Jump to content

TedinVT

Full Member
  • Posts

    238
  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Forums

Detector Prospector Home

Detector Database

Downloads

Everything posted by TedinVT

  1. My experience with my 800 is that the built in pinpointer is deadly accurate for most coin targets. If I get a questionable response I'll visually mark the target area (based on peak sound) then rotate 90 degrees and find the center again. Sometimes dragging the coil across the target area with the coil tight to the ground will help with peaking the sound response. Having the coil as tight to the ground as possible is a must. If you use the wiggle method for pinpointing, tighten up the wiggle as you zero in on the target. My peeve with the EQX pinpointer is the inconsistent audio when activated and the need to turn the pinpointer off then back on again to get robust audio. Sometimes lifting the coil (you should always lift the coil) and waiting a few seconds before turning the pinpoint function on helps with getting the normal pinpoint audio instead of the weak audio. I hope Minelab fixes this occasional weak pinpoint audio with a firmware update.
  2. Two possibilities for never having seen a negative number: 1. You don't have all metal mode enabled - the “horse shoe” button. The “horse shoe” button enables / disables iron discrimination. You may have iron discriminated out. 2. Your coil is not over iron. Find a chunk of iron. Play with the horse shoe button. If you don't see negative numbers over iron after that you may have an equipment problem.
  3. Build yourself a test garden in a “quiet” space in your yard and see if your results are more in the normal or expected range as compared to your park experiences. Park 1 is always a good place to start.
  4. Good for you, Buzzard! The only way to learn the EQX is to get out into the trenches and learn the sounds. You'll dig a lot of stuff, but a learning experience and skill comes with each target dug. Hate to say it, but the answer to the sand in the coil cover question is to remove the coil cover after each outing and wash the coil and cover off. I doubt if there's any way to 100% seal the coil cover dur to the way it is molded. Not sure I'd recommend gluing the cover on due to the fact it's going to wear out one day and you'll need to get it off to replace it. You sure do not want to detect without the coil cover unless you have lots of money for buying replacement coils. Removing and washing only takes a minute or two and it's pretty easy. I plan to order a spare coil cover when ML makes them available. It's a wear item. Betterthan wrecking a coil. GL & HH
  5. Interesting on the apparant difference in shaft diameters..... I mic'd my 800 shafts and these are the measurements in my case: Upper shaft O.D. = 0.870”, I.D. = 0.790” where middle shaft connects Middle shaft O.D. at necked down area = 0.782” where it mates with upper shaft Middle shaft I.D. at coil end = 0.790” where it mates with coil I wonder if any other owners who have shafts without the wobble issue might have measurements for comparison. As I posted earlier in this discussion, I only see the wobble issue when detecting in the water at the upper shaft/middle shaft coupling and really don't see this wobble issue on dry land because there is no water torque. Plugger solved my shaft wobble problem with a CF one piecer (very nice) and also solved any future corrosion issues with the same stroke. Only comment was I needed to add a double wrap of electrical tape where the cuff seats on the upper shaft in two places as the cuff I.D. was a little larger than the CF shaft O.D. and I could feel some movement of the cuff when swinging. Easy fix. Lovin' my 800 and the CF shaft!
  6. Park 1 for me with my 800. I tried both Park 1 and Park 2 in a state park a week ago and Park 1 worked better than Park 2. Park 2 was much noisier and I found no advantage for me over Park 1. Your mileage may vary. G L & HH
  7. Interesting discussion. I use the ML80 phones, going on 2 plus months now, 4 weeks on the FL beach and the rest on dry land in VT, and haven't really noticed any lag with my older ears?. Not to say others wouldn't notice a lag. The ML80 phones did get hot on the beach in the sun and did a nice job of keeping the surrounding sounds out. They do seem to be well built and I think they'll hold up pretty well. How about construction of the ArchMage phones? Any comments on fit and finish, quality of sound, robust construction, ear comfort, etc.?
  8. Thanks for your take on the phones, Cliff. I was hoping for the WP phones for my FL vacation. Got home a week ago and now the phones are finally available ? Figures. No rush now.
  9. The BIG question is how do the WP phones sound compared to the BT phones that came with the EQX? Is the sound (tones) more on the pure side or more on the "buzzer" side?
  10. Had the same problem with the rubber pad in the cuff coming off. Lasted about 3 hours before it was mostly detached. Pulled it off and removed what was left of the double-sided sticky tape and glued it back on with Gorilla clear contact cement. It's holding up fine after many hours of use now.
  11. My thoughts on the pretty poor cam lock design and shaft wobble... Definitely wobbles a bit when hunting in the water due to the drag torque created by moving the coil and shaft through the water. Not quite so bad when land hunting. I see the wobble problem where the middle shaft mates with the upper shaft. It appears that the cam lock design has in internal stop that only lets you tighten the cam lock to a certain fixed point then stops. It doesn't allow you to tighten the lock any further - possibly to keep users from deforming the shaft diameter??. If the "nub" in the cam lock was a little thicker (some of you are adding material to make it thicker) that would help. Alternatively, if the shaft where the "nub" makes contact were a hair larger in diameter (without hindering detector assembly), that might help. When I get home from my Gulf of Mexico vacation (still without the elusive WP headphones ) I'm going to try putting some of that aluminum tape they use for taping forced hot air furnace duct joints (not the cloth duct tape) around the part of the shaft that the "nub" makes contact with and possibly the whole length of the necked down section of the middle shaft. Hopefully it will not be too thick that the shaft sections can't be mated and stiff enough that it won't compress when the cam lock is tightened.
  12. Or possibly shorting & damaging the charger when a charger is connected to the EQ and debris is present on either the EQ or the charging cable's magnetic cable end. Probably a good idea to take a quick look at both before connecting your charger. Good catch TN!
  13. Be sure that your coil is lifted well up off the ground before pressing the pinpoint button then go ahead with pinpointing. If you press the pinpoint button with the coil on or very close to the ground above your target you will desensitize or null out the target. The pinpoint on the EQ is deadly accurate and on small targets you may only get a quick sound if you pass over too quickly so slow your sweep down a bit when you're directly over where you think the target is in pinpoint. Or lift the coil a little off the ground. The comments above about near surface targets, coil edge, etc. are important. Learn to do the wiggle method for pinpointing. It will take a little practice. Worth the initial frustration and effort.
  14. My parents always said “If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all”. So, I'm not going to say that compared to my ATPro shaft locks I think my 800 cam locks are pretty poor.
  15. Some other 800 beach learnings... keep 13 in the mix. Bouncy signal around 13 (12 to 15 or 16) is usually a pop top or trash. A solid 13 is likely a nickel - no bounce. Dig it. I keep everything above the ferrous zone turned on on the beach since there are so many possibilities for gold or other jewelry. So far, the signals that have fluctuating tones and fluctuating VID numbers have turned out to be trash. Can only comment on dry & wet sand as the elusive WP phones are still not available for the deeper water hunts. On the All Metal, I kick it on for an iffy sounding signal and if there's a ferrous tone, move on. I usually only turn on AM to test an iffy target then turn it off again.
  16. How is the cord length on the Hungarian phones? It looks like it may be a bit short and might tug on the phones when swinging. I hope the GG Amphibs for the EQ become available soon.
  17. About the same drag as my ATPro in the water. No noticeable difference. I do agree with the sand comments. The little voids in the webs underneath do collect sand and the coil cover doesn't really do anything to prevent sand intrusion. Still thinking about the best way to fill the web voids without adding weight and adding foam would likely make the coil more bouyant which I wouldn't want. A small problem still in need of a plan. I remove the coil cover and wash after every water or dry sand hunt. I do worry that the coil cover may break some day as sometimes it is a little hard to remove. A spare coil cover will be ordered when available. I've hit enough hard things underwater in the Gulf (near jettys) or at home that I would not go without the cover. Someone mentioned a while back that the hollow lower shaft fills with water which makes the coil end heavier. I do get some water, but not that much that it is a hinderance. Raising the coil up above horizontal to the water surface periodically lets the water drain out the adjustment holes. Not a big issue for me and I wouldn't drill a drain hole in the bottom of the lower shaft since that would let both sand and water in. No advantage to that.
  18. Also have had the same audio experience. I switch off pinpoint then switch pin point back on then it usually works as it should. I haven't tried waiting it out to see if the audio picks up on its own. It doesn't do this every time, but often enough that it's annoying.
  19. Dan, do you get the little air bubbles with the Zagg protectors like the ones you get with theMinelab-provided screen protectors?
  20. Yep, Relicmeister nailed it. With the EQ on and connected to the phones, a press of the power button on the phones produces a series of descending tones on power down. Likewise, with the EQ on a press of the power button produces a series of ascending tones on powering up. The bluetooth connectivity has to be enabled on the EQ first. The tiny LEDs on the phones are unreadable in sun light.
  21. Thanks, Elf. Didn't know you could do that. I'm the last guy still using an old flip phone (it's true?) so this will be a big help for field use.
  22. Good stuff! Thanks for another great write-up, Steve. So many of us who are new to this technology are fortunate to have your help getting us into the groove early and smoothly. Ted
  23. Lots of great comments here and I agree with all of them. I'm still learning the ins and outs of my 800 and feel very comfortable with my ATPro which I've had for several years. That said, I miss the ATPro battery setup and the ability to swap out weak batteries in a few seconds and actually go for many days on a rechargeable set of Eneloops. I am still getting used to the idea that I have to remember to charge my Equinox after every day of detecting. I have a good power bank, but that's not going to help in saltwater and it's one more thing to remember to bring along. The other difference I've noted (other than the Equinox being a hotter machine) is the Equinox has a very sharp pin pointer and it takes a little more skill to zero in on a coin, for example, than the broader ATPro pinpointer at depth. Part of the learning curve. At this point, I plan on keeping my ATPro as a worthy backup machine and for those times I forget to plug my Equinox into the charger and if the Equinox ever needs to go for a repair. Both great machines. Question of the day.... where are the Equinox waterproof headphones now that I have some time on a sweet Gulf of Mexico beach?
×
×
  • Create New...