Jeff McClendon

I have used the XY graph on Deus 1. In ground where every small non-ferrous target isn't pulled into the iron target ID range, the XY graph is very good. On Deus 2 with its more accurate FMF target IDs, bigger screen and XY graph zoom feature it may even be better.

I tried to use the Ground Notch feature. It works but for me the notch window was too wide... and the ground handling ability of the single frequency Goldfield mode made the boundaries of the notch window very unstable meaning their values could be up or down averaged depending on mineralization and mask targets near the notch window. The Equinox single digit notching is far superior and using Multi IQ it is very exact unless the ground is just terrible. Hopefully Deus 2 with FMF will have much better ground handling capabilities.

I have zero published proof of this next statement. However, I believe there are some ground/hot rock handling things going on in the background when using the Equinox Gold modes that are not happening in Park 2 and Field 2. Also, contrary to what I used to think, the threshold in the Gold modes may actually be more than a reference threshold like it is in Park 2 and Field 2. At least for smaller gold less that .5 grams, I have experienced a noticeable difference in sensitivity between the Gold modes and Park 2 and Field 2 setup similar to the Gold modes. Deus 1 and the ORX using either HF coil in 31 kHz (similar frequency to Deus 2's 40 kHz) were much more sensitive to .5 gram and smaller gold than the other Deus 1 version 5.2 software modes by an inch or more. Deus 2 with its FMF technology along with its new discrimination search modes may change all of that. So we'll know soon.

Have you read “My Tips On Gold Nugget Detecting With The Minelab Equinox” in the Equinox section of this forum yet?

I have owned the Gold Monster 1000 and still own the Equinox 800. I found the Gold Monster 1000 to be an excellent 45 kHz single frequency gold prospecting specific detector that is easy to use and be successful with. My only problems with the Gold Monster 1000 were its lack of a threshold tone and its difficulty staying automatically ground balanced along with the time it took to sometimes auto ground balance it. These two limitations showed up the most in really hot ground conditions where a threshold tone could have given me possibly a little more depth and being able to do a button press ground grab to lock the ground balance would have saved me some time and frustration and I wouldn’t have needed to constantly have to pump the coil on really hot ground or after recovering a target. I found the simultaneous multi frequency Equinox 800 with its highest multi frequency of 40 kHz in its Gold modes to be the equal of the Gold Monster in sensitivity to tiny gold targets with the 6” Minelab coil and with the 10X5” Coiltek coil while also having the option of using the 11” or larger coils for deeper gold targets if the ground mineralization allowed. Doing a push button ground grab, manually ground balancing or using its automatic tracking ground balance along with its SMF Multi IQ technology gave me the flexibility to easily use the Nox 800 at highly mineralized sites where the Gold Monster 1000 could not operate well at all. The Nox 800 also has full single digit VDi notching, fully functioning accurate target IDs unless the ground is super bad, recovery speed adjustments, VCO audio and an actual threshold tone that is capable of adding a little boost to really weak signals. Amazingly enough, the Equinox with the 6” or 10X5” coil is more comfortable to swing than the very top heavy Gold Monster 1000. All of the Nox 800 Gold mode features are very helpful for the gold prospector and if you want to hunt in a discrimination mode you have two options….Park 2 and Field 2 that also have a high frequency of around 40 kHz SMF or 40 kHz single frequency operation along with all of the same features as the gold modes plus multi tone operation. If you plan to do some coin/jewelry/relic hunting and also occasionally get to a saltwater beach or need to submerge a detector, the Equinox is very capable of doing all of that easily. So, in my opinion, since you already have the excellent single frequency 71 kHz Gold Bug 2 for tiny gold nugget prospecting, the Gold Monster 1000 is kind of redundant. The Equinox would offer so much more versatility both as a gold prospecting detector and coin/jewelry/relic detector than the Gold Monster 1000.

The above chart by El Nino shows the situation well. It does not take salt compensation into account however. Those numbers could well be less for some modes and even show the smallest target not detected for others.

Thin gold chains and tiny earrings with the Equinox in Beach 1.....maybe but not very deep Beach 2 only if they are really shallow like 3" or less. If you can run the Gold modes which depends on a lot of variable factors including your sanity and willingness to dig small trash in the -2 to +10 target ID range on a low black sand beach.....definitely. Deus 2 with that really sensitive @40 kHz Beach Sensitive mode.......can't wait to try it. Deus 2 in Goldfield......same situation as Nox/Deus 1/Orx Gold modes. I am usually hearing an imaginary threshold tone 24/7 for days and nights afterwards!!!!! I get the desire to just find some gold even if it is a small 10K opened jump ring from a chain that is worth $1 dollar US. Personally, I would just rather find 4 clad US quarters.

That coil design looks really interesting. Anti Interference ??? coil that ramps up power over a target in detection mode combined with 75 kHz would definitely hit some small targets.

DETECTION CAPABILITIES The MF5 detects metal and conductive targets, including fine wires and carbon rods. It provides indications of ferrous and non-ferrous targets, carbon rods, and fine wires. The MF5 is able to detect targets in all types of soil, regardless of mineralised content, and can operate in environments of high electrical interference. Carbon rods????? Can operate in environments of high electrical interference????? Multi IQ that is on my Equinox doesn't like EMI although EMI doesn't bother Vanquish very much, but I guess the use of the word "can" is somewhat relative.

With that information provided I will jump in. The Apex is a very nice detector. I wish its multi frequency technology was as good as its other features, build quality and ergonomics. Like Steve said, it is an Ace level detector. On salt water beaches it will do fine and its Multi Flex tech will offer advantages over it single frequency use. In mild to high iron mineralization I found its Multi Flex technology to offer little or no advantage over single frequency use as far as overall depth, target ID accuracy or ground condition stability in higher iron mineralization. The Vanquish build quality is definitely not equal to that of the Apex and it is limited to multi frequency operation only while also not having a user ground balance option . Its Multi IQ technology is far superior to Multi Flex however. Multi IQ will offer obvious depth and target identification capabilities over the Apex in mild to high iron mineralization even with it being limited to internal fixed range ground balance limitations. So, it is an extremely accurate and deep detector for its price. Personally, for an iron trashed home site or cellar hole I would pick the Apex. For the other detecting scenarios you noted, I would pick the Vanquish 440 or 540 every time.

Thanks Rick, maybe for a normal kid or a person half my age it would not be much more than a bad cold. For me, at age 66, it is more like a bad flu bordering on pneumonia. I am fully vaccinated and boostered so my phone nurse assures me I will make it. Been sick for almost 2 weeks………

Detector audio is so subjective. My tone preferences are the polar opposite of yours........amazing.

Oh boy, this should be a really good read. I am staying out of it.

I can understand the original posters concerns about being able to adjust individual tone bin volume levels. I have some hearing loss and some audio frequencies sound much louder than others even when they are set at the same output levels. Sometimes the ones that sound louder are not really the ones I want to hear the loudest if that makes sense. Being able to lower mid tone audio responses and raise the volume level of high tone audio responses really helps me sometimes. So do different brands of headphones, etc. Hopefully the audio equalizer will help my situation when using the Deus 2 along with setting up custom tones in a saved program slot that sound good to me.

I am recovering from Omicron brain fog and am basically fairly stupid anyway. So, I am confused. In your first sentence are you referring to the original Deus? Can you use something like Deus 1 so oafs like me will understand. If so, on Deus 1 not only can you not adjust the volume level of the non-ferrous tones, you can't adjust the overall volume output of the Deus 1 remote control unless you have the WS4 module with volume control, the WS5 headphones with volume control or a set of wired headphones like the FX-01s or similar with inline volume control. Also, on Deus 1 and the ORX there is no volume control for the remote control external speaker. That really is " just slap me upside the head" engineering for a $1300 Full Deus 1 price tag in my opinion. But most of the rest of the engineering and software were way ahead of their time. On Deus 2 you do have output volume control within the main remote control, whoopee. There is still no volume control for each individual non-ferrous tone. There is an audio equalizer that may help in that regard but I don't have a Deus 2 yet to test that. As far as stubble, cultivation furrows and high grass is concerned, that is what the Audio Response setting and VCO audio programs like the Relic mode and the Pitch audio setting are for in case you need to keep the coil well above the ground. If everybody so far wants to argue about the merits of this detector versus that detector, this thread may need to be moved to the Comparison topic. Lets put down our handbags, fanny pouches, finds pouches and backpacks please.

The price is the same on the only site that I can find that is advertising them in the USA $399. Brand new detector technology so I can't give any Deus 2 advice. With Deus 1 and ORX, the 9" coils felt the best for me. The HF 9" was deeper and more sensitive than the original 9". I never liked swinging the 11" on the Deus 1 and ORX.....way too nose heavy. As far as depth between FMF 9" and 11". That would depend on soil mineralization. Here in Colorado I never saw any depth difference between Deus 1 and ORX 11" and 9" due to mineralization. Horizontal ground coverage was definitely better with the 11". Target separation and sensitivity to smaller targets was definitely better with the 9"........

Is a Deus 1 that much better than an ORX. Absolutely. I would go $500 or more better for the coin, jewelry, relic hunter. Like Abenson said, if you want a fairly simple to operate but very limited feature coin, jewelry and relic detector, that would be the ORX. The ORX coin modes have many, many drawbacks compared to the Deus 1. Some of the biggest for me are the lack of tone options including just 3 tones, only 1 adjustable tone break, no tone pitch adjustments, no full tones, no notching, and the biggest for me in mineralized ground.....the ORX Coin mode's iron range stops at zero. The Deus 1 iron range stops at -6.4. Trust me, there are a lot of iron targets and in iron mineralization there are a lot of non-ferrous targets that have their IDs skewed into that negative iron range, that the ORX in its Coin modes will not hit, period. If you mostly want an ORX for gold prospecting with the occasional coin, jewelry and relic hunt.....the ORX Gold modes actually have more features than the Deus 1 Gold Field program and the ORX Gold mode's iron range goes all the way down to -6.4 just like Deus 1. So for me, ORX versus Deus all depends on what you will mostly be using it for. Gold prospecting get the ORX. Anything else, get the Deus 1 or if you have the money definitely get the Deus 2 and skip Deus 1 and ORX.

I don't water hunt much. With the ground basically frozen and depth not important, my current everyday Nox 800 with Steve Goss graphite shaft and 10X5" Coiltek elliptical coil weighs 42 ounces or 2 lbs 10 oz. I don't use a counter weight and can swing this rig all day. My Nox 800 for gold prospecting with the 6" round coil and Detect-Ed collapsible graphite shaft weighs 38 ounces or 2 lbs 6 oz and I can swing it indefinitely. I just weighed them on an accurate scale. Both weigh ins include grip tape, coil cover tape, and Doc's arm cuff covers and straps. My XP ORX weighs 30.5 ounces or 1 lb 14.5 oz with the HF elliptical coil. If it didn't fall over all the time it would be my favorite detector ergonomically. It likes to roll down hillsides...............and I don't enjoy chasing it. I only bought one of these new. Added together, all three cost a hundred dollars more than what a new Deus 2 costs at $1600. If I was solely a freshwater/saltwater submerged hunter I would be seriously looking at the Deus 2 for sure. I haven't seen a submerged in mild to moderate surf Deus 2 dive hunt yet. How it will hold up on a regular basis in that environment.....who knows.

Mine weighs 30.5 ounces with ORX controller mounted on the full shaft with HF elliptical coil, lower shaft, battery and coil cover. Waterproof kit and antenna weighs 3.8 ounces

Excellent review of the XP ORX Gold modes for gold prospecting by Kevin Hoagland from Gold Prospector Magazine. If this is breaking copyright Steve, feel free to take it down. I do have a subscription. This is a great tutorial by a master user for anyone who is thinking of buying an ORX while they are super inexpensive during the pre Deus 2 release sell-off or anyone buying a Deus 2 for prospecting use. The menu and settings according to Gary Blackwell are the same........ Maybe, except for the one setting that is still unanswered which is: FMF may be the only frequency setting option. If it is, the Deus 2 will be easier to setup than the ORX since you don't have to choose an operating frequency or offsets.

I don't know how I missed these two excellent videos showing how the GM 24k and ORX handle iron mineralization/magnetite. Did you try the same with the GM 24k in one tone with iron reject engaged and not engaged and with the ORX in either of its Coin modes? I have continued to do a lot of testing with the GM 24k, Equinox 800 and ORX. GM 24K and the Equinox 800 have some very advanced features and tech that are lacking on the ORX........ For me, the GM 24k is a super fancy MXT running at 48 kHz. For a person that wants most of all an outstanding gold prospecting detector with maybe some micro jewelry hunting and incidental coin/relic hunting, the GM 24K is really hard to beat. I would have a very hard time recommending the ORX instead of the GM 24K unless someone really needed the great ergonomics of the ORX most of all.

Hi Hugh, thanks for the almost clarification on Gold Field and Relic being FMF only on Deus 2. I am not 100% sure either but honestly it doesn't really matter since I would try to always use FMF. I rarely use my Equinox in its Gold modes in single frequency unless EMI is just awful. As far as Disc. IAR, a serious Covid brain fog moment happened while I was editing that paragraph. What I meant to say was iron reject can be Off=0 or On set to 1 through 5. Again, I rarely use it gold prospecting. Just like you said, in magnetite, using it just confuses things and shallow to surface, tiny gold can get swallowed up by masking using the single frequency Deus 1 and ORX. Maybe........FMF will help that situation?????

Hot rocks on these XPs are definitely easy to hear and identify by audio if they are big enough. However, you will hear all of them clearly. I am hoping that Deus 2’s FMF might at least unmask small gold targets better than Deus 1 and ORX single frequency.

No notching on Deus 2, Deus 1 or ORX in the Gold modes………..compared to the Equinox single digit notching…….huge negative in my opinion.

I can’t speak for the Deus 2 Gold Field program vs the Goldmonster 1000. I can speak for the Deus 1 and ORX vs Goldmonster 1000. Just remember currently there are four big differences at least on paper between the Deus 2 Gold Field program and the Deus 1/Orx Gold programs. Two are big positive differences in my opinion which are Deus 2 GoldField is FMF or selectable single frequency and Deus 1/ORX is just single frequency. Deus 2 also has a choice of PWM VCO or Square Wave VCO audio. One big negative is the lack of a small elliptical coil for Deus 2. Deus 1 and ORX have the 9.5X5” elliptical. The other somewhat negative is Deus 2 highest single frequency is roughly 45 kHz. Deus 1 and ORX highest single frequency is 81 kHz. Compared to the Goldmonster 1000 vs Deus 1/ORX, Goldmonster 1000 is fully automated with the iron probability screen and iron reject and sensitivity adjustments along with 2 great coils. Deus 1 and ORX in Gold modes are basically threshold based all metal modes on steroids with ground grab ground balancing, iron reject on or off, iron audio on or off, VCO 1 tone audio, reactivity/recovery speed adjustments, threshold volume adjustments, 0 to 99 target ID, iron probability graph, mineralization graph, depth graph, pinpoint, internal rechargeable batteries and wireless audio. As far as performance in hot ground, adjustability to handle hot ground and overall features AND incredible ergonomics…….I would pick the Deus 1/ORX and Deus 2. As far as ease of setup and automation in more moderate ground, Goldmonster 1000. Sensitivity to small gold is similar…we are talking 1/2” difference or less depending on ground conditions and if one is using the HF 9.5X5” elliptical coil with Disc. IAR OFF. If Deus 2’s FMF simultaneous multi frequency really can pretty much make the ground be fairly easy to see through in hot iron mineralization much like only the Equinox 800 can currently down to about 6”……….that would be a huge plus for Deus 2 compared to any detector currently made which is what makes the Equinox 800 such a good gold prospecting detector. XP claims in their Deus 2 manual that it will see through bad ground. No proof for me yet. We will see, just like we will see how the Legend performs in similar conditions.