Jeff McClendon

I totally agree. The version 2.0 Deus 2 results are on par with the Legend and Equinox 800 even with Deus 2 using a 9" versus 6" coil for the Legend and Equinox 800. The addition of High Square Wave tones in version 1.10 and the tweaks they made to FMF Goldfield in version 2.0 have made a huge difference in small gold and low conductor performance. I will be trying 2.0 FMF Goldfield at a gold prospecting site nearby next week.

I was able to do the version 2.0 update and a quick air test using the same targets that I used in this test documented here: I tested software version 2.0 using Goldfield FMF with Disc IAR on 0, Notch Off, Sensitivity 95, high frequency limit 40.4 kHz, iron volume 7, reactivity 2, audio response 3, threshold 0, using high square tones. The results I got are in the second column on the chart shown below. The first column shows the original Goldfield FMF version 0.71 results using the same settings (except just Square Wave audio) with the same 9" coil. Thanks XP!!!!!!!!!!! That is Steve H. with the Axiom on the back cover of a recent magazine mentioned in another post elsewhere on this forum. If it wasn't for Steve and this forum, I wouldn't know squat and would still be using an AT Gold and maybe a GP 3000.

Coaching at a high school golf tournament right now Simon. I will definitely let you know when I have a chance to check out the new Deus ll version 2.0 software.

If you are using software version 1.10, you have the option of High Square tones which is a much livelier and brighter version of Square tones at least for my hearing. Great finds. The very quirky design decisions of Deus and Deus 2 fit some people and simply don't fit others. Deus 2's audio theme choices make it much easier and painless for me to deal with. Like palzynski, I suffered from listening to hours and hours of PWM audio for many years.

I mostly do separation tests and tests like Monte’s nail board test with the targets either laying on top of basically target free ground in the wild or on top of iron mineralized ground test samples so that ground balance and recovery speed settings actually have some realistic bearing on the testing. That is the type of ground I find most of the older pre 1900 targets in and it gives me at least a starting place for settings that might work and some indication of audio and target ID anomalies that might happen. Otherwise, air separation tests only tell me very basic information which may or may not transfer over to real life detecting conditions where I detect.

I am trying to stay with what I would like to see on a Vanquish successor. I think I already said it, but I’ll say it again. Minelab, please put a Multi IQ only detector in the fully waterproofed X-Terra Pro platform with ground balance, limited features and a good rechargeable battery system. I don’t trust my out of warranty Equinox 800 in deeper fresh or salt water. The Legends I own I trust completely but a $400 Multi IQ only X-Terra Pro would be awesome.

Here in the USA, a lot of Vanquish, X-Terra Pro and Garrett Ace entry level VLF detector sales are made online via Amazon and EBay and through “big box” department store and sporting good store in person sales. People buying that way do not have a shop owner telling them which detector will or will not work in their detecting area. Only forums like this one give real world information like that to prospective buyers. So NO, most USA buyers will have to depend on the manufacturers marketing hype and will have no clue!

The Vanquish 340, 440 and 540 are outstanding beginner level detectors. I have taught absolute beginners how to successfully use one in 5 minutes. I own a 440 but I gave it to one of my sons to use when he occasionally needs a break from being in the US Navy and wants to do some casual park or saltwater beach detecting. I can't use a Vanquish were I detect. Just too much magnetite and volcanic stuff in the soil around here. Even rejecting part of the ground noise, lowest iron range on the 440 and 540 is not enough. So not being able to ground balance them is my first beef with the Vanquish models and Monte Berry's too (requiescat in pace). My second beef (and Monte's too) was the extreme battery consumption. My third and final beef is that the Vanquish models are not waterproof. So, I am having a difficult, old man bout with this conundrum. Why did Minelab create a non-waterproof, entry level detector with Multi IQ only operation (for saltwater beaches????) in an obviously designed for complete beginners, flashy Garrett ACE like shell and then produce a fully waterproof, selectable single frequency operation only, with an actual saltwater beach mode (huh???), entry level detector based on the Equinox 700/900 footprint????? That just seems to be utterly bassackwards to me. I know I am not a very smart person, especially when it comes to marketing. Minelab marketing and Minelab in general give the impression that they are top dog, top shelf and all over it. Whatever. I also know I would buy a X-Terra Pro that had Multi IQ without selectable single frequencies in a heartbeat. Just put the Equinox 600 without selectable single frequencies and maybe just Park 1, Park 2 and Beach 2 in an X-Terra Pro shell and shaft system and sell it for $400 US. They would sell that detector by the millions.

Unbelievable and ridiculous. That photo is used twice in this annual report. It’s the only photo of a hobby detector user where the person sort of looks like they know what they’re doing other than using a Gold Bug with 5” coil at a saltwater beach. But I have been known to use an Equinox with a 6” coil in the surf to avoid snapping off 11” coil ears and to fight black sand noise. Come On FTP, sue them!!!!!!

I can believe that. I was referring to Automatic Ground Balance/Ground Grab. I don't see that kind of fluctuation where I detect on land, even in high iron mineralization using Ground Grab. The Equinox and Legend will usually decide on a specific number. Sometimes that number is a bit different on different days due to soil moisture levels.

As I said earlier, I don't like to answer such specific questions about the three random soil samples I use for my own personal testing. The way my detectors behave over them does not represent anything remotely "general". This could really be random behavior that is not representative of other's results. I am not going any further with it since I don't want anyone running away with what I say in a positive or negative way. Steve H. said it best "A good habit to get into is anytime you change anything, ground balance again. Takes seconds, can't hurt - why not?"

Buy an Equinox and test for yourself.

All three have magnetite mineralization along with hot rocks. Using recovery speed 5 for all three samples, the least magnetite mineralized sample ground balances between 10 and 13. The moderate to high magnetite mineralized sample ground balances between 3 and 6. The most magnetite mineralized sample ground balances between -2 and 1.

These are the type of questions that I do not like to answer since I have very different ground conditions and dirt samples from others. My three samples are by no means a definitive answer. I will just say again that after I raise or lower the recovery speed, the ground balance number changes.

See above post.

I I agree with Steve and El Nino77 basically. This is from experience. Just to be sure, I did a quick test with the Equinox and Legend. This was done on three different dirt samples that I keep for testing in 14" gold prospecting pans. One sample has moderate iron mineralization=4 bars on Deus 2 mineralization graph. One has moderate to high iron mineralization=6 bars on Deus 2 mineralization graph and one has very high mineralization=Deus 2 mineralization meter is maxed out. Using the Ground Grab feature on both detectors to do an automatic ground balance (not ground tracking or manual ground balance) and then changing the recovery speed even just one value like from 5 to 6 also resulted in a change in the ground balance number when I did a subsequent Ground Grab. The change in ground balance number was not big=two or three number difference, but in moderate to high iron mineralization the ground balance being two or three numbers off can make a really big difference in the amount of ground noise heard and the ability to hear good targets. Maybe when using tracking ground balance, the change in ground balance number when changing the recovery speed value would be taken care of quickly by the tracking ground balance feature. Using tracking ground balance is not feasible where I detect.

I have the Equinox 800 with Minelab 6", Minelab 11" and Coiltek 10X5". If there is any EMI in the area all three behave like this in Gold 1 and Gold 2: Multi is very chatty the higher I turn up sensitivity especially above 20, 40 kHz has less chatter, 20 kHz is the most consistently quiet. In areas with EMI and high iron mineralization, Multi is about the same and handles the ground mineralization the best, 20 kHz reacts more to the ground and 40 kHz is more stable than 20 kHz. Most of the places I gold prospect in Colorado will ground balance between -2 and + 8. That ground has high levels of magnetite and will max out any VLF detector's Fe3O4 mineralization meter. So your ground balancing at +1 to +4 sounds to me like there is a lot of magnetite in your area.

Only the Nugget Shooter Forum is down. Bill's other sites like his store pages and YouTube Patreon page are up and running fine as of 10:18 MT 8/23

I tape nugget hunting coils that are solid (not open spoked) so that the cover won't come off and so as little as possible dirt gets inside. I also tape open spoked coils on the outside rim since I am a coil scrubber and the places my open spoked coil covers wear out first is on the outer rim from banging them into rocks and boulders when nugget/relic hunting or trees and concrete when coin and jewelry hunting. I just use 3M brand black or white electrical tape that I buy for around $3 US for the small roll.

If your 10X5 Coiltek is "smooth as can be" at 20 kHz and noisy at 40 kHz and in Multi using Gold 1 and Gold 2, then your coil is probably fine. Do the other coils behave similarly when changing frequencies in Gold 1 and Gold 2? The VCO audio and the way Gold 1 and Gold 2 were designed, make them extremely sensitive to any small targets including EMI and ground noise from mineralization especially when using Multi. Sometimes I can run an Equinox 800 in Gold 1 or Gold 2 Multi at sensitivity around 20 in my area where magnetite mineralization is pretty bad. That is as high as I can go. When EMI or ground noise starts to cause random audio and VDI numbers, I just have to back off sensitivity a bit. I can usually run recovery speed around 4 or 5. Going any lower will help with EMI but it will make ground noise much worse.

I basically have a TDI Pro that was modified for even more sensitivity to smaller targets by Reg Sniff. Your results with a Sadie coil and a voltage upgraded TDI SL may not be the same as mine but I hope it will at least hit a 0.15 gram lead sample. Whether it will hit sub 0.1 gram gold..........? Even some very sensitive VLF gold prospecting detectors will not hit vials of flour gold. I have spent a lot of time in Clear Creek from the last tunnel all the way to north Denver. Finding a tenth of a gram of flour gold per hour with a good sluice and good water flow is not unusual if ice out created plenty of early summer flow. good luck

This entire topic is one of those that should be saved FOREVER in an easy to find place in the Testing section of the How To Metal Detect Hall Of Fame.

If you have the 9" coil for your Deus 2 you should be OK. Personally, if you still have a couple of the other detectors listed in your signature and have small coils for them, you might even be better off.