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Rattlehead

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  1. Here are some Target Trace screenshots, along with a description, taken from my videos: 1) 7" silver Rosie with 3 nails in the hole. 2) 8" Merc with some contamination. 3) 8" wheat, clean signal. 4) 7" Barber quarter with 2 nails and other bits of iron. 5) 10" silver Washington quarter, mostly clean signal. 6) 13" Tax Token, clean signal. 7) 6" Mercury dime, some bits of iron in the hole.
  2. Thanks! I can't say one way or the other on the targets in that last video (Deep & Iffy Coin Signals), but the other video attached to the first post of this thread shows us comparing signals at this same location. We compare the Manticore with the Deus 2 & 11" coil. It was able to hit all of the deep signals we compared that day. I think they're very close in performance, with the Deus 2 having an advantage in nuanced audio, and the Manticore having an advantage in visual ID. My gut feeling is the Manticore may be a little deeper, but not by a lot. Thanks guys! Much appreciated!
  3. Thanks! Yeah, I'm sure they have a reason to do it that way. Personally, I could do without the inch or two that it saves when collapsed, in exchange for the better balance and usability while detecting. I only used the 13"x17" on my CTX for a very short time before I ended up selling it. That thing was just too heavy for me. I can't say for sure, but my gut feeling is that the Manticore with the 11" coil is probably as deep or deeper than the CTX with the 17" coil. Thank you for the comments on videos and review! šŸ™‚ Thanks Hunterjunk! I will have a look at your cable tie solution. Thank you! My bolt has come loose at least 4 times now. Not a huge deal, but a little annoying. Thanks palzynski! I agree with your assessment of the depth capabilities. I haven't done any head to head tests to confirm, but my gut feeling is the Manticore might be a little deeper. Not really enough to matter much to me if I were in the market to buy one of these two machines. Its close. Thanks F350! I'm happy with .71 on the Deus as is, even if it does have a few quirks. I'll try the update when they release it but I hope it doesn't change the performance much on my favorite programs (Fast and Deep HC). Maybe the offset is to keep from detecting my shoes. lol! I can hear the detector picking up my long handled shovel when I swing to my left side! Thank you Don!
  4. Thanks strick. I did end up selling my CTX last year, a couple of months after getting the D2. The 3030 is a great detector and I never thought Iā€™d part with it, but I just clicked with the Deus 2 so well that I didnā€™t see any need to keep it. The light weight spoiled me I guess. Well that, and the fact that XP finally made a detector with a good ID that could hunt in modern trash.
  5. Thanks! Got out for a couple of hours at the old ball field yesterday. This site has been beat up pretty good, but still managed to squeak out a 3 more silvers bringing my total to 10 with the Manticore. Target Trace was useful on some of the more iffy signals. The more I use the "Depth" audio theme, the more I like it. Not as nuanced as the D2, but still very good. Video of this hunt:
  6. My thoughts on the Minelab Manticore after 50 hours and beyond! Yep. Time for another one of my long-winded reviews. The goal is just to share some unbiased thoughts on the new Minelab Manticore, which will hopefully help anyone who may be on the fence about getting one. Youā€™ll get no hype, hate, fluff or any other BS from me. If something sucks, Iā€™m going to say it sucks. If itā€™s good, Iā€™ll say itā€™s good. Itā€™s as simple as that. Iā€™ll be referencing other detectors throughout this review for comparison. Please keep in mind these are just my opinions. You may completely disagree, and thatā€™s fine. Now I can't speak on beach hunting, gold prospecting or long-term durability but I can offer my opinion on several other things including how it performs for the type of detecting I do, which is looking for coins and relics in the dirt. This first section is just my initial thoughts after the first 50 hours of use. Itā€™s impossible to learn everything about a metal detector like this one in only 50 hours, and itā€™s my goal to make this review as complete as possible. Iā€™ll continue to post updates throughout this thread as I get more time on the unit. Youā€™ll be able to read along with my progress as I continue to learn, as well as see input from other users. So, for the full review, be sure to read through the entire thread. I'll break this down into specifics and give my thoughts on each. Ergonomics: Letā€™s start with the control housing and buttons. The outer button layout and overall appearance of the control housing is very reminiscent of the Equinox. The arrangement of the thumb buttons is different, but well placed. Buttons are very responsive and have a good quality feel. Iā€™d prefer to have the power button and side user soft key on the face of the control housing, since these will be used often. It would just be easier to access them with the thumb in my opinion. Moving down to the handle, itā€™s a combination of what feels like some type of plastic with a rubber over-molding in the area where the fingers wrap around. The angle feels like its slightly more forward than the Equinox. Very comfortable. It also has a built-in vibration mode which may be helpful when hunting in noisy areas, underwater or for anyone who is hearing impaired. The Manticore balances well. Even though itā€™s basically the same weight as the Equinox, it doesnā€™t feel as nose heavy due to a couple of improvements in geometry. First, on the handle just below the control housing, thereā€™s a little nub that protrudes over the index finger to keep your hand positioned at the proper distance from the bottom of the housing. Next, the new ā€œScorpionā€ armrest has a built-in riser that brings your elbow up and positions your arm so that it runs parallel with the shaft. Speaking of the Scorpion armrest, itā€™s a big improvement over the one found on the Equinox 600 and 800. Itā€™s easily adjustable and very flexible. I believe theyā€™ve included a similar style of armrest on the new Equinox 700 and 900. Well done. The new carbon fiber shaft is both lightweight and rigid. It has two adjustable locking cams. The unit collapses down to a very compact size. Having the attachment ears on the shaft rather than the coil was a great idea, though Iā€™ve been having an issue with the coil bolt working loose. This new shaft is a big step up in quality from the Equinox 600 & 800. However, I think Minelab missed the boat on a few of things: 1) The shaft shouldā€™ve been keyed in my opinion. What I mean by ā€œkeyedā€ is, it should have been designed in a way that it cannot rotate. Similar to the XP Deus, for example. I donā€™t like having to visually line up the coil with the control housing every time I use it. 2) It wouldā€™ve been nice to have some measurement markings on the shaft, so that we can quickly extend it to our desired position without even thinking about it. Yes, we could always put them on ourselves with a marker, but why not do this from the factory? Such a small simple thing, yet it wouldā€™ve been extremely useful! Especially on a detector with a three piece shaft. 3) Minelab has always mounted the shaft in the center of the coil on most of their detectors. This is how it should be, in my opinion. It just balances better and itā€™s easier to keep the coil level with the ground. For whatever reason, they moved the mounting point slightly to the rear on this one. Not sure why manufacturers do this, but I am not a fan. 4) With how far the shaft can collapse down, the cable can get caught on the cam locks and be a pain to deal with. It sure wouldā€™ve been cool if they couldā€™ve figured out a way to put the cable inside the shaft, like they did with the CTX 3030. I know it would require making the shaft diameter slightly larger, but that wouldā€™ve been fine with me. After reading this, it may seem like I'm saying the design isnā€™t good. Thatā€™s not the case at all. This is a very comfortable, well-balanced machine. However, the idea is to point out the positives and negatives... and I do see some room for improvement. Display: The display on the Manticore is outstanding. Itā€™s large, colored, and super easy to read. Nothing is cramped and everything is large enough that youā€™re not straining to view it. The main focal point is the large Target ID with Target Trace just below it. On the left, you can see the frequency being used, along with the sensitivity. Across the top are several icons showing the current program, along with the status for overload, flashlight, tracking, wireless, headphones and battery. On the righthand side is the depth meter. Like the Equinox, the Manticoreā€™s depth meter shows the depth with arrows or chevrons. Each one represents roughly 2 inches. I wouldā€™ve preferred a numeric depth read-out, but thatā€™s just me nitpicking. The brightness of the display can be set at several levels, or it can be set to auto. When in auto mode, the light sensor on the top right will automatically adjust the brightness based on the available light around you. If you find yourself detecting after dark, it has a build in flashlight. While weā€™re on the subject of the display, I have a general request for all detector manufacturers. These plastic film screen protectors are a pain in the ass to install. I somehow managed to screw up every single one of them. How much trouble would it be to include a tempered glass screen protector with these high-end machines? While youā€™re at it, go ahead and install the damn thing from the factory. Menu: The Manticoreā€™s user menu is by far the most well thought out, easiest to navigate of any detector Iā€™ve ever used. It literally took me about 5 minutes to scroll through everything, understand where every setting is and what it does. You press the settings button, and the menu comes in on the lefthand side. From there you just use the arrows on the keypad to scroll through the various settings. Simple. I donā€™t know how else describe it other than to say that all the settings and controls are just laid out in a way thatā€™s super easy to understand and use. Other detector manufactures could learn a thing or two from Minelab in this department. Thinking back to the days of the overly complex menu on machines like the Whiteā€™s V3i, this is such a HUGE improvement. Very well done! Battery/Charging: The Manticore has a built-in rechargeable battery. The run time varies depending on the program and features used. Iā€™ve always said that as long as I can hunt all day without needing to recharge, thatā€™s all that really matters to me. Iā€™ve been out on a few all-day hunts with the Manticore, and while it has always made it through the day, I have to admit that the battery level shown on the screen at the end of the day made me a little nervous. If you hunt more than 7 hours or so, or run power hungry programs like High Conductor, it may be a good idea to carry a power bank just in case. Like the Equinox, the Manticore charges with a cable that magnetically attaches to the back of the control housing. I really like this design and would love to see XP use something like this rather than the cumbersome coil clips and screw on charging attachments that they currently use. Target ID: The Target ID on the Manticore goes from 0-99 and is very spread out. To give you an idea of what I mean by ā€œspread outā€, the range for an IHP to a silver quarter is around 55 to 90. For comparison, on the Deus 2, that same range of coins is covered from around 80-97. Having a spread ID has some benefits, but it also has some negatives. Being so spread out, youā€™ll notice more ID variation due to mineralization, and youā€™ll notice itā€™s a little less stable when compared to machines like the Deus 2, CTX or Etrac. So, itā€™s a tradeoff. On the Manticore, youā€™ll get a better spread to help separate detected targets, but youā€™ll need to do more mental averaging of the ID #ā€™s to get a good idea of whatā€™s under the coil. The Deus 2 tends to lock on better due to the ID of coins being bunched closer together. Target Trace: This feature was first seen on the CTX 3030 about a decade ago. Some people wrote it off as a gimmick, but I found it to be a useful tool. As metal detectorists, weā€™re constantly trying to use calculated info to figure out whatā€™s hidden under the dirt. We use things like sound, discrimination, and target ID to make our best guess on whether or not to dig. Target Trace is just one more tool to add to the arsenal. At a glance, it can show you when you have multiple targets close together, it can tell you if those targets are of different conductivity and can help you avoid digging certain junk targets. No, you canā€™t see shapes, but you can see different signatures which may give you a hint as to whatā€™s beneath the coil. To me, the new Target Trace on the Manticore is cleaner and easier to understand than the one found on the CTX 3030. Donā€™t expect some magic new feature thatā€™s going to show you an outline of the target. Thatā€™s not how it works. The 2D map simply shows you where the target plots based on its ferrous and conductive properties. Think of it as a feature that will come in handy occasionally, rather than something youā€™ll rely on with every signal. Itā€™s just another useful bit of information to help with your dig/donā€™t dig decision. Discrimination Patterns & Ferrous Limits: The disc patterns on the Manticore are similar to what some of you may remember on the Etrac and CTX. Targets are either accepted or rejected based on where their FE-CO properties plot on the screen. Small iron targets come in across the top, larger iron at the bottom, and non-ferrous on or near the center line. Ferrous targets can be either accepted or rejected using the Ferrous Limits feature, which is basically like a visual iron bias setting. Discrimination is set by blocking out vertical segments across the VDI scale. Ferrous limits and the Discrimination Pattern are set-up separately in the menu. Works well enough, but I do have one major gripe. You can save four custom Ferrous Limits, but for whatever reason they limited us to only one Discrimination Pattern for each search mode. So, they basically gave us the ability to create awesome custom programs but with no way to save them globally. Thatā€™s a real head scratcher for me. Hopefully this is something that can be addressed in a software update. Tones: The tones on the Manticore can be configured in a variety of different ways via Audio Themes and Target Tones. Audio Theme Audio Themes consist of Normal, Enhanced, Depth and Prospecting. Each one with different characteristics. -From the manual Normal: The Normal Audio Theme is a good choice for everyday detecting. It gives full sounding audio responses that vary in both pitch and volume. Enhanced: The Enhanced Audio Theme is similar to Normal, but is optimized for detecting in high EMI scenarios. Depth: The Depth Audio Them is useful for improved target separation at inland locations that contain high amounts of ferrous trash. (This is very similar to ā€œPitchā€ tones on the Deus 2) Prospcting: The Prospecting Theme is useful when maximum sensitivity to weak targets is beneficial, such as for gold prospecting or hunting for fine jewelry at the beach. This theme is best used at low trash sites. Normal, Enhanced and Depth have profile settings which can control the amount of modulation (Simple, Medium, and Rich), as well as Threshold Level and Pitch. Target Tones Here you can configure the tones in a few different ways: The traditional 1 tone, 2 tones or 5 tones. Meaning the user can break up the ID scale into bins and assign a single pitch to each bin. Another option is what Minelab calls ā€œAll Tonesā€. This is another way of saying Full Tones. In this mode, each ID # has its own pitch assigned. You can also break up the ID scale into regions, assigning the start and end points for the pitch in each region. Useful for making certain target ranges stand out. The volume and pitch are user adjustable for both ferrous and non-ferrous targets. Overall, the tones on the Manticore are highly configurable and pleasant to the ears. However, they arenā€™t nearly as nuanced or descriptive as the tones on the Deus 2 IMHO. Pinpointing: As you turn on pinpoint mode and sweep across the target, the detector progressively reduces sensitivity with each sweep until only a very narrow target response is achieved. When in pinpoint mode, youā€™ll see a bar going across the bottom of the screen. As the center of the coil approaches the target, the bar fills in towards the center. The Manticoreā€™s pinpoint mode works well and is an improvement over the Deus 2 in my opinion. Mainly because thereā€™s no need to press additional buttons to turn it off. If you prefer, the wiggle back method also works well. Search Modes: The Manticore comes with 3 search modes: All-Terrain, Beach and Gold Field. Each with its own selectable programs which use different combinations of frequencies and other settings geared toward different types of targets or hunting conditions. General ā€“ All-around general-purpose detecting for most targets and conditions. Fast ā€“ Optimized for separation of targets. Low Conductors ā€“ For small or low conductive targets. High Conductors ā€“ Optimized for high conductive targets like silver coins. Trash Reject ā€“ Optimized for maximum rejection of iron trash and foil. Some people have reported excessive iron falsing with the Manticore. I experienced a little of this myself when using All Terrain High Conductors, but found that in areas with lots of iron, switching over to All Terrain General seems to help. You may notice slightly decreased depth and less stable ID on high conductors when using General. Depth: In my test bed, the Manticore was easily able to hit all the deep targets that were on the edge of detection with some of my previous detectors like the CTX 3030 and Equinox 800. In good soil, 9ā€ ā€“ 10ā€ coins arenā€™t even a challenge. On my second trip out with the Manticore, I went to a site that has sandy soil and is known for super deep targets. Clad runs all the way down to around 8 inches, and anything silver is well beyond that. Iā€™ve hunted this spot multiple times in the past with my CTX 3030 and my Deus 2 with the 9ā€ coil. Found a lot of silver, but eventually the signals dried up. So, I thought it would be fun to take the Manticore there and see if it could hit any targets that were just out of reach of the other machines. It handles EMI very well and I was able to run the sensitivity as high as 29 at this location. I ended up getting several more deep silver coins, along with an aluminum tax token that was easily 13ā€ deep. To be fair, my Deus 2 was using a 9ā€ coil and the Manticore has an 11ā€ coil. My buddy Kenny came along that day to compare signals on his D2 with 11ā€ coil, and he was able to hit all the same targets that the Manticore hit. You can watch a video of that hunt down below. Speed: I havenā€™t done a lot of separation tests, so I canā€™t say how it compares to some of the other recently released detectors. On the few tests I did, it seemed plenty fast to me. Headphones: This detector comes with the ML-105 headphones which are definitely a step up from the ones that came with my previous Minelabs. Nice and comfortable with good sound quality and no noticeable latency. Theyā€™re not waterproof, so I wouldnā€™t use them in the rain. Build Quality: The fit, feel and finish of the Manticore is much improved over the Equinox for sure. No more wobbly shaft. No more worries about broken coil ears. Excellent new arm cuff, and the buttons on the control housing feel great. No complaints so far. Weā€™ll see how it holds up after a year of hard use. Manticore vs Deus 2: Iā€™m only putting this here because I know someone will ask. If I could only keep one, which would it be? Well, both machines are deep, fast, and loaded with features. The Manticore definitely has the better-looking display and more intuitive menu in my opinion. All that stuff is great, but when it comes right down to it, the things that matter most to me are: Tones ID accuracy and stability In that order. Audio is #1 on my list because itā€™s the first thing that stops me in my tracks, and it tells me a lot about the target. More than ID. More than Target Trace or XY. When it comes to audio, the Deus 2 is unmatched in my opinion. When I say it has descriptive audio, what I mean is you can hear the soft edges of a round target. You can hear the roughness of a misshapen target. You can hear the forced sound of iron, even when it falses. No other metal detector Iā€™ve used gives as much audible info as a Deus running Pitch or Full Tones. Another thing thatā€™s very high on my list of importance is weight. Especially now that Iā€™m getting older. A lighter machine means I can spend more time hunting before I get tired. More time hunting means more finds. The Manticore isnā€™t heavy by any means, but itā€™s still not even in the same ballpark as the Deus. The weight difference isnā€™t as noticeable when hunting flat ground, but if youā€™re like me and spend a lot of time hunting in the woods where youā€™re swinging over un-even ground and constantly maneuvering around trees or brush, the weight of your detector matters. For those reasons, if I could only keep one, it would be the Deus 2. To be fair, I have hundreds of hours on the D2 and only around 50 on the Manticore. My opinion may change as I get more time on the Minelab, so check back in a couple of months to see where I stand. Some finds from the first three hunts: Final Thoughts: So, there you have it. Thatā€™s my thoughts on the Minelab Manticore after 50 hours of use. Itā€™s a great detector, with a few things that could be improved. Every metal detector has its faults, and the Manticore is no exception. Overall, itā€™s exactly what I expected it to be. No regrets with this purchase. I have no ties with Minelab and whether or not you buy this detector doesn't affect me what-so-ever. Everything mentioned above is just my opinion. YMMV. My Manticore YouTube Vids:
  7. I've had what I call "The Coin Police" come after me on several occasions in the comments of my videos for this very thing. I don't rub the whole coin, but I do wipe off just the area with the date so that I can quickly show viewers in real time what it is. A spray bottle doesn't work so well in this crusty Georgia clay, so I don't even bother with that method anymore. The way I see it, the coin has been in the ground for 100+ years so it already has micro-scratches all over it. They'd likely get the environmental damage grade anyway, so I don't worry too much about wiping off a little dirt to see the date. At the end of the day, the coins are mine and I have no intentions of selling them, so seeing others get upset about my cleaning method just makes me chuckle.
  8. I agree. The lack of ability to create multiple global disc patterns was a head scratcher for me.
  9. I've had several members get scammed this way on my forum. Most long time posters know better than to deal with anyone who approaches them this way. The majority of the ones getting scammed are new guys who have little or no experience buying items online. Scammers suck.
  10. Iā€™ve only had bad EMI issues in one neighborhood that I hunt. Something there makes it go nuts, no matter which program I load up. Other than that, itā€™s probably the quietest program I use. Glad you like it! Thatā€™s a great spot youā€™re hunting there! Bet youā€™ll keep on pulling more good finds from that place!
  11. Wow F350, thatā€™s a lot of nice finds and a great hunt! Well done finding the location. Love the old Marines button. Melted or not, silver is always sweet! Awesome finds and a great write up!
  12. I take pics of my finds from each hunt, both good targets and bad. My hunting buddies and I have a private chat room where we post all of our finds, so its always easy to scroll back and see what we've found, when we found it and where we found it.
  13. Just got a notification that mine has shipped.
  14. Congrats on a great year NC! Good luck in 2023!
  15. +1. That or ā€œinvested timeā€ definitely accounts for a large portion of my finds. Location is definitely a big factor and a little luck never hurts. Detector performance percentage may not be huge if comparing a modern detector to another modern detector, but if we compare something like a Deus 2 or Equinox to the detectors I was using back in the day (Whites 5900, XLT, etc), Iā€™d probably bump that percentage up a bit as performance has come a long way since then! Heck, I remember several of us would call BS when folks claimed they dug a coin at 7ā€ deep back then. Nowadays we dig them at 9ā€-10ā€ regularly. Another one that Iā€™d include is ā€œunderstanding your machineā€. Thatā€™s a big one IMHO.
  16. Yeah, nothing worse than getting a deep 93-95 signal and thinking you're about to pop out a silver, only to find ol' Abe staring back at you. šŸ˜’šŸ˜„
  17. 1) Fix Full Tones. 2) Fix issue with iron falsing at 85-87. 3) Fix issue with notched comingled targets pulling down ID to 07-09. 4) Fix poor performance on micro gold. One that I *wish* could be fixed is the up-averaging of copper memorials which sometimes read well up into the 90s, though I'm not sure if that's even possible.
  18. Man, that sucks! Sorry to hear that. This makes two people I've seen reporting button issues out of the handful of detectors they've shipped so far. Makes me a little worried about the ones on my inbound Manticore. Hopefully they'll get it straightened out for you in a timely manner.
  19. Yep. I watched that one last night. Very good video. Love seeing them compare signals, but I agreeā€¦ doing it without the headphones wouldā€™ve made it even better. Either way, very well done. Thatā€™s the kind of videos I like to see.
  20. Good post. Iā€™ve definitely seen a lot of folks with G.A.Sā€¦ Some of them buy a new detector, use it for a couple of weeks and then sell it. Then, youā€™ll see these same folks badmouthing said detector on the forums as if their two weeks of use made them some kind of expert on what it can or cannot do. Iā€™m sorry, but it takes a LOT more than a few hunts to properly learn any of these flagship detectors. I love getting the latest greatest machine as much as anyone, but once I spend my $$$ on it, I instantly feel the need to get a ton of ā€œtrigger timeā€ so that I can learn itā€™s language and try to understand all of its features/capabilities. Otherwise Iā€™d feel like Iā€™ve wasted my $$$. I enjoy the learning process about as much as finding stuff.
  21. They must all be using a copy/paste canned reply due to all customers asking this same question. Either that, or we're using the same dealer. šŸ˜„
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