Jeff McClendon

I heard rumors at a recent GPAA gold show that Minelab was releasing a low to mid range detector to counter and one up the Simplex. So, something Multi IQ between the Go-Find/X-Terra and the Equinox. Jeff

Hi, I owned a previously used XP Deus with 9" HF coil version 4.1 software for 6 months. I was able to use it for some basic coin and jewelry hunting and for gold prospecting. I found it to be an outstanding metal detector. However, in highly mineralized soil I found it to be fairly hard to find the right settings in order for it to get much depth for good audio signals past 5". 14kHz did not work well for depth. Sounds crazy, I know but 28 to 30 kHz was much better. Unfortunately, this made the target ID numbers for US coins at depth to be in the 70s to mid 90s along with most of the other jewelry targets I was after. Much of the coin sized trash also ended up in that target ID range unless it was very small foil or tiny can slaw pieces. So, coin and jewelry detecting squeezed into a 25 segment target ID range with the HF coil was not particularly pleasant even after lots of tone break and tone pitch adjustments. The Deus worked very well as a gold prospecting detector for smaller gold using 28 to 54kHz settings with the 9" HF coil. I had no trouble setting it up for the sites I was prospecting. It was fairly quiet in high mineralization and abundant hot rocks. The XY graph worked great for iron probability and for visual support for lead and gold range targets. The 9" HF coil went fairly deep on sub gram gold (up to 5") and it was a pleasure to swing and especially to put in my backpack. Eventually, I decided to sell the Deus. Using the HF coil only for relic hunting and gold prospecting makes sense. Using it for coin and jewelry in medium to high mineralized soil did not. I was using only two of the 10 programs regularly since the others could not handle bad mineralization very well and did not see the point since I already had some very capable gold prospecting detectors and great coin and jewelry detectors which the Deus was not appreciably better than in the field. Hopefully, the person that bought it from me will not have my soil conditions to deal with. For most normal soil conditions and with fully supported coil frequencies that have ID normalization, the Deus would be fantastic. Jeff

From experience and from the manual, there is no change in the target ID number or the depth reading after you press the pinpoint button. The number you see and the depth reading are just the last number and depth reading remembered by the Nox before you pressed the pinpoint button. If you happen to press the pinpoint button without having detected a recent target or you have to press it again because of the weird ghosting that sometimes happens (one of the issues GB Amateur was referring to) you will get no depth reading and the two dashes _ _. So, the only thing that you should pay attention to when Nox pinpointing is the highest pitched tone and the filling in of the speedometer arch. Jeff

According to the XP ORX questions answered site ID normalization is always ON and automatically normalizes IDs for both HF and X35 coils and frequencies. If so, that is a major improvement over the constant up averaging, especially using the HF coils on the Deus. At least in the discrimination modes on the Deus, it always seemed to me that the HF coils were only partially integrated software wise. They seem to be fully supported on the ORX In both ORX Gold modes target IDs are displayed, another helpful difference from the Deus Gold mode. thanks for this informative thread. Jeff

I got to sort of demo a new gold prospecting detector today at the GPAA Gold Show in Denver. The dealer could not tell me any details about it other than it is basically a Goldmaster 24K in a fully waterproof MXSport body. It looked like an MXSport with a slightly bigger control box that had similar display and controls that looked like the 24K. It was labeled GMX. Looked very nice. Whites will be releasing it soon. Jeff White's GMX Sport Data & Specifications

Hi I haven’t been able to tryout the 24k yet.........hope to soon. I have used the GM 1000, the Nox 800 and the XP Deus with high frequency coil for prospecting. I still have the Nox 800. I recently purchased a Makro Gold Kruzer after the 15% price drop here in the USA. It has the one thing that the Nox is missing: a threshold based all metal mode at 61 kHz. So far I really like it even for coin hunting and especially for micro jewelry in its three tone discrimination mode. It is an option to definitely consider. Jeff

Hi Peter, I would like to know how your Nox situation turns out and what Minelab service department suggested for a fix. Glad to see you on this great forum. Jeff

Hi in the USA in Oklahoma we find Barite crystal formations with sand coatings that are called Barite Roses. Selenite (gypsum) and Calcite crystal clusters can also form under similar circumstances with sand coatings and inclusions. Jeff

Thanks Rob. I love my 1/4 inch plug with adaptor Gray Ghosts on my Nox and GPX 4800. They even make my F44 sound good. They would be awesome on the Gold Monster!!!!!!!!! Jeff McClendon

Hi, I have several friends who use V3is. I have been able to mess around with one for awhile. What an incredible detector!!!! I wish Whites could condense it down into a much smaller and lighter detector, a sentiment expressed by many others. I have used the Equinox and XP Deus extensively. I recently sold my Deus simply because the Nox fits my detecting needs better. The Nox ability to go deep in high mineralization with solid target and tone ID as opposed to the Deus is obvious to anyone that has used both in similar circumstances. I was on a hunt yesterday with two Deus users and my 800 was the go to detector for the deep iffy targets that we compared. Some of the targets were undetectable by the Deus even with the 11" low frequency coil at 8" depth in high mineralization. The Nox nailed all of these wild coin targets. I looked at the Orx very carefully and decided that it was just too limited in adjustable audio features and detecting modes for me to seriously consider when compared to the Deus and the Equinox. If you hunt in mild to moderate dirt the Orx would probably be just fine. So would the Makro Multi Kruzer. I tried one out for a while and I really liked all of its features. It was hard to calm it down in high EMI and high mineralization however. In a perfect world, I would buy a Nox 800 and keep the V3i. .

I recently bought a Teknetics Patriot. I have been interested in this detector since it was released and finally found a deal I could not refuse. I have owned another Teknetics 13kHz detector that had EMI issues in the urban areas I usually hunt in . I was afraid that the Patriot would exhibit some of the same behavior. Fortunately, even on the default settings in Program 1 (discrimination mode) the Patriot was very quiet and needed no adjusting except to turn up the sensitivity!!!! So far, I have really enjoyed detecting with the Patriot both for its detecting prowess and for its outstanding ergonomics. It will easily detect accurately past the 5" level in my two to three Fe3O4 bar mineralized dirt and is an absolute joy to swing. It is beautifully balanced and feels like a 2 pound detector not a very nose heavy almost 3 pound detector like some of the Fishers and Teknetics that do not have a battery box under the arm rest. It should be a great relic hunter, a good prospecting detector and has already proven to be a very fine coin and jewelry hunter. If you are considering buying one of these, read up on recommended settings for the F70/Patriot. Lots of good information on this forum and two others that will really help setting it up for your conditions. I highly recommend this detector either for a relative newbie, intermediate user, or a very experienced hunter in need of a mid single frequency or backup detector. Jeff

It will work with any Tek Greek Series, F11, F22, F44, the later F5, Gold Bug/Gold Bug Pro/Tek G2/F19 stock coil along with the many aftermarket coils for the same detectors. Personally, the stock 8" coil is hard to beat. It is super easy to pinpoint with the hole in the middle, is very lightweight and will easily go 6" with accurate target ID and will go deeper with good tones. The Minuteman is a totally awesome, no nonsense detector and like the Tek Patriot, is a steal of a deal. Jeff

I second Gerry and Rob's businesses. Great, super honest guys to work with especially if you are into nugget shooting and want field training. If you are looking for good deals on slightly used or new all purpose detectors Gerry, Rob, River Team 6, Backwoods Metal Detecting, Metal Detecting Stuff, Show Me Treasure and Serious Detecting all offer used quality detectors at good prices on their websites and on eBay. I've had good luck dealing with them through the years. Jeff

Hi bethanyb 1201, You have had some good advice here. I would like to hear if any of it has helped you. We are all learning here and even though we have different levels of experience, we all have had our Equinox 800s and 600s for a year or less and are still trying new things. Please respond so we can all learn from you too. Chase, I have had no problems running either Gold 1 or Gold 2 in higher mineralization. If things get a bit sideways I up the discrimination a bit (to -5 or -4 or so) and turn down the sensitivity one or two notches (to 15 or so). My 800 still gets plenty of depth. Jeff

Hi, so, if you hunt in wet conditions the Equinox is fully waterproof......Deus and MXT Pro are not. You also hunt in changing mineralization. That is what the Equinox was designed for. You want the most modern features......that would be the Equinox 800. The XP Deus is an outstanding audio tone metal detector. It is not so great at numerical target ID. If you don't like the XP Deus tones then you might like the Equinox. The Equinox has very good numerical target ID. I have owned an XP Deus, Equinox 800 and 600 and the easier version of the MXT Pro .......the M6 Matrix. I also owned a Whites MX7. The Equinox tones are very close to the MX7 and even the M6. I still have the Equinox 800 and 600. I sold the others. Jeff

I often use two scoops for gold prospecting the tiny stuff Jeff

I think I read in the manual (I've read it too many times and I think I just need to print it out : I don't remember stuff I see on a electronic screen like I do if it is a piece of paper in my hand) that the depth gauge is set for coin sized objects. Smaller objects and larger objects will read differently. Ground conditions like extremely wet, semi-frozen and extremely dry can have a factor too. I have had my depth gauge read one arrow (2.5") and turn out to be a crushed 8" aluminum can or large iron. Neither of those was a coin sized object so.............. I defer to the manual's information and hope for better accuracy in an update someday. Jeff

You're just as likely to hit a 3ft deep bobby pin with your Tejon! Seriously, none of these will hit a bobby pin (in perfect low mineralization dirt or sand) much past 1 foot. I tried out a Tejon for awhile. I liked the Vaquero and ground balanced modded Cibola better, but that's just me. The Anfibio isn't going anywhere. I'd say the Kruzer would be just as likely to go bye bye. Lots of new Nokta Makro machines on the horizon. I would question your dealer's motives for saying that. The Equinox is a great (not perfect) detector. Set up for your conditions and abilities it will do very well on most targets down to a foot with good ID and tones. It does very well in my poor soil conditions. The Kruzer is a lot more noisy where I hunt (even in 3 tones) but it has good ID and audio accuracy too. Quest Pro is a good (not great detector) and has some patent issues still ongoing. The Deus/Orx are awesome detectors for a target tone oriented person. I found the display almost impossible to read most of the time but that is just my 64 year old eyes probably. I like to see the numbers and depth, etc. and I like lots of audio indications too. The Equinox fits my hunting needs very well. Jeff

Hi, very interesting question. I keep my pull tabs and ring tabs for comparison each year. Who knows why. I guess I'll recycle them someday. For surface to shallow ring tabs and in air tests in Park 1 multi I can get any where for 15 to 20 on a variety of ring tabs (beavertails?) In my high mineralized soil the deeper the target the higher the target ID can be if it is coin sized or bigger. Even with the Nox, a nickel can go up to 18 OR get its target ID pulled down into the single digits depending on the Fe3O4 levels if it is past 6". Most of my single frequency detectors have up averaged any mid conductor target at depth here. The Deus was really bad about that and so were most of my Whites, Fisher and Teknetics detectors in the past. Pull tabs and nickels could read in the quarter/silver range at deeper than 6". Running in 5kHz with -9 to +18 disced out I can see where you would not get a hit on surface to say 6" ring tabs in New Mexico (kind of like Colorado dirt maybe). Deeper than that anything can happen from my experience. I actually do have some ring tabs that hit 20 on the Nox in air tests in default modes. Jeff

Hi Horst, my ground mineralization is really bad. I have never used ground tracking.........and I have never just turned on my Nox and starting detecting. I have always done a coil pumping ground balance. It is great to hear that you are able to detect with your 800 almost every day. Many of us here in the US still have frozen ground or are just thawing out with another blizzard on the way for some of us!!!!! good luck Jeff

Hi SLGuin, Your problem is similar to mine. The parks I hunt in have the same restrictions. I have to have a dependable pinpointer that will hit a 2" to 3" target or like you I may pass it up depending on the current soil conditions. I don't concentrate on micro jewelry like you do. If you have the opportunity to test some pinpointers the ones that will consistently hit tiny pieces of foil and gold earring posts are the minimum requirement. Some quality pinpointers just can't do that. Jeff

Hi Paul, Welcome to this friendly forum. Those are incredible finds from the time of two amazing rulers. Thank you for sharing them with us! The oldest coin I have ever found is from the USA 1884! I would love to find 300 to 500 year old coins......... happy hunting Jeff in Colorado

Hi, like Kac, I have heard that the Minelab Profinds are very sensitive and are also very iffy quality wise. The same goes for the early Fisher F-Pulse/Teknetics Tek-Point. The version 1 models had lots of bad printed circuit board problems. I sent my version 1 back after struggling with it and it works great now with the version 2 board. I bought a second one and use them both for gold prospecting and deep coin shooting. Being PIs they will go 3 inches easily and will hit tiny (I mean 1/4 inch long hair-like) screen wire, iron, foil and of course gold targets as in sub .5 gram nuggets and pickers. As long as you get the version 2 new or an updated version 1 you should be fine. I like the Quest/Deteknix X pointer for depth (an inch deeper than any Garrett I have owned) but not for sensitivity on tiny targets. I have always heard the Whites TRX is the deepest and most sensitive VLF pinpointer. I have never used one. Jeff

Hi Hi you can use the wireless headphones without the module. If the headphones aren’t charged you can plug them directly into the Nox or if the WM08 module is charged you can also plug into the module. Turn on the WM08 and hold down the wireless button on the Nox until they pair up. Clip it to your shirt or jacket as close to the Nox control box as possible . jeff

Hi LipCa I think you got that backwards. I've had both and the F19 and G2+ seemed to be exactly the same PC board wise. The G2 is a bit different (older model). The only differences I can remember about the F19 and G2+ were the ergonomics=S handle vs pistol grip, paint job and control box sticker, and your other question, the stock coil. For me, I liked the 10x5" elliptical DD coil best for my purposes. It seemed to be a little more stable, just as deep as the G2+ 11X7" coil and definitely easier when detecting in rocks, brush and stubble since it is closed. Maybe it's just me but I have never particularly liked the 11X7 coil. They are interchangeable along with a multitude of other coils both from FTP and aftermarket. If I remember right neither will work with concentric coils.......I could be wrong which happens every minute of the day. Jeff