Jeff McClendon

I agree, Deep HC and Gold Field seemed to have the best responses on those clad dimes. Andy has owned a Deus 1 since 2016 and has made several videos for XP Team America so he is not a Deus newbie. The testing was specifically aimed at giving anyone that was interested, some idea about how Deus 2 might do in actual moderate to highly iron mineralized Western USA dirt. Notice I said some idea. No where in Andy's intro or subsequent comments is there any statement that says these are definitive tests or that they prove anything conclusive. They just are preliminary testing of Deus 2 programs 1, 2, 3, 4 ,5, 6 and 8 using their default settings in some fairly bad dirt on two recently buried clad dimes. Here are the pertinent default settings for those programs as shown in the latest online manual. 1 General = disc 7, silencer 1, sensitivity 95, reactivity 2.5, audio response 5, ground stability 2, max frequency 40 kHz 2 Sensitive = disc 6.8, silencer 1, sensitivity 90, reactivity 2.5, audio response 4, ground stability 2, max frequency 40 kHz 3 Sens FT = disc -6.4, silencer 1, sensitivity 90, reactivity 3, audio response 4, ground stability 2, max frequency 40 kHz 4 Fast = disc 6.8, silencer 1, sensitivity 90, reactivity 3, audio response 4, ground stability 2, max frequency 40 kHz 5 Park = disc 7, silencer 3, sensitivity 90, reactivity 2.5, audio response 4, ground stability 3, max frequency 24 kHz 6 Deep HC = disc 7, silencer 2, sensitivity 93, reactivity 2, audio response 5, ground stability 2, max frequency 14 kHz 8 Gold Field = disc (none), silencer (none), sensitivity 95, reactivity 2, audio response 3, ground stability (none), max frequency 40 kHz. Gold Field is a hybrid threshold based all metal mode so the entire target ID range -6.4 to 99 is accepted. Deep HC performed the best. I would add that Gold Field did very well also as I would have expected. The one about Deep HC maybe having a lower factory default discrimination setting......it doesn't. Sens FT should have performed much better considering it does use a factory preset of -6.4 for disc. To my ears and eyes it struggled the most on both targets............... This video was not about which detector is the best in the world. It wasn't about how one detector performed better than another. Andy made no claims about being an expert using Deus 2. He kept it as simple as possible after a long drive and a long day of detecting. It was about how seven of the stock, default programs would perform in fairly bad dirt. Andy could have left the Equinox completely out of this video and just used the Deus 2 footage. How much better would a Deus 2 do, and how much better could a few tweaks improve its performance? Half an inch, just enough to clearly beat the Equinox......WHAT? Obviously, at least obviously to anyone who detects in similar dirt out here, both Deus 2 and Equinox 800 using 11" coils struggled to hit the 7" dime in these soil conditions especially on freshly dug holes. 8" is pretty much the maximum depth of detection no matter what settings you tweak in disturbed soil conditions out here on a dime sized target. That is reality out here. By the way, the dirt in this testing video is mild in comparison to most of the places Andy and I detect. Thankfully, XP's FMF technology has really improved depth, target ID and available audio options on Deus 2 so that it can work really well out here in iron mineralized ground. That is the good news that Andy was trying to bring to those of us that detect out here and LOVE Deus detectors. Once again Andy, thank you for driving around 1,100 miles round trip to get these videos done at your expense. They show clearly what even moderate iron mineralization can do to two excellent detectors on 6 to 7" clad dimes, just as your nugget videos show similar results.

Great to have you lurking and posting over here on Detector Prospector. I always read your posts over on Friendly when I can. I sometimes get back to Carrollton GA with a detector and actually enjoy hunting in that area when I am not taking care of my parents and I think of you just up the road. Welcome Jeff

Gold prospecting on tiny gold is all about getting a detector to respond to a small target usually in high mineralization. Sometimes it is just a blip, sometimes a break in the threshold. It depends on the detector and what kind of iron handling it has. In the video, the Deus 2 in wide open Gold Field with disc IAR on zero could not detect that smallest nugget well at all. If I had on headphones, just like Andy said, and was going by sound only, I might have walked right over it because the audio was so inconsistent and fractured. It tried to give an ID and mostly gave responses that mimic ground noise from passing over a really small hot rock or a slight change in ground phase. All of that, in spite of your insistence on volume levels not being equal, tells me how poorly Deus 2 in Gold Field with an 11” coil detected that target. No one is complaining about Deus 1s audio or especially the GPX 5000 volume levels which were also low, even though the GPX hit that second target with very faint BUT very consistent audio responses that would have pulled me up immediately.

Deus 2 ID the smallest nugget once out of half a dozen 00s or no IDs. That tells me and anyone with experience using the Gold Field mode that it was having a really tough time with that target. Basically, the target was responding lower than -6.4 on most of those swings. I don’t care how loud the volume was or if headphones would have helped. That 11” coil was really struggling on that target, period.

Everyone that has responded to this thread is a gold prospector. Three of the people that have responded or reacted to this thread actually own, use and like the original Deus, the Equinox 800 and the GPX 5000. We have hundreds to thousands of hours on these detectors, using them in dirt that people back east have no concept of. I often spend the first half hour of a hunt trying to figure out if I want to notch out the various hot rocks or not when using the Equinox in its Gold modes since it is capable of doing that with a simple button push or two. Sometimes I do. Can’t do that presently on the Deus 2 in Gold Field. Nor can I adjust a Deus 2 the way that Andy had his Nox setup with -9 to -6 rejected to take care of any ground noise……… We know our detectors well and as you and many other who have a Deus 2 already have said, if you have experience on Deus 1 or the ORX the transition to Deus 2 is not too bad. I will take that one step further…….for those of us that have hundreds to thousands of hours using the Deus 1 and ORX Gold Field modes………the settings are virtually identical on Deus 2 so Andy screwing up the video he made and posted today is next to impossible in a head to head, same sized coils, Gold Modes to Gold Field comparison.

Your question is a very good one. Since you are an underwater detector user, the one feature that is missing on the Equinox for use underwater that I really like is the vibrating handle feature on the Legend and several other Nokta Makro waterproof detectors. I have enjoyed using that feature on the Simplex and Multi Kruzer. It alerts the user that a target has been detected very well. So no need for audio really when the detector is submerged. Just check the display after the handle vibrates. Also, I have no doubt that the Legend will have better waterproofing and a more sturdy build quality than the Equinox 600 or 800. There are several other reasons why I would consider the Legend at least on paper, to be a better choice as far as included features versus the Equinox 600. Since there are even more updates and upgrades happening now, those differences may be even greater. The one really big consideration that we just don't know about it overall performance, Legend versus Equinox 600 or 800. Not enough comparison testing has been done and even less has been posted on YouTube. What was posted was with pre production models which are undergoing changes so, who knows.

Once again Andy, your testing mirrors what I have experienced using three of the four detectors in this comparison. Deus 1, Nox 800, GPX 5000. Several people questioned me and Andy when we said that Deus 2 Gold Field really needs those higher frequencies and that a maximum of 40 kHz might not be enough. Why did we say that......because of the way Deus 1 really gets hot on smaller gold at 50 kHz and higher. Since we had never used a Deus 1 at 40 kHz (not an available frequency) all we had to go on was the difference between 31 and 48 kHz. At least on the Deus 1 it just gets a real jump in performance using the 9" HF coil starting at 48 kHz. Using an 11" coil on Deus 2 with a maximum high frequency of 40 kHz was just an unknown. Now we know. Hopefully the 9" paired with Deus 2 in Gold Field will be better on all of those targets. Also, the volume level of Deus 2 seemed to be really quiet. Was it on its highest setting. Plus, I already said in another post that Deus 2 gold prospecting for smaller gold in its discrimination modes needs to have a very low disc setting even below zero. Deus 2 gave some occasional accurate target IDs interspersed with 00s. Deus 1 never gave any accurate target IDs on any of the targets at any frequency. Deus 1 hit those targets hard at 74kHz for sure. The real winner of this comparison as I and I am fairly certain Andy could have predicted was the Equinox 800 using an 11" coil in Gold 1 Multi. Gold 2 Multi would have been just the same. I know Steve H. has said that the Equinox 800 Gold modes were mostly an accident and kind of an afterthought. Somehow Steve and Minelab really nailed it however. I see this kind of raw power and finesse using the Equinox 800 gold prospecting and even relic hunting every time I use it. Apart from the occasional iron range number, the Equinox 800 even with an 11" coil was dead on the target IDs for those nuggets. Put the 10X5" Coiltek or 6" round coil on the Equinox on those targets............. Relic hunters that have not used the Equinox Gold modes for really deep relic hunting in fairly clean ground that has some mineralization......you are missing out. You get the same extremely accurate target IDs along with VCO audio. For shallow non-ferrous targets in thick nails, just turn up the iron bias and the recovery speed to alleviate some of the iron falsing and to shorten the audio responses. You can also use the threshold tone as a reference that will null on iron.......... The ground Andy is testing in is not extreme mineralization wise. The gulf between the Deus 2 and the Equinox may be even greater in really bad ground from a prospecting/relic standpoint using Deus 2's Gold Field and Relic modes versus the Equinox Gold modes.

Again, I fully understood your question. I hunt in competition hunts and impromptu wild target group hunts with many Deus 1 and Equinox users. Sometimes the Deus 1 interferes with my Nox and vice versa. If I know the person I work it out by lowering my sensitivity a bit and by doing an automatic noise cancel and see if that helps. My friend/fellow hunter using their Deus 1 may also need to do a small manual frequency shift to totally clear it up. In timed hunts situations I try to work all of this out before the hunt starts. I have experienced crosstalk between Equinoxes and multiple Deus 1s along with many other detectors that are harder or impossible to adjust. I also, like I said earlier, often hunt within 10 feet of Deus 1 and Equinox users and we have no EMI issues whether audible or silent because we already addressed that issue at startup. With Deus 2, finding a “clear” channel appears to be much easier since it has an “auto scan” function that takes one button push and 3 seconds to complete and similar to the Equinox will find the clearest frequencies for quieter operation. I don’t own a Deus 2 yet and I don’t personally know anyone in my club that has received theirs yet so I can’t test this for you. Thanks for reading and I am outta here.

My thumbs up "like" doesn't mean I like your hearing situation Erik. My "like" is for support of your situation and especially your willingness and tenacity to keep going at a hobby/pursuit where hearing is almost an automatic requirement. The Nokta Makro Legend in spite of its depth limitations (3 meters) may be another option when it is released since its vibrating handle really works well.

Calabash's detector did not go dead. It just couldn't detect that target at that depth. I got your point the first time you made it. The way to help mitigate the effects of silent or audible EMI interference no matter what the source, is to do the recommended auto noise canceling or auto frequency scans for the detector being used right after first starting it up and if needed, do another one later if you notice any EMI related issues like audible interference, very jumpy IDs, loss of depth or audio instability. Like phrunt said, this is basic procedure if I am anywhere near an EMI source while using a high gain simultaneous multi frequency detector like the Equinox or Deus ll or if I am using a pulse induction detector. Cover your bases and occasionally check your detector for full function if it seems to have gone quiet.

Thank for your gold nugget testing video. The Gold Field testing was basically what I expected. For any Deus 2 discrimination mode whether an FMF or Deus 2 Mono, you may need to either turn iron audio volume up a lot and/or lower the discrimination setting to 0 or below to hit the smaller gold targets in that kind of mineralization with a clear tone even if it is an iron tone.

Welcome to Detector Prospector!!!! I am very sorry to hear about the monetary inflation in your country. We have similar issues here in the USA too. My grocery shopping bill has almost doubled since Covid 19 began as has my heating bill and gasoline for my car bill. My income for paying these doubled prices has not doubled unfortunately. I am amazed that Nokta Makro could price the Legend at such a good price here in the USA. Some other international detector companies have already raised their prices on previously existing models here I am guessing, to cover their unexpected supply chain costs. I really hope Nokta Makro is doing okay and that the value of the Turkish Lira will stabilize soon........

I don't know about hearing nothing in Calabash's example. He just didn't initially hear that target and did later when he did a frequency shift. Same with Gigmaster putting his Deus ll back in the car and grabbing his Equinox. Maybe he did not perform a frequency shift check before he started detecting with his Deus ll due to unfamiliarity with it. There could have also been another EMI source besides a nearby Equinox or crucial setting that he was unaware of that caused his Deus ll to not be able to detect the deeper targets that his friend's Equinox was detecting easily. "Silent" EMI is still EMI whether it is coming from another detector, pinpointer, our phone, camera or some other source that we can't control. It can effect a detector in different ways especially simultaneous multi frequency detectors and pulse induction detectors. If I can hear the effects of audible EMI I just assume that their is also inaudible EMI in the area. Doing a noise cancel/frequecy shift should take care of most of it. I don't see this as an issue or major problem. As long as detector users hunting together take the necessary steps to alleviate most of the interference, things should go well. It is a good thing that both Deus ll, the Equinox and the Legend have the ability to run in selectable single frequencies when EMI is too bad for the detector to operate as an SMF detector. Those of us that have a Deus ll and those that don't have a lot to learn about how Deus ll works.

Your statement above removes the problem of habitation and human trash. It does not address the problem of the ground itself being a detectable target and attenuating detector effectiveness and the depth issues that can result. I don't have a Deus 2. I have owned the Deus 1 and ORX. Abenson on this forum is doing some testing and preliminary videos using Deus 2 Gold Field with FMF tech. He is a Deus 1 owner also. XP claims that FMF will perform extremely well in all terrains and soil types. If that is true and I certainly hope it is, Deus 2 Gold Field or any other Deus 2 mode using FMF should see the ground itself as less of a target no matter how mineralized it is or isn't. That should improve overall depth and target ID accuracy when testing a Deus 2 against a Deus 1 on the same ground if Deus 2 is operating at a similar weighted FMF frequency combination as Deus 1 in single frequency and the ground balance, reactivity, audio, audio response and discrimination or IAR settings are similar.

My comments as a Deus and Equinox and pulse induction detector user who also uses handheld pinpointers..........do an automatic noise cancel, automatic frequency shift or manual frequency shift if you are hunting with others and with handheld pinpointers BEFORE you start detecting and do another one if problems arise during a hunt. That is what these features are there for. Some seeded hunt organizers tell their hunters to turn down their sensitivity before hunting and to do noise cancel/frequency shifts and to stay well away from each other if possible. Using an Equinox and a Deus, I simply can't hunt around some other detectors either without doing the necessary steps. Blaming it all on the Equinox is not accurate. I can hear some FTP and Whites VLF detectors approaching from 20 yards away using either an Equinox or a Deus....... Conversely, I can be using an Equinox or Deus right next to another Equinox or Deus IF we have prepped our detectors and pinpointers to minimize crosstalk feedback before hunting. So, Calabash and his hunting partner along with Steve (Gigmaster) and his hunting partner should have taken care of that before starting out instead of blaming it all on the Equinox.....or Deus ll depending on which video your are watching.

Hi Seabee Ron, great to see you over on this forum. We are definitely having drama issues here too but there is still plenty of good information and good behavior happening on this site.

There is no doubt that Turkey, just like the rest of the world is experiencing supply chain issues and inflation issues. As far as the Turkish government shutdowns, I have yet to hear anything about that. What I am hearing and reading are natural gas shortages due to problems with pipeline malfunctions and the resulting electricity issues which are not helping the Turkish monetary situation and which are impacting big multi-national companies. Whether Turkish companies are being heavily impacted by these shortages......I don't know. I have read that the amount of natural gas and electricity availability being cut by 40% then 20% was targeted at Turkey's multi national industrial zones.....so their would not be a loss of power or heat for hospitals, schools, private citizens/residential areas. As of this morning, 2/8/22, full flow of natural gas has been restored and repairs to the Iranian natural gas lines into Turkey have been completed. Whether any of this is impacting the release of the Nokta Makro Legend......it is still February and Dilek said she hoped some time in February that the improvements to the Legend would be complete. Shipping them is another story. Like many that use this forum currently, the ground is basically frozen and covered with snow where I am, and aside from some fast moving streams, all of the lakes are very frozen. I really don't have anywhere to use the Legend if I had one.

I did not see any activity in the lower left where GND LVL is labeled. it stayed empty/blank. Actually, I think I am giving you bad information. You might want to really study the Ground section in the manual page 22 (I think) and figure out how to ground balance in the Beach modes and how to use the Magnetic Ground accept/reject setting. Like I said I don't have a Deus 2, but in Beach mode you may need to first press the top right button under G.B. to access the Beach ground balance menu where you chose if you want tracking or grab and magnetic ground accept (probably yes in our case) or reject....test it and see if accept/reject makes a difference.

I don’t have a Deus 2 and I don’t know if you ground balance yours before using it or if you have used all of the iron sand features included in the Beach programs…….So, as you try to do a ground grab ground balance by pressing the pinpoint button and slowly pumping the coil, instead of watching the numbers in the bottom right corner of the display, try to watch the bar graph in the bottom left corner that alternates with the battery levels and see what happens. Just by looking at your videos, the sand there looks similar to some of the Southern California beaches I have hunted that have moderate levels of black sand and can definitely give VLFs problems.

Thanks Andy. The only thing I do differently than you is put both detectors in 2 tones…ferrous/non-ferrous. I get similar results using Equinox, Deus 1 and ORX. Coin in position 2 swing direction 4 defeats all three detectors regularly. Otherwise all three do very well as did Deus 2.

It looked like 3 to 5 from what I could see which is about right for the gold prospecting areas I have hunted in central AZ. Most ground balance between 1 and 13

About as fair as one can get for a recently buried US dime test in mineralized dirt. On established, undisturbed US coin targets in dirt like this using an optimally setup Equinox, more depth is very possible even down to 10" on a US dime, copper penny or larger US coin, IF EMI and soil moisture conditions are favorable. Too much EMI, too dry or too wet and all bets are off. Deus 2 on the 6" dime approached from Andy's swing direction had very good numerical target ID and tone recognition. So did the Equinox. Deus 2 on the 7" dime had intermittent correct target IDs and tones along with lots of 00s. Similar effect on the Equinox swinging over the 7" dime with intermittent correct target IDs and tones along with iron range numbers and tones. For someone with lots of US coin experience with the Equinox in high iron mineralization, the 7" dime target responses would have been an absolutely must dig especially if the target was investigated more and the high numbers were consistently in the high 20s to mid 30s. If the high numbers had been 39/40 only coupled with iron responses, I might have passed up that target as deep iron. So, virtually identical results that were about what I expected from the testing that has been done by others in milder dirt. XP's FMF technology has definitely improved the depth and target ID accuracy of Deus 2 over Deus 1. However, unless one is a saltwater beach hunter or diver, or really is enamored with the Deus platform from long experience or for its great ergonomics, I have not seen any other reason to ditch the Equinox, trash the soon to be released Legend or declare one over the others as the greatest detector in the world. thanks Andrew!!!!!

Any chance you could do a Monte's nail board test. I know it is a 2D test but for comparison to other detectors and their results it does have some value.........using General, Fast, Relic or anything you want to use.

Comparing Deus 1 to Deus 2, that is a very good result and XP is to be commended. Comparing the Equinox to Deus 2………not such a good result if that is the best that Deus ll can do with an 11” coil in moderate mineralization. That test was done with a freshly planted target. Targets that are similar in size and conductivity but are wild or well established test bed targets may give different results.

So when the bone phones are selected as the audio output choice on the display, all subsequent program choices whether beach programs or turf programs will automatically switch to square audio? I thought that the only program that was square audio only was Diving.