Tony

I just posted on another thread asking why the delay range can’t be extended further. It removes capacitive problems plus a lot of fast salt noise as well as keeping in the zone for the majority of decent size gold targets. I applaud the development of he AQ’s circuitry to allow such fast delays as well as the crucially damped coils to allow this BUT at what cost. 15uS to 20uS is the Goldilocks zone for all other PI’s.......is the AQ any different? Asking because I don’t know and don’t have an AQ. Sure would Ike to try one DownUnder 👍

I was curious to know why the slow end of the pulse delay is 11.5uS. Could this range be extended to maybe somewhere between 15uS and 20uS.....for those that need it when required or really enjoy a quiet threshold ?
 

9 hours ago, deborah195412 said:

Delays range from 7-11.5 uS. I think a smaller coil would solve the problem. 

11.5 uS......Wow...my TDI BH would be screaming and squawking like a flock of angry seagulls. That is my setting for the low tide beach areas.

The audio “problems” sound like normal PI hunting in my typical ocean conditions......Delays need to be increased to 20uS for any sort of normality but I can’t make any judgements as to whether this applies to the AQ or not. 

What is the AQ’s slowest delay ?

Hello Jim,

That size coil will be okay if you’re not going too deep. The more of your body that is not submerged generates more weight onto the coil so coil flotation won’t be a problem. Are you hunting rougher water on a regular basis.....if so, then a smaller coil might be the way the go. Moving away from a Dual Field coil will certainly calm the detector down in any mineralised areas and will subdue some of the salt signal if running lower delays. To me there are no obvious cons by moving to the Aussie style mono coil based on the targets you’re after.

Tony

7 hours ago, cjc said:

That;'s great advice, Tony.  Took me a while to learn that with the TDI thinking it had to be run way down to get it's power.  Not true.  Great to see that you are still at it.   Kind Regards clive

Hello Clive.....yep still at it more than ever. Discovered a way where my wife never complains when I buy a new detector.........cashed in all my gold and bought her a new fancy Subaru. Now she asks when I’m going detecting again....😂

I will always have a PI but used very site specific......I used to play golf a lot and the powerful PI is like the #1 Driver......easy to get into trouble and out of bounds. The VLF is like a 3 Wood....good power and accuracy but easy to stay on the fairway.

Enjoy the rest of your summer 👍

Tony

The day I started worrying less about a quick delay and more on a smooth threshold was the day I started finding more gold. Yes, the smaller/finer and lower karat gold rings respond better to a quicker delay BUT only if you can hear them above the salt response in moving salt water. The bigger and higher karat gold rings will still respond very well to delays above 15uS !
Absolutely use the quickest delay possible if salt signal isn’t a problem 👍

Hoping it performs as well as possible for your conditions. The gasket is difficult but looks like it is all seated correctly. I don’t think the cable glands will give you any problems.....it forms a good watertight seal when tightened and Whites seal the connection where the cable gland meets the control box.....you can see the black adhesive. Fingers crossed that the heavy salt is manageable.....keep the Gain down if not needed especially if you know targets are in range. And finally, don’t get too concerned about low delays......even at 20uS you will capture most gold and the higher karat gold responds very well to higher delays. 👍

Perfect for me......just work out the best size and weight for your coil size in order to just submerge it.

The one I had was bright yellow which made it very easy to see in the water.

I used a rubber discus....they come in various sizes and the leading edges are streamlined so minimal resistance in the water. Just drill some holes and zip tie to the coil. 

Surely one of the many Minelab technicians at their computers would have been busted playing Call of Duty.

And maybe, just maybe, someone, somewhere can legally “purchase” the V3i platform, along with all the codes and IP rights.....and take it further...much further?

We can all hope, right 👍

RIP Reg.....thanks to you, I got into hobby PI detectors about 20 years ago and your words of wisdom back then still help me now. Condolences to family and friends. Your legacy in the field of detecting will last forever.

If you get stuck with the surgery, I can help. If possible, leave the red and black wires on the PCB (don’t desolder) unless you have someone to help hold these wires as you solder onto the small tabs. These wires can be used to connect to your new coil wires so leave them if you find it easier. You also don’t need to detach the control plugs from the PCB as I did on the picture. The gasket is tricky.....but I’ve done it a few times and no problems. Just make it is seated properly before you tighten any screws.....a small flat piece of plastic helps move it into place after the lid is placed on top. Get someone to keep pressure on the top lid as you seat the gasket and THEN secure the screws....just enough for the plastic tabs on top lid and bottom half to touch....no more than that ! 
I use silicone grease on the gasket as it helps the top lid to seat easier and slide over the gasket.....but the gasket can pop off easier too before the top lid is secure. You’ll work it out okay. Make sure the gasket isn’t pinched as you gently tighten the screws.....use that piece of plastic to slowly seat the gasket if does bunch up. A credit card is good to use.

Goos luck

Tony

I’ve used them a few times......been good and saved some serious money !

Steve Howard from Whites got back to me.......they’re not selling anything from the factory which is understandable I guess, considering the state of affairs.

3 hours ago, karelian said:

Just give me another ten years of trouble free operation with my XL PRO and I'll be happy.. everything else is negotiable, replaceable..

 

 

Me too......I think those boards will last 50 years if the rest of the quality is anything to go by 👍

I wonder if Whites has any PCB’s for sale..... I’d grab another TDI BeachHunter board if the price was reasonable. I’m thinking is it worth emailing someone at White’s ?

Imagine if you could follow the family line......and reunite it.

I did this many years ago but the ring had a much later date on it.....1945 if I recall and quite specific names engraved. I tracked down the daughter of the rings owner (unfortunately had recently passed)......special moment for sure.

You are absolutely correct.......plus I’m finally realising the right tool for the job is critical. I cant see myself ever being without the Excalibur.......but the TDI definitely has its place on the beach.

HH to you as well

Tony

I took my Excalibur out yesterday water hunting to an area I thought might hold some loot.....I was rewarded with a very nice Platinum ring.

The area was inundated with old bottlecaps and even though the Excal was nulling them out perfectly, it was hard going and required a good deal of patience. Because of this, I have decided to keep the TDIBH strictly for beach work as using a PI in this area would have made me quit in disgust. The detector has been reassembled back to the original Coil as I was planning on swapping out for a smaller coil for the water.

I feel too much time would be wasted using a PI in this area (And most of the areas I hunt in the water) and I needed to cover a lot of sea floor and make the most of the tides.

I feel I’m going to be a 90% VLF user for the water, based on iron and iron alloy junk plus mineralised ground is not a problem. I’ll keep the PI for the lower beach and hard pan when I do hit these areas.

Here’s a photo of the Whites coil wire after desoldered from main board..

Should be able to replicate this with the Detech coil cable.....fairly typical mono coill setup where the Receive and Transmit are on the same centre wire. Just need to twist up enough outer braid for soldering up to the other wire (shown black in photo)

2 hours ago, Skullgolddiver said:

I think to hardwire it for a couple reasons...Not only for a watertight work, but even to avoid different coil's operations due to connector eventual resistance/capacitance/electrolysis phenomenons...Things that I'm not able to measure and master on the control box...Not yet at my level of electronics knowledge...I'll lose the option to change the coil in a fast way, but is not my primary target.

I'm doing this thing for a noise reduction first and hopefully to reduce also delay a bit to "see"thin stuff eventually 😬 missed with forced settings I'm using.

I’m all set to hardwire......if I don’t hear back regarding the 3 spoke coil then the Detech 8” mono will be ordered. It should be a simple plug cutoff and then wire up.....one to the centre wire and the other to the outer shield braid.

That’s the way to go for sure !

10 hours ago, N7XW said:

I can't really contribute much to this conversation but I will say that I absolutely love the 8" mono coil.  I used it on the beach in the heavy black sand last weekend and it was great.  Very stable, easy to swing underwater and deep.  So deep, I need a better sand scoop.  I had to leave multiple deep targets because I simply could not reach them. 

Definitely appreciate first hand experience 👍

Is this on the TDI detecor?