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Jeff McClendon

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Everything posted by Jeff McClendon

  1. If I needed a Tesoro addiction fix (thankfully I don't), Deeptech sure makes some really nice detectors.
  2. Hi stateguy, I am learning the Manticore just like everybody else. Quite the detector for sure. I don't know what kind of sand your were hunting in whether very low, low, moderate or high amounts of magnetic sand. I hunt on turf mostly, haven't used the Manticore at a saltwater beach yet so anything I say here needs to be considered with that in mind. Also, the dirt I hunt in has moderate to high amounts of magnetite particles, enough to easily cover a magnet with sand sized particles if I roll it around in this dirt for a couple of seconds. My Manticore has been updated and I have the red numbers turned on, iron volume turned up and I usually hunt with the horseshoe button engaged so all target IDs are accepted. I regularly get red numbers and black numbers on most targets from surface to 8" deep that have a target ID below about 30. That definitely includes nickels and I am talking about standalone nickels, not nickels with an actual iron target nearby. I totally agree with everything TampaBayBrad said above. I will dig any target that has a target ID from 24 to 27 even if some numbers are red, it sounds like it is coin sized target, the dot at least starts on the center line (even though it may "bleed" downward a bit) and like TampaBayBrad said it has a "solid hit". That solid hit is very key to distinguishing US nickels from other targets including modern pull tabs. So, some red numbers on buried nickels may be "normal". I will probably get some grief for saying this from people that don't want to hear it (literally) but the Manticore using its Normal and Enhanced audio themes (all I've used so far) if recovery speed stays between 3 and 6 or so, is very capable of giving some major amounts of "descriptive" audio response information that can be learned and depended on. So learning what a US nickel sounds and responds like with all of the Manticore's visual and audio aids can make digging them almost guaranteed if you learn their tendencies opposed to modern oval and rectangular pull tabs for instance. It takes some practice and no strategy is ever perfect, but the "tells" are there for anyone that wants to take the time to learn them.
  3. I enjoyed using the one I owned for relic hunting in mild to moderately mineralized ground even though I had constant EMI issues due to it being an Aussie detector battling with 60 Hz USA electricity. It was just OK, nothing special for smaller gold nuggets below 0.5 grams. As soon as the ground mineralization became more difficult, it was pretty useless. Hated to sell it but it went to another good home in Virginia USA for relic hunting.
  4. Have those spouses swing an ORX and they might think differently. They are really easy to operate too with just enough features to get serious.
  5. XP ORX detectors with HF 9" round, HF elliptical, or one of the X35 coils and WS wireless audio headphones, charging cables, etc are available in the USA, I mean the entire package with great coil, headphones and remote (some dealers are including a nice XP finds pouch) for $549. I don't care much for the ORX coin modes, but I was always comparing them to something they aren't meant to be=original Deus full featured coin modes. But those two gold prospecting modes are no joke. A coil that will run at 14, 31 and 81 kHz plus with a little disc IAR and iron volume On, you get a two tone VCO gold prospecting/relic hunter/micro gold jewelry hunter that weighs about 2 lbs. That is insane.......thank again to Nokta Detectors (and XP). Compare that to a Minelab GoldMonster 1000 with one coil for $799 to 999 US that takes 30 seconds to ground balance......I could go on but there is no point.
  6. I totally ditched the GPX 6000 for the Garrett Axiom and I am not sorry I did one bit. The Axiom, even with the weird focused core DD coils that I am still trying to get used to, is just a more fun and much more sensible detector to use and it is plenty sensitive to sub 0.1 gram gold. Right after I ditched the GPX 6000 a friend of mine decided to sell his GPX 4000 in great shape with two coils and two good batteries for $800. Needless to say, I bit on that deal. So, I have two extremely capable PIs and too many super versatile SMFs that are great at gold prospecting to count. I can't find enough time to use them all! After hearing about the Manticore M8 coil knock, maybe I will hold off even longer on buying an M8. The Manticore even with the 11" stock coil is super sensitive to small gold already.
  7. The biggest difference between the Simplex models and the AT Pro, Etrac and Legend (aside from what has already been mentioned) is the audio quality of the tones on the Simplex models. Some like it, some don't mind it and a lot of people absolutely do not like it. In comparison, very few people complain about the audio tones on the AT Pro, Etrac or Legend. It's like salt and sugar. The difference is that big for some.
  8. Working on V1.09 was really fun. Speaking of Garrett, for me, the Apex would be an even better detector with just one simple change. Offer 1, 2 and maybe 3 tone audio as an alternative to just 5 tone. Should be simple and could have been easily done with an online update. Didn't happen eventhough many suggested it. You and I and many others could go on and on about constructively improving the Equinox 800 but Minelab decided to do something completely different with the 700/900. I don't know who they were listening to but I would love to know.......WHY.
  9. Nope, you just don't get it. The vast majority of that change log list is the beauty of the Legend and its willful co-creation between the end user and Nokta. Sure, there were some bugs in V1.04, 1.06 and 1.08. Those versions were quickly pulled as soon as Nokta or end users reported issues. Digalicious and I were both beta testers for the huge V1.09 change log along with a few other end users. So, V1.09 was the culmination of a really careful, creative collaboration between several of us end users and Nokta and they could not have been more open to suggestions and accommodating. V1.11 was literally created from suggestions by anyone that was willing to download and test the V1.10X beta version. So, no Simon, you are wrong about how you are perceiving this entire process. Sure, Nokta could have just stopped at V1.05/1.07 as soon as the saltwater issues were taken care of. The Legend would have been a fine detector. But Nokta wanted to make it better and they knew that the best place to go for suggestions to do that was with their customers and they trusted us. Thankfully, XP have been very open to suggestions for Deus 2 and have been fairly quick to correct missing features between the main RC and the WS6 Master puck and to improve/upgrade other features that end users asked for. End users also informed XP of bug issues with two of their software updates that were quickly corrected. I can only wish that Garrett and Minelab would consider this kind of true creative collaboration and actually trust their customers to make suggestions that could make their detectors even better.
  10. I totally agree. The Legend except for its saltwater handling was ready to go at release. It worked for me right out of the box. Found a small 14K hoop earring.....first target ever with the Legend with steel safety pins all around it. Once Nokta fixed the saltwater issue and added user adjustable iron bias it was totally done. Two of the updates just like two of the XP Deus 2 updates were buggy and had to be almost immediately updated again...it happens. Simon, I too really hope that Garrett will get their hopefully upcoming SMF AT type detector into the hands of at least one super experienced (doesn't make inane/insane YouTube videos for heaven's sake): USA West coast beach hunter, one USA East coast beach hunter, one gold prospector from the Western USA, one from NSW and WA Australia and plenty of actual USA and European clad and steel core hunters along with the normal relic hunters from North America and Europe at least.
  11. I would buy a SMF Garrett AT type VLF if it was comparable to a Nokta Legend/Equinox 800 or slightly better just to support Garrett. For me it's not a rah rah USA thing. I support Nokta and XP's SMF detectors for the same reason. Those detectors work great where I live for a wider variety of detecting situations than Garrett's single frequency AT detectors. That will be a hard hill to climb if Garrett is legally going to avoid Minelab US patents. The Apex did not bother Minelab one bit as far as US patents or actual real Equinox competition.
  12. I asked you about your settings and you provided them. I asked you to simply tap or hit your coil with your hand to see if maybe there was a problem with the coil itself. Since you are using the Sensitive program (me too) I thought that would be a simple way to diagnose a coil problem. At least for me, tapping the edge of the coil with my hand using the Sensitive program does not create coil knock audio responses. You stated that you always ground balance and that your soil has very low mineralization. I have never experienced coil knock audio responses when using Deus 2 and the Sensitive program even with Ground Stabilization on 1, sensitivity on 95 and the mineralization meter on my Deus 2 is usually halfway to completely full=moderate to high mineralization. The soil around here ground balances between 84 and 89. I definitely hear coil knock audio responses using the Goldfield program if I have not done several ground grab ground balances even with sensitivity on 90 unless I am using good coil control and there aren't lots of rocks and vegetation. Do you have another coil to compare with your 9" coil? If I was having the issues you are describing, I would get that coil checked by XP or at least communicate with them via their customer support Contact email service.
  13. The threshold tone only audibly changes using Pitch tones when there are non-ferrous notches set or iron discrimination is used with iron volume level set very low or off in all of the modes except Goldfield and Relic. In Goldfield and Relic, the threshold tone audibly changes when Disc IAR is set to 1 or above and iron volume level is set very low or off. So it's a reference threshold that changes on any target IDs that are rejected in the discrimination pattern. If the ground itself is generating target IDs and those target IDs are rejected, the threshold tone will audibly change. I don't think Deus 2 threshold helps to amplify very small target audio responses. At least there is nothing about it being a "live" threshold in the manual. There is really very little information about the Threshold tone itself in the manual. There is a section about Tones and Threshold but XP is using Threshold as another word for Tone Breaks in that section of the manual. I personally don't like to use it unless I have iron volume turned very low or off for some reason when using Relic or Goldfield. The faint background chatter is a better form of "live" threshold when I can hear it. As far as I can remember, the threshold has been this way since the beginning and has not been "ruined" in V2.0.
  14. Goldfield can only be 2 tone with Disc IAR and Iron Volume turned on. It’s still VCO. The Audio Gain setting might help with proportional sizing. Using the High Square Audio version of VCO and adjusting the Equalizer and Reactivity might help too. You also have the option of running the Mono mode at 40 kHz. Unlike the ORX in its coin modes, Deus 2 has the total iron discrimination range down to -6.4 so it will respond to rusted tin, etc. There are many more audio options using Mono. The threshold on Deus 2 is just kind of there as a reference threshold. In Goldfield turn on Disc IAR, turn Iron Volume off, and turn up the threshold and it will null on most iron. I use the other “threshold” which is the sensitivity level based lively noise floor if I am running Deus 2 at the edge of instability. It is more dependable for me anyway especially using Goldfield. Good Luck.
  15. I know Deus 2 really well. I don't know the Manticore really well yet and I don't have the larger Manticore coil so I don't want to get too much into overall depth. I am waiting and saving up for the Manticore M8 instead. I have done a couple of side by side hunts with the Manticore 11" and Deus 2 13X11" which is where the second quote's info comes from. I have also hunted (not side by side) areas that I hunted with the Manticore one day and Deus 2 13X11" a few days later on the same ground and found deeper high conductors that did not get my attention with the Manticore 11" the way I had it setup which is basic all targets accepted All Terrain General. Any other depth testing has been done in my test garden on 8 to 10" high conductor targets. My point for this is mirrored by others. Deus 2's 13X11" coil married to at least V1.1 software is really deep, fast, separates well and is heavy! So at least for me, the 13X11" coil is not just all about coverage.
  16. For those currently making YouTube videos my favorites are: Outback Gold Fever Digging with Phasetech Nugget Shooter Journals TwoToes/Smithsgold Vo-gus Prospecting Relics and Rings (should add Nuggets to the name!) Any videos done by Rob Allison. I don't like gold prospecting videos with lots of foul language, blatantly pushing product lines when the video maker is supposedly independent, political crap, sexual crap or long-winded commentary that finally gets to the point. Just tell me your settings, give some generalized site background and get to it. Obviously learning the detector during the video while telling viewers your opinions about it and how to use it gets old quick too. Dirt Fish Mish did a couple of prospecting videos. I know she has temporarily stopped making regular videos due to her new job. If she ever gets back to it, she is absolutely fantastic even though she is a beginner detector prospector. Garrett, Minelab, Nokta or XP should definitely sponsor her and Krissy.
  17. I have never owned the 11" FMF coil. I did own an 11" X35 so I compared its weight against the FMF 13X11" coil. Using the stock shaft system the 11" and 13X11" make it very nose heavy and just heavy in general in my opinion compared to the 9" FMF coil. There is a weight difference between the 11" and 13X11" for sure but the ergonomic result using either is just not good. So I skipped the FMF 11" and went with the 13X11" and I am super glad I did. I have never used the 13X11" with earlier software versions. I bought mine in the last 6 months and have only ever used it with v1.1 and v2.0 software. I did buy a coil centering adapter to center mount the coil on the lower shaft. That has helped some. I have swung the 13X11" for 2 to 4 hours straight with no lasting shoulder damage plus I switch hands. Your idea about using the 13X11" on certain areas is a good one. I have deliberately taken it to sites that I have gridded with Deus 2 9", the Legend 11", Manticore 11" and Equinox 800 11" and found numerous small US coins that were either poorly oriented or just a bit too deep for the other setups. I have also used the Manticore 11" and Deus 2 13X11" simultaneously on wild targets. I have not found one that the Manticore misses but the target responses are notably better on Deus 2 with the 13X11". Like 350, I have been shocked by the outstanding target separation of the 13X11" coil.
  18. I really like the versatility of the small ear pad with puck setup. The puck itself is capable of being used many ways when it isn't attached to those $12 back of the neck ear phones. No, ambient noise reduction is not good. Those ear phones are fantastic in summer if your head likes them. My head is huge so I have to bend them to fit me and I glue a thin felt layer on the part of them that touches my head just above my ears so they won't create blisters. I mount the puck on Quest aftermarket over the ear headphones when its colder, I sometimes stem mount it on the shaft system, I have worn it in the watchband configuration and often just put it in my pocket with the horseshoe audio adapter and use the wired earbuds or over the ear headphones of my choice. So the WS6 puck is actually a standalone mini remote that doesn't need the big remote to fully operate Deus 2. The Quest headphones that have a receiver for the WS6 puck are priced very reasonably and are well worth it. I have used the XP WSA XL over the ear headphones. They are nice. They are just an audio controller and cannot control any other Deus 2 functions.
  19. Deus 2, 9" coil FMF Goldfield will hit 0.01 gram nuggets now at 1.5 to 2" air test. Before v2.0 software it struggled to hit 0.1 gram nuggets at 2" air test. Deus 2 with the 13X11" coil has made all the difference for me as far as hitting deeper silver US dimes which are 18 mm, 2.5 gram coins. With that coil it is beating the Manticore with 11" coil by an inch on in ground wild targets. Target IDs really are very stable but that is after doing a ground balance at least in the dirt around here. So, target IDs can vary one or two numbers from day to day depending on ground conditions. That has been going on since the original software version so I am use to it. I really no longer have anything bad to say about Deus 2 aside from the water antenna and the design build which marries a remote that is too bulky and heavy for the shaft system connection point that was not much of an issue with Deus 1 and the ORX with their smaller and lighter remotes. My Deus 2 remote is constantly falling off and the shaft cam locks are already getting loose and the entire detector is ridiculously unstable when on the ground and is constantly falling over. You already know this since you own a Deus. So, great performing detector that needs a thoughtful shaft upgrade/
  20. Hi Simon, I just want to make this a clear as possible. I complained loudly about Deus 2's Goldfield sensitivity deficiency for over a year. To my surprise, XP not only responded to my emails to them and the videos I sent them very cordially, but more importantly, they addressed that lack of sensitivity with the V2.0 software update. At the moment my Deus 2 with 9" coil using the FMF Goldfield program is just as sensitive to small sub 0.25 gram gold as the modified Mono program running at 45.5 kHz which is the highest available single frequency setting in the Mono program. For the Mono program I lower discrimination to -6.4, use Pitch tones and a bit of threshold and otherwise use the same settings (Mono does not have Disc IAR) as FMF Goldfield. If there is a difference, I can't find it. The only way that XP might improve Deus 2's gold prospecting performance is to offer Goldfield as a selectable single frequency option similar to how it is on Deus 1 and the ORX. Even then, the difference would be minimal. I don't want others still thinking that FMF Goldfield is still messed up, hasn't been fixed or is lacking compared to Deus 1, the ORX or Deus 2 in its selectable single frequency Mono mode. It has been fixed, seriously. Now, whether the entire Deus/Deus 2/ORX line of detectors is not as good at gold prospecting as some other versatile SMFs or dedicated gold prospecting VLFs.........that is another story and at least for me, is site dependent.
  21. They were die cast metal whatever that is.
  22. Judging from the opening on the slide and the relatively flat, thin, pivoting trigger I am going with a Kilgore cap gun or something similar. I am not an expert on "Saturday Night Special" pocket pistol automatics, but most of the ones I am familiar with have a totally different kind of trigger similar to a 1911 and they don't have slide shell casing ejection openings near the rear sights.
  23. Thank you for providing your settings. Do you ground balance your Deus 2? Have you tried different Silencer settings? Does your coil make noise when you bump it against rocks, dirt or when you hit it with your hand?
  24. What program and settings are you using? Please list all of them. Did you use the same program and settings before the update to V1.1? Chatter can mean EMI, ground noise from mineralization, ground noise from moisture, ground noise from improper ground balance. I have never thought of using the English word chatter to describe sounds produced by bumping the coil into vegetation or rocks. Does your coil produce audible responses when bouncing it on the ground or when tapping it with your hand?
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