Tony

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.

It’s definitely got some grunt……Fisher really owe it to themselves to re-release this model with all of the issues ironed out. 95% of the hard work and cost has been done already. With my GP3500, I can hit my smallish 6.5g 18K wedding ring at 17”. This is using a 14” DD coil (comparable in depth to my 11” Mono but much quieter). These detectors draw 0.75A which goes a long way to achieving these depths. I’d be confident in getting 20” on that class ring of yours as it does have some profile to it. Have a good summer 👍

Agree completely 👍 I hope I’m wrong but I’m calling that Fisher won’t release any further AQ Impulse detectors at all. They are currently trying to offload the last remaining inventory of “Ltd” models……I sure hope any potential buyers know what they are getting into. I’d be surprised if they shift one unit. They might get a few bites around the $999 mark 🤔

I’m not hating on Fisher but I checked out the latest Fisher user manual for the AQ (Revision 2)……there’s about two or three typo’s in the first page alone…..could they at least get this bit right by proof reading the layout before publishing. The rest of the manual is littered with mistakes…..it’s just careless and rushed……there’s a pattern here 😖😖😖

That asking price is brutal……..others apparently share a similar view.

Anyone know what changes have been made to the AQ v AQ Ltd? I would like to know if Fisher have rectified these issues; Are they still using Vishay Potentiometers (Rated to IP67)? Are the rotary control shafts still attracted to a magnet (they should be stainless steel or solid nylon)? Does the noise free frequency selection still drop out between the different modes (after initially locking in the best noise free pulse rate / frequency)? Does the delay setting still default back to 7uS after switching the detector off (regardless of where the knob is set)? What is the latest firmware on these Ltd units? Have they sorted out the metal retaining nut on the coil connector that was causing “noise” from saltwater? Has the battery pack been upgraded in capacity? If some or all of these issues are still with the AQ Ltd then I’m not sure that the product is really fit for sale 🤔 Would really like to hear back from those in the know…..or maybe even from Fisher

Hope you are well Joe…….I didn’t know there was an upgraded version in the works. I still think the current AQ platform will be a tough sell…..even “upgraded”…… I see a lot of daylight between what’s been offered and what should be offered ☹️

Could have been a legendary detector but unfortunately it was poorly engineered in many aspects. I was really hoping that Fisher would relaunch a much improved version instead of letting it wither on the vine…..so much R&D, money and time has been sunk into this model that it beggars belief that Fisher can simply let this detector go the graveyard. Who knows, maybe Garrett might step in and do the job properly and put the AQ brain into a beefy waterproof enclosure with two or three beefy controls……get rid of the complexity with all the controls and settings and keep it powerful and simple…..just like some earlier companies did 20 and 30 years ago 😳 $2000……..with the history behind it…..🤔

I was planning on saluting Gerry when I meet him 🤣

It’s cheaper for me to fly the 10,000 miles to the USA, pick up my new 6000 and then return home than it is to drive the 15 minutes to my local Minelab dealership…..in fact, I would have enough for a few nights in Vegas as well 🤔

So in the USA with the 25% discount plus 15% Military discount…….drum roll please……equals about $5500 Aussie dollars 😳 Hmmm…….let me see what the cheapest GPX6000 dollars is here…surely it can’t be an extra $2500 😩

I used to use a section of thick closed cell foam……about 12” x 4” and it wasn’t a problem to carry around or secure under your belt.

I’ve always used hardwood handles for my water scoops…..cheap and strong. I’ve never broken one……but I alway do a left to right rocking motion to break the suction and then a quick shake before I even attempt to raise the scoop from the sea floor……a bonus is you won’t ruin your back as well.

……and avoiding counterfeit coils 🇨🇳

Thanks Steve, I wondered what caused that weird format……caused me all sorts of problems with “JPS”. I only resolved the problem by rotating my iPad from Landscape to Portrait……all by chance of course.

I was more concerned it was near me……and that I might turn green and get angry 😡

Oh good…..I can stop inspecting the tyre tread for the missing culprit…..as we were advised to do 😳

Plenty detect the vast salt lakes here in Western Australia….although challenging, the extreme salt can be tamed. As well as the salt there is often a thick heavily mineralised clay/mud to deal with. If there’s that much salt content where he’s testing that is 8X typical beach then why bother testing there? A VLF has no advantage over a PI in regard to any salt content. I’m always sceptical on any testing videos 🤔

Generally speaking, the larger and higher karat gold targets don’t need a quick delay. Delays of 15uS to 20uS in conjunction with longer pulse widths are ideally suited for these types of targets. The stability you refer to is simply the salt signal decaying away and not being “heard” by longer delays. Yes, the small low conductors are not detected as deep at these settings. I guess if you’re really keen then you could run different settings or detectors over high value beaches. I’ve also noticed that the nice diamonds are nearly always set in higher karat gold….18K and up. Sometimes “less is more”.

This forum has a wealth of information but make sure you satisfy yourself with your needs as far as detectors go. I’m after heavy gold (18K and onwards)…..this stuff sinks fast so you need a high power PI or let Mother Nature do the sand removal for you. I generally prefer pulse delays of 15uS as a minimum or even 20uS (coupled with longer pulse widths)…….but this is me and some people prefer much faster delays (too much salt signal for me).

Running a GP3500 in “Deep” mode with the 14”DD and a fixed GB will punch deeper than a 5000 in a “Salt Mode”….salt modes will generally cripple depth. Additionally, I never use a US Nickel when assessing PI performance……I use 18K or higher gold rings. I would like to have seen more of the VLF detectors being swept away from targets to see what sort of falsing there is…..I’m sure there would have been some chirps and beeps which would demand the sensitivity be reduced. And finally, when testing, I like blind tests where the operator has no idea where targets are buried and none of this sweeping back and forth over targets……unrealistic testing in that regard. To me, it’s just another staged test……but better than most. Yeah, I’m a harsh critic but “testing” must match typical “hunting” to truly get a feel for detector performance. Steve is spot on when he talks about the VLF v PI in nice white coral sand being fairly comparable but detectors such as the SD/GP have an ability to really punch to the next level (even in these benign conditions) by brute force….Amperage to the coil and “power” pulse timings.

I’m surprised you need a dry suit when hunting Joe with that thing warming the place up….😳

Just do a quick search on “GP3500” and there’s plenty to read about…..I’m already a bit off topic.

I did (and still do) what Steve did many years ago and use a GP3500 on the beach. My coil of choice is the Coiltek 14” DD and a lightweight 6v Lithium battery. If EMI isn’t too bad then the 14” Mono goes on. Two silicone end covers keeps it very well sealed from salt and sand……it’s the deepest setup I’ve ever used and I’m confident would surpass the Fisher AQ in all of the lower beach and hard pan. Basic iron discrimination to several inches takes care of the bobby pins and fish hooks. It’s a formidable setup as the coil is drawing 0.75A.

I can thoroughly recommend Mick at Detectronics. His work is of a very high standard. He repairs most Minelab PI detectors and provides excellent modifications as well. He’s regarded as the “Gold Standard”. https://www.detectronicsaustralia.com/