Tony

Definitely one of White’s finest machines……I got mine from an awesome chap on this forum 👍

It is still in mint condition but because most of my detecting is beach/water and prospecting, the XL Pro doesn’t get used much.

She comes with four mint coils as well (managed to buy a second Royal 800 coil locally).

Tony

I’m fairly sure that some 4x6 Shooter coils had a history of overloading across different Whites detectors but don’t really know much else. I think the “V” rated coils didn’t have this problem?

Hello Dave,

Here’s the link for the 3D printed battery pack

https://www.ebay.com/sch/sn0wboarder/m.html?item=284510484925&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

Stick with the 11.1v (nominal voltage for 3 x 18650 cells). I don’t recommend the 14.8v setup as the extra heat on parts of the PCB is really high and you are only gaining somewhere between 10% and 15% depth increase.

The TDI BeachHunter is an awesome “beach” detector but submerging it will eventually cause a leak as the O-Ring and screws are a bad design. You’ll crack the plastic tabs on the case if the screws are even slightly over tightened. Other than those avoidable problems, she’s a beast of a beach detector.

The AQ is in the Intensive Care Unit on life support……the kindest thing would be to switch it off.

44C weather over here in Perth tomorrow…….I don’t care what’s under the tree but what’s in the fridge and freezer 🥵

Not Champagne but probably Koolaid 😎

Okay, my unit has only seen seawater once but I know of another old Seahunter XL500 that has had continual and sustained use since 1990……and the pins are like new on the bulkhead and coil cable end.

Come on Fisher…….it’s not Rocket Surgery or Brain Science 😜

According to his website……..Gary charges……….wait for it……

$900 for a 3 hour lesson 🤩 This equates to $5 per minute, so you owe Gary’s client $25 😀

But Gary provides the “sunscreen and refreshments”

I'm hoping that means a $500 bottle of Moët?

I wonder if I could undercut Gary 😇

You’re right Steve…..the word “sad” summarises the situation exactly. 
But this thread is a good, healthy and robust one……who knows, it may spark Fisher into action. I’m sure there’s some lively discussions within the Fisher board 👍

That old saying “build it and they will come” is only valid if it’s built properly. 
My positive spin is…….Fisher will revamp this model starting with the mechanicals and then refine the code (this is a digital platform?).

Most of the work has already been done……they could still hit a home run.

Simplify it, toughen it up……..saltwater is an unforgiving environment and will expose any design flaw or weakness. Put this thing in a clear, thick walled polycarbonate case with proven hardware controls that can be easily maintained………sound familiar ?

Fisher……here’s a clue.

I can’t see the AQ coming back from this reputational damage……..in any form. Sounds like it’s dead in the (salt) water. To sink a lot of R&D and money on a half assed job is quite unbelievable. So as I see it…….Garrett has the market all to themselves with their Sea Hunter MK2 👍

4 hours ago, Skullgolddiver said:

True, but You'll be surprised testing really tiny gold jewels, sounding perfectly at almost 20uS.

I can't even Imagine to keep my BeachHunter at less than 20uS especially cause I Hunt Underwater in damn salty too.

You're using a low pulse delay that can for sure react bad with volcanic/gravels kind Sand.

It simply can't do nothing but continuely retune itself.

Great post Skully…..and as I have mentioned before, delays of 20uS still see the higher karat gold rings very well (especially the bigger ones). The day I stopped trying to always run low delays in the wrong conditions was a turning point for me…..and I started hearing the deep gold because the smallest of threshold variations were targets and not  the salt and black sands.

Yes, the TDI Beachhunter will leak on you…..consider it for all conditions except submersion. My view on this model is it has a good brain but bad body……bit like my first girlfriend. 😜

I used a rubber discus that I zip tied to the coil…made for a good coil weight. In the end, the coil size in the water and it’s tendency to like to drink (bit like my second girlfriend) was just too much so I moved it on and got more than I paid for it 👍

Running the 14.4v Lithium battery improved overall depth by about 15%…..my records show it as the deepest seeking beach detector that I have used. Extra voltage does generate more heat on the board so bear that in mind.

Tony

I just feel that whilst developing the AQ, they should have kept one eye on the basics of some of the high performing PI detectors of the past……proven design, engineering and performance. If it ain’t broke……well you know the rest. 

2 minutes ago, Tony said:

I have never owned the Impulse AQ but I’m curious to know if some of these moving salt/mineral issues are solved by running longer pulse delays. Pulse users are not “detuning” their machines by running at 20uS in these sorts of conditions. I have recently acquired a mint (and fully upgraded) Garrett XL500 pulse which has a minimum pulse delay of 20uS. In churning white salt water, I get just a very slight salt signal only but still hear small gold at good depth……this is the perfect balance in my opinion. I’m not a Fisher engineer but I just never could understand how this detector could quietly operate at quick delays in these conditions…….it goes against the very principles of pulse induction.

Tony

Okay…..just read some other posts and it appears that running higher delays is not a solution. Safe to say that the best pulse machines are no longer made 😩

I have never owned the Impulse AQ but I’m curious to know if some of these moving salt/mineral issues are solved by running longer pulse delays. Pulse users are not “detuning” their machines by running at 20uS in these sorts of conditions. I have recently acquired a mint (and fully upgraded) Garrett XL500 pulse which has a minimum pulse delay of 20uS. In churning white salt water, I get just a very slight salt signal only but still hear small gold at good depth……this is the perfect balance in my opinion. I’m not a Fisher engineer but I just never could understand how this detector (Impulse AQ) could quietly operate at quick delays in these conditions…….it goes against the very principles of pulse induction.

Tony

With any underwater headset, it’s worth prying off the earcups and checking that the rubber epoxy has fully sealed the wires where they go into the actual piezo speaker otherwise problems are just around the corner. If the phones are too loud then I used to wear one of those sun hats with the side flaps and that would block enough audio to be fairly comfortable. I have had bad luck with two pairs of Amphibians and had to replace the entire curly cord on one new set as water was wicking in from somewhere 😡

The Garrett blue phones have plenty of volume built in. They are a bit too loud on land but when the earcups fill with water then the audio is suppressed somewhat. Current Amphibian II phones dispensed with the volume control knobs as they were a point of failure. I would pick the Garrett phones over the Amphibians…..they are much cheaper and better constructed (I have opened up both of these phones and the Garrett was better constructed as far as the piezo epoxy and wiring goes). Amphibians are “Made in China”……they hid that label underneath the headband when you slide it out for adjustment. I would guess the Garrett’s might still be made in the USA.

Hope this helps,

Tony

2 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

I apologize Tony. I feel like you also reacted more strongly than I think is warranted, as my intent was simply to get topic back on track and on topic. I apologize for coming off strong to you, it was not my intent, and more an unfortunate side effect of short written responses. I’d rather we chalk it up to miscommunication between people of good will, as I do value your opinions. I monitor a huge number of threads and posts, and sometimes respond too quickly without fully digesting things. I’m more than willing to admit I blow it now and then, and ask forgiveness.

Agreed…..I did respond with “gusto”. Gee, we’re a passionate lot when it comes to metal detecting. The nature of forums and posting lends itself to sometimes not showing the whole story and “assumptions” easily creep in. Much easier to discuss around a campfire. Having said that, I accept that my first response may have been slightly off topic so I will keep that in mind for future reference.

BUT…..stay tuned for my “new” Garrett XL500 PI project….posting soon (ooops, now I’m really off topic).

Love this forum and appreciate the HUGE amount of work needed to run it 👍

 My ship was well out to sea…..😄

441 posts it will be. I’ll stick to reading from now on 👍

Thanks Aureous……good information and relates nicely to my earlier remarks 😉

Gee, sorry for posting in good faith…….something I’ve done since I first joined this forum. Hard to post without somehow upsetting someone these days.

Steve, you don’t need to go on the offensive so easily and read too much into some replies…….have a re-read of your first two sentences to my reply. I’m not attacking Garrett but somehow you made that assertion. 
 

Sorry but I’m scratching my head as to why you responded to me the way you did…….not impressed at all.
 

My “problem” is that the gold is deep and “nuggety” and way bigger than 3 to 5 grams……a nice problem to have. The side by side tests were on undug nuggets in a small patch in hot ground. The ATX does have its place…….just no where near where I typically hunt. 

Using the ATX in really hot ground, I just could not differentiate small gold targets from ground noise….we are talking Western Australian heavy ironstone country. The earlier SD and GP machines excel in this ground.

Yes, but is the ATX circuitry competitive or on par with anything that Minelab could re-release (from the last 15 years) whenever they feel the urge or need and at price point of their choosing. I did some recent side by side tests with the ATX and my “ancient” GP3500……. And boy oh boy, did the 3500 smoke the ATX 😳

Joe……keep warm and keep safe 👍

I will not purchase any “water machine” with a depth rating below 30 feet.

I currently have my Excalibur but I have a near “new” Garrett Sea Hunter XL500 that has been extensively modified and checked over in detail. The unit never saw much use judging by its original condition……has all new circuit parts and Lithium batteries. Yes it’s in a big heavy Ikelite case but built like a tank and rated to 200 feet. I’ll make a thread on it shortly 👍

They don’t make them like they used to.

Here are a couple of photos of “the beast”