ColonelDan

First and foremost, I want to thank you all for those most kind comments Just FYI....I've been using my version of a "test garden" for a number of years now and it's proven very useful as well as extremely convenient for my purposes. The first thing I did after bringing the sand and soil home was to spread a tarp on an area that was target free and scan all of the sand and soil for unwanted items that would bias my testing. When not in use, I cover the buckets with their factory lids. The sea water is kept in sealed jugs so it too remains uncontaminated. Thanks again for

99% of my detecting is done on central Florida beaches. Since it’s impossible to establish a well stocked test garden at a public beach, I sorta brought the beach home with me and developed my own private beach garden! I cut slots in two large empty chlorine tablet buckets at various depths as shown from 2 -16 inches. I then filled one with New Smyrna Beach sand and the other with soil...for the few times I land hunt around here. I embedded numerous examples of ferrous and non ferrous targets into paint stirring sticks. I also have several blank sticks I use for g

I had something similar happen in the heat of a Florida summer a few years ago. I had a full protective cover over the control box. After I removed it, the EQX cooled down and returned to normal. Since then, I cut the back out of the cover to expose the vents in the back of the control box and haven't had a problem since....and all my hunting is in Florida year round.

99.9% of my hunting is and has been done on saltwater beaches for many years...to include shallow water. Over those years, I've used the CTX, Excal, EQX 800, XP Deus and a PI. Bottom line: The PI drove me crazy digging the deep trash that one finds all over the beach and the selectable frequency Deus is not a true beach machine compared to mutli frequency Minelabs . I'll stick with the CTX or EQX for dry, wet and shallow water and the Excal for deeper hunting...regardless of coil size. Just the view from my beachy foxhole....YMMV

😃 Congratulations

For those who are contemplating a new shaft and considering buying one of Steve's, have no reservations. It is the absolute best I've seen since I bought my first detector in 1970. My review of his work:

I agree with Chase. I have both and the Pelsos are much better in every regard.

Andy is a great resource for learning the world of metal detecting for sure. But what I learned over the years is Pre-determined settings serve only to get you in the ballpark. It’s up to you to pick the best seat. Any array of settings is highly dependent on the environment in which you're hunting. Soil composition, level of moisture, mineralization, target composition and attitude in the soil, presence of EMI and so on. Andy's settings are a great place to start but you should adjust those settings to meet your environment if you want to unleash your detectors full capability....in o

I wondered about this awhile back so I tested my two EQX800s in my test garden. I set them up exactly the same, noise canceled each and kept them apart so they would not interfere with each other. The results; they performed exactly the same ...which actually surprised me somewhat. I expected some small degree of variance but that wasn't the case with my two. 👍

Since getting the Quest headphones, I've used nothing else.

F2 exclusively on Florida beaches. Works well.

I've seen some dry spells in my time but a combination of COVID fears, extensive renourishment and recent temperatures in the 40' - 60's have resulted in 2020 being one of the worst dry spells in memory. The depositors just aren't flocking to our beaches in normal numbers. I haven't been down south or on the west coast of FL recently, but if your interested in detecting from Jacksonville to the Treasure Coast, I can tell you my experience has been one of a lot more exercise than any significant detecting success. Praying for an improvement in 2021.

I have one of Steve's shafts for my Stealth 920 and it's unquestionably the best I've seen...period. My review of his scoop shaft is posted here: Great job Steve!

I use the Quest headphones. So far they have have been great. https://www.questmetaldetectors.com/product-page/aptx-low-latency-bluetooth-wireless-headphones-for-minelab-equinox

Were I in your shoes, I would get him the Equinox 800. It's as simple as you want it to be right out of the box and he can grow into it as he gains confidence and knowledge of its capabilities. He can then tweak it to enhance/realize its potential. It's a great machine for either beginner or advanced detectorist.