a reference to these detectors on their website which says “Coming Soon”……anybody’s guess what time frame that is 😡

What you says sums it up nicely……I’d also go for a proven and powerful detector with a great track record……my updated Garrett XL500 Pulse ain’t going nowhere. Hard to believe that Garrett essentially have the entire beach/water PI market to themselves if you’re after a new detector.