ColonelDan

Rick illustrated the facts much better than my view from 50,000 ft. Good job Rick 👍

Bottle caps are not at all uniform in their alloy structure. Different companies use different metal mixtures so to speak. Your detector is trying to analyze the metal object beneath the coil and sees a somewhat complex compound so it reports back what it's seeing. Also, the shape and state of preservation affects the signal. A crushed, rusty cap will give off a different signal than a pristine one of the same type. It's not that the detector is at fault in my view, its a precision machine that's trying its best to analyze the impure metal it sees. At least this is what I've discovered on our beaches....other views of the battlefield could very well differ.

Took my new set up to the beach for a few hours for their first trial run as a “team.” Steve’s Detector Rod. This two piece shaft was the best I’ve ever used...bar none. It was solid as a rock, as in no wobble whatsoever, and light as anything I’ve ever used. With the counter balance weight, it was better than swinging my old Deus with a 9” coil. Steve weighted mine using 16 oz of lead shot in a 4.5” long cylinder. He set it up that way so swinging the 11” coil would emulate swinging his 7 oz shaft with a 6” coil installed! It works exactly as intended and designed. Bottom line, I couldn’t be more pleased. This will be my shaft of choice for the very very long term. You can read my original review of Steve’s work at the link below: Quest APTX-LL Wireless Headphones Initial thoughts: My order only took two days to arrive from Hong Kong! Extremely comfortable over the ear design. External build quality looks good. They paired up with my EQX exactly like the Minelab wireless even to the point of using the same tones as the Minelab. Low latency capability is certainly there. I ran them in my test garden using good targets surrounded by iron and they performed extremely well. Nice and clear crisp sound with sufficient volume. Haven’t yet had to use the volume control. Haven’t been able to test battery life yet so that’s TBD. So far, I’m favorably impressed. I’ll take them to the beach on Monday and report back. Additional points: ~ These headphones are easily adjusted for proper fit and the top head piece is extremely well padded and comfortable. ~ They are water/rain resistant. Not designed for diving...and resistance to water damage is all I really wanted. No blue tooth wireless headphones can be used when submerged...at least none that I know of. Fast forward to their first beach run. We finally have a set of Aptx low latency water resistant headphones made specifically for the Equinox! These headphones again linked right up with no issue. They were indeed low latency and I was able to pin point with ease. The sound was clear and crisp as I stated above and their over the ear design served to block out much of the ambient beach noise. They proved very comfortable after 3+ hours of detecting and simply worked flawlessly. I love being “untethered” and confident that when one of our Florida showers come up, I won’t have to worry about these getting wet. Again, they are water resistant not water proof. They are advertised as having a 24 hour battery life so I’ll not be able to comment on that since my hunts are never that long! One thing I took note of was, as is true with most or all wireless set ups, every now and then I would hear just a hint of static interference but it was barely noticeable and very rare. I attributed this to EMI since we were very close to Patrick Air Force Base and its Officer’s Club Beach. I’ve experienced such EMI there before. Bottom Line: I like these headphones very much and you can find them at the link shown below. https://www.questmetaldetectors.com/product-page/aptx-low-latency-bluetooth-wireless-headphones-for-minelab-equinox I now have what I believe is the best set up for my style of beach hunting. The Equinox, Steve’s rod and Quest wireless Hps. Soldier on...

A few final thoughts that I’d like to share with the forum. As 21st century technology continues its forward march, it’s more than apparent to me that carbon fiber is THE ONLY way to go for the ultimate in weight to strength ratio. I have tested dozens of set ups and have found no better solution to our shaft challenge than carbon fiber. Having said that, it just isn’t the material alone that makes it the shaft of choice for me. More importantly, is the design and workmanship that transforms it from raw CF into a superior shaft. I know if I were to try and fabricate one of these, you could give me the best carbon fiber on the market and I would screw it up six ways from Sunday! The craftsman and his design make all the difference. This where Steve’s attention to detail, exacting standards and obvious precision excel. There are other excellent CF shafts out there of similar design no doubt but in my opinion Steve’s are top of the heap for all the reasons I detailed in my review. Another factor in Steve’s favor that I like; he’s one of us...an avid detectorist who treats everyone the way he would want to be treated. Finally, keep in mind that his rods are not your run of the mill mass produced shafts. They’re all custom products. Again, I have no personal or financial interest in Steve’s Detector Rods. This is simply me sharing my opinion of something and someone that I found favorably impressive. Just the view from my foxhole...soldier on my friends.

I recently installed one of Steve’s Detector Rods on my Equinox and wanted to share a few observations. When I’m particularly impressed with a product, I like to let the maker and others know my thoughts...good or bad. The first impression out of the box was very positive. The build quality of this two piece system, both material and workmanship, is absolutely excellent. The cuttings are smooth and the fittings precise. You can immediately tell Steve uses only the best materials in the overall construction. Being a scientist, his penchant for precision is obvious in everything he does. Another very important fact about Steve—he’s a one-man-shop small businessman and an avid detectorist who knows what we need from personal detecting experience. Now for a few specifics. The locking mechanism is extremely sturdy and I really appreciate his use of an adjustment knob instead of having to hunt down or carry a screw driver in order to adjust the locking tab tension. I quickly noticed another user friendly design feature on Steve’s part. He uses easily found round washers on the lower rod where it connects to the coil ears! I don’t know about you, but I was amazed at how expensive those tear drop washers are when or if they ever need replaced. Thank you Steve! Another unique offering of Steve’s rods is the available counterbalance weight. As many have commented on these forums, the Equinox is inherently nose heavy...particularly with the 15 inch coil. Although his shafts are extremely light in their own right, a mere 7.86 ounces of combined weight of the two shafts, the counterbalance weight makes a huge difference in the perceived weight. When you first look at this counterbalance weight you may think that it only serves to add more total weight to the Equinox...and you’re right. However, when I installed that weight on the back end of the shaft, the balance was markedly improved...balance being a key factor of perceived weight. The designed fulcrum effect makes the detector simply feel lighter and makes it much easier to manipulate. I’m sure I could swing this Equinox for hours, even without the use of a harness, and my arm would be just fine. The stability of this set up is incomparable...and I’ve used many shafts on many detectors over many decades of metal detecting. One design aspect that may go unnoticed is that Steve’s lower shaft is 1.75” longer than the factory shaft—and he can make them longer upon request. This simple idea allows more of the lower rod to remain in the upper shaft giving it added stability even at extended lengths—not one wit of wobble with this one! An aspect I also appreciate is the elimination of the restrictive spring button adjustment system. The button only allows you to adjust the shaft to a factory predetermined series of lengths. Steve’s approach allows you to adjust the shaft to any length with which you feel comfortable. This guy has really thought the design through and focused his efforts on all those “little things” that make a big difference. Steve offers his shafts in an array of colors. Black, Red, Blue, Green and Silver. He can also provide custom work on his shafts if that’s what you need! Who else offers that? I’m obviously impressed with this young man and his workmanship and I like to let folks know when I find an outstanding product from an outstanding producer. One last but very important comment. I have no personal or financial interest in Steve’s Detector Rods. I never met the young man and since he lives in Norman OK, probably never will since OK is a mite far from my Florida beaches! Specifications: Upper Shaft Length: 34 7/8 in. Upper Shaft Weight: 4.81 oz. (136 g) Lower Rod Length: 26 in. (custom lengths available upon request) Lower Rod Weight: 3.06 oz. (87g) Material: Carbon-fiber (3K, twill pattern, glossy finish) Cam Lock material: Injection-molded Plastic (nylon) Threaded End Cap material: Delrin Threaded Butt-End Insert material: Delrin

? That guy on the left will be me in a few years....not!

Great thread Steve....thank you

Chase, Got it. Thanks for the clarification. ? Soldier on ......

I’ve been hunting in water and sand with drain holes in my coil cover for many years and have never experienced performance degradation in the least but as I always say, that’s just the view from my foxhole.

Congratulations! A perfect illustration as to why I never notch out anything and hunt in all metal on our Florida beaches. ?

Constant draining is indeed the key to this set up. But I also use this in the dry sand. I normally hunt east to west and when I get near the water on that east/ west path, the water quickly flushes out the sand. This method and set up has been very successful for me but as I always say, it's just the view from my foxhole....?

I really like and admire those who come up with such innovations to improve our detecting life and equipment. However, a primary consideration/concern for beach hunters like me would be that sand gets into everything as we know. I can see that pesky sand quickly jamming up the telescoping action which will either prevent the telescoping movement altogether, make it increasingly rough to extend/collapse and/or it will sand down the surface of the shafts in short order. This may work fine for those who don't have to deal with beach sand but I don't think it would work for me. Just the view from my sandy foxhole....

I'll be staying with my custom 3 tones set up. And to each his own RE: pitch. I like 1,12 and 25. I just posted this 2 tone post as an item of interest based on those videos and how various targets span the spectrum of VDI.

In a previous post of mine, I made the case for using 3 tones based on Low, Medium and High conductive targets; a system I routinely use in hunting our Florida beaches. It's simple, effective and gives me the information I really need. The videos below however, make a strong case for 2 tones and the "Dig it All" approach when using the Equinox series detectors. Why? As you'll see in those videos, the tested targets span the VDI spectrum based on metallurgical composition, shape and size. Granted, these are nothing more than air tests which aren't affected by depth, moisture or ground mineralization but they at least provide some indication as to how a variety of targets range the VDI scale based on their individual characteristics. If using 2 tones, I would personally set the tone breaks at -9 to 0 using tone pitch 1 indicating probable junk and the second tone break at 1 thru 40 using tone pitch 25. If I were interested only in a more detailed target description, I would lean heavily toward the CTX 3030. However, in the type of beach hunting I do, I favor the Multi IQ, faster processor, enhanced sensitivity and weight of the EQX over the CTX...just my personal preference or as I always say, "Just the view from my foxhole." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsgspduZA_8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7345qtsc7s&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMHH5ynSwW0&feature=youtu.be

Granted, our beaches are relatively low in mineralization where I normally hunt. But since all beaches are different, my simple reasoning is this; if sand isn’t supposed to be there, I want it outta there. ?