ColonelDan

Colonel Dan's Detector Rack Anyone who is into metal detecting knows what its like to pack your vehicle for a day in the field or at the beach. This is what my SUV looked like...and that was on a very organized day! Two detectors, a shovel, a sand scoop, equipment bag and cooler Not much room left for Miss Mary's suitcase or art equipment when she goes along. Not much usable space for anything else really except for a small area behind the passenger seat. I'm sure everyone has their own version of this load plan but you know the deal. There had to be a better way. I experimented with different ideas that worked to some level of success but none that fit the primary Cavalry Principle of KISS. I wanted a system that was portable, i.e. easily and quickly installed in and removed from my SUV. It had to be solid and stable with some heft so my detectors could ride safe and sound without tipping over or sliding around back there. Secure vertical stacking seemed to be the solution for me. The question was how to do it. I thought about several things I could build or re-purpose and finally settled on an unused truck gun rack. It was solidly built for my intended purpose, had rubber protection on the hooks to prevent damaging the detectors and had pre-drilled holes I could use for mounting it on a vertical frame. I decided to use 2x4s: easy to build with enough weight and heft to provide stability for my detectors. I built a frame that was 20” in height, 24” in width with feet 8” long which prevents tipping over or sliding around when fully loaded with equipment. Padding on the back helps protect the sidewalls of my SUV and a layer on the feet adds an additional level of prevention against slipping. My detectors finally have a safe place to ride—they're happy campers! And my load plan now looks like this. Much more available space for Miss Mary to use any way she likes! Life is good!

Steve’s on target. We get more than our fair share of “depositors” but we also have more hunters than the average beach. Places like Daytona and Cocoa beaches get hit hard. Good luck

I like the design and the process by which ML developed and engineered that design. They incorporated real detectorists in the field like Steve and Brandon for example throughout the process. The Army adopted that same approach when developing the M1 Abrams tank... which became and remains the best tank in the world. Secondly, I want a lighter more “packable” and more portable detector without sacrificing performance. Knowing what I know of the EQX, I see it fitting the bill for me. Finally, I just like Minelabs. They have proven themselves with me so I’ll stick with products developed by engineers that have fielded excellent detectors in the past. just the view from my foxhole...

I've always maintained that metal detectors should be waterproof. Why? As Dan says above, our machines get dirty and its always nice to be able to spray them off without worry. Secondly, since our hobby is an outdoor sport, rain is always a potential threat to the internal electronics. So even if you don't physically hunt in the water, getting caught in a sudden Florida afternoon rain is a problem. It sure would be nice to remove that concern regardless of where you hunt. My first Minelab was the Safari. A nice machine but not waterproof. So even when I searched ONLY the dry and wet sand and had a plastic bag covering the control box, I was always paranoid about salt spray, dropping it or some rouge wave taking me out of the game. When I got the Excal and CTX (with the new gasket), my worries were gone and I enjoyed the hunt that much more....and...I could hose them off or take them into the shower for clean up without concern as Dan B says. Just the view from my foxhole...

95% of my personal hunting is on the east coast Florida beaches. The other 5% is done in support of a local museum focused on the Seminole Indian wars. The CTX 3030 is my "go to" machine in both cases with my Excalibur II and XP Deus getting very limited use. With the fielding of the Equinox, it may become my "go to" multi freq travel machine depending on how it performs and meets my particular needs....that is still TBD.

I agree with Steve. I’ve done a lot of east coast Florida beach testing for Kellyco on quite a few detectors and single frequency machines are really hampered/limited in salt water and on wet salt sand compared to multi freq and PI detectors. Granted, you can quiet some of them down to a degree but you must adjust the ground balance and sensitivity to such a point that you lose significant depth performance. Without question, the best choice for salty environments are the multi freq and PI machines. Just the view from my salty foxhole...

Steve lists all my reasons except one...I want a more packable travel machine that works on the beach. If the Equinox works on my Florida beaches as I expect it will, I'm in.

In as much as 99% of my detecting is on our Florida beaches, Minelab gets my nod...both Excal and CTX. Multi frequency machines is the only way to go for me. As for PI machines, yes they're great on saltwater beaches also but given that I'm about to celebrate my 70th birthday, I don't relish digging 20 inches down for a bobby pin...especially in the hot Florida summer sun. I've tried many different machines including my XP Deus (which design comes very close to state of the art in my view) but I always find my way back to the Minelabs...and I'm eagerly awaiting the fielding of the Equinox as a light weight travel machine and back up to my CTX. If it does well on the beach, I'm in. Just the view from my foxhole.. As a side note Steve, I'm new to your website and really enjoying these forums you've put together. Outstanding job soldier!!

Excellent Steve...just excellent.