Jeff McClendon

Anyone that has read some of my posts knows the problems I have with high mineralization. There are two Whites DFX multi frequency detectors for sale in my area with stock coil that are in great shape and will be less than $300. Is there any reason I should consider purchasing one of these detectors? Will the DFX have anything that the Equinox is missing? Will the DFX even compete with the Vanquish or the upcoming Apex? Jeff

Thanks Chase for considering my small pebble throws. I have used a Vanquish 340, 440 and a Makro Kruzer at saltwater beaches. Whatever Minelab means by Beach Advantage I can tell you it definitely worked better than the Kruzer and the Kruzer did very well. The Vanquish is not quite up to the Equinox level but it is really good in saltwater shallow surf, tidal pools, and wet beaches. If the Apex can come anywhere near the Vanquish in saltwater and moderate to high mineralization, Garrett will have really achieved something great. I wish the Vanquish came in a nice control box/arm cuff package like the Apex and Simplex. I really like the shaft system on the Vanquish however. I still disagree on the Equinox iron audio. I still hear plenty of iron responses with -9 and -8 rejected and every other target ID accepted with the iron audio turned down. No need to use the all metal button. thanks, Jeff

The Minelab Vaquish promises to FIND MORE, FASTER Revolutionary Multi-IQ delivers speed, depth and precise identification of all metals across all soils MORE TREASURE, LESS TRASH Iron Bias control gives you maximum results, so you can hunt out treasure hiding amongst trash. TURN ON AND GO In seconds VANQUISH auto-selects the best settings for your soil — no need to choose frequencies or ground balance. AUDIO CONTROL Automatic noise canceling, lag-free audio response and 10 volume settings put you in control. PACK AND CARRY 1.3 kg (2.8 lbs) light with a unique collapsible snap-lock system makes it easy to pack and go. MULTI-IQ — all metals, all soils, all the time BEACH ADVANTAGE — maximum beach performance (340/440/540) PINPOINTING — extreme precision (440/540) 8″, 10″ & 12″ COIL OPTIONS — highly adaptable and waterproof WIRELESS HEADPHONES — enhanced comfort (540*) IRON BIAS — more treasure, less trash (540) RED LED BACKLIGHT — low-light vision (540) This if from Serious Detecting's description for the Vanquish which is straight from Minelab The brochure PDF is attached. I do not think that Minelab did a very good job of promoting the noise canceling, automatic ground balancing or beach capabilities of the Vanquish at all in their skimpy manual. Jeff 4907-1017-1 Vanquish Brochure_Foldable.pdf

I am not throwing rocks. I like your charts very much. I have some possible corrections. Vanquish 540 has 19 possible auto noise cancel frequency shifts on start up. Vanquish actually has 5 search modes since it has Beach capabilities built in. Minelab calls it "Beach Advantage" in the Vanquish brochure and it is automatic. So it is not beach capable just because it is multi frequency. It has some sort of salt balance built in from my understanding. Vanquish and Apex do not need audio plug adapters. Simplex does need an adapter cable (if you buy the version with wireless headphones it is not included.) Vanquish batteries: 4 supplied rechargeables = 8 hours, alkaline or other non rechargeable =11 hours. This is subjective but having an ease of changing batteries whether one is using rechargeable or being a slob and using throw-aways is debatable. Not giving Vanquish any consideration for this flexibility is a question...... For my style of coin and jewelry hunting having 5 tones really makes looking at the display a minor occurrence. The Simplex having only 3 tones max for coin and jewelry makes looking at the display for target identification much more important. I think the Apex and Vanquish should receive extra consideration for having more tones and that the Simplex should receive extra consideration for having VCO audio. So maybe make it two separate categories. The Equinox 600 has 25 levels of iron audio adjustments in discrimination mode. I often use a default search mode, accept everything except -8 and -9 for ground mineralization noise and turn my iron audio down to 10 or less and enjoy the hunt. The Equinox 600 also has an adjustable reference threshold tone volume control. I think the Simplex has adjustable threshold volume too.........I can't remember if it is just available in All Metal or all search modes. Vanquish and Equinox being Bluetooth wireless capable and not just proprietary is a big advantage for the Vanquish in my opinion since I can use any compatible Bluetooth audio ear bud/headphones I choose. Minelab 3 year warranty wins. Jeff

I know it is "old" tech but the Teknetics Omega 8500 and the Teknetics T2 are still available from Teknetics Direct and other dealers for less than $500 brand new. There are some specific situations like lower EMI and mild mineralization (Omega 8500) and lower EMI and deeper targets in iron (T2) where I might pick these detectors over the Simplex and Vanquish 540. For gold prospecting in mild to moderate mineralization and all metal mode I would definitely pick the F19/Teknetics G2+/Time Ranger Pro over the Simplex and Vanquish 540. I guess there are some Gold Bug Pros for sale under $500 too from some dealers. I have seen a few dealers selling Makro Gold Racers and Nokta Impacts brand new for just over $500 ($509) which is a really good deal on those excellent detectors. I could throw in the Fisher F44/Land Ranger Pro/ Tek Liberator but you better have really mild dirt or those three will get poor depth. I would pick the Simplex and Vanquish 540 over them all day long. If I wasn't hunting submerged and I didn't need all metal, my pick would be the Vanquish just for the target ID/tone ID accuracy at depth and the (to me personally) nicer audio. I am not even going to recommend the current ACE series. The new APEX on paper absolutely destroys the old ACE series. Jeff

Hopefully the Garrett Apex will really be a detector to respect for at least 5 years. The GMT 24k and GMX are excellent detectors for sure. However, the MX Sport fiasco, so/so TreasureMaster and the absolute worst detector I've used in the last 15 years, the TreasurePro...................... a made in America sticker should not have been put on that thing. It doesn't deserve it. Jeff

So, to return to the original question, those who do not detect in areas where there is moderate to high mineralization/saltwater conditions may not see any benefit from one of the current simultaneous multi frequency detectors, i.e. the Equinox on shallow to medium depth targets like the example kac gave concerning a 6" large cent co-located with iron. That makes sense to me. However, whenever anyone tells me I just don't know what my single frequency detector is really telling me, I just want to throw up. I wish I had soil conditions like that to hunt in. In my soil conditions that dividing line between a single frequency detector running at high transmit gain versus the Equinox is 3 to 4". Past that depth, absolutely any single frequency detector has zero reliability as far as multiple tone ID or numerical target ID accuracy. Every target past that depth becomes an extremely high conductor or an iron target so the entire low to mid conductor target accuracy is completely gone. So, a single tone beep and dig detector with good ground balance capabilities, no display, an 11" DD or so coil and ample transmit/receive power running above 14kHz would do just as well. So, I have two choices, use and learn my single frequency detector's minute nuances and interrogate the target for several seconds (or more) along with do some mental math (do I add or subtract 20 to 40 target ID numbers to what I think the target is and take a chance????). Or, do I use a more appropriate simultaneous multi frequency detector for my soil conditions, spend less time analyzing targets and dig many more quality targets which are accurately identified with appropriate tones and numbers down to at least 11" or more? I took my G2+ yesterday for a short hunt in an aluminum trash filled local park. I am not a big fan of the discrimination mode on the G2+ because of its tone choices. Basically it is a 2 tone detector in discrimination mode depending on if and where I set the V-Break and iron volume. I basically just wanted to cherry pick copper pennies, dimes and quarters so I set the tone break between low tone and VCO tone pretty high (80), just above zinc pennies and only dug VCO tone targets. I dug so many zinc pennies, 4" deep pull tabs and a couple of US nickels that it was extremely frustrating. I dug plenty of dimes and quarters too but that up averaging is just not fun. I still love the Tek G2+/F19/Time Ranger Pro form factor and since this Tek G2+ was my first really good detector with a display after many years with a Lobo Super Traq, I will never sell it. To be totally truthful, the Garrett AT Gold was my first VLF with a screen but it went bye bye really fast....... (couldn't stand the unadjustable iron audio). The Tek G2+ pistol grip and threshold based all metal mode are just too good. But, I am so thankful that the Equinox with all of its great features and obvious faults, came along and revitalized my desire to keep dirt fishing for coins and jewelry after too many years of target ID accuracy misinformation and frustration. I also look forward to using the Garrett Ace Multi-Flex Apex!!!! Jeff

I have read this response in your posts before and on many detectors with or without displays that strategy works very well. On some simultaneous multi frequency VLF detectors being hype or not, which is the topic of this thread, visual target IDs are very accurately accompanied by very accurate multiple tone ID capabilities. On the Equinox specifically, I hunt first by tone ID and use the numerical target IDs to support what I hear. I don't know anyone who uses an Equinox (that knows what they are doing) that has their eyes glued to the screen. They don't need to especially in 5 or 50 tones. Jeff

Either you misunderstood the veteran detector user you talked to or they have a bone to pick with a certain type of detector. Most hobby VLF detectors are single frequency. Depending on their quality they may be able to very slightly change frequencies in order to prevent crosstalk with other detectors. Only a few VLF detectors have the ability to selectively change from one detecting frequency to another like the XP Deus, XP ORX and some of the Nokta Makro detectors. A very few detectors also have the ability to operate with simultaneous multiple frequencies. Depending on if your soil has high mineralization conditions or if you detect saltwater beaches, a simultaneous multiple frequency detector may be the only VLF detector that will work well. In very mild to moderately mild dirt you won't see much difference between a good quality single frequency detector and a good quality simultaneous multi frequency detector for shallow to medium depth targets. On the deeper targets (past 6 to 8") the simultaneous multi frequency detector may out perform the single frequency detector as far as identification of the target is concerned. So, simultaneous multi frequency detectors work very well where many other detectors fail miserably. That is not hype or some kind of marketing ploy, it is a well known fact. Jeff

I know this is mostly about the Apex vs Vanquish controls. Someone asked me on another topic why I would use my Vanquish 1 out of 10 times and use the Equinox the other 9 times. The main reasons would be the lighter weight, coil choices and the really neat shaft system on the Vanquish. I still don't like the RED color or the toy-like plastic of the Vanquish control housing and arm cuff but that very adjustable and collapsable shaft system on the Vanquish is really nice and sets it apart from the Apex. I am fine with the Apex shaft being upgraded to the AT series. But imagine if the Apex came stock with a more modern collapsable, easily packable shaft....... Jeff

just google silicates/quartz in meteorites.

Hi Chuck, some people do not like the Equinox and really like the Vanquish. I will leave that one alone. I like both for what it is worth but I'll let you figure out which one I pick 9 times out of 10.........it won't take long to guess. The Mi-6 XP pinpointer works fantastic with the ORX. Another possible upgrade are the Quest over the ear headphones that the WS audio puck fits on. Outstanding headphones. Even Chase likes them!!!! Rob Allison is a fantastic dealer and a really good nugget prospector and person. Jeff

Thank you Steve, Chase and Carl for giving great explanations on recovery speed, reactivity, target separation, VSAT/SAT, Autotune and multi frequency ratios. I learn so much whenever I read your posts. The newer gold prospecting detectors seem to have almost hybrid or mixed mode operation in their "Gold" modes like the Deus/Orx and Equinox having adjustable reactivity or recovery speed. I get confused...........which is nothing new. Jeff

Hopefully your F19 has the 10x5” elliptical coil. As others have said being in a gold producing area is step one. Cleaning up big ferrous and non ferrous targets is a good idea too. Learning what a tiny or faint target sounds like and tuning your ears to that sound helps too. Try Steve’s Bic Pen test and also practice on some really small pieces of lead or aluminum like 1/4” to 1/8” size. Running your F19 at 60 to 80 gain is perfectly fine. If you detect a really big target it is a good idea to ground balance again after recovering it or moving on. My plate full of recent targets looks a lot like 1515Art’s. Most were nonferrous targets along with a few pieces of wire and rusty tin can shards. One tiny but really cute piece of gold in the middle. Used the XP ORX but the F19 would have hit these targets too.

I am going to guess that you tested both the discrimination mode and the "all metal mode" on the AT Gold. I had no problem with the AT Gold's AM mode's recovery speed and target separation. My problem recovery speed/audio lag wise was with the AT Gold, AT Pro and the ACE in discrimination mode. Since the APEX only has discrimination modes, I am worried. Jeff