Jeff McClendon

I’ve done it on Nokta Makro, FTP and Whites detectors when using their own and aftermarket coils. 

I don’t own a Gold Bug Pro. Never have and I haven’t read that detector’s manual. On my present and former F19s and Tek G2s the lower shaft by itself with no washers was usually a tight fit. I have always just sanded the lower shaft and washers until they fit the coil ears snugly. 

There is no confusion for me. The F19 lower shaft has indents on both sides for washers and comes with two. I doubt that FTP manufactures those washers. They probably source them and perfect fit is obviously not happening currently. I would rather slightly stress the 10x5 coil ears with rubber on both sides than have rubber on one side and have hard plastic vs hard plastic with no cushion on the other side. 

20 hours ago, Geotech said:

No idea, just use whatever gives a just-snug fit. Too much washer or too little will stress the ears. Probably that's what this is all about.

My recent F19 purchase had washers that didn't quite fit into the lower shaft and were a tight fit for the coil ears too. I just sanded them down a bit until they fit better. Not the first time I have needed to do that on several different brand detectors.

5 minutes ago, KD0CAC said:

Thanks for the reply , now to dig up enough to buy a 2300 , and if dig up a lot , the 6000 😉 

Check the information on this site about both detectors. They aren't perfect and may or may not suit your needs. Check on the GPX 5000 and Garrett Axiom too.

Found on land in the last three months along with over $300 in US clad coins:

These were all found in areas that I have extensively hunted with the Equinox 800 and Deus 2.

Thanks Minelab and Gerry's Detectors @Gerry in Idaho

Just launched promotions from Nokta Detectors.

Free Accupoint with any Legend model purchase

Free wireless headphones with any Double Score purchase

https://www.noktadetectors.com/metal-detector-promotions/

28 minutes ago, KD0CAC said:

I have tried at least a couple times on the Minelab site - do a search for which detectors from Minelab were PI detectors .

I get no search results ?

As far as I know , the only PI detector from Minelab is the 2300 , any others ?

Thanks John

The pulse induction detectors currently manufactured and listed on Minelab's website are the SDC2300, GPX 5000 and GPX 6000. There is also the GPZ 7000 but it uses what Minelab labels ZVT=zero voltage transmission instead of pulse induction or induction balance tech. 

I have found small nuggets with the ORX, Nox 800, and Nox 900. I haven’t had an opportunity to nugget hunt with the Manticore yet.

The ORX has great ergonomics and can be configured many ways including removing the lower shaft and coil from the rest of the detector and as long as the wireless signal stays connected I can just detect with the lower shaft and coil. It’s great for pinpointing and for detecting overhead or on the sides of cuts, etc. The ORX is not waterproof and the wireless signal will lose connection if the coil is submerged even in an inch or two of water unless you use the wired antenna. It has very acceptable sensitivity to really small nuggets, has ferrous/non ferrous 2 tone capability using its Gold modes and handles difficult ground conditions very well. Its audio is a little brash and cannot be adjusted or changed.

The Nox 900 with the 6” or Coiltek 10X5” coils using its Gold modes in Multi simply has another gear compared to the ORX. Running the 900 at 20 of 28 sensitivity, it can compete totally with the ORX but the ORX has to be run at 95 of 99 to stay competive.

The Manticore has yet another gear sensitivity wise that takes it past the 900 in its Gold mode if ground conditions allow.

The Nokta Legend is also an excellent gold prospecting detector that I would consider to be slightly better than the ORX.

Both the 900 and Manticore have much better stock ergonomics than the Nox 800 and easily compete with the ORX for balance and versatility in the field while being fully waterproof and having no issues going in or out of water. They are exceptionally versatile detectors for just about any kind of detecting.

The Legend will find small gold nuggets no problem with the LG15, LG24 and even the newer LG30 coil using Goldfield Multi or 40 kHz. I usually run mine in the A discrimination pattern and with sensitivity lower than Andy is using in the video. The Legend hits hard on anything metal within detecting distance down to about 0.01 grams.

30 minutes ago, AirmetTango said:

I’m the opposite - although the Beta 1 seems to work just fine on my Legend, I’ll take Nokta’s advice and revert to v1.13 until the final update comes out...or at least revert to v1.13 just prior to re-updating to the final v1.14. I’m too worried that the update for the final version won’t play nice if I still have Beta 1 installed instead of an official version when I run the update program.
 

I never got the chance to update to Beta 2 - it released on Friday I think, but I didn’t become aware of it until Monday, after I had already left for a work trip without access to my detector. By the time I got back home on Wednesday night, both Betas had been pulled down from their site. It felt like that old Seinfeld episode…”NO SOUP FOR YOU!!” 😜

I do updates with a Mac. Never had an issue and I ran pre-release V1.09 and other Beta versions for months and updated straight from those. I just make sure that I delete all previous versions of software and updaters on my iMac before I do the newest update and I do a user profile reset before and after installing the newest Legend software.

I didn’t load V1.14 Beta 2…..no need since I followed Nokta’s instructions for only using the A discrimination pattern with Beast Mode. The A disc pattern is what I use most of the time anyway.

With all of the Windows USB driver issues that people had with prior update attempts, I would not be asking Legend users to do any redundant software updates.

2 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

The good news is I got an answer back within the hour after sending my registration confirmation copy, along with an RMA number. I of course get to pay the shipping to send back the defective coil, always a happy feeling.

Coil shipped 4/26 USPS Ground 12"x12"x4" 1 lb 12 oz $9.99 expected delivery 4/30 to:

Minelab Americas Inc
3565 Butterfield Rd. Unit 121
Aurora, IL 60502

I had to pay for shipping and insure my former GPX 6000 to get the speaker/EMI upgrade done under warranty. It definitely did not cost me $9.99!!!

I hope they get you a working 11" coil soon. Found more ridiculous coins at 11" deep today with my Manticore 11" coil in an aluminum trashed public park. These coins are from the time that the park was built and are very old for the Denver area. I am positive that the M8 would not have gotten anywhere near that depth in that park.

That message from Nokta to revert to 1.13 is weird. I am just going to stay with 1.14 Beta until the final version comes out. 1.14 Beta works just fine on my Legends.

Shaft system is trapezoidal and is basically a Simplex mid and lower plastic shaft. 
 

15khz single frequency waterproof detector that just makes the US manufactured offerings look plain silly. 

My Manticore has paid for itself with finds already and I traded in another Minelab detector to a great dealer who is a member of this forum and that deal was good for both of us. 
 

The brick and mortar dealers are the ones that are really getting the finger.

Minelab could show some respect to their “loyal” customers who paid full retail price for their Manticore and gives us a factory direct 30% discount on the coil of our choice or a WM09………. similar to what Nokta did when they released a coil and shaft upgrade for the Legend. 
 

I’m not holding my breath on that happening. 

A coin/jewelry/relic detector with fixed pulse delay set for larger coin sized targets. It will ignore the really small stuff

A gold prospecting detector with fixed pulse delay set for 0.1 gram nuggets and larger.

Personally I would like both options in one detector. Waterproof would be awesome.

5 minutes ago, kac said:

Apex's Hybrid audio is not for everyone. The short response can make it difficult to isolate targets in high trash areas and hard to tell if your falsing if out of ground balance in bad ground or your swing is too fast in high mineralized ground. It is especially difficult to run for those like myself that are accustomed to smooth audio and audio that follows the size of a target rather than sound off on lead of the swing.

I have found plenty with the Apex and have done incredibly well with it but I struggle in those conditions. On the other hand my hunting buddy uses it quite a bit and it was a big upgrade from is old Ace. He is able to pick out targets easily with it and he oddly struggles with other machines like my D2, AT Pro and Tesoros. His comfort zone is with that short beep and following the display and mine is hunting by sound. Both of us to well and I can't say the Apex has made him miss targets other than not putting the coil over the target or running discrim too high.

Would changing the audio change minds for those who gave up their Apex? I know if it had modulated audio I would use mine more. I do find it comfortable to swing and really nice easy to read display.

I don't mind the Apex audio quality or the length of the tones. I do mind it being stuck on 5 tones. When a simple non-ferrous low to mid conductor aluminum coins sized target at 4" deep is sounding off with all 5 tones......that gets old quick. A 1 or 2 tone option would make the Apex a lot more flexible in my opinion.

1 hour ago, Sinclair said:

My detector came with that cable stock .. very flimsy imho - always in fear to break something 😀. I don't like the XP charging system on the D2 anyway.. and I often forget to screw the cap back on after charging, if I'm in a hurry.

I love my Deus 2 but I recently sold my remote partly because I absolutely hated screwing on that charging connector and partly because I just don't need the full remote. The WS6 Master setup works good enough for me since I won't be doing any diving or submerged Deus 2 water hunting. 

I like that new charging cable as long as the pins don't break. Now maybe XP will also come out with a different coil charging clip.....PLEASE!

27 minutes ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Just a reminder - this is the Garrett Forum for people who like and appreciate their Garrett detectors, where they can do so without people telling them that Brand X is better. You want to make brand to brand comparisons, take it to the Comparisons Forum.

I also do not find the Apex to be a powerhouse in my soil and have said so, but I don’t make it my mission to make sure I repeat that on every thread on the Garrett Forum to people who are happy with theirs.

I truly feel sorry for people who own and enjoy a Garrett Ace 150 or a Bounty Hunter. They go out and have fun and find things. Then they find a forum or get on Facebook, and get told what they own is not “the best” by all the people who are sure they own “the best.” There is a general elitist attitude on these forums that can’t tolerate anyone saying anything good about anything other than a dozen detector models. Own anything else and you will rapidly be made into a second class citizen here… and leave. Great, maybe your car is better than my car, but truth is I like my car and I don’t want your car. Maybe people just like and want to support Garrett products regardless of whether somebody else thinks they should not.

The OP and another poster started this topic with a direct comparison between the Garrett Apex and the XP Deus 2 on page one.

I was going to stay out of it but I don't want unknowing prospective Apex buyers to get the wrong impression. I think the OP did a good job of making it clear later on that the Apex does have some issues in higher iron mineralization.

For me it has nothing to do with elitism.

I don't enjoy using detectors that don't perform well where I detect. I am too old to waste time wondering what a detector is trying to tell me in a simple park hunt situation on 4" deep or less targets. I don't care who made the detector. If that means I have to buy more expensive detectors because of soil mineralization levels then that doesn't make me an elitist.

I am a longtime happy Garrett owner that just wants them to produce a better SMF VLF.

15 hours ago, Bill (S. CA) said:

All kidding aside, I'm just happy to see the Apex get a little credit.  I thought from the get go it was unfairly dismissed and then just ignored.  

Andy and I both tried to make the Apex work in our western USA soil conditions. My experiences were very similar to Andy’s. I actually bought two different ones hoping that the first one was just a lemon. Lost money when I sold them.

I didn’t unfairly dismiss or ignore the Apex. I really liked everything about it except for the way it detected here. I gave it an honest go. It just couldn’t handle the ground conditions that the Equinox, Legend, Deus 2 and Manticore handle easily.

I also really hope that Garrett’s next SMF detector will be able to handle the ground conditions here a lot better than the Apex. I really like Garrett as a company, I like the Axiom a lot and would love to own and use an all terrain, fully competitive Garrett simultaneous multi frequency detector.

Anyone expecting the Legend to beat out the Manticore with both running maxed out sensitivity (if that is even possible) is going to be disappointed and also probably needs to really take a good dose of reality with their next aspirin dose.

For me anyway, the Legend is an improvement on the Equinox 800 and matches or exceeds it at most locations aside from Midalake's saltwater beaches. Expecting anymore from it is just fantasy.

1 hour ago, RobNC said:

Totally agree with you on that. The Deep Target ID feature is perhaps the most useful thing from 1.14

That Beast mode is just not for me. I don't see any real world application of it for myself. Why in the world would I want even more instability and guesswork from a detector I'm trying to get more stable dependable operation from? It is rare if I can run sensitivity up to 22 around here. The Black Beard pirate in the Nokta video had the thing cranked to 30. Just not realistic use for me.

I have not found Beast Mode to be unstable. I don't find the Legend in general to be unstable either. It is well behaved for me as long as I do a noise cancel, properly ground balance it and don't go much over a sensitivity setting of 25 and if I make sure to take the target IDs for border line deep and for surface targets with the coil actually centered over the target.  

I can see Beast Mode being a very good tool for double checking areas where deeper relic and coin sized objects may be lurking as long as there aren't any buried utility lines in the same area. So, rural areas with open fields or woods with little to no infrastructure build up. I can easily see me or someone less experienced going after electrical, gas and water line/sprinkler systems using Beast Mode if they use it in the wrong area.

1 hour ago, phrunt said:

Can it catch it up to the Manticore for depth though as this video makes it look terrible by comparison, seems a lot of messing around when you have other detectors that natively hit the same depth without doing anything, especially switching into a tricky to access mode to check a target? whenever you get a suspect deep target.

I read a lot of people saying the Legend is a bit of an 8" max detector and many comment on it's not very deep compared to others, the same thing I found with my Simplex and a guy I know in NZ sold his for that very reason, although that was very early on in the firmware updates, he didn't give it much of a chance.

At least where I detect, the Legend if setup for the ground conditions can hit and identify 10" coin sized targets no matter what conductivity they are. Much deeper than that and the targets (similar to the Nox 600/800) start to sound like iron. The Deep Target feature just released in V1.14 may help with that. 

My Manticore will also tend towards iron in the higher iron mineralized dirt that I hunt in especially on lower and mid conductive coin sized targets at around 10". Anyone just getting 8" max using their Legend must be hunting with iron rejected and with the iron filter on the default 8 setting, one of the smaller coils and/or they have the worst dirt on the planet.

1 hour ago, phrunt said:

Every time I think I'll jump onboard and buy one I read stuff that puts me off!  Although as soon as I can get my hands on a Nel Snake for it I'll buy it regardless for a waterproof creek gold detector, albeit second hand as even though we are a tiny market they're regularly available second hand, usually they're on multiple owners though.

There are lots of absolute newbies to detecting giving their opinions about the Legend on Facebook and even making YouTube videos. Some of what they are saying is leaking onto the forums. They obviously don't know much about detecting yet, especially deep target detecting and I disregard most of what they are claiming.

1 hour ago, phrunt said:

The Deep Target feature sounds more viable to use than Beast mode.  I think the naming of that was a poor choice as it makes it sound like it's something super powerful and perhaps got people's expectations too high.

I like the name for the Deep Target feature. For me it really helps to clean up the iron/not iron choice on 8 to 10" deep ferrous and non-ferrous targets if I keep the setting on 2.  In testing on 8" test garden coin sized targets and on actual 8" deep wild targets it has worked great. So far, I have gotten more information and cleaner hits using it on those targets than the Manticore gives me in ATG All Metal using 5 tones, in places where I really need good information. 

Diga gave a really good explanation for the iron filter/iron stability settings. The iron filter settings are like whole numbers and the iron stability settings are decimals like IF 1 and IS 4 is similar to a combined iron filter setting of 1.65 or so, etc. 

I forgot to mention that V 1.09 and later work much better at saltwater beaches than the previous versions.