Tony

Come on Joe.....into the waves and swell like a real pirate. This calm lake hunting must get boring (except for the gold)........if you’re not getting upended and tossed around in 4 foot breakers and spending 5 minutes trying to find your scoop then you’re missing out on the real fun......😜😜

8 minutes ago, phrunt said:

That's what convinced me to give beach detecting a shot, easy on the old back and seeing my foot can sink with one step a decent part of the depth my detector can achieve I don't see sand as an issue.  So far it's looking like Fisher and notably Alexandre have given people a decent detector.  👍

“Easy on the old back”..........Simon is going to get a reality check if you end up with an AQ 😅😅😅😅

Killer unit.....low tide hard pan and general beach hunting. Full power in deeper and rougher water might be too much gun unless Steve can roll out one of those pontoon dredges with a 4” suction hose.....🤠

Calm waters or lakes then be prepared to seriously dig.....hard pack sand or clay will give you a serious workout...no need for those Gym memberships anymore.

Will Platinum be “captured” in any other mode except All Metal. 
Potentially losing “big gold” would also force me into All Metal.......and that is fine by me. I have very little iron junk on my beaches which is also a bonus.

Now where is that AQ Lite version......it only needs three knobs and just the one search mode 😜

PS....if anyone hasn’t seen Joe’s beach test with the nickel then you really to need to check it out........ It smokes the TDIBH on that test.......the benchmark for a nickel has a new champion. I couldn’t be happier.👍

I’m familiar with the washing machine conditions........spin cycle is usually the worse when that 4 foot wave sneaks up and says “ good morning”......😳

55 minutes ago, Tony said:

Can it be purchased with the 8” coil only?

Read a bit more....looks like the 8” coil is accessory only.....darn it !

Looks like we can get a bundle deal.....Pinpointer and 8” coil only 👍

I know the feeling......sometimes the harder you try the less you find. Everything appears to line up and..........nothing.
Gold can be a cruel mistress 😩

But on average.......effort, timing and good functioning equipment will usually bring a smile 👍

Can it be purchased with the 8” coil only?

Read a bit more....looks like the 8” coil is accessory only.....darn it !

12 hours ago, Skullgolddiver said:

I really love the 8"design, but most important thing is that I realized the "magic behind"...If I'm correct, these coils and of course the machine, are usually running at higher delays as maded for some deep diving and generally larger objects.

25uS delay is the data I remember... Apparently this is not our preferred coil's range😭

Eric winds the coils to suit quick delays.....the photo's just show the physical design only.

Hello SGD,

I am currently waiting to hear back from Eric Foster regarding a suitable coil for the TDIBH. Eric and I keep in regular correspondence but I know he’s recently moved house and recovering from quite a serious illness.

The coil I’m trying to purchase is a 10” centre mount coil that is suitably wound for delays as low as 10uS. The coil is identical to that used on the Aquastar detector. I’m not sure if Eric has the right shells. The photo attached is from the Aquapulse website but shows the same design. Centre mount coils offer superior stability in the water. An 8” coil is also possible. As soon as I hear back from Eric then I’ll update this thread. All his coils are fully potted with epoxy.

The second photo shows the design of the 8” coil

Tony 

And then 3D print a suitable mounting bracket.....👍

Diameter starts at 2” and just under 4” length ....certainly would allow for a very decent sized battery which would be good for water work with long hunt times. 
One draw back is losing the nicely streamlined OEM battery pack.

On 6/1/2020 at 3:32 AM, Steve Herschbach said:

Like I said earlier, where there is a will, there is a way. 

A small otter box and these connectors, plus some 18650 batteries... done. If anyone has a better idea for connectors that do not involve Aliexpress I'm all ears.

Some of the best Underwater cylindrical enclosures and fittings come from Blue Robotics...high quality and very high depth ratings. Check out their range.....impressive. Perfect for an 18650 cell setup.

https://bluerobotics.com/store/watertight-enclosures/2-series/wte-vp/#tube

I wonder if Fisher has 100 people to sell the AQ to within the USA........Rick ??

4 hours ago, phrunt said:

I have contacted DHL and they are shipping worldwide with minimal issues, and delivery times are not impacted severely between most countries.

Simon.....you are not helping my resolve at all....👍👍👍
 

Funnily enough, the perceived restrictions on the AQ Limited (depth rating and battery life) would not bother me one bit because this is a tool that I would most likely use on the hard pan at low tide....no need to worry about depth ratings and a careful battery swap out after 3 hours is fine. I’m currently well over my retrieval abilities in deeper and rougher water with the Excalibur......let alone the TDIBH with that “too big a coil” for rough water. Boy oh Boy.....$1500 is a very good price 😋 and a smart move by Fisher. But as you all know....I’m unlikely to get the unit.......right 😇

Certainly would like to try one out down under......I’ve been using beach/water PI’s since my Goldquest SS back around the early 2000’s. Damn you Fisher for tempting me yet again !! 🤯

Personally, I would love to know the depth capability on a buried US Nickel in neutral beach sands. The signal needs to be a definite change in threshold that an average person should hear. Even better.....a blind test on a target that “might” be in a given small area. In real life detecting, operators don’t know where deep targets are so testing should replicate this.

Kudos to Fisher....they really got their act together after all and in difficult times 👍

Tony

PS....Benchmark for a buried Nickel as described in the test procedure above (where the operator does not know that a target even exists) is approximately 15” to 16” with the TDIBH @ 14.4v with GB off / GAIN at max / Delay at 10uS

On 6/2/2020 at 3:40 AM, Dances With Doves said:

 How would you compare the beach tdi with the infinium for depth?

I have used both units....From my in ground tests and records, the TDIBH is clearly superior in depth. A 12” target seen by the Infinium will be seen at 15” with the TDIBH running the higher voltage pack. The stock TDIBH battery will still have a clear advantage over the Infinium. I used to also run a Garrett Sea Hunter MK2 and it pipped the Infinium in depth......straight PI over the GBPI won out (in white coral sands).

Currently......the TDIBH @ 14.4v is as deep as you will get from any detector (for typical beach hunting) including any PI from Minelab. I don’t have to deal with any magnetic black sands locally. I’d like to test out the TDIBH in true black sands with GB on.

The reason a higher level of water ingress is required is due to static v dynamic water pressure. Detecting in surf and waves generates a high level of dynamic water pressure. I used to surf and had many 50m rated watches leak on me.....usually the result of wiping out. As soon as I moved to 100m to 200m rated watches, I never had another problem with water killing them. A decent wave crashing over you in only 3 feet of water will subject the control box to a high level of dynamic water pressure. I’m guessing the unit would be safer in 15 feet of calm water where the static water pressure would be less likely to force its way in.

6 hours ago, Skullgolddiver said:

I'm honestly scared to potentially burn other money in another machine, especially after the still unsolved troubles with my TDI bH and for the waterproof AQ's rate of 1mt. too...Not to mention my old sniper Ctx, but in the water the work sounds really different from wetsand. I perfectly mastered the settings, tried anything but I'm not satisfied about noise/signal ratio.

 

Curious to know what troubles you have had with the TDIBH?

Let me know if I can help !!

 Tony 

An unlikely purchase for me......

• My beaches are generally mineral free due to base coral sands
• I physically can’t dig any deeper in the rough water than with my Excalibur at full power
• I will not use a water detector with minimal ingress protection
• I don’t want to spend unnecessary energy and time digging a wide range of iron and iron/alloy targets
• I let Mother Nature do the heavy lifting for me and tend to hit areas that I know have had most sand removed and the heavy targets are in range
• My TDIBH has enough firepower for me if the need arises and it’s good to 30 feet
•  Crappy Aussie dollar, shipping, tax and an exorbitant dealer markup doesn’t help

But I’m glad detectors such as the AQ exist.......and never say never 🙈

I used to have about 5 detecting websites “Bookmarked”.........now I only have just the one 👍

3 hours ago, phrunt said:

Well it's the 15th today in NZ so I'm sitting here waiting for their release 🙂 If they do it anything like Apple or Microsoft the products get released here before anywhere else, somehow.... I don't think this is the case with the Garrett.

Simon......sorry to disappoint you but you’ll have to wait until the 16th to see the release......about 3 am your time 😂

Im slightly better at 11pm on the 15th......👍

The Detech coils may be waterproof but if fully submerged then flotation may become a problem. Ideally, a fully potted coil would be best for water work, especially in deeper water. Another potential problem for non potted coils is water pressure compression on the coil shell could generate false signals and worse still, rupture of the coil housing. Just as an FYI...fully potted means a solid epoxy filled coil, typical for water/diving based detectors such as the Excalibur, Sea Hunter, Aquapulse.

I am in the process of trying to acquire an epoxy filled coil so stay tuned. I have decided not to pursue a smaller land based coil for my TDIBH as I’m not confident the single turn GB control will do the job.

 Tony 

There are “many” full time, part time, hobbyists and amateur detectorists who are struggling to swing heavy Minelab PI detectors.....good balance can only go so far before arm, elbow, shoulder, neck or back pain creeps in. A good deal of these people would gladly move to an overall lighter detector platform and would happily accept “some” performance drop by moving away from a Minelab.......because now they can hunt for 10 hours a day instead of 5.

It’s a case of not if, but when, Minelab sees this opportunity.......and fills it.

The TDI SL physical platform is there already........just needs to be tweaked under the hood 👍

If the performance was right up there with Minelab then someone’s going to have their lunch eaten 😳

Minelab has very deep pockets.....I also suspect they could probably counter “rival” machines should the need arise. I can only imagine what future tech / prototypes they already have in the works with some ready for market !